Omaha daily bee., 1906-07-04
Opposition Ticket Carries Only a Few
Precincts in County,
MAJORITY IS AN OVERWHELMING ONE
Former Opposition strOnghOlds Reverse
Themselves
ROTATION BALLOT OEcENEs NO ONE
Count Necessarily slow. hut Enough
Returns Are I'm TO Indicate the
Result Beyond Any
Question.

Douglas county's eighty-thre votes in the
republican state convention will be cast for
! Edwf rd Rosewater for United States sem
stor. That much was determined by a de-
cisive vote at the primaries held through
out the county yesterday.
The victory for the Rosewater delegation
is one OF the most signal ever recorded in
local politics, promising from the returns
so far in to be more than a two to
one vote. Mr.. RosewHter's delegates have
carried, apparently, every voting precinct
In the county with very few exceptions, re-
versing the majorities in many of the So
called Fontanele strongholds.
The Fontanelles put up a persistent fight
wherever they could and their bosses were
much in evidence, especially in the lower
wards. but the high privates failed to re-
! spoud; in fact. there seemed to be no great
| number of privates to follow their lead.
| At midnight returns from few precincts
where the vote had been light, and there
| fore quickly counted, showed the Rosewnter
| delegates running far I'm the lead. Reports
| from the upper wards supposed to be the
seat OF Fontanelle intelligence all told the
same story. one strong Fontanee precinct
| OF the Ninth ward. where forty-seven bal
! lots had been counted out Of eighty-three,
gave the Rosewater delegates thirty two
and the Fontanelles fifteen. Another Ninth
ward precinct. where twenty-five out of
ninety-three ballots had been counted,
showed twenty for the Rosewater delegates
and two for the Fontaneles. The Fourth
precinct of the Third ward. with forty-five
| republican votes gave the Rosewater dele
gates thrty-three, as against twelve for the
Fontanelies.
Count Naturally Very Slow.
The count is naturally very slow and II
| will be well into the day before the election
boards possibly finish, while the tabu-
lation will be still slower. There are ap-
parently about 1000 republican votes cast
in the county and the democratic vote will
not exceed 600 or 800
The voters realized quickly what the
rotation ballot outrage inflicted by the
Fontanelles meant for them. Hundreds
were disfranchised by inability to under
staud and mark the ballots and hundreds
more were compelled 20 4ose part OF -tfetf
votes. The judges OF election were called
on frequently to assist in marking ballots,
even some OF the most intelligent running
afoul Of the rotation scheme. The quickest
that the most adept ballot marker could
get through with the eighty-three delegates
for the state convention alone about
six minutes and cases are recorded where
men remained in the voting place as long as
an hour and half before they could get the
crosses exactly where they wanted them.
It is recorded that one old man In the
Third precinct of the Sixth ward required
three hours and half, spelling two bal
lots in the interval by mistakes. One WE'LL
intentoned voter in the First OF the Ninth.
after wrestling in vain with two yards OF
paper, wrote across 81; The whole Rose
water delegation" and let It 20 at that.
Judge Day Takes Half Hour.
Judge Day OF the district court, who par
ticipated in the rotation ballot decision put
In twenty-five minutes trying TO get his
ballot stVaight and wasn't sure Of It then.
The Fontanelles sprung a circular saw
ballot with which they expected 10 take
the people by storm. but It fell as fiat az
any ordinary card. II consisted of long
strip corresponding with the ballot. crossed
for the Fontanelle candidates and pasted
so as to form complete circle, the voter
being instructed TO tear II above the name
which he found first on his official ballot
and then use It as an ordinary sample. 1t
seemed, however to take as long 10 explain
it as TO vote IT, and II caught nobody who
was already into the game.
The election in South Omaha was in all
respects the most quiet I'm the history OF
the city. A light vote was poed and at
All uHhtS III the uay lhe polHHB boothA ap-
peared deserted. A few OF the more en-
thusiastic workers were TO be seen. At
many OF the polling places there we're no
representatives OF the democratic party
nor OF the supporters OF Mr.. Crounse At
all OF the precincts the supporters OF Mr..
Rosewater were In preponderance.
At midnight the democratic World
Herald, which in this night has been the
organ OF the Fontanelles, admitted to tele-
phone inquiries that the solid Rosewater
, delegation had been elected by safe ma
joritics.
Who the Delegates Are.
The successful delegation which win rep
. resent Douglas county I'm the republican
= state convention at Lincoln, August p is
g made up Of the following eighty three
members:
James II. Adams Fred H. Hove