The Montgomery advertiser., 1908-11-03
THE ELECTION RETURNS
By Frederic J. Haskin.

Unless the race for the Presidency shall prove ons of the neck -and-neck variety, with an eyelash finish. the people of the United States will know who is elected within three hours af- ter the polls close today. In the mid dIe period of the United States history 1t took more days to learn the result khan it now takes hours. In the first quarter century of our national exist ence 1t was more matter of months than it is of hours today.
 It Is the little spark of lightning which Ben Franklin borrowed from the skies that enables the election returns to outstrip the wings of the wind. There are ow about 100000 miles of tele- phone and telegraph wire in the Unit ed States, and over nearly every mile of 1t will fly the dots, dashes and voice pulsations which will promptly tell the result. l.. farther West one goes the earlier he will know what the result is. California time Is three hours slow CT than New York time. and the Cali fornians. Washingtonians. and Oregon ians will know what the result Is by the time they cast their last vote. as their polls will remain open three hours after the Eastern count has be- gun. On .le other hand, their re- turns will be three hours slower in get ting to the Eastern people.
 
 made by the leading newspapers of the country for giving the public the bene- fit of the returns are the most elabor- ate ever undertaken. There is no time in the year when newspaper gets such valuable advertising for itself as on a big election night. It used to be that If one wanted to know how things were going he had to go down town and stand for hours in the immense crowd around u. bulletin board. But even that discomfort has been dispensed with, and many an up-to date newsp&- per has arrangements which will per nlik you to sit in your own comfortable home and know the result as soon as the paper itself knows t. big search light is mounted on the roof of the newspaper office. If Tafts election is probable, intermittent waves of light will be thrown in one direction. and as sbon as the result is known definitely the intermittent waves will change to a steady stream of light
 If Bryan's election Is indicated the waves will eb thrown in the opposite direction, and, if assured. the steady stream of light will be thrown in that direction also. As almost every man can easily see the skyline from his own home none need miss getting the returns. This method has been used for several Presidential elections, and 6HGuS iHg the returns unless some paper skaIl hit upon the happy idea of using captive balloons to anchor an immense screen in the heavens, upon which to flash gigantic figures witn huge stere- opticon.
 Fro The New Orleans Picayune is due the credit of having started the giving out of election bulletins as they come in It was in 1S48, when General Zach cry Taylor was candidate for Presi- dent. Being a Louisianian, every citi- zen of that State was eager to hear the result. and to The Picayune rose to the occasion. At this time the telegraph was only four years old. The success of the l4novation was so apparent that all leading newspapers followed The Ptcayune's example in the next elect ion.
 sUntil this time the choice of a Presi- dent was a sort of appy-go-lucky af- fair. There was no uniformity in the date of holding an election. the only limitation beirg the provision of the Act of 1792 which Jet forth that the clioice of electors should eb made with irf thirty -four days next preceding the hfst Wednesday of Deccmber of the Presidential ear Some electors were chosen by popular vote and others were appointed by the Legislatures.
 sHe who thinks we have failed to make progress in the manner of hold