Daily Kennebec journal., 1908-11-03
THE CAMPAIGN CLOSES.

New York, Nov with election day
at hand, with fair weather and 4 heavy
vote indicated throughout the United
States, the rival managers of the Re-
publican and Democratic national cam
paigns closed their desks at headquar-
ters tonight, declared respectively that
Taft and Bryan would win. and then
hurried away on late trains to cast
their ballots, Mr. Hitchcock at West
Newton. Mass, and Mr.. Mack at Buff
falo. Both chairman feel that when
their votes have been deposited tomor-
row morning they will have done all
that they could do to further the inter-
ests of their parties and of their lead
ing candidates in the mOmentous cam
pajgn of 1908.
The tasks of the national chairman
have been many and tedious. They have
involved long railroad journeys and
many midnight vigils. The varied turns
and perplexities of the long campaign
have been trying and it was with sighs
of great relief that both Mr.. Hitchcock
and Mr.. Mack announced today that
their work was done.
There will be many details to be
looked after when the voting is over,
but the nerve-racking tension. the un-
certainty and suspense will be gone
and with either victory or de 'eat will
come a earnestly anticipated cessation
of political worries. Fer Mr.. Hitchcock
it will mean a rest for the first time
since he set out to round up Taft del
egates to tho Republican rational con-
vention last spring. 1t will be rest after
oic~,, jol, 7, hac hppr
conducted strictly along the lines
agreed uy.on at the very start
Mr. Mack gives up his prediction
work with the satisfaction, his asso-
ciates say, of having brought the DEM
ocratic party into greater unity than
for many years past. He has conducted
a vigorous campaign from the start
and says he believes the party to be
in better position to win the election
than at any time in it's history.
Mr.. Hitchcock remained late at Re-
publican headquarters in the Metropoli-
tan Tower. delaying his departure for
Massachusetts, until midnight. He will
return tomorrow afternoon to receive
the returns. Mr.. Mack left for Buffalo
shortly before 10 o'clock and also will
be back in the city tomorrow night.
The polls in New York City will open
at o'clock tomorrow morning and
close at 5 P. M. The same rule holds
throughout practically every part of
the state. and the indications are that
tine New York state vote will be the
first to be flashed over the wires as Civ
ing an indication of how the election is
to go. This at least will be true of the
counties and cities outside of Greater
New York. Voting machines are ex-
tensively used up the state and the re-
suits will be known almost as soon as
the polls close 1t was said that four
years ago Erie county, in which Buff
falo is located. first told President
Roosevelt of his approaching victory.
The returns from Erie this year will be
watched with the keenest interest, both
as to their bearing on the national and
New York state results. The count OF
the vote in New York City, Brooklyn
and surrounding boroughs is likely to
be slow and long delayed. The ballot
this year is unusually large and the
counting will be tedious.
The end of the campaign tonight
found Mr.. Taft and Mr.. Bryan still on
the 20 and if apathy should be appar-
ent in the volume Of the vote
throughout the country tomorrow it
will be no fault of theirs. They have
both travelled many thousands of miles
and have spoken in more than score
of states Often times they have been
but 4 day apart over some of the
Western trails, while in the East their
itineraries brought them together in
New York City. in Syracuse and other
New York state communities. New
York, Indiana and Ohio have been the
scenes of the greatest efforts of the
two candidates and naturally the re-
turns from these states will hold the
greatest degree of interest.
What effect the Independence party,
organized by William r. Hearst, and
in the national field for the first time
this year, will have upon either of the
old parties, is a matter of conjecture
to be decided by tomorrow's balloting.
The Socialist leaders. basing their
claims upon the reception given to
Eugene Debs on his "Red Special tour
of the country are confident that they
will poll a greater vote than ever be-
fore
Republican Chairman Hitchcock de-
clared today that late reports received
from national committeeman and state
chairmen strengthen his faith in the
estimate of 1926 electoral votes for Mr..
Taft made on Friday night. He gave
out the round figures by which the
state organizations hope to carry many
of the important states where the fight
has been waged the hardest
IT believe this contest is won,' he
ssid. ut has been worked out as sys-
tematically as it is possible to apply a
system to national campaign. The
chairmanshfp of this committee was
NJ