The News-Herald. [volume] (Hillsboro, Highland Co., Ohio) 1886-1973, 1908-11-05
COLOSSAL TASK
OF Collecting and Giving the
News of an Election to
the People.
How this Work is Done and the Prog
ress that has taken Place. What
Usedto take Months to do now
Done In Few Hours.

cholce OF the people to NIL the highest
office in the gift of the nation. But
how and by what occult means was
this knowledge gathered and carried
to the ends of the earth The electo-
raj college has not convened and In
fact the electors themselves will not
be officially notified that they have
been the chosen of the gods for some.
time to come.
The answer is simple-the modern
newspaper and its father, the tele.
graph
The newspaper, through its great
est organization, the Associated
Press, was able to give to the world
this information In almost as MANY
hours as it took months to convey the
news to California just after that
state was admitted to the union-not
counting the time 1t took to make
sure just who was the new president,
even in the east.
The work of preparation for this
most colossal task had been going on
for several months preceding the
election.
First of all there was the gathering
together of the names of all parties
on the national and state tickets for
distribution to the 800 papers served
by the organization. Not only we're
the names of the candidates
collected but every referendum petit
tlon and constitutional amenement to
be voted on by the various states as
well. This information alone occu-
pied fifteen newspaper columns of
matter. Some idea of the task in.
volved may be obtained when 1t is
known that virtually every list from
the districts of the country called for
the interchange of at least two letters
to verify the spelling of the names of
the candidates. With few such
names taken from the congressional
list as Ksycki, Jujo Alliaums, Hup-
puch and Tou Velle, this exchange
excites no wonderment.
When Tuesday dawned there were
300 telegraph operators on duty at
the keys of the 10000 miles of Associ-
ated Press wire, while 300 and more
correspondents we're In the lash
awaiting this greatest emergency.
The wires were doubled up between
New York and Chicago and the
schedules had been made to load the
system to it's capacity of 10000. This
meant that the operator haE to eat
at his keys If he eats at all and that
he might sleep-when the returns
we're complete. Hundreds of men
were on duty, not the eight-hours
shift, but from thirty.six to forty
eight hours.
The big organization had it's forces
marshalled like some mighty army.
There we're four divisions with their
editors-in-chief with sub-editors COW
ering the various subdivisions. Gin
cinnati is In the central division with
Chicago as its main feeding point.
Work for these sub-centers was ap-
portioned according to congressional
districts sometimes In two or more
states. Forms we're prescribed for
these reports so as to reduce the
number of words to convey the In
formation as far as possible.
In practically every county seat In
every state there was representa-
tive who was to collect In the shortest
possible space of time the results of
the balloting in his territory. No ex-
, pense was spared, telephone and tele-
graph reechinR the most rural dis.
tricts
"Get it." was the command: "Get
, 1t any way you can but get it accur.
. rately and quickly"
Every report for the central divi'
sion was sent to the main ONCE in
: Chicago but nrst through the various
+, subdivisions as was that of Highland
8 county hrst through Hillsboro and
!, then through Cincinnati.
0 When 1t reached Chicago, Highland
I county's returns the others of the
/ sixth district were turned over to the
Associated Press editor in charge Oi
the middle states. He whipped then
e In shape, according to certain officC
4 fOrms, for distribution to the three
other headquarters in New York
: Washington and San Francisco.
u Then back through Cincinnati cam,
the reports from the other sub-center
of Indiana Michigan, until at last
{ "Well, boys, it's no use We might a
d well 20 home"
Two French army dogs have draw
IioIk m NuIanraa the invention Of