Omaha daily bee., 1908-11-05
VOTE IS A RECORD BREAKER
This and Long Ballot Makes Count
Very Close.
CLAIMS THE COUNTY
Taft Carries II by Usual Plurality
Vote on Local Candidates Not
known Sufficiently to
Give the Result.

With ideal weather conditions the largest
vote ever polled in the presidential or any
other election was cast Tuesday in Coun-
Gil Bluffs. In nearly all OF the precincts
the vote fell but a few short OF the regis
tration. The weather was OF that kind
known as republican weather and from
the moment the polls opened at Z o'clock
In the morning the democrats realized that
the weather was against them. At the
same time the heavy vote cast indicates
that the democrats did not stay at home.
but went to the polls the same as the re-
publicans did.
For once the party leaSers aid not have
to work like T~rojans to get the voters to
the polls. They went OF their own accord
and what is more followed the advice of
their respective county chairmen and went
to the polls early. At least a large num-
Der of them did. BY noon 1t was evident
that more than half Of the entire vote was
in in practically all of the precincts.
Despite the size of the ballot there was
but little delay in voting in most of the
precincts and things as q rule moved like
~clockwork. The voters came in a steady
throng from the moment the polls opened,
with a slight lull now and then. Contrary
to expectations there was no great rush
at the closing hour in any Of the precincts
except in the First precinct of the Sixth
ward where S23 votes were cast.
Election is Orderly.
The election was as orderly as any ever
held in the city. While there was evident
intense excitement shown by the people
there was no excitement in the vicinity of
the polls. There was not a single case of
disturbance at any of the voting places
and the peace officers had nothing to do
except to stand by and watch the pro-
ceedings. The saloons were closed all day.
The banks of the city were closed all day
as were the city and county offices with
the exception of that of the county auditor.
The republicans made use of several
automobiles for carrying voters to and
from the polls, but the carriages were but
little used. In fact, the voters did not
need any hauling to the polls, they went
of their own accord.
As soon as the polls closed immense
crowds gathered at the places downtown
where returns were received. At the inter-
section of Broadway and Pearl street,
where an operator with a megaphone was
stationed in an upper window of the Wick
ham block, the crowd almost blocked the
! street and the street cars experienced con-
siderable difficulty in making their way
through the mass of cheering peop,e. Or
Pearl street an immense crowd gathered
opposite Bayllss park. where the returns
were thrown on a big canvass stretched
between two trees on the curling. The
crowd thronged the street from curb to
curb at this point and the police had much
trouble to keep the street car tracks clear.
Vote II Heavy.
That there was an unusually heavy vote
even for presidential year is shown by the
fact that In the First precinct of the sixth
werd, with a registration OF S65, there
were 1913 votes cast.
In the First precinct of the Fifth ward,
with a registration of 500, there were 77s
votes cast.
With a registration of 42s in the Second
precinct of the Third ward there were 4O7
votes cast.
In the First precinct of the Second ward
there were 5S2 votes cast, with a registra-
ton oc 54.
In the Second precinct of the Second
ward there were 57 votes cast, with a
registration of $50.
In the First precinct Of the Fourth ward,
with a registration OF 41, there was a
vote OF 4l4.
In the First precinct of the Third ward
526 votes were cast, with a registration OF
5H.
In the Second precinct of the Fifth ward
2S2 votes were cast, with a registration Of
292.
There was an unusual amount of sratch-
ing and this together with the size of the
ballot made the work of counting the vote
a tedious task. No definite figures. it is
believed. will be obtained on the county
ticket until this afternoon, although the
general result will probably be known
some time this morning.
Some idea of the scratching INDUCED in
may be gained from the First precinct
of the Second ward. Out Of a total OF 532
votes cast there were only seventy straight
republican and ninety-one straight demo-
cratic. There SSl scratched ballots and
thirty-eight ballots spoiled. Practically all
of the spoiled ballots had a cross oppo.
site the name of either Taft or Bryan at
the toL of the ticket.
In the First precinct of the Third ward