The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1908-11-03
VOTE is HEAVY.
Ballots Begin to Fly Bright and
Early.
Rush Starts at 6 A. M. With
Opening of Polls.
BETTING is LIVELY.
Odds Offered That Taft Will
Carry Kansas.
Evident That There Is Great
Deal of Scratching.

With perfect weather conditions pre-
vailing in Topeka and throughout the
state generally, the national, state,
county and township officers are being
elected today.
indications are that the vote will be
heavy. In Topeka the voting COM
menced early. and in many of the pre-
cincts, third of the registered vote
was cast by o'clock in the morning.
The polls opened at 6 o'clock.
The campaign has been an active one
during the past six weeks and the
general apathy" which prevailed for a
time has been largely overcome. The
contest between the opposition parties
is waged with more bitterness than for
many years.
Until within the past two or three
days, there has not been much betting
in Topeka
Monday night, good many bets were
made at some of the cigar stores, and
the betting promises to be quite heavy
today. The following odds are posted
on the blackboard at a big Kansas ave-
nue. cigar store, and it is understood
that any reasonable amount of money
can be handled at these ratios:
to 1 that Taft will be elected
1 to that Stubbs will not carry To-
peka.
10 to 5 that Taft carries Shawnee
county.
10 to that Taft carries Kansas.
Even money that Chanler defeats
Hughes in New York.
Even money that Wilkerson is elect
ed sheriff.
Even money that Taft does not have
25,000 plurality in Kansas.
These odds show that the people who
let their money talk for them are con-
fident that Taft will be elected, and
that Taft will carry Kansas. 1t is also
apparent that the betters do not expect
Stubbs to carry Kansas by the 35, 900
majority predicted by the Republican
state committee.
On the west side the voting was
pretty heavy during the first four hours
and in some precincts nearly a third
of the vote had been cast by 10 o'clock.
In these precincts a large portion of the
vote comes from professional men. The
Fourth ward had a heavy vote this
morning, as did the greater part of the
Third ward. In the first precinct of the
Fifth ward the voting was also lively.
On the east side. most Of which is in
the Second ward. the voting has been
light. Most of the voters in the Sec
Ond ward are employed in the Santa
Fe shops and won't vote until the af-
ternoon, when the shops will be closed
in order to allow men to vote. This is
the heaviest voting ward in the city,
and the vote will have a large Bearing
on the total for the city. Other insti-
tuition will allow employees a couple of
hours off this afternoon.
That there is very little voting for
straight tickets is evident from the
time the voters take in the booths. A
few remain for two or three minutes,
while If a straight ticket was being vo-
ted a second or two would be sufficient.
The vote on the constitutional
amendments is light. Many take the
amendment ballots and leave them in
the booths.
In some precincts where the colored
vote forms a goodly percentage of the
vote, there is heavy voting on the part
of the colored men. Very few of these
vote the straight ticket. although it is
thought that there is a greater percent
age of straight votes cast by the col
ored voters than by the white.
A few cases of challenging have been
reported, one notable case being that
of Major Alvarado Fuller, an army
officer whose vote was protested on ac-
count of his army connections. The
challenge in this case was overruled.
Occasionally there comes the case OF
a voter who thought he was register
ed, but who did not take precautions tc
see that his registration was all right
and now on election day finds himself
| deprived of the right of suffrage.
The weather couldn't be better for
election day. Early this morning a fog
which had been formed during the wee
small hours, fell and made the weather
rather damp, but the sun came out and
| dispelled the gloom, so that election
day can boast of the most delightful
variety of autumn weather.
On the whole election day bids fair
| to be quiet and free from any sort of
violence. Practically the entire regis
tration of the city will be voted. and
| from all indications the voting as far
as the two leading parties are con-
| cerned will be close.
| There was hut very little canVaSSine
| done in the vicinity of the polling pre-
| cincts during the forenoon. The candi-
| date and his henchmen with their lit.
tie cards appealing to the voters, were
| conspicouous only by their absence. Tn.
| hacks which have been engaged by botf
parties will do but little work unit
| the late hours when a few delinQuen
voters will receive a call from tn,
1 hacks and given free transportation Il
| the polling precincts. Both sides hav,
hacks engaged.
| A Disreputable Trick.
Late Monday afternoon. Kansas ave.
nue. was flooded with handbill printed
| on red paper containing a disreputablt
and underhanded attack upon John ]
Schenck the dry candidate for coun.
ty attorney.
Tom Humphrey, the Republican can.
didate for county attorney, or some o.
Humphreys henchmen, were no doub
responsible for the 'cowardly attack
The circular was worded as an appea
in behalf of Schenck, but was intended
to prejudice voters against him. TIL,
circular said:
Help the Ministerial union, tn,
Committee of Two Hundred and th'
Better Class of Citizens re-elect John ]
Schenck county attorney and we guar
antee-
''1st. No Sunday baseball.
"2nd. The closing of drinking clubs.
ss3rd No SUNDAY theaterS Suhda-