Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1912-11-22
ELECTION NEWS OF OLD.
Truly Wireless Days Recalled When
Result Was Not Known for q Month.

Truly Wireless Days Recalled Wher
Result Was Not Known for q Month.
Tuesday evening. November
crowds of citizens gathered in large
cities and smaller groups gathered al
the country postofices, to learn from
bulletins who had won and who lost
in the elections held that day all over
the Union. In spite Of unavoidable
errors In computations and transmits
sion, whoever stays up till midnight
may get pretty fair conception Of the
situation before he goes to bed. Ac-
customed as we now are to a network
Of telegraph lines Joining the principal
centers Of population, and to telephone
wires reaching into the remoter dis
tricts, 1t is hard to realize the condi-
tions which prevailed few genera
tions ago.
Going back to a very early era, it is
interesting to note that Washington,
as soon as 1t had been chosen as the
capital city, became the center to
which all general election news con-
verged, where 1t was digested, and
whence 1t was distributed to q waiting
world. Elections were then held at any
time during the thirty-four days pre-
ceding the first Wednesday in Decem-
Der, when the electors must meet in
their respective states and canvass the
votes for president and vice president.
Every state was free to decide in what
manner 1t would choose Its electors; so
In many states they were chosen by
popular vote and In others by vote Of
the legislature.
In contest as close as that Of 1900
when Jefferson and Burr commanded
equal strength in the electoral college,
and one elector had showed his inde-
pendence by voting in disregard of his
party, the confusion Of practice re-
suited in a long and tedious wait be-
fore the mass of the people knew even
that the whole matter would have to be
referred to congress for settlement;
and as that settlement was not reached
till the 18th of February-hardly more
than a fortnight before the Inaugural
tion-the stage coaches and sailing
vessels, which were the swiftest means
Of communication then in use, must
have left a large part Of the population
lacking any positive assurance as to
who had been elected till the date for
the presidents induction into ofiice
was almost or quite at hand.
Coming down to 1894, when Adams,
Jackson, Clay and Crawford were COM
peting for the presidency, it could be
forecast with considerable certainty
that none of the four could win clear
majority Of the electoral vote, and the
great question became, who would
come at the bottom Of the list and be
dropped out when the final decision
fell to the house of representatives?
Owing to the wide diversity of election
days. about a month elapsed before 1t
was known that Louisiana, which had
been expected to vote for Clay, had
split between Jackson and Adams, thus
throwing Clay out of the race. In this
instance, as q vice president had been
chosen already, and nothing remained
but for the house to choose a presi-
dent, the decisive vote was cast for
Adams on February O.; but 1t was the
18th, or a scant fortnight before the in
auguration, before some Of the pretty
we'll settled neighborhoods learned
what had been done in congress.
Four years later, although the popu.
larity Jackson had developed In the
meanwhile had made his election al
most a foregone conclusion, 1t was three
weeks after the last ballot box had
been closed before Niles Register, then
regarded in the political world as an
authority, ventured a guess that the
result Of the election would probably"
be 17S electoral votes for Jackson. It
was still ten days later that Jackson
wrote letter declining tribute which
1t had been proposed to pay him in one
of the cities through which he was In
vited to pass on his way from the Her
'mitage to Washington, because OF the
uncertainty Of the result even at that
date; adding that, by the time the
truth could be definitely ascertained, 1t
would be necessary for him to take the
most expeditions route" in order to
reach the capital by the 4th Of March.
AS lately as 1874, railroading was
still in its infancy in the United States
and the only telegraph line was the
experimental one from Washington to
Baltimore. The steamboat had mean
while become well-recegnised means
of transportation, and had reduced to
some extent the difficulties and delays
in spreading important news.
Not till 1S4S occurred the first real
utilization Of the telegraph in ANNOUNCE
ing the outcome of the presidential
contest, and the National Intellisencer
an influential political journal OF
Washington, was able to collect returns
from enough important oenters to an
nounce, within twenty-four hours OF
the closing Of the polls that Taylor had
undoubtedly been elected. This was
partly a clever guess, Of course, war
ranted by learning that certain nom
slave states in which violent opposition
had been looked for, had gone for hin
for this phenomenon indicated the
drift. 1t was, nevertheless, hailed a
a wonderful feat of journalism.
Not little of the credit for 1t was
due to the fact that, three years before.
congress had passed an act making the
date for presidential elections uniform
throughout the country-the first Tues
day after the first Monday in Novem-
bper 1t fell that year on November Z,