The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1915-11-14
woMANs SUFFRAGE HEADQUARTERS ON ELECTION NIGHT.
MISS MARY GARRETT HAY (HEAD OF TABLE), MR.. AND
MRS. JAMES LEES LAIDLAW CAT sIDE), MRS. CARRIE
CHAPMAN Gait (BACK TURNED)
Important Part Played by misrepresentation
Headquarters the Hopper Into Which
All the Results Are Poured

crowds now get figures hot enough 10 burn their
fingers. 1t has been possible to have the vote
for the first office in certain Assembly districts,
for example. collected. tabulated and in news
naIer offices 10y = O'Clock.
This year over 100 wires radiat-l from Police
Headquarters ON Centre street 10 bring in The
returns as they were announced in the polling
places. In Brooklyn, on account of ia" number
Of precincts. the returns HAY" 10 h" rclay'i
through the local police headquarters, h"ing
taken off telephone wires ana Iut on telegraph
wires. scarcely Il minute is lost in this opera
tion. however.
Maunin. the machine digcsting these figures
~ Manhattan Headquarters ar" some years as
many rs 100 accountants. tally clerks ana mes
ssngorS. A. the sips are written out 10y the
Operators ~ tn" wires I'll" messengers diStrIhui"
them about the various tables according T." The
office voted for. To cNl"diI" His d~.ifcrcni colorS
are employed.
away with IN. outgoing figures, the product Of
this machinery. An hour or =" hcfor" midnight
il is running at fun speed. After midnight It's
speed gradually slackeis. Ey the time dawn has
apuear e4i through tn" windows Of the big drill
room on the fourth floor ii i ready Ia he taken
apart for another year. Accountants, tally
clerks. messengers and Operators, worn out by
eight hours work al high tension. then pour out
~ the building to buy papers containing the fg
ureI they have put together during the long
grind. One more election is a thing Of the past.
Including the election officials in each polling
place and the policemen who carry The returns
TO the station houses, over l3'Sh l"oil" are en-
gagged election night in New York Sty In han
ding the returns for Just the city alone The
duty ~ collecting the returns, which under the
law lcvolves upon the police, requIr" That nIghi
about a third ~ the entire force.
New York city naturally contributes only par
OF the returns which people here turn OUT to get
election night. There is the STAT" outside, who's
returns on the suffrage question. for example,
were awaited with ~ much interest as IS usually
excited by n Presidential election. A. II matter
Of fact when the newspapers this year decided
TO give people election night the vote uI slnrag"
and the Constitution through the state ;ilcy were
attempting just ~ much ns they ATTEMPT in the
years when both n President ana a Governor
are elected. II anything, il WAS a bigger task.
because under the election law the vot" On th"S'
questions had 10 he counted last. This caused
several hours delay in many places.
Just what il meant 10 learn how the stat" had
decided the nomentous issue ~ woman Sltirag"
tefore people went to bed may be seen from the
fact thar there W"rc this year in III" state LT9l
voting precincts, 3'ii2 of which were ahoN" the
Bronx, In each Of the nifty seven counties out
sid" ~ New York city Tn SVN had stationed
thar night an experienced collector and tahu.at"r
~ returns, generally 10 III" county seat. So soon
as any Indication VI the result in these counties
WAS given these men wired it ut once t" THE Sun
office, following this later with more complete
figures.
In THE Sun office another force Of men vas
engaged in calculating these returns and putting
them into bulletin form for the waiting multitude
outside, Even in its early editions THE SrN
the next morning was able IN print complete
tables by counties Of the vote both On suffrage
and The new Constitution.
Each state is covered in the sam" way by its
own newspapers. In years when n national c'rc,
ton occurs the states are covered ANA the re
turns put together in III" sam" way rs are the
returns for the counties - this stat" Or ih"
election districts II the GREATER cit!.
The result ~ even II national election can be
made known on bulletin boards within n few
hours, This seems like n wonderful achieve,
mcnt, and 80 il is. II does not mean of course