Omaha daily bee. (Omaha [Neb.]) 187?-1922, 1916-11-11
HUGHES HOLDS HIS
LEAD IN MINNESOTA
His Lead Is sos, With 38 Pre-
cincts, Soldier and Drum
mer Vote Not In.
STATE IN DOUBTFUL LIST

St. Paul, Mimi, Nov. l0.-Thirty
eight precincts whose records show
that they should poll about 400 votes
the 2,l00 ballots cast by the state sol
diers in Texas and the votes of rail.
road and travelling men under the alb
sent voters law tonight held the bal
ance in Minnesota, between Wilson
and Hughes, Therefore, the state was
still classified as doubtful, with pre-
dictions varying widely as to the out
come.
Latest returns gave Wilson 1884
and Hughes l7S,057, a plurality of sos
for Hughes in 3,00S precincts. OF the
missing thirty-eight precincts, ten are
in Koochiching county and twelve in
Beltrami.
1t was estimated tonight that it will
take three to four days to hear from
the former and nothing is expected
from the latter before Monday. Both
counties were strongly Wilson, but
the missing precincts are not con-
siderable i'll population.
st. Paul, Nov. l0.-With hardly
more than fifty precincts to hear from
Candidate Hughes plurality in Mime
sofa at noon today was 7s2, but Fred
Wheaton, chairman of the democratic
state central committee, still insisted
I'VE feel sure of Minnesota for Will
son"
Ballots cast under the provisions
of the absent voters bill which al
lows travelling men and railway men
to vote the national ticket away from
home is not included and this vote
will wipe out the Hughes lead" Mr..
Wheaton said. The vote of the state
troops at the Mexican border also will
help cut the Hughes margin, accord
ing to Fred Lynch, democratic ma
tional committeeman from Minnesota.
E. L. Thornton, chairman of the
republican state central committee,
declared the rural ballots still to re-
port would offset any Wilson gain
among absent voters and claimed
lead among the state guardsmen.
Threatened Several Times.
Hughes, lead was threatened several
times by returns from the northern
part of the state, but always some
other sections added the necessary
votes to the republican candidates
column to keep him ahead.
Several prominent politicians ex-
pressed the belief that the vote cast
by the Minnesota guardsmen at the
Mexican border would be a decided
factor in the presidential contest. The
commissioners who took the border
vote Tuesday, telegraphed the secre-
tary of state today that 2,l38 guards
t,aen'S+-had veted. --ss.i
The state canvassing board is to
meet next Tuesday to check the tabu-
lation sheets sent in by local officials.
At that time the result Of the guards.
mems vote will be known.
So far as can be learned no extra
ordinary precautions have been taken
to guard ballot boxes in any precinct.
Reasons for Delay.
otate oinclals well acquainted with
gathering returns in Minnesota, ad-
vance various reasons for the delay in
hearing from some of the districts.
In some counties the distances are
great. One precinct in Cook county
is forty miles from the county seat,
with poor means OF transportation.
Returns from village on the Lake
of the Woods must be brought across
Canadian territory to the county seat
of Beltrami. Some of the election
officials in small towns mailed their
tabulation sheets without notifying
the county auditors of the results.
Some, more interested in local fights
and figuring that Minnesota would
give its usual republican majority for
the national ticket, delayed counting
the presidential returns.