The Bennington evening banner. (Bennington, Vt.) 19??-1961, 1916-11-10
RETURNS BROUGHT
MIXTURE OF JOY
AND SORROW
Many Humorous Features Of Long
Uncertainty
LOSERS HATED 10 GIVE UP
Much More Betting Than Usual in
Bennington Added to the lntensi-
ty of Interest.
LOSERS HATED 10 GIVE UP

When a batter knocks Texas
Lacquer with the score tied. and races
home with the crowds cheering and
the bands playing, only to have the
Jump tell him he failed to touch Sec
ond when presidential nominee
has a large majority in the, electoral
college accorded him, only TO find that
number of states carelessly went TO
bed on the night of election and did
not count ballots until the next day,
and he is not elected after all
when the man who bet on Hughes
collects his money, and spends it
only to have to dig down deep and pay
it back 1T don't seem right
On November Z this county elected
a president and until Thursday after
noon no one knew which it was 1t is
safe bet to say that never before did
10O,000,000 people keep a secret so
we'll. Men who claim that there is
nothing new" admit that they are
astounded, politicians yersed in the
game and hardened to its vagaries,
say that they cannot understand IL;
no one can satisfactorily explain how
Hughes was elected and was not elect
ed. The reports early on Tuesday
night OF a Republican landslide were
so sure: state after state sending re-
turns in favor of Hughes. even the
southern part of Texas" as one Of
our local "Honorables' assured every
one being Republican, were so indi-
catives OF a "cinch' for the bewiskered
candidate, that it looked as if there
were nothing to it, The Democrats
lay low, wept some and said little. not
being able TO comprehend their op-
ponents' cock-sureness. But even
they were mostly willing to give in. a
few OF them even paying off their wag-
ers.
And on Wednesday morning there
was a different story; neither Hughes
nor Wilson was elected and from then
until Thursday afternoon Dame Rumor
held full sway States have hoped
from one colum into the other and
back again and have then been listed
as doubtful. returns which were uni
versally accepted have been entirely
reversed; later bulletins and still later
dicted earlier bulletins and still later
bulletins have called both of them
liars; 1t was even spread about that
Governor Whitman Of New York was
not reelected.
Newspapers offices where returns
were received we're the rendezvous OF
adheIents of both parties business
men would rush in breathless and hat
less to inquire whether some new
story were true or not; knots of poll
ticians gathered at the street corners
and discussed the situation; and the
office telephone rang all the time The
office force wished to put the returns
on a record and run il continuously
for if the rush had continued much
longer either the phone bell or their
throats would have worn out. On
Tuesday evening and even Wednesday
morning one might expect to receive
an avalanche inquiries over the wire,
but TO have 1t continue two days long
er. made one wish to muffle the bell.
II was interesting to watch the crowd
III tic pdliiitl UNIV, tNNAF AihiN viz
phone would ring every neck would
stretch, every ear would strain, and
when they heard why, it is doubtful
as yet" back every one would sit and
breath a deep. resigned sigh.
For a village Of this size, it may be
safe to say that never before in its
history was there so much betting.
There was very little money placed
on either side last week, but beginn-
ing Monday, and rising to it's highest
Tuesday noon, and continuing until
last night, enough money was wagere1
in Bennington to make one al
most believe that two dollar
wheat and ten dollar coal
was a myth. At first the Republi-
cans gave slight odds, ten to eight be-
ing the terms on Monday, coming up
to ten to nine Monday night and early
Tuesday. and even money since then.
Besides bets among local men and the
innumerable small amounts wagered,
nearby towns in New York and Massa-
chusetts made up pools and sent
them here. all CT them being promptly
covered
1t was certainly a freak election.
AS the Brooklyn Eagle remarked:
"Wilson kept us out of bed