Richmond times-dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1914-current, 1916-10-29
PLANS TO FLASH
ELECTION RESULT
TO THE COUNTRY
Associated Press Preparing
to Get Returns on Night
of November Z.
DETAILS OF ELABORATE
SYSTEM WORKED OUT
Cooperation of Newspapers
From Coast to Coast Has
Been Enlisted.
EXPERTS CANVASSING STATES
Counties Made Units Everywhere for
Collection Of I'igurcs-Tabu-
Iation Big Task.
DETAILS OF ELABORATE
SYSTEM WORKED OUT
EXPERTS cANvAssING STATES
Counties Made Units Everywhere for
Collection Of Iigurcs-Tabu-
Iation Big Task.
rBy Associated prcss.I

NEW YORK, October 2S.-F-I-a-s-hl
------ is elected! On the night OF
Tuesday. November Z. the missing name
In the foregoing sentence will be sup
piled by tho Associated Press.
In the business of news-gathering, as
developed by this worldwide organiza-
ton, the first word sent over the wires
| telling of any extraordinary event is
"Flash!" 1t is the signal Of thrill.
The ordinary routine OF the Associated
Press bureaus and their hundreds OF
newspaper members often is punctuat-
cd with the "F-l-a-s-h" Operator,
from Bangor to San Diego. from, Tampa
to Tacoma, tighten their tagging
nerves. and editors come scurrying to
| the wires to hear n Pope is dead, n
Titanic sunk. another country at war,
Lusitania torpedoed, a battle won.
king deposed. or President elected.
This latter thrill has n recognized
periodicity. like tho passage of u comet.
and the experience OF 1t is again i'm
minent. Within few hours after you
have scratched your ballot, the Assoc
| ciatcd Press will have flashed the YER
dict which you and 100000 fellow
voters have rendered-will have flashed
1t perhaps within few minutes after
the last of these 100000 ballots has
| been dropped In It's box In some OF the
| Western States. where three hours Diff
! ference In time makes late tho closing
OF the polls.
How. IN this brief time, anything
| approXimating an accurate accounting
| OF these 100000 votes can be- achiey.
ed. the returns assembled, and tha
result made known throughout the
land is a process both simple and mar
velous. It's true. of course. that all
! - ~
ed. but when the Associated Press an
nounceS the election. that announces
rnent will be as trustworthy as II they
| were.
PLANS FOR COOPERATION
| HAVE BEEN AIADE
The gathering and distribution Of re-
turns this year Will mark one OF the
greatest cooperative efforts that has
been made on any similar occasion to
accomplish this purpose. In previous
elections the Associated Press, relying
more largely on It's own resources, has
done notable work in the prompt and
accurate reporting OF the election fig
ures In the Roosevelt Parker con-
test OF 1904 the organization was able,
not only definitely to announce the re-
suit, but also to indicate the full ex-
tent OF the victory as early as 8
o'clock on election night. Equally re-
markable service has been rendered In
other elections and the value of the
Associated Press's figures has been such
that defeated candidates themselves
have. on tho strength OF them, sent
their kilograms OF congratulation to
their victorious opponents. The SER
vice has been such that 1t has in
vnrinbly brought to the executives of
the organization flood of kilograms
on the day after in tribute to the
! "comprehensiveness," Speed" and sac
curacy" with which the work has been
done. This year 1t is possible that all
records will be broken. for the Asso-
ciated Press has for the coming cleo
ton enlisted the cooperation OF it's
members from coast to coast in n more
concerted effort than ever before.
More than two years ago prepara-
tons were begun. under the direction
OF the general manager OF the Asso-
| ciated Press to cover" the news which
| VIII be served to the public on the
| night of November Z. Election experts
OF the organization during these two
years have canvassed every State In
the Union and arranged with the pa
pers of each State to work together
on cooperative basis under the su-
pervision OF the established Associ.
atcu HreSS bureaus. Thousands Of spe.
cial forms have been prepared for tho
systematic conduct of the service thou
sands of typewriter sheets distributed
listing candidates and showing votes
| TOUR years ago as basis OF COM
parison special correspondents appoint.
cd and special wire facilities arranged
FOR this particular work.
MAN PUT IN CHARGE
| IT,
In the collection of returns the coun-
~ is everywhere made the unit, and
it is the purpose of the system to
hear definitely from every election dis.
trict OF the more important States
In New York State alone these. dis
tricts number 500. In Illinois there
are over 5000, and in other States a
proportionately large number Of dis
tricts to be heard from. Taking New
York state as typical of the system
that will be followed, in principle at
least, by other States. the service here
Is worked out broadly, as follows:
Having arranged for some competent
man to take charge Of each county up.
state and for cooperative effort with
tho New York City News Association
for the collection of the metropolitan
returns, the New York Headquarters OF
the Associated Press is made the cen.
ter of tahulation. The upstate coun.
~ man Is stationed at tho most con.
venient center, usually the county seat,
| Continued on Eleventh page,S