Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1916-10-29

ton posted on how the country is go
ing.
ITO thousands who have seen them
flashed on the election screens:
''506 election districts out of $500
in New York state, for President,
So. district by district, these bulle-
tins grow until it looks so certain to
some of the experts that one paper or
another will concede somebody's cleo
ton. But the Associated Press comedies
nothing. 1t must know.
In the year of the Odell-Coler fight
for governor in New York. in 1900, its
system had severe test. Coler ran up
a big vote in New York city, and the
heavy vote of Odell upstate was over
looked by many of Nthe newspapers
which conceded Coler's election. The
Associated Press, in the midst OF this
confusion, was led to wonder II its hg-
ures were right. The general manager
had an abiding confidence in his men
and figures, but in the face of conces-
sions that some of the papers were max
ing of Coler's election. something must
be done to check the matter. He or
dered a recount. The system provided
for just such an emergency, and this
Odell-Coler year is the only time 1t has
ever been called into play. All of the
county returns, after being tabulated,
are hung on A large rack of hooks,
classified by counties. where they are
Immediately available for recount. Off
the hooks came these hundreds of tele-
grams, and in just fifteen minutes time
the entire state vote was recounted
The head tabulator, forgetting for the
moment that he was in newspaper
office instead of his bank, exclaimed:
Mr. Stone, we check to a penny" The
recount tailed exactly with the figures
The Associated Press had previously
given out, and the papers which. indie
pendently of the Associated Press fg-
ures, had conceded Coler's election had
eventually to admit their error.
Near Official Figures.
The accuracy of the Associated Press
figures has seldom since been ques-
toned. In connection with the recent
New York state primary. in the fight be-
tween Calder and Bacon for the repub-
lican nomination as candidate for a
seat in the United States Senate the ma
jority given by the Associated Press was
only seventy-nine. votes at variance.
with the official count. In Massachu-
sets state election last year the Bos-
ton bureau scored record by an
nouncing the returns only three votes
off from the official figures.
The election machinery OF the As
ISOLATED Press is at work In all the
states, but IL is developed to its high
est pitch of efficiency in the states hay
ing the largest electoral votes and the
smallest average of consistency In
presidential years.
Given a definite line on New York
state, on Massachusetts. which is In
variably prompt, and reflection OF
states, where a difference in time is
handicap to early returns, the result
of the presidential election may be
pretty definitely announced at an early
f,Uh ant Ef a
victory indicated, so accurately has the
gauge of election figures been nxed
by previous experience.
Knowing with near certainty whether
it is Wilson or Hughes Will be suffcient
for the throngs at the bulletin boards on
election night, but the Associated Press
goes on to still bigger task than the
mere announcement of the result. That
would not go far to complete the morning
PAPER There are columns to fill with
state tabula tions with lists of governors
elected, the detailed constitution OF the
next United States Senate and the House
OF Representatives, and similar tables for
each state, locally handled. on the con-
stitution of the state legislature. There
are comprehensive leads to write in
summary of the figures and contests in
particular states to be explained
There is one human cog in the election
night machine that is even more inter
.esting than the general manager Of the
Associated Press. He is the Paul Revere
Of the backwoods districts who gallops
his horse or drives his motor cycle on cleo
ton night to the nearest telegraph sta
tion. There are still some remote regions
"a great many of them-where the poll
ing of a presidential vote is almost
game of solitaire, and from some
of them couriers must ride TWEEN
ty miles before they can release
by wire to waiting nation the
fact that a plurality OF one for lit
would be partisan to anticipate the name)
had been cast at Ranch 4S. There are