The Caldwell watchman. (Columbia, La.) 1885-1946, 1916-11-17
President,
WOODROW WILSON.
Vice President,
THOMAS r. MARSHALL.


'he unofficial returns, the above is the
choice Of the American people for
chief executive officers Of the nation
for the next four years, but the result
is 50 close in several states that Re
publican leaders are not willing to &C
CCpt the verdict until q recount OF the
ballots has been made in these states.
The situation is extraordinary ana
has resulted in days OF ncrVe-raCklng
strain for the people Of the country
If tho election officials Of a few remote
precincts in few states know how the
nation has been waiting GREATNESS TO
hear from them they must be sWelled
Up enormously with a sense OF their
Importance. For on those few pre-
cincts has depended the nations choice
Of its chief executive.
That Mr.. Wilson's victory over Mr.
Hughes will not be conceded without a
recount in the close states, such as Cal
jfOrnia, New Hampshire, New Mexico
and North Dakota, was determined ut
conferences Of the Republican leaders
here Chairman Wilcox asserted re-
count would be demanded wherever
the margin of Democratic victory was
so small that comparatively few votes
would turn the scales. He and his as
sociates say they take the position
that there should be no cloud upon Mr..
Wilson's title to the presidency. The
Democrats, for their part. declared
that there must be recount In New
Hampshire, even though the returns
gave the state to Mr.. Wilson.
That the returns are still incomplete
Is due to the presence on the border of
the National Guard Of number of
states The soldiers are permitted to
vote by mail. their ballots being for
Warded to the auditors of their home
counties, and in Minnesota especially
the vote of the guardsmen is likely to
cut figure in determining whether the
state goes ints the Wilson or the
Hughes column.
Minnesota was as bad as California
in the matter of shifts, and as its dele
CATION is nearly as large, it, too, was
watched with the intensest interest.
Through days and nights of counting,
the race was Il SeesaW, with but a
thousand or so of votes separating the
candidates. Neither side would adj
nit defeat, and even now both are
awaiting the soldier vote and the Off
cial count.
New Hampshire Surprise.
Perhaps the most surprising of all
the states was New Hampshire. 1t
alone of all New England failed to give
the Republican candidate Il substantial
plurality, and for days no one knew
in which column it would land The
astonishing clOSeneSS of the vote was
shown by the rival claims three days
after the election. of 100 plurality for
Hughes and 81 for Wilson, In the cir.
cumStanceS it is no wonder that the
managers of both parties should de
mand Il recount.
New Mexico, with three electoral
votes, attracted national attention by
placing itself early in the list of doubt
full states. and as it soon appeared thai
almost every electoral vote would b,
vital, the returns from down on the
border were grabbed hot off the wires
After yeering back and forth for days
New Mexico was definitely placed ir
the Wilson column. though there. too
the presidents margin was so Scunl
that basis was afforded for the cal
for recount. A few mistakes dis
covered In the figures of the precinct
officials might well swing the state
over to Hughes.
Wilcox Demands Recount.
On Friday National Chairman Will
cox of the Republican party hundet
out the following statement:
The result still depends upon tn.
vote in few close states. Ii must bt
borne in mind that the returns thu.
far announced are, in most states. un
official, and may be changed by tht
official count required by the laws o
those states.
Twice during these unofficial com
putations yesterday in California mis-
takes in additions were announced
from that state. substantially chungin.
figures previously given.
ut is a common experience that III,
result of the official count almost al
WAYS varies from the returns first an
nounced.
"Where the vote is as close as tina
reported in several states it may wei
no that material changes will result
from the offi,,:.l count