The sun., 1917-11-05
CAUSE
ELECTION DOUBT
Result Of Tuesdays Voting by
$4,000 Men May Be De-
layed for Weeks.

Political experts who are in the habit
of figuring on the result Of elections in
advance began realizing last night for
the first time that the soldier vote might
delay the announcement OF the result Of
next Tuesdays voting for several
weeks and that the actual decision
might hang upon the tabulation Of the
military vote
The Fusion headquarters has esti-
mated that there are 10000 New Workers
now under arms In the army and navy.
The registration at Camp wadsworth
indicated that one-th!rd OF the men en-
listed and In service are below voting
age. This average would show for the
entire list n trihe over 10000 votes In
the various camps that may have an
influence on the local election
Under the ruling that has been made
at Albany with respect to the vote cast
at Camp Wadsworth, the votes are to
be cast in the camps. the ballot boxes
win be sent to Albany and then the
votes will be forwarded to the individual
election districts for consolidation with
the returns from those districts.
Delay Seems Inevitable.
This ruling. it is pointed out, will
make a long delay in the announcement
OF the general result. At Spartanburg
1855 New York city voters will cast
their ballots out of the total strength
Of the Twenty seventh Division. 1t Is
estimated that Yaphank contains some
2S. 600 voters who have right to vote
In this weeks contest The percentage
of voters In the Yaphank camp is higher
than the National Guard, for the reason
that the draft age did not include the
younger men who volunteered for the
guard. There is also IA New York regl-
ment at Camp Mills.
And quite apart from the big camps
that hold the ajor portion Of the New
Workers. there are some $4,000 New
Workers. in the Regular Army. the Navy.
the Marine Corps and other branches OF
the service who are scattered widely
from China to the Italian frontier.
There is absolutely no definite state
ment OF the number of New Workers. in
France. one entire battalion Of New
York city men. taking in 1000 men. il
there. and every one of the regular reg-
nents holds some OF the voting popula-
tion.
The distribution OF New York's fight
ers did not by any means limit the men
to the big camps and to France. Among
the increased strength OF the Panama
Canal Zone are to be found many of the
tOWN DoNS. Inc fnIIlpplueS. Iuaifl
Hawaii. Alaska and the regular concen-
tration camps hold them. and the Chi
nese station. which has been maintained
since the Boxer uprising in 1890, has
always held more or less Of a represen.
tation from the big city.
Real Election Quandary.
! II is not known how many officers OF
ar ri
, in other camps. Certainly there ar.
, both officers and men now in England
( In every one OF the skeleton regiment.
that are being formed to bring the
regulars up to the authorized wal
strength there is a heavy percentage Of
/ New York folk.
/ So the experts. figuring on the election
returns, came last night to a realization
that the returns which came from tn,
town on the night of the election nigh
not by any manner Of means. be de
/ cisive, and that 1t might be weeks befor,
the final result could be known as 6
result Of the military voting.
! PIattsburg, where the officers training
camp has been held for the city. as wei
as Fort Myer. Long Branch and othe
training centres, all hold more or les!
of the city vote.
II is pointed out that there are a mum
ber OF aliens In the Yaphank camp. bu
that the number Is relatively unimportant
The time required for the men in arm
to vote will Of course vary with the dis
tance of their stations from the city. II
the event OF very close election. wher
a few thousand votes might throw tn
result one way or the other the delaye'
military vote might. II Is stated. carr.
with il the real settlement OF the cit,
night.
At any rate. unless the plurality In tn
fight is conclusive, there Is very de
cided chance that the town will not know
what II has done for few weeks afte
the closing OF the polls Tuesday night