Jasper County Democrat, Volume 15, Number 66, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 20 November 1912 — FROM THE PUGET SOUND. [ARTICLE]

FROM THE PUGET SOUND.

George M. Babcock Writes Interesting Letter From Tacoma, Wash. In a letter received a few days ago from George M. Babcock he states that for the past couple of weeks he has been working on the linotype force of the Tacoma Tribune, an afternoon and Sunday Progressive paper. .“Have been working about eight days a week,” he says, “but will lay off- tomorrow to square myself with the board, as one is supposed to work but six days. Can work seven days one week and lay off two days the’ next week, however, but I would rather get all the work possible while It is getable. “I pulled down $42 last week and now have SIOO In the hank and enough to run me until next pay day. Election night I worked overtime. The Tribune got out three extras between 4 and lip. m., and also an extra next morning. I got $1 an hour and 60 cents as ma-

chinist for six hours. We knew that New York had gone for Wilson by 4:30 or 5 o’clock. The polls here didn’t close until 8 p. m. The ballots in this state were very large, there being several amendments to the constitution up for settlement by the voters. Wilson certinly did fine, carrying so many states. ‘‘lf work up here 1 will stay on this job and try to accumulate S2OO or S3OO before leaving for California. I think it best to stay where there is work rather than going away down in California, away off 'from no place, unless one has enough money to get out on. If I can make enough here to carry m e to the other side of the Mississippi I coul dtake chances on getting work along the way. “1 have been working on an ad and nonpariel machine the last few days, setting 1,500 lines Thursday and 1,000 to-day; mostly ads today. 1 have set 1,750 lines of 8 point in seven and a half hours on this job; 1,500 or a little better is considered a good day’s work.

“Victoria, B. C„ and practically all towns on Vancouver Island are warmer than Tacoma. Seattle, 30 miles up the sound is Warmer than this place. I only intend to visit in British Columbia a few days and then go on to California. • “It usually commences to rain here at 3 p. m., and rains off and on until 8:30 the next day. It is very punctual about the ralar proposition. The rainy weather makes It quite chilly here now. Have you had any snow there to amount to anything? A few days ago I heard a gentleman at the hotel say that up in the mountains they had six feet of snow and that everybody was taking life in* a wintry fashion up there.

“Well, from reports this evening, it looks like another of Roosevelt’s states had gone democratic, so far as governor -fs concerned. The Progressives put tip a man for governor by the name of Hodge, who, the Ledger-News (rep.) claimed was the worst villian that ever went u®» hung, Bhowing him up as a pugilist, wife-deserter, woman-chaser, gambler, drunkard, and even went so far as to get his former wife—from whom he got a divorce a few years —to make a lengthy statement about their married life, and the Ledger published it a few days before the election. It helped to down him. The republicans here did not say much about the democrats but the progressives and the republicans had a h— of a time between themselves.

“The present governor, M. E. Hay, is a republican, and while the unofficial returns give Ernest Lister of Tacoma, the democratic candidate, a plurality of 700, the former will not concede his defeat until 'the official canvass is made on December sth. The official canvass returns in the various counties will be made on Friday, November 15, but the state canvass is not made, under the law, until 30 days after the election. “There is to be a big banquet of college men here tomorrow at the Union Club, and then they go to the stadium to a big football game. This stadium is one of Tacoma’s greatest prides. Here ex-president Roosevelt at one time addressed 35,000 people and tnere was room for more. It has cement seats on three sides and fronts on the Sound. The high school, a splendid large building, is on the rise or ground at one side, and all the athletic functions of the schools and the big events of the city in general are pulled off here. I understand that this mammoth stadium has no equal in this country any place. It is Indeed great, as you will see by the booklet I sent showing views of the closing exercises of the public school year, also Roosevelt addressing the big crowd of 35,000 people. “This (Friday) has been the first real nice day we have h£|d here for some time. The sun rises here now about 8:30 and shone fori several hours today. “If it is a nice day here; Sunday I have thought some of going by boat to Olympia, the capital, to see the town. One can make it in a day. I have also wanted to go over near Mt. Tacoma, 14,500 feet above sea level, the highest peak in the state. “I am stopping here at the Hotel Arcade and have good quarters, with steam heat, bath, etc."