Rensselaer Semi-Weekly Republican, Volume 19, Number 69, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 6 May 1898 — Wasn’t Much of An Election. [ARTICLE]

Wasn’t Much of An Election.

The city election held here Tuesday resulted in a considerable of a surprise. Although each of the three wards in which the city is divided is Republican by about two to one, yet when the votes were counted out in the evening it was found that the Democrats had carried two of the three and greatly reduced the Republican majority in the other ward. A councilman was elected in each ward to serve for the term of four years. The following is the vote in each ward. FIRST WARD. F. B. Meyer, Rep 90 B. F. Fendig, Dem 77 Meyer’s majority 13 SECOND WARD. J. C. Porter, Rep 52 John Eger, Dem. ... .. 53 Eger’s majority 1 THIRD WARD. Wallace Robinson, Rep 79 W.H. Beam, Dem 96 Beam’s majority 17 These three Republican candidates were all elected two years ago by the following majorities: Meyer 57, Porter 78, Robinson 43. The total vote for councilman last election was, Ist ward 159; 2nd ward 158; 3rd ward 159. The total vote this election is, Ist ward 167; 2nd ward 105; 3rd ward 175. There was not nearly a full vote polled either year, but except in the case of the second ward the vote this year is some larger than two years ago. In the second ward is 53 lees than two years ago, and fully 100 less than the actual vote of the ward. In the second ward dissatisfied Republicans mostly stayed away from the polls, in the other wards they turned but and voted for the Democrats. There was also probably some shrewd temperance work in the small vote in the second ward. It means that hereafter, for the next two years, a Nicholson bill remonstrance against a saloon in that ward will require only 52 signers to be a majority, whereas heretofore 80 legal signers were needed for that purpose. The cause of the defeat of the two Republican candidates could not have been any fault with them personally, for both are universally admitted to be men of the highest character. The extensive public improvements that have been inaugurated and carried out by the present city government has caused a great, but as we believe, a temporary dissatisfaction, and merely to give expression to this dissatisfaction, many Republicans did not vote at all and many others voted for Democrats. In the third ward where the land-slide was greatest, the old Makemself ditch trouble was a special factor in defeating the Republican candidate. It no doubt also had its effect in the second ward, though not to the same extent.