100 years ago
NOVEMBER 17, 1904 — With election returns complete the plurality of President Roosevelt in the nation, according to all indications, will exceed 2,000,000 — the greatest plurality ever given an American candidate. The nearest approach to this vote was in 1896 when McKinley received a plurality approximating 850,000 and in 1872 when Grant received 782,911. The "solid south" was broken by the defection of Missouri, this section of the country having 13 states in the Democratic column. President Roosevelt carried all of the northern states — swept them, in fact — and has 335 electoral votes.
The American voter is getting mighty independent. Roosevelt carried Massachusetts by about one hundred thousand majority, but a Democratic Governor was elected by half as large a majority. Practically the same things happened in Minnesota, and substantially the same even in Missouri.
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Local election votes tallied quickly
Jesse Thrasher and his corps of assistants have completed the abstracts of votes and have made and mailed all bonds and certificates of election to the newly elected county and township officers. This is the earliest in the history of the office that this work has been done and speaks volumes of the hustle of these officials in discharging their duties. The votes were canvassed only last Friday, their work was all done yesterday morning.
Some interesting statistics are revealed by an inspection of the official returns of the election. For instance four of the townships return no votes whatever upon the constitutional amendments, Milton, Moore, Summit and Wilson. The Prohibition voted 61, the Socialist 80 and the Peoples Party only 25. Twenty of the Socialist votes are from the township of Lost Springs. In only two townships was there an adverse vote on the amendments, Catlin and Logan. In all of the others there was an overwhelming majority for both.
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The first church in the little city of Durham was dedicated last Sunday in the presence of a large concourse of people. In a very few minutes more than seven hundred dollars was raised, paying off the debt in full and enough in addition to purchase a fine organ. The church is of Methodist denomination and will be supplied by Rev. Severance of the Hillsboro circuit.
John Siebert butchered a beef, Monday, and divided it with his father and brother-in-law, F. Thompson.
Our old pioneer friend, Jasper King, of Wilson township, has deeded his fine farm to the Missionary Society of the Methodist Church, reserving the use of it as long as he lives. We have known Jasper King for a third of a century and never knew anything but good of him. He has belonged to the RECORD family during all that time. This last generous act is characteristic of the man. But with all due respect to the Methodist Missionary Society, we want to say, "Long live the King."
The RECORD had another birthday three weeks ago, but in the rush of work and the excitement of the campaign, mention of it was overlooked. This is No. 4 of Volume 35, and we are still pretty healthy, thank you.
If you have not already done so, get some shares of stock in the Auditorium Association. If you have some but not all you can afford, get some more. A fine structure is going to be erected and money will be badly needed to complete it in first class style. Help the work all you can and do yourself and the town good.
The new cement chimney for the Hotel Wheelock furnace is being built, this week.
Mrs. John Aumann received severe burns upon the hands, Tuesday evening, while carrying out of the house a chair and some burning clothing. It is supposed that the cat jumped upon the chair, upon the back of which some clothes were being dried, and knocked it over upon the stove. Mrs. Aumann fortunately returned to the house before the fire had gained much headway. It was a close call.
Mr. and Mrs. T. B. Matlock were made happy by the arrival of a sweet little girl at their home Monday night. All doing well.
A handsome display of table napkins in the form of a mammoth turkey adorns the show window of Loveless and Sons' dry goods department. It is the work of Solomon Socolofsky and is attracting a great deal of attention.
The Salvation Army has been holding street meetings, and services in the Free Methodist church for the past ten days.
The new pastor of the Christian church, Rev. W.M. Berkeley, is certainly alive to the interest of his church. During the three months he has been here he has made 102 pastoral calls, preached 50 sermons, helped to lift the debt on the church, new lights have been put in, new parsonage carpet and other things have been done to revive the church and increase its efficiency.
Marriage licenses issued at the courthouse this week included the following: Wm. O. Orr, Chase, 22, and Cora E. Allison, Florence, 22; Chas. A. McMillin, Peabody, 24, and Maggie B. Reed, Peabody, 24; John G. Duerkson, Hillsboro, 22, and Minnie Nickel, Hillsboro, 25.
Miss Blanch Boles, disciple of Carrie Nation, who is serving a jail sentence in Topeka for "joint" mashing, has refused to accept a pardon to be issued on condition that she molest no more liquor dealers.
Some little time ago we reported the death of Mrs. Alva Woods at her home in Roe, Arkansas. Within the last month Mr. Woods has also passed away leaving seven children, several of whom are small, one being a tiny baby. Glenn Woods, of Walton, a brother of the deceased, brought the children back from Arkansas and will himself keep three of them, the oldest, a girl of seventeen and the baby and next older child. Another brother has taken the others. Glenn Woods is the husband of Miss Lillie Corby, who taught school in this county for several years.
Last Monday one of the mail clerks on the northbound Rock Island train mischievously sent a mouse up to Lost Spring in the mail sack, and when it was turned loose in the post office you should have seen the girls climb on the stools and chairs and counter!
(Copied by Joan Meyer from the 1904 microfilm files of the Marion Record.)
