From the archives, Nov. 8, 1910: Omaha Daily Bee on victory claims

Omaha Commons revisits reporting from The Omaha Daily Bee, bringing election morning in 1910 to today’s readers.

OMAHA — Omaha voters woke on Tuesday, Nov. 8, 1910, to an election day with every camp still sure of itself. The Omaha Daily Bee told readers that morning that each side claimed victory "in Douglas county and the state of Nebraska."

Under the front-page headline "Managers Make Last Estimate," the paper gathered the final word from local campaign leaders. Baker, chairman of the Republicans' county committee, said Monday that Democrats had money and automobiles, but his side had "the men and the argument." He added, "Right must and will prevail." Republicans, The Bee reported, expected Chester H. Aldrich, their candidate for governor, to carry Douglas County.

Tom Flynn, whom the paper called chief lieutenant of the Dahlman forces, answered with a claim of his own: "Dahlman will sweep not only Douglas county, but the entire state."

Socialist leaders made a different kind of promise. They told the paper they did not expect to elect anyone "this time," adding, "but we are building for the future."

One forecast went undisputed. The Bee said the weather bureau expected ideal weather across Douglas County and Nebraska, and it quoted the official bulletin: "Fair and but little change in temperature."

The answer to all those claims, a front-page headline noted, would come when the polls closed and the votes were counted that evening.

Source: The Omaha Daily Bee, Nov. 8, 1910, page 1, via Nebraska Newspapers, University of Nebraska–Lincoln.

How we checked this: Reported from The Omaha Daily Bee of Nov. 8, 1910, on Nebraska Newspapers (University of Nebraska–Lincoln), opened Nov. 8, 2026, at 5:22 a.m. CT, and checked against the record by our copy desk before publishing.