Response to Telegrams Requesting "Definite Information in Regard to the Election"
November 04, 1896
The Democratic National Committee claims enough States to give a majority in the Electoral College, but the vote is very close in several of the States, and the result cannot be known positively until the entire vote is counted. In all close contests it is wise for both sides to watch the returns to guard against the possibility of a mistake, intentional or unintentional.
Source: "Mr. Bryan Still Hoping: The Democratic Candidate Shows Great Nerve," New York Times, November 4, 1896, p. 1.
William Jennings Bryan, Response to Telegrams Requesting "Definite Information in Regard to the Election" Online by Gerhard Peters and John T. Woolley, The American Presidency Project https://www.presidency.ucsb.edu/node/345944