The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1888-06-22
LESTER FOR CONGRESS.
he WILL UNDOUBTEDLY ACCEPT
TRE NOMINA TON.

Eow the News From Brunswick Was
Received IL Savannah-CoL Lester
Serenaded - he Declines to Say
Whether Ee VIII Accept the Mont
nation Until He Eas Been Officially
Not:fed-E.s Friends Believe That
He WiI-Ske;ch Of His Public Life.
The news Of Col. Rufus E. Testers nomi-
nation 81 Brunswick last night was re-
oeived in Savannah with good deal of
enthusiasm. At IL O'Clock last night the
Guards band seTenaded at Col Lessars
residence, but he had not yet reached home.
Mrs. Lester informed a MORNING NEW S
reporter that the colonel was not in. At
O'Clock this morning. by persistent tug
ging at the door bell oy brace Of report
ers, TIE nominee for congress made his ap-
pesrance at an upper window and surren-
dered TO the indomitable interviewer. He
said, beyond the fact that he had received
& private telegram from friend in Bruins
wick, informing him Of his nomination,
that he knew nothing Of it
Col Lester said that he did not feel at
liberty 70 express himself a. 70 his course
in the matter of acceptance until he has re-
ton. He did not want the nomination, be
said, and had not sought it, and he was not
prepared to say whether be would or would
not accept it. he begged not to be pressed
for an answer.
An intimate friend Of Col Lester stated
that he had predicted the latter's nomina-
ton, and il has presence, and when he had
pressed the question upon the colonel the
latter, while assuring him that he did not
desire the nomination, said that if it should
come to him with anything like unanimity,
and for the sake of party harmony, he did
not think that it could well be refused. 1t
was unanimous nomination that came to
him last night, and bis friends believe that
he will not disappoint them but will accept
the honor.
Col Lester is now serving his third con-
secutive term as mayor of Savannah, hav-
ing been elected in 1888. He is one of the
leading lawyers Of the state. He was twice
president of the state senate, and was one
Of the leading favorites for governor in the
campaign when Gov. Colquitt was elected.
Col. L w. Avery, in his history of
Georgia, says of him that men
have not been made frmer and more sin
cere. Posse; sing a blended simplicity and
amiability Of manner, he is a most positive
and fearless person. An incident will illus
trate the man: He once gave client some
advice about a deed that proved after a
stubborn litigation, to be unsustained by
the courts. Several thousand dollars of
property were lost. As soon as
he was able TO do 80, Col. Les
ter handed his client a check
for the amount, and thus reimbursed him
for the loss. 1t was an act of punctilious
professional integrity, and it indicated an
uncommon man" Col. Lester was mem
Der Of the state convention in 1870. which
marked the downfall Of the reconstruction
regime. He was elected to the senate the
same year, and took his seat in November.
1871. In 1877 he was again
returned to the senate, and was
elected its presiding officer. He was also
elected presiding officer of the senate in
1S78-'79, having altogether served five terms
in the senate. In the Colquitt campaign he
was candidate for governor along with
Gov. Colquitt. Hon. Thomas Hardeman of
Macon, Gen. Lucius J. GartrelI of Atlanta,
and Chief Justice Warner of the supreme
court.