The Atlanta constitution. [volume] (Atlanta, Ga.) 1885-19??, 1892-10-11
Beating Our Own Record!


morning after the election-the most won
derful feat ever performed by southern
newspaper.
Never in their lives have our readers
seen state election in Georgia so thor
oughly and completely reported!
We present in this issue scmi-official re-
turns from every one of the 1877 counties
of the state comprising nearly 1000 pre-
cincts and give the full legislature elected
by the people Wednesday.
You have the whole state spread out
before you in this issue, every county
every militia district, every inch of
ground, from Tennessee to Tybee!
But you will have TO read between the
lines to get an idea Of the magnitude of
the work and the trouble and expense of
the undertaking. No similar feat equal
ling or even approaching this has ever
been known in the newspaper annals of
the south, and it is unsurpassed in the
record of progressive journalism any
where.
Some years ago, when there were exct-
ing congressional campaigns in the sev-
enth and ninth districts, Dr. FELTON, run
ming in one, and Emory Spcer in the
other, The Constitution successfully coy
cred both districts. publishing the news
the following morning 1t required study,
work and money, but we made the trip
Both districts were mountainous, with
many precincts forty miles or so from
the railroad. 1t seemed impossible to
get full reports wired to us on the night
of the election, but our special CORE
sDondents entered into the spirit OF the
enterprise, and with their relays of fast
horses, fairly flew over the mountains,
and through the dark .,~orges, and forded
the rushing torrents in the way, until
they reached the nearest railway stations
after midnight, and flashed their tidings
to Us over the wires.
That was Il great feat and the country
went wild over it. In fact, people are
not done talking about it to this day!
it was Il magnificent stroke of newspa-
per enicr0rse, bu the w0r., of Wednesday
beats it all hollow, in the proportion of
eleven to two.
In the first case we covered two con-
gressional districts. This time the entire
state with eleven districts is our field,
and we have sifted every square acre
of it.
We are well aware that our story of
the election speaks for itself, but there
are some points connected with it which
our readers will find suggestive and full
Of interest. Glance over the map of Geor-
sia, in your mind, and note its vast ex-
ianSc, and the size of some of its 1877
counties, cqualling many principally in
Europe. You will see that many of the
election precincts are twenty, thirty and
even forty miles away from any railway
station or telegraph office.
How did we GET the news last Wednes-
day night
We got it by making the biggest and
best organized effort that ever startled
and dazzlcd southern newspaper circles.
in the first place, we had an army of spe-
cial correspondents and special messengers
4rganiZed and stationed at every neces-
y point, with horses, and sometimes
many as three relays of horses for
3, and difficult mountain route.
our correspondents were instructed to
get the official count, and rush it. In the
counties where railway stations were ac-
cessible this was easy enough, but among
the mountains of north Georgia and in
some of the south Georgia wiregrass coun-
ties, there was many a long mile to be COW
cred by fleet horsefesh before telegraph
Iiice was reached. Throughout the
state the telegraph operators We're sitting
up, ready to wait until morning if neces-
sary, and some of them did not hear the
rattling of hoofbeats Of our couriers until
nearly dawn.
But the adventurous riders got the news
and carried it safely until they reached
the railroads. They galloped over high
ruSeS, uoWh pfecipltate sleeps. through
quiet valleys sleeping in the moonlight,
over the red hills, by the whitening cot
ION fields past the dark farmhouses,
-1eeGing along the big road leaping reck-
Iessly over the rocky slopes and crashing
through the tangled forests, where many
noonshiner might have watched with
hand on trigger, wondering whether the
mad rider was friend or foe!
Thirty of these special messengers rode
Wednesday night from ten, twenty to forty
miles on horseback, and one had to sup
plement his twenty mile ride with several
miles more on water.
They all got there-got there with the