The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1894-11-07
TESTERS BIG MAJORITY.
The First District Gives Him in tie
NeighbOTbOOd Of 5000.

But Enough Precincts Heard From to
Make the Estimate Reliable-How
Chatham Voted.
The returns from several counties and
estimates for the First congressional dis
trtct give Lester in the neighborhood Of
5000 majority. His majority in Chatham
is 6,275. The populist vote here was 81.
Two years ago Col Testers majority
in the district was 5,0s9. In 1890 it was
7,749, and in 1855. when he was first elected,
it was Sis. His majority this year is the
greatest he has ever received.
The returns for the district are incom-
plete, but enough counties and precincts
have been heard from to place the demo-
cratic majority easily at 5000.
Bryan county gives Col Lester
l53 votes, a clean majority the
populist candidate not receiving a single
vote. A Waynesboro dispatch says that
precinct gives Lester 800 majority and
Burke county viii swell his ma
jority l 900. A Darien dispatch says Les
ter's majority in Mcintosh county is about
so.
The colored vote was with few excep-
tons solid for him.
A Statesboro dispatch says four pre-
cincts of Bulloch county gave Lester 400
majority. later dispatch SAYS the States
bpro precinct alone gave him $40 major
itp in a vote of 62& The other precincts
win, it is estimated, carry Bulloch by
about $50 majority. In Liberty county
the Nalthourville precinct gave Lester
g. and Brown Is. Fleming gave Lester
IS and Brown 49, There are six other
precincts from which no returns have
been received.
bingham, which was a populist county
in the state election, gives Brown 2S5.
and Lester 2S4. a majority OF one for
Brown. No returns have been received
from Scr even, Tattnall or Emanuel
counties. Rhese may change the result
somewhat, LNt 1t is believed that Testers
majority viii not be far from the 5000
mark
Chatham co unity gives Rufus E. Lester
6.275 majority, This is a larger ma
jority by $500 than he received two years
ago, and the largest democratic ma
iority in this county in years. It is a
great showing for Chatham, but it re-
quired hard wor x to do it.
Things looked very dull and unproris-
ing for some time after the polls opened
and unpleasant and the voters seemed
to be fighting SHY Of the polls The
Ogeechee "coons' turned up as expected,
several hundred strong, headed by Roll
ing John Williams. Some of them were
a little offish and declared that 50 cents
was not enough for coming all the way
from Ogeechee, bat most of them pro-
ceeded to get in their votes at once
This kept the managers busy for some
time, and by the time the business men
and their employees began to come in on
their way down town the vote was grow
ing nicely.
The populists made no showing what
ever. Leader George. Miller spent some
time on the groun d. but did not seem to
be much interested in what was going
on. Dave Newton and some of the Pool
critics were down, but they seemed dis
mayed at the avalanche of votes which
was being piled up against them. They
had little to say except to cry fraud and
declare that they would contest the cleo
ton. Very few negroes were seen to vote
the populist ticket. The negroes voted
for Col. Lester by the hundreds In fact
in some of the boxes there were probably
more negro votes for Col. Lester than
there were white votes for him. Col
Testers popularity among all classes was
never more strongly demonstrated than
yesterday. The great majority OF the
colored voters came up and cast their
votes for Col. Lester without being urged
TO do so. Some of them in their en-
thusiasm doubtless forgot themselves,
and tried to vote at more than one box
The vote, however was not excessive for
Chatham county. There are at least
5000 voters in the country, though it is
seldom more than 5000 register. The
registration lists not being in use yes
terday there was nothing to prevent any
qualified voter who had paid his taxes
from casting a ballot
Col. Lester was on the ground good
part Of the day and was kept busy shaking
hands with his many friends and encour-
aging the leaders in their work. Chair
man duBignon of the democratic execu-
tive committee of the county, G. b
Whatley. Esq, chairman Of the district
committee, and many members of the
executive and campaign committees were
on the ground. Box A to c, presided over
by Justice T. J. SheftaD, took the lead
early in the day and kept it up until night
Justice Sheftal predicted that he would
get 1900 votes in this box. but had to
rest satisfied with 1858, OF which number
the populist candidate received less than
a dozen. Box NJ to p, presided over by
Justice Reynolds and J. 7. Mcmahon.
made some show of rivalng Box No. /.
but only succeeded in coming in a good
second, polling 1856 votes. The other
boxes dragged somewhat, especially In
the morning, one box having only 200 votes
in at u o'clock
There was lull in the voting just be-
fore noon and it looked as if the promise
Of the leaders to get out a full vote would
not be fulfilled. At u o'clock there were
900 votes IN the boxes. Several good
men were put to work, though, and the
votes began to pour in rapidly and by /
O'Clock there were $500 votes in the boxes
The voters began to come by on their way
10 dinner about this time, and the vote
piled up heavily. At $3.50 o'clock the
totals footed up 459S. The effsrts
to pile UP a big vote for Lester did not
cease, however, and votes continued to
pour up rapidly until about $50 o'clock,
after which time there was very little
voting done.
There were comparatively few incl
dents Of the day worth noting There
was never any very large crowd around
the court house. There was no excite
ment and no trouble Of any kind and the
police had practically nothing to do.
Smith Dayton, who Is always fond OF
proclaiming himself a populst, provoked
81 democrat named Joe Leonard some time
before noon ana was chased of down the
street, to the great amusement Of the
crowd. He returned shortly efterward
and was not molcsted.
The county commissioners office was
used as headquarters by the Lester lead
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