The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1896-11-09
SELECTION OF THE SENATOR.
THE CAUCUS TO SETTLE THE CON-
TEST TONIGHT.

a Nomination Must Be Made Before
Adjournment as the Law Requires
the Assembly to Begin BaIIOting
TO-mOrrOw-If the Democrats
Failed to Unite on Nominee the
AZ Votes of the POpulists and Re-
Dublicans Would BE Apt to Prove
the Balance of Power.
Atlanta, Ga, Nov. S.-To-morrow will
settle the senatorial contest, unless some
thing now unforeseen and wholly unex-
pected by any of the candidates happens.
At o'clock in the afternoon, the demo-
cratic caucus will be called to order in the
hall Of the House of Representatives
There is a movement on foot to have the
caucus held with the galleries open to the
public, but whether this will succeed is
doubtful. The president is against it, al
thou III there does not sesm 20 be any good
reason why, under the conditions sur
rounding the present contest the public
and the candidates themselves should not
be permitted to watch the fight from the
galleries. The vote cannot be kept a secret
from the candidates and they will know
who stood by them anyhow. So far as the
candidates are concerned they are all will
ing to have an open caucus. Some of them
are avowedy supporting it.
To-day there was a calm in the cam
paign Many of the members went home
yesterday and will not return until to-
morrow and to a man the candidates OBJ
served the sacred day by keeping their
! bair
| bers who remained in town, and are not
living at the Kilnball, also kept aloof from
| that political rendezvous. During the af-
! ternoon the Fulton county members dropp-
| ed into the lobby and chatted with those
friends whom they met but they did not
undertake to do any proselyting for the
home candidate, Capt. Howell,
There will be 176 votes in the caucus to-
morrow if every democratic member an
swers to his name. This includes Mr..
Nevin of Floyd county, an Independent.
He was admitted to the caucus for judge
and solicitor, and although there is con-
siderable quiet opposition to admitting
him to the senatorial caucus, he will
doubtless get in. With a membership Of
176, 1t will take SO to nominate.
AS the situation presents itself tonight,
after taking an impartial survey of the
field, it can be stated almost as a certain
ty that there will be no nomination on
|
| that there will be a dozen ballots than
that any man will win the coveted prize at
a dash. Some of the leaders predict that
| the fight will be even longer than this
They declare that it will last all night. By
law the election must be held by Separate
ballot in the Senate and House on Tues
day, and on this account it is imperative
that the caucus make a nomination before
it aulourns in order to eliminate the pop
ulist and republican votes, of which there
| are 43, from the contest If there should
be no nomination by the caucus and these
| votes then be allowed to count, there is no
| telling what combinations would result. 1t
| is noticeable that Gov. Atkinson has more
| votes pledged to him than any other can
didate The maximum claimed for him by
his friends is "A, while some of his man.
| ayers admit the number of absolute
pledges to stand by him through thick and
thin is 6S. The latter figure is probably
nearer the truth. He is conceded this
number by several of the opposition can
didates and leaders. The governor has,
however, it is claimed, many pledges for
the second and subsequnt ballots, and it
| is here that he is believed to have out
generated his opponents.
| The opposition has not yet been able
to effect a consolidation. Their followers
support them for personal and local rea-
sons largely, and those among them who
have made pledges after the first ballot,
as a rule have done so in favor of the
| governor, rather than shifting about
among the field of opposition candidates.
Giving Gov. Atkinson IS votes, the same
| imDartial estimate allows Lewis 40. Clay
"a. Howell 26 and Robertson Is. Mr.. Clay's
friends however, claim 36 for him, and
allow the governor only 56. Mr.. Clay is,
| however, sure of "a.
Although the end of the fight is at hand,
1t is one of the peculiarities of the con-
| test that there are quite a number of
members yet unpledged; in fact, nobody
knows how they will vote. and the esti-
mates are made up by a sort of general
agreement as to their most probable ac-
! ton.
There is said to be a very close bond of
union between Mr.. Clay and Hon. Flem-
ing duBignon, and the prediction has
been made that if Mr. Clays name Is
Withdrawn in the caucus, Mr. duBignon's
will then be presented, and Mr.. Clay's
| suDporters will go to him. These, with
some So SOUND money men, are in the
same place, said to be ready to break to
MIR. duBignon also, and enough others
carried along to nominate him by a stam-
pede. Mr. duB,gnon stated tonight that
he had declined to yield TO his friends and
allow his name to be presented to the
caucus as a candidate. If ne Is put for
ward IN the manner described he says
that will be entirely with his friends.
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