The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1896-10-09
CAUSES OF THE VICTORY.
SEVERAL, BUT THE ANITA. p. A.
MOST TALKED OF.

Liberals JubiIant, of COurse-The
Citizens Thrown Down, But Took
Their Defeat With Good Grace.
How They Account for It-A. r. A.
ism's Death KneII In Chatham.
1t is an interesting study-the results of
the local election. Why was it? What did
it? is what every body is asking, and there
are all sorts of explanations and answers
The Citizens Club leaders and members
| throughout took their defeat in the best of
good nature, and every joke at their ex-
pense was accepted with good grace. There
was no complaint of fraud or rregulari-
| ties. There could have been none Every
body, regardless of political inclinations,
no matter how partisan was outspoken in
commentator of the thoroughly fair and
| impartial manner in which the election
was conducted throughout, and Superin-
| tendent w. B. Stubs and his corps of
managers have been warmly complimented
on every side for their diligence in this re-
spect.
With that out of the way as an excuse
| for defeat of course other causes had to
| be looked for Many of the Citizens Club
people appear confident in the assertion
| that they would have won by a small ma
| Jority at least if the police had cleared the
| polls early in the morning and given their
men chance to get in. Others, however,
| do not look so much to this feature, though
| they believe they would have captured far
more votes early in the day had they had
4 this opportunity Is they expected.
| Another cause of defeat as given by
members of the Citizens Club, was the
fact that they did not get their share
of the negro vote, and at the
same time they charge that the
large majority of this vote was pur-
chaseable. They practically make the
| admission here, therefore, that they were
! cut-generalled on this feature of the
| fight Under any circumstances there is
no doubt that it was the negro vote
| that piled up the majority for the Liberal
| Club
But the most widely discussed cause of
| the Waterloo, is the A. P. A. issue. Citi-
zens Club leaders generally admit this
| fact. They agree that that organization
did them more harm than good, and they
| have nowhere near the sympathy for it
now that they had before the election.
II am satisfied that the A P. A help
| ed materially to beat u.s." said a promi-
nent member of the Citizens Club faction
yesterday. THE strong sentiment on
| the part of many against the organization
| has been growing steadily. l believe that
we would have had the same votes prac-
| tically, if we had paid no attention to
| the organization, and at the same time we
would have had a good many others
which would not have been prejudiced
| against us.
Then too, our people have lost in en-
| thusiasm; they did not keep up their
| spirits. We were satisfied several DAYS
| ago that we were beaten, but we kept
up as best we could. We had to make
| bluff. But with the loss of enthusiasm
md
against us. We have no complaint to
make. We were beaten and that's all
! there is to it,"
| 1t Is so with others. The leaders gem
! orally are satisfied that sentiment against
the A. P. A. had good deal to do with
the vote, but they put down the capturing
| of the negro vote by the Liberals as the
! chief cause Of their defeat
There must be one of two things"
said a prominent Citizens Club leader,
| speaking of the result: EITHER the A. p
A. must disband at once or the Citizens
! Club must come out and publicly de-
nounce it. If one or the other is not done.
1 will leave the party and l know good
many more who will do the same thing.
l am satisfied that the prejudice against
| that organization had a great deal to do
with the result. l have never had any
| thing to do with the organization myself
| because l have always been against any
| religiuos conflict in the county and be-
lieve the sooner we get rid of the organ
ization. the better. The results in cleo
| tions all the way from Maine to Texas
| have shown the same thing-that the peo-
pie are not in sympathy with the A. P. A,
and it must co.
The Liberal Club leaders attribute their
victory almost altogether to the sentl-
ment against the A. P. A. They are high
ly elated over their big victory through
out the entire ticket and they are conf
dent in the belief that the result is the
death knell Of A. p Aism in Chatham
county.