The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1896-10-09
GLORIOUS WORK OF GEORGIA.
ATKINsON's MAJORITY STILL EsTI-
MATED AT 10000.

GOvcrnOr-The POpulists Not Like
Iy to Have More Than Four Sena-
tors and Twenty-Five Representa-
tives--GOv. AtlinsOn's Explanations
of the Fight Made ON Him at the
Polls.
Atlanta. Ga, Oct. s.-Oficial returns re-
oeived here to-day Indicate the estimate
made last night of the democratic MAJOR
tiles will not miss the mark very widely.
Chairman Clay of the state committee
tonight repeats his estimate given LAST
night that Gov. Atkinson will receive 40.-
600 and that the state ticket will prop
ably reach $4,000 majority.
Chairman Clay also says that the num-
Der Of populist members Of the next House
of Representatives will not exceed twen-
ty-two, and that in the Senate there will
not be more than four populists and one
republican, which is the same strength
that was opposed to democracy in the
upper branch of the last Legislature, being
a decrease in their joint strength of about
eighteen.
Chairman Cunningham of the popullst
state committee, however, disputes these
figures He claims that the populists will
have at least as many members OF tho
new House as they had in the last, ana
an increase of at least one senator I'VE
have elected more members of the legis-
lature this year than we did two years
ago." said Chairman Cunningham, "aad
in the state we have twice as many coun-
ty officers as we ever had before. 1 have
not the fun returns, but will get them Of
acially just as rapidly as they are made
out The slowness with which the re-
turns have been coming In since the time
for the official consolidation / think fndi-
Gates that there is trouble over them The
democrats are trying to throw out votes
ana precincts on technicalities for the
purpose OF carrying their points and our
men are resisting"
Chairman Cunningham does not yet con-
cede the election of Gov. Atkinson. "By
the democratic count" he said, Il think
his majority will come some where near
10000, though / do not see how they can
make 1t over 1S,000 AS for conceding the
election of Gov. Atkinson, i do not pro-
pose to concede anything until the full
official returns come in, and are accepted
without contest. 1 have kept tally on
the newspaper returns to-day myself by
means of the official returns that have been
furnished consolidated returns, and / find
that the majority claimed is fast fading
away | believe that Seab Wright was
elected by at least 5000 majority If 1t had
been a fair count l lay great part of
the fraud that has been committed in this
election to the registration law passed
last year by the democratic legislature. /
declare that law to be the most infamous
machine for the preparation of frauds
that has ever been put upon free people,
and / believe it was framed for the ex-
press purpose of perpetrating fraud"
While Chairman Cunningham is already
raising a loud cry of fraud, and refuses
to concede the election of Gov Atkinson
until the official consolidation OF the vote,
1t Is not at all likely that his party will un-
dertake to contest the election.
The consolidation of the returns In
Fulton county to-day gives Gov. Atkinson
a majority over his opponent of 1,222. He
ran 1875 behind Controller General
Wright, who led the ticket in the county.
This falling behind the ticket by the gov
ernor was due to the bitter personal
fight made upon him by those who have
never become reconciled since the cam
paign of two years ago
Gov Atkinson is reasonably we'll sat-
shed with the result of the election.
and that of the state ticket, was as large
as he expected But there were certain
conditions of the campaign that he thinks
might have been bettered and which
would have given him even a more pro-
nounced victory.
The governor who reached the city
last night from Newman, was at his Of
flee at the capitol at his accustomed
hour this morning. When his porter
opened the door Of his private office for
| him he found his open desk rather dusty
from non-use. while there was stack OF
l. Nts.. tkAt wnrtIN
| keep him busy the balance of the week.
| BY the rather unusual activity OF the
| campaign the governor found almost the
| entire burden Of the field upon himself.
| Now and then there have been other
| speakers on the stump, but never any to
| spare In fact now that the fight Is
| past and won there is no harm in saying
| that the governor feels that II the party
| leaders had come to the rescue as they
| ought to have done, the majority for the
state ticket would have been measured
only by the od-time yard stick. To him
the campaign has been strongly remind
full Of the fight he made single-handed
when he was contesting for the nomina-
tlon two years ago. Chairman Clay and
the marty machinery were at his back
this time, but still it was the governor,
single-handed almost, who had to bear
the brunt of battle. A record OF his
speeches would probably show that he
spoke more times than any dozen lead
ers.
A particularly gratifying feature Of the
result to the governor is that the demo-
cratic ticket received the support of
large majority of the white people Of the
state. The colored people were very
friendly toward It. but the circular issued
BY Col Buck. Gov. Atkinson thinks,
drew thousands OF them away. But for
that circular the majority would have
reached almost, II not quite that Of Gov.
Northern four years ago. nearly $1,000. In
formation from every section is that the
colored people made themselves conspic-
uous either by remaining away from the
polls. or by the division in their strength
that was directly attributable to the Buck
circular. Had Il been issued a month ago
1t would have had little or no effect, but
as Il was, II was so timed that. Gov.
Atkinson believes, It could not be coun-
teracted.
'srhe elements which we had to contend
with" said Gov. Atkinson, ''were the
combination OF populists. prohibit.onists,
and the republicans, together with the
A. p. A. organization. and the lethargy
OF that element in our own party which
felt distracted on account of national is
cniae