The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1896-11-14
CLAY'S CLANSMEN CoNFIDNT.
THEY CLAIM HE WILL SURELY BE
NOMINATED MONDAY.

tion Yesterday--A Strong Under
tone in Favor of Dark Horse.
Except for the Money Question
Georgia Would stand Good
Chance to he Represented by "A
Strong Man.
Atlanta, Ga, Nov. 13.-The democratic
senatorial caucus made no nomination to-
day. With Gov. Atkinson out of the race,
it was expected on all sides that the eau
Gus this afternoon would nominate, but it
did not. Two ballots were taken and then
by vote of 81 to 80. A resolution to ad-
journ until next Monday afternoon at 3
o'clock was passed Mr.. Clay's friends
attack the accuracy of the vote on adj
journment, and some declare it was
wrongly counted. Adjournment they re-
alize, endangers their candidate, and they
were opposed to it, Mr.. Clay and his
friends. who were conspicuous among the
crowd about the doors to the House of
Representatives, offered odds that he
would be nominated on the first ballot.
He claimed to have 10 votes pledged to
him, and as the first ballot was being
TAKEN there was great excitement in the
crowd. The contest was supposed to have
narrowed down to Messrs. Clay and How
ell, and with only two in the field nobody
expected a continuation of the deadlock
Mr.. Lewis went home last night, and
his re-entry into the contest was not ex-
pected, and it was this that prevented a
nomination to-day. After the caucus
some of his friends were indignant that
he should have been put forward again,
and tonight kilograms were received from
him repudiating the act of placing him
before the caucus again. lie says he will
under no circums tances allow his name to
be used as candidate again.
Mr.. Clay and his friends declared that
he had been put back for the purpose of
keeping the nomination from him and
they were not a little bitter about it. As
matter of fact, Mr.. Lewis nomination
| before the caucus this afternoon was
made by an element that is opposed to
both Mr.. Clay and Mr.. Howell, and will
not support either as long as there is an
opportunity to prolong the deadlock. Mr..
| Craig of Bibb county was the man who
1 placed Mr.. Lewis name before the eau
Gus. But for Mr.. Lewis name being plac-
| ed before the caucus as a candidate Mr..
| Clay 5 friends assert positively that he
would have been nominated on the first
/ ballot.
Since the failure to nominate this after
noon, and the adjournment over to Mon
day there is wide difference of opinion
as to what the final outcome of the con-
test will be. Many believe that Capt.
| Howell is now practically eliminated and
that he will retire before the next caucus
| meets. He has not gained anything by
the retirement of Gov. Atkinson nor by
| the Withdrawal of Mr.. Lewis.
Mr.. Clay's friends contend that he will
get the nomination Monday whether Mr.
Howell comes down or not. This is not
| certain, however, for there is a decided
/ drift this afternoon in the direction of
some new man. Many members do not
want either Mr.. Howell or Mr.. Clay, and
| If either should be nominated 1t will be
| by the votes of many men who support
| them under protest This feeling, which
| is growing stronger every hour, may yet
| result in the nomination of a new man.
| The fact that when Mr.. Clay received
| eighty-one votes on the first ballot to-
| day-only eight short of a nomination
| and then fell back to seventy-seven is re-
| garded by many as proof that he is not
the real choice of the legislature The
| trouble seems, however to be in avaia-
| BILE timber. The ablest leaders of the
| party, the men who would naturally
| be looked upon as senatorial
| probabilities, under the present
| circumstances are disfranchised, so to
| speak, by their position on the money ques-
| tion. But for this, a real big dark horse
| like Henry G. Turner or Hoke Smith
| would have a walk-over. AS it is, there
| is a growing sentiment in favor of SONS
| man of this description, and while it is
/ not as yet to be classed as a probability,
! there is a small chance that the dissatjs-
| faction with all the candidates now run
linn fnt. fla r1aax L. .fa.
tion from this field. Hon. Fleming du-
| Bignon has long lightning rod up, FISH
| ing around for the electric spark. He Is
/ a decided quantity in the situation, and
| there is no telling what may yet come
| to crown his labors. If Mr.. Clay is NOM
mated the success will at once be ac,
credited to Mr.. duBignon He is the
man pointed to as the real power in the
| Clay boom, and whichever way the final
| ballot goes, he will have an important
say-so in the result. Hope was revived
among Gov. Atkinson's friends this after
noon, after the failure to nomi-
| nate. They think 1t possible thai
| the mass meetings throughout the
state tomorrow may take some
| action which will put the governor back in
| the race again with increased momentum
| but when they broached the subject to him
| he replied that he had no intention of en-
/ tering the contest again. If the deadlock
| NNAANaANAeAA'9
| it is not beyond the pale Of probab bilitles
| however, that the governor may yet draw
the long straw, especially If his suggestion
| that 1t be left to the people of the state to
| decide in the supreme court election in De-
| cember, should meet approval.
This afternoon President Berner of the
/ Senate. declared that he would not be a
candidate and thus puts at rest the reports
to this effect which have been flying
| around since yesterday
on the first ballot to-day the vote was as
| follows:
Gay
| hOWeu ................... ...s...............b1
Lewis ..........s...
| The second ballot stood:
Gay .......ss,ss..
Howell ............. IS
Lewis ............s....s
u Il. Iurner ....s.....s..... ..............,..
1 i. II. Garrard ..............,............ 9
Under the rule Of the caucus It will take
80 to nominate, a majority of the demo-
cratic members, and not merely a majority
/ Of the members present or voting.
! Hon. r. NJ. Norwood is expected to be-
come an active candidate before the eau
/ -. nF.rl,tr TTo 1iT -rv,,o .roft... to-.