The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1896-10-10
POOR DAY FOR THE PoPULISTS
CUNNINGHAM AT LAST COMEDIES
THEIR DEFEAT.

Tom WatsOn's Paper Suggests the
Substitution of WatsOn's Name for
SewnIIs ON the Democratic Ma
tiOnaI Ticket in This Stnte-sena-
tor Den TiIIman Remarks That 1t
Would BE Good Thing If Watson
Would Withdraw.
Atlanta, Ga, Oct. 9.-Chairman Cum
ningham of the populist state committee
to-day decided to concede the election Of
Gov. Atkinson and the democratic state
ticket. Yesterday he declared that he
would not concede the result.
Il am now willing to concede that Gov
Atkinson and his ticket are elected" SAID
the popuhst chairman this morning, but
it viii not be by the majority that has
official count will reduce this to about
what it was two years ago."
While conceding the election, Chairman
Cunningham to-day issues long mani
festo to the faithful OF 1.-THE populist
creed, declaring that stupendous frauds
have been committed, but he tells his fol-
lowers not to be disheartened, that the
populists have made many gains in coun-
ty officers, and they will start in right
now to begin the campaign of 1893.
Hon. Tom Watson has not been heard
from since the election. He left Atlanta
the night of the election for
his home in Thomson with a
sore throat and has not appeared in print
since. His paper, however, issued to-day,
declares that there ought to be a fusion
on the electoral ticket in Georgia between
the populists and democrats. Editorially
the paper remarks on this line: "Our
state convention provided for a with
drawal of part of our electors. No effort
has been made by the democrats Of this
state to consolidate If Mr.. Sewall, on
account of state pride, could pull down a
gold ticket in Maine and put up a silver
ticket, the democrats of Georgia can
surely take down the Bryan and sewall
ticket and accept the Bryan and Watson
ticket
Senator Tilman Of South Carolina pass
ed through the city this afternoon en-
route to Chicago, whittier he was called
by telegram from Senator Jones, chair
man Of the democratic committee.
1.-THE Georgia election was somewhat of
a surprise to me in the size Of the demo-
cratic majority" said Senator Tilman,
but / cannot see that II has any bearing
on the national election. 1t indicates one
Of two things, either the negroes are be-
coming democrats or that the populists
are returning to the democratic ranks.
The additional majority this year
can be accounted for in no
other way" OF the national democratic
problem, the South Caroinian said: I'm
those states where the problem was most
troublesome the question was settled by
fusion In the other states / anticipate
no trouble. Tt would be a happy ending
Of the whole matter, however, IL Mr..
Watson would retire.
Late returns form Wednesday,
election show that in few
sections Of the state the popuIist vote
was increased. In nearly every case 1t
was due to the personal popularity of the
populists nominee. In Floyd, Mr.. Wright
home county, the populist candidate for
governor received a majority Of 26S votes,
but this was not in a party sense a ma
jority for populism. Gambler, the demo-
cratic nominee for secretary of state, de-
feated Parsons, pop, by over 800 votes in
that county, and the other populist can
didates were defeated by like majoritles
In Coffee county for the first time In her
history the populist state ticket was given
a majority and all the populists county
nominees elected. To offset this. however,
twenty counties that went populists In
1891 we're redeemed and rolled UP on We'd
nesday average democratic majoritles. on
this list are Carroll, Chattahoochee, Clay
ton, Dawson, Douglas, Emanuel, Fayette,
Gwinnett Harris, Meriwether, Montgom-
cry. Paulding, Pickens, Pike, Polk, Rock
dale, Tattnall, Taylor, Washington, and
White.
There has been as yet few cries OF fraud.
Based upon reports here, there have been
few, II any, claims Of this kind. In u
large majority Of the counties the con-
soIidation Of the vote was made without
opposition, but in Baldwin county the con-
solidatlon was deferred until Saturday
Gov. Atkinson has 50 far received no
tjces OF contests from Chattahoochee and
Montgomery counties. In the latter coun-
Nv the contestants are W. H. Bagiey, who
opposed T. w. Gordy for ordinary, and
W x. Wilkerson, who opposed +. NJ. Cor
dy for clerk Of the superior court
The contestant in Montgomery county Is
J. ID. McGregor, pop. He does not give
the name Of his contestee, but wired the