The progressive farmer. [volume] (Winston, N.C.) 1886-1904, 1897-12-21

and when the dimensions of his success
became apparent his own supporters
and the community at large was dazed.
They had expected a nip-and tuck
finish. The result showed a Waterloo.
The causes Of this were or less
explained in the Journals dispatches
on yesterday, but Mr.. Walsh's vindica-
ton comes in his leading the other two
candidates in the white boxes.
His friends commended from the out
set that he was the first choice of the
''better element" of the city, and the
result proved it. They justify the open
buying Of black votes on the theory
that the only way to whip the devil is
to fight him with fire. How success
fully his supporters handled the flames
is now well known.
said yesterday that the TX err people
were outgeneraled and outspent. This,
to a more or less extent, explains the
result, but it must be added that the
result showed that the people were for
Walsh and that in the Kerr forces there
were more officers than privates.
With a few exceptions Kerr had be-
hind him all the betty city and county
politicians, whose spurs as well as
scars bespeak many close and well
fought battles. Yet they were not only
beaten, but outpointed and outgen
eraled by the Walsh ''amateurs," who,
though lacking in experience, made up
for it with that sort of devotion and
ardor that sweeps all before it.
The way in which the Kerr negroes
were demoralizsd and captured vas
unique if not laughable. It would also
be deemed disgracefuI were it not done
to offset tricks and wiles just al culpa
BILE, engineered by opponents and rec
rgni1ed in Augusta as an inevitable
part of the campaign.
In using the word ''out spent" I did
not mea to imply that the Walsh men
used o money than the Kerr men,
but simply that they used it better and
quicker and with infinitely more ''judg-
ment."
Just how much of Walshis lead in
the negro boxes ia due to the use by his
workers of new" money will never be
known, but 1t undoubtedly played q
star part. Both forces had bundles Of
money, every ward worker having
enough with which as AL Lewis would
say, ITO choke a COW" il he desired to
use il for such inhuman purpose
which, Of course, he didn't.
The Kerr money was old and rusty,
such as we always have in use in the
South, but the Walsh money-ordered
specially from Washington for the pur
pose, RAJ brand new, crisp and fresh
from the government presses.
The fascination that this new money
had for the negroes was Irresistible,
dirty, rusty, ragged money couldn't
cope with il, and as Don as the Kerr
negroes saw it in the possession Of the
Walsh black men, they either demanded
similar money or more of the despised
old stuff, They couldn't get the former,
but In most instances they got the
latter.
This scheme was devised by a we'll
known factor and railroad president,
and an equally weu-known lawyer.
While it could not be termed a stroke
of genius it was sufficiently brilliant to
greatly affect the final outcome of the
contest,
A commemorative orHi~oako ~ tho voooo-
spent by the Walsh and Kerr men in
the. election is placed at thirty thousand
dollars. It was stated last night that
the Kerr workers had turned IS 600 of
unspent money into the campaign
treasury, but this was not credited. 1t
is safe to say that both sides had as
much money as they wanted or needed
and spent as much as they could. /
learned from reliable authority that
Mr.. Walsh's campaign had cost not less
than $17, 900, and as his opponent had
money to burn, it is fair to assume that
his friends spent as much and that $685..
900 instead of $50, 900 would come nearer
the actual Rm 1unt expended in the
campaign.
tits reasonable to suppose that Walsh
and Kerr contributed not less than S.
900 each-it believed to be more-to
their own campaign fund.
When it came to a question of buy
ing the negroes votes, the negroes and
not the campaigners fixed the price
and it was Willingly and cheerfully
paid without q murmur.