The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1898-06-07
GAMBLERS BIG MAJORITY.
STEVENS, HARDIN AND TURNER
GETS CHATHAM'S DELEGATION.

Gamblers Plurality Over Atkinson
1.OO6-stevens big Following in the
Fourth District Where Col Nes-
bitt Was BOrn-Extensive Scratch
ing of the Executive Committee.
Scratched Tickets Ignored ia the
First and Fourth Districts-Seem-
ed That Harmony Was Somewhat
Lacking in POpuInrity-The New
Executive Committee to Meet To-
day.
Col. Allen d. Gambler has carried Chat
ham county for Governor by a majority
which even surpasses the expectations Of
his most sanguine friends. They had look
ed for majority of 80 or something there
abouts, but 9S5 was still better.
In spite of the fact that Judge Spencer
r. Atkinson's friends in the county have
been somewhat quiet, indeed very quiet,
a number of them were around the court
house yesterday looking after
his interests, and. as viii
be seen from the official figures,
they succeeded m getting in good num-
Der of votes But the Gambler workers
were in the majority. The members Of
the Gambler Club We're there in fun force,
and they saw to it that their candidate
was well represented at every one of the
boxes. The gubernatorial race, however
was one-sided from the start; 1t was AL
Gambler, and long toward the middle of
the day there was no possible question
about the result.
The only other race among the state
house officers in which there was any in
1
vens for the commissionership of agrcul-
ture Both of these candidates had warm
friends at work in their interests, which
under the circumstances was quite natu-
raj. Mr.. John l. Morrssey, formerly oil
inspector, who was succeeded by Col.
John Screven, naturally wanted to regain
his position if there is any possibility Of
so doing, and he was hard at work In be-
half of Stevens. Mr.. J. r. Creamer, it is
said, is a candidate for inspector of ferti-
lizers and he was at work in the interest
of the same candidate. Col ScreVen and
Col. Peter Reilly, with several others
who were deeply interested in the sue
cess of Nesbitt, were around taking an
active interest in that feature of the cleo
ton during the greater part of the day.
Mr.. Nesbitt was formerly a Savannah
Ian. He was born here, and there are
many here who know him well. He was
given majorities in the Second and Third
districts, but fell behind in the First and
Fourth. 1t was in the Fourth that Ste
vens received his big majority, that dis
trict being worked for him for all it was
worth. His vote there was AL against l72
for Nesbitt BY the way, it was in the
Fourth district that Mr.. Nesbitt was
born.
There was little or no excitement over
tests. Turner carried the county for
prison commissioner in a walk, though the
race between Cook aud Hardin for secre-
tarY of state was about close as that
between Stevens and Nesbitt.
The election was in many respects,
wholly uneventful one. There was no
money floating around, there was very
little whisky, there was a comparatively
respectable absence of the heller, conse-
quently there were no fights The police
squad around the court house
had nothing TO do but vote
once and then stand around. The absence
of cash for votes and free liquor necessi-
tated the scarcity of the election heller,
and, altogether, it may be said that eX-
element was at a premium.
The most interesting feature of the day,
from local standpoint, was the peculiar
action of some of the voters with regard
TO the compromise executive committee.
opposition yet the manner in which that
part of the ticket was scratched up is
something truly astonishing. Not even
the managers al the different boxes were
aware of the extent to which il had been
carried, until they came to counting the
votes.
Each side claims that the scratching
was begun by the other, but the chances
ares that 1t can be attributed only to the
individual voter, who took that method of
expressing his preferences. The scratch
ing cannot be attributed to the leaders on
either side. To them il seemed senseless,
uncalled for and idiotic but there were
plenty of individual voters with different
views. and they expressed them in pencil
and ink.
There We're tickets upon which were
scratched the entire Liberal Club list
tickets upon which were scratched the en-
tire Citizens Club, and tickets from which
the entire twenty-four names were
scratched, an evident expression from the
voter that harmony was a dead duck IN
the pond. Sometimes a voter would scratch
out all the Liberal names and all but
one, two or three of the Citizens. In one
instance every name on the ticket, includ-
ing all of the state officers was scratched,
with the exception OF that of Mr. A. n.
Manucy, a punker being put in for him
for executive committeeman on several
OF the tickets only three or four executive
twenty-four, and on one or two tickets
seen two or three names were substituted
for others that We're scratched off.
just why this scratching took place IN
ouch a promiscuous manner no one APP
pears TO know. 1t was evidently useless,
as the action of the managers i'm the First
and Fourth districts demonstrated. BY
agreement between the members Of both
factions who We're looking after the cleo
ton the managers In these districts were
relieved from counting all the various split
tickets for executive committeeman and
II was agreed that each committeeman
should be given the full vote in that dis
trict. IT would have been an all night job
TO count these votes, and that seemed the
wisest thing to do The total vote in the
First district was 375 and in the Fourth
622, and each of the executive committee
men was given the benefit of it,. Thus il
is that the total vote for executive com
mitteemen appears very much larger thar
it would have been had the votes in those
two districts been counted.
The total vote cast in the election was
1,GS2 as follows: First 375; Second, 20
Third 37l; Fourth SO; Fifth, Sixth
SeXenth and Eighth 35 II appeare from