The Savannah morning news. (Savannah, Ga.) 1900-current, 1902-11-06
WILL NOT CONCEDE
CANDIDATE COLER WILL WAIT
FOR THE OFFICIAL COUNT.
CHARGE OF FRAUD is MADE
BY SECRETARY MASON OF THE
DEMOCRATIC COMMITTEE.

Claiming That COIer Was Robbed of
Many Votes in the Up-State-It Is
said That Chairman Campbell and
senatOr Hill Will Go to New York
to Decide on a Plan of ActiOn-Mr.
COIer and Secretary Mason Issue
Statements to the Public.
New York, Nov. 5.-Although the I'M
official reports from the state appar
emily showed Odell's reelection by TO-
79S plurality, Mr.. Coler, his Democratic
opponent, refused to-day to concede de-
feat, declaring that he wished to wait
for the official count of the vote.
Mr.. Coler's statement was followed
by a rather sensational announcement
from Secretary Mason of the State
Democratic Committee, that he refused
to concede Odells election, that fraud
had robbed Coler of many votes up the
state. and that Senator Hill and Chair
man Campbell of the State Committee,
would come to New York this evening
to decide on plan of action. About
the time these statements appeared a
rumor was circulated that Coler in
tended to make a contest in the courts,
and simultaneously the Evening Jour-
nal issued an extra edition declaring
that ex-senator Hill, Charles F. Muir
ply and Hugh Mclaughlin claimed Co.
ler's election. This report, together
with the statement made by Mr.. Coler
and Secretary Mason, had caused con-
siderable excitement in the city.
Mr.. Coler's statement follows:
II think personally it would be a
good thing to watch the official count
up the state closely. Why don't they
distribute McCullagh men up there as
well as here in Greater New York
Suppose the Democratic ticket had re-
ceiVed, say in the neighborhood of $780,
900 majority in Greater New York,
there was nothing to have stopped the
Republicans from claiming the upper
section of the state by at least 200, 0G0.
What the Democratic party needs up
the state is tried and true material
who will look carefully after the
party's interests. I don't mean by
anything l have said either last night
or this morning that l in any manner
concede the election of my opponent
l want to wait for the official count,
for my latest advices are that the
ceiving to-day. news that will put a
new complexion on affairs in this
state"
John A. Mason, secretary of the
Democratic State Committee, speak
ing for the committee, issued the fol-
lowing statement:
we concede nothing. Odell's election
is simply a claim. We will not admit
his election until every defective bal
lot or alleged defective ballot has been
scrutiniZed, and every vote that of
right belongs to our party is counted
The alleged defective ballots uncounted
for the Democratic ticket by Republi.
can inspectors are more than enough
to elect Coler. We have evidence of
wholesale debauchery and corruption in
Orange, Oneida and Albany and Erie
counties, and in the cities along the
New York Central Railroad.
The defective ballots and the Chi
canery Dracticed on the three judicial
districts where the Republican state
machine bent every energy to elect At
torneY General Davies, is alone suffi-
Gent to change the result.
We shall contest every foot OF
ground
Ex-senator David B. Hill and Frank
Campbell will be at the state head
quarters this evening, and a meeting
of the State Committee will be held
either this evening or tomorrow, and
a plan of action will be formulated.
Chairman Dunn of the Republican
state Committee, when informed to-day
of the report that the Democrats
threatened to contest the election, said:
IF they start anything of that kind
we will give them all the contest they
want right here in New York county
and they will wish they had never
heard of contests"
The revised figures for Governor are
as follows: Odell, 1886: Coler, 123,-
OBS. Odell's plurality, 1878.