The Savannah morning news. (Savannah, Ga.) 1900-current, 1904-04-20
STATE CONTESTS
IN THE BACKGROUND
IN TO-DAYS PRIMARIES
LOCAL ISSUES COUNTED ON TO
BRING OUT A BIG VOTE.

Indications That simmons and Tur-
ner VIII BE RcnOminated-LiveIy
Congregational Contests in the
First, seventh and Ninth Districts.
Opposition Candidates in Nearly
All of the Circuits-NearIy Every
County Has Legislative Fight.
Atlanta, April 19.-The lack of a race
for Governor and other State House
contests has not lessened the interest
that is felt in all parts of the state in
to-morrow's primary, which will set
tie practically every political contest
in Georgia down to coroner. The in
| terest, however, is largely local, for
the local fights are attracting the
greatest amount of attention. This will
result in bringing out a large vote for
the unopposed state ticket, as we'll as
in connection. with the two state Of
fees for which there are contests.
Local politics seems to have put
these two state contests in the back
ground in many sections, yet there is
a statewide interest in the results,
even though many say they can fore
tell the result to a certainty. OF course
it is believed at the Capitol that both
the incumbents will be nominated to
succeed themselves, and indications
from over the state point to the cor
rectness of this belief.
The Judgeship Race.
Chief Justice r. j. Simmons Of the
! Supreme Court has received the in
| dorsement of the bar in all sections of
the state, and his many friends have
been conducting a quiet, but deter
| mined, campaign i'm his behalf, While
Judge r. B. Russell of Winder. who Is
opposing him, has been making a per-
sonal canvass of the state and has
| been using the mails and friendly
newspapers in the furtheranee of his
campaign. Perhaps the absence OF
public speaking or debate has kept
these two state contests in the back
| ground, for the same conditions apply
to the race for prison commissioner in
which Chairman Joseph S. Turner is
opposed by Judson M. Strickland of
Spalding. This campaign, too, has been
confined to personal canvass and cam
paign letters which have ben sent out
freely.
The Congregational Outlook.
Here Congressman Rufus +. Lester
is regarded as a certain winner in the
first district, but a lively interest is
manifested in the results in the
Seventh, where Senator Gordon Lee Of
the Forty fourth and Col. q. r. Hutch
ins of Haralson, are fighting over the
shoes laid aside by Judge Maddox, and
in the Ninth where Hon. It. M Bell Of
Gainesville is making things lively for
Hon. Carter Tate, the present congress-
| man. Lee and Tate are the favorites
| with the political bookmakers here, but
Col. Bell is undoubtedly going to give
Mr. Tate a good run for his job and
many say they would not be surprised
| to see him get 1t. In the other dis
trcts the present congressman are un-
| opposed.
Judgeships and sOIicitorships.
Some Of the hardest contests ever
waged in Georgia over judgships and
solicitor generalships will be decided
| by o-morrows voting. There are con-
| tests in almost every one of the twelve
circuits in which elections are to be
held. Perhaps the most severe of these
| Is the fight made on Judge George
| r. Gober of the Blue Ridge circuit
by Hon. N. A. Morris of Cobb speaker
of the present House. This campaign,
| though the bench Is the goal, has not
been without its bitterness and it's
charges and determinations, and peo-
| pie of that section say 1t is toss up
| as to which will be successful Judge
A. w. Fite of the Cherokee circuit
is opposed by Hon. r. ]. McCamy of
Dalton, while Hon. o.. N. Starr of
Calhoun cOvets the shoes of Solicitor
| General S. p. Maddox of the same cir
cult. Hon. ]. II. Martin of Hawkins
/ vile Is trying to get the seat on the
| bench of the Oconee circuit which
Judge d. NJ. Roberts, the incumbent.
desires to retain. Judge Butt of the
| Chattahoochee circuit Is opposed by
| Hon. Il. Y. Tigner of Muscogee, men,
ber OF the present Legislature. Solicit
tor General Kinsey of the Stone Noun
| tain circuit has four opponents, as
| has also Solicitor General S. p. Gill
bert of the hattahoochee circuit. while
| in the Macon circuit there are three
candidates. And so 1t goes through
| out the state with a fight for almost
every position to be filed.
Plenty of Legislative Contests.
Outside of the election of county Of
| fieers, for which there are many con-
| tests, nearly every county in the state
has its fight on for the Legislature,
| and right warmly are they being
! waged. Old faces will probably be
! fewer than ever before in the next
House of Representatives, though
many of the members Of the present
House are expected to come to the
| next Senate.
Every county ticket will contain
| from twenty-five to fifty names, so the
| counting of the votes tomorrow Will
be no easy matter. It win doubtless
| be impossible to get all the figures ac-
| curately before Thursday, when the
vote is to be consolidated and the re-
suits declared by the County Commit,
| tees; but the general results will be
| known shortly after the close OF the
polls tomorrow night, and will be an
nounced in Thursday mornings papers.
Fulton County's Contests.
Fulton county has on the usual num-
Der of contests, but there is one that
is attracting special interest-the
fight for the solicitorship of the Grim
inal Court of Atlanta, which pays
about $4,000 a year. This is between
A. j. Orme who was appointed year
ago to fill an unexpired term, and
Lowry Arnold. .one of Atlanta's best
known young lawyers. Both are mem-
bers of most prominent families. The
| fight has been carried right to the
hearhstone in many homes and has at
times been most bitter. The race is q
close one, and only Wednesdays ball
| loting will decide 1t.