Staunton spectator and vindicator. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1896-1916, 1911-11-10

Al d uulSu VI IuS uSCk anu uSCA
variety the Democratic candidates
galloped under the wire last night,
winners in one of the hottest legis-
lative races that has been run in
this district since the good old
days" Up until the very last pre-
cinct had been heard from the final
result was in doubt with first one
party and then the other in the
lead. Following day of Sabbath
like quietness interest reached a few
er heat as the returns began to pour
in after nightfall. The climax was
reached at about 10 o'clock when it
became definitely known that Ed
ward Echols, J. Frank Templeton
and James R. Kemper, the regulars,
had beat out w. A. Rife, H. M.
Lewis and R. L. Crawford, the In
dependents.
In the race for the Senate Echols
seems to have defeated Rife by a
majority of 1923 votes. The. INDIE
pendent candidate carried the coun-
ty by 27 votes, but this was not
enough to overcome the $50 ma
jority of Echols in the city. The re-
suit in Highland county will prob
ably reduce Echol's majority by a
hundred or more votes, as returns
from there indicate that Rife has
carried that county.
One of the biggest surprises was
the large vote polled by Lewis in
the county. In the outer precincts
the Staunton candidate for the
House of Delegates ran over both
Templeton and Kemper, polling in
all in this county total of 1,106
The majorities polled by the regulars
in the city, however, were sufficient
to overcome the result in the county.
The Result In Town.
Probably the greatest surprise
caused by the result in the city was
at the showing made by Lewis. Ow-
inc to his utilization with the local
Re publican party it was generally
expected that he would run well up
on the ticket. AS it was, however,
he ran behind both Templeton and
Kemper.
AS the table will show, Echols led
the ticket in Staunton with 81 votes
with Kemper next, then Templeton,
Lewis and Crawford. The total vote
cast here yesterday was approximate
ly 1,40O which was several hundred
more than were cast in the election
held in 1909. The total vote cast
in the "wet" and dry" election
on August 1 was 1,4S4.
The day passed off very quietly
in Staunton with an entire absence
Of anything resembling excitement,
although both sides worked hard to
br:rS out the voters. The voting
WAS steady throughout the day, and
there we're few minutes when voters
were not awaiting their turns at the
polls.
Hundreds of people got the re-
turns from the Dispatch-News last
night. Bulletins displayed in the
front of the building in the early
part of the evening attracted a great
crowd which remained until the re-
suit was announced.
From soon after dark until mid
night the telephones in the news
paper building were kept steadily
busy. From every part of the coun-
ty came inquiries and in all cases the
desired information was supplied.
Had it not been for the support
given them by the voters of Staun-
ton the Democrats would have gone
down to defeat. The result in town
was announced early in the night
and there was great jubilation when
it became known that the straight
ticket had won out in Staunton.
That the majorities gained here by
the regulars would come in very
handy in sQuaring up things when
returns were in from the county
every one knew, but it is safe
to assert that few people had any
idea that the result in town would
decide the fight.
AS the returns show every part OF
the county seems to have polled a
good vote. The Independents car
ried many precincts and as these
sections were heard from one by
one it seemed almost a certainty
that the Democratic majority woule
be overcome. This strength shown
by the Independents nthe count!
| was no doubt largely due to thu
very vigorous campaign that the!
had carried on in the county. Noun
Sidney, where the Independents &C
lively opened their campaign wa
one of the first precincts to be hear
from and it gave the new party
men substantial majorities.
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