Atlanta Georgian. [volume] (Atlanta, Ga.) 1912-1939, 1912-08-27
SIDELIGHTS ON
STATE POLITICS
Gossip About the Men Who
Are in the Public Eye at
Present.
Ey JAMES 3. NEVIN.

BY JAMES 3. NEVIN.
There was something grimly humor-
Gus in the way the Broyles- Pottle race
mixed things up in the various news
paper offices in Atlanta. and the out
come thereof seems especially to have
been designed by a kind and watchful
Providence. to the end that no particu-
lar engine of journalistic uplift locally
might suffer a crushing preponderance
of embarrassment, and every precinct
heard from!
The race was dead heat, a dog
fall, an even break Designations are
matters of taste.
Gloons and Joys scatter impartially
ana divide like gentlemen and real
sports should.
TO begin at the beginning. the pre-
election campaign dope" ran to Pot
tie.
Pottle was expected to win, and the
first reports, wired in as a rule from
noon to $50 o'clock on election day, in
dicated Pottle victory sure
A tumble of Reports.
The Wednesday night extras, without
exception, gave the race to Pottle.
Thursday morning The Constitution
printed Pottle's picture and declared
him winner.
Thursday afternoon The Georgian
aid it looked like Pottle and The Jour
nal said it looked like Broyles.
Friday morning The Constitution said
it looked nightly like Broyles.
Friday afternoon The Georgian said
it was PottIe and The Journal said it
was Broyles.
Saturday morning The Constitution
said it was Broyles by a scratch, and
at noon Saturday The Georgian said it
was beginning to look nightly like a
tie!
6royles Thanked His Friends.
Saturday afternoon The Journal said
it was Broyles by 1870 to 17S, and The
Georgian said it either was 8royles by
1872 to 1856, or it was tie
The Georgian quoted Judge Pottle as
saying he thought it might be a tie
While The journal carried a card of
thanks from Broyles to his friends, in
which he claimed victory sure
Sunday morning both The Consti-
tuition and The Journal admitted that
The race was a tie-but The Constitu-
ton carried on its editorial page new
ertheless, an Illuminating PRONUNCIATION
analyzing the meaning of Broyles'
electionl
Somebody certainly had mixed those
babies up, all right!
The Georgian knew nothing whatever
of the figures in The Constitution and
Journal offices. 1t was figuring-as
best it could-from its own returns.
1t went wrong on its Friday story.
claiming victory for Pottle, on returns
subsequently corrected
Then Looked Like Broyles.
1t based it's two Saturday stories on
complete returns from all but two
counties-Lincoln and Union.
With those two counties unofficiaIly
but seemingly reliably returned it
looked like Broyles by 1856 to 1872.
The Georgian stated Saturday after
noon that a swing of either Union or
Lincoln from Broyles to Pottle would
tie the score.
CuriOusly enough, and with that per-
sistent perversity of fate that seems TO
have followed the Broyles- Pottle fig
ures, one of them DID swing in the
final and concluding lap-and the race
was tie with a convention fight the
answer,
Saturday about $50 o'clock we'll
known Atlanta politician came to The
Georgian office and demanded to know
why The Georgian did not admit the
nomination of Broyles"
"All the other newspapers admit it.
and it looks like bull Medicines in you
not to fall in line!"
Trying to Get Correct Figures.
But it wasn't pure bull -headedness."
The Georgian had no personal inter
est in the race. Broyles and Pottle
We're simply Mir. X and Mr.. Y to The
Georgian. and it was looking for the
correct figures to attach to each eXhib-
it-nothing more.
The Georgian couldn't make two and
two equal five, when two and two
even to please prominent Atlanta poll
ticians.
Besides, The Georgian knew what
was biting the prominent Atlanta pol
itcian. He had a candidate for city
recorder up his sleeve, and he wanted
the election of Broyles conceded.
The Georgian didn't have a candi-
date for city recorder and all candi-
dates for the court of appeals looked
alike to The Georgian
Upon the official landing of Union and
Lincoln depended The Georgians fig
ures for final accuracy in the court of
appeals race.
Giving them both to Broyles-where
they seemed to belone-Saturday aft
ernoon. his election was indicated by
1856 to 1872
When in tine finish however. one
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