Hawkesbury Chronicle and Farmers Advocate (Windsor, NSW : 1881 - 1888), Saturday 19 February 1887, page 2


THE ELECTIONS.

POLLING DAY AT WINDSOR.

THIS eventful tiny was a dull one~not a gleam of sunshine enlivened the scene, and the rain seemed as if it kept off only until it had accumulated so as to come down straight after thc fray was over, and so keep the excited ones cool. Friday night was ominously quiet in town; so quiet that it seemed unnatural. Certainly, Mr. Primrose was busy orating down at Solomon's ; while certain little tricks "that are vain and

peculiar" were being played by political touts, trhich do them no credit ; " all's fair," they say, "in love and war"-and apparently in politics also. Everything was very quiet during the day, however-that is, at the Court-house, though some of the Richmond talent were very demonstrative up town. "Stoushing" was the order of the day in

front of some of the George-street pubs, and many were the adjournments to the back to "have it out"-though generally no great harm was done. During the afternoon, the door of the Court-house was closely beseiged by voters who were brought up by buggies, waggonettes, cabs, and carts ; but so slow was the process that it was feared many of

the electors would have to be sent to Wilber-

force. Men were detained as long as ten minutes, being cross-examined in the most unconscionable manner, on the most trivial excuses. Thus, men well known in our midst, and whose names are singular, were badgered as to whether they were leaseholders or freeholders-and on more than one occasion men who could not read left the booth without voting, and but for the vigilance of the outside scrutineers, would have lost their votes. The slow and easygoing way the Returning-Officer examined the voters was not only irritating, but it was supremely ludicrous; while the scrutineers seemed to be treated with but scant courtesy. The crowd increaved considerably about 4o'clock-probably GOO persons be'/r.g present, many, of course, being from K.chnioi d. Then the rain cnnie down heavily, and the bread verandah of the Court-house w-is availed of to its lulleft extent. The first rews was lr,m Pitt Town ; various were

the mil!,ber? git m until finally HO for ll'itncan, ii SUT (iriffii., and G foi Primrose

»as arcpf tefl as tt.e c met thing. Then 1 rsir.e Whbrriotee will-, 92, 00, and 5, ami tïie chterii g f-iwved low slroi,p wcie U,e li/ïrinnn lactioi: ; they wire radient, while the Primrose limite looked exceedingly glum. 2nd n!;e;i Enfield returns came with 52, CG, and. 1, it was o question cl " Will he

mwtofi «nd »I l^Älttnaidittfl V» »If considered lttp 4¿t»&;n^|rV»0.á «« lo»t, IWa n©t to be, ;|iowertr. for though «ichmpnd ;retu>o».¿ii^fi'lMj^nd .? HMded tb ibo di»«éteï, *itd S0ydnéy'with 44, 60, and 10 didn't mend it, Windsor proved to be the iheet anchor of the-undaunted old man's hopes t «nd «ben the uunb rv so fat as could be gleaned, Í13,123, and I5Ö «rere bulged rottnd, there wu« a hearty cheer from the Primroses which must neve eased their chiefs mind immen»ely-though he knew the election was lost to bim> One hour and fifty minutes Ja, we think, a most unconscionable time for the people to mit while five per. I «ons were counting a matter of 1600 or 1700 ' names ; and then, at the end of that time, to get the result the best way they could, wes adding insult to injury. Neither was there anv intimation given to the electors when thc official declaration of (he poli would take place, and only that the matter leaked out between Saturday night and Sunday morninn, tm one, but a few favoured ones, knew I when a correct statement of the polling I Would be made. As soon as the people had

got what information they could respecting the returns, they dispersed homewards' mott of them ist quietly at {f they had lieen to

church. The Fitiroy waa the rendezvous for (he Richmond contingent of Bowmatiites, ! and for a tims things were lively al that popular hostelry. Finally, the buss loads of yellow and blacks cleared homewardsinterspersed here and lhere with the redwhite-and-blues of the Griffins-who looked anything but crest-fallen under their defeat -living in hope, no doubt, that their dav would come "in the sweel by-and-bye" when personal friendship, clanship, and petty spite, ip the arena of politics, shall be

no more. A few inebriates were to be reen ! staggering along full up to the beams with

heavy-wet--fiii, or something less whole- i some; and beyond arguing the point with whoeuer they chanced to meet in their eccentric course, no harm was done, ' Tlie wires were put in motion to convey thc news of Mr. Bowman's victory to the metropolis «nd elsewhere. Mr. Bowman and Mr. Griffin shook hands, and entering (heir respective cabs, were whirled off to the train, cheered by their respective nàmirert cn route.

Mr. Primrose came down the street shortly afterwords, on horseback, without one solitary supporter to keep him company ; whether this was an over sight or not, we do not know-it certainly looked bad io see the

man who polled so well in (lie town deserted by his friends. The old warrior was cheered, however, by the " Griffin's," and seemed pleased at the compliment. Then the Returning-OfBcer drove up the street and was greeted with yells and bowls of dis! approbation and derision-not nice, certainly,

for an old man of four score to receive, I though, no doubt, well merited. From this point all was quiet, and Polling day for the Hawkesbury ended at peacefully as the most advanced democrat could desire. The

j official declaration of the poll was made et

the Court-house, on Tuesday morning, by Mr. J, B. Johnstone, jun.-acting on behalf of his father, who fitas incapacitated through ¡ illness. There might have been" a hundred person» present-including Mr. Bowman and his immediate friends, and Mr. Smith T. > i Greenwell, Mr. Griffin's proposer. The ! ! affair was very simple, and lasted but a few minutes. Mr. Johnstone merely announced j the state ol the ptll in the aggregate-leav- ] tng electors to find out for themselves how ! the polling went at the various polling i

places ; Mr. Bowman briefly returned thanks, j and Mr. Greenwell, followed in a quiet lillie j speech on behalf of Mr. Griffin. A vote of j thanks w«s accorded the deputy Returning-1

Officer-cheers were given for the Queen and j Mr. Bowman, and the meeting dispersed j hefore Mr. Primrose, and a big crowd from I Richmond, put in an appearance. The ¡ correct statement of the poll is as follows :- I

Windsor. Richmond . Pitt Town. Riverstone . ÎTOberforce . Kurrajong North

Sydney . Enfield . Month of Colo . Upper Colo . Wiseman's Perry

Bryan's (Windsor Hoad) Putty .

Primrose Griffin Bowman

15C

ll

113 135 110 74

At the two previous elections the numbers j

were :

Windsor. Richmond . Pitt Town . Wilberforce . ßotnery'p I . Riverstone J . Wheeney. Sydney ".

Upper Colo . Mouth of Colo . Wiseman's Ferry

EnSeld. Putty . Brvas's ) .

White Hart} .

McQaade Cowman

'1S85 lSS2|188i

262 123 120 1421 49 102

87 78¡

93]

3C| 68|

21 141

If, 22

12| Ot

12!

16,

119 151 118 85 03 03 83 22 39 28 54

862| 74ll 739' 831 It wilt thus be seen that Mr. Bowman has fallen off in public opinion, for this yeal there were 05 more persons voted than at the

election of 1885, yet he polled 73 less; he J

might, certainly, have received some af ike votes which went to Mr. Primrose-though

it is doubtful. In 1885 there were 2l03 I persons on the roll entitled to vote ; ot this election there were nearly 200 more. In 1885, no less than 531 persona in the electorate did not, for some reason or other, vote ; at this election <»4C disfranchised themselvrs. If those C4'3 parsons had thought fit to exercise their privilege-as

good citizens should do-a very different j complexion might hate been put upon the Hawkesbury election of 1KS7.

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