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THE CENTRAL DISTRICT
ELECTION.
VICTORY FOR MR CHARLESTON.
The polling which took place in the Centra!
District on Saturday to fill the vacancy in the
Legislative Council resulted in the re-election
of Mr. David Morley Charleston by an overwhelming
majority and in a decisive defeat
for the nominee of the United Labour Party.
The circumstances which led to the by-election
are so fresh in the minds of the public that we
need not here recapitulate them. Suffice it to
6ay that Mr. Charleston resigned his seat
owing to differences with the Labour Party
and because he desired to vindicate his personal
honour and his right to freedom of
action in certain directions in the Legislature.
As Mr. Charleston put it in his appeal for
re-election:—"I court the closest scrutiny of
my political actions, fearing nothing, but
hoping much as the result." At first many
thought that Mr. .Charleston's seat would not
be contested, but after several meetings the
United Labour Party—which, as we have before
pointed out, cannot claim to represent the
whole of the working classes in the colony—
brought out a candidate in the person of Mr.
James Hutchison, who was numbered amongst
the unsuccessful competitors in the Central
District last May. The National League aid
not nominate a direct candidate because the
Council of that body considered that the
issue was not a party but a purely
personal one. Mr. Charleston, who announced
himself as an "Independent Liberal," had to
meet strenuous opposition from a section of
the Trades Hall Party. During the campaign
bitter attacks were made upon him, and he
was forced to stand the fire of misrepresentation
and abuse. Perhaps the most remarkable
feature of the election tactics was the muchcriticised
action of the Premier, the Right
Hon. C. C. Kingston, in interfering
almost on the eve of polling day by
telegraphing from Sydney at the public
expense with a view to influencing the
electors against Mr. Charleston. _ Labour
members, too, adopted the extraordinary procedure
of addressing public meetings in the
district on the day preceding the ballot, at a
time when the candidates themselves were
absolutely prohibited by Statute from speaking
to the people and thus clearing away any
misrepresentations which might be brought
forward to their hurt. But in spite of
all the forces arrayed against him Mr.
Charleston has been victorious. Polling on
Saturday, though not so heavy in some
divisions as had been expected, was greater
in every division but North Adelaide
than at _ the general election for the
Council in May, when two direct
Labour candidates came out. Taking the
whole district, comprising the sis electoral
divisions of East Adelaide, West Adelaide,
North Adelaide, Port Adelaide, WestTorrens,
and Sturt, slightly over 50 per cent, of
registered electors exercised their franchise.
The highest percentage of voting was
in Port Adelaide and in Sturt,
the district represented in the House of
Assembly by Mr. Price whose accusations
induced Mr. Charleston to resign. In Sturt
Mr. Charleston secured a majority over Mr.
Hutchison of 487 votes out of 1/J71, the total
recorded, the roll having 3,694. The number
who exercised their "" franchise was 303
more than the total at the recent
general elections. In- North Adelaide,
where Mr. Charleston resides, his majority
was still greater. The number enrolled
is 2,688, and the number voted totalled
1,3S0, Mr. Charleston receiving 1,016, or 659
more than his opponent. The successful candidate
also had a substantial lead in East
Adelaide, the scrutiny showing 425 for the
old member, and 294 for Mr. Hutchison.
In three divisions Mr. Hutchison headeji
the poll. To the surprise ot the Labour
Party Mr. Charleston was only 85
behind in West Adelaide, the stronghold of
democracy, and the Premier's constituency.
The polling in the western and eastern parts
of the city was comparatively light. In view
of the strong support' of the engineers, Mr.
Charleston expected the scrutiny to reveal a
greater number of votes in his favour at Port
Adelaide. Mr. Hutchison's majority in Port
Adelaide division was 236,1,460 electors out of
2.669 going to the poll. In West Torrens
Mr. Hutchison obtained a majority of 1-U4 out
of a total of 1,044 votes cast. The poll for the
district stood—Charleston, 3,932; Hutchison,
3,170; or a majority of 762 for Mr. Charleston.
The number voted was 7,145 out of a total of
14,192 on the roll. Party feeling was evidenced
from the outset. Mr. Charleston's touters
were few and far between, but Mr.
Hutchison's supporters, and particularly tbe
Labour leaders, were diligent in their
endeavours to bring the voters along. Their
efforts in this respect contrasted strangely with
the election of 1891, when the party fought
so strenuously for Mr. Charleston's return,
and placed him at the head of the
poll in that district. The . results of
the election were promptly made known at
The Register Office, Port, and the final
figures were greeted with ringing cheers.
The figures as received from our representatives
at the chief polling - places on
Saturday night were posted in front of The
Register Office, and eagerly scrutinised in the
electric light by atremendous and enthusiastic
crowd which thronged Grenfell-street. The
earlier examined boxes placed Mr. Hutchison
ahead. ' The Deputy Returning Ofijcers had
practically finished counting the ballotpapers
before 10 o'clock—Mr. Schomburgk in
West Adelaide completing his wtirk in fourteen
minutes—and the final results ts posted at
The Register Office were received with loud
cheering on the part of the crowd. The
Register boards were of course the first to
display the final figures:—
SUMMARY.
Charleston
3,932
Hutchison
_
... 3,170
Informal
43
Number Voted
7,145
Total on Roll
...
_.
... -
... 14,192
Majority for Charleston, 762.
PARTICULARS OF VOTING.
f=
J.
3
"5 "2
-
£ 0
Polling-
5
place. 5
c" 0
0
>5 S5
K
EAST ADELAIDE.
Town Hall
...
...
121 294
5 720 1704
Absent voters
...
4
i
Totals _ ... 425 234 5 724 1704
WEST ADELAIDE.
General Post-office ... 233 322 5 £65 1257
Absent voters ... — 1 — 1 —
Totals
...
... 23S 323
5 566 12S7
NORTH ADELAIDE.
North Adelaide
...
72s 163
7 898 1755
Walkervilie ...
... 151
47 — 16S
420
Prospect ... 125 147 — 272 513
Absent voters — ... 12 — — 12 —
Totals
...
_
.. 1016 357
7 13S0 26SS
STL'RT.
Unley
...
427 173
4 604 1121
Mitcbam
...
63
SI
1
145
303
South-road
_
37
46
1
St
150
Gleuelg
.." 326
54 — 382
619
Brighton
...
41
15 —
56
146
Goodwood ... ... 157 214 3 374
Belair ... 25 10 — 35
607
71
Parkside
132 137 — 269
568
Upper Sturt...
8
5 —
11
38
Absent Voters
S
-
1
11
Totals ...
... 1224 737 10 1971 3694
PORT ADELAIDE.
Port Adelaide
... 35a 6U7
6 969 1746
Lefevre's Peninsula
... 174 135 — 309
57b
Alberton
...
37
5 i
1
90
174
Woodville
37
14 —
51
121
RosewaTer
3
31
1
35
52
Absent Voters
1
5 —
6
Totals
... 60S S44
S 1460 2669
WEST TORRENS.
Hindmarjh ...
...
-M 7 346
5 59S 1127
Thebatton
York
1
...
72 14'.)
46 02
1 222
1 109
547
213
Garfield 2S 41 1 70 155
Grand Junction _ 1 7 — S 34
Henley Beach 25 5 — 30 74
Absent voters
5 —
'
Totals ... ... 421 615 8 1044 2150
$