MOUNT IDA ELECTION.

Mount Ida Chronicle, Volume V, Issue 304, 26 December 1874, Page 3

MOUNT IDA ELECTION.

Monday, the 21st, was the day appointed for the election of a Provincial Councillor. On Saturday morning Mr. Dillon withdrew from the contest, he and his friends fearing lest, while his own chance was good, his candidature would narrow to too great an extent the chances of the other candidates. The day opened very quietly iin Naseby. Mr. Armstrong's friends, in particular, Mr. Brown, of Welshman's Gully, and Mr. Shannon, of Naseby, being yery busy the whole day, persuading all with forcible words that Swing's chances were nowhere at all successfully on the electoral instinct, which always likes to vote with the winning man. . "The excitement increased during the day, especially as it was known that Mr. Leary himself had elected to go to Hamilton to keep his numerous friends there straight, and that his supporters had despatched gentlemen also to BLyeburn and Hyde. About a quarter of an hour before the Naseby poll closed there were still many votes hanging back, willing to go for Ewing, but afraid to weaken Armstrong as against Leary, if Ewing's chance was hopeless, as was-industriously circulated by his opponents. A large number of these votes therefore plumped for Armstrong, almost unwillingly. Whejther, if all; had gone straight, the result i wpuld have beefedifferent, we cannot say s—o-ertainly the would have been closer."; About half past four the Returning Mr. H. .W. Robinson, declared;^."'Atate of the Naseby poll—ArmLeary, 50. About 5.30 the results-fro:)'.'-3> -Stdians were received— Armstrong,' 2c!; t -tnz> "»,L orv, 6. These return's; deoir-.ed i - U" 'on, for the faithful; : 3.B at Ham .-ij'a 3d do more than hold in check tne .*.. r «iPo returns elsewhere. The final results then may be tabulated as follows . .i , . a> e a a•O S 9 2 £ # &w Is £'£ Armstrong 70 10 20 2 '2 6 37 147 Ewing ... 44 26 0 4 1 2 40 117 Leary ... 50 1 238 5 « 6 18 Totals 164 37 22 44 8 14 83 372 The various meetings during the pas' week created a good deal of feeling among the friends and supporters of the candidates, which, it is to be hoped, will now be allowed to die out. Mr. Armstrong must have served the district well to have retained to so large an extent the confidence of the people generally throughout it, and we have no doubt he will, with more assiduity, return to serve, with undiminished zeal, his> old district. We opposed his candidature, because we considered he had no claims upon the district, and were most anxious to see the Goldfields learn to depend on themselves, and their own men. We know when we are beaten, and are quite willing to-recog-nise the sterling merits which, with some weaknesses, Mr.. Armstrong possesses, and which will be turned to the best account for the district.