Newspaper Page Text
the JEFFERSONIAN
Vol. 111. No. 20.
GUBERNATORIAL CAMPAIGN NOTPS.
In the last of the many statements
made by the Honorable Hoke in refer
ence to that famous telegram, we under
stood him to say that his true position,—
sifted down and with all the chaff out, —
is that he favors “light wines and beer”
for other states.
Well now, if it is a good thing to have
light wines and beer, why shouldn’t dear
old Georgia have some?
But if it is a bad thing to have light
wines and beer, why give it to the “other
states”? We don’t like this new variety
of temperance sauce which is not as good
for the gander as it is for the goose.
•8
The somewhat excited Atlanta Journal
exclaims that “Little Joe” has made five
different platforms on the prohibition
question.
Yet none of the five seem to favor the
use of light wines and beer. Not even
“for other states.”
The big cities having refused to close
such establishments as the Piedmont bar,
the small counties, acting through the
legislature, did it for them.
Apparently, the big counties are get
ting ready to hit back. When the new
rule of the new goes into ef
fect, it will be possible to elect a gov
ernor who will exert all of his power to
restore former conditions, thus leaving
the small counties “dry” and the big
cities “wet.”
•8
Our handsome, eloquent and beloved
friend, Seaborn Wright, fancied that he
had something to say upon the guberna
torial race, and he began a double col
umn performance in the Atlanta Journal.
By the time he reached the bottom of the
page he suddenly discovered that he
hadn’t said anything; so he got disheart
ened and quit.
What was it that you started out to
say, Seab?
As to that violation of the law in the
making of such a big deposit in the Neal
Bank, the question remains,
Did Governor Smith act in wilful dis
regard of the law, or was he ignorant of
the statute which limits a deposit of
state funds, in any one bank, to $ 100,000?
At the time he renewed the fifty-thous
and-dollar note which the state owed the
bank, the bank owed the state more than
twice that sum. The state deposit was
already illegal. By renewing the note and
A Weekly Paper Edited by THOS. E. WATSON and J. D. WATSON.
Atlanta, Ga., Thursday, May 14, 1908.
thus adding to the deposit, Governor
Smith became a party to this violation of
the law.
Why did he do this?
Was it done wilfully, or through ig
norance?
*8
The Chairman of the Railroad Commis
sion being laid up with the rheumatism,
and the other four members being suf
ferers, apparently from locomotor-ataxia,
why shouldn’t Judge Hines go abroad
making speeches?
The enlarged and high priced commis
sion doesn’t at present need lawyers;
what it wants is a medical staff.
*8
The announcement is made that our
Governor will continue to rampage
around on the stump, from now until
June 4th; and that Judge Hines is go
ing to rush out and say it again; and
that Congressman Hardwick is going to
tear himself away from his post of duty
in Washington and come all the way to
Georgia to tell us poor, ignorant creatures
how we must vote for governor.
What an awful agony we’re in, to be
sure!
Why so much stump-speaking on the
Hoke Smith side?
Nobody is making any speeches for Joe
Brown. He goes along quietly, conduct
ing his campaign by mail and by com
munications addressed to the newspapers.
In this way, he reaches the people, and
he is satisfied to leave the case in their
hands, without further discussion.
Why can’t Governor Smith conduct his
Campaign in the same manner?
The mails and the newspapers are as
open to him as they are to “Little Joe”;
is he afraid to trust the people to pass
on the case after a calm comparison of
what each candidate says in writing?
So it seems.
•8
We think that Governor Smith would
gain votes by staying at his office and
attending to the duties thereof. If we
don’t need him in his office, then the
sooner we abolish the office and stop the
expense, the better.
As to Judge Hines, we have already
said that our new Commission seems to
need pills, plasters, Wizard Oil and train
ed nurses more than it needs legal ad
vice; therefore, the State won’t lose any
thing by Judge Hines’ absence from his
office.
As to Congressman Hardwick, we be
lieve that our able young friend will re-
main on duty in Washington, where ex
tremely important legislation requires his
presence, and where, as our representa
tive, he should give us the full benefit of
his talent, energy and influence.
If one of our Congressmen should set
the example of coming home to tell us
how to vote on June 4th, the whole dele
gation might come tumbling down on us,
and that wouldn’t do, at all.
Let our members of Congress attend
to their duties in Washington; that’s
what they are paid to do.
•8
Suppose every liquor-dealer and every
anti-prohibitionist in Georgia should vote
for Hoke Smith—how would that affect
the Prohibition law that is already on the
statute book?
Don’t you know that the Governor
cannot amend, repeal or make a law? The
legislature does that, of course. Conse
quently the Prohibition law is perfectly
safe, if your legislature is, no matter
whom you elect governor.
If Brown should be nominated at the
primary of June 4, the Prohibition law
would be absolutely unaffected by that
result. Why? BECAUSE YOU WILL
HAVE ALREADY SELECTED THE
MEN FOR THE LEGISLATURE.
•8
If you have chosen safe men for the
legislature, your Prohibition act is safe.
No thanks to Smith or Brown. If you
have chosen unsafe men for the legisla
ture, your Prohibition law is unsafe. No
blame to Smith or Brown.
If the temperance sentiment was so
strong as to wring the Prohibition law
from the legislature, when Governor
Hoke Smith was opposed to it, how can
the law be repealed or injuriously amend
ed, now that both Smith and Brown de
clare that they will veto any adverse
legislation?
Suppose we had suspected, in 1906, that
the first thing Hoke Smith would do
after he became Governor would be to
make an addition of two members to our
Railroad Commission and to bounce up
salaries all around, —does anybody be
lieve that we would have worked as hard
for him as we did?
Suppose the people had been frankly
told he had it up his sleeve to lie
down on the governorship, during his first
term, and make the race for the Senate
this year, does anyone believe that he
could have been elected? Suppose he
(Continued on Page Thirteen.)
Price Five Cents.