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Jjudge Sweat’s Speech
At Homerville Monday
Address of Judge J. L. Sweat, of the early eighties during the time I
VWaycross, to the white Democratic had the honor of representing you, and
• voters of Clinch county, delivered du- when, as your representative I pee
ring the noon recess of Clinch Super- pjyred, introduced and had passed for
lor Court, on Monday, November 2i), the county of Clinch one among the
1911, stenographically rej^ted by first high license liquor laws, having
Jhen K. Roan, court reporter. j for Its purpose the suppression of bar
i .. Upon being introduced to the large rooms and to prevent the sale^of U*
audience assembled by Senator Walter quor and It was then I first became
T. Dickerson, Judge Sweat said: acquainted with Judge Russell, an I
My Friends and Fellow Citizens: j have known him i\ice.
. After serving three long, weary ( After that he became Solicitor Geji;
years in the Confederate Army as a era^ pf his circuit, and then Judge of
boy soldier, I returned to Blacksliear, his circuit, .and he was defeated by
my childhood home, and soon after- Judge Simmons for Chief Justice of
wards in the summer of 1865 I came our Supreme Court, and he was also
to Clinch county, and X lived among defeated in one of the past campaigns
you for more than twenty years, when ns R candidate for Governor. Since
3 removed to Waycross, where I have then he has been honored by the
Bince reB,ded - . 'r plc ,;‘ *>0*
During my residence among you l , „ P ““ " * th Jth 8 State, establish oonadenee )n
, rwae frequently honored, having been. this State, and he is now hold 5 M ■ . •
J, a* ti,« J Georgia, and the administration of
the laws of the State, so that in thai
way the entire State would be bene*
fitted.
Now my friends, I want to pkoeeed
as rapidly as possible before I con
clude within the limitod time allowed
me, to discuss some of the questions
himself at :>at time against Governor
Hoko Smith, I believe' under those
peculiar circumstances he was justified
la doing so, and being vindicated by
ihe people in.his election to this office
Notwithstanding that it broke tip
unwritten law to give a Governor two
consecutive terms, yet having that in
mind the people of Georgia, during
the next campalgu, wlieu both (gover
nor Smith and Governor Drown wero
again candidates against each other,
elected Governor Smith to his second
term, thus vindicating this unwritten
law, and now, my friends, I think It is
but right and proper and just that
“Little Joe” should be given Ills
second term.
And more than that, t believe his
election would do more to eliminate
and forever settle fuctlonal differences
in this State thau anything else that
could possibly happen. The people of
Georgia will have thus given both of
these distinguished gentlemen two
terms in the office of Governor, and
moreover now get a conservative
administration of the affairs of the
■twice elected as your representative honorable position. At the timd
.In the Georgia Legislature in the ho has become a candidate for Gover-
* early eighties, and there Is no people n °r, and while the law requires that
pnywhere for whom I entertain a court to be in session, and to hear and
moro kindly feeling than I do for the 1 determine cases Involving the liberty
people of Clinch county. j of people and the rights of property,
I want you aa old friends and fellow and »M» ‘hat court in session, Instead
citizens, to come and let us reason resigning from the bench and do
together on the pending political cam- ■ ™tl"g hla time entirely to Ills candl- J that ,ro beln * , * ltated <“ ttM °* m '
palgn in this state. j dacy for the Governorship, he Is under- j aut before doing that let ma
At the approaching primary to be ‘“king one day to sit with The Cqurt
held on the 7th day of December next,, »f Appeals and hear important casea ^ ermi > le " t _' “ a “ ^ e,d _“ 1 '
the white Democratic voters of Geor- urgued, and undertaking to consider
*ia are called upon to niminate a a*d render decisions, and the next day
Commissioner of Commerce anu -\.abor,
and for that position two capable gen
tlemen are candidates. One, Hon.
•Joseph McCarthy, resides in the city
wo find him in some part of the State
dragging the judicial ermine in the
mire of politics.
Fellow citizens, ordinarily, I would
i
-of Savannah, and the other, Mr. H. have no objection to an office-holder
M. Stanley) at Dublin. These gentle-; retaining his position while becoming
men are both claimed to be worthy a candidate fir another office and
and well qualified for the position.. j seeking that, but I do contend that
But at the same primary, And of tinder the circumstances I have related
more importance,, is the nomination of Judge Russell owes it to the people of
* candidate for Governor. FoA this Georgia, in seeking t&elr suffrages for
position as you all understand, there.this offleo of Governor, to reslgri from
are three candidates,—Honorable Pope: the Stale Court at Appeals. But
Brown. Judge Russell and former * further than that, fellow citizens, I do
'Governor Joseph M. Brown. j not think it is right for one occupying
Hon. Pope Brown Is a citizen of the high, honorable and responsible
Pulaski county, the county aa3o!hing! position as Judge ! of. tile Court ofc
Bibb, to which the city of Macon, 1 Appeals of this State, whose duty it is
■Georgia’s central city, is located, and \ Jo see that every law of thia State is
properly enforced, and whoso duty it
I regard him, therefore, as a MIDjDLE
Georgiin and not as a* SOl/TH deor-
gian. This gentleman has held many
positions of honor and trust in this
State, having been a member offhe
Georgia Legislature, afid on the death
-of Capt H. E. Park, State Treasurer,
He Was appointed by» J\the
Governor to that position)
and halving retired from that pffice is
1 \ \ i \ • . T r
aa I have stated, now a candidate for
Governor. J
The 'Honorable Pope Brown is a
good man, no one questions that, but
aa for myself, I must say that I have
sot that confidence'in hla judgment tjo
believe that It would be wise to nom
inate him for the high and resopnslble
office of Governor. • ‘ ' 1 r
The Honorable Pope Brown, to mv
mind, demonstrated his lack of judg
ment and wisdom; in the selection o:’
his campaign manager, having selec
ted for that position Mr. Voli?ey WU
llams, Editor of the Waycross Journal,
who only within the last Tew' years
came from the 8fote of Ohio and lo
cated in Waycross, and wh6 neces
sarily has a limited acquaintance
among the people' of Georgia, and for
that position It is well understood it
ought to be a man who not only
knows the people of the State general
ly, but who has an acquaintance In
every county in the State with thofle
who are find have been prominent in
public life. And I repeat for this
reason particularly he has shown to
my mind a lack of judgment and wit-
Is claimed'that while a member
ne Georgia Legislature Hon. Pope
Brown voted, against certain bills,
having for their object • State wfdo
prohibition of the liquor traffic, and
Is to uphold every,law as long as it
remklns Upon the statute books, to be
denouncing from the platform as a
condidate for the office of Governor,
the state w^ide prohibition, la,vr,, $n&
declaring it to be a farce, and that it
cannot be enforced^ Coming from a
hifeh judicial officer like Jiidgo Russell
it is calculated to bring this good law
\nto disrepute am)mg the people, en
couraging its violation rind'temling to
uphold juries in their failure to con
vict.
As you know, he has 'declared in,
favor of jlodal option, As against .Stato
wide prohibition,, while, a* I shall
presently-demonstrate to you,'and do
hot believe the liquor 'quesnon has
any real ! practical place! in thia chrm
palgn, yet he is seeking to make that
the main issue upon which hi hopes
to be nominated for the offlfee of Gov
ernor. 1 ■' J i . / / , t
The other candidate, my fellow
citizens; for this high office,'and to
whhm'I* have already deferred is J our
former Governor, Joseph M. BroVn.
“Little Joe"” a| he is known through
out the g&te. He* was heretofore ejec-
tde by the people of ^1* state
in this high and responsible ' othce.
having defeated In that campaign 1 the
Honorable Hoke Smith, who had held
the office one term, and who was then
a candidate for a second term.
My friends, it is one of the unwrit
ten laws of this State, inasmuch as a
Governor can only be elected to two
consecutive terms of two years each,
to give him a second term, and Gov-
some of his individual rights tor the
comc’ou good, for only in that way
can. governments be founded^ . and
accordingly we have our county gov
ernment, next our State government
and then our national government
In the establishment of tho national
government, certain rights were re
served to the several states, and
the people thereof, and one of the
fundamental principles of De^cracy
Is State soverlgnty and locar
government We have laws enacted
by the Congress Of the United States
for the wel/are of the nation; we have
laws enacted by the Legislature for
the common good of all the people of
the fixate, and we have local laws en
acted for the several countleb to meet
local conditions. : • . . /
Referring, my friends^ t<j the Mquor
question, which has been injected into
this campaign by two of the candidates
for Governor* one announcing ip
favor of local option and other
favor of State wide prohibition, let me
say: that jin dealing with the Uquor
question in Georgia, it has been done
step by etep. In thy first place, as I
stated a little while ago, local laws
were enacted by the Legislature i in-
creMing; the license for the sale of
spirituous and intoxicating liquors to
an ; amount which f closed bar rooms
and prohibited the sale of liquor ip
the UCunjies where these local laws
were enacted, and Inf that way, as' l
have stated, not only were bar rooms
and the [sale of liquor; suppressed In
Clinch county and In other counties 1n
South Georgia, and elsewhere through
out the State-. That was; the first
step dealing with the liquor question
in this State, witlj a view to suppress
ing this greet evil. And let me sa^
Just here, |est I ■ forget, it r bee been
uniformly held by> both - State and
Federal Courts, that laws intended to
rfcgulate and prohibit the sale of
Intoxicating liquors enacted in tho
oxerelse of wliat Is known as the
“Polled Powers of tbo State" were
legal rind valid. . We havey therefore,
both the Statb and Federal Courts
recognizing the sale of Intoxicating
liquors as an evil, which the law has
the right to try to suppress just the
same aa any other character of crime
which may be committed.
Now the next step with a view to
accomplishing this great end and aim
of suppressing this great evil by locai
high license liquor raws, was the
era or Brown has been condemned hr
many for opposing Governor *8mith | ofia State wide local option
when he was a cadidate for a second, »ve the people of the sev-
, , v term. But In that connection, it should, eraJ counties the rig at to bring on an
yet now when he is a candidate for be remembered that having been sum- eletdon and by a majority vote sup-
Governor and finding that position marily removed from the' pofttioh of V™ tW* wll It was all right then
popular, he declares In favor of State/Railroad Commissioner by Governor for a temperance and prohibition man
pride prohibition. 4 - * and has 'Served one term to be a Local Optionist.
Another of the candidates whom I Smith, which tho people of thia state Durign my last term In the I^gisia-
bave mentioned. Judge Russell, was a j resented, and being called (fyn by a *ure, I waa accorded the privilege by
member of the Georgia Legislature in! become a "candidate tor Governor Col Pringle, Chairman of the Temper-
anco Committee 1n the Honse, and
apthor of one of the first local option
bills introduced in the Legislature, of
making the closing argument in favor
of the bill which then* passed
Houbo, but failed In the Senate, but
\\A9 subsequently enacted and during
tho years that followed, many coup-
lies wont dry under It and with those
made by tho higher liquor license
laws, about 120 counties altogether iu
thiB state were made dry by these
laws.
And, tpy friends and fellow' citizens,
after this local option law had been
!n force for a number of years, giving
to the various counties the right .to
become dry counties under Its opera
tion, there still remained a number
of counties throughout the Stato,
where the liquor men and the negroes
were in an overwhelming majority,
nnd where bar rooms, rtlll flourished
and liquor was still sold not only to
tho pepple of the towns, cities and
counties where they were TeTchted, but
they were so situated throughout tho
State ns to be convenient to the
“Blind Tigers" roaming amid the dry
counties where they co\il<4 easily get
liquor, and whore the negro popu
lation could easily get llquo?
children. There was Chatham county;
and become a monanco arid
absolute danger to tho good people of
this State, the men , women and
shlldren. There was Chatham rounty,
with the city of SftWfifiiifcj Atlanta,
Macon, Augusta, Columbus, Itomo,
Brunswldk, Albany and Valdosta right
hero at our doors, where these bar
rooms flourished and liquor was sold,
and where with the vote of the liquor
men and negroes combined it was
absoluely Impossible for the good,
temperance and prohibition people of
these counties to abolish this evil;
that was the situation, and it was met
with great difficulty. It could not be
put down by local high license laws,
because high license members could
not bo elected to the Legislature from
those counties; It could not be put
down by local option because a ma
jority of the voters were HqOoF men
and negroes. But there was tie Legis
laturo of the State, and The good
people of this state, who had the pow
er and the right for the benefit of
all, to suppress this great evil,
Fellow citizens, when the members
of thej Georgia Legislature In 1001, in
face pf this recognized evil, passed
Our present State wide prohibition
law, it la true It had not bedfnnade
a question before the people In the
electiori of the members of thei Legis
t..., .La A. a A. ^.
© POWDER
nnSssiely Pure
) Absolutely Pure /
Tho only Baking Powder made
fromRoyal G ra pe C ream of Tartar
NO ALUM, NO LIME PH08PHATE
evil and bring back open bar-rooms in
the State.
The record pf Little > Joe Brown
shows that he has always been at
heart and in truth a prohibitionist.
It is claimed, ray friends, as one of
the ’reasons why .the Prohibition law
cannot be enforced, is because the
people of tills stato have never boon
given an opportunity of voting direct
ly upon It, and it is claimed that i!
the people of the' Stato were glvea
tho opporunlty of passing upon tho
question, they would endorse the pres
ent prohibition law, and that woulJ
settle once and forever the liquor
question In this State. What more
Russell you will find you will bo dis
appointed In the end. The Honorable
Representative from this county, and
tho Honorable Senator - for thig Dis
trict, who reside in this county, will
tell you that the present Georgia
Legislature Is overwhelmingly in fa
vor of prohibition.
How about it Mr. Harper?
A. Yes, it is true.
\ Senator Dickerson will tell you that
It Is true: A. Yes, it Is to.
Whpt could Judge Russell do?
Nothing:' It would be tin wprewloai
of the pdople lit favor of tlfd local
option la f w if he were elocted; the
argument would bo made that a great.
than that is necessary. He atandrmany had voted for Judge RfiMell for
for the atrict enforcement of ever/1 porsrinal PBl^the argument
law in this stato as long as it remains would be made that a great many
upon the statute bdokg, Including fifir prohibitionist and temperance
laturo, but the members of that Leg
islature! recognized th^t tbe evil mutt
be suppressed. IQ some way, and I
commend them for passing our pres
ent State wide prohibition Iriw, arid i
commend Governor ^mith foil approv
ing It | ; * '» . * J
And pow my fellow cltlzoriS, I con
tend that, with that law .enacted, Liat
while has boon upon jib atatuta
hooka only a few years tl\at It has
[been Jpst aa well enforced as any
other, law we have upon our statute
hooka | It Is not a law.tjiqt (jannot^bo
enforced for Its bolng enforced., ?
Now Judge Russell takes thej posi
tion ithijt under this great principle to
which i roferred of local self govern
ment, and of Jho rights of)the citizens
and tliS liberty of/the people, that it
would bo right and wloo to repeal fills
State wide prohibition law, and re
enact a local option low. Why what
.vculd be tho effect of that; why the
twenty or thirty counties made dry by
its passage, counties scattered all
:er the State, could under this, joeff
optiop law ^restire, barrooms and- soy
liquor, and we would be back'wher^
were with this great evil scattered^
over the State with barrooms flourish-,
ing and liquor being sold.
Judge Russell says that In advocat
ing the repeal of the Stato wide pro
hibition law and tbs re enactment of
tho local option law he does not ad
vocate any steps backward! upon tho
liquor question, claiming himself to
be a prohibitionist and a temperance
man. Why my friends, I have •>
plained to you tbe three steps taken
suppressing liquor in this state:
High license, the Local Option Law
and then th. Slate Wide Prohibition
I.aw, and re-enact thn local option
,rou ara taking a atap backward,
for It wonld put It In tho power ol
these aereral counties to restore this
state wide prohibition law, ho stands,
therefore, for the enforcement aud
maintenance ot our ptate prohibition
law as long as It remain. Upon our
statute book, nnd h« Is hi tiv6f ot
keeping It there unless the people of
this State vote to repeal It; he says
that tho people ot this state should
be given an opportunity of endorsing
It so that It may be moro fully en
forced; be soys without tho person
ality ot any candidate helne Involved,
tbe question should be submitted to
the people to decide and be wanted It
submitted to tho while
Democratic voters of this stato for
them to say whethor they wish to
have State wide prohibition maintain
ed or take a step backward to local
option:
Why, my friends, In Georila, every
man must know that a tremonduoua
majority of the people ot this State
would favor the maintenance of tbe
State wide prohibition law. He says:
If I am elected Governor to thle un-
expired term,-1 shall stand, as I hare
always stood, for the etrlct enforce
ment of the laws, Including the State
wide prohibition law, and-1 will stand
against any change In the law unless
tbe people of Georgia are given The
right of passing upon It. Isn’t he
right. Isn’t this a government of the
people, by the people ahd for the
people?
Fellow citizens, adverting a moment
to Judge Russell, and repealing what
I have said, that I am opposed to any
man 1 occupying tbe high judicial of-
lice,'which he holds, becoming a can
didate for anqthor ofllcc, especially
the high offlee of Governor, and drag
ging- the judicial ermine la the mire
of politics; In this connection, my
friends, I want to say that
equally opposed to carrying politics
Into thd pulpit. In ’this coiitrn
church end state Is forever separated
[Kvory man has the right to worship
Uod according to the dictates of his
own- conscience. I do ‘not bellovo It
rl?hj to mis secular' affairs with Di
vine worship. I do dot believe It- It
fight for a minister of the Gospel, one
who claims to be following 1 the Meok
and Lowly Nazerlne, whllo according
to bjm Svery right of citizenship to
undertake to presch 1 politics to the
people; and gentlemen, Little Joe
doesn’t believe In it, and tbe
people of this state oug't
resent it. He It standing
on his splendid character and hit
previous record as a Governor of this
State. He Is ‘Little Joe" It Is truo
but he Is every inch brain and back
bone.
And now my friends. I plead with
yon to consider tbeee things, calmly
end dispassionately end when yon do
so, and reach a conclusion, remember
on the 7th day of December It you
vote for Judge Russell, you are casting
your, vote tor a step backward, easting
a vote to bring this great evil of bar
rooms and tbe sale of liquor beck into
this state. Remember that, and remem
ber *• well, if yott vote for Judge
had divided tbelr votes between Joo
Brown and Pupe Brown. And It Judge
Ijussell Is nominated and eleoted, It
would be entirely with the Legislature
a, to wether they would regard any
recommendation he might make about
the liquor question. Then what would
bo accomplished by his election—sim
ply to put a man in the high ofllco of
Governor of this State who bat clearly
demonstrated bis lack of the proper
qualifications fbr that high office; In
my judgment It would be n great mis
take tor the people of this Btato to
Pljt Judge Russell In the high ofllco
he Is asking for. It Is true It might
be an indication, Ip some slight de
gree, that Georgia itavorod the return ’
of Local Option, but would not cause
any change In tbe present prorlbitton
law, absolutely none. It Is true that
the Tlppeng btil might be passed, but
my friends and fellow cltlsens, let me
say right here, If the present Stato
wide prohibition law as It now stands
upon tho statute books ir enforced,
that not one drop ot anything Intoxi
cating can be told In OolrgffL abso
lutely not. That law at It stands pro
hibits tho sale ot anything Intoxicat
ing, anything which If drunk to exoets
would produce Intoxication. Joo
Brown, my friends", stands toy a strict
enforcement of the law as It Is found ‘
on the statute books of our 8tate; ho
declares If he le elected govern*
that bo will stand at he ba. always
stood, top a strict enforcement of the
laws as they are written upon tho
statute books. Then my friends whet
more esn any temperance or prohibi
tion man ask. for; In electing him
Governor, my friends, you will bo
placing In the’ Governor’s chair, a
good man who hat been tried, and for
that. reason and the others T Hava
mentioned, I bAlove lie IwoWd bo
elected. If you re-elect "Little Jo.-
Governor of Oeorgla, the people of
this state .will know that during tho
unespired term trey will Have a good
Governor; that the laws will be en
forced Impartially; that criminals con
Ictcd by tho Courts will servo the
terms for which they have been sea-
teheed and not lie pardoned, unlesa
somo good reason Is shown far turning
them loose on society, and the entire
State will be benefited, and hence my
friends, let me plead with you that
you make no mistake when you cast
your vote on tbe 7tli ofDecember, end
that- you vote for “Little Joe” Brown
for Governor.
WOODMEN OF
WORLD.
CAMP 1t&
THE
Mule first, end third Thursday *•
each month. Muonic Bell-
Richard L> Singleton, 0- C-
. D. P. »«i>'trv. Clerk
UNION JKWCLRY STORK
Watchmakers end Engravers. All Kind
Of jewelry Repairing.
10S Plant Asa Waycross, Ga