Savannah morning news. [volume] (Savannah) 1868-1887, 1882-11-04
Ihe rnited states senatorshIp.

The United States SenatOrship.
From the tone Of our special dispatches
from Atlanta, as well as from what we can
gather from our exchanges Of that city,
it seems that the Senatorial contest has,
to great extent, degenersted into per
sonalism. AS was the case when Gov
ernor Colquitt was prominent candidate
for the nomination of Chief Executive of
the State two years ago, the opposition
TO him has crystallized into an anything
to beat-Colquitt faction. and everything
else is in danger of being lost sight OF.
Should affairs take this turn it viii be
simply degrading to Georgia. The
United States Senatorship is not posi-
ton to be used for TIRE qualification of
the ambition of any one man, nor is it a
position which should be made the
medium of exciting hostility against any
particular citizen who msy have been
mentioned in connection with that Office.
1t is the highest Federal position within
the gift Of the people Of State, and is
second only in honor and importance to
the Governorship Of a sovereign com
monwealth. The Legislature should
seek. not the defeat of any individual,
but to secure a representative to
the higher House of the Federal
Legislature who will faithfully guard
the interests of, and reflect credit upon
the State. To lose sight of these high
principles, and to allow the contest to de-
generate merely into an effort to advance
any one, no matter who, to the Office,
only that personal spleen may be vented
against a particular individual, is, as
before said, degrading to our politics
and unworthy of our people.
We are satisfied that the people Of this
section of Georgia will not countenance
any such spirit. AS our readers well
know, at the Democratic meeting held
at the Theatre last Wednesday evening
a resolution was offered and adopted
indorsing Gen. A. r. Lawton for the
position. This was not done, however,
with any such object in view as that
above mentioned. 1t was done for two
reasons--frst, because our people think
that Southeast Georgia is entitled TO
some consideration at the hands of the
State; and, second, because they know
that General Lawton, if elected, would
wor,hily and creditably fill the United
States Senatorship, and in that position
would represent his State with honor
aud dignity. As stated in thatTesOlution,
it was only such motives as these that
sctuated our Democracy in its course.
They would not be willing to place Gen.
LawtOn in the field merely as a tool, to be
used to break down the aspirations Of any
one else, and from what we know of that
gentleman we are absolutely sure that he
would not consent for one moment to
allow himself to be used for any such
discreditable purpose.
The efforts to run the present Sena
torial contest on the any-thing-to-beat
Colquitt principle, therefore, are doomed
10 signal failure, for they will meet with
no sympathy from the people of Georgia.
No one can or will object to manly,
straightforward, honest efforts on the
part of the friends of any candidate
whose name has been, or may be, men
toned in connection with that high
office, to secure to their respective favor
tie the desired honor. But these effort:
must be truly manly, straightforward
and honest There must be no com
binations between rival candidates
against any one opponent. Each
must stand on his own merits, and any
one elected must be elected because he
is the undnuhted choice of the repre
sentatives of his fellow citizens in the
Legislature assembled. This is the only
way in which a successor to the laInented
Hill, who will grace the SenatorshiE
and bring honor to the State, can be
selected. Any one who may attempt tC
secure the office through unfair combina
tions or the tricks Of the wirepuller anC
the trickster, will surely be defeated.