The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1898-03-15
PLANS FOR STATE PRIMARY.
STATE EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE 70
MEET THURSDAY.

The Three Candidates for Governor
to BE on Hand-CandIer's Friends
Supposed to EavOr Holding the
Date-Berner and Atkinson Want
as Much Delay AZ PossibIe-Each OF
the Latter Anxious to stump the
state.
Atlanta, Ca, March 1.-THE meeting Of
the state Democratic executive commit
tee here on Thursday next will be the po-
litical event of the week.
The three candidates for Governor will
he here at that time to watch the proceed
ings of the committee.
1t IS generally conceded that the friends
of Col. Gambler will control the committee,
and the others fear that an effort will be
made to take snap judgment in his inter-
est by calling a very carly primary. All
the efforts now seem to be directed toward
preventing this.
Col. Gambler has been in the field con-
siderably longer than any one of the other
candidates, and for that reason the pre-
sumption is natural that he has his cam
paign in better working shape.
Both Judge Atkinson and Senator Ber-
ner intend TO make stump speeches in
every county in the state if they are given
time to do so before the primary, and they
will urge the committee to give this desire
the consideration it deserves. The people,
they say, ought to have full opportunity
to see. hear and judge of the merits and
al, ,f
called upon TO select their party leader.
While a long drawn out campaign is not
to be desired by any one, and none of the
candidates would favor that, Messrs.
Berner and Atkinson would both
regard it as unfair to them
if the committee should not allow them
plenty of time to carry out their plans
for covering the state on the stump.
Ii is not known just what plans Co.
Gambler has with reference TO speech-mak-
ing but it is not at all likely that he will
undertake to do anything like as much
speech making as the other two. 1t is
not his style of campaigning. He made his
first mark in politics as still hunter,
and although he can make a good speech
and will undoubtedly be heard to some ex-
tent, at least on the stump, his best
friends do not claim that he is anything
like a match for either Atkinson or Ber-
ner, and would suffer in comparison with
them in a debate.
There is some talk of trying to arrange
a series of joint discussions between the
three candidates, but for the reason just
mentioned 1t will be rather difficult to
please Col. Gamblers managers
Mr. Berner has already thrown down
the gauntlet to his competitors, and is
ready to meet both of them at any place
and at any time. He spoke TO a good
crowd in Lawrenceville to-day delivering
the same speech as at Monticello on Sat
urday. He will not make any more
speeches this week, preferring to wait I'M
til after the state committee takes action.
Judge Atkinson is booked to make his
opening speech at Hawkinsville next Sat-
urday.
Rome will be the scene of Col Gamblers
first speech, though the date has not been
fixed.
Since Mr.. Berners Monticello speech and
the reception he received there, he is
looming up in a much more formidable
light than ever before and some of the
sagest politicians predict that he will at
least be the second man in the race when
the first ballot is taken in the convention.
1t is ascertained here to-day that Gov
Atkinson is trying to occupy a strictly
neutral position between Messrs. Berner
and Atkinson, though his own personal
ballot will probably be cast for the Bruins
wick man.