Atlanta semi-weekly journal. (Atlanta, Ga.) 1898-1920, 1902-05-15
GUERRY NOT CANDIDATE
OF PROHIBITION ELEMENT


To the Editor of The Journal:
The campaign now being made by Hon.
Dupont Guerry is one that challenges crit
icism from several points of view.
In the first place. be is the self-proposed
prohibition candidate for nomination as
our Democratic governor for the ensuing
term. He practically announced himself
in that role in the speech he made May
5, 1900. at orsyth, Ga. Then, on June s.
1901 he wrote a letter to The Sentinel. the
prohibition paper published at Athens.
Ga, in response to The Sentiners appeal
to the avowed and proposed candidates
for the governor in 1902 to tell how they
stood on the state prohibition question. IN
that letter he said: II do regard myself
a proposed candidate for the Democratic
gubernatorial nomination.
do not question for an instant Mr..
Guerry's right to propose himself as
candidate for the nomination. Certainly,
have not been able to find who else pro-
posed him as such. The national Prohibit
ton party is represented in Georgia, and
IL did not meet and propose him. The
Georgia Prohibition association is an or
ganization of long existence in the state,
perhaps all of its members being Demo-
Gratis, and fits purpose being to secure the
adoption and enforcement of local option
under the general option law Of the state.
and yet 1t did not meet and propose him.
The Observation-Disclosures temperance COM
mittee was formed from representatives
of the various church organizations of the
state to advance prohibition legislation,
and it did not meet and propose him. None
of those organizations have assumed part
in this campaign, and there Is no evidence
existing that authorizes the belief that
they feel bound to work for his nominal
ton.
Mr.. Query raised the issue Of prohibit
ton himself and only when he knew, and
no one else knew, that he was "a proposed
candidate" for the governorship. He
thought II a strong card to play to win
the votes Of those who are favorable TO
state prohibition.
He refused to give the property holders
of the state the right to decide the liquor
question locally in 1881. That was before
the white primary system was devised
and before so many negroes had disfran-
chised themselves under the tax clause Of
the constitution. The Halves bill provided
the safest way then for the white people
to determine the liquor question, and had
II been adopted, we would doubtless not
have today the conditions which Mr.. Guer-
~ says make prohibition necessary and
himself necessary as governor of GeOr-
gia. BY his own confession he helped to
defeat what at the time was the best pro-
hibition measure ever offered in the Geor-
gia legislature. It seems very plain TO
many genuine prohibitionists that Mr..
Query has simply made this issue the
convenient one on which to ride himself
into the gubernatorial race.
He knows he cannot produce state pro-
hibition, nor as governor do more in its
behalf than can Hon. Joe Terrell, and
that the latter has said he viii do when
the opportunitS is offered to him. There is.
then. no paramount reason why a prohi-
bitionist should vote for Mr.. Guerry on
that issue. Very respectfully.
MARK J. MCORD.