Atlanta semi-weekly journal. (Atlanta, Ga.) 1898-1920, 1902-10-20
Unurtten Chapters in Georgia History
BY GEORGE c. SMITH, WnevIIIe, Georgia.

hospital and his little children needed
his care. and so he resigned his SEN
atorship and returned to his home in
the woods of .Laurens, but there came
a call to him he could not refuse to
hear. The Crawford party had been
defeated by Matthew Rabun, but Ra-
bun was dead, and a successor was to
be chosen. The Clarke party had put
out their trusted leader, John Clarke,
as a candidate. and Senator Troup
was chosen by his party to lead them
to victory.
They had given him so many honors
from his boyhood, for he had never
been defeated nor denied anything,
that he could not refuse to be their
candidate. He went into the fight and
for the first time lost the battle. To be
conquered by Jack Clarke was
fearful shock to his party. that Troup.
a gentleman by birth and culture. who
had been congressman and senator,
who had unbounded wealth. should
be vanquished by one who would oc-
casionally go on a wild debauch, who
was without wealth. who had a poor
education, was an establishment and a
humiliation.
The party resolved to try It again,
and in 1921 Troup ran again and was
again defeated by Clarke. Anxious as
he was to remain in private life, his
party could not consent to his retire.
.ment and when the Clarke party
brought out Mathew Talbot, who had
once been governor, ad interim, there
was another contest. Talbot was
Troup's equal in social position, and
was very popular, but when the votes
were counted Troup had IS and Talbot
4 a III 49,
He was now governor. His wife's
health was hopelessly gone; his chill
dren were away at school. He was
sad and lonely man to whom life had
lost all its brightness, but he gave
himself to the duties OF his office and
sought to bring harmony out OF the
discord in the state, but with little ef-
feet. John Clark was not the man
to turn his back to his foes. He had
defeated the proud patrician twice. He
would lay him low once again. After
Troup's two years were over Clarke
entered the field against him once
more. There are no words with which
to describe the bitterness of that cam
paign. There was Troup, proud, re-
served, unbending, determined to con-
quer. Clarke wild with anger, fighting
for life, and Crawford, who had come
back TO his home broken, disabled, dis
appointed, but still a strong man, fill
ed with bitterness against his lifelong
foe In that excellent school history
of Professor Evans there is a graphic
picture of this, the bitterest political
battle ever fought in Georgia, and to
him I am indebted for the figures
which tell the result. Troup had 20.545
votes and Clarke 1865. Troup had
$50 majority, but Clarke had carried
the legislature, and the mode of selec-
ton had not been changed Clarke
would have been victor again. 1t was
Clarkes last defeat, for he retired
from public life. After the victory was
won, and Troup was fairly In his seat,
he found himself encompassed with
difficulties, and questions arose be-
tween him and the secretary Of war,
and he raised the first and the only
red flag of defiance ever raised by the
governor OF a. state against the fed
eral government. This story is, how
ever, too long for this article, and
must be told at another time.