Atlanta semi-weekly journal. (Atlanta, Ga.) 1898-1920, 1902-05-12
SAYS ABUSE NEVER ELECTS
ANY MAN TO OFFICE

To the Editor Of The Journal. Atlanta
Ca:
Sir: AS the 9Th Of June draws near the
query is, who will be our next gov
ernor? from the mountains to the sea-
board; the majority Of the people seem to
be for that splendid son of Georgia, that
manly courageous son of Meriwether,
Joe Terrell, whose private and public life
is the pride Of his own people.
I heard gentleman say that an emil
nent Baptist minister told him that Joe
Terrell was a member of his church and
was a pure clean man in every way. The
people of old Warren county heard him
some time back deliver an able, manly
speech and not once did he refer to his
opponents, showing how well-bred ana re-
fined he is. What a contrast, however TO
some of the candidates who oppose nm.
There never was a candidate elected to
any office whose chief stock in trade was
personal abuse. Some candidates for hign
Offices love to hear themselves crate ana
bluster, and like the dyspeptic, having
soured on the world the world forthwith
proceeds to sour on them.
Four weeks ago our county was for Mr..
Query. but since Terrell made his IA
nous speech and never even referred TO
either of his opponents, there has been
wonderful change and Terrell will carry
the county as about 70 per cent of the
farmers around our town are for Terrell.
1 believe Joe Terrell will give the people
clean and wise administration OF the
governors office. He has no enemies to
punish, nor has he promised, as said in a
speech in Warren, any office to any one.
There is no question about his being In
the lead and going in the convention with
a majority number of delegates, which is
equivalent to election.
His prohibition views are sound. He pc
lieves in the old Democratic maxim, let
the people rule, and that no law can be
upheld and enforced unless healthy pub
lie sentiment exists behind 1t. He be-
lieves In dealing fairly between the cor
porations and the people, in fact Joe Ter
rel. is cool and calm under all conditions
and will do justice to all.
A great many. people 10 not believe Mr..
Query is truly sincere In some Of his ut
terances, for instance he proclaims to the
world in letters Of fire that he is pro-
hibitionist of the deepest dye. Yet we
find him while a state senator OF Geor-
gia in 1881 opposing local option Dill, at
that time and now the very basic foun-
dation Yea, the very joachim and boaz
that supports the fair temple of prohi-
bition and attempting to deceive the peo-
pie by saying that his partner, the Hon.
Joe Hall, had voted for state prohibition
when honest Joe Half himself denied the
charge a few days later and his every
vote in the legislature proves 1t.
Mr. Query does not seem consistent
now in his railroad views. In 1881 he vo-
ted to allow the railroads to charge as
much for a short as a long haul, thereby
allowing the railroads to work detriment
to the merchant and farmers Of way sta
tions who were not able to cope with big
combinations; while Joe Terrell stood as
a bullwark against the incroachments or
1 he DeOnle
in 1885 and fought to sustain the powers
of the railroad commission, and while Joe
Terrell was in 1890 and 1891 fighting to
prevent railroad consolidation Mr.. Guerry
was drawing a fat salary on the other
side and as soon as the railroads gave
notice that they might possibly exist
without his legal advice. OH! what
change, my countrymen! Mr.. Query
seems embittered against everything; he
has jumped on the legislature, on the SUI
preme and superior courts, on the rail-
roads, etc, and like the snake shedding
its skin, while blinded with passion
strikes at every sound and hits Snothing.
Mr.. Guerry makes state prohibition en-
| tire and complete, the paramount issue
| in the campaign; yet in 1896 when Seaborn
Wright a gold Democrat. nominated for
governor by the Populist party, was ex-
| pecting the prohibition vote of Georgia,
| where was Rhoderic then, when one blast
of his bugle horn were worth a thousand
/ men. His prohibition views were laid
| aside and he didn't rally around the para
mount issue, while hundreds of other
prohibitionists did who had heretofore
| voted the Democratic ticket.
Now, Mr.. Editor, in conclusion, will say
1 am for Terrell for governor because
believe he is the best man. He has made
/ an able representative in the halls Of leg
! islatiOn. was one among the best of GeOr-
| gia's attorney generals winning every
| case carried to the supreme court Of the
! United States-nine in number. He is IA
miliar with the status of affairs of gov
eminent. is capable, courageous, manly,
| cool, calm and withal, temperate in all
| things. Yours truly,
T. E. MASSENGALE.
Norwood. Ga.