Atlanta semi-weekly journal. (Atlanta, Ga.) 1898-1920, 1902-05-01

~ in the beautiful city OF ram
pa. which is forging ahead as
few cities OF it's size, and bids
fair to soon be the metropolis OF,
Florida. 1 was here in evangeiistic
work ten years ago. There has been
marvellous growth and evolution
since was here then. The business
houses and residences would now
T do credit to a much larger city.
deliver two lectures in this city,
one last night and am to lecture
again to night. They have a beau
tiful auditorium which seats about
200 We had a great crowd last
night with some facts and fun be-
hind the footlights.
1 find that in municipal affairs
here the election viii soon be on
for mayor and aldermen and so on.
They have what they call the Citi-
zens League, which have been in
power for two years, and in their
last election they beat the crowd
who had run the town for 20 years.
Now the old crowd is coming back
for battle with new men; they call
themselves the Purity, Progress
and Publicity crowd. 1 understand
that all the saloon keepers, gam
blers and owners Of shameless
houses are training with this Pu-
rity, Progress and Publicity gang.
If they move for progress like they
do for purity, you can imagine the
growth and development Of this
city under their control. The Three
p crowd is backed by all corpora
tions of the city; the Citizens
League is composed of the laboring
element, largely, or was at their
last race, but Tampa will lose
nothing. perhaps gain nothing by
putting the city under the control of
either gang. The morals of the city
have not kept pace with the growth
and business interests of the city.
The question continually comes UP
in my mind, are the people capable
of self government? And yet be-
lieve the people of this country OF
left untrammelled, unbought and
un-bulldozed by politicians). would
run this country as decently in a
moral sense as they do effectually
in a commercial sense.
I repeat what I have often said,
that we have more to fear from
low-down politicians and dirty poll
tics than all other sources combin-
ed. Whenever and wherever gamb-
ling houses are run as openly as no
tells, saloons violating the law with
fragrant impunity. and shameless
houses plying their trade in open
disgrace to the town, then, no mat
ter what commercial progress may
be made, or developments may be
accomplished, prosperity in its tru-
est sense can never obtain in such
community.
The practice of putting our bust
ness men in office has we'll nigh
ceased. for dirty politics means the
defeat of the clean candidates. I
believe the good citizens of almost
any community are in the majority.
thousands of men who are wallow-
ing in the slime of party politics.
long for a better day and a better
state of things for our country.
In states like this and Georgia, a
majority of the Vox populi clamor
for better men in office. and purer
men in political positions.
Suppose, from every county in
Georgia, there shall come to the
next legislature OF our state only
the best men from each county. and
suppose that a governor is elected
who is the choice of the good people
of Georgia, because of his absolute
integrity, his unswervable courage,
and his freedom from corrupt al
liances, what a revolution there
would be in the grand old state of
Georgia. Suppose there were no
rings formed and no alliances made
in our present gubernatorial race,
who doubts for moment who our
next governor would be?
Up in Barlow county now we are
urging our purest and strongest and
brainiest men to become our can
didates for the legislature; a little
man may be pure, weak man may
be good, but he is as powerless as
he is innocent. The devil knows
how to round up his crowd; he not
only wants a man who is fairly
over on his side, but he wants a
strong man. one who can handle a
hundred little, ones. If necessary on
the other side. AS said last week.
the Guerry band wagon starts
through Georgia. May Sd, either at
Rome or at Gainesville. DUPONT
Query, Seab Wright, DIR. Brough-
ton, Sam Small and myself, the
"musicianers." We mean to cut a
swath through Georgia 80 miles
wide. They never viii know what
Terrell and Estill stand for. but we
will tell them what Guerry stands
for.
A bag of wind and hole in the
ground are the two opposing candi-
dates, the one afraid to meet Guer-
ry on the stump, and the other goes
around shaking hands, and both are
going to get run over by the band
wagon. On the 5th of June we want
to lay them up for repairs.
This thing shall not be done ma
liciously; we have no i'll will toward
the men personally, but Georgia
wants a governor who will be gov
ernor. OF course Georgia would feel
awkward under that sort of an ex-
perience. but still she would enjoy
it. a governor like this would make
things go right, or he would let the
people know why they did not go
right, and the people would attend
to the job later on. 1 want to guess
little. as well as Brother Warner