The Washington times., 1905-06-25
Georgia Politics Stirs
Voters to High Pitch
Clark Howell and Hoke Smith Making Warm
Contest for GubernatoriaI plum-prim-s
ary More Than Year OF.

Politics in the South IN OF years Is
us,l;sIly dry topic, but Georgia has
started in to disorove the rule There.
although the primary on the soVe.iioi-
ship IS not TO be held until g year from
,4is su,,,rner. every Indication is already
q. hand that the race is now OF. a'la
I'm. It VIII kee,, the whole State stirred
I'D for the coming twelve or hltetn
months.
Gcors!ans. locking over the field rave
wide choice of candidates, professea
or antic:i5ated The first to make MS
ayswai was Clark Howell, the weii-
known editor OF the Atlanta ConSdlu-
tier. Another distinguished man IN the
race IS soise Smith. who was attorney
tiereraI in Cieyelano's second Caolnee.
ar,t. ws.s fer o number OF years owner
and manager of The Atlanta journal
,ne1 rntrc is Col. J. II. Estill. ediiri
r t.,e Savannah N1sr:..ng News, VINO
lss :, great many hearty admirers, ara
t;,IH is also iseae<i CT Judge T. u hsis-
.n.i OF Lawreneevil.e; James NJ. SInllh
a prorni2ent farmer CT Oslethorpe eoun-
~. Joe Hill Hall. OF Macon, member
! of the LEGISLATURE an1 Dupont Query,
who was once candidate on the FRO
| h ib:t;oE2.st ticket
| All Shades CT Opinion
! ANYONE who would try to present a
/ list of names representing greater ai-
| versfry of views would have nara
! proposition before him.
| Howell ard Hcise Smith are, of course,
! tie most prominent figures in the pup
! ,le eve. Each has long had a national
reputation. The former is looked upon
/ as the special representative OF tn.
| great railroads and all the big corpofa-
tiofs. while the latter is loudly pro
! claimed by his supporters as TIE lf.eIlu
| Of the plain people In otner Woros'
he might be termed the antl-trusl can
/ didate. In national politics, he IS q
| conservative, while Howell is 9n intense
radical. In 1900 Howell was wl.d-
eyed Bryanite and stood for Tree sii-
yer ana the other Bryanite isms, wnsie
| Hoke Smith was a sound money MAJ
and eeruiae Cleveland Democrat Bill
| the passing Of the silver issue makes
that former allegiance only an lndlca-
| ton of the general trend OF lhoush'
| which moved the two men,
Each Has His Pull.
iris was shown when Georgia sent its
delegation to the last Democratic ma
there and allied himself with the Parker
| crowd Howell. who had been for Bryan
and silver in 1900, was against the Ne"
York candidate He felt confidence be-
cause the silver wing in Georgia mao
nreyiously been stronger than their op-
/ moments. But the Smith people con-
trolled the delegation and went ior
Parker In spite of Howell'S productions.
But in strange fashion this did not pre-
vent Howell from being continued IN ms
nosition as national committeeman from
/ Georgia
Each great man, therefore, has MS
hold on the people. and each represents
something which the other opposes
With Clark Howell at one extreme the
other candidates would be arrayed some
thing like this: Hoke Smith. anti-Howei
conservatives; Colonel Estih, genera
conservative: Farmer James NJ. smith
conservative reformer; Judge Russell
rniddle-ground reformer, Joe Hill Hall
radical reformer; Dupont Query
20 ,;r,., the whole combination, and es-
neciauv against Howell and Hoke
Smith.
Have Wide Choice.
From such a list as this the Georsla
Democrats have the chance OF ne
time to select a man Of just the rlgn
!, csIber to suit their particular snaoeS %
| onfniou AS the result Of the prlmar.
i is ratified in the election without lurlhel
! ado the Democrats give all their atten
! tiGn TO the primary AS for the Repeo
Itcans they probably will not take th'
trouble to puzzle long over the sltuatloi'
Sometimes they put up candldate aii'
soroetirnes. more frequently, they DO no
: think IL worth while. So there you are
Realizing that all depends on the PR
mary. the Democrats are all worked u
and the campaign Is on. 1t Is redho
and getting hotter every day. II IS har
\ TO tell what may come next Nothin
] would surprise anybody. The aSitato
so long in advance Of the primary IS ou
to Hoke Sniths aggressive action IN en-
tar,np the race. When the subject Q
/. The governorship began TO De Take
over about six or eight months age
Clark Howell was the only avoWeo can
r,aate He made his announcemer
n,h;ie others were only being men
toned" His action precipitated mat
tars and Hoke Smith was forced TO de
l. clare himself.
o. Seeking Strong Opponent.
" How this came about forms an inter
II esting story. Howell has been pres
d dent of the State senate, speaker OF IN
y house for several terms, noted as
Al political and editorial writer, and Ia
e been looked upon as shaping eVerytnin
to work up to the Sovernorshlp- w ne
= ne made his announcement IL was p'
lieyed he had gotten everyone pledse'
q He is popular man, and the seemin
crystalliZing of public favor IN ms o'
IS half impressed his opponents with tt
} necessity for bringing out some strorl
/ man as his opponent. Howell they r.
ID garded as g. railroad and corporatio
N man, and as the candidate of the 81
, called Georgia political ring white
has been controlling the State. Henc
1t the call was for man who could
ar put forward as the champion Of II
plain people.
Colonel Estiirs name was mentione'
I.I gTns- xx-