The Dawson news. (Dawson, Ga.) 1889-current, 1905-08-16

McWhOrter was the driver, and Joe
Terrell sat on the front seat with him,
while standing up behind them were
Clark Howell and Hoke Smith. A
pleasing spectacle, truly. Well, the
Query band wagon came to grief in
1902. 1t was run over by the Terrell
band wagon and partly demolished,
and he and Query had been some
what disfgured
Query has now quit politics, but
he Hall is still in the ring. He had
just gotten the old Query band wag-
on on its wheels again, had patched
up the harness, and was making his
way cautiously toward the state capt.
tol when, upon looking behind he
! discovered Hoke Smith sneaking up
with the evident design of taking the
reins from his hands: Clark Howell
| was squatting contentedly in the bot
tom of the wagon; and Dick Russell
| was swinging on to the tail-bOard.
| Not content with stealing his thunder,
| they were now trying to steal ride
to the capitol in his band wagon!
Well, they wouldn't if he could help
it.
No Lobbyists to Drive Out
Hoke Smith was telling the people
that, if elected governor, he would
drive the lobbyists out of the state
capitol No, he wouldn't, because
4hey had been driven out some time
ago, and Mr.. Smith didn't help to do
it, either. We heard no threats
against the lobbyists from Smith
while the fight was on. Anybody can
behave after the fight is over.
Mr.. Smith is also telling the awful
| things he would do to the legislature
if that body did not pass the reform
measure (my measure) which he is
now advOcating-tha he would make
the legislature do so and so. AS
matter of fact, he would have no power
or authority whatever to interfere with
the deliberations of the general as
sembly, nor would that body be in the
least hampered by any act of his as
governor 1t is no easy matter to
control IT'S men. We have tried it in
the house continuously for the past
eight years and have not yet succeed
ed.
Mr.. Smith says that if he were gov
ernOr and any member of the railroad
commission should be delinquent in
his duty to the people as a member of
that body he ( Smith) would remove
him from Office. He couldn't do it
without the cooperation of the gener-
al assembly, and only then by resort
ing to impeachment proceedings.
Demonstration of Corporations.
Mr.. Smith saws the domestication of
foreign corporations now doing bust
ness in this state is impracticable,
continued the speaker. [ will show
him whether it is impractcable before
| give up the fight I know better,
and so should he.
Mr.. Smith said that he had declined
to accept fee to defend the cOnstitu-
tionality of the acquisition of the Ma
con and Northern road by the Central
road until assured by Samuel Spen-
GER, president of the Southern railway,
that the Central was not controlled by
the Southern. | know better, and [
didn't have to go to the president of
the SOuthhrn railway to get my infOr-
matrOn. He also represented South
ern railway interests when he helped
to wrest the ownership of the Georgia,
Southern and Florida railroad from
the people of Macon, whose money
built the road, and thus put that city
at the mercy of the Southern railway
monopoly, etc.
He said Dick Russell had no special
claim for recognition as candidate
for governor except that he was the
daddy of nine children and needed the
Office.
AS to Mr. Howell.
He characterized Clark Howell as a
feeble pretender in this campaign for
reform-a sort of ''me, too candi-
date, who might promise much, but
would do very little.
'Mr. Smith said that if he is elect
ed governor of Georgia it Will be the
death knell of ring rule in this state.
Mr.. Smith ought to know, if he does
not, that the ring is already smashed
to smithereens-and he was neither
present at the smashing nor aided IN
it,"
Mr.. Hall had good deal to say
about tax lodging by railroads. He
said that all the returns of all the
roads. including street railways, was
S45, 900, 900, and that their sworn state
ments of values, as given by POore's
Manual, was S200,000,0 00 He said
that his efforts would be directed, so
long as he remained in public life,
to force the railroads to pay taxes as
individuals pay them.
Mr.. Hall spoke an hour and fifteen
minutes, and his speech throughout
was schorcher. He was frequently
interrupted by applause.