The semi-weekly messenger., 1906-09-07

candidates themselves forgot issues
Dut evident voters did rot. Tha. The
victory OF Hoke Smith was Iarg.ly-
'due 10 his reputation as a foe To rail
ROADS there is little doubt: but L was
WelI that the Georgian kept f N mind
Tor the word ring vas banded -
pTofu~ely that At times Il vas dificus
know which candidate The -ailr11d
interests had settled upon.
IheTe had been bitter telling n C o.
GA against the railroads .o- NAM
years The freight rates 10 tho mer-
cnantS and cotton planters from in
iand Points 20 sea were n the bottom
OF the trouble, Railroad commissions
nave given no relief and have gen
erally retired with more or less
relief TO themselves and the
aggrievd shippers Hoke Sm..n
declared that he would try ~ have
|the railroad commission elected b.
the people. He attacked the p-esen.
commissioners vigorously; and peo-
pie applauded. The Atlanta Journal
which conducted he newspaper par
OF the campaign for Mr.. Smith. tho9gn
phrase ring candidate" against Clark
all the opposing candidates What
ever may be thought Of the fairness OF
the charge, il was 4 great factor n
Hoke Smiths victory
HIS STAND on DISFRANCHISE
MENT
The second reason OF HOke Smiths
landslide was the stand he took on
The question OF the negro vote He
had been known formerly as a friend
or the Georgia negro voter. rs his
enemies had no difficulty in evidencins
TO their own 4rtat satisfaction. To
meet this, and Ike StOries. Smita is
sued statement as TO his pdhpOSeG
II was brutally direcl. He propose
TO change the existing voting qua III
cations zone which makes Georgia
perhaps the most liberal OF southern
states IN its attitude toward the col
cred mani. and substitute IN educa-
tiOnal qualification The educational
clause was to have the effect, he frank
ly stated ofdisfranchising every negro
in the state Of Georgia, without de-
barring a single white man from the
POLLS. There was no mincing Of
words about this proposition. |,
meant that the election commissioners
could apply the educational Qualifica-
tions as they deemed proper. and Whit
llllterateS were TO be passed upon
with an ye turned away. Again The
white GeOrgians applauded, for the
negro vote is heavy in many counties
and the cOlOrcd people have taken
keen advantage of the opportunities
for education. Against such prOpO
sitiOn for reducing the menacing black
vote Clark Howeli's plea to leave
we'll enough alone availed little. And
further, it was part Of the scheme OF
diSenfranchiSement 10 allOt the school
funds for negro children on the basis
of negro taxation, instead Of the pres
ent share-like system-a change which
would take thousands of the blacks
from school altogether.
The third factor in HOke Smith
victory was his alliance with Thomas
E. Watson once populist candidate for
president Just how Watson came 20
throw his strength with Smith can
only be guessed at, for the men were
at odds for years on many questions
He said himself that he agreed with
Hoke Smith on the disfranchise-
ment of the negro; yet he never men
toned the fact that when he was q
populist candidate, and, in fact, COM
mitted himself rather extravagAnt
counting the negro vote. But Tom
Watson is the idol Of the Georgia
populist, and there are fully 10000 of
them in the state. In spite of the fact
that Watson had malingned the demo-
cratic party. and had been quite will
ing to see 1T disintegrate, the com
bination was effected. The contributed
result was that lis counties, OF tota!
of 145, returned pluralitleS for Hoke
Smith.
When Hoke Smith takes the GOV
ernor'S chair next year. .he will have
opportunities for good or evil greater
chan any Of his predecessors for many
years. He is not So popular WITH
Georgia as Thomas E. Watson; at
least not in the same way. His prin-
ciples. rs he prOpOunded them during
the campaign. are undeniably popular.
The white voter who elected him "lli
look 10 him TO fulfil his promises, and
there is no reasonable doubt that h
can live up to most Of them II ne
chooses. He is certain 10 have fav-
Orable legislatUre-One that can DE-
directed by the execut:~e.
He has promised 70 do all IN n
mower to disfranchiSe the negro voters
His electors will not forget that Clark
Howell has pointed out that pro-
DOspd constitutional amendment, IN
1899. embodyin- an educational quail
ifcation clause. received three votes
out of IT'S in the lower house Of the
legislature: and that later a similar
proposal was as baIy beaten More
over. Mr.. Howell said that, since i
requires two-thirds vote 10 make
the constitutional amendment. the
sentiment would not have sufficiently
changed - permit i. But Hoke Smltn
has explicitly said that no white FoteT
was to be disfranchised. and that IS
of course what is feared in the prev
Gus case.
The other demand from the people
will be q change IN freight rates and
an 0verturn OF the railroad commls-
sion. 1t is a fact that during the cam
-,;,r ,Iora have np1-E several large