The semi-weekly messenger., 1906-09-07
GeoreIans are Expecting Great
Things of.Him.
ne Has Promised to Rreak the
railroad Ring'-His Hostility to
me Ncero-People Smiled at Him
a Z Member of CIeyeland's Cabinet.
Neither Glenn Nor a yardaman.

Aund thirteen years ago, when Gro
yer Cleveland announced thar rs had
added Georgian to his cabinet, as
secretary Of the interior Il took some
weeks OF correspondence and expiana-
ton on the part Of Mr. Smiths friends
10 explain that ne was a real flesh
and blood person; that his name was
not an assumed one; and that he was
pretty nearly as well known in his
own state as David Z. Hill OF New
York. They were not inclined 10 take
him seriously even then For a long
ume he was known as Mr.. C!evc-
lands southern friend"
HOke Smith is now TO succeed Co.
Terrell at the head Of the Empire
/ State of the South" In the primary
elections on Wednesday, he gained an
overwhelming victory over the four
other candidates. success that came
after campaign which lasted a. whole
year, and was marked with extraCrdi-
nary OratOrical and epstOiary VIC
lence, and threats Of personal encoun-
| ters that happily never came abOut.
: Ine success was so complete that 1n=re
, IS no doubt as to the result of ne
! final elections and the same II0ke
Smith who added something To the
gayety Of the nation when he name
to New York to see the president in
1893 Will have lOng-harbOred ambi-
ton "r8tiied. The election means
more than that, for HOke Smith sue
cheds to the control Of an elaborate
II planned movement OF successiO;t
which was meant to land Clark How
ell in the United States senate
NEITHER DUDE NOR HAYSEED.
1t is not a very different Hoke Smith
today from the big fellow who received
the feryent congratulations of the
southern men who came 10 New
York with him to see what was go
ing to be done for Georgia. He was,
as one of his intimate friends then
said, "neither a dude nor a hayseed
He is more than six feet in height
built on a massive plan, with a smooth,
full face, which lends itself easily TO
caricatur a fact OF which his news
paper opposition was not slow in TAX
ing advantage, even to the limits OF
the grOteSQue. Il was said Of him
once that though he cannot part his
name in the middle. yet he has an
unsullied reputation pays his deb1s
and is welcomed in the best society IN
the south" The fact is. however,
that his name was once parted in the
middle; for he has abbreviated it
from the less euphOnious Michael Hoke
Smith to its present state. AS for rep
utations, there are none left in Geor-
gia. among the candidates who went
to the primaries, and it will be iOng
before the remnants can be assem-
bled
Certainly Hoke Smith was no hay
seed. in spite of the efforts OF the
humorists to so convert him. Before
the north heard of him he was the
most successfully lawyer in Georgia
owned a prosperous newspaper and had
established himself warmly in hearts
of many Georgians by his stand "aglE
the railroads. His reputation as a
master in the gentle science OF phle-
bOtomy, in dealing with the tranSpor-
tatiOn companies, was wide IN the
state. 1t would be far from the trutn
to say that he came into politics dur
ing the Cleveland campaign lnne-
diately preceding his cabinet eXper-
ience. In state affairs he had achieved
some fame rs 4 powerful speaker,
hard worker, and a ready pupil a
the school kept by Capt. Evan Ho"eh,
Patrick walsh and other leaders. Ii
fact, he learned 50 readily that when
his masters attempted to carry Tue
Georgia delegation 10 David b. HILL
Hoke Smith took of his coat and TOOK
deIegate after delegate away, f1naII!
transforming the whole delegation INTO
solid body for Cleveland.
OUT OF POLITICS.
4oke Smith fuGed from national pol
itics before the end of Mr.. Cleveland
term by resigning his cabinet position,
giving as a reason that he felt ODlISed
tn support Bryan and SeWell, as ne
was. and had been always, silver
man. 1t is recorded that his WORK
in the Interior Department had been
exca1lenr. He had ANNOUNCED his N
1ention upon receiving an invitation
70 become a cabinet officer of cleaning
un the pension rolls, and he did H.
is far as it lay in his power. HIS WORN
in the Indian Bureau though no great
effort was made, was palnstaklng anu
left a good OdOr behind. He le1t tne
cabinet. too. on good terms with MI.
cleveland, and applied himself eneT-
garicallv TO the Bryan campaign. lhe
ieS,Ie Of free silver cost MIN many
rso1itical alliances, as well as nnanclal
IosSes in connection with his news
,aner and after the election he re
tired 10 practice law and 10 pursue me
railroads again, with greater eners!
than before
r was because he had been 50 long
inactive in politics. therefore that MS
announcement of candidacy for govern
or came as a surprise 10 the rest Il
rho field. The Georgia campaign just
inished came early as II stayed lac.
Sohodv now remembers how many
candidates there were at frst:it seemed
as though they sprang from the ground
in all the principal counties IhcE
were all very much IN earnest. ana
many OF them were thoroughly capa-
HE men. The principal candidates,
and those who remained in ttdtd,o
and those who remained 10 the nAlsn'
hosides Hoke Smith were Clark HoWeli
Atlanta (f0nSTlIuTfO1.