Albuquerque evening citizen. [volume] (Albuquerque, N.M.) 1905-1907, 1906-08-22
HOke Smith Has Powerful Op-
position in Georgia for
Congress.
CLARK HOWELL AND ALSO
ESTELL CHIEF OPPONENTS
Whole Country Looks On With In
tereSt At This Contest of News
paper Giants.

Savannah, Ca, Aug. 22.-The dem
ocratic primaries are held in this state
today, and with them ends one of the
most bitter and exciting political cam
paigns, this state mas ever known.
Not since the war has there been a
race for the Office of governor in
which so much bitterness has been
displayed, and so much personal abuse
has been practiced. There are not
less than five candidates: Hoke
Smith, former secretary of the inter-
ior in the cabinet of Grover Cleve-
land Clark Howell, former speaker
of the mouse and former president of
the senate of Georgia and now a ma
tional democratic committeeman and
editor OF the Atlanta Constitution;
Col. J. H. Estill, editor and owner of
the Savannah Morning News; Judge
Richard B. Russell, formerly of the
superior court, and Col. James II.
Smith of Oglethorpe county, in north
ern Georgia, about the only million
aire farmer in the state. Hoke Smith
was formerly the owner of the At
lanta Journal, and that paper helped
him in his campaign. 1t is believed
! that the Journal was largely instru-
mental in getting Hoke Smith to en-
| ter the race because of its rivalry
with the Atlanta Constitution.
There has always been great deal
of personal animosity between Hoke
Smith and the Howells, and for thir-
teen months Smith and Clark Howell
have fought a bitter and vicious fight
against each other. col. Estill did not
enter the race until about seven
months ago. His organ Is the Morn
ing News, which he owns. Col. Smith
recently started paper of his own
to present mis- platform to the people
There have been only four joint de-
bates during the campaign and 1t is
not believed that their influence will
be felt by any one of the candidates
HoBe Smith has openly charged that
the other candidates have combined
to defeat him. He declares that theiI
candidacy was merely a trick of the
state machine to bring about his de
feat, by preventing him from getting
a two-thirds majority in the state
convention.
Hoke Smith has the most radical
platform of any of the candidates
He stands for law to keep the ne
groes from voting. He wants to take
them out of Georgia politics by the
North Carolina, the Mississippi Oh
the South Carolina plan. He worked
this plank for all It was worth, es
pecially in the country districts, while
for the cities he had another plank
defending equitable railroad rates.
During the entire campaign Hoke
Smith has ha& the warm support oi
Thomas E. Watson, former populist
candidate for president of the United
States. There are at least 10000 pop
ulists in Georgia who worship Watson
and will undoubtedly follow his lead
They will cast their votes for Smith
II they can manage to get their votes
in the ballot boxes.
Judge Russell has been running al
the poor mans candidate. He has &
big family and is so proud of 1t that ht
seldom neglectes to speak of it dur
ing his campaign speeches. He ha!
ten or twelve girls and one was borI
during the neat of the campaign. II
one of his speeches he said that Il
would be one of the proudest mo
ments OF his life. to parade his cot
ton-gowned children up Peachtret
street to the governors mansion.
Col. Estill made his second race fol
governor. He ran four years ago anC
was second in a field of three. His
platform is short. He stands for the
constitution of the state and the en-
forcement of the laws. 1t is not be-
lieved that he has much show at the
primaries. However, he may come II
as a dark horse" in the convention
which will be held in September. II
case none of the candidates shoulC
secure sufficient delegates to contro
two-thirds of the total number,
dark horse" may be sprung upon th'
convention and win the prize. AL
though Hoke Smiths managers arr
hopeful, it is by no means considered
certain that he will secure the neces
sary number of delegates 10 contro
the convention. The democratic state
convention will meet in Macon on
September f.