Los Angeles herald., 1906-08-31

greater energy than before.
It was because he had been so Ions
inactive in politics, therefore, that his
announcement of candidacy for gov.
ernor came as n surprise to the rest
of the field. The Georgia campaign
just finished came early, as It stayed
late. Nobody now remembers how
many candidates there we're at first;
IL seemed as though they sprang from
the ground in all the political counties
They were all very much in earnest
and many of them were thoroughly
capable men. The principal candidates
and those who remained to the finish,
besides Hoke Smith, we're Clark How
ell, editor of the Atlanta Constitution.
j. II. Still, editor of the Savannah
News; Richard b Russell, otherwise
plain Dick; and James II. Smith.
millionaire farmer Of Oglethorpe
county
There we're issues, at first clear cut,
which became much befogged during
the progress of the campaign, and fin
ally gave way to a volume of vituper-
alton, almless and fruitless. The can
didates themselves forgot issues, but
evidently the voters did not. That the
victory of Hoke Smith was largely due
to his reputation as a foe to railroads
there is little doubt: but It was well
that the Georgians kept IL in mind, for
fusely that at times 1t Vas difficult to
know which candidate the railroad had
settled upon.
There had been bitter feeling in
| Georgia against the railroads for many
years The freight rates to the mer-
chants and cotton planters from in
land points to the sea were at the bot
tom of the trouble. Railroad commits
sions have given no relief and have
generally retired with more or less re-
lief to themselves and the aggrieved
shippers Hoke Smith declared he
would try to have the railroad COM
mission elected by the people. He at
tackled the present commissioners Wig
orously and the people applauded. The
Atlanta Journal, which conducted the
newspaper part of the campaign for Mr..
Smith, though he is not now the owner,
turned the phrase, ring candidate"
against Clark Howell at first, and
finally against all opposing candidates.
Whatever may be thought of the fair
ness of the charge, it was a great fac
tor in Hoke Smiths victory.
His Stand on the Negro
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 of
the Georgia negro voter, as his ene-
mics had no difficulty in evidencing to
their great satisfaction. To meet this
and like stories Smith issued a state
ment AS to his purposes. 1t was brutal
ly direct. He proposed to change the
existing voting qualification Gone which
makes Georgia perhaps the most lib
eral of southern states in it's attitude
toward the colord NAM, and substi-
tute an educational qualification. The
educational clause was to have the eff
fect he frankly stated, of disfranchis-
ing every negro in the state of Geor-
gia, without debarring a single white
man from the polls. There was TO
mincing of words about this PROPOSE
ton. 1t meant that the election COM
missioners could apply the educational
qualification as they deemed proper,
and white illiterates were to be passed
upon with an eye turned away. Again
the white Georgians applauded, for the
negro vote is heavy in many counties,
and the colored people havec taken
keen advantage of the opportunities
for education. Against such a propo-
sition for reducing the menacing black
vote Clark Howell's plea to leave we'll
enough alone" availed little.
The third factor in Hoke Smiths
victory was his alliance with Thomas
e. Watson, once Populist candidate for
president. Just how Watson came to
lhloW Ills SlTellSIA WlCn STllLn can
only be guessed at, for the men were
at odds for years on many questions
He said himself that he agreed with
Smith on the Acknowledgement of the
negro; yet he never mentioned the fact
when he was Populist candidate, and
in fact committed himself to rather
extravagant courting of the negro
vote.
"Tom" Watson is the idol of the
CfC f,,IIxv
10000 of them in the state. In spite of
the fact that Watson had maligned
the Democratic party and had been
quite willing to see it disintegrated the
combination was effected. The con-
tributed result was that 11S counties
of total of 145 returned pluralities
for Hoke Smith.
His Opportunities
When Hoke Smith takes the govern
or's chair next year he will have op-
portunities for good or evil greater
than any of his predecessors for many
years. He is not so popular in Geor-
gia as Thomas e. Watson; at least not
in the same way. His principles as he
propounded them during the campaign
are undeniably popular. The white vo-
ters who elected him will look to him
to fulfill his promises and there is no
doubt that he can live up to most of
them If he chooses. He is certain to
have a favorable legislature-one that
can be directed by the executive.
The demand from the people will be
a change in freight rates and an over
turn of the railroad commission. 1t is
a fact that during the campaign there
have been several large business plans
halted because 1t was considered too
much of risk, in view of the propos-
ais of Mr.. Smith, to make investments
Of outside capital. A pamphlet widely
circulated in behalf of Mr.. Smith an
nounced policy which means moth
ing more nor less than confiscation, as
follows:
IF we forbid the operation Of rail-
roads in Georgia by foreign corpora
tions or nonresident citizens, these
foreign corporations which own the
railroads will be forced to sell them or
lease them To cnrnnra tinns orna r,izad