The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1907-07-16

Bacon has been reelected to the United
direct or indirect. On Wednesday he re-
ceived onoe more the unanimous vote Of his
party in the Georgia Legislature. or
course 1t will be clearly understood at the
Tuesday and Of the Legislature on Wednes-
day merely confirmed the verdict Of the
primaries, the choice by popular vote OF
the conservative Senator having been
simultaneous with the choice Of the MEM
bers Of the Legislature which now gives
effect to the vote at the primaries and
formally elects Mr.. Bacon.
This is a contamination all the more
significant in view Of the fact hat Senator
Bacon is an old fashioned Democrat, firm
in his adherence to constitutional ideals
and immovably opposed to encroachment
by the executive upon the legislative do
main. He is on record as hostile not only
to a confusion Of the two functions Of Gov
eminent but TO the abuse OF power by
either; and especially has he protested
on all suitable occasions against the Popu-
listic tendencies inspired and encouraged
by Bryan and since exploited with peculiar,
not to say Theatrical, activity by Mr.. Bryan's
most Industrious imitator.
That such a man, so irretrievably COM
mitted to the policies Of sane conservatism,
should have been again unanimously made
United States Senator by the representa-
lives Of a people who nave just chosen the
Hon. Hoke Smith for their Governor on a
long haired anti-corporation platform Is
remarkable enough. Apparently Georgia
Democrats, while more than willing to go
TO every length of inoendiary radicalism
at home, prefer to have themselves rep
resented in the national Senate by q states
man whose entire public career constitutes
a remonstrance in respect Of their local
vagaries and e-Itravagances.
OF course the inconsistency has its ex-
PLANTATION, and perhaps that is to be found
in a theory one encounters very frequently
in a journey through the South-a theory
to the effect that the election Of such Cover
nors "a B. B. Conner of Alabama Ind Hoke
Smith Of Georgia il the expression Of a
purely personal animosity toward the
management OF certain railway and other
public corporations and does not involve
a serious purpose Of permanently Gripping
or destroying them. 1t is "a though the
people. smarting under a long series Of
petty irritations, real or imagined injus-
tioes and humiliating sights. inflicted
chiefly by bumptious underlings of the cor
porations referred TO. had resolved upon a
course Of practical retaliation to the enc OF
securing courteous and considerable treat
ment for the future. However hat may
be. the fact remains that the Georgia law
makers who are now considering with
favor all sorts of sumptuary. undemocratic
and paternslistic legislation have just re-
turned Mr.. Bacon to the senate without one
dissenting or e~xpostulating voice.
There is TO the investigating stranger a
curiously delightful suggestion of unreality
in all this. The awful thought of being in
the same town and breathing the same at
mosphere with Col. John Temple Graves.
Col. Clark Howell and Gov. Hoke Smith
gives way to q humorously pleasant con-
seriousness Of contemplating one of the
most fantastic comedies OF the generation.
One asks himself whether it can be a true
picture-whether Hoke Smith really be-
lieves in the Organism OF which he has been
the gushing oracle; whether the people who
| elected him Governor believe in Hoke Smith;
how the same men who have chosen the
Hon. Augustus o. Bacon for United States
Senator can possibly believe in either Smith
or Bryan: finally, whether the whole thing
10 not a screaming burlesque. the chief ac-
tors wherein wink AZ each other as they
pass ny.
Leaving these quizzical conundrums for
another and more authoritative solution,
however, and addressing oneself to the
strictly superficial aspects of the situation.
the casual observer may at least appraise
the significance Of all these apparently in
compatible indications 50 far as they relate
TO the Bryan hypothesis in Georgia. One
| cntOutOtft hcIt, Nc III OlIir DoutfttTn
communities. the a~pathetic. not to say
cataleptic. condition of surrender. You
hear any number of explanations Of the
t~ranoe-the people want Bryan; it is just as
we'll TO nominate him anyhow. because
otherwise he will a~ntagonize and defeat a
standard bearer not Of his dictation; more
over, no matter what may be hone the
Democracy ann possibly win, and since
defeat is inevitable what difference will it
make IL that defeat desoends upon the party
under this leadership or that' The wiseet
of the Georgia Democrats. who all consider
Bryan as inevitable under the circum-
stances, will tell you that 1908 IL already
assigned to the Republicans. They are I'M
able TO imagine success under Bryan and
equally incredulous Of an alternative ar
rangement. That they would wake to
enthusiasm were another prospect brought
home TO them is evident enough, but that