The Pensacola journal. (Pensacola, Fla.) 1898-1985, 1908-12-04
A Great Victory
For the Right in Atlanta.

Atlanta has just concluded what
was perhaps the fiercest municipal
campaign in her history in which
practically all the interest conferred
around the rival candidates for may
or, "Jim" Woodward, who had beer
mayor before, and R. F. Maddox
a prominent young business man.
Woodward was personally very pop
ular and had the advantage of being
the nominee selected by = democrat
ic primary for the office, but in an
evil hour ne yielded TO his old weak.
ness, got boisterousiy drunk, and
made disgraceful exhibition of him
self in the ~tenderloin" district That
was enough. Decent Atlanta was up
IN arms, instantly. and quivering with
righteous indignation demanded that
Woodward should step down as a
man unfit to mold the high trust of the
chief executive Office of the chief city
of Georgia.
Woodward was penitent and cowed
by the tremendous force of public SEN
tinent and announced his purpose to
retire from the race. But the counseIs
of his cronies prevailed over his own
better Judgment and he was induced
TO stay in the fight. The people had
meanwhile put up Maddox as the rep
resentative of the Atlanta that believ-
ed in sobriety in public, officials charg-
ed with high and responsible duties,
and "decency VS.. indecency" became
the burning issue of the campaign.
Ii was fierce and bitter struggle
with no compromise on either side.
Woodward's sins were not magnifiej-
they were merely printed in cold type
and the issue was squarely made if
such a man was fit to stand before
the world as Atlanta's foremost citi-
gen, the proper representative of her
clean and sober citizens and her vir-
tuous homes. The men who have
made the Georgia metropolis, the
great business element, took alarm at
the situation, realized what it meant
to put man who was so signally
lacking in strong character that he
had no control of ais own appetites, at
the head of their city government, and
they rallied around Maddox and beat
Woodward overwhelmingly in the
election.
There can be no protest against
such verdict, for the people spoke
their minds fairly and the majority
was too decisive to warrant adverse
criticisms. IL WAS clear-cut issue
against vice SO ruipous and demon
alizing that its very touch is blight
and the people OF Atlanta are toybe
congratulated upon this splendid and
successful verdict of the better ele.
ment among them.
Jim Woodward is a clever fellow
aud a personally honest man, but the
country is full of clever fellows and
honest men who do not on that ac-
count deserve the supreme trust of
high official stations at the hands of
their fellow citizens, and in the de-
feat of Woodward Atlanta serves no
tice to the world that she believes in
her own laws, that she prefers sobrie-
dy TO drunkenness, and that the high
est donors in her gift are not for the
weaklings but the strong men who
measure up TO the standard of her
best manhood.
In these perilous, complex, strenu-
Gus times when personal example
counts more largely than ever before,
the people can take no chances and
the very instinct of self-preservation
compeIs them TO turn down" the man
who is too weak to control himself
and yet seeks TO rule a city.
In no part of the world is it quite
so important as in the south, owing
TO peculiar racial and social condi-
tons, that only elear-headed, sober
men who stand for our highest moral
and civic concepts in their daily lives
no less than in their preacnments.
should be put in positions of trust
and honor. and the victory of Maddox
over Woodward in Atlanta is clear.
ringing note sent out by the Southern
people from one of their most popu-
lons eenters to tell the world that
the South is in line for the great re-
forms without which our civilization
must perish.
Several years ago we lamented for