The Hawaiian star. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu]) 1893-1912, 1908-05-26
(By William e. Curtis in The Wash
ington Starr

Is the most exciting IL mas eApSIlShO
ed since the civil war, and the fight Is
chiefly over prohibition. Several Is
sues, such as railroad regulation and
the Northumberland of the negro,
are involved, but have been almost
entirely lost sight of in the more alb
sorbing dispute as to the success OF
and practicability of the law that was
passed last summer by the legislature
abolishing the liquor traffic. A vigor-
Gus attempt is being made to secure
its repeal or it's amendment and many
people of good Judgment are support
ing that side of the question because
they are convinced that it is failure
and is doing more harm than good.
The questions in dispute will be de-
cided at the democratic primaries,
open only to white men, the 4th OF
June next.
The leaders of the two factions,
for the struggle is entirely within the
democratic party and involves only
local issues. are Gov. Hoke Smith,
formerly Secretary of the Interior in
the Cleveland administration, and
| Little Joe" Brown, son of "Old
Joe" Brown, the great war govern
or" of Georgia and for many years
afterward United States senator from
that state
BROWN DISMISSED BY SMITH.
Little Joe" Brown was a member
of the state railway commission at
the time Hoke Smith was inaugural
ed governor and the first official act
of the latter after taking the oath
of office was to dismiss him without
assigning any reason or giving him
an opportunity to be heard. Those
familiar with personal politics in the
state, however understood Gov
Smiths motive and many of his
friends considered the act unwise or
at least impolitic because he needed
all the support he could get to carry
out his plans and policies for the bet
terment of the state, and although
Brown is not a man of unusual abil-
lily, he has a considerable following.
Gov. Smith was originally opposed
to prohibition, and advocated local
option by counties during the cam
paign which preceded his election as
governor. But when the Legislature
passed the prohibition law he signed
ii promptly, and has taken vigorous
measures for it's enforcement, al
though. as l told you in a recent let
ter from Atlanta, he sacrificed year
ly income of about $4,000, which
he was receiving as his share of the
profits from the bar of the Piedmont
Hotel, owned by himself and two as
sociates. There is no doubt that Gov
Smith has enforced the prohibition
law conscientiously, although he is
not a believer in the theory on which
it is based. And he declares himself
candidate for reelection as gov
ernor as a prohibitionist. He also
advocates the observation-disclosures OF
the negroes by the adoption of con-
stitutional amendment establishing a
property and educational qualification
for suffrage The third plank in his
platform is rational railway regula.
ton and a square deal to both the
corporations and their patrons, which
has been the policy adopted by his rail-
way commission.
BROWN ANNOUNCES HIS POSI-
TON.
Brown declared himself a candidate
for governor shortly after his remov-
al from the railway commission, and
began quiet "gum-shoe" campaign,
with his headquarters in Atlanta. He
rarely appears in public, has made
no speeches, because he is not an
orator, and is depending upon the ac-
tivity of his friends throughout the
state and the enemies of Gov. Smith.
Early in the campaign he announced
his position on the temperance ques-
ton, as follows:
81 am unalterably opposed to the
saloon, and no act of mine either per-
sonally or officially will approve its
re-establishment in the state of Geor
gia. | shall favor the strict enforce
ment of the present prohibition law
and any amendment that may be
passed by the general assembly, at the
next session respecting it. The VIII
OF the people should be supreme
Therefore, if it be their will that the
present law stand as it is, it must
stand If it be their will that it be
amended they will elect a genera
assembly to enact their will, and theil
p deliberately determined, is the high
est law. I will so recognize and obey
it,"
In his proclamation Mr. Brown
slams into Hoke Smith in a most Wig
orous manner, accusing him of insin
cerity and of advocating prohibition
as a means of getting office. He say.
that the prohibition question lis more
important to the people of Georgia
r than the promotion of any individual
] to Office and no candidate for gov
: ernor should be permitted, by swift
and unseemingly shifting from on
: side to the other as often as he deems
il expedient, to use it as a hobby
horse to serve his political purposes.
The important point in Brown
statement is that he will accept al
amendment to the prohibition law /
the people elect a Legislature that will
pass one 1t means also that he will