Fitzgerald enterprise. (Fitzgerald, Ga.) 1895-1912, 1908-04-21
TUESDAY, APRIL u, 1908.
HOke Smith and the Laboring Man.

1ersed as the author, Mr.. Williams. Wier, isin til
aborers' cause Mr.. Wier is not nonentity by al,
means buta strong forceful worker who has for veal
been closely identified with unions in Georgia. TIL
associate editor of this paper is personally acquinte
with Mr.. Wier and can vouch for every utteraDc
that he makes as being true and without prejudice
Editor Journal, Atlanta, Ga.
''Some of the friends of Joe Brown are
working quite diligently in the ranks
of labor and seem to be striving to create
the impression that Brown is the especial
friend of the working Glass; and recently one
of the Brown supporters, republican officer
holder who has an entire into the ranks Ofthe
workers because of activities of many years
ago. has gone so far as to ask brazenly in
card in newspaper the following pertinent
question:
t'What has HOke Smith ever said or done
to give him any claim upon the suffrage OF the
working men of Georgia."
'tThis is an indiscreet question to ask, be-
cause reply forces Odous comparisons be-
tween the peoples governor and "Llttle Joe"
Choke Smiths record is as bright as bur
nished silver. In the past twenty years he
has been an extensive employer of labor. There
is not an instance where Mr.. Smith has not
recognized the ethics of the working craft
unions in the question of wages, hours and
general conditions of labor. l get my infOr-
nation from carpenters, printers bricklayers,
plumbers, painters and others. For many
years MI. Smith was the especial friend of
'tbest' wages, ''best' hours, and chest" shop
conditions for the printers, and during that
time was eligible to honorary membership in
the union to which I belong. He actually
paid the wage, peronally supervised the con
ditions and daily showed a sympathetic inter
est in the cause of higher lives and higher
living for the workers.
HE HAS CHAMPIONED THE CAUSE
OF HUNDREDS OF WIDOWS AND OR
PHANS OF MEMBERS OF THE RAIL
ROAD BROTHERHOODS BEFORE OUR
JURIES, BRINGING TO THEM THE
RIGHTS WHICH THE GREAT COMMON
LAW OF THE ANGLOSAXON CIVILIZA-
TION PROVIDES. THOUSANDS OF
CRIPPLED AND MANNED RAILROAD
MEN RISE UP AND CALL HIM BLESS
ED FOR THE WORK HE HAS DONE
FOR THEM.
$50 much for the personal SIDE
s'For eight long years the organized labor
of Georgia cried for child labor law For
that many years the ring legislature played
shuttle cock and battle door with our pet
paramount demand on d Ocracy.
When we had played our last card and turn
ed our last trick we cried out for a champion
out of our ranks. Three giants responded
Hoke Smith, Tom Watson and Seab Wright
The workers will never forget the three speech
es made at the capitol one night some four
or five years ago. That legislature preferred
the advice of Mayor Hanson and the lobbyists
to even the counsel of these tribunes, but
public sentiment blazed from that hour in be-
half of the child slave, and last year Hoke
Smith signed the law that made the child
free.
ssWhat has Joe Brown done or said to give
him claim on the suffrage of the working
claSS9
Choke Smith is paving the way for labor's
second paramount demand of democracy, the
education of the children-the perfection of
the school system which Joe Browns crowd
almost let decay. Who is paying the teach
ers that were not paid3 Who is laundering
at the apathy of ignorance and awakening the
ignorance and awakening the people to the
need of educating the future citizens!
fsJoe Browns ''plank'' favoring a bureau
of labor is not worth pint of goober bulls.
1t might possibly hold the hope of some day
furnishing some near-labor leader soft job
at the capitol That's all it means.
ttOrganized labor is not interested in get