The Dawson news. (Dawson, Ga.) 1889-current, 1908-04-08


From the Sandersville Herald.
We hope that there may be some
way for the gag rule adopted by he
state democratic executive committee
to be over-ridden, in order that the
white voters of this state may have
tbe right to express themselves as to
their choice for president, and that
never again will there be any ehort TO
turn the power of choosing the demo-
cratic candidate practically over to
one man, however popular he may be-
come in the advocacy of any measure
In order that one-man rule might
prevail in Georgia and Governor
Smith be able to build about him a
political machine more powerful and
vastly more dangerous than any
ring" could ever become the state
committee, after full consideration,
DISTINGUISHED every voter in Georgia
except those who happened to be
members of county executive commit
tees, so far as a choice for democratic
candidate for president is concerned,
with not even a provision for the in
struction by the voters of the dele
gates who will assemble in Atlanta
to elect delegates who will in turn
select the candidate of the democrats
for president
In order to see through this scheme
one has only to read the rule adopted
by the executive committee on this
subject, which we give below, but
perhaps there are some practical re-
suits which might follow that the
people generally have not thoroughly
considered. 1t is perhaps serious
enough that white democrats have
been DISTINGUISHED, and that they
have not been given the right by the
committee to express themselves on
the selection of the one candidate
who, if elected, will have vastly more
power than have many kings, and
whose administration will affect eV
cry line of business, and in a direct
and powerful way every mans well
fare in America, and this will be suf-
ficient excuse for the county commit
tees to do whatever may be done to
check now this most undemocratic
effort to place the power of selecting
the standard bearer of the democrats
practically in the hands of one man
so far as Georgia is concerned.
We confess that the problem for
the county committees to solve is
a serious one, and one which the rule
below makes almost. if not entirely,
impossible of solution so as to legally
and in accordance with democratic
precedent allow the people the right
to vote upon the question. However,
this effort to disfranchise the white
voters is a serious matter, and re-
quires that whatever may be done be
done now to save the honor OF the
party and to restore to the people
their unQuestioned right.
Had it not been for the confidence
of the committee that the precedent
in Georgia is so we'll established and
the sentiment so widespread to elect
the governor for a second term this
.one-man rule would perhaps never
have ben adopted But even if the
friends and supporters of Governor
Smith are willing to swallow this
scheme now they should remember
that such a power given to some flu
ture governor of Georgia might be-
come very obnoxious to them, and
that this is not a question OF men
but a question of democratic princi-
pie.
1t is idle and is begging the ques-
ton to defend the committee by say
ing that Governor Smiths former OPP
ponents are the only ones who are
criticising the rule. This is not true,
in the first place, because many of
the papers in Georgia who supported
the governor are not willing to swal-
low that because man voted for or
against any candidate for governor
he should be deprived of the privilege