The Birmingham age-herald., 1908-04-05
BROWN LOOMS UP
 STRONG IN RACE Governor Hoke Smith Will Have to Hustle for Votes MANY ARGUMENTS GIVEN Situation In Present Georgia Contest Is Considered Most Unusual and -
 Interest Over Candidates
 Is Increasing.
MANY ARGUMENTS GIVEN
BY LAUREN FOREMAN.

but the race for governor. All other contests have been forgotten.
 Much of the talk has centered around Fulton county. Both the Brown men and the Smith men are claiming it. At Brown headquarters in the Kimball h house they are exhibiting lists signed, it is said, by 3100 Fulton county voters i as members of the Brown club. At least those who say they have counted the names, give that as the number. And the Brown men say further that they have several city districts yet to canvass.
 There is also a Hoke Smith club. The names cf some AGO to 800 members of it were recently published. This was said to have been the executive com lnittee." The total membership of tn } Smith club has not yet been an nounced.
 There is also some betting going oa as to the result in this county. The ] bets placed have been at even money. Several bets have been registered at this figure. According to a generally circulated report a prominent Fayette county man recently offered to bet practically any amount that Governor Smith would carry Fulton. Brown wh ich, so the report goes. he declined to place any more.
 A capitol official stated today that he had talked with every man who lives in his block, a dozen in number, and all but two of them are for Brown.
 An Atlantian who two years ago stopped trading with his grocer be- cause he was inclined to twit him about the governors race, said he went into .he grocer's store the other day and found out that he had completely turned over and was now talking Brown for all he was worth. Asking him the cause, the grocer replied:
 "There are many of my customers who work for wages. Two years ago they bought $2 worth of goods where they now spend only 50 cents Many of .nem want credit They haven't got the money and can't get it. While do not consider Governor Smith responsible for this, feel that his policies have con tributed to 1t. That is the reason I am for Brown and my customers, al. of them who have talked to me about it, are the same way"
 On the other side of the question state official who recently visited county in middle Georgia said:
 While I am satisfied MT. Brown will get large vote I do not think he can be elected Governor Smith will owe his reelection, in my opinion. to what is sometimes denominated the "old guard" by others ''the gang" the same crowd that opposed him two years ago. and who were called all sorts of names for doing so. I find disposition among those with whom I have talked to stand by the party precedent and vote for the governor. Ten or a dozen men to whom I talked, told me that although they had opposed Governor Smith two years ago, they did not consider it wise to make a change at this time, and would vote for him. And so it is, if he is nominated this time, as I believe he will be, he will owe 1t to a portion at least of the very crowd denominated the railroad ring, that he fought bitterly two years ago."
 According to a report current at the capitol Governor. Smith one day last week called two or three capitol or. ficials to his office and asked them about the situation One of them told him frankly of the reports he had heard from various sections of the state as to the strength of MT. Brown, when, 1t is said, the governor showed some little impatience and retorted it could not possibly be so. His informant told him he had understood he wanted to know the truth as to the talk around the state, and he had done his best to give 1t to him as he heard it.
 There is not, as yet, much polling Of trains or chance crowds, at least there has been little publication of such polls. There was poll recently taken, however, which has occasioned consid- erable comment. It comes from ap- parently authentic sources that the train on which the governor went to Gainesville last Monday to make speech there, was polled with the re- suit that out of AZ voters 37 were for Brown and five for Smith.
 A prominent Georgian who has held state office met this week in conference with three officers of the Georgia Saw mill association. He stated that all of them were for Governor Smith two years ago, but told i'm they were now work
 
 When he asked them the reason for such a change they replied merely: ''If you will ride from Jacksonville to Ma con you won't find single busy smokestack all the way"
 MT Brown has decided not to issue his amplifed statement to the public this week as first intended. He has not quite completed its preparation. but 1t is expected it will be given out some- lime next week.
 There has been a good deal of talk about fake reports, as they are called being sent out from Atlanta by the correspondents of various newspapers, especially with regard to the situa- tion in Fulton county. The denial is general. however, and not specific. There is no question that the correspon- dents are making every endeavor to present the situation just as they find 1t. There has been no report made in these dispatches without what. on it's face, appeared to be authentic infor- nation, and there is the name of some well known informant to back each statement made and each incident men- toned.
 Naturally, men who talk politics don't like to see tn cir names in print, par ticularly if they are interested in pon- tics tn emselves; but they are keeping their ears to the ground and they know pretty well what is going on.
 The situation in Georgia today is.
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