Atlanta semi-weekly journal. (Atlanta, Ga.) 1898-1920, 1909-12-14
.EX-GOV. SMITH SPEAKS
ON GOOD GOVERNMENT
Stressed Importance of LegiS-
Iation and Administration
for Peoples Interest.

An address on the subject of Good |
Government" by Ex-Goyernor Hoke
Smith, was the feature of the annual
meeting and luncheon of the Association
of City Statesmen, held at noon Saturday /
In the New Kimball house.
There is no man in Georgia better quail
flied to speak on state governmental af-
fairs than Mr.. Smith, and his words /
were full of profound interest and i'm !
portance to an audience of business men. /
He dwelt upon the impoT tance of re-
quiring legislation and administration in /
all lines, whether municipal, state or ma
tional, to be in the interest Of the great
body Of the people.
He insisted that those out of office
were entitled to have service from those /
in office free from graft and selfshness; {
that this should apply not only to the
honest use of public moneys. but also to
the collection of taxes without favorit- /
ism, and TO the management of all mat |
tiers of an official character in the in |
terests of all the people and not for the /
benefit of favored few.
PEOPLE HAVE THE POWER.
He said that the people had the power /
to force government of this character, !
but that government would rarely rise
above the character of the voters.
Every white man should be permitted
to vote, but the greatest care should be
taken to prevent the votes of honest and
patriotic electors from being killed by
the votes of hirelings or by fraud
No patriotic citizen should object to be- |
ing put to some trouble to register for an I
election if the system of registration
under which he registered would con-
tribute to prevent illegal votes and ele- |
vate the position of an elector.
He commended the neW roRiStratfOu I
law and stated that under it any man
entitled to vote could register. If he
neglected during the six months given
him for registration to use the opportun- /
ity, he alone was to blame, but under this /
law it would be very difficult to use
money to debauch elections and men
( from Chattanooga, Birmingham and
other points outside the state would have
little chance to kill the votes of real
Georgians.
SHOULD STUDY POLITICS.
He asked if it was worth while for a /
citizen to take an interest in politics, !
to study the questions connected with |
his local and state affairs. and to go to |
some trouble to fit himself by registra- |
ton for voting.
He urged that it was worth while. |
That not only the moral tone of the state
but the financial interests OF every citi- |
1
time and, if necessary, take some trouble !
to participate as a voter, and he stated |
that citizens would feel less hesitation
in performing this duty when assured
fraudulent or purchased votes could not
be used to kill votes cast at the dictate /
of honest conviction.
He said time would not permit him /
to point out many illustrations OF the |
Importance to the citizens OF taking |
part as a voter in elections. He would /
call attention to three in municipal and /
state affairs.
PUBLIC SCHOOL ADMINISTRATION.
Inc public schools of the state de-
pended upon legislation and admfn1stra-
ton. The training of our children /
comes largely from the public schools. 1
1t is more important than money left |
to them.
Take Atlanta, for instance. How ne
cessary that every member of the |
board of education should be a man /
entirely free from selfish purpose in /
his service on the board, and that
every teacher should be elected on ac-
count of fitness for the work and not !
on account of influential friends or po-
litical pull.
If the voters put into the council |
men moved by high purpose of public /
voter would be lar reaching
CONVICT SYSTEM CHANGE
He called attention to one piece or !
legislation recently passed in Georgia,
the repeal OF the convict system.
He pointed out how this legislation
was forced in spite or the selfish eff
forts of those who were growing rich !
from hiring convicts The cOnvfcts /
have been taken from men interested
solely in making money out OF them
They are now controlled by men occu-
plying official positions and the work
of the convicts contributes to the pub
lie generally by building good roads
Good government required that this
should be done. And yet it came only
after a most desperate struggle and as
the result of efforts of men who I'm Of
flee recognized their obligations to the
voters who put them in office and who
preferred to serve the public NJ large
rather than those few who wished to
increase their wealth through the use
of convict hire.
Governor Smith gave this as an illus
tTation of one of those conditions con-
stantly arising where it paid the BUSH
ness man, the professional man and the
farmer to take an interest in politics and
to put in Office men free from control of
W. & A. RENTALS.
He said he would illustrate by another
proposition. He called attention to the
Western and Atlantic railroad with its
terminals in Chattanooga valuable for \
business purposes and with it's Pryor
street front, its Whitehall street front
and its Broad street front in Atlanta He
stated that it was to the interest of the
public that all these valuable terminals
should be used to bring to the public the
highest revenue possible, and that steps
should be begun at once looking towards /
such a result. that the rental of terminals
no longer needed for railroad purposes
could today be made to bring to the state
rentals more than the present entire in
come of the state road. It Is a business
proposition to so handle these properties
that they would produce the largest rev.
eEue possible.
REVENUE BENEFITS PEOPLE.
The income of the state is disbursed
principally for education. for the state
sanitarum, for the deaf and dumb asy
Ium for the blind asylum, for the tuber-
culosis sanitarium, for the state medical
board. for pensions and in other ways
al To No Of I'm ]