The Birmingham age-herald. [volume] (Birmingham, Ala.) 1902-1950, 1910-04-13
It Is Not Yet Known Who Will
Be Candidates in Georgia
HoKE SMITH PUZZLED
But He Also Wants to Go to the
Senate and Has Legal BUSH
ness In the Way

are inclined strongly to the opinion
that this talk about his running fol
governor is not all moonshine.
The impression is gathered that he
would run If he did not have to ente.
into a strenuous contest for the OF
flee; that he would like to be gov
ernor but that at his age and be-
cause of the fact that he has but one
leg, having lost the other in the war,
he does not feel equal to a hard polit-
ical struggle.
Then Comptroller General Wrigh.
figures that he can retain his present
office the balance of his life, if he
so desires. He has never been de-
feated and only had opposition one
time. The governorship, on the other
hand, would be but a two-year job, or
one for four years at best.
That this is the view he takes of it
is positively asserted by friends who
have talked with him. though he has
refused to discuss the actual PROPOSE
tion of making or not making the race
The honor of the governorshp would be
pleasant as the browning event of a
long and able career in the service
of the state, but if Captain Wright
that is his war title-is to take 1t,
the office must come easy"
He would. it is believed, like to run
50 a compromise candidate, and prob
ably will, should it develop that there
is to be such a thing as a compro-
mise candidate, and that IS just thu
question.
1t is now clearly evident either that
there must be compromise candi-
date or that there will be another
hard, though short, fight between the
Hoke Smith and Joe brown factions.
They are looking for It all over the
state and they are getting ready for it.
Governor Browns friends see no rea-
son to change their opinion that he
is certain to be in the race. Mr. Smith
doesn't want to run, but may be forced
to. In either event, whether elected
or defeated, the result is likely ma
terially to interfere with his ultimate
political ambition-the Unired States
Senate.
If elected he might be holding down
| the governors chair at the very time
hen his senatorial ambition demand
| Cd activity in the field. If defeated
it is generally agreed that that would
mean the death of his ambition or rath-
er of its achievement.
Thus Mr.. Smith is up political tree.
A close friend of his made the state
inent today that he was absolutely
So tisfiei that Mr.. Smith did not know
what he was going to do. In fact,
he put it just as it is stated here, adj
hitting that Mr. Smith himself was in
a quandary.
But whether Mr.. Smith runs or NOT
there will be a Hoke Smith Joe Brown
fight if Governor Brown does what he
is expected to do and announce his
candidacy following the meeting of the
state executive committee.
If he doesn't-and it's a pretty big
| "if''-then there is decided possi-
bility of Comptroller General Wrights
| filing the governors chair.
Because, with the Smith Brown feu1
out of the way. there would be no
question of Captain Wrights election.
No one else could come out and give
him any serious trouble.
| There is a manifest feeling of in
patience in certain quarters of the
state for the development of the sit
nation. Go into any of the Smaller
towns and state politics and its pos
sibilities will be found leading topic.
Even the farmers will be found talk
ing IT while waiting for tho rain that
does not come.
| Chairman Hewlett Hall Is still silent
on the subject of the date of the COM
n ittee meeting. But the best infornis ,
ton holds to the view that 1t VIII
come some time the mloole OF 'he IA
t,x part of May.
| II Is reported that former Governor
Smith Is to get a fee of $4,000 in
the Morse case in which he has Deeh
associated with Martin w. Ltttleton
of New York. This may furnish an
additional reason why he is not very
anxious to get into the race II the
Morse litigation comes on at the time
cr the state campaign 1t is difficult
~ SOC lust how the two could be
made conveniently to mix. There would
hardly be time to attend to both.
Cause of Delayed Trains
"Delayed on account of waiting for pri'
| vate car No 100, is the excuse FOR the de'
Law of a passenger train on one OF tne
Georgia railroads, given three times II
one report.
"Of course, an excuse like that won
do" remarked a member OF the railroao
commission, who happened to find IT,
don't know exactly what that means; /
might have been an official Inspector
trim or it might have been a 1unket' no
unlikely the latter. But the railroads
will have to give better excuses thah Una
for the delay of passenger trains.
.'This however Is only one lnstahce
and 7 believe the railroads OF Georsis
generally are honestly endeavor1ng u
| imnrove their schedules and TO get lhei
trains as nearly as they can on tiine,
.oThis has been brought about by aslta
ton and by the requirement on me pa
of the commission that the raiiroaos shai
mako weekly reports of their delayed pas
| senger trains. ,.;,. tt,
imnroveInent the commission mas pee
informed that the Central OF Georgia, ~
seaboord and the Atlanta and west 1oiii
have each arranged to run extra .ia,i
ia accommodate local travel "heheVe
their regular trains are delayed iiole 'n "a
an hour as the result of waning ~
e,..N,,- connections. This applies t.
cases where trains are delayed as IN
result of waiting for connections ifoi
the north east and west. ,
,rhe Georgia Southern and tlorlua an
one or two others admitted tha' .ne'
had an unusually large percentase " !,
lays, and stated that +hai,. on
Great measure to the fact tna' tnei 81,
cinos were not of sufficient size an
nou,er 10 haul their heavy trains IN
Georgia. Southern and Florida stateu
Ma sIreadv placed an order for 10 ne'
locomotives of sufficient SIZE " N"D
heavy loads and make gooo ',ii. ao
The southern has also placed an cruz
-. 49, r,g,ncs for the same reason; an
This road and the Atlantic Coast Llne
norted had track and weak bridges d. c e.
tair ,ointsG as the causes OF many w
lnvs They promised to get then ~.
ana bridges In shape as quickly "s po-
sible. - u, hos In