The Birmingham age-herald., 1910-08-17
GEORGIA CAMPAIGN
 PRESENTS PROBLEMS
It is Hard to Tell What the
 Exact Situation Is.
CLAIMS BY BOTH SIDES
Brown Men Are Sure That He VIII Win By Means of the Farming Vote While Smith Is Strong
 in the Cities.

Atlanta, August 1s.-(Special)-t IS practically impossible to get an lmpar- tial estimate of the situation in the gover- nors campaign.
 Two men coming from the same sec ton of the state. who have possibly traV- eled about 1t considerably, will bring In opposite reports of conditions prevail ing-it seems to depend altogetner on Whom they happened to talk to.
 A Hose Smith man returning from Ma con said he could find none but sml'n men there; half the Brown voters had flopped to Smith, he declared
 A Joe Brown inquirer declared he could find nothing but Brown votes in the Central City
 Occasionally one will find Smith man who thinks Brown is going to win; ana then a Brown man or two "no 'hiin Smith has 1t all his own way this time' But inquiry proves that these nave hao comparatively little opportunity for oo- servation of the sort that shows the d. rection of the wind.
 Some of the Brown people admit that Smith is a little stronger in some or the larger cities than he was two years ago; hut they assert reports show that Brown is much stronger in the country. They say. for example, that Hoke smith VIII get a larger percentage of the vote m Fulton than he did two years ago, ana vet they express it as their belief that Brown will carry Fulton by majority which they put anywhere from 5oO to looo' His majority two years ago was over 20O0.
 Claims by Smith Men
 Down at Smith headquarters 1t is as- serted that MT. Smith has gained strength not only in the cities, but throughout the country districts. They don't admit that Brown has shown increased strength any where: the bulk of the Hopping, they de- clare, has been from Brown to Smith.
 Brown headquarters claims postal card promises from more than 1000 voters In Fulton county. The total registration IS only 14.1s2. so that if there Is substance in the claim Brown will carry the county.
 Smith headquarters claims to have re- ceived a similar number Of cards Tor Smith. so it would look as if every voter in the county had been reached by one side or the other. Notwithstanding this there are some thousands of voters who have paid no attention to cards rom either side. It would look, therefore, as if somebody had slipped up.
 Smith partisans also point to the meet ing held here in the auditorium where the crowd which heard MT. Smith speak, or tried to hear him speak, was various ly estimated at 5000 to 10000. or course, many of these were non-voters, and good many of the Brown men went 10 the meeting, still it was about the big gest thing in the way of political meet ing Fulton county has ever seen.
 Brown Strong in Country
 The Brown forces are placing great de- pendence in the business as well as the farming element throughout the state. They point to the fact that there has been nothing f1ighty about Governor Browns s administration, nothing that could in any way have the least tendency to upset stable business situation. On the other hand, they urge that Hoke Smiths ad- ministration, his views and policies, all indicate the possibility of some action which may have the effect of tightening financial reins and bringing about busi- ness and industrial depression.
 In other words, it is the old difference between reform on the one hand and conservatism on the other, both of which the state has tried in the last four years. Governor Browns friends are setting great store by this feature of the situa- ton, it is said. and feel that 1t will show in the result.
 The Hoke Smith people have practical ly dropped the Western and Atlantic terminal situation as an issue. Cover nor Browns message furnished so com- plete a reply to the criticisms of his acts in the matter that there was little else to do. So in the concluding hours of the general assembly 1t was generally agreed by all that this was a purely bus mess question which should properly be settled on business basis and outside of politics. The interests of the state