Atlanta semi-weekly journal. (Atlanta, Ga.) 1898-1920, 1910-08-05
Vigorous and Sane
Savannah Press.

savannah HrSSS.
The speech of the Hon. Hoke Smith.
which was to have been delivered in
Waycross yesterday, made very interest
ing reading. 1t was carried by the Sa-
vannah Press yesterday afternoon.
1t was progressive, constructive, and
yet conservative in all its details. There
was a careful and natural defense Of his
own administration and of the progress
of legislation enacted by the general as
sembly which had generally been favor
able to his cause. There was no bit
ter or vigorous arraignment Of railroads;
nothing that the business interests
could criticise or sound men reprehend.
Governor Smith insisted that the new
commission law regulating the public SER
vice corporations was taken from New
York and had received in that state the
Endorsement of sane and practical state
men like Governor Hughes. There is
logical defense of the railroad commits
sion as organized. and maintaining that
to save few thousand dollars the in
fluence of the railroad commission should
not be limited or its capacity or useful
ness decreased. The new registration law
is explained as step in the direction
of purer elections. 1t is aimed at pad
ded lists and imported voters who some
times crowd in the larger cities at the
last moments and made up a fictitious
electorate. The new law was never in
tended to disfranchise the genuine voter
and resident, who, Governor Smith thinks
should have a permanent certificate OF
registration instead of being disfranchis-
ed. There is no criticism of Governor
Brown; but there is a well-sustained de-
tense of his own acts which the subse-
quent administration has sought to over
turn.
But Governor Smith is a bold, aggres-
sive and resourceful man, whose tendency
Is for progress. 1t Is easy to see that
he does not belong to the stand-patters,
and no state or party can hope to develop
or to increase which is not progressive.
Governor Smith is man Of industry,
tireless student a tremendous worker,
man of great brain and physical power
who is willing to lead and who seems to
be capable of blazing the way. He is
now enjoying the luxury of his first i'll
ness. He was represented by proxy in
Waycross yesterday, but the vigor and
healthfulness of his sentiments are I'M
He stands for progress. he
points the way to what he believes 10 be
a broader freer and better Georgia. The
time has passed when he was looked up
on as a harbinger of reckless experiment.
For the spirit of the age has gotten way
beyond that 1t was fashionable once to
call Roosevelt and Hoke Smith dema-
gogues and dynamiters. But the republic
is growing Leaders of thought are IN
evitabIe and invincible. AS the president
of one of the largest financial institutions
in Boston says, This deadlock must De
broken. The hope of the future lies in
the ability of business men, Of corpora
ton heads, to understand the spirit OF
the age in which they live, to jump to the
forefront and read public opinion going
more than half way to meet II, BY ceas-
ing to play the part Of obstructionists'
these men may put themselves at the
mead of the new era. II they do not
their leadership will be permanently lost.
And, really, the public Is a pretty good
sort of fellow when he is treated square
ly."
The issue Is well made up, and the
state will be called upon in about three
weeks to indorse or to repudiate things
which Hoke Smith stands for. Two years
ago the prediction was made that the
state would go to the demnition smash II
Hoke Smith were reelected. Today the
most insistent criticisms urged against
him by his opponents are that his regis
tration law closes the list 80 days TOO
early, and that his new railroad commits
sion costs the people few thousand DOL
lars more than it did ten years ago. This
looks like the state had progressed some,
when even the enemies OF Hoke smith
have moderated their frantic ooJecuons'