Atlanta semi-weekly journal. (Atlanta, Ga.) 1898-1920, 1910-04-01
REGISTER TODAY
SAYS HOKE SMITH
To WHITE VOTERS
Former Governor, in Vigorous
Interview, Urges White Far
merS to Register Without
Waiting Another Day

In the following vigorous statement
former Governor Hoke Smith calls the
attention OF the voters OF Georgia 10
TIE fact that they must register by April
sth. II they intend TO vote this year.
i cannot too strongly urge every white
farmsg in the state TO register Aplh
s,a Is the last day on which you can
register before the general elections this
wear. Don't wait another day. Go TO
your tax collector and have your name
enrolled as a voter II you are legally
entitled TO do SO
Il believe in the new registration law.
IL gives a chance 10 register for SIX
months. beginning with the time when
taxes are first collected
1t is true that your registration
books close six months before the gen.
eral election
The object OF registration is TO make
our primaries honest and fair our
elections amount TO but little Our prl-
maries settle the question OF who shan
represent US and what policies shall De
pursued
our primary for governor. state house
officers and members Of the legislature
will take place sixty days before the
general election. IL will take the regis
trars about two months TO go over and
carefully purge the registration lists.
FOR HONEST PRIMARIES
The present Law. therefore. only
leaves two months between the time
when the work OF the registrars Is I'M
ished purging the list OF voters and the
time when our general primary for gov
erhor. state house officers and members
of the legislature takes place
.-Our county primaries take place as
q rule before the general primary and
the registration lists under the new law
will not be more than purged before
yo1r county elections take place.
what we want TO see In Georgia Is
honest primaries. Primaries in which
every white man entitled TO vote does
SO. but in which no floating vote, IRE
ouentiy consisting of men who are not
GeorEfans are gathered together by men
using money and carried to the polls TO
kill the vote Of an honest, sure-enough
Georgian
AN ABSURD CHARGE.
IAN effort has been made to create
the impression that this law was gotten
M TO keep the farmers from voting.
This is absurd The law is tire work OF
Senators Martin. OF Whitfield, and Per-
N. OF Hall. and members of the house
OF representatives. Hardeman. Of JEFF
ferson, and Smith. from Campbell They
all four belong 10 what Is called the re-
form element in the state
..Tf YOU stop and think about IL a mo-
rnent YOU will see how absurd IL is TO
charge that those who belong " the
reform movement. which carried the
state in 1905. and which disfranchised
the negroes. gave the state strong
railroad commission law. and broke up
the convict lesse-wish 20 keep the far
mers from voting.
In 1905 we were beaten. What coun-
ties beat US? Chatham. Bib and Full
ton gave over half OF the majority which
enabled Governor Joseph NJ. Brown to
carry the state.
The Illegal voters who will be kept
away from the polls by the new regis
tration law are not farmers. They are
the floating vote in the cities. compos-
ed OF men who are not real Georgians'
who will be prevented from voting il
legally.
FARMERS ARE STABLE
The farmers are stable. They live at
home and they will not be affected in
any way by this new registration law
II they will only take the trouble TO 60
at once to their tax COLLECTOR and reg
lister.
The law was prepared by men who
have confidence in the farmer vote and
the absurdity OF the claim that they
wish to prevent the farmers from vot-
ing Is shown when you remember that
the counties we carried in 1905 were the
counties in which there were no large
cities.
Watch the men who are fighting the
new registration law.
Were they not lined up with the in
terests and did they not carry the city
countiesf
Stand by the new registration law
and the next step will be TO submit
many important questions OF legislation
TO the vote OF the people"