Americus times-recorder. [volume] (Americus, Ga.) 1891-current, 1910-12-06
An INMERCIFTL SCORING OF
TOM WATSON.

An TNMERCIFIL SCORING OF
TOM WATSON.
For some weeks past Tom Watson
has been engaged IN a persistent al
tack on Goy-Elec. Hoke Smith. holding
him before tie world as a man entirely
devoid Of morality, the betrayer OF
woman and the destroyer of purity and
home life. Watson's personal organ
The Weekly Jeffersonian, his carried
these charges 10 the uttermost parts CT
the STATE. Mr.. Smiths dign.fed silence
encouraged Watson. apparently. 10
more and more vicious assaults until
finally E1i-or Seeley, Of the Georgian
/ instituted an investigation to deter
mine the trutEfulness Of che frig1 tfll
accusations hurled against man
Georgia has 50 ssgnally honored. His
researches convinced him that the
charges, as far az il was possible to
Investigate them, were utterly devoid
Of truth and tlat Tom Watson, through
sheer malice was maliciOusly Stand
ering Gov Smith. In the Georgian he
gave the widest publicity to the result
of his Investigation and scored Wat
son in a way that one might think
would make the Thompson man vince
more than he has ever been able 10
make his own victim vince in the
past. Says Mr.. Seelly:
The Georgian is compelled to say
however, that not the first suggestion
Of foundation in fact has been obtain
able, and that, after the employment
Of the best talent. detective, legal and
otherwise, even giving his political en-
emies every opportunity to supply facts
or evidence, we must say, unequiyocal-
ly, in he interest Of square deal. that
Hc9se Smith is as innocent Of miscon-
duct, moral or otherwise, as any man
in Georgia-at least, since the years of
his public life-and we doubt if there
IS man in the rs-ate who is interests
beyond that at this time
Watson made a weak reply, taking
advantage Of the opportunity to assail
Seely rather than Smith. In a further
summing up Of the case in Sundays
Georgian Editor SeeIy says:
AFTER reading this additional evil
dence Of the yillainy of Mr.. Watson, II
does not take a great stretch Of the
Imagination to permit one to see that
sex IS about the only difference be
tween the woman who attempted 10
assassinate character I'm 1882 and the
man who seems to be trying to live by
ii in 1910; and if Thomas f. Watson
does rDt stand damned and branded in
the eyes Of the decent people of Geor-
gia it must be because those who have
read these proofs either believe the
Georgian is dishonest or that it has
been deceived; and We assure you that
the latter is not the case. You can
Judge for yourself as to our honesty
Reviewing the evidence presented by
il to prove the fslsity of Wabgon's ac-
cusatiOns, Mr.. Seely concludes as fol-
lows:
In finishing up the job, we have
thought best to go a little further than
might seen necessary, and show the
people of the state just how little there
is to whatever Mr. Watson writes OF
says, and we consider this, too, duty
to TIE s5ate and her people To this
end We are compelled to say uneauiv-
ocally that if Mr. Watson is in a-sane
condition of mind, he Is the basest
most depraved, most poisonous man in
Georgia today, and that he simply
seeks notice for himself and his publ
cation through blackmail and SANDER
Further, that the people of Georgia
who wish for harmony. for uplift. for
temperance and for social decency
should once and for all give the man
the place he merits in their estimate
OF him, whether that be ais a pitiablo
lunatic or a scoundrel who is ATTEMPT
ing to live by blackmaiI and depraved
lying.
Personally, my past acquaintance
and knowledge of Mr.. Watson make me
believe that the latter can not be true. .
Mr. Seely's opinion accordingly i,
that reached by many other Georg.ans.
-
that the once brilliant and horored
Georgian is now a "pitiable lunatic. .
MOI. perhaps, on all lines, but absolute
ly insane as regards TIE various prom
inent men of the state whom he has
a5s2iled an continues to assaI. In
asmuch as no mans char9cter is safe
at the hands of Watson in his presen
mental condition it would appear that
legal steps might we'll be taken to pre-
vent him from further misuse of tie
power of the press, both as a protec-
ticn to the public and to himself.