The Birmingham age-herald., 1911-07-05
HOKE SMITH IS SURE 0F ELECTION Candidates for Governor
 Becoming Thick PLANS ARE DISCUSSED If Elected Senator HOke Smith Will Stay in Governors Chair Un-
 til After Legislature
 AdOurns

Atlanta, July 4.-(Special. )-There has been practically rothing doing in the sen atorship fight for the last two days. There are apparently two reasons for this:
 In the first place, there have been very few members of the legislature here, all most all of them having gone to their homes for Monday and Tuesday
 In the second place, almost everybody appears to think that Gov. fIoke Smith has not only staked out his claim, but has established his title to it, and is now only awaiting July Il to get the deeds.
 His opponents and their warm friends do not admit this, and they will be at it again Wednesday morning harder than ever.
 The claim Is persistently made that Governor Smith has 12O votes pledged. This is five more than enough to elect.
 It is difficult to get specific claims out of any of the other candidates. though if they have anything like what they think or say they have. it must follow that Governor Smiths friends have mis- calculated.
 The fight is going to be continued, it appears, up to the day of the election, next Tuesday, in the hope and belief that Governor Smith will be defeated; but just how 1t is to be brought about has not yet been made apparent.
 If Governor Smith is elected senator. it is now apparent that he will remain in the governors office until after the ad- journment of the legislature. He sai6 practically as much in his inaugural ad. dress Saturday when he warned the legis. lature that he would veto any appropria- tions in excess of the states income As the appropriation bills are never conclud. ed until the end of the session, it would Dc to carry out this threat.
 In fact, it is possible he may remain longer in the governors office, as it now seems apparent that Congress will ad- journ about the time or before the Geor- gla legislature finishes its work.
 In that event 1t is generally understood to be Governor Smiths intention, always provided, of course, he is elected, to re- main governor until about the time for 1OIlRTeSS tO IrbV& III DtCeH1DeTs On the other hanl, it is possible that he would resign earrer in the game, as there would be comparatively little for him tc do after the legislature adjourns, and then the various candidates for governor would, no doubt. like to have as big a plum as possible to fight for
 Candidates for governor are getting | tat ta urer J. Pope Brown, Just retired, admits that he would like to be governor, but will not discuss his prospective candidacy. He says the time is not yet ripe to talk about it.
 Then there is Dr. L. G Hardman of Jackson. who served eight years in the legislature and was one of the authors ol the state prohibition bill. He has an eye on the position, and there is every indi- cation that he is going to get into the first race for it that is called.
 There is a growing belief that former Gov Joseph M Brown would become a candidate, should opportunity offer, and even many of the Hoke Smith followers express the belief that he would be elected.
 Then there is Commissioner of Agricul- ture T. G. Hudson who takes it rather hard that the legislature should be talk ing about Investigating his department, lust as he is getting ready to run Tor gov ernor. The resolution looking to the ln- vestigation was introduced as the result of the recent action of farmers club m Polk county which urged that 1t be done, and Representative F. s. Aut of Polk is the father of the investigation move ment.
 Whether Hon. John M. Slaton, president of the senate, would enter a race for the governorship at this time is yet ques- tion though many of his friends appear to think he would be right in the thick of it.
 There are others who would like to run, and the gubernatorial situation Is pro- yoking almost as much quiet discussion just now as the senatorship.