Americus times-recorder. [volume] (Americus, Ga.) 1891-current, 1911-07-06
TIME FOR SOUTH GEORGIA TO
CALL A HALT.

II has been about thirty years since
Thomas n. Norwood sat in the United
States Senate as one of the represen-
tatives of Georgia. During those three
decades no senator has come from the
vast extent of the state known as
South Georgia Draw a line from
Augusta to Columbus and the richest
and most progressive territory in Geor-
gia lies to the South of it, the section
that has bee1 making the greatest for
ward steps in population and material
development That is the section that
has been persistently excluded from
participation in any of the larger po-
litical prizes of the State.
During those thirty years, and ex-
tending farther back than that, South
Georgia has been as vigorously eXclud-
ed from the gubernatorial chair. No gov
ernor and no senator has been taken
from South Georgia. Its sons, equal in
ability, in character, in sterling DEM
ocracy, in power to champion the
cause of the people to the greatest ad-
vantage at Washington have been
ignored by the North Georgia oligarchy
| that has dominated and manipulated
Georgia's political affairs.
Is it always to continue this way? Is
the great giant to lie sleeping all the
time? Is another decade, and then
another, to be added to the three that
have passed, and witness like ex-
clusion of the sons of South Georgia
| from these coveted honors? Senator
Bacon cannot in any way be consider
ed South Georgian. Macon is bare
| hundred to three hundred miles
from Atlanta The upper half
of the state, in fact, holds the
two senatorships, has held the two
senatorships and the governorship in
its grasp for thirty uninterrupted
years
And now it hopes and proposes to
continue on this program. Gov. Smith
expects to be elected Senator. Per-
haps he may be. Perhaps not. II he IS
it means simply the continuance of the
two senatorships in the upper half Of
the state. And then President Slaton,
of the Senate, another Albanian, is lay
ing plans to succeed to the governor
ship in the event of Smiths senatorial
aspirations being gratified The chain,
they apparently think, must forever Oe
unbroken, one North Georgian must
perpetually succeed another. Joe
Brown, practically an Albanian, sue
ceeded by Hoke Smith, of Atlanta, who
must be succeeded by Jack Slaton, Of
Atlanta. Senator Clay, practically al
Atlanta man, must be succeeded BY
Hoke Smith, an Albanian. Which At
lantian has his eye on Bacon's seat il
= not yet divulged.
This is all wrong and the time ha!
come to put a stop to it. 1t may no
be possible to withhold the senatorshiI
~ from Gov. Smith, although that is b.
no means yet assured. But it is clear
- ly within the reach of South Georgii
to stand fiat footed on the proposition
that If Smith is elected South Georgia
= must and will have the governorship
! This section has been the door mat il
Georgia politics for mighty long time
1t has been, the newer of wood am
the drawer of water reaching back t,
the war period 1t saved Democracy IL
Georgia when Populism seemed read
= to overwhelm it. Its brains and it
Drawn and its money saved Georgi
from a reign of third partyism ant
' kept the offices for North Georgia. Blu
g that era should now be brought to II
q end If South Georgia does not ge
the senatorship it must have the gov
ernorship The report that iSlaton Il!
pires to succeed Smith is merely an
= otAVl eAhlple4OH VI ludL val iElolIS po
litical policy that will yet bring abou
the ruin of North Georgia in state at
fairs. Once South Georgia does ge
thoroughly aroused and assert itsel
North Georgia is pretty apt to have
long period in which to cool itself i
political oblivion and think over the re
suits of its own aggravated policy O
" hogging everything that offers that
worth going after.