Americus times-recorder. [volume] (Americus, Ga.) 1891-current, 1911-03-21
SMITH, GAMBLER AND THE SEN
AT0RSHIP.

Some of those enterprising news
PAPER correspondents in Atlanta per-
s.stently urge upon the attention of
the state the candidacy OF Murphy
Gambler as the successor to Senator
Terrell, insisting that he is the logical
candidate of the Smith faction, that ne
/ has the personal backing of Governor
Smith, and that his chances OF election
by the legislature are better than those
Of any Of the other candidates in oppo-
sition to Terrell
But why should Gov. Smith support
Murphy Gambler? 1t is true that Cand-
Ter has been consistent supporter Of
many of the Smith policies and that
their relations have been cordial But
that is likewise true of a number Of
other prominent public men in the
state. StovalI, of Savannah, for in
stance, was just as forceful, just as ag-
gressiye and just as valuable a sup
porter of Smith in his two campaigns
as Murphy Gambler. And Stoyall was
a staunch supporter in the face Of
community whose sympathies We're
largely enrolled on the Brown side IN
the last two campaigns, and the big
business interests of which were dis
tinctIy anti-Smith in the first cam
paign. Then there is Hardwick, up in
the Tenth. Surely he fought, bled,'
and would have died, for Smith. Are
not his claims equally as strong as
Gamblers. And there are others.
But outside Of the fact that Gov
Smith might find it difficult and dang
erous to choose between ardent friends
aspiring to senatorial honOrs, there is
another and grayer reason why he
should not throw the overmastering
weight of his support to Gambler.
Gambler halls from DeKalb county, ad-
joining Fulton county, but to all prac-
teal purposes is an Atlanta man. His
office is in Atlanta and the fact that he
takes a street car and runs over the
border at nights to sleep in an ad
joining county does not make him any
the less an Albanian. Suppose Cand
Ter should be made Senator by the
grace of Hoke Smith. And suppose
when Bacon's seat becomes vacant
Hoke Smith should then aspire, I'M
hampered by official position as now,
to succeed him. Does he imagine that
the rest of the state would stand for a
second Atlanta man taking such a
prize, would submit to Atlanta hogging
the two senatorships?
If Hoke Smith is not going to take
the senatorship this time-and we
really believe he will, when the proper
time, comes, in order to break the pro-
spectiye deadlock there is every reason
why he should not want an Atlanta
man, or even a North Georgia man, to
reach forth his hand and swipe the
toga that hangs at this time upon the
frame of Joe Terrell. Rather would it
promote the prospects Of Gov. Smith to
have the prize this time go to a South
Georgian That would leave the field
open for North Georgia later on, and
would rally behind Smith the support
of South Georgia There is more gen
uine gratitude, more genuine enthus-
iasm over political idols, more genu-
inc warmth of personal affection III
South Georgia than in North Georgia.
The political game has not been played
80 much, nor run out to the limit, in
this section as in the colder attitudes
of the state. Hoke Smith would really
be vastly increasing his own popular
ity, his own chance of a seat in the
senate later on, and at the same time
would be doing an act of political JUS
tice, if he gave his support to some
available South Georgia candidate
provided, of course, he does not in
tend to become Senator Smith in this
year of our Lord.