The Birmingham age-herald., 1911-07-23
PROHIBITION HE
 ISSUE IN GEORGIA
May Be Question in Guber-
 material Race
GOSSIP OF POLITICIANS
Hoke Smith Still Acts as Governor. Jaseph M. Brown Busy Writing Letters of Thanks to His
 Constituents

Atld4Id. JulN E-.-lCHtNldlsf - ittiN AAp-7 been no apparent change in the attitude of Governor Smith regarding the sena- torship. It is understood that he is keep
 ng posted on conditions in the United States Senate and that if for any reason he feels his vote is likely to become necessary for the passage of any demo- cratic measure he will resign at once and 30 to Washington. Otherwise he will continue to remain in the governors of tice until December l.
 Some political wag. however, has sug- gested that Governor Smith had made up his mind to go to Washington at once, but is HOW delaying his departure be cause of the certainty that ex-Gov. Jo- seph Brown will come out for governor as soon as the announcement of his resig- ration is made The opposition seems to believe that the longer the ex-governor's s candidacy is staved off, the weaker he will become and the easier, it will be to accomplish his defeat. At present MT. smiths friends seem unable to center on any candidate who they believe can beat Little Joe" They are hitting all around and trying to light on the strong est man, but so far he does not appear to have developed.
 Apparently they do not regard Pope Brown as a strong candidate. though they may be ultimately forced to support him, now that they cannot have Hudson.
 Former Gov Joseph M. Brown is busy at his Marietta home, answering letters +le cto ta him to announce for governor, and thanking them for their expressions of interest and support.
 In none of these letters has he said that le would or would not enter the race, but the belief is growing that he will soon announce-in fact that he will be heard from just as soon as Gov. Hoke Smith tenders his resignation and goes to the Senate
 Try to Inject Prohibition
 Effor1s to inject the prohibition question into the approaching campaign for gov ernor, shares interest just now with the practically effective elimination of Com missioner of Agriculture T. C. Hudson from tre governors race.
 Alarmed by the activity of the prohibit tionists in seeking to make the present
 law mere drastic, and in their efforts to bring about the prohibition of the sale of any beverage containing more than one half of I per cent of alcohol, the anti prohib.tionists are getting active them selves, not only with a view to blocking if possible any further legislation, but as it is now stated, to see if they cannot bring about some modification of the present law.
 This opportunity they think they see ip. the coming race for governor. and from present prospects it is not at all unlikely that a vote for governor in the coming primary will mean a vote on one side or | the otter of the prohibition question. A ngniber of anti-prohibition leaders l ore here looking over the situation. fact | which has lent color to the reports that
 it IS to be an issue in the coming cam | pagn. Of course the direct issue of pro- nibition or anti-prohibition will not be | raised it will come perhaps if it comes at | all. in the shape of a somewhat restrictive
 local option. and the candidates will be
 asked to line up on one side or the other
 of the question.
 l Concarently with these reports comes
 also tho rumor that If anything of this | kind IS attempted, the Anti-Saloon league | wli go to all the candidates with a docu- mant similar to that which they present cd to Hoke Smith and Joe Brown in theiI | first race, and in signing which eac pledged himself 10 veto any attempted change in tue present prohibition law. Thus mere Is more than a possibility of the question being made direct issue ir the coming campaign-a possibility whcl l the candidates do not like. There is not one Q the prospective candidates but
 would wholly eliminate the prohibition question were it left to him.
 There is considerable interest manifest el in The probable attitude of former | Gov. Joseph NJ. Brown. particularly since | there Is scarcely any question about his
 coming into the race. While no one is au-
 thorized to speak for him. it is generally l believed his attitude would be conserva-
 life ore, rather than extreme in either | direction.
 It is generally understood that J. Pope | Brown one of the announced candidates
 IS proaibitionst, and that Judge R. B. 1 Russell the only other announced candi- | date, stands for local option, though it | is said Judge Russell is manifesting no desire whatsoever to have that question l injected into the campaign.
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