The Birmingham age-herald., 1911-05-22
GEORGIA POLITICS IS ALWAYS TURNING Current of Excitement Fol
 lows HOke Smith IS DRIFTING ALONG Will Give No Public utterance as to His Candidacy for the Senate
 and the Legislature Now
 Seems Split
IS DRIFTING ALONG

Atlanta, May 21.-tSpec1al. )--GoVernor- elect Hoke Smith has not been in Atlanta long enough since Guyt McLendon wrote his recent challenge for a series of joint debates on the question of the senator ship, for anyone to find out whether he intends to reply to 1t or not
 It begins to look as if Mir Smith pro- posed to ignore altogether the deff of he suspended from office. Mir. Smith has been out of the city attending the meet ing of the Peabody board. on speaking expeditions and for other purposes, and it Is not likely he will spend much time here between now and the inauguration.
 It seems quite evident that he does not propose to say anything about the senatorship, publicly until after the leg
 sature meets, or, in other words, until a1ter the legislature has said something first.
 Some of MT. Smiths friends are said to be not altogether pleased with his at titude. It is reported that Railroad Com missioner Murphey Cander, for instance, does not exactly appreciate the way in which MT. Smith is running for the Senate Notwithstanding the fact that MT. Candler would like to get into the race himself he is for MT. Smith when ever the latter makes known his candi- dacy, with more def1niteness than he has already done by simply telling his friends about it quietly.
 MT Candler it is said, would like to know more definitely just where MT. Smith is at" Then he would know bet ter what to do himself. However, he has practically set his rudder upon the theory that MT. Smith is running for the Senate and running just about as hard as if he had already made public an- nouncement of his candidacy.
 On the other hand, Judge W. A. Gov ington of Moultrie. it is announced, is going to stick to the race through thick and thin Hoke Smith or no Hoke Smith, and that, too, despite the fact that he has always been one of MT Smiths fore most and warmest political supporters. Mr. Covington claims 50 votes and his strength may cut some decided figure in determining the result, though many seem to think most of 1t would go to Mir Smith in the event MT. Covington found he could not bring things around his way.
 Congress continues to hold on. and no definite word has come from Senator Jo-
 seph NJ Terrell as to his plans, beyond
 the current report that he has secured headquarters at the Kimball House, which
 will be opened for the campaign early in June.
 l No campaign managers have been an- nounced by Senator Terrell nor any of the other candidates. Senator Terrell's friends assert that he holds a surprising amount of strength especially among the south Georgia counties, and with the evident split in the Hoke Smith faction, they express confidence in his election, if not on the first ballot, at least very shortly thereafter.
 In the meantime Commissioner T. G. Hudson of the department of agriculture has become an open and avowed candi- date for governor at any old time that | the opportunity presents itself. If Hoke | Smith should go to the Senate then he will be candidate at once; if not then at the close of MT. Smiths administra- tion as governor. But he is running for | governor-running right now, and with l mand. He has so informed his friends down in south Georgia, and enlisted their | support in his race whenever it shall be pulled off.
 There is talk, too, of Railroad Com | missioner Murphey Candler getting in
 the race for governor in the event his senatorial aspirations should be thwarted by the success of the big chief" In fact, MT. Candler has been groomed
 for governor for some time by the Smith faction, and until this senatorial pow
 WOW came along, it was generally under
 stood that MT. Cander was to go into | the executive office on the next whirl
 Whether that still stands or not remains | to be seen, though it is pretty generally
 understood that MT. Candler is willing Then there are John M. Siaton, who
 expects to be president of the next sen
 ate, and Judge Richard B. Russell of
 the state court of appeals, who has long | nourished desire to fill the executive office, and who is expected to go out after 1t at the first fair opportunity. Both | of these are probabilities in the next | contest whenever it may come along. | Hon. J. D. Price of Oconoco and former President J. J. Connor of the state agri- 1 cultural society are both waiting the op- l portunity to step into the shoes of Com missioner of Agriculture Hudson as soon as a fair opportunity presents itself. All either of them wants is just half chance
 Whether Capt. R. F. Wright will make | the third entry in this race is yet to be developed Bob" Wright as his friends know him, has just been waiting for | Nr Hudson to get out of the way, in Congress or in the governors office. to take a shot at the agricultural commits | nia,a-et,;,, birnsalf has been quite