The Birmingham age-herald., 1911-07-03
HOKE SM|THLOOKS
 LIKE 4 WINNER But No One Knows What His Strength Is
TWO BALLOTS LIKELY
Governor Smith Has Enthusiastic Support of Would Be Governors for Senatorship-Situa-
 ton Interesting

Atlanta, July 2.-Hoke Smith is now governor, but will he be United States senator?
 That is the political question that is now agitating the minds of several can didates, of some 22S members of the leg islature and possibly a couple of million or more Georgia citizens.
 AS the time for the election approaches 1t begins to look more and more as If Governor Smith had the situation under control. He seems to have taken hold of a situation that was chaotic and more than doubtful a week ago, and brought il around his own way.
 Still there is no one capable of looking at the situation from an unprejudiced standpoint, who seems to know just what Governor Smiths strength is; it is by no means positive that he has majority of the members pledged to support him. It is quite probable, however, that he has a good many more votes assured than any other single candidate; there is some thing substantial evidently underlying the positive assurance with which his inti- mate friends are viewing the outcome of the election.
 One of these said that possibly MT. Smith would not be elected on the first ballot but that he would go in on the second.
 This is construed to mean that the votes of other candidates, some of them at least will go to him after the first ballot. His friends arc even claiming on the second barot a considerable number oi Terrell votes.
 Notwithstanding this aspect of the situ ation, Hoke Smiths opponents are ao hitting nothing. They are, if anything even more dogged and determined tha ever.
 Opposition Claims
 The opposition insists that MT. Smitl let it be given out that he approved o his name being presented to the legisla ture because his friends had informed hin that it was his only possible chance of be ing elected; and they declare it won work.
 Mir. Smiths friends assert the ab surdity of this story, and declare tha it is more credible that he should hay first ascertained that he had sufficien strength to pull him through, before mak ing it known that he approved the pre- eentation of his name to tAe legislature
 Senator Terrell and his friends are stil pushing his campaign for all it is worth and insisting that he will have nor than 100 votes on the first ballot, while tn Smith followers are quietly spreading tn report that Terrell Is weakening an, has already lost much of his support. There have been rumors of a possib combination of Stovall and Covingtol forces, although it Is stoutly ,denied b. both of these gentlemen. 1t probably grew out of the talk among their friend to get together nearly as possible ol 2 the south Georgia line; and it is sait to be not unlikely now that this aspect O. the situation will prove one of the mos difficult obstacles Hoke Smith has tt overcome. In fact, 1t looks as if thu Covington and Stovall movements art now the strong element pitted agains Hoke Smith, and that if his defeat i. brought about it will come in some way or another through those forces.
 Talk Over Primary
 Indications are that the proposal tC