The Calumet news., 1911-12-06
PROHIBITION Is
GEORGIAN ISSUE
BITTER CAMPAIGN ENDS AND
PRIMARIES TOMORROW WILL
DETE MINE HOKE
SMITHS succEssoR.

Atlanta, Ga, Dec. 6.-The permanent
successor of Eoke Smith as governor
of Georgia will be selected by the
| Democrats in a state wide primary to-
morrow. The campaign which closed
today has been very spirited one and
has presented several unusual features.
The term of Governor Smith i'm the
ordinary course of events would have
expired in July, 1913 The resignation
Of Governor Smith and the necessity
of a special election to select his sue
oessor were brought about by the death
of United States Senator Clay a year
ago Upon the death OF Senator Clay,
Joseph NJ. Brown, who WAS then the
governor of Georgia, appointed ex-
Governor Joseph * Terrell to fill the
vacancy in the senate. but the legisla-
ture early in the present year named
Governor Smith in his stead. Mr.
Smith accepted the election to the
Senate but did not go to Washington
during the special session of Congress.
lie held on to the governorship until
the middle of last month, when he re-
signed and was succeeded by John NJ.
Slaton as acting governor. Mr.. Slaton
will continue to hold the office until the
latter part of January, when the win
ner in tomorrow's primary will sue
ceed him.
Brown is Favorite.
IN. IL, tI,ai
primary race The first in the field was
HCcl. j. Pope Brown of 1awknsville, |
who formerly held the Office of state
treasurer. Then came Richard b. Rus
sell of Russellvile, judge of the
Georgia court of appeals. The last to
enter the contest was Ex-Governor
Joseph NJ. Brown.
The candidacy of Little Joe" Brown !
added spice to what would otherwise !
have been a very tame contest. For
several years Brown has been the |
stormy petrol of Georgia politics. When |
Hoke Smith was first elected gover-
nor Brown held the office of railroad |
commissioner. The political differ
ences that had long existed between |
the two were not long in coming to
a head and the result was that Gov
ernor Smith removed Brown from Of
flee.
Brown Immediately began cam
.paign to succeed Smith in the COVER
norship. He was successful in the pri- ,
mary and his election followed as a
matter of course, for in Georgia the ,
winner of the Democratic primary is
as good as seated. But in his ilght |
for reelection the victory was re-
versed and he was defeated by Hoke |
Smith, who again came into the COVER
norship.
Factions Are Divided.
The entry of Brown into the present |
contest for governor naturally precipi-
tated a renewal of the old-time bitter
fractional strife. The Smith adherents
look upon Browns candidacy as part
of q plan of former Governor Terrell
and the old machine to gain central of
the Georgia Democracy and defeat
smith when he goes before the people
for reelection as United States sena-
tor. Either J. Pope or Judge Russell
would be acceptable to the Smith fac
tion I'm preference to Little joe
The greatest difficulty facing the
candidacy at the beginning OF the
campaign was the dearth of important
issues upon which to wage the contest.
The old issues had been worn thread
bare and no longer interested the peo-
ple Finally two Of the candidates, j.
Pope Brown and Judge Russell, decid-
ed that the question of prohibition
should be the chief issue, though to
the ordinary onlooker II would appear
mat the prohibition question had been
dlaposed of as live issue several
years ago when the prohibitory amend
mont was added to the state constitu-
tion.
Prohibition Only Issue.
But the prohibition law, or rather the