Americus times-recorder. [volume] (Americus, Ga.) 1891-current, 1911-09-12
WHY NOT ROTATE THE Gov
ERN0RSHIP!

Why not rotate the goyernorship?
Why not give it to South Georgia one
time. to North Georgia the next, and
so on?
South Georgia has just as able, just
as patriotic, just as progressive men
as North Georgia. 1t has Democrats
whose Democracy is. if any thing of
better quality than that so often pre-
vailing north Of the dividing line. This
section. it must be recalled, was the
section that saved the state against a
rule Of Third ParJyism. This section
has never followed the Atlanta school
OF thought" that leads toward the camp
Of high protection. 1t has never fallen
down and worshipped at strange
shriues.
There was time when Maryland
rotated its governors in this fashion
by law. 1t was provided in the consi-
tuition Of The state that Maryland
should be divided into three districts
and that the governors should come in
succession from them. The idea wasn't
bad one. by any means, and it seems
TO have worked satisfactorily for some
time. Probably tie growing wealth
and population o. Baltimore, oyerto2-
ping the county districts, may have
brought about The change. Telling Of
the old system the Baltimore Sun
says:
For a number Of years the section
from which the Governor should be
selected was fixed in the Constitution
This began under the amendment to
the Constitution ratified in 1887, which
fist provided for the election of the
Governor by the people and which was
the result Of the glorious nineteen v
affair That revision of the Constitu
ton divided the state into three dis
tricts The first district was composed
Of Baltimore city, Montgomery and the
southern counties, the second of the
Eastern Shore counties, and the third
Of Baltimore county, Hartford, Freder-
Washington Allegheny and Carroll.
The Governors Wee to be elected from
the different districts in succession.
This provision was retained in the
Constitution of 1851 and continued
down 10 1864. Under this provision
from 1887 down to 1864 a Governor
could not be reelected. Under the
original Constitution a Governor was
limited to three terms of one year
each. The first Governor to be elected
able TO amend the constitution of
Queen Anne's county. Then came Fran
els Thomas, of Frederick, who defeat
ed William Cost Johnson, the Wing
candidate, who also lived in Frederick
county. Both of these candidates We're
men of national reputation and were
powerful speakers. Mr.. Johnson, who
was affeCtionately known in his own
county as the "CatOctin SpTout," was
distinguished not only for his Oratory
but for his accurate shooting. In 1896
he engaged in duel with Mr. William
Schley, which has gone down in his
tory as the polite duel" because 1t
was a sort of Alphonse and CASTOR en-
counter, each combatant insisting that
the other should have the first shot.
Each of them hit the mark and both
were wounded 1t is related of Mr..
Johnson that on one occasion during
the absence Of the Speaker the
House of Representative got on a
lark and 'kidded" the gentleman who
presided. Mr.. Johnson was called up
on to bring the House to order This
he did by declaring as he assumed the
chair that Immediately after adjourn
ment he would send hostile message
to any member who did not respect
his decisions.
1t may not be necessary or desir-
able to amend the constitution of
Georgia to secure such an arrange
ment as this. 1t might simply become
the understood rule of the Democratic
party that each of the two great ma
ural divisions Of the state should have
a turn at filing the gubernatorial chair
That would be better than writing it
into the organic law.
North Georgia may sheer at such a
proposition now. But North Geor sia
should remember the growing pOpula-
ton of South Georgia and realize that
the advantage is all going to be on this
side Of the fence in a comparatively
few years. Suppose South Georgia
should then retaliate on North Geor-
gia's long control of the governorship
and the senatorships and proceed to
attach them to itself for a prolonged
and highly indefinite period North
Georgia would then be sorry it had not
accommodated itself to some such
proposition as this.
In a number of states the senators
are selected from widely separated
parts of the state, and the governors
come from different sections in success
sion. Georgia should emulate this
practice. The old Maryland example
is far from being a bad one. Could il
rot be successfully applied in this
state? 1t would he an effpctiva mana