Atlanta semi-weekly journal. (Atlanta, Ga.) 1898-1920, 1912-06-18
BLEAR-EYED ORACLES.

wood victory, some OF our contemporaries are see
ing strange visions and reading wondrous oracles
They affirm that the progressive principle or to use
their coined phrase, "the peoples movement in
Georgia Democracy is dead and done for. The state
has returned. as they it, to the old fabby days
of ring Doodle and boss rule when public Office was
private cinch and the politicians motto was "The
people be damned"
Naturally, their wish is father to the thought
They are accustomed seize every straw of comfort
for the wreck of their own regime and to welcome
every heeting shadow as an of its restoration
Dwelling as they do continually in the past, they
seem obivious to the fact that the thought of the
world moves forward and that within decade
conditions which once were tolerated may become
impossible. Whoever fancies that the progressive
principle or the progressive party opposed to the
reactonaries in Georgia politics is dead is pitiaby
ignorant of the state and its people,
That principle lives today more vitality than ever
1t lives in series of liberal and constructive statutes
that fortify both the business and the human rights
of our citizens. 1t lives in negro disfranchisement
law. in pure election law, in a just corporation
law, in law that abolished the convict lease and
in a system that revitalized our common schools.
It lives in the actual results it is yielding day by
day; and just so soon any reactionary clan lifts
a hand to destroy the work that has been done or
turn back the policies that have been established
they will find to their that 1t lives in the con-
victions and in the ballots of a hundred thousand
Georgians.
There are few states on which the progressive Dem
Gratis or If you WILL "the peoples movement" has not
left its impress but in none of them has it left more
interesting or fruitful record than in Georgia It's
first memorable victory was achieved in the guber
Material campaign of 1906 when the house of crooked
politics that had ruled the state almost it's ruin
was blasted from its very foundations. The candi
date representing the common interests nonina-
ted by the largest majority ever known at Georgia
polls and the work Of constructive reform began.
In the midst Of Governor Smiths first term of ad-
ministration, came nationwide and, indeed
worldwide financial panic It's utterly
foreign to any conditions existing in Georgia, and
its effects in this state were negligible But it was
seized upon by the ousted reactionares means of
restoring them to power. The ensuing campaign was
without rhyme or reason and its outcome of
purely negative and ephemeral character. The most
that could be said of the result that it repre-
sented one of those momentary sddies which some
times mark the strongest tides of public thought.
How trne this was appeared two years later when
the people again INDICATED the progressive move
ment by decisive majority. The gubernatorial pri
mary 1910 the real turning point in Georgia pol
ics The people chose deliberately between two rad
icay different types of government between two sets
of policies far apart those Of the Republican and
the Democratic parties. They chose progressive pol
icies and progressive party Indeed, it is the peo
pie themselves who are the progressive movement;
and we may remind our staggering contemporaries
that whenever the occasion arises whenever the real
need develops that movement will sweep forward
with redoubed vigor.
Following the campaign Of 1910, and less than
year ago. progressive legislature elected progress
sive statesman to represent Georgia in the United
States senate; and he is doing the entire common
wealth credit
One of our growing contemporaries dwells with
peculiar JUNCTION on the election Of Governor Brown
in the special primary last winter; and that
told was another fatal blow to 'the peoples move
ment" The public knows well enough that in that
contest, which was more than anything else polit
ical opera boure, there was test of strength be-
tween progressive and reactionary forces. There
were issues that called the people to decision
those vital principles that were at stake in 1905 and
in 1908. The popular vote exceptionally light
The outcome signifed nothing with respect to the
states underlying and persistent thought matters
of real Importance. And yet, told that
this thoroughly irrelevant and forgotten contest
marked "dsintegration" of the progressive move
ment in Georgia.
But of all the illusions that mock our polt
ca braggarts the most ridiculous is that the result
Of the recent presidential primary rout to the
progressive forces They are hard pressed for proof
when they cite contest in which state issues were
not involved and in which a former manager of
Governor Browns campaign was a stanch advocate
Of Woodrow Wilson and former manager of Hoke
Smiths campaign, a champion Of Congressman IN
derwood. If, under these circumstances,
temporaries really think that the Underwood vic
tory was a death thrust for the progressive party
Georgia logically related to the issues for
which that party has fought then we can only give