Atlanta semi-weekly journal. (Atlanta, Ga.) 1898-1920, 1912-04-30
GEORGIA'S VOTE FOR
UNDERWOOD WOULD
LOSE presidency
In a Review of the Presidential
Situation, Senator Smith De-
CIareS Contest Now Clearly
Between Wilson and Clark
SENATOR HoKE SMITH.

''Georgia's vote for Congressman I'm
derwood might make him speaker and
lose US the presidency by nominating
Champ Clark" declares United States
Senator Hoke Smith, of Georgia. in the
following review Of the presidential sit
uation. He has authorized its publica4
ton:
'Georgia's vote for Wilson win prob4
ably name the next president" he as
serts. Senator Smith says that there Is
no campaign fund back of Governor
Wilson's race; no special interests are
organized behind him-and yet all over
the United States he has a strong fol-
lowing among the masses of the people
The contest is clearly between Speak
er Clark and Governor Wilson, he says
He takes issue with the Campaign lit
erature which would claim for Com
gresham Underwood the cridit for all
that the committee on ways and means
has done. At least half the members
of the communities are entitled to as
much credit she
Senator Smith shows why he believes
Speaker Clark would not make strong
candidate. He says that the ticket for
Democracy to win with is Woodrow VIII
son for president and Judson Harmon
for vice president
Here, in his own words, is what he
has to say:
SENATOR SMITHS CARD.
ct have no personal interest in whom
the Democrats nominate The president
has no position to fill that would wish
10 accept in exchange for the commits
sion now hold as one of Georgia's sem
ators. 1 wish also to state most en-
phatically my desire to take no part in
local politics in Georgia. especially 50
during the coming summer.
''The selection Of a candidate for pres
ident by the people of Georgia should IN
no way be complicated with anyone's
race for any place in Georgia I favor
the nomination Of Governor Wilson be-
cause know he is capable of making
great president and because my study OF
the situation has satisfied me that We
can name no one who so certainly we
can elect
There is no campaign fund back OF
his race. There is no organized body
Of interests supporting him and yet ali
over the United States he has shown
following among the masses Of the
people who voluntarily support him.
which demonstrate how strong ne
would be if he were nominated as our
candidate.
BETWEEN WILSON AND CLARK
The contest shows up as clearly be-
tween Governor Wilson and Speaker
Clark. Oklahoma, Kansas, Wisconsin,,
North Dakota, Maine, Illinois, Pennsyl-
vani, Michigan, Nebraska and Oregon
have been the sites of a close contest
by which the preferences of the people
could be determined for the Democrats
ic nomination. Governor Wilson has
led in Oklahoma. Wisconsin. North
Dakota, Pennsylvania, Maine Michi-
gan and Oregon. He has been declar-
ed the second choice Of the people OF
Kansas.
Speaker Clark has led in other
states where the contest has taken
place and Governor Harmon. whfls
4 possessing a following everywhere
has not shown that general strength
that his friends expected. He has
only four delegates so far among all
the states that have acted.
Mr.. Underwood has shown no
strength at all He is not running as
far west as Louisiana or as far north
as Tennessee. He has been IN congress
eighteen years and yet were in Georgia
not one man out Of ten had ever heard
of him until by his long service on
the ways and means COMMITTEES he be-
came a few months ago chairman Of
the committee.
Upon that COMMITTEES there are a
number of very able men.
Few who know Mr.. Underwood
would claim that he has any advant-
age in ability over Bfantley, OF Geor-l
gia; Kitchins, of North Carolina. or
Hull, of Tennessee. who are on the
ways and means committee.
CREDIT NOT ALL HIS.
while the effort has been made ia
Georgia to give him credit for what
the committee has done it is welI
known that at least half the members
of the committee are entitled indi-
vidually to fully as much credit for
what the committee has done as Il
Mr.. Underwood.
''The contest being between Governor
Wilson and Speaker Clark, to give Geor-
gia to Underwood would be simply to
help Speaker Clark and to inJure Gov
ernor Wilson in the other states where
the contest is to take place between them
''Georgia's vote for Underwood might
make him speaker and lose Us the presi-
dency by nominating Clark
It do not believe that Speaker Clark
would make a strong candidate. l think
his criticism of President Cleveland
when he compared him to Benedict Ar
mold and Judas Iscariot would destroy
him as a candidate in New York and
New Jersey
II think that his declaration that the
custom houses should all be abolished
and that we should do away with all
representatives in foreign countries as.
Well as ms OeCAdIdtlUn last year II AdNDA
of annexing Canada could be used by
the Republicans TO seriously jeopardize
Democratic success if he were nomi-
mated.
a WINNING TICKET.
In giving my observations upon the
situation I am simply giving the people
of Georgia the benefit of what I have an
opportunity to learn here
Il believe the best interests Of the
party will be promoted by leaving Clark
and Underwood in the positions which
they fill, by nominating Governor Wilson
for president and then the ticket would
be Irresistible should We add Governor
Harmon for vice president. Such a ticket
I believe would beat any ticket the
Republicans could put out. They would
beat Colonel Roosevelt in New York. New
Jersey, Connecticut, Ohio, Indiana and
Wisconsin. They should beat President
Taft in New York, New Jersey, Ohio, In
diana Wisconsin and the Dakotas, and
il is entirely probable that they would
beat either of the two in a number OF
other states. OF course they would carry
the southern states.