Atlanta Georgian., 1912-05-09
sv JAMES 3. NEvlN.

/
ed a. member of the national Demo
| cratic executive COMMITTEES, is the sen
| Ter member of that committee in point
/ of continuous service He is nov com
pleting his fifth term as Georgia 5
member Of the committee. At the ex-
piration of his next term he will have
served exactly "a years.
BY reason of this long service. Mr..
Howell is easily one of the most inau-
ential members of the committee. He
! frequently Is the one authority avail
able for settling matters within the
committee controlled largely by pr2ce-
dent
Howells First Election
M HoweIs hrst election to the na-
| tional committee took place in the sum
mer Of 1892. 1t came about through the
most surprising and. in many aspects,
amusing combination of circunl-
stances ever recorded in Georgia poll
tics.
Early in the year 1892 an aggressive
movement was started for the presi-
dental nomination of David B Hill of
New York, by the Democrats. An ear
| ly convention was called in the Empire
State and Hill was handed the New
York Endorsement on silver waiter
The Atlanta Constitution, of which
MIR Howell is the editor now and of
| which his father the late Captain Evan
P Howell was editor then. warmly
espoused the cause of Hill.
| Hoke Smith. then the owner of The
| Atlanta Journal, long Mr. Howelrs
! dearest political enemy in Georgia. took
! to the Hill movement not at all
| Through Mr.. Smith. The Journal began
clamoring for "a Western man" for the
presidency, suggesting with great en-
phasis Palmer, of Illinois, then a strong
man in his section.
Cleveland Movement Appears
Later along. however, the Grover
| Cleveland movement in New York got
off it's feet and Mr.. Cleveland into the
white house
| The Journal promptly dropped Mr..
I Palmer and seized upon Mr.. Cleveland.
1t put up a great battle for Cleveland
in Georgia-and il won, by narrow
| margin. When the state convention
came together it vas found that
Smiths candidate. Cleveland had won
over Howelrs candidate, Hill by about
| % votes. 1t proceeded to elect national
delegates and to adopt ironclad Cleve-
land instructions
When those delegates came together
for the purpose of eIecting a national
committeeman, however it was discov-
cred that Howell had majority of
them favorable to himself as national
committeeman, notwithstanding his loss
of the Hill fight and loss of control in
the convention.
Much to Mr. Smiths chagrin and
modification, the delegates proceeded
to elect Howell national committee
mani
Chase Of Howell Begins.
From 1892 to 1912 the chase for Mr.
Howel's scalp has been in progress.
! From 1892 to 1906 repeated efforts were
made to shake Howell loose from that
/ national committeeman job, but never
/ with any promise of success until 1905.
In that year Hoke Smith swept the
state of Georgia in an election in which
! Clark Howell was one of his oppo-
nents Smiths victory was over
whelming. and when his convention as
sembed in Macon to declare his nomi
nation, adopt platform and do the
other usual stunts. there was precious
little minority representation to make
fuss of any sort.
1t was an off presidential year, how
! ever, and there was no way of ousting
Howell Immediately from the national
committee, so Congressman Hardwick
introduced a resolution, which was vo-
ciferously passed, declaring it to be the
sense of the Georgia Democracy in con-
vention assembled that the name of
James r. Gray should be presented at
| the expiration of two years for the ma
tional eommitteemanshi held by How
| ell!
This all looked pretty squally for
! Howell, for it had been the unbroken
custom for 50 years in Georgia that
every Democratic governor should have
| two terms, and there seemed to be no
way to head Smith off from a second
term and the control of another con-
vention. In which event. fare -you-well
Howell!
Joe Brown Gets In.
Pretty soon after Gov. Smith was seat
ed he had a falling out with Railroad
Pretty soon after Smith was seated
| Commissioner Little Joe" Brown. And
right there was where grand, gloomy
and peculiar things began to happen in
Georgia
Little Joe" Brown refused to agree
TO something Governor Smith demand
ed of the railroad commission. More
over, Brown hadn't been particularly
friendly to Smiths election, anyway
Before long Governor Smith began 70
talk pretty rough to Brown-and Brown
to talk back rough to Governor Smith.
And so, in a moment of aggravated
inpatience Governor Smith fired
thought about the matter
Brown then said, all right, but he
would see what the people of Georgia
thought about that firing business
Governor Smith pooh-poohed ana
tut-tutted that whole Brown guberna-
/ torisl suggestion, and proceeded to rel