Atlanta Georgian. [volume] (Atlanta, Ga.) 1912-1939, 1912-06-27
WATSON At TACKS
SENATOR SMITH
Launching Railroad Commits
sion Ticket, Urges Election
of Guyt MCLendon.

In bitter attack on Senator Hoke
Smith today, Tom Watson launched a
ticket of three railroad commissioners
to succeed the men who must fight for
reelection in the primary. Foremost
among the Watson candidates Is S.
Guyt McLendon. who was forced out of
office as result Of Senator Smiths eff
forts.
Judge George Hillyer, Atlanta; Paul
Trammell, Dalton, and Joseph Gray.
Savannah. are the commissioners who
must go before the people to serve
longer.
Watson declares that McLendon was
''lynched" by a servile legislature at
Smiths orders. He asserts that the
senator-then, Of course, governor
needed a scapegoat, singled out Nc
Tendon and attacked him alone with a
savage vindictiveness that has never
been surpassed"
Mr.. Watson's other candidates are
J. J. Flynt, of Spalding, and Fermor
Barrett, of Stephens. His attack APP
pears in his paper. The Jeffersonian,
and says among other things:
If the people of this state should
right the wrong which was wreak-
ed upon Guyt McLendon, by Hog
it-all Smith, 1 for one, would be
deeply gratified.
There never was a man worse
lied about than was McLendon.
Smith and his paper convinced
the legislature and the public at
large that Mac had betrayed the
people to the railroads.
Acting under this impression and
under Smiths orders, the legisla
ture lynched McLendon, driving
him out of his office, and consign-
ing him to shame
As matter OF fact, McLendon
had merely voted against the grant
Of special fayors to the Beck
Gregg Hardware Company ct al
vote which was right in itself,
and which was in accordance with
two decisions which the commits
sion had made, when the same case
had been before it on two former
occasions.
Long before McLendon was ap-
pointed commissioner, the Beck
Gregg Hardware Company ct al.
had employed Hoke Smith to go
before the commission for the pur-
pose of securing special rates for
half a dozen Atlanta iobbers, on
coffee and certain kinds OF iron
goods.
The commission very properly
refused to allow the special favors
which Smith sought for his clients.
Watson then relates some history of
the case, declares Smith ignored his
campaign pledges, to reduce freight
rates. and when condemned he grabbed
his old petition in favor of the Beck
I Gregg Hardware Company ct al. and
laid 1t before the commission.
He knew that the commission
could not possibly grant the special
favors applied for by those Atlanta
jobbers.
He knew that the commission
would be compelled to refuse the
petitioners.
But he wanted a scapegoat, and
he had selected Guyt McLendon,
who was the acknowledged head of
the railroad commission.
Although a majority of the COM
mission voted against the Beck
Gregg petition. Smith singled out
McLendon. and attacked him alone
with savage vindictiveness that
has never been surpassed.
McLendon is superbly fitted for
the position of railroad commits
sioner
Friends! let us put this honest
and courageous gentleman back
into the place from which the
treacherous and vindictive Smith
kicked him.
You made a governor out of Jo-
seph M. Brown, after Smith had
kicked him off the commission.
You have had no cause to re-
a.