Atlanta Georgian. [volume] (Atlanta, Ga.) 1912-1939, 1912-08-22
SIDELIGHTS
ON GEORGIA POLITICS
BY JAMES B. NEVIN.

/
The results OF yesterdays primary
election abundantly justified the fore
casts and predictions of The Atlanta
. Georgian.
And The Georgian. by the way. is
the only newspaper in the state that
ventured detailed and specific pre-
diction in the governorship race.
On Tuesday. The Georgian said,
through its corps of state spond-
ents, that Slaton would carry not less
than 131 counties that Alexander might
get a dozen, and Hall half as many as
| Alexander
In setting forth. that final forecast,
| The Georgian's correspondents went
the governor to- be eleven counties bet
ter than his own claim-he predicted
for himself 120 counties.
The Georgian said that Alexander and
| Hall together would get hardly half
| the popular vote accorded Slaton. Sla-
ton seems to have run well over $4,000
ahead of his opponents combined.
Going back to the beginning, The
Georgian some two weeks after the
collapse of the Hudson boom, used this
expression: THE governorship race
seems to have developed into a run
away for Slaton.'
| That sentence was quoted from one
end of the state to the other and by
some of The Georgian's contemporaries
was thought to be rather broad and
confident.
But it was true-absolutely true.
From the very day of the Hudson down
fall the race WAS a runaway for Sla-
! ton.
| The Georgian had no other interest
| in the matter than to set forth intelli-
gently and fairly the honest news of
the gubernatorial campaign as it de-
veloped from time to time.
AS newspaper The Georgian was
due that much to it's constituency-the
out particular regard to factions or sec
tions.
In its endeavor to be fair to all and
partial to none, The Georgian was sub
jected by one Of the candidates to a
sweeping Indictment of unfair play and
lack of intent or desire to give all the
candidates "a square deal!"
BY its conduct rather than in specific
denial The Georgian pleaded mot gull
ty" to that indctment-and the re-
turns of yesterday vindicate The Geor-
gian's plea sufficiently and with approx
innate conclusiveness
The Georgian gave Mr.. Alexander a
great deal of space, when Mr.. Alexan-
der seemed to deserve it from the
standpoint of news.
When he made his spectacular en-
trance into the gubernatorial contest,
The Georgian spread the news of that
from one end of Georgia to the other.
Before that The Georgian had ac-
corded Mr.. Alexander a large measure
of praise for certain fights he had made
on the floor of the house for the pas
sage of pending legislation in which he
seemed sincerely and deeply interested
When he announced for governor he
Immediately became a lgitimate topic Of
comment and a source of news.
The Georgian shirked nothing by way
of honest news endeavor, so far as MI
Alexander was concerned. 1t gave him,
as it was giving Mr.. Slaton and Mr..
Hall, "a square DEAL"
Through its various sources of infor-
nation of an authentic and dependable
sort, The Georgian saw, early in Mr..
Alexander's fight. that his cause was
hopeless and it's finish definitely sure
The Georgian reflected, not unkindly,
but truthfully, that state of things.
1t required its correspondents to send
in. with careful attention to accuracy,
unbiased reports of what likely would
fhappen in their various communities on
election day
Their answer was, Not less than 13I
counties for Slaton."
The Georgian printed their opinions,
assembled in one straightforward news
story.
Mr., Alexander promptly characterized
that story as "bluster," and repeated
his charge Of unfairness and lack of a
desire to give him square deal"
That sounded a little like whining to
The Georgian, but The Georgian let it
go-the only point now is that the re-
suits Justify The Georgian's CORE
spondents, and show that they faith
fully followed The Georgian's instruc-
tons to send in truthful reports, and
that only.
Mr. Hall received square deal" at
The GeOrgian's hands-and never once
did he complain that he wasn't getting
just that
He stood straight up. fought in the
open. new II "holered" if the news
seemed not to come his way-indeed, he
never seemed to notice particularly that
it wasn't coming his way-and to the
last ditch he was the same brave "Old
Joe" The Macon Telegraph has loved to
talk about
He ran second, and not third. too, il
the final lap-thus in a way, reversing
one of The Georgians forecasts. for The
tConrgy;ov ba ~ 10