Atlanta semi-weekly journal. (Atlanta, Ga.) 1898-1920, 1912-04-02
THE REAL ISSUE.

a puppet candidate or their own, TOT nO oCnSA
end than to prevent the nomination OF woodrow
Wilson. is papable insult to the Democracy OF
this state.
They are seeking to hoax our people into their
tbreecornered plot against the party'u one truly
national leader
They would make the voters of this common
wealth mere lackies in their game to deadlock the
Baltimore convention
They have deliberately planned trick to wheedle
the party out of the nominee who can bear It's
cause to victory at the polls and, now, they are ask
ing Georgia Democrats to join in their design.
REGARDLESS of any or all the candidates in the
presidential contest the freeminded' right thlhAhs
citizens of this state cannot afford to do otherwise
in the approaching primary than to repudiate such
a scheme.
Underwood Indeed, there is nothing to attack In
his nersonal candidacy for within itself it has no
sienihcance whatever. 1t has aroused no interest
save in few isolated districts. 1t cannot bring him
enough votes to figure at all conspicuously in the
convention and if left to stand upon its own strength
and merits it would collapse and be forgotten IN
fortnight
the truth is Congressman Underwood himself
is NOT in the contest He is merely an instrument
with which a league of Special Interests and reac-
tionary politicians trying to turn the votes OF
Georgia and of other southern states to their own
selfish purpose. He is being used for the same
design in the south that Speaker Clark being used
in the west and Governor Harmon in the east, and
that is not to accomplish the nomination OF either
Underwood or Clark or Harmon but simply to divide
the popular strength of Woodrow Wilson and ulti-
matey to throw the nomination to the choice of the
interests.
We do not believe that Mr. Underwood is aware
of the role he is playing or that his true friends
perceive the uses to which his campaign is being
put We cordially credit him with all the good work
fova nc
sonal qualities are concerned we share the senti-
ment of his warm admirers.
AS house leader, Mr. Underwood is rendering use
full service but as a candidate for the Democratic
nomination he is unknowingly yet none the. less
certainly playing into the hands of interests that
are the peoples and the party's worst foes
When we assert that the country has been par
celled out among three special candidates-Clark in
the west Harmon in the east and Underwood in the
south-for the purpose of defeating Woodrow Wilson,
we state only fact which daily developments
firm and which is, indeed, patty admitted by the
engineers of this triple alliance short while ago
the existence of any such combination was vehe-
mently denied but that conceament Is no longer
possible deception has given way to audacity and 1T
is openly boosted that a concerted movement to
rive Governor Wilson of the nomination is under
way.
And this, mark you is the three-shell game which
the interests have opened in Georgia and which they
are ballyhooing the people to bite at
From Florida comes the that the forces
originally behind Governor Harmon's candidacy in
that state have decided to leave the field clear for
Mr. Underwood and likewise whatever efforts were
being made for Speaker Clark have been discontinued
to the end that a united attack may be made on
Woodrow Wilson.
In wisconsin where Harmon supposed to
have considerable following but where it now ap-
pears he is no match for Wilson, Speaker Clark
has been pushed forward and neither Harmons nor
Underwood's will appear on the primary ballot
These instances which transpired within the past
few days are but two of a great number that show
beyond question how the interests perpetrating
their scheme upon every section of the country.
In Oklahoma and Kansas free field was left to
Clark without interference from either Underwood
or Harmon.
In the west, it is Clark against Wilson; in the
east, Harmon against wilson, and in the south,
Underwood against Wilson.
Or, to state the case directly, it is Wall street
against Wilson, the country oUer.
A few weeks ago. the Wall Street Journal itself
declared:
1T is not improbable that 10ithtn the nert
ten days or tt0O i0eekS an understanding 10iH
hare been made so that the friends of Mr..
Underwood of Speaker Clark and of Governor
Harmon, respectively a0iH make campaign
except in territory sOhich naturally belongs to
the candidate 1Ohich it t1iH support. Political
strategy Of that kind 1oiI be entered into, if it
is attempted at all, l0ith intent to toeGken Coz
ernor Wilson before the contention. The COM
mon opinion among politicians of this city is
that at present Wilson is stronger than any of
the other candidates."
Testimony from such witness, have
marked before, cannot be impugned fancied or
biased. 1t comes from the quarter where the anti
Wilson machine is being engineered. 1t discloses
| by flash the real motive back of the Clark cam
paign in the west, the Harmon campaign in the east
and the Underwood campaign in Georgia and the
] south.
Shall the Democracy of this state which has led
the south in its splendid rebellion against the tyr
any of corrupt politics. become a servile dupe of
the rankest and treacherous plot the Wall street
! machine can devise?
Shall the voters of Georgia sacrifice their influ-