The Marietta journal and courier. (Marietta, Ga.) 1909-1918, 1912-08-16

WRITES ABOUT THE So
LICITOR'S RACE.
To the Votes of the Blue Ridge
Circuit
| feel keen personal interest in the
race for Solicitor in the Blue Ridge
Circuit, and rely upon my conf
dence in your friendship for myself
and my family connection in your
county and section as my excuse
for speaking freely to you upon the
subject. | am interested, of course,
as you and every good citizen is,
in electing men for office who are
fitted to hold the place, and | be-
lieve you will agee with me that
they are as a rule best qualified who
began on the gound floor, and
climbed by the exercise of their own
Drawn and muscle to the place upon
which the office to be filled stands,
and not those who, by virtue of i'll
fuential family and social connec-
ton, seek to be lifted over the
rough and rocky road of hard
work and placed in high positions
without the strength and training
to grasp the many and varied sit
uations that arrive. A lawyer who
has not done the work of a lawyer
would be as helpless in the Office
of SOlicitor-General of the Blue
Ridge Circuit as his society-bred
wife would be in a wheat field with
a scythe cradle.
While Mr. Herbert Clay was
Mayor of Marietta and while Jos.
M, Brown, citizen of Marietta
and life long friend of Mr.. Clay's
father and family, was candidate
for Governor, Clay made a speech
in Atlanta (Which, by the way, he
now would like to deny) III which
he denounced and ridicuIed Gov.
Brown, in effect saying: That
Marietta was ashamed to recognize
him as a citizen.
Gov. Browns political oppo-
nents, those who are not rotten
with prejudice and hatred, will all
recognize him as a decent citizen
whom no community need be
ashamed of, and I believe it is fair
to estimate that 90 per cent. of the
Blue Ridge Circuit believe this TO
be true, including the Mayor of his
home town, who holding office as
he did was a ready and willing
mouthpiece for the slandering and
maligning of one Of his constitu-
entS and friends at the expense of
truth and the sacrifice of his pride
for the city whose name he rep
resented for no other purpose than
to add his little quota of acrimoni-
Gus insult to a good citizen who hap
pened to be opposing his chosen
candidate for office. The point is,
this statement was gratis on Mr..
Clay's part. Governor Brown was
not contesting with him for office ;
there was not the provocation of
self defense, or excuse of impulse,
or resentment for such tactics: it
was deliberate and born of igno-
rant, bigOted imprudence: and if he,
while at the head of his own city
government, could attack one of his
constituents and friends away from
home with such weapons, and seek
to place him in contempt in the eyes
of the people in order to strengthen
the political fortunes of another, it
could hardly be expected that when
his own political fortunes are in
volved he would not employ such
weapons as are available to him;
and that, if he was Solicitor of the
Blue Ridge Circuit, where political
feeling is high and sectional lines
closely drawn, he would find many
opportunities to butcher his oppo-
nents and shield his friends.
In my judgment, he is no more
than a shallow, irresponsible dema-
gogue, ready to convert public OF
fee or other position or power that
might be within his grasp to the
advancement of his political ambi-
ton.
l think his record is too pregnant
with clamor for office and too va
cant of any sincerity to justify any
community in placing any such re-
sponsibility upon him; he is not
equal to the job; he has had no
training to fit him for it, and he is