Atlanta Georgian. [volume] (Atlanta, Ga.) 1912-1939, 1913-06-30
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GEORGIA 81
POLITICS I'm
81 JANIS B. NEYN Ky
. JANIS B. NEVTN

Here is a story of a gold pen and
Governor, and incidentally it is a story
of some of the strenuous requirements
Of being a Governor Governor of
Georgia, anyway
On December %, 1ss1-thirty- one
years ago, and more-Eugene Spald-
ing. Samuel w Wilkes and George H.
Hammond presented Joseph NJ
Brown, then a car accountant in the
service of the Western and Atlantic
Railroad, a handsome gold pen.
He has had that pen in his posses
sion ever since, and it has been in
daily use
When on Saturday last he retired
from the governorship of Georgia for
the second time the last official act
ne performed as Governor was to sign
an order with that pen.
The last thing of any sort he did
just before going up into the hall of
the House of Representatives to see
his distinguished successor sworn In
was to slip that pen into his vest
pocket
1t is, in very many ways. his most
treasured possession.
In 1881, Joseph NJ. Brown was a
car accountant in the Western and
Atlantic Railroad office
In 1882 he was general freight agent
for the same road.
From 1884 to 1889 he was general
freight and passenger agent and from
1889 to 1898 he was general traffic
manager
On August IA. 1904, he was named
by Governor Terrell to be a member
Of the Railroad Commission of Geor-
gia, and on August %. a few days
before the expiration of that term. he
was dismissed by Governor Hoke
Smith.
During all these days Joseph NJ.
Brown used that same gold pen to
sign his every official document.
Following his dismissal as Railroad
Commissioner, Joseph NJ. Brown be-
gan that which was to go down in
history as the most remarkable politi-
cal campaign ever waged in Georgia.
He announced for Governor against
Governor Hcke Smith, notwithstand-
comparative obscurity and Governor
Smiths apparently tremendous popu-
larity and he defeated the Governor
The one thing that characterized
this campaign as unique was series
of remarkable campaign cards issued
by Brown.
Never were such political cards
written in Georgia and never again.
perhaps. will such cards be written!
The public seized upon them eager
ly and devoured them with evident
relish just as fast as he could pen
them
He never had been q public speak
er. but he certainly proved himself to
be about the most strenuous public
writer that ever happened.
Every one of those cards was writ
ten with that same gold pen.
Two years later the Governor was
defeated by his ancient enemy, after
another most picturesque campaign
in which more cards figured.
Then, still another two years later,
he won back the governorship by de-
feating Hon. Pope Brown and Judge
Richard B. Russell
He never gave out in that cam
paign an interview, a card or a state
ment that was not written by that old
reliable gold pen!
During his two terms as Governor
he estimates that he signed treasury
warrants to an amount exceeding
5000 000-and every one was signed
with that gold pen.
During the same time he estimates
that he attached his name to more
than 100 600 official documents of one
sort and another-and he never signed
one of them with any other pen than
the gold one
Asked what he considered the most
important documents he ever signed