Atlanta Georgian. [volume] (Atlanta, Ga.) 1912-1939, 1914-03-24
BY JAMES 9. NEVlN.

BY JAMES 3. NEVlN.
Julian McCurry's bill making il a
J misdemeanor IN Georgia TO spread
malicious gossip about women has
I borne fruit abundantly in at least one
| North Georgia county, wherein d
| young man recently was sentenced TO
twelve months on the changing for
I that very offense.
! The case was carried TO court by
| the young woman's father, and II was
| the first case tried under the new law
| in Georgia.
This law was enacted through the
| persistent effort OF Mr.. McCurry,
when he was member OF the State
! Senate He was induced to offer the
! bin because OF happening I'm his
| home county, which suggested to him
I the need Of just such legislation.
There was some difference of opin-
| ion in the Senate when the matter
! came up originally for passage, but
| Senator McCurry soon Strengthened
ont that. and persuaded the Senate
that through this law thousands OF
| slanderers might he reached in Geor-
! gia, and that the law itself on the
J statute books would operate to guard
against much gossip Of malicious
! character.
Now that the effectiveness of the
| law has been clearly demonstrated
and now that it generally is known
| that such a law is on the statute
books. and that 1T has teeth in IT,,
prosecutions OF this character likely
viii be pushed wherever seems nee
essary, until eventually careless
handling Of the good names OF wom-
en- In this State will become rarity:
Convictions under the law, more
over, seem likely to bring extreme
penalties. At least, the first man
convicted u, Ter IT got the very limit
OF the judge authority,
The Oglethorpe Echo says that DR..
IT, G Hardman. of Commerce, un-
douhtedly will he a candidate for
| Congress in the Ninth District
against the present Congressman,
Thomas NJ, Bell.
John ~ Holder, OF the same county,
already is an announced candidate,
and with Holder and Hartman in the
race-and from the same county--the
betting likely is to be on Bell to win.
At least, that's the way the politi-
clans from ZIP there dope it out"
| just now!
|
Tenth District are getting so thick
| that they will soon be in each others
way.
Joseph s. Reynolds has already an
| nounced from Richmond, and Oswell
| r. Eve. Of the same county. is eX-
pected to follow suit From Warren
| County DIR. Wyman Pitcher Is dis
cussed as a probable candidate, while
little farther up Carl Vinson, In
Baldwin County, already is squarely
In the race. In Washington County
Judge r. r. Rawlings has resigned
, the judgeship to make the race, ana
! willis Evans is said to be getting
ready TO run again.
Pressure has been brought to
| bear" on Judge Henry c. Hammond,
of the Augusta Judicial Circuit, TO
| stand for Congress, but the Judge had
rather remain I'm his Nesent posi-
ton. where he will be allowed to be
Judge without opposition as long as
! he wants to-
John r. West. OF McDuffie, II an
other man who has been urged for
! Congress, but he has recently formed
a partnership with Judge Il. III. Cal
| laway and former Congressman
| Howard, and does not wish to play
politics just now.
d. q. Fogarty, former Solicitor Of
! the city Court, and Congressman
| Hardwick's campaign manager, mas
| been importuned to run, but he has
refused 80 far to do so.
Outside OF the foregoing more or
| less interesting complications and en-
| tanelements. the situation in the
! Tenth seems fairly understandable to
an innocent bystander
BY a majority OF IS votes the peo-
pie of the southern end of Montgom-
cry County have defeated proposal
| to cut new county from Montgom-
cry, to he known as Treutlin, with
Soperton as the county seat.
The campaign was heated one.
and, while the northern END of Mont
gomery voted heavily for the new
county, the Mt Vernon section went
almost as solidly against ii.
This does not necessarily conclude
the matter but it will be used in the
Legislature as an argument against
| the proposed new County OF Treut-
lin.
II Z. A. Cantrell. Of Calhoun will
only indicate Willingness 10 az
uept il. Il looks as IL he may be the
next Senator from the Forty third
District without opposition. Many
OF his friends have importuned him
to permit the use of his name as a
candidate. promising him that II Will
not even be necessary for him to
make q campaign FOR the position.
MI Cantrell Is ono OF the best
known and most successful lawyers
in North Georg ia--universally es-
teemed and respected The next Leg
islature surely should be composed OF
the very highest class OF men obtain
able for membership, as no Legisla
ture assembled In twenty years has
had more important matters to come
before 1t than will come before the
one OF lgl5-l6 II Is, perhaps, OF
lust such men as Mr. Csntrell that
the next Legislature should be com
posed,
The Forty third District is made
up Of Whitfield, Murray and Cor
don Counties. end is one Of the most
important In the state.