Atlanta Georgian. [volume] (Atlanta, Ga.) 1912-1939, 1914-03-11
. JANIS B. NEVTN

While the question, What will Sla-
ton do?" is now uppermost in the
minds of many politicians in Geor-
gia nowadays, of more immediate mo-
ment perhaps, is What will the State
Democratic Committee do?"
AS a n tier of fact, il will be more
or less difficult to get a really straight
line on other things until that hon
orabe body has been assembled, and
has stated exactly what rules and reg
ulations shall prevail in the matter
of determining, by primary elections,
just how the various political plums
shall be distributed this year.
Considering the case of the two
proclaimed candidates for the uneX-
pired term of Senator Bacon, for in
stance, and figuring on that matter, 1t
makes a mighty difference whether
the State committee shall call a
straightaway county unit or plurality
primary.
Suppose county unit primary
should be called, and the race for the
short term in the Senate must oe
fought out along that line Suppose,
further, that the candidates entered in
that race eventually should figure
down to Hardwick, Fielder and Sll-
ton.
on the surface Of things, it would
look as if Slaton stood to win that
Highland yet!
If Fielder and HardwiCk could mus
ter enough county unit votes between
them in the convention 10 block Sla-
ton, either one might combine with
the other in the convention and nom!-
nate an att Slaton man-either te!d
err, or HardwiCk, or some dark
horse"
In other words to throw the nom! =
nation into the convention, with two
anti Slaton men holding, combined a
majority vote of the convention, in
evitably woUld result in an anti ia-
ton nomination, Notwithstanding th7
fact that Slaton might have far more
county unit votes than either one d
his anita gonists, standing alone.
Whether the Committee, therefore,
calls a county unit or plurality prI-
mary makes a very great. deal or ar
ference. and may go long way To-
ward determining the real charac or
of the factional fight, now seemingly
sure to arrive. from tn, question /
whether Senator Smith shall have OPP
position on down or up the line, as
the case may be,
Presumably. the committee viii
meet soon. but there is nothing sure
ly indicating when it will meet.
Until it does meet, however. things
likely will be kept more or less al
sea-and necessarily So.
Colonel Jesse Perry, private secre-
tary to the Governor, has one friend
who likely will not get gay with the
Executive Department again--cer-
tainly not soon.
This friend had a way of calling
Perry over the phone every now and
then and invariably he asked the OK
change operator for the biggest
crook in the Capitol The exchange
operator long ago got wise to The
Joke. and when this friend of Perry
called for said biggest crook in the
Capitol" he got Perry without more
ado
Recently. however. he called thus
wise for Perry, and the Governor an
swefed the phone
Hello" said the Governor
Hello, crook" said Perry's pal.
"Slr. What did you say?' said the
Governor
How many crooked deals have You
pulled thus far today" inquired the
voice,
~ guess you have the wrong num-
ber-this is John NJ. Slaton, Cover
nor Of Georgia" said the Executive,
with more or less frigidity of tone
Good Lord" said the other party.
81 thought YOU were Jesse Perry
please eNcu-"
Perry? Humph!" said the Cover
nor, hanging up the phone.
"You Fulton County folks are more
or less amusing said a well known
South Georgian to-day discussing
certain acute situations i'm Atlanta.
and in nothing. think, more than
in your attitude toward your churches
and your politics.
II see it stated for instance, 'ha'
your churches nov are saving to THEN
members or some Of them Nor
must not belong 20 a locker club thai
dispenses liquor illegally, but SO long
as the liquor dispensed Is not dis
pensed Illegally Why--weil that is, Al
least. dehatabe ground!
Now, no city other than Atlanta