Atlanta Georgian. [volume] (Atlanta, Ga.) 1912-1939, 1914-02-02
BY JAMES B. NEvIN.


to the county primaries to be held
there this year, which, If followed
generally, not only will do away with
the cry of fraud and unfairness in
many instances hereafter, but actual
ly operate to the advantage of honest
elections generally.
In this years primaries in Laur.ns
1t will be a violation of the rules as
prescribed by the local committee for
any election manager to give out the
figures returned from a country pre-
cinct before the figures of the city
precincts in the same county have
been entirely assembled.
Every man in Georgia who has par
tlclpated in an election as a manager
or candidate, instantly will see the
force and fairness of this rule, and
-o9Io J!BJ GI9lnIoSqg LoApJ oVM 9soul
tions will heartily approve the rule
and hope that it may be followed by
other counties.
As is well known, the country pre-
clnctS close at 3 in the afternoon, aft
er relatively small ballot has been
cast, whereas the city precincts never
close until 6. 1t is the custom among
close elections, to hold back, there
fore, as large a vote as possible in the
cities to see what is going to happen
In the country. This may easily be
done between g and o'clock. under
the usual practice, and by following
this plan not q few elections in Geor-
gla have been swung unfairly in the
past. at the last moment.
Indeed, much of the scandal aris-
ing from the judgeship primary in Gil
mer County a year or so ago came
from this very thing
knowing that their votes may be
thus unfairly used to prejudice the
final returns, many rural voters will
not vote in their home boxes-some
will not vote at all-preferring to go
to town and vote there, where their
votes may not be counted and report
ed in advance Of the completed count,
LaurenS County has led the way
this year in an important reform, and
those who wish for absolute fairness
in elections will hope that every othef
county in the State will follow Lau-
rens' excellent example
CoIonel w. S. West, of Valdosta. a
gentleman generally conceded to be
most likely gubernatorial timber
a
day or So
Colonel West will not discuss the
probability of his running at this
time but his South Georgia friends
insist that he is that sections "fa-
vorite son." and that eventually he
will be Governor.
There is considerable agitation in
the Twenty fourth Senatorial Dis
trict in regard to which of the three
counties shall furnish the next State
Senator
B. S. Miller, of Muscogee County,
has served the district the past term,
and, according to former agreements,
Chattahoochee, after which it would
come back to Muscogee and then go
ito Taylor, Muscogee County having
the Senator as often as both of the
other counties combined
The people of Muscogee County are
making an effort to get the other
counties to allow them to have the
State Senator two terms in success
sion. The matter is now being con-
sidered by the members of the execl-
tive committees Of the three counties.
The race for Solicitor General "
the Cherokee Judicial Circuit has al
ready shaped up sufficiently to insure
a most interesting campaign, for 1t
now looks as if st least four will be
aspirants.
Judge G. G. Glenn, and f. *. Nc
Cutchen, of Dalton; Monroe Neel,
of Gainesville, and ]. G. B. Erwin.
OF Calhoun, are all looking about and
sizing up their chances.
The election will be for the pur-
II I'll a ~
unexpired term of the late Hon. T 9.
Miner, whose death occurred before
he had begun the work of the term 10
which he was elected. Hon. S. P.
Maddox, of Dalton, now holds the po-
sition, having been appointed by Gov
ernor Brown to serve until the first
general election, which comes this
year.
Colonel Maddox VIII not be a can
didate for the uneXpired term. which
leaves a clear field for all who care
20 jump in.
Judge Glenn, one of the aspirants,
was recently elected, to the Legisla-
ture. He also served as judge Of the
City Court of Dalton; Mr.. McCutchen
was Solicitor General of the Dalton
City Court, and Messrs. Neel and
Erwin are well-known young attor-
neys.
Thomas r. watson, the red-headed
person of Thompson. regularly takes a
sideswipe every week at his erstwhile
friend and political bedfellow, the Hon
Jamesky Hines. special attorney for the
Georgia Railroad Commission.
The sage O Thompson says Attorney
Hines Just will not make the railroads
behave in this State, Notwithstanding
his divers and sundry promises. here
tofore made and registered. indicating
a contrary frame OF mind and purpose.
To be sure, Attorney Hines doesn't
seem to mind particularly-but that
doesn't weary the Thompson editor In
handing him lemons galore every Thurs
day afternoon, by way of The Jefferson
ian Weekly Mr.. Watson says the rail-
roads are playing hob with the peoples
rights. seven days in the week, and that
Mr.. Hines could stop II. If he would,
but he won't-that what the sage O.
Thompson says.
Colonel Harper Hamilton is being free
~ and favorably talked about for the
Legislature up in Floyd County. He has
lot of strong friends up that way VINO
saw he would make excellent material
for the House, and while he is in no