Atlanta semi-weekly journal. (Atlanta, Ga.) 1898-1920, 1916-08-25
.POTTLE MAKES DEEP
IMPRESSION IN FANNIN
Supporters Confident He'll
Garry CounB-ReferS to
Mrs. NeImS' Card
Especial Dispatch to The Journal)

BLUE RIDGE, Ga. Aug. 23.-At no
other place he has been on his extensive
tour OF the state has Joe Pottle. candi-
date for governor, had a more attentive
and responsive audience than that which
heard aim in the Fannin county court
house here today.
There can be no doubt that Mr.. Pottle
made a great impression on his hear
ers. and as a result of his speech his
supporters here are absolutely confident
that he will carry Fannin county. Be-
fore he came here the governors race
IT. this county was between Pottle and
HardmRn, the latter having carried
Fannin by a big majority two years ago.
Now the opinion is expressed on every
hand that Fannin will give Mr.. Pottle
a big majority. Neither Governor Har-
ris nor Hugh Dorsey. the other guber-
Material candidates, have any soncider-
able following in this section.
The people up in these mountain
counties are laughing heartily over the
claims of some of those who are trying
to boost Mr.. Dorsey's candidacy by
loudly proclaiming that the mountain
folk are for him to a man. and that his
candidacy has set in motion great
seismic disturbances in the political
armament. They are amused. but not
impressed, by the claims that his candi-
racy has surcharged the political at
mosphere of the mountain section with
an unheard of voltage in his favor. In
fact they know that these claims are
made simply as a matter of political
license in the hope of stampeding the
other. sections of the state to Dorsey
and they are confident there will be
no such effect, for they know that the
people of other sections know as well
as they how to discount such partisan
claims.
Mr.. Pottle was introduced to his blue
Ridge audience by Colonel b. l.. Smith.
a leading attorney Of this section, and
former member Of the legislature from
Fannin county. This afternoon Mr..
Pottle will be escorted by party OF
his enthusiastic supporters to Mineral
Bluff, where he will speak. Tonight
he will address a big meeting at Cop
per Hill, in this county.
MRS. NELMS' CARD.
Referring to a card which appeared
in the Atlanta afternoon papers or
Tuesday and which was signed by Mrs.
John w. helms, Mr.. Pottle expressed
the opinion that Mrs. helms was In
duced to sign the card by Hugh Dor
sey's law partner and CHIEF manipu-
lator in this campaign.
In this connection he said:
the widow helms voluntarily paid MIR.
Dorsey five hundred dollars and gave
him a mortgage on her property tor
five hundred dollars more, but whether
Mr. Dorsey, now a candidate for gov
ernor, had the legal right to accept this
pay.
$50 far as paying the money and CIV
ing the mortgage are involved the Wild
ow helms only is concerned, but the
acceptance or exaction of them, under
the undisputed circumstances, deeply
concerns the people of Georgia, whose
chief executive Mr.. Dorsey is aspiring
to be.
NO amount of sophistry or ingen-
ious explanations can change the fact
that Mr. Dorsey had neither the legal
nor. the moral right to accept this com
pensation.
There is nothing remarkable in the
fact that Mr.. Dorsey, or rather his clev-
er and adroit law partner and chief ma
nipulator in this campaign, should be
able to induce the widow Nelms to sign
q letter designed to exonerate Mr.. Dor
sew. 1t is a we'll known fact that Mar
shall helms, the widows son, was for n
long time, If not now, employed by NJ.
Dorsey.
FOR ACTUAL EXPENSES.
"It has only been a few days since
Mr. Dorsey in his nrSt euOrI at oe-
tense, obtained from Marshall letter
in which helms stated that the agree
ment made by his mother with Mr.. Dor
sew was not that he should be paid a
fee, but a sum merely sufficient to re-
imburse Mr.. Dorsey for his actual ex-
penses and time incurred in appearing
before the supreme court at Washing
ton in the Innes case.
Heretofore Mr.. Dorsey has followed
the policy of ignoring. as far as posi-
bic. the charge made against his con-
duct In connection with the helms case,
but realizing the force of the univer-
sal indignation on the subject, he is
now busiIy engaged in seeking addi-
tional defenses.
Mr.. Dorsey is quoted as saying in
his Greensboro speech on Tuesday that
the indictments drawn by him against
the Illnesses for larceny after trust. aft
er he got this fee from the widow
helms, are still pending and can be
tried by his successor or by him.
Mr.. Dorsey knows, or being a law
yer he ought to know, that all these in
dictments, while still on the record, are
absolutely void and there is no way 20
revive and try them. Therefore, this Is
nothing in the world but an attempt TO
deceive the people and an effort to ap-
pease their Indignation"