Atlanta semi-weekly journal. (Atlanta, Ga.) 1898-1920, 1917-07-24
SENATOR SMITH HAS
SUPPORTED PRESIDENT
IN WAR LEGISLATION
Continued From Page oneJ

\ ing COItOH.
1T went far beyond the regulation
Of prices and distribution of foodstuffs
! p was these portions of the bill to
which l objected.
| AT the time your article was dated
/ | was engaged with a subcommittee Sc
| lected at the instance of the president
J by the Democratic leader. Senator Mar
! tin comforting with Senator Lodge, the
acting leader of the Republicans. and
| other Republicans, seeking to BRING
about the elimination from the pending
dill of provisions which the president
did not desire. which were so objec-
tionable that they endangered the pas
| sage of the entire measure.
| APPEALED FOR FOOD BILL.
ION July I had appealed to the
senate in behalf of the food control
bill in the following language:
The president urges prompt passage
of the food control feature of this BILL
and declares they are essential to the
Vigorous conduct of the war.
Let us lay. aside for the time being
cur pet theories. Let us refrain from
adding them to this food bill.
Let US place the food supply in the
hands of the president to conduct the
war so that it will add strength in the
war. Let us put our hearts
struggle until by Gods help we may
crush our enemy and drive our enemy
to a place where we can obtain an hon
orable and lasting peace.
"Yet, you proceed to declare in your
article that:
| at is matter of humiliation and
Just anger to patriotic Georgians that
our senators are among those who are
impeding the government in these mat
ters'
The subjects to which you had re-
ferred were the draft system, the con-
troll over shipping and transportation,
over the output of Industrial plants,
and over the production and prices and
distribution of foodstuffs.
while | have helped perfect some Of
the measures brought before congress
since the declaration of war. | have
supported every measure to strengthen
our nation and the president in the con-
duct of the war.
ut is true that my colleague and I
have differed on some. If not all. OF
the measures to which you refer, but
your treatment of my attitude toward
them is utterly unfair and misleading.
THE LEGISLATURES ACTION.
ION July the press carried the
statement that the legislature of the
state had unanimously requested the
senators and representatives from Geor-
gla TO insist that no necessity existed
for placing cotton in the food control
bill, and to urge congress to leave ii
out.
Ibid these resolutions of the Georgia
Legislature cause humiliation and Just
anger to patriotic Georgians"
You are officers of the Georgia His
torical association. I cannot believe
that as historians you would be guiltS
of such ton of the facts
had you been familiar with them, ana.
yet. your ignorance upon the suoject
is surprising.
You have been guilty OF more than
mere naccuracy. You have sent OUT
skillfully worded document. partly
true, but partly false. So far as l am
concerned it is deceptive and mislead-
ing. utterly disappearing my course
II request that you print a copy of
this letter and mail it to those to whom
you have sent your call on Georgia
senator's and that you request your
members to secure publication of it II
their local press
Very truly yours.
CSigned) "HOKE SMITH"
DR.. McKelways letter is interesting
and Illuminating in that he show:
wherein the legislative records of thu
Georgia senators disagree. 1t follows
/ LETTER OF DR.. MKELWAY.
Mr.. Lucian l.. knight,
Georgia Historical Association,
Capitol Building, Atlanta, Ga.
Dear Sir: L have seen in the Atlantis
Constitution a copy of the resolution!
adopted by the Georgia Historical asso
citation In. which no distinction what
ever is made between the two Georgii
senators regarding loyalty to the ad
ministration and to the country in TIM
. of war. While it seems to me tina
3 an historical association is going rathe
: outside of it's bounds in criticising tn
senators, and that such criticism indi
Gates that it is a political body com
{; posed of senator's enemies, it is GER
tainly clear that any association relat
= ing to historical matters should be his
. torically correct in such criticism.
=. 81 have been an interested observer o
- proceedings in congress since the wa
;. began and 1 desire to say that you ar
. absolutely mistaken in your accusation
so far as they relate to Senator Hok
Smith. Senator Smith voted for tn
declarat ton Of war, voted for the selec
tive draft measure. voted for the es
pionage bill, including the embargo act
though he opposed the censorship claus
of that bill, to which both the senat
and house majority were opposed. In tn
j matter of the food regulation bill, l an
: convinced that its passage today in IN
? senate is due as much to the influence
of Senator Hoke Smith as that of an!
other man. The bill had been loadet
down with amendment after amendmen
by extremists, who wished the govern
ment to control the whole business o
the country, combined with the enemie
= of the bill, who did not want to see j
succeed at all. Senator Smith was on
of the group of leaders on both sides O
the chamber who put thier heads TO
gether and succeeded in so perfectinj
the bill that it will undoubtedly pas
today by large vote.
SMITH THINKS FOR HIMSELF"
senator Smith is a senator VIII
. thinks for himself and who votes 70
or against measures according to hi
own views of his duty to his state an
to his nation. But, If l am not mstak
en-, he has supported every administra
ton measure of any Importance sine
the beginning of President Wilson
first term, with the exception of tn
child labor BILL and he was influentia
in the caucus in bringing that bill to
vote, believing that the senate had
right to vote on the measure as agains
its obstructionists.
: Senator Hardwck voted against tn