Americus times-recorder., 1920-03-31
DORSEY IS NOT
A CANDIDATE
FOR PRESIDENT
Governor Issues State
ment Refusing To Per-
nit Use of His Name

of Governor Hugh M. Dorsey today
learned with interest of his final de-
cision not to be a candidate in the
preferential primary to be held April
20. Most of these approved the
governors course. His state
ment that he would "refuse to lead
sham battle in a fruitless contest"
was almost universally approved,
among his admirers.
In declining to permit the use of
his name in the preferential primary
Governor Dorsey said that he felt
that such a course would be a waste
of Georgia's opportunity Of today
to impress the national campaign
with Georgia's voice and vote in the
selection! of the real candidate of
the San Francisco convention.
'As Georgian and a democrat"
declares the governor, 81 cannot by
any act of mine contribute to an
effort to subordinate this great op-
portunity to the local excitement of
a popularity contest between in
dividuals."
Dorsey's Complete Statement.
The stament issued by Governor
Dorsey, and which appeared in the
state papers this morning follows:
The official statement as given out
by the Governor follows:
For several days, have been sub
jected to much pressure from various
sections of Georgia to allow my name
to be entered in the state Democratic
primary of April 20, as a candidate
! for the nomination for President of
the United States.
"At no time have | harbored any
ambition for this distinction, but the
number and urgency of these sug-
gestions has been so great and their
sources so general as to make it i'm
proper for me to dismiss the matter
upon first impression and without
serious consideration.
"Such consideration has resulted
in the conclusion that | cannot with
propriety allow the use of my name
as candidate for the following rea-
sons:
Il. | am now holding a response
BILE office, the duties of which are sub
stantial and important. AS serious
contender for the presidency, might
be justified in giving time from the
pressing duties of the present Office
to seek greater opportunity for serv-
ing the public interest in the larger
jurisdiction. But no such justifca-
tion could support the suspension of
my official duties to canvass for the
honor of state nomination to another
office for which | was not bona fide
candidate.
Purpose of Primary.
$50 Tho ran1ppnco of fba nanJipU
primary is to express the choice of
Georgia's s democracy between the
real candidates for the leadership of
the great national campaign for con-
troll of the federal government dur
ing the next four years.
ITO divert the Georgia primary
into a selfish contest for personal ag-
grandization would mean the waste
of Georgia's opportunity to effective
ly impress the national campaign with
Georgia's voice and vote in the Sc
lection of the candidate who must
be chosen by the San Francisco con-
vention to lead the Democratic hosts
in the contest of 1920-the most
vital i'll the history of our party
against the Republican raid for re-
Mobilization.
AS Georgian and a Democrat,
cannot, by any act of mine, contrib
ute to an effort to subordinate this
great opportunity to the local excite
ment of a popularity contest be-
tween individuals.
"The initial charge of decisive
battle must not be suspended to
stage a straw ballot either to de-
termine popularity, or as a basis for
political trickery or manipulation.
SO. The wise selection of a Demo-
cratic candidate for the presidency
must be controlled by the issues that
will be involved in the campaign our
nominee must conduct.
obviously, the paramount issue
in the campaign of 1920 will be the
issue resulting from the refusal of
the Republican senate to ratify, with
out multiplying reservations, the peace
treaty of Versailles negotiated by
the Democratic president of the Unit
ed States.
GAS the rules Of the Georgia pri-
mary require the voters to express
by direct ballot their choice for the
national Democratic nominee and
provide that the Georgia delegates
to the national convention must be
designated from among the support
ers of the successful candidate, ev-
cry participant in the primary is af-
forded the opportunity which should
be utilized to express by his ballot
his own attitude toward the great is
sue upon which the battle Of democ-
racy must be won or lost.
"The respective records of the
various candidates already qualified
in the primary, will make it easy for
the voters of Georgia to select that
candidate whose record most near
ly reflects the views of those who
participate in the primary.
Obscuring Paramount Issue.
''In my opinion, the simplicity of
the situation should not be compli-
Gated by the injection of personal
issues or factional feuds which could