Atlanta tri-weekly journal. [volume] (Atlanta, Ga.) 1920-19??, 1920-03-13
LIFELONG DEMOCRAT.
ADVOCATES HOOVER
AS PARTY NOMINEE:
Subcommittee Has the Pow
er but Not the Right or
Authority to Rule Out Can
didates, Says Jurist
BY ROGERS WINTER
(Staff Correspondent of The Journal.)

BY ROGERS WINTER
(Staff Correspondent of The Journa1.)
ATHENS, Ga, March 12-That
the action of the subcommittee ON
rules of the Democratic state execu-
tive committee in refusing to allow
the Democrats of Georgia to vote
for Herbert Hoover in the presi-t
Dental primary is the most danger
Gus precedent established or attempt
ed to be established in the Demo-
cratic party in Georgia in recent
years, was the opinion expressed here
today to The Journal correspondent
by Judge Andrew J. Cobb.
AS stated in yesterdays Journal
in dispatch from this city, Judge
Cobb is one of the most vigorous
protestants in Georgia against the
subcommittee action. He is DEM
ocrat of lifelong tradition and un-
broken record. His father was the
famous Howell Cobb, Democratic
speaker of the national house of rep
resentatives in the days of illustrious
craftsmanship before the Civil war.
He has served with eminent dis
tinction as a Judge of the supreme
court of Georgia. For the past sew
eral years he has presided over the
superior courts Of the western cir
cult. He is one of the leading law
vers and jurists of Georgia. During
the war he took an active and promi-
nent part in all of the patriotic en-
terprises. making many speeches Tor
the loans, the Red Cross and other
campaigns, fighting disloyalty and
slackerism wherever they showed
themselves.
Judge Cobb would like to see Her
bert Hoover nominated by the Demo
cratic party because he believes MI.
Hoover would be the party's strons-
est candidate in, the presidential cleo
tion. He would like to vote for Mr.
Hoover in tire Democratic prefer
entail primary to be held in George
the twentieth Of April. He protests
4he action of the subcommittee in
denriving him Of his sovereign rig
of a free choice. But If the SUI.
committee persists in its posltlo
he will bow gracefully and vote
second choice, which will be
Mitchell Palmer If the choice !
rows down to Palmer and Reed.
Els First Ballot
"The first ballot 1 cast on coming
of age" said Judge Cobb, discussing
the urinary with The Journal cor
resnondent, was in the congressional
election in the old Ninth district OF
Georeia in.187S. The late Judge EN-
orv Speer, then a young man, was an
independent candidate for congress
against Joel A. Billups. Judge Speer
was a. man of hypnotic personality
and marvellous eloquence. He was
sweeping people before him. Inc
Young men, especially, were hocklng
TO him. He was raised here in Atm
ems and I knew him and liked MIN.
Naturally | was tempted to vote Tor
himI II.
"Rut [ had always been taught
that two great parties were essential
to sound government in this repupic'
that the Democratic party was the
nartv to which I must cling stead
lastly because Of our peculiar raclal
situation in the south; that L must
stay inside of the party and never
leave it: that it's mistakes and evils
if any there be. must be fought WITH
in the party by it loyal adherents
and not without the party by leaving
if and attacking it from the OUTSIDE.
That was my teaching and training
so when I came of age and cast my
first ballot l stayed inside OF the
nartv and voted for Billups against
Sheer. although the temptation TO
follow Speer, my brilliant young
friend. was very strong indeed
"The next election came in the
presidential year, and I cast my vote
for Hancock, the nominee of the Dem
ocratic party, and again cast my vote
against Emory Speer, who was again
running as an Independent ana was
onposed by the late Colonel Hiram r.
Re1l. The vote tor Bell was 1885,
and I was one of those.
"Thus [ made my political deour,
so to speak, as an organized Demo-
GRAFT as we called it then. In other
words, I had to make up my m1no at
tha threshold Of my career as cltl-
zen whether I would stay In the par
tv or go outside, and I decided TO
STAY inside and support the organlza-
ton.
HAS Voted Regularly
"Since that first election in 1873,
when 1ndenpendentism' was running
rampant in this community under
the leadership of the brilliant anu
magnetic Emory Speer, 1 have al.
ways voted in every election when
was at home and not sick. l have
voted in every election from presl-
Dental 6l6CLlOuS uOWn W SlSCIlOIS ANt
city council members. I consider 1t
my sacred duty to vote when can
get to the polls. I have always Vot-z
ed a straight Democratic ticket, and
never for bolter or an independent.
80 much for my record as
Democrat, though in conclusion 4
might remark that have voted three
times for William Jennings Bryan
as the Democratic nominee for presl-
dent. If any higher evidence of my
party regularity is wanted, I cannot
furnish it. I may be obliged to vote
for Mr.. Bryan again, though God
forbid.
"Now getting down to the particu-
lar issue with which we are con-
fronted in our presidential primary.
The sovereignty Of the party rests
in the mass of it's members. All au-
thority exercised by the party organ
ization is derived from the mass. or
course, it is impossible for the mass
to come together and express itself
except in a primary, which makes it
indispensable to have a convention,
meeting from time to time to express
the will of the mass. The convention
cannot be constantly in session, so
we have the executive COMMITTEES,
oNT