ACR X NON ADHERENCE TO ATC CLRNC SPD CTL REDUCED SPD WAS BROKEN OFF APCH AND RESEQUENCED. PLTDEV.

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ATL APCH CTL VECTORED US (ACR X) TO RWY 26R AT ATLANTA BEHIND ANOTHER ACFT. ALTHOUGH WE HAD THE ARPT IN SIGHT AND SO RPTED; APCH INSISTED SEVERAL TIMES THAT WE RPT THE PREVIOUS TFC IN SIGHT. SINCE THE PRECEDING ACFT WAS LOW; OVERSHOOTING THE RWY; NEAR A SCATTERED LAYER; AND NIGHT VISIBILITY PRECLUDED OUR MAINTAINING SEPARATION; I RPTED THE ARPT IN SIGHT AND NOT THE TFC. APCH HELD US AT 5000 FT UNTIL WE WERE WELL ABOVE THE GS. WHEN WE DID HAVE A POSITIVE VISUAL ON THE TFC TO FOLLOW; AND SO STATED; AND WERE CLRED FOR A VISUAL APCH; WE HAD TO SLOW TO LNDG SPD (ABOUT 135 KTS) TO OBTAIN SEPARATION FROM PRECEDING ACFT. AN AIRSPD TO HOLD WAS NOT ISSUED BY APCH; HOWEVER WHEN ASKED WE REPLIED OUR AIRSPD WAS 135 KTS AND APCH BROKE US OUT OF TFC AND TOLD US TO CLB TO 5000 FT; HDG 360. THE PROBLEM AS I SEE IT WAS APCH CTL VECTORED US TOO CLOSE TO PRECEDING TFC. WITH MINIMAL SEPARATION FROM FOLLOWING ACFT AND WHEN WE RPTED THE ARPT IN SIGHT; HE WOULDN'T CLR US FOR A VISUAL BECAUSE WE PROBABLY DIDN'T HAVE ADEQUATE SEPARATION AND WE HADN'T RPTED THE PRECEDING ACFT IN SIGHT. SUPPLEMENTAL INFO FROM ACN 201852. THE ACFT AHEAD CORRECTED TO THE CTRLINE OF RWY 26R. I CONSIDERED THE CLOSURE RATE EXCESSIVE AND SLOWED DOWN. HAD I NOT INITIATED THIS ACTION I BELIEVE THE ACFT AHEAD WOULD HAVE DISAPPEARED BELOW THE NOSE OF OUR ACFT SINCE HE WAS AT A LOWER ALT. WE COULD NOT HAVE MAINTAINED 170 KTS UNTIL THE MARKER AS IS THE NORMAL CASE. WE WERE BROKEN OUT BECAUSE OF OUR SPD SELECTION AND VECTORED AROUND FOR A SECOND APCH. THE CTLR MISJUDGED THE SITUATION AS CAN HAPPEN AND LEADS UP DISCRETION BY THE AIRSCREEN ONCE AGAIN AVOIDED A DETERIORATING SITUATION. I BELIEVE THAT IT SHOULD BE EMPHASIZED TO ALL CTLRS AGAIN THAT WITH THE CONGESTED RADIO TFC ETC THE PLTS JUDGEMENT IS STILL THE BEST AT AVOIDING PROBLEMS.