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THE ATLANTIAN
3
Atlantian
Published Monthly by E. WLTER TRIPP
Box 118, tlanta, Georgia
THE ATLANTIAN will give free space to all Secret Societies and Labor Or
ganizations.
On the other hand, we put everybody on notice when THE ATLANTIAN makes
a statement which we believe to be true, and such statement goes uncontroverted, we
shall insist that it is true.
Published Monthly by The Atlantian Publishing Co. c
VOL. 3 JUNE
No. 30
Our Motto: “Pull for Atlanta, or Pull
Out.”
©
Editorial Etchings
©
Hoke Smith for Senator-
Then What?
At this writing it is generally conceded that Governor-elect Hoke
Smith will be elected to the United States Senate, and will take
that position, leaving the Governorship to be filled for the moment
by Hon. John Staton, president of the State Senate, to be succeed
ed within sixty days by whomsoever the people may elect.
Whatever one may think of Mr. Smith personally, it must be
conceded that his re-entrance into public life has served a useful
purpose. Under one party domination we had drifted into a gov
ernment by a political machine which parcelled out the offices
years in advance and gave the people the least measure of recogni
tion that would keep down an outbreak. No ordinary man could
have broken the power of the machine. It required ability and
a long pocketbook. Mr. Smith had both and added to these physi
cal strength which enabled him to make a phenomenal campaign
He won a tremendous victory. Two years later, taking advantage
of fortuitous circumstances, the old machine gathered itself to
gether and by methods which would not bear the light of day,
defeated him by a narrow margin. In the third contest, after a
desperate struggle, they were again routed.
Now, they charge that Hoke Smith has built up a machine. This
we deny, but if it should at anytime in the future prove true,
we will then be as ready to assist in breaking down the Smith ma
chine as we were when we helped in breaking down the machine
of which Senator Terrell was High Priest. Hoke Smith has made
Democratic government a possibility in Georgia.
To maintain it, though, will require constant vigilance, and the
election for a new governor will present one of those occasions
when it will not do for the people to go to sleep. There are good
men in Georgia—not a few. There are men of the “middling”
good type, also not a few. Then there are men positively danger
ous, more because they train with the wrong crowd than because
of personal failings.
Many men are imbued with the heresy that the people are not
fit to rule, and that the best government is by a select few, with
special privilege as the trimming.
Georgia has many such men, some of them in public place, and
.others .anxious to get into public place. It will be our business to
see to it that only a man who believes in real democracy is electee*
Governor. If we fail to do it, we will sweat for it, and be entitled
to no sympathy. •"
Flies-Flies-Flies-Everywhere
A late issue of the Ladies’ Home Journal has an article on flies
entitled, “The Most Dangerous Animal in the World.”
And the indictment is true. What may be called the “Science
of Prevention,” is so modern that men not yet in middle age can
recall its small beginnings. Like the gospel of peace it has made
rapid headway during these latter years, and now we are begin
ning to understand the truth of the old adage, which everybody
knew and nobody acted on that “an ounce of prevention is worth
a pound of cure.”
And so we have come to the point where we are seeing the
necessity of an active campaign against the ubiquitous, restless
and deadly house fly.
No longer can we laugh at the fly tickling the bald man’s pate,
for now we know that the same fly may be carrying dysentery
to our babies, consumption to our friends, or bringing typhoid
to ourselves.
We have in the small pestiferous fly a foeman worthy of our
steel, who cares nothing for our floating batteries, our Mauser
rifles, our machine guns. Only unceasing vigilance will meet the
need. Individual vigilance is not enough, though it is much, but
it must be supplemented by governmental vigilance.
Let us make a statement here which we want you to think about:
The most important function of government is the Public Health.
You may not believe it, nevertheless it is true. Next to that comes
Puplic Education. We have not yet arrived at a comprehension
of fundamentals in government. For example, in our own city
we put Public Works (incidental) ahead of Public Health( funda
mental). What able officials! In this county, of which Atlanta
constitutes 90 per cent, we are planning a million dollar Court
House, which we could do without, and the city of Atlanta has
not a dollar to put into a crematory to protect the Public Health.
Millions for show—not a dollar for need.
Fine government, isn’t it?
But back to our muttons. The article in the Home Journal goes
into elaborate detail, giving the most startling facts. The average
fly carries millions of deadly bacteria, and its travels, duly veri
fied by careful scientists, take a much wider range than any of
us have supposed.
Think of such facts as these: North Yakima, Washington, had
20 deaths from typhoid in 1908. The Board of Health then waged
a vigorous war on dirty alleys, foul water and open vaults, and in
1909 the deaths from typhoid dropped to eight. The breeding places
of flies had been largely destroyed. In New York City it is stated
that flies are responsible for twenty deaths for every day in the
year. 7,300 people dead every year in one city from flies.
Dr. George M. Koker, of Washington, D. C., makes the state
ment that flies cost the people of the United States three hundred
and fifty million dollars yearly.
Our space will not permit enlargement, but we go back to our
statement that the Public Health is the most important of all
governmental functions. That being true, and it is true, then
it becomes the duty of the Federal government, the State govern
ment and the Municipal government to spend some of the millions
so freely squandered each year in a campaign which shall have
as its slogan—Exterminate the flies—perfect' cleanliness the only
sure remedy.
Commission Government
The idea of Commission Government is taking hold of the people
of Atlanta like a prairie fire takes hold on dry grass. The At-
lantian takes no sides for or against this question at this time. We
commend to your consideration the article appearing on another
page, written by Mr. Suttler,. some weeks ago, who has given a great
deal of study to governmental questions. It will pay you to read it,
as, whatever your views, it will give you something to think about.