Newspaper Page Text
4
THE ATLANTIAN
March, 1915
ing the same rules for the learned and the unlearned, for
the prince and the common man, it moves on the even
tenor of its way never lowering itself to fawn on the
mighty or to patronize the humble. A plain, unpreten
tious democratic body it has rightly earned respect ev
erywhere, and is a mighty power for good in this world.
It grows not by solicitation or advertisement, but by
its great drawing power begotten of its work and its
record.
Georgia is strong in its Masonic membership and in
Georgia the city of Atlanta is conspicuous in this work
by its numerous strong lodges and its splendid temple.
Among these local lodges none are making a better
record than the “baby” lodge, Capitol City No. 642, which
has its home on Marietta street,
Organized in the Spring of 1912 with Jesse M. Wood
as Worshipful Master, it has had a steady and uninter
rupted growth which promises in the near future to
make it one of the strong lodges of the city. It has
in its section of the city a wide field for operation and
is gathering in as members a splendid body of men
which is most worthily represented by its present offi
cial staff consisting of Dr. Edw. Mincey, Worshipfu 1
Master; M. C. Strickland, Senior Warden; W. W. Waitts,
Junior Warden; 0. H. Puckett, Senior Deacon; C. P.
Cannon, Junior Deacon; Hugh H. Howell, Chaplain; W.
N. Martin, Secretary; F. J. Chappelear, Treasurer; L. P.
Baker, Senior Steward, and Jno. T. McDonald, Junior
Stewart; C. G. Petett, Tyler.
Our City Government
The perpetual turmoil which reigns in our City Gov
ernment is a sad commentary on the governmental abil
ity of a people who have built up a great city.
Von Bulow, a former German Chancellor, says in his
work on Imperial Germany, that with all the good qual
ities of the German people they have been denied politi
cal sense, and that German legislators will risk the sac
rifice of great and wise policies to carry a petty parti
san point, or to appeal logical. The ex-Chancellor, if
he could,spend a few months in Atlanta, would go home
with an improved opinion of his own people on that par
ticular point.
For, we of Atlanta, can give the Germans cards and
spades and then beat them in a display of our lack of
governing or political sense.
Our Mayor and City Council seem to lose sight of
the public altogether in their perpetual warfare.
The logical end of the game as played in Atlanta, is
our arrival at a point where government will become
impossible.
It is probable that neither the Mayor or Council mem
bers would claim infallibility and yet they act as if they
believed themselves to belong to the infallible class.
The recent fight over the finance sheet which resulted
in a cut of $16,000, all at the expense of the schools,
cutting out the normal school altogether and breaking
faith with certain teachers by declining to carry out an
agreement previously made, is about as sorry an exhibi
tion as one could find anywhere and tempts our people
to cry out in despair: “How long, 0 Lord! how long!”
The Shipping Bill
The administration shipping bill seems to have been
killed for this session by the indefensible conduct of a
small group of Democrats who went over to the enemy.
It is not too much to say that this is the most merit
orious measure so far proposed by the present adminis
tration. .
Its peculiar merit lies in the fact the people of every
section of the country would derive an immediate and
direct benefit by the furnishing of adequate transporta
tion facilities for our ocean going trade at reasonable
rates. Every objection urged by the opposition bears the
mark of insincerity, and it will be a long time before the
people of this country will regain any confidence in the
small group of Democrats who have betrayed the peo
ple into the hands of the shipping combine.
The Republican position is perfectly logical. That
crowd has always been hand and glove with every com
bine or trust that was or is exploiting the public, and
has for years favored granting subsidies to privately
owned shipping lines.
We expected nothing from them, but for good demo
crats who have for reasons of their own sacrificed the
general welfare of the people, there will naturally be a
feeling of great regret, especially felt through the South.
The Work of Congress
The present short session of Congress has not been,
fruitful. Practically nothing has been accomplished ex
cept the defeat of the shipping bill which is greatly to
be deplored while the rural credits measure by far the
most important proposed legislation of our day, has not
even been taken up for discussion. These two measures
would justify the President in calling an extra session,
and holding the Congress there until these two ques
tions are properly treated.
In the meanwhile, we see old abuses continued. With
its usual policy of delay the Congress comes to the end
of the session with all the great appropriation bills un
touched, except by the committees.
It begins to look as if the members of Congress pur
posely delayed these bills, in order to insert in the hur
ly-burly of the closing days items which they fear to
insert when there is ample time for investigation and
discussion.
It is a patent fact that there is much waste in our sys
tem. It is another patent fact that Congressmen are in
favor of the perpetuation of the present system, and are
opposed to the Budget system which would eliminate
much of the waste.
Though the public has to economize, though business
is sub-normal, the Congress does not hesitate to spend
freely and in ways that are not altogether helpful.
A free expenditure at present in certain construction
work would be justified, but in every other direction the
same economy should be practiced by the government
that the people who support government are compelled
to practice.
The Business Outlook
Business conditions if not as rosy as we would like
do show some gain, for whereas clearings which have
been monotonously showing weekly decreases of 20 to
30 per cent as compared with last year have recently
shown no more than 10 per cent decrease. This is a
decided gain. The greatest drawback is due to the fact
that the gain is not evenly distributed. Some sections