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THE ATL ANT I AN
April, 1915
still sufficiently low as to attract traffic. Country towns
are being brought into closer touch with each other and
each dweller along an interurban auto route has the ad
vantage of a station at his own door.
■When we consider the fact that a mile of good road
for automobile service can be built for a good deal less
than a mile of interurban railway track and that a pub
lic road can be used by all citizens, whereas a railway
track is available only for the use of the owners, it seems
not improbable that the interurban automobile lines may
eventually prove a very important factor in the develop
ment of rural sections. Some officials of steam railways
even go so far as to predict that, with properly built cars
for handlnig freight, they will supplant in a considerable
degree the feeder lines which now connect with the great
trunk railroads. , . .. .. i.
What Has Become of the Atlanta
Spirit?
Everybody’s nerves seem to be on edge. £ ’ " " '' ^
Charge and counter-charge—liar, blackmailer—these
be the terms of endearment which adorn the eolumns of
the daily press. -
Behind it all appear sinister figures who, for a little
dirty money, are willing to blacken any character or to
destroy any law. , j fn - ■_' J; -
One cannot help but wonder as to what has become of
the boasted “Atlanta Spirit.” *
Not for years has the city been so torn up by strife,
personal and factional. Not for years has there been so
much of black hatred, so much plotting, so many scan
dals. and all because a few men, greedy of gain, would
sacrifice the whole city if. by so doing, they could put
money in their pockets. That is the naked truth of the
whole ugly business.
These thiners cannot continue to live without affecting
in an unearthly way the interests of the whole commu
nity, and it becomes, therefore, a question of personal in
terest to all.
A step in the nVht directi on. would be for the daily
press to refuse to be made the means of transmission
of a lot of sensational rot which has in it no germs of
healthful municipal life. hut. on the other hand, many
seeds which, if encouraged to snrout, will be stinging us
as with nettles for years to come.
At the present moment the daily press have a great
opportunity and face a great public duty.
reasonable economy. The great difficulty with public
service in the past has been that too often appointments
have been made merely in payment of political debts.
There may be no objection to this system if the appointee
measures up in qualifications, but the better system is
to make the appointment on the basis of qualifications,
and let the political debtor find some other way to pay
his debts. Mr. Blalock’s appointment was certainly made
on the basis of qualifications, and he has made good so
thoroughly that no unfriendly criticism is heard from
any quarter of the state.
The LastTotato Paring
One of Germany’s most eminent scientists is delivering
lectures to large and attentive audiences on how to
make sugar, salt and pepper go as far as possible. An
other savant has pointed out with much detail, the folly
of throwing away any scraps of pork, which at least
can be used to grease boots. '• ... • "• •
Housewives are enjoined not to pare potatoes, but to
cook them with their jackets on, as any other method
involves waste.
As hay and grain are dear, it is pointed out that gar
bage should be looked over to see that nothing suitable
for fodder is thrown away. Bakeries are required to
use a mixture of wheat flour, rye flour and potato meal
for bread, instead of pure wheat flour.
By every possible means the Kaiser’s government is
impressing the strictest frugality in the use of foodstuffs,
metals, leather, and so on. All this, of course, is sup
plemental to the decree of the Federal Council comman
deering stocks of corn, wheat and flour, and forbidding
private transactions in those commodities. By this order
the government becomes the sole dealer in imported
p-rain: and undoubtedly it will see that the chief cereal
foodstuffs are used with the utmost economy.
All of which means, of course, that Germany has tight
ened her belt, and is prepared to utilize for the successful
conduct of the war not onlv the last man and gun, but;
the last potato oaring. Not a thin? that can contribute
to her power of resistance in the field is to be overlooked*
It is an extraordinary example of national regimenta
tion. Perhaps the nearest parallel in modern times is
found in the Southern Confederacy, which pretty liter-
allv emptied itself into the war chest.
If the energy of a modem nation were likewise strain
ed to the.last notch for a useful purpose, almost any
thing might be accomplished.—Ex.
Collector of Internal Revenues
\
The administration of A. 0. Blalock, the Collector of
Internal Revenues, has demonstrated thoroughly the
wisdom of his appointment. He has applied himself
diligently to the duties of his position, and notwithstand
ing the enormous increase of work involved by the oper
ation of the new stamp act, the income tax act and the
new narcotic law. he has kept his work ri^ht up to date,
and the delinquencies in the collector’s office in Atlanta
are fewer than at any previous period in its history. His
record illustrates the fact that there is nothing so intri
cate about the public service that it prevents "good ser
vice unless bv an expert. A man of good common sense,
industry and honesty can manage anv department of our
public service with satisfaction to the public, and with
Liberty Versus Life
There are two kinds of liberty. One is the liberty of
sensible men—-the other is the liberty of fools. Our coun
try suffers grievously because we have a surplus of the
liberty of fools.
. If a mierhty nation was to invade our country with the
purpose of conquering us and destroying our national
liberty, we would ficht to the death, regardless of the
eost m human life and property. And we would be right.
That would be the liberty of sensible men. But when
we permit 10.000 homicides per year, chiefly because
fools love to tote pistols, that is the liberty of fools.
The fools are not onlv those who tote the pistols, but also
we who permit it by lax enforcement of law. In this
we have the law, though we do not enforce
it. this brings us to an example of the liberty of fools