Newspaper Page Text
4
THE ATLANTIAN
November, 1921
PRESIDENT HARDING’S SOUTHERN VISIT
The President on his recent visit to the South made a
distinctly favorable impression.
A few men to whom mention of the “brother in black”
is like a red flag to a bull, were deeply aggrieved, and yet
when analyzed there was nothing so terrible in what the
President said.
His plea was for economic and political justice. Every
honest man will agree with that.
Political justice means allowing every man who can
register to vote, but it does not mean necessarily giving
him an office. For example, the writer is a legal voter of
long standing, but has never been elected to office and does
not feel aggrieved on that count.
It is a foregone conclusion that the South will not elect
the negro to office, but where qualified he should not be
denied a vote.
Economic justice calls for no argument. It is a sorry
white man who, demanding justice for himself, will deny it
to any other human being, white, red, brown, yellow or
black.
The President is naturally a kindly man. It is already
apparent that he wants to see everybody do right and doing
well economically. He is not a Roosevelt or a Wilson, he
will seek results by working with those around him if he
possibly can. He does not seek controversy but gives con
sideration to the counsel of his friends and advisors.
He does not hate anybody and wants to be President of
an undivided people; however, we must not forget that he
is a strong party man, the chosen representative of the
stand-pat element in his party, and any Democrat who fig
ures on any political favors, will miss his guess.
We may cuss his politics, but we can’t help liking the
man, and that is some consolation, as long as stand-patters
are in control.
REPUBLICAN STATE CHAIRMAN PHILLIPS
The shadowy Republican party in Georgia has had
some strenuous struggles in the past eight months. Split
by internal dissensions which were perennial, all the fac
tions looking to Washington for recognition, especially in
the shape of offices, these factions finally roused the antag
onism of the powers that be in the Republican National
Machine, and these powers rose up and busted the Georgia
machine.
This action was clearly illegal from a party standpoint
but the fellows who did it had the power, by reason of the
control of the offices, to bring the brethren into line. •
Their next step was the creation of a new State Com
mittee, at the head of which was placed Mr. J. L. Phillips, a
lumber man of Thomasville, Ga.
Mr. Phillips is proving himself a mighty man. Like
the centurion in Scripture, he is a man in authority. He
tells ’em where they get on and where they get off. He has
proven to the brethren that no plum can fall into the lap of
any Georgia Republican unless the aforesaid Republican
has made himself acceptable to Mr. Phillips. That he is not
afraid of anybody he has amply proven, and that he will
henceforth be the actual, if not the nominal, National Re
publican Committeeman and dispenser of patronage for
Georgia is a certain fact. Those who know him say that
Mr. Phillips is a pretty big man, and can swing the contract
.he has taken over.
SENATOR HARRIS
The senior Georgia Senator is justifying his friends
and confounding his enemies. Indulging in no pyrotech
nic display, doing faithfully and to the best of his ability
the work which comes under his hand from day to day
he has won the respect and good will of his colleagues, and
in this way is steadily increasing his ability to serve the
people of his state.
It is no discredit to the Senator to say that he is a
plodder, for it is the plodders, and not the geniuses, who do
the worth while work of the world. It is Within the bounds
of strict truth to say that the Senator has steadily grown
since he went to Washington years ago. He is a well-bal
anced man,'whose democratic thought and habit is not in
any way altered by success.
, He is conscientious in the discharge of his duties, keeps
the faith with both political friend and foe, and has steadily
grown in favor with his constituents.
He has more friends than ever before, and has won
them fairly by good service.
DEMOCRATIC NATIONAL POLITICS
The people play politics part time. The political lead
ers play the game overtime, not always getting paid even
for part time, but taking new heart after, each downfall
thy plunge in valiantly.
Discouraged by overwhelming defeat last fall, the
Democratic National Committee, and other leaders, were
N not much in evidence for a time. Then, it having become
apparent that the new Republican Administration was not
going to bring about the millenium they chirked up and
got busy.
It speedily developed that the leaders were feeling more
cheerful, that they were beginning to believe that* the Re
publicans would leave so many gaps in the fence that the
Democrats might run in a majority in the next Congress,
and a President in 1924.
Then the struggle was on for supremacy within the
party and the honor of leading the hosts of the unterrified.
A new Z National Chairman, Judge Cordell Hull, of