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THE VARACA MOVEMENT.
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VOLUME TWO.
NUMBER NINE.
WHAT WE THINK OF WHAT WE SEE
The Thaw trial has ended in a mistrial. We are
all glad of a rest, and it is to be hoped that there
will not be a repetition of the scenes of the trial
which have filled the papers for weeks. As a mat
ter of fact, leaving out all question of the revolting
details of the lives of the principal characters con
cerned, which were generously given in the testi
mony, the proceedings were disgusting by reason of
the antics of counsel. The simple and comparative
ly unimportant detail of securing justice for the
accused before the law; the question of the sanity
of Thaw and finally even the life of Thaw became
of secondary importance. It was something like a
vaudeville stunt, Delmas and the Prosecuting At
torney in the roles of rival stars. The case itself,
the management of it, from a lawyer’s standpoint,
and everything connected with it except the charge
of the presiding judge, were weary, stale, flat and
decayed. Just to be assured that we would hear no
more of the trial; that Thaw would be removed far
from our ken and that the 11 angel child” would
come no more within our cognizance would be the
boon we would beseech the fates if there were any
fates with influence around in this neighborhood
just at this time.
•6 H
Mother Carrie Nation has received an offer of
marriage from a gentleman in Virginia. He is a
veteran of the Civil War, but is still young at heart.
He has a government pension of twelve dollars per
month, $275 in bank, and perhaps a small house and
lot in the country. He stated that he is at times
lonely and despondent, and that. Mother Nation is
his ideal of female loveliness. His offer was
declined. The Mother is wedded to her work.
If she could get her consent to devote just a little
attention to the matter, we know of no one better
equipped to direct a husband and make his ways
straight, than Mother Carrie. A woman with a
hatchet-face alone, has been known to make a large,
robust man obey her every behest even from the
rising of the sun to the going down thereof, and
then some; so why should not an earnest woman like
Mother Carrie, armed with a real hatchet, make a
success of the husband business?
« *
There is a by-product of “Dementia Americana ’
which has not, to our knowledge, yet received a
name, but we suggest “Dementia Politiciana” as a
fairly good fit. The first violent case observed man
ifested itself recently in Chattanooga, Tenn., a dis
tinguished guest of a Bryan banquet being the vic
tim. Mr. Bryan was present, presumably, to be
told that he was without question or hesitation the
choice of the safe and sane Democracy of this
Great Country for the next President thereof, and
further that there would be no doubt of his election;
that it would be really too easy. It naturally,
therefore, was a surprise when the guest who is a
staunch friend of Mr. Bryan, Editor of a prominent
Georgia daily, and an orator of repute, urged Mr.
Bryan in his address, to quit being a candidate for
the Presidency of the United States and let Mr.
ATLANTA, GA, APRIL 18, 1907.
Sy A. E. RAMSAUR, Managing Editor.
Roosevelt have a third term. This was bad enough,
but the limit was reached when he further suggest
ed that the proper thing for Mr. Bryan would be to
nominate Mr. Roosevelt for said third term. Mr.
Bryan is thinking over the matter and will write us
later. He says that “as at present advised” he
can’t see it that way, but he will keep on looking.
Maybe he can locate it. In the midst of it all; at
a time when the presidency was about to be taken
from him right before his very eyes, as it were,
Mr. Bryan rose to the height of that large occasion
and coined a phrase. “As at present advised” is
about the best one yet. At morn a statesman may
say that “as at present advised, I will do thus and
so.” Ere noon he can be advised differently,
and ere the evening shades have fallen he can have
his advice-wafter send him another consignment.
But going back to the original question, there has
been much discussion in the prints of the sugges
tion that Mr. Bryan nominate Air. Roosevelt. It
has been suggested by a bright young man on a
Republican paper that to square things, Mr. Roose
velt could do no less than nominate Air. Bryan, and
then the situation would assume a decided Alphonse
and Gaston aspect. Thoughtful persons will prob
ably reflect, too, that Mr. Taft is not taken care of
in this scheme of things, and that there are other
good men who would rather be right than Presi
dent, but who feel assured of their ability to be
both, who have not had a look-in on the proposi
tion. But leaving’ that aside, it was a good speech,
and maybe it was good advice. That will receive at
tention later. The thing now is the uncertain status
of the individual voter who is the mainstay and pal
ladium of this favored land. There was a time
'when you could tell a safe and sane Democrat, one
of the old-fashioned blown-in-the-glass and burned
in-the-wood variety just as far as you could see
him; and he could tell himself, too. He knew what
his principles were; he bad the grips and pass-words,
the hailing sign was second nature to him; he knew
that his salvation was from Jefferson and in his
teachings did he fix his trust; but now no man
knoweth what democracy is, and the democrat wot
teth not his whereabouts. There will soon be three
Deimocratic dinners in New York City, and each
will be different in its plans and specifications from
the others. The Democracy' of today reminds one
of the old-time Democracy because it is so different.
The one yearning of the democrat of today is to
know where he is at.
I? *
Air. Andrew Carnegie has given Emperor William
a replica of the world-famed diplodocus. He had
previously given King Edward a diplodocus. This
has had a powerful effect in cementing the friend
ship of the two nations for America. When the
papers first announced the gift to King Edward,
public curiosity was great as to the nature of the
diplodocus. Alany arose at once and said: “What
is a diplodocus?” “What is it for?” According
to the Washington Post, one curious and interested
citizen stated that the diplodocus was similar to the
rhinoceros, except that it claimed Pittsburg as its
habitat. Other rumors were that it was a jewel and
was presented in a gem-studded box. One corres
pondent gave forth the surmise that it was a specific
for gout and that the name signified “worth two
doctors.” Hence there was no wonder that King
Edward was glad to receive it. Now curiosity will
again revive and there is no doubt ithat some learned
newspaper writer will set at rest the gnawing anx
iety of the general public on this important ques
tion. It appears that Air. Andrew Carnegie has a
large supply of diplodocuses, that he is the only
man who has them or can get them. That he will
bestow them wisely we have no doubt. Future his
torians will no doubt account for the continued am
ity between our glorious country and foreign pow
ers, by the fact that Mr. Carnegie, with the far-see
ing wisdom for which he is famous, secured the
diplodocuses of the world and gave them away where
they would be prized and cherished; where they
would do the most good.
I? r.
iSir Walter Raleigh gave to the world the bless
ing and comforts of the pipe, and since that time
many poets have sung of the pipe and the cigar.
We have sought in vain for a poem describing the
juicy delights of chewing. Observation has inclined
us to the belief that this is a source of happiness
especially provided for calm, silent, elemental, ear
nest men. Your frivolous fellow does not chew.
He probably frivols with a cigarette. The man with
the rolled up sleeves and the deep wrinkles in his
forehead generally has the bulge in his left cheek
and a beautiful development of the expectorating
muscles. But a high authority has given expression
to his sentiments on tobacco chewing. President
Woodrow Wilson of Princeton University says:
“Chewing leads /to ruminative habits. If a man
stops long enough between sentences to chew he is
more likely to form opinions that are of weight
than if he does not. There is something in the saw
dust box.” One is moved to reflect upon the vast
advantage our modern statesmen have over those of
other times. Perhaps the fatal defect in the states
manship of Greece and Rome was the lack of tobac
co ehewers in their counsels of state. If Caesar had
been a chewer, who knows how the currents of his
tory would have been changed? The real basis to
day of the real democracy of this country is found
in the circle at the cross-roads store. They open
and conduct and conclude their meetings and dis
cussions with one common aim: to hit the cuspidor.
Accuracy in this detail tends to nicety of discrim
ination and conservatism of selection in making up
their estimates of men and measures. The eternal
problems of right and wrong are settled and ad
justed around the common center, the universal aim;
the cuspidor. Haste here would mean ruin and na
tional dismay. Chewing induces rumination and
contemplation, which same is the source of wisdom,
which same in turn saves the State. At last there
has been rendered to Caesar the things which are
his.
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