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The Golden Age
(SUCCESSOR TO RELIGIOUS PORUM)
Published Ebery Thursday by the Golden Hge Publishing
Company (Inc.)
OFTICES: LOWNDES VUILDINQ, ATLANTA. GA.
Price: $2.00 a 'Pear
Ministers $1.50 per Year.
In cases of foreign address fifty cents should be added to cober
additional postage.
Make all remittances payable to The Golden Age Publishing Company.
WILLIAM V. UPSHHW, .... Editor
A. E. RAMSAUR, . . . Managing Editor
LEK G. STOUGHTON - - - Pulpit Editor
Entered at the Post Office tn Atlanta, Ga„
as second-class matter.
<TR ADE OUNCQ
To the Public: The advertising columns of The
Golden Age will have an editorial conscience. No
advertisement will be accepted which we believe
would be hurtful to either the person or the purse
of our readers.
Joe Terrell, Gentleman.
If Miss Mulock had lived in Georgia it would
not have been John Halifax, but “Joe Terrell,
Gentleman. ’ ’
But yesterday he was a stainless Governor of
Georgia—today he is Joseph M. Terrell, a stain
less private citizen. For four years and eight
months he stood at the helm of the Good Ship of
State. And no Governor ever left behind him a
purer name or a more unsullied fame.
Dr. John E. White rightly called him “the gen
tleman.” Pure in speech, in life and Christian
character, and able as an officer of state, he has
won the increasing love of the thousands who hon
or him now, not as Joseph M. Terrell, Governor,
but as Joe Terrell, the Gentleman citizen of Geor
gia!
M I?
Georgia ’s Nelv Governor.
The inauguration of Hon. Hoke Smith as Gov
ernor of Georgia on Saturday, June 29, was the
most imposing and enthusiastic induction into of
fice which any chief executive has known in this
generation.
The demand of the people to see the inaugural
ceremonies was so insistent and the crowd was so
great that no attempt was made to have the new
Governor take the oath of office in the House of
Representatives, as the custom has long been, but
out on the good green sward beside the capitol
a stand was erected for the ceremonies, and with
the members of the Legislature immediately before
him and cheering thousands from all over Georgi 1
around him, Governor Smith took the oath of
office and delivered his inaugural address amid
wild and inspiring demonstrations of enthusiasm.
Elected by an overwhelming vote on certain meas
ures of reform, his speech was a ringing and power
ful re-affirmation of the principles for which he
stood during his campaign. His views on all these
questions of state were so well known that only the
personality of the statesman "and the wonderful
force of his delivery gave them new zest and
interest in his great inaugural address. With these
general questions this paper does not deal. But
the air was so surcharged with electrical expec
tation on liquor legislation that everybody stood
on tiptoe to hear his utterance on this vital sub
ject. They knew he had declared for “local op
tion,” saying, however, that he would sign, a state
wide bill if the legislature should pass it. Thou
sands before him heartily wished he would go one
step further and become an advocate. This is
what he said: “My idea of liquor legislation as
put liquor where people cannot get it to drink.
In local elections I have always voted ‘dry,’ and
while I had thought it might be better to leave
the matter to local option in each county for the
next two years, still if the legislature passes a
state prohibition measure I will certainly sign the
bill.”
The Golden Age for July 4, 1907.
And then the crowd went wild. And shouts of,
“Give us state prohibition!” rang out from the
cheering throng.
His declaration in favor of a jug law for the pro
tection of dry counties was of course lost in the
enthusiasm over the above statement, and knowing
the attitude of the legislature on state prohibi
tion, their applause was, in truth, a celebration
aforetime of the victory now in sight.
Another one of the most wholesome things said
by Governor Smith w r as on the subject of law and
order. Hear this epigram of wisdom and human
ity •
“Superiority is no excuse for brutality.” He
declared lynching to be defined by law as murder,
and put the state on notice that he would use the
whole arm of the law to punish the guilty. He
pleaded with the people with great to help
him to keep the page white for the next two years,
saying lie devoutly hoped that not one lynching
would occur during his administration.
It was a great inaugural address and put into
italics the commanding opportunity before Geor
gia’s new Governor.
Never did the chief executive of any state take
up the reins of government under brighter skies.
An overwhelming majority of the people are with
him. Both branches of the Legislature are with
him. The eyes of the nation are on him. The
gates at the White House are clicking under the
impulse of his probable approach.
We believe he will sacredly seek to do his duty,
and we invoke the God whose aid he asked in his
closing words to be the guardian of his office and
the benediction of his home.
•5 *
President Akin.
The selection of Hon. John M. Slaton as Speaker
of the Georgia House of Representatives is such
a usual thing that we only pause to salute him
on the rare, high honor of a third election, and
pass on to lift our hat in genuine delight to Hon.
John W. Akin of Cartersville, the new President
of the Senate of Georgia.
His election is an honor worthily won and which
will be worthily worn. It will hold interest for all
good people even beyond the confines of Georgia.
While this paper is not political, it does believe
in seeking the elevation of the purest, truest men
to positions of trust and influence.
The Anti-Saloon forces in Georgia were settled
on one thing—that the President of the Senate
must be an out and out prohibitionist.
There were two candidates who declared them
selves unequivocally for state prohibition. These
were Judge Akin and Hon. L. G. Hardman. There
were other splendid gentlemen in the race, but
while “dry” in person, themselves, prohibition
was not their avowed specialty. On grounds of
long acquaintance or special friendship each man
had his supporters, but when it developed that
Judge Akin was the stronger of the two, Dr.
Hardman, like the princely Christian man that
he is, retired from the race and seconded the nom
ination of Judge Aikin.
And everybody believes that the “little giant
from Bartow” who stands next to the Governor
in his position, is equal, in the wealth of his wisdom
and the golden coin of his character, to any honor
in the gift of the people of Georgia.
The Hardeman 'Bill.
The prohibition bill introduced by Hon. L. G.
Hardman, of Commerce, was the very first bill
read after the organization of the Georgia Sen
ate. It is the same in effect as the Covington-
Neel Bill in the House, introduced by Hon. W. A.
Covington and Hon. W. J. Neel of Bartow. These
gentlemen are whiskey fighters from “away back,”
while Dr. Hardman is a famous physician who
has proven in his profession that doctors can get
along without liquor in their practice like men
and women can get along without it in their lives.
This bill is the sanest, most sweeping prohibition
measure, we believe, ever presented to the Geor
gia Legislature. It simply means that after its
passage the whole ‘state of Georgia will be as
much (or more) under prohibition law as the
counties of Terrell or Grady or Bartow or Lowndes
or any or all of the one hundred and twenty
seven counties in the state that have driven saloons
and dispensaries from their borders.
The liquid dynamite can be sold nowhere —not
even in drug stores —and there only pure alcohol
for art, scientific and strictly medicinal purposes.
“But prohibition in Georgia won’t prohibit?”
Bah! The makers of this bill answer: One hun
dred and twenty-seven counties have tried it and
they like it mighty well. And with the big whis
key centers out of business these dry counties will
like it better than ever!
“But the drug stores will sell it?”
Then we will prosecute the keepers as criminals
—and instead of fining them, we will put ’em in
the chain gang. This much is settled. If Georgia
passes a state prohibition law, she is going to en
force. Look at Tennessee! Look at Carolina!
Look at Alabama! Look at Mississippi. They are
all crowding the liquor traffic to the corner, ready
to strike the last destroying blow.
The stars in their courses are fighting for us—
and Georgia shall be free!
Northern Welcome Tor Uncle 'Remus.
It was extremely gratifying to note the wonder
fully cordial welcome which has been universally
accorded Uncle Remus’s Magazine throughout the
country, but most markedly in the North and
East. The numerous newsdealers who handled the
magazine in New York City were each one obliged
to show a “sold out” sign for the first issue. It
is authoritatively stated that of the 38,000 dealers
supplied with the first issue of Uncle Remus’s, not
a single copy was returned to the publishers; on
the contrary, additional supplies were almost in
variably requested.
This fact is significant in more ways than one.
First of all, it evidences a spirit of cordiality to
ward a Southern publication which has never be
fore been shown., Secondly, it is a most decided
indication of the popularity of the writings of Mr.
Joel Chandler Harris (Uncle Remus), and, per
haps, most significant of all, is the evident readi
ness of the public to welcome a perfectly clean,
high-grade periodical. The July number of Uncle
Remus’s is before us, and in its every line it fully
justifies the claims of its promoters inasmuch as
it is without a single word, sentence or sentiment
which could possibly be challenged by the most
rigid moralist. In addition, it is believed from the
plans of the publishers, as already outlined, that
the entire future policy of the magazine is to ad
here strictly to this moral tone as well as to a lit
erary standard which it will be difficult for any
current periodical to excel.
It is in just such enterprises as this that the
best spirit of the “New South” is shown, and if
for no other reason, the public of the South should
feel a special, proprietary pride and interest in
Uncle Remus’s Magazine.
A contemporary gives an account this week of
a Georgia lynching, and after giving details, says:
“They took the prisoner out, and after hanging
him, quietly dispersed. The crowd was very order
ly and quietly left for their homes without arous
ing the citizens.” We cannot refrain from speak
ing a word of commendation of this body of ear
nest and perhaps prayerful citizens who so quietly
and unobtrusively hanged a fellow citizen and
then “without arousing the (other) citizens” went
serenely home. This is another evidence of
what a law-abiding and considerate people we have
in this grand old state. In other sections of the
country there might have been a lot of noise and
disturbance; there might have been even shooting
and swearing, which would have aroused the citi
zens from their much needed rest; and further
more, the gentlemen officiating at the ceremonies
might conceivably have proven quite annoying by
standing around afterward and talking in loud
tones calculated to banish sleep from the pillows of
the whole neighborhood. But we say it with pride,
there was nothing of the kind. They “quietly dis
persed. ’ ? Let this be an example.