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14 THE ATLANTIAN THE American National Bank Atlanta, Ga. CAPITAL AND SURPLUS $1,000,000. OFFICERS: WILLIAM L. PEEL.P resident ROBT. F. MADDOX, Vice-President THOS. J. PEEPLES, Cashier JAS. P. WINDSOR, Assistant Cashier JAS. F. ALEXANDER, Assistant Cashier A progressive bank in the leading city of the growing south. THREE-FOURTHS OF CRIME DUE TO LIQUOR EVIL So Says Chief Justice Ben Hill of Court of Appeals in Opinion Rendered in Langston Manslaughter Case—Judge Rus sell, on Bench Agreed with this Opinion Three-fourth of the cases that go before the state court of appeals are due directly or Indirectly to the exces sive use of intoxicants, declares Chief Justice Ben Hill, of that tribunal, in an opinion handed down by him in the case of Will Langston, a Cherokee county youth, convicted of manslaugh ter for killing his father. This opinion is as strong as any ser mon or temperance lecture against the evils of drink. In it Justice Hill says: “The facts of this case present an other of the daily occurring instances showing the monstrous and measure less evil of intoxicating liquors. This hydra-headed and remorseless mon ster, with ceaseless and tireless ener gy, wastes the substance of the poor, manufacturers burdensome taxes for the public, monopolizes the valuable time of courts, fills jails penitentiar ies and asylums, ruins homes, destroys manhood, terrorizes helpless women and innocent children, baffles the church, and mocks the law, and an swering its inexorable demands, ‘each new morn new widows mourn, new orphans cry, new wrongs strike ‘heav en in the face.’ “These are the products of a curse imposed, not by the decree of God, but self-inflicted by the voluntary conduct of man, its weak and wicked victim. Judges of criminal courts, speaking from official experience, have grown weary calling attention to the drink habit as the principal cause of crime, and nothing the writer could say would add to this manifest truth. But I can not refrain from saying that after five years’ observation of the cases that have been before this court, three-fourths of the crimes are due di rectly or indirectly to the excessive use of intoxicants, and that if the church and the state and public senti ment could ultimately make Georgia sober, the prisons would be vacant, the chaingangs empty, and the cities, towns and country would be filled with prosperous and happy homes.” Dill Langston, a nineteen-year-old youth, killed his own father, who had come home beastly drunk and drove his sick wife, the youth’s mother, from her bed into the night. The youth re sented this treatment of his mother. The father, frenzied with liquor, curs ed his son, knocked him down, cut him with a knife and threatened to kill him. The son then picked up a stone, used as a door prop, and hurled it at his father, it striking him on the head 1 and killing him. He was tried and convicted of manslaughter and ap pealed for a new trial, but the court of appeals could find no error on which to send the case back to the lower court. Consequently the decision was aflirmed. Judge Richard B. Russell, a member of the court of appeals, approved the findings in this case. Judge Russell is running for governor as a local op tion candidate for governor. Local op tion, as interpreted by the voters in this campaign, means to legalize the sale of liquor.—Atlanta Georgian, No vember 8, 1911. CURRENT COMMENT. 'l’ne Charleston Post says: “The Georgia Legislature believes in adver tising, as those freak bills testify, but when a paranoiac measures like the riding astride bill appears, a physician should be called to the father of such a law.” The Washington Herald says: “Somebody is going to run against Congressman Brownlow of Tennessee next time; also somebody is going to run against Congressman Livingston of Georgia. This has been going on for years and years, we believe; it is difficult to recall the names of the various somebodies who have essayed the tasks.” The Louisville Courier-Journal says: "Two prophecies may, nevertheless, be hazarded with confidence. Great Britain will feel that insularity is no longer the complete guarantee it was and that she must seek protection from fleets aerial; and the fight be tween the monoplane, as exploited by the French and the biplane, as con structed by the Wrights, will furnish much instructive discussion.” The Athens (Ga.) Banner says: “If the members of the Legislature will settle the McLendon case and dispose of the near beer bill this week the people of Georgia will be thankful.” The Hartford Times says: “The agitation for a huge navy in England is bearing fruit. The addition of four Dreadnoughts to the naval construc tion programme for the year has been decided on. The burden which this mania for naval expansion is impos ing on the taxpayer is tremendous. The sort of patriotism which finds its outlet in excessive armament doesn’t spend much time in examining the price tag on national hysteria.” BOOKS AND THEIR USES. A young girl once asked Mark Twain if he liked books for Christ mas gifts, relates the Christian Regis ter. "Well, that depends,” drawled the great humorist. “If a book has a leather cover, it is really valuable as a razor strop. If it is a brief, concise work, such as the French write, it is useful to put under the short leg of a wabbly table. An old-fashioned book with a clasp can’t be beat, as a missile to hurl at a dog; and a large book, like a geography, is as good as a piece of tin to nail over a broken pane of glass.” IN NEW YORK. . When Pat McKenna lost his watch he went right down to his friend, the police sergeant. “Don’t worry about your watch,” said the sergeant; “we’ll leave no stone unturned in New York until we find it.” Pat returned home greatly comfort ed, only to find his watch under his vest As he was going back to tell his friend that he need not trouble to look any more he saw some digging in the street to lay a sewer. Pat rush ed up to the foreman. “Nivver mind turnin’ up the stones any more,” he cried. ”I’ve found it” WHEN SHE GOT IN. Being very fresh and from New York they thought they would try some of their New York humor on the old stationmaster at the country statioa “Well, Uncle,” said one of the young men, “when does the 3:40 train get in?” The old man looked at the young man, and, without moving a muscle of his face, said: ' “Waal, she generally gets in just a leetle behind the engine, young man.” OVERWORKED. “Talking about towns, have you ev er been in Leavenworth, Kansas?” asked the commercial traveler in the smoking-car. “No? Well, that’s a dry town for you, all right.” “They can’t sell liquor at all there?” asked one of the men. “Only if you have been bitten by a snake,” said the drummer. “They have only one snake in town, and when I got to it the other day after standing in line for nearly half a day it was too tired to bite.” THE BOY AT THE BASIN. “During a test run from Syracuse to Batavia I occupied a seat in the en gine cab,” said a prominent New York Central official recently, according to Judge. “It was a pretty fast trip, and a dirty one. Consequently, being swart with coal dust, road dust and oil when I arrived at Batavia, I hur ried to the nearest hotel to wash up. “Having utilized the basin near the clerk’s desk, I was about to turn from the homely towel when I observed the proprietor’s little son standing before the basin, carefully dipping something into the soiled water. “What are you doing, my boy?” I asked. '“Going to see if this water ’ll write!’ replied the lad, withdrawing a pen and making off.” ARTFUL. Boston Mother (severely)—“I can’t conceive what you see in that young Mr. Everyday! He doesn’t like Ibsen, he doesn’t like Browning, he doesn’t like Keats. Whom does he like?” Boston Maiden (demurely)—“Me.” "I knew that concrete was being used for all sorts of purposes,” remarked the sarcastic boarder, “but this is the first time I ever realized it was also being used to make biscuits.”—De troit Free Press.