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THE ATLANTIAN
the most fearless horseman, the best boxer, the best ball player, and
the best shot among his school fellows and associates, the great
work he has accomplished is a matter of gratification, but not a
surprise. In the success of the man all recognize the fruit of those
high qualities that the boy demonstrated.
Senator Hoke Smith
With the accession of our late Governor to the ranks of the
United States Senators, both the Senate and the Democratic Party
are greatly strengthened. Senator Smith has natural ability of a
high order, coupled with long governmental experience, and with
wide information. In the modern classification, he belongs to what
we call the progressive democracy, as distinguished from the bour
bon or reactionary wing of the party. It is a matter of congratula
tion to Georgia that its delegation in Congress has been so greatly
strengthened by the addition of so strong a man; and one is not
risking much in prophesying that, during his present term, Senator
Smith will take rank with the Senatorial leaders.
The country has suffered of late years because we have had, in
the Senate, too many men who have risen to important positions
there simply by the rule of seniority, and not because of any recog
nized abilities. While there may be a certain measure of efficiency
in these second rate men, it does not matter how faithful or how
honest they may be, the country can never hope for any great
measures to be initiated, or to be put through, by men who recognize
that their only safety lies in adhering to the status quo.
It is pleasant, therefore, to know that the ranks of senators have
been reinforced by a Georgian, strong enough to initiate, and
strong enough to carry to a successful issue important measures,
and who will not have to wait long years for position won by the
rule of seniority, but will from the beginning of his service stand
in the front rank.
Banking in Georgia
In speaking of public utilities, the people figure on waterworks,
gas plants, telephone lines, railway lines, electric lighting plants and
similar things, and in so doing overlook the greatest of all public
utilities—our banks.
Five hundred years ago the Venetians understood the advantages
of the banking business. The modern development of t he business
has all come within the past two hundred years. Today it ranks
second to none of our modern conveniences in importance to the
community. Imagine, if you can, that there was not a bank in
Georgia—and then, if your imagination is fertile enough, picture
to yourself what the condition would be.
There is another side to the question. Among public utilities, the
banking business has always possessed a greater share of public
good will than any other public business. Have you ever stopped
to consider why? Let us tell you. There is no watered stock in
the banking business. No country would permit a bank to operate
on anything except actual capital. No country would permit a bank
to capitalize good will. The most that a bank can do is to capital
ize its earned surplus, and that is just as much money as its original
capital. That is one reason.
Another reason is the fact that everywhere banks make frequent
statements of condition, and in at least ninety-eight per cent, of
the cases these statements are faithful reflections of actual condi
tions.. There is your publicity. The condition of the bank is
always known to the public, or approximately so.
Again. The men who conduct our banks have, as a rule, a high
standard of integrity. When one considers the small amount of
default compared with the number of institutions and the volume
of business, it is within the truth to say that no other business can
show quite the same standard of integrity—that is another reason.
We may sometimes get out of humor with the officials of the bank
with which we do business, because they will only lend us fifty dol
lars when we want one hundred. But even then we must consider
two things. The first is, that a great many other fellows are want
ing fifty or a hundred; and the second is that the first consideration
with the bank must be prudence.
The development of the banking business in Georgia during the
last few years has been something phenomenal; and greatly to our
credit. This development has been accompanied by a very small
percentage of failure. Nearly all of our banks are prospering and
doing a good business. Their prosperity has been fairly earned.
They enjoy the confidence of the public, and the records show that
they are entitled to that confidence. They are performing one of
the most useful functions in our business life, and doing it well.
Competition in the banking business, while keen, is in nearly every
case conducted along honorable lines, and in Georgia at least, and
measurably so elsewhere, there is no effort on the part of the big
bank to crush out the little one. The banking business represent
ing colossal capital has been free from the evils which afflict other
big business, in the sense that there has been no stock watering, no
get-rich-quick methods, no oppression of the public, but a clean,
honorable, legitimate conduct of business without cut-throat compe
tition. The banking business furnishes absolute evidence that the
methods which have disgraced other pursuits are not essential in
our modern business life. Why may we not take a lesson from it ?
Woodrow Wilson 1912
It begins to look like Woodrow Wilson for the Democrats. And
a mighty good thing it will be for the Democrats if it should be
Woodrow Wilson!
Without intending any reflection on any other of the distinguished
gentlemen whose names have been mentioned in this connection, one
cannot but help perceive that any other man would be a doubtful
quantity, and Mr. Wilson almost a certainty. Take any one of
those men that may be mentioned, and it will be found that in some
section of the country which is essential to the success of the
Democratic ticket there is an opposition which would prove fatal—
or rather a lack of enthusiasm, it might be stated, which woidd
prove fatal. In Mr. Wilson’s case the opposition is literally con
fined to one element in the community. That element is sometimes
called “the interests,” and sometimes called “the corporations.”
It is the one element that the Democracy can afford to antagonize,
and the only element whose friendship would be more fatal to the
Democratic Party than its enmity. Its friendship has brought the
Republican Party to its knees. Its friendship would bring the
Democratic Party to its knees. That element has no genuine
political affiliation—it has no use for any party that it does not
control. It wants no man in office that it cannot control. It has
no perspective beyond the pockets of the men who repi’csent it.
It cares nothing for the country as a whole. It believes that the
country exists for the benefit of a few shrewd manipulators.
It follows from this that a man of Woodrow’ Wilson’s type, w'ho
cannot, be controlled by these interests, would not be acceptable to
them and the mere fact that lie would not be acceptable to those
people constitutes his greatest element of strength and would make
him invincible before the people of the United States. Added to
this, he is a gentleman in every fiber, a scholar, and easily the most
progressive statesman today before the American people—the
clearest, soundest and strongest thinker.
It would be a misfortune to the American people to let such a man
be passed over when the opportunity offers itself to make use of him
as the executive head of the Republic.
The Innocent Pay
Of all the archaic systems under the shining sun, our penology, or
system of vicarious punishment, is the most archaic. It is a matter
of w’onderment when one looks upon our law-makers and sees their
utterly futile attempts in making just penal laws. It is a matter
of wonderment that supposedly wise men never get beyond being
cobblers—patclnvork artists who continually add new patches,