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4 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,