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PAGE FOUR
Summary of Ebents as They Happen
Governor Comer at Washington.
Gov. B. B. Comer, of Alabama
went to Washington December 5. Had
a very busy day meeting public men
from all parts of the United States.
While there he addressed the Nation
al Rivers and Harbors Convention,
onthe waterways improvement. Took
luncheon with the president and
eight other guests.
Watson Goes to White House.
Washington, December 8. — (Spec
ial.) —Hon. Thomas E. Watson, of
Georgia, arrives in Washington to
morrow, and will bo the guest of
President Roosevelt at the white
house tomorrow at luncheon. The
talk will be directed toward the
subject of currency legislation, and
Mr. Watson will urge the president
to recommend the issue of green
backs under the old civil war act,
which is still in force. The presi
dent made no specific recommenda
tion on the subject of currency re
form in his annual message, simply
contenting himself with the decla
ration that the present system is
seriously defective, and declaring
the need of amendment to our
financial laws. —Atlanta Constitution.
Railroad. War on in Europe.
New York, December 6. —Echoes
of the war which is being waged in
Europe over the control of the
Illinois Central railroad between
Stuyvesant Fish and the Harriman
interests are beginning to reach
America, and they show that the
campaign is being waged with even
more fierceness in England than it
was here. Mr. Fish’s representitives
are laying great stress on the point
that the .alliance between the
Illinois Central and the Union
Pacific is of more value to the latter
than to the former. In reply to
this, Cornelius Vanderbilt, a direc
tor of the Illinois Central, but not
connected with the Union Pacific,
has issued a statement which is being
used by the Harriman interest as
an argument with the English stock
holders whose proxies Mr. Fish is
seeking. Mr. Vanderbilt states that
the alliances with the Union Pacific
and the Southern Pacific are of the
utmost value to the Illinois Central
and that if Mr. Fish is successful in
obtaining control of the roac\ hrs
attitude will make it impossible for
those roads to continue their rela
tions with the Illinois Central. —Con-
stitution.
Free Transportation for School
on Wheels.
In February and March next an
agricultural educational campaign
of great importance will begin in
Georgia under the direction ;.Oif
Andrew M. Soule, dean of the state
agricultural college.
Dr. Soule Las received assurances
from the Georgia railroad commission
that it would not be an infraction
of the anti-pass order of the com
mission, effective January 1, 1908,
to accept from railroads of the
state the use of a special train to
be used in this campaign.
The plan is to secure a special
train, consisting of two day coaches
and one baggage car, and travel all
over the state, speaking, lecturing
and demonstrating to farmers the
best methods of farming.
It as understood that the rail
roads stand ready to furnish this
train and transport it from point to
point without cost, provided it does
not conflict with the rules and orders
of the commission. To determine
this' point before going into it too
deep, Dr. Soule addressed a letter
to the commision, explaining the
matter fully. Chairman McLendon
assured him that it would not con
flict with the orders of the commision.
The larger purpose of the cam
paign is to interest the farmers of
the state in the agricultural college
at Athens, and incidentally the dis
trict schools. It is believed that
this trip over the state will result in
great good. The complete itinerary
will be announced later. —Atlanta
Constitution.
Educators Hold Last Session Friday.
Atlanta, Ga., Dec. 6, —The con
ference of the southern educators
which for the past two days has been
in session at the Piedmont hotel will
come to an end Friday afternoon or
evening. The definite and future
plans of the conference will not be
announced at present for the reason
that the meetings have all been
executive. It is known, however,
that the general work of the south
ern educational conference to be held
next spring was mapped out and the
policies heretofore pursued by the
various state campaign committees
approved.
Delegates declare that as an out
come of the conference a great im
petus may be expected in educational
work in this section. One of the
happiest results of the convention
is said to be the fraternal spirit in
which the representatives of colleges
all over the south have met and
counselled. It is believed that in
the future all the colleges will work
together both for their material and
their educational prosperity.
Robert C. Ogden, who called the
conference together, will leave with
his daughter for Hampton, Va.,
Friday night.—Journal.
Congress and Finance.
Congress is said to be considerably
befuddled over the financial question.
This was to be expected. Congress
is a body of many men of many
minds, and the average Congressman
is very far from being an adept in
financial matters. Numerous theories
and plans will be advanced for regu
lating the currency, but the hope of
any wise and satisfactory legislation
will depend upon such leadership as
may be competent to grapple with so
comprehensive and far-reaching a
problem, with the aid of expert con
sultation. In view of the present
situation the agitation of various
financial schemes in Congress would
be more likely to do harm than good.
The country will be more readily
assured and disposed to confidence
WATSON’S WEEKLY JEFFERSONIAN.
if it finds that Congress is not dis
posed to precipitate changes, but will
address itself to the subject with a
grave deliberation that will insure
the most thorough investigation of
the real needs of the country. —Nash-
ville Banner.
Summary of President’s Message
Succinctly Told in Paragraphs. •'
The annual message of President
Theodore Roosevelt, read before the
joint session of both houses of the
Sixtieth United States Congress,
contains thirty thousand words.
The president recommends federal
licenses or national charters for
corporations.
He recommends that any revision
of the tariff be postponed at least
until after the election.
He proposes that the congress
appropriate money necessary to de
fray the expenses of the leading
national parties in presidential
elections.
Os most vital importance from the
viewpoint of the President is the
recent financial depression or string
ency, pointing to the moral lesson
of purgation of dishonest business
methods.
The author of the message urges
prompt action as to a definite cur
rency plan, though the minutia of
the proposition receives no tangible
suggestion from the president.
Relative to the currency how
ever, the president suggest that it
must be of sufficient elasticity to
enable its speedy retirement after
the financial strigency be passed.
The president follows his previous
declarations as to railroads and cor
porations, advocating all the publicity
possible in regard to the inside work
ings of giant corporations through
out the country.
He emphatically urged federal in
corporation or conditional licenses,
which, together with a wholesome
governmental supervision, he believes
would prevent a great deal of dis
honesty which has been prevalent in
the past in the various channels of
business and trade.
The present tariff system, the
president says, is responsible for
the excellent balance which prevails
between our expenditures and income,
pointing with pride to the yearly
average of $31,000,000.
He is of the opinion that the
tariff system should be given careful
scrutiny to prevent any tendency to
growing abuses in the administration
of this important feature of the
government.
The president is heartily in favor
of an income tax, though he says he
speaks with reverence due to the con
trary decision of the United States
supreme court on the subject.
It is the opinion of the president
that recent prosecutions have success
fully denied the old reasons given
that it had been impossible to punish
dishonesty where the guilty were men
of great wealth.
In discussing railroad accidents
the president declares that more
people are being killed on the great
steam highways of this country than
are claimed in the wars of the world.
He urges that the federal government
investigate railroad accidents.
The lessons learned fro mhis recent
journey down the Mississippi river are
pointed to as being reason enough
for the country to pay particular
attention to the development of its
interior waterways.
Employers’ liability, western land
frauds, saving bank system and many
other matters of especial interest to
the public welfare are dealt with at
considerable length in the message.
Os more than passing interest is his
recommendation that fourth class
postmasters be placed under civil
service.
Citizenship to the people of Porto
Rico is suggested; an ocean mail
subsidy to the far east is discussed
at length; The Hague conference is
reviewed along with the announce
ment that the exposition in Japan in
1912 will afford the United States a
magnificent opportunity which he
hopes to see improved; the tariff
agreement, recently extended by
Germany, is made the subject of
serious remarks. —Atlanta Journal.
People’s Victory—No Credit Due
The Party.
Amongst all that has been written
as to how and why state prohibition
has had such a signal triumph in
Georgia, nothing more significant has
appeared than an editorial in the
Atlanta Constitution, entitled, “The
Late Georgia Democracy!” In that
and most other Southern States the
negro peril has kept the whites prac
tically solid in the Democratic party.
There have been few prominent men
courgaeous enough to lead in move
ments for reform outside of that
party. Conspicuous exceptions in
Georgia have been the late Hon.
Walter B. Hill for the Prohibitionists
and Hon. Thos. E. Watson for the
Populists. The latter gentleman has
also been an advocate of prohibition,
and in 1896 the Populists of that
state, largely through his influence,
declared squarely for prohibition.
So in this editorial in the Consti
tution acknowledgment is made that
prohibition has not come through the
‘Democratic party organization but
in spite of it, and credit is given for
the result to these early independent
workers outside of that party, and
especially to Mr. Watson. Listen to
what it says:
“The truth of the matter is that
Mr. Watson has whipped his fight
against the organized Democracy, and
that is all there is about it. The
political leaven that he planted years
ago has done its work, and today the
victory is his. The breaking of the
party lines for which fought, and
is still fighting, has come to pass.”
The last Democratic platform of
Georgia specifically turned down a
state prohibition plank,—endorsing
local option, better protection of the
dry districts against the jug trade,
and high license as the wiser meth
ods for controlling the evil. Their
candidate for governor spoke in favor