Newspaper Page Text
PAGE TWELVE
NATIONAL FINANCE.
(Continued from Page One.)
is “uncivilized in its financial meth
ods.” The Brooklyn Eagle, com
menting editorially on what was said
at that meeting, remarks: “In short,
these men of financial affairs, of rec
ognized ability not only as practical
financiers, but as scientific thinkers
on- the subject, all tend to the estab
lishment of a central bank as the one
great remedy for the defects of our
present system. Their utterances
should have an educational effect.
Their sincerity is unquestioned. Their
arguments are powerful. The cause
of the central bank grows. And that
is very well.”
Without indorsing the central bank
idea, it must be accepted as entirely
true that what these men say on
financial subjects should “have an
edivca'innal effect.” We qccept the
opinions of experts on all other sub
jects and nothing requires expert
treatment more than national finance.
But it is. nevertheless, an unfortunate
truth that the well based opinion of
experienced financiers has less weight
with a large portion of the American
public than the vaporings of stump
politicians who never handled money
in any considerable quantities and
never saw the inside of a great bank
ing house. Tom Watson, in his week
ly Atlanta paper, will reach a large
class of voters who never heard of
either Mr. Nash or Mr. Seligman, and
to whom the name Rothschild conveys
no more definite impression than does
that of Midas or Dives. Tom will tell
his readers that the New York bank
ers are. all arch conspirators against
the welfare of the common people,
and they will regard any proposition
of refocrm in the financial system
coming from that source as the evil
machinations of their natural ene
mies.
There is probably about one voter
in a thousand who knows the a b c
of national finance, and a great many
people will depend upon politicians,
rather than bankers or students of
finance, for instruction on financial
questions. They will do even worse
than this; they will suffer themselves
to be inflamed and prejudiced on such
subjects by shallow charlatans who
practice on their fears and their ig
norance in order to obtain office. If
Lord Rothschild were familiar with
the political methods that obtain in
the United States he wrnuld know why
our national financial methods are
“not civilized.”
There will be a flood of bills pro
posing financial reform introduced in
to Congress, but whatever is done in
that respect should be done with
great care, to insure the permanent
financial betterment of the country.
The Congressional committee having
such measures in charge should ig
nore the doctrinaires and the dema
gogues and study the question scien
tifically and practically. They should
avail themselves of the opinion and
experience of experts, yet guard
against the bias or self-interest that
often affects the expert. It is not
necessary that they put themselves
under New York influence. It is for
the good of the whole country that
they must legislate, and the subject
should be treated without prejudice
and in a spirit of the broadest cath
olicity, looking to the experiences and
conditions of this and other countries
and depending on the best intelli
gence in shaping their course.—Nash
ville Banner.
To the Watson Jeffersonian:
While there is a wave of reform
sweeping this country of ours from
the Atlantic to the Pacific and from
the Gulf to the Great Lakes; and
while the people have been aroused to
a sad realization of the fact that there
is something wrong somewhere or
somehow with the great bulk of our
food and drink by reason of adulter
ation, there are other things just as
important and essential to the public
welfare and the common good of the
people which ought not to be over
looked in our great fight for needed
reforms.
I am proud of our Congress, which
passed the pure food law, making it
unlawful for anyone to sell inferior
or adulterated food or drink claiming
it genuine; also our legislature that
swept old Georgia dry seemed to have
the people’s interest at heart. Yet
they seem to have lost sight of the
fact that there are other great evils
and abuses which stand as a bar to
justice, which the American people,
and particularly Georgians, should,
with one accord, demand abolished.
One of our greatest evils is the
Fee Bill of the different officers of
Court. Our laws were made princi
pally by lawyers whom we selected as
the best and brainiest men in our
country. But alas, they seem to have
lost sight of the fact that there
are others who want pay for what
they do, as well as lawyers, and that
there are other talents as deserving
of reward.
Let us take, for instance, the So
licitor General, and the Sheriff, or
any other executive officer in the
Slate, or United States, and observe
the difference in pay in common mis
demeanor cases.
The criminal commits some crime,
and either leaves, or hides out in the
swamps—very often heavily armed
and defying arrest. The arresting of
ficer has to hunt him like he would
a rabbit, and very often has serious
trouble in arresting him.
When the arrest is made the offi
cer is entitled to a fee of one dollar
and twenty-five cents for his time and
expense after the prisoner is deliv
ered in the common jail of the coun
ty.
The Solicitor General comes to the
courthouse and draws his accusation,
and sometimes makes a little speech,
and is entitled to a fee of ten dollars
for same.
In gambling cases the arresting of
ficer gets one dollar twenty-five; or,
if a bench warrant be issued, he has
to hunt, arrest, and convey the gamb
ler to jail, all for the pitiful compen
sation of tw’o dollars. Yet, for his
services, the Solicitor General gets
thirty dollars.
For a felony case, the Sheriff gets
one-twenty-five to two dollars to make
the capture and convey the prisoner
to the county jail, and sometimes
he gets nothing for his services. Yet,
for the prosecution, the Solicitor Gen
eral gets fifty dollars.
I am frank to admit that it takes
able talent to be a Solicitor General.
It is also takes xzfifl xzfififfffiffia
It also takes able talent to make a
THE JEFFERSONIAN
successful Sheriff. The Sheriff’s tal
ent is different from that of the pros
ecuting attorney, for the simple rea
son his talent enables him to outplan,
outwit, outdare, and ourun the crim
inal, and o be a better shot with fire
arms. In addition to this he has to
endure hardships, many and severe,
is subjected to much exposure, and in
fact, under our present laws, the
Sheriff is supposed to be a niron man
—he never gets hungry, tired or
sleepy, though he goes many days
and nights without a meal; though he
sits in a buggy chasing horse thieves
or other criminals day after day with
out a moment’s rest, even hiring fresh
teams every constant in order to con
tinue in rapid pursuit; or though he
is on such hot trail he gets not so
much as five hours’ sleep in a whole
week, and this he has to snatch by
moments while riding along in order
not to lose time.
I know by experience I am deal
ing with actual facts and speak the
truth. Tn addition to all this, a suc
cessful Sheriff must needs have the
brain of a natural born detective,
must be wise and speedy in laying
his plans and swift and certain in
the execution thereof. He must know
no fear, though cautious, even on en
tering of outlaws or assembly
of professional gamblers, singlehand
ed or in company with one or two
deputies, at the same time knowing
full well that they are all going to
show fight and some one has got to be
killed before hey will surrender.
Then he must guard them, watching
each one of the twelve or fifteen des
perate characters as a hawk would
watch a chicken, to prevent any un
fair dvntge being tken of him by
which they might put him to speedy
end, and which would result not only
in his death while standing at his
post of duty, but would turn loose
upon society to run rampant a mob of
villians already stamped dangerous
and hurtful to the community and
state.
A Sheriff is further supposed to
travel without money, and to subsist
on grass and dew, and must not in
cur any expense to the county lest
someone, even the county commis
sioners through when he receives his
pay, howls “extravagance” and
“bankruptcy to the county.”
The faithful Sheriff never enjoys
the sweet repose of a night’s sleep,
by virtue of the fact that he is a
“minute-man,” subject to be called
to arms on a moment’s notice, even
by telegram, or horseback messenger,
to go and protect or defend the prop
erty or lives of all other citizens.
How much blessing, and comfort,
and security, the public reaps from
his sowing: but alas, how little of
his just reward does he enjoy.
A Sheriff’s life is one long contin
ued warfare against crime, and he is
often exposed to imminent danger,
dread disease and foul weather.
Storm or sunshine, heat or snow, he
must immediately respond, even at
the hour of midnight, to each and ev
ery call for help, for protection, or
for justice, from the thousands of
whom he is protector.
e must arrest, guard and protect
the vilest criminal, be he murderer or
rapist fiend; and for this service per
haps gets, at some indefinite time in
the future, the pitiful sum of one dol
lar twenty-five.
Is this a wise law? If the Sher
iffs get enough pay, the other offi
cers get too much. The Justice of
the Peace gets the same fee to fill in
a blank piece of paper, can sit in his
office —exposed to no danger at all—
and can do the work in five minutes,
as the arresting officer gets to exe
cute the warrant, and it very often
takes many days to find he guilty
party, and then has to run the risk
of having to shoot to keep from being
instantly killed; and spends from five
to ten times the amount he gets for®
his service, in the way of horse-hire,
hotel bills, and other expenses too
numerous to mention.
Is it right? Let’s hope the law
makers will take the matter in hand
and enact such legislation as will pro
tect our downtrodden and often de
spised Sheriffs, who hold the most re
sponsible, the most dangerous, and
the most unthankful office in the
State or the United States. (Consid
ering there are many offices of high
er rank than the office of Sheriff.)
People—voters, awake to a speedy
knowledge of existing conditions, and
demand that your wrnll paid law mak
makers give some attention to, and
take some definite action on, this
important subject—the honest pay of
the officers who have in their hands
the protection of your lives and prop
erty.
W. B. LYENS.
Jesup, Ga.
It takes two to make a quarrel, and
generally both are wrong.
It is hard for a man with a griev
ance to stick to the truth.
REAL ESTATE
FRANK C. DAVIS CO.,
Real Estate.
325 Empire Bldg., Atlanta, Ga.
Land is the basis of all wealth. To
own your own home is a source
great happiness.
Stop renting and buy you a nice
home from us on easy terms.
We sell farmms everywhere and can
please you in price, locality and terms.
We sell city and suburban property
of every kind.
Write us for what you want. We
will tell you of something good.
Watson’s I
Jeffersonian Magazine
Edited by THOS. E. WATSON
Published Monthly. Price
$1.50 Per Year. ’
In clubs of 5 new subscribers, one
dollar per year. >
r
Taylor-Trotwood Magazine and Wat- J
son’s Weekly Jeffersonian. Both on/®
year
Taylor-Trotwood Magazine and W®||
son’s Jeffersonian Magazine. Both o«||g
year s2®
World’s Events and Watson’s Wc®
ly Jeffersonian. Both one year . .s'■
World’s Events and Watson’s Jet®
sonian Magazine. Both one year $® -a
The Travel Magazine and Wats®
Weekly Jeffersonian. Both one yea® : -?®
$1
The Travel Magazine and Watsc®
Jeffersonian Magazine. Both one y®
Address ® W
THE JEFFERSONIAN, ® . ■
Thomson, fl 4g