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PAGE TWELVE
FINLEY OF THE SOUTHERN.
(Continued from Page Nine.)
not try this “peace policy” awhile, Mr.
Finley?
Another bit of good advice —dismiss
Hamp McWhorter.
It would raise you, immediately, in
the esteem of our best people, and would
do more to gain you our confidence and
support than any other one thing that you
could do.
HUM
. "Brother Tibbles ’ Paper.
The veteran journalist and reformer,
Hon. T. H. Tibbles, is now the proprietor
as well as editor of the Investigator.
We are glad to see him in full control
of his paper.
The Jeffersonian conisders the Inves
tigator as one of the very best weeklies
published and greatly admires the talent
of its editor.
Few writers know more, or tell it bet
ter. at * *
The Pilot that Weathered the Storm.
The Missouri World is the only Peo
ple’s Party paper that rode out the temp
est which played havoc with the 1,800
good ships that once flew the Populist
flag.
No matter how hard it was to keep
the World afloat, Dixon and Lankford
held their rudder true.
Last year Paul Dixon’s health failed,
and the World was issued but once a
month.
Now, again, the World is going to come
out once a week, as it has done for so
many years.
Fusion and the Spanish War ruined
one of the greatest reform movements
that ever got under headway. For awhile
all seemed lost. But the seed we had
sown had not fallen on sterile places only.
Much of it fell in good soil—and io! the
increase thereof is more than a hundred
fold. Our doctrines are in the ascend
ant ; our principles are marching on to
triumph.
Who cares what name they take, so
long as they accomplish our purpose?
What we want is good Government and
just laws; and we must learn how to co
operate with all those who agree with us
as to what laws are just and what govern
ment is good.
Here’s a s’gh for the 1,800 papers that
went down in the gale; here’s a health to
the World which rode it out.
And for Paul Dixon, “the pilot that
weathered the storm,” here are congratu
lations and hearty good wishes. •
« « n
The Lalvless "Coalers. n
The Pennsylvania State Constitution
forbids railroads directly or indirectly to
operate coal mines. Yet a large share of
the coal mines of the country, practicallv
all the anthracite mines, are operated by
railroads in Pennsylvania
THE JEFFERSONIAN.
The Federal Government has passed a
law requiring interstate railroads to
cease owning and operating mines ex
cept for their own use. If they have
mines dependent upon the general market
they must get rid of them by May I.
The coal-railroad men do not wish to
obey this law, which is clear, plain, of
almost unquestionable constitutionality
and in the public interest. Because they
do not wish to obey it they assume that
Congress will repeal it or amend it to
their liking, or at the very least extend
the.time limit.
Are they not courting disappointment?
The railroads may be too strong for Penn
sylvania; are they too mighty for the
Government of the United States? Will
Congress on the eve of a Presidential
election dare make such a humiliating
surrender? —N. Y. World.
If Congress does, every member who
casts his vote that way will stamp him
self a corporation tool, and the next elec
tion will not be a happy one for such
tools.
It is true that the corporations may
have Pennsvlvania, and one or two other
States by the throat, but can they hold
them ?
With the people everywhere, even in
Pennsylvania, waking up, such moves on
Ihe part of the railroads will make the
PEOPLE all the more determined to
control the railroads, and the people can
control them if thev wish.
* * H
Editorial Notes.
By J. D. WATSON.
One question about the next Presiden
tial campaign has been settled, and that
is that Secretarv Taft will be a candidate
for the Republican nomination.
He made his opening speech in New
York on January io. and his speech
seems to have pleased the Wall Street
element.
At any rate, there is nothing in the
speech to make the reformers fear that
Taft will “steal their thunder.”
Secretary Taft’s formal announcement,
coming at this time, about means that the
race for the Republican nomination will
be between Taft and Hughes, with the
chances of success greatly in favor of Mr.
Taft.
With Secretary Taft the nominee of
the Republicans, the Reform forces must
sit up and take notice or go to defeat
again in the coming Presidential election.
Taft is a member of Mr. Roosevelt’s
administration, and. unless the reformers
watch him closely, he will lead many a
Roosevelt follower, who is in favor of
Roosevelt policies, to support him. On
the other hand he will get the corporation
support, unless the reform forces let the
Chas. F. Murphys, August Belmonts, and
“Fingy” Conners control the next Demo
cratic convention, as they did the last'
and nominate another Judge Parker.
But there is a great chance for the
Democratic party to gain the victory in
1908, if they will only take advantage of
the opportunity.
If the next National Democratic con-,
vention will declare openly for reform and
write a reform platform and stand upon
that platform, they can win.
Let the Democrats make the issue and
then stand to it even if they force the
Belmonts, Murphys, etc., to support the
other crowd, for that is where they be
long.
THEY ARE NOT DEMOCRATS
AND SHOULD BE RUN OUT OF
THE PARTY.
R
The longer we think about the Pana
ma Canal project the more we are con
vinced that it is as big a gold brick as
the purchase of the Philippine Islands.
We started out with the belief that the
ditch could be dug for the paltry sum of
about $100,000,000, but it was soon shown
that that amount would be insufficient.
Then we set our sights on $150,000,000,
but even that will not be enough.
The experts in charge are now asking
$200,000,000, which amount of the tax
payers’ money Congress will undoubted
ly appropriate, and what it will cost be
fore it is finished, the Lord only knows.
The United States Supreme Court has
been getting in its deadly work again.
This time it is the law known as the
‘ Employers’ Liability law” which is not
in accord with the Constitution, accord
ing to the court.
To make it more aggravating, it is an
other case where the court divided five
to four.
This law was legally passed by the le
gally elected representatives of the peo
ple, and was pronounced CONSTITU
TIONAL by the best lawyers in the
’country.
. Yet these FIVE judges, elected by no
body and responsible to nobody for their
acts, come along and say it is unconstitu
tional and the law goes to the bow wows.
If U. S. Supreme Court judges were
elected by the people, some of the de
cisions handed down by that court would
be different.
HMM
Honor 8011.
S. I. Batchelor, High Shoals, Ga.
W. H. Chesnut, Cooper, Texas.
J. M. Todd, Gladewater, Tex.
Robert Wynn, Banning, Ga.
Robert Brown, Republic, Ala.
G. P. Bennett. Amity, Ga.
J. Armitage, Greenville, Tenn.
R. L. Scott,- Davidson, Okla.
T. J. B-entley. McCormick, S. C.
I. M. Hairston. Bodcaw, Ark.
R. T. Bivins.- Hawkinsville, Ga.
P. C. Mitchell, Youngsport, Tex.
A. T. Jacobs, Lilburn, Ga.
A. Leng, Williamsfield, 111.
(To be Continued.)