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Public Opinion Throughout the Union
GOVERNOR HUGHES AFTER GAMBLERS.
Governor Hughes of New York has under
taken the greatest work of his career. He has
begun the fight that has for its object the
breaking up of race track gambling in New
York City. His annual message to the Leg
islature contains his recommendations for the
passage of laws that will prohibit betting on
the races, and already the powerful race-track
pool has raised money to fight the passage of
all measures that may be introduced.
There is $11,000,000 invested in race tracks
in New York, and $50,000,000 in horseflesh.
There are a number of men engaged in the
business of horse-racing who count their for
tunes by the millions. All of these forces
will be against the Governor, because the stop
ping of the betting on the races means stop
ping the races.
The only thing that makes these races profit
able, in spite of the enormous cost of the
business, is the opportunity it gives men to
gamble without being held up to public dis
grace. It is the fashion to bet on the races,
and no one feels ashamed to do this improper
and immoral act because it is one of those
evils that are winked at.
It is a courageous thing for Governor
Hughes to do, and a patriotic attempt to
break up this pernicious practice of betting
on the races.
Gambling at the race track is responsible
for as much human misery as any great evil
that I know of.
It leads to disappointment, to poverty, to
ruin, to crime. It causes the downfall of
men and women who are led by its fascination
to commit indiscretions and then crimes in
the hope of retrieving fortunes lost at' the
race track.
I have seen forty-two thousand people gath
ered under one inclosure at one of these
tracks, and of the forty-two thousand, more
than two-thirds of them laid wagers.
If Governor Hughes succeeds in stopping
the race track evil, he will build himself a
monument that will last long after marble
shafts have crumbled away.—The Jacksonville
Sun.
LETTER NO. I.—CIVILIZATION.
North Robinson, 0., Dee. 2, 1907.
My Dear Sir:
I am in deep sympathy with the Southern
people. I think they are a noble race of men
and women. I am in no way tinctured with
that bitterness of feeling existing between
some of the people in different sections of
our great country. I am glad we are one in
many; and that here ostensibly all men and
women and children are free. Though this
may not be absolutely true, the sentiment and
principle are right. And it is our mission—
mine and yours and every other American
citizen’s —to try to make it so in fact. How
shall this be accomplished? 1. By an ade
quate education. 2. By an equitable distri
bution of land among all the people. 3. By
4k
THE JEFFERSONIAN.
industry, helpfulness,.honesty and economy in
all the family of the republic. 4. By a just
financial system. 5. By the absolute prohibi
tion of the manufacture, sale and use of ar
dent spirits as a beverage, permitting their use
only in extreme medicinal cases, in the arts
and sciences. 6. By the propagation of the
purest principles of the Christian religion as
taught in the books of the Old and the New
Testaments. 7. By forbearance with each oth
er in Christian charity. The Negro problem
I will discuss in a future letter.
Yours most truly,
JOHN VINTON POTTS.
HON. T. W. HARDWICK.
The Dawson News, referring to the commit
tee appointments given by Mr. John Sharpe
Williams to Hon. T. W. Hardwick and in re
ply to The Herald’s comment on the same,
says that “Mr. Hardwick has been treated as
if he were a joke,” and that “The Tenth dis
trict has heretofore been fortunate in having
a congressman who was not looked on away
from home in that light.”
This is not only unkind and unjust, but it is
untrue and inspired by enmity. Perhaps our
dear contemporary, in taking its cue from
greater sinners than itself, does not recognize
this? The matter having been brought to its
attention and presented in its true light, The
News will no doubt set itself right.
It is not true that the Tenth district has
heretofore been represented *in congress by
men who have been treated by the party boss
es in that body as they deserved. The Tenth
district is noted for the able men it has sent
to congress, men too great to be mere pup
pets to be pulled by the wire working bosses,
and for this reason they were punished as
John Sharpe Williams has punished Tom
Hardwick. Alex. Stephens was one of these.
Tom Watson was another, and there were
still others. Their offense was holding the
interests of their constituents above the petty
schemes of the party bosses, and for this
they were treated, as Hardwick has been
treated, as if they were" 4 ‘a joke,” as our dear
contemporary is pleased to express it.
Mr. Hardwick had a better committee ap
pointment in the last congress than has been
given him now. Was he less “a joke” then
than he is now? Has he done anything since
then to make him more of “a joke”? If not,
did not the riper experience of two years’
service entitle him to a better appointment,
instead of the lower one given him?
But the real truth is known to all. Mr.
Williams, because Mr. Hardwick was a man,
and dared to exercise his own judgment when
it differed from the schemes of Williams, re
venged himself by giving Mr. Hardwick ap
pointment on a committee which is kept only
to enable the party bosses to furnish offending
members.
An injury to one is the concern of all. A
Georgia congressman cannot be injured with
out the entire state being made to suffer there
by. When Mr. Williams, to revenge himself
on Mr. Hardwick for having dared to oppose
him, gave him an inferior committee appoint
ment, the press of the whole state should have
denounced him for such petty, puny, puerile
perversion of his prerogative as minority lead
er. Instead of that, there were some Georgia
papers who actually rejoiced at this injustice
and damage done their state by this man un
worthy of, because unfit for, leadership.
And this because Mr. Hardwick was and is
a supporter of Hoke Smith
a supporter of Governor Smith; in other
words, because he is with the people. For
this reason these papers not only condone the
injury an unfit leader has done their state
out of a feeling of personal revenge, but they
jubilate over it.
Shame on such partisanism.— Augusta Her
ald.
“ INFORMATION DESIRED.
St. Peter, Minn., Oct. 4,1907.
Dear Sir: Some of the Republican newspa
pers and such so-called Democrats as Mr. Bel
mont, after careful deliberation, no doubt,
have announced that Gov. Johnson, of this
state, is a “conservative radical”! Now this
is a new species of politician in this part of
the country, and some of the Governor’s
friends are apparently alarmed lest the “con
servative radical” belongs to a tribe more
bloodthirsty even than a populist. Various
ones have asked me what a “conservative
radical” really is, and I am “up a tree,” so
to speak. Os course, I will admit that I have
a private opinion on the subject, but fearing
those asking me for information wouldn’t
believe me if I told them, I earnestly trust
that you may find room in The Weekly Jeffer
sonian to give us your interpretation of the
political term or appellation of “conserva
tive radical.” It is my impression that the
‘ ‘ conservative radical ” is a politician who
grows more luxuriously, if not exclusively, in
the neighborhood of Wall Street, and usually
feeds and fattens on falsehood and decep
tion. If I am wrong, I would like to be cor
rected.
Yours for information,
DEACON DONHAM.
(Note: “Conservative radical” is too much
for me.
I shouldn’t wonder if Conservative radical
bore the same relation to genuine reform that
Clearing House Certificates do to “Sound
Money. ’ ’
Any candidate selected by Wall Street is a
good man to let alone. —T. E. W.)
ANNOUNCEMENT.
To the Voters of the Northern Judicial Cir
cuit:
I announce my candidacy for the office of
Solicitor-General of the Northern Judicial
Circuit, subject to the primary to be held for
that purpose. I assure you that I will appre
ciate your support.
L. D. M’GREGOR.