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3effersonian
VOLUME FOUR
NUMBER FOUR
J ummary of Hbents as They Happen
Sy Tom Dolan
“John Doe” in Court.
“Away has been found,” it is an
nounced, whereby libel suit may be
prosecuted against the World for
printing alleged scandal against the
Government in reference to the Pana
ma Canal deal. Just what this way
is, has not yet appeared, but the first
effort at legal proceedings were mys
teriously in the name of “John Doe”
and many indictments were quashed
simply because of the omission of the
real names of the complainant and
defendant. It is variously rumored
that some ancient act, —possibly pre
ceding the Alien and Sedition acts,
will be brought forth from its moth
eaten decay and made to serve the
exigencies of the indignation of Mr.
Roosevelt against Mr. Jos. Pulitzer,
editor of the World. In his urgency
to muzzle the newspapers, the Presi
dent will not find much sympathy. In
libel suits, as of “explanations” it
might be said that they are needless
to convince friends, won’t
believe in your in. licence, anyhow.
Governor Comer’s Success.
However, Gov. Comer, of Alabama,
carries off vindication and one penny
as a result of his action against the
Montgomery Advertiser for $25,000
damages for printing uncomplimenta
ry statements about him during his
campaign for railroad commissioner.
He said the publication of the offend
ing matter had lost him votes, hurt
his feelings, impaired his credit and
lowered his social standing. The
“store” that an Alabama jury sets
on these things, evidently, does not
rise to the height of considering them
“the immediate jewels” of a govern
or’s soul. Maybe Teddy will come
out better. He may get one of the
new postage stamps for loss of his
prestige, if his lawyers are of excep
tional ability.
Anti-Japanese Legislation in Califor
nia.
The Legislature of California is
upon the verge of passing certain acts
aimed at minimizing the friction be
tween the white and yellow races in
that State. Among the provisions be
ing considered are: separate schools
for the races; the prohibition of any
Jap from owning real estate longer
than for seven years; from being a
director in a corporation and to com
pel him, when dwelling within the
limits of any city, to have his resi
dence in a certain quarter. The first
question is clearly one which should
occasion no trouble, and very likely
the last would tend to preserve order
and prevent a great deal of ill feeling
which grows up where a family which
A Weekly Paper Edited by THOS. E. WA TSON an.
for any reason is objectionable, lives
among those antagonistic to it. The
other provisions appear at this dis
tance to be extreme, yet might prove
to embody considerable foresight. The
fact is, that this country does not
want a Mongolian population at all.
Caucasian races can come here and
eventually amalgamate. The negroes
and other races can not. Whether <
or not it produces ill feeling between
Japan and the United States is not
necessarily of the chiefest importance.
The President has written a long let
ter to Gov. Gillett urging the “un
wisdom” of such legislation and its
tendency to make difficult the rela
tions with Japan. Yet, if the immi
gration to the Eastern coast had been
lemon-colored instead of white, no
doubt similar steps would have been
taken by New York, New Jersey and
all the states which first received such
immigrants. And no “opening up of
the Orient” or trade extensions what
ever are worth considering in the face
of anything which jeopardizes white
supremacy. One race problem is
enough and to spare.
Says Mr. F. B. Loomis, commission
er general to the Japanese exposition,
“The Japanese question is peculiar
ly acute on the Pacific coast. Condi
tions there would be immediately and
directly affected by a surplus of Ori
ental laborers. But the point which
should be borne in mind on the Pa
cific coast and elsewhee in that the
two governments will probably dispose
of this question in a satisfactory man
ner, if the people will have patience
and not embarrass and frustrate the
efforts of the President and the state
department by untimely or intemper
ate action.'' -
All of which sounds nice and sooth
ing, but the states which must cope
direct with such conditions know full
well that they must save themselves,
if they are to be saved at all from
inpouring of an objectionable race.
Without the continued petting of the
Government, the negro problem would
never have become so “peculiarly
acute.” If back of that had been the
urging of another powerful nation
that the Pomps and Dinahs be not
“discriminated” against, what
would conditions have been? Mr.
Roosevelt and Mr. Root to the cas
ual observer appear to be taking
the advice and persuasions of
the Japanese ministers, rather than
the views of the Californians.
Town Lot Frauds.
M. I. Mott, of Muscogee, Oklaho
ma, attorney for the Creek Indians,
has filed 20,000 suits in the federal
courts to recover immense amounts
Atlanta, Ga., Thursday, January 28, 1909
of rich land said to have belonged to
the Indians, but obtained from them
through fraud. There has undoubt
edly been much rottenness in the Ter
ritory. In many places land of com
paratively slight value was suddenly
discovered to be an oil field of incal
culable wealth. Great temptation ex
isted to get these lands away from
the wards of the nation before they
knew anything of their worth. Many
prominent and wealthy citizens are
included in the fraud eases, and an
other shower-bath of oil is not unlike
ly in the case of Gov. Haskell. The
development of the cases will be
watched with interest.
Farmers’ Union Convention.
A meeting of the Georgia F. U. men
was held at the Capitol in Atlanta last
week. Plans for warehousing cotton
and bulling the market were discussed,
and similar state meetings are being
held all through the South, It is all
right to meet and talk over the situa
tion, but there must come a time when
the farmers will have to act, quickly
and concertedly. The cotton manu
facturers from New England to Tex
as act with electrical speed, take ad
vantage of every crook and turn.
United for the same purposes, they
trust to mutuality of interest to in
sure fair-dealing with each other.
The isolation of the farm is account
able for the hesitancy with which
many cotton growers allow the time
for action to pass. But with good pa
pers, reliable leaders and the natural
monopoly of a world-necessity, the
time should come when the voice of
the F. U. should control the price of
farm products.
The Carmack Case.
The trial of the Coopers, father
and son, for the murder of ex-Sena
tor Carmack, is going on this week.
Tennessee has been exhibiting justice
of the “stern” order lately and the
outcome of the trial will be awaited
with interest everywhere, and
feverish excitement in the State con
cerned, where the Carmack and Pat
terson factions are about equally di
vided.
Hold-up Game.
Despite warning and general public
feeling againat such step, the next
President’s salary will be doubled,
giving to him SIOO,OOO per year. It
is to be hoped that the clerk, the farm
er, the laborer —who pinch and screw
along at an average of S3OO to SSOO
per year will take real pleasure in the
advance of royal splendor in the
White House. With a few big pro
cessions and public games, even the
unemployed might forget to be hun
gry or cold. Let us adopt the meth
ods of ancient Rome as quickly as pos
sible. It is such folly to let history
teach anything, or listen to the warn
ings of experience. Imperial splen
dor’s the thing to promote human hap
piness. Let taxation continue to play
the hold-up game.
The Commission Method.
If the people of these United States
are ever at a loss for a new need for
increased taxation, it may always be
met by the appointment at their ex
pense of another “commission” to in
vestigate something, somewhere. The
latest idea is to spend about $20,000
as a starter for a commission to in
vestigate Liberia. It seems passing
strange that with all the highly in
telligent, cultivated, noble and patri
otic who have been handling the
“Liberian Republic” this last long
while, that there are not enough of
them to write some authentic reports
of their progress, if we must continue
to foster the African, in America and
in his native bailiwick. As the Balti
more Bun remarks: “A handful of
Dutch colonists established and main
tained an efficient republic in Africa,
although surrounded by millions of
savage blacks. Can not the civilized
American negro accomplish a task
analogous to that from which the in
telligence and courage of a compara
tively few white men of Dutch an
cestry did not shrink?” But even in
this, the Sun is not strictly correct,
for the type of savages with which the
Boers had to contend were of fierce
bravery, under chiefs treacherous and
ferocious to a degree unequalled even
by the American Indian. How kraal
after kraal was “stamped flat” by
the Zulus forms a history of a slender
handful of white men and not less he
roic white women overcoming almost
superhuman odds. The Liberian ne
gro has nothing of this sort to con
tend with. It is a plain case of his
own reversion to type and why “com
missions” should follow him there
passes comprehension except as af
fording a fine salary and pleasant
trip for a favored few. ,
Could Not Accomplish the Impossible.
The fate of Russia’s generals seems
very sad inded. » Admiral Rojestven
sky has just died of neuralgia of the
heart, which may be another term for
broken heart; Generals Stoessel and
Nebagatoff with several other officers
of high rank are lingering as unhap
py prisoners in the fortress of St. Pe
tersburg. The only crime chargeable
against these men are having failed
in the face of superhuman odds.
Price Five Cents