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L Number Sixteen J
Public Opinion Throughout ine Union
CAPERS OF A SOCIALIST.
What may or may not be “Social
ism” can be read -in the Appeal to
Reason, an organ published at Gi
rard, Kan. Before the last presi
dential election, it came out for a few
weeks with ‘an expose of the doings
of the administration in the Philip
pines, showing up the alliance be
tween the “Republican” party and
the papal hierarchy. After the elec
tion, it dropped that subject, and
then it “went for” the tyrant Diaz,
of our southern republic. Then it
held up its Editor Warren as the
victim of an unjust verdict in a trial
for a misuse of the mails. So it
sails, setting its canvas to catch the
breezes which it expects will increase
its circulation and the Socialist vote.
That seems to be natural.
But the point we wish to make is
this: Socialism, being fundamentally
wrong, cannot be defended upon
fundamental principles; so “Social
ist” organs, speakers and writers
find it first necessary to obscure this
truth by assailing “Capitalism.”
That is their talismanic word. Its
iteration affords them the comfort
felt by the old colored Alabama
woman at the revival meeting, who
heard the blessed word, “Mesopota
mia,” sung in all the figures of the
musical scale, until her feelings
were so worked up that she became
“converted.”
The papei’ we have named is
taken as a good specimen of Social
istic tergiversation. It receives its
distinctive cast from mental legerde
main.
“Socialism” is a treacherous move
ment to enslave the people, while
professing to liberate them. It does
not propose a reform of abuses, —it
wants to destroy or abolish the
thing abused. It does not regard the
moral education of the people,—
that would mean the education of
the unit, the individual, and, of
course, “Socialism” has no use for
the individual, as such; it plunges
the man into the mass; it wants to
create a great and indefinite whole,
or “Collectivism,” in which it fondly
images all will be rich and happy,
but in which common sense discerns
that all would be enslaved.
In short, “Socialism” proposes a
haven in which degenerate man
could rest at ease and in security,
making no effort to reform his life,
without any incentive to use his
God-given powers,—a mere thing,
unworthy of being regarded as the
image of his Creator. —The Ameri
can Whip.
BALLINGER’S RED TAPE.
Previous to the inauguration of
President Taft, San Francisco was
A Weekly Paper Edited by THOS. E. WATSON and J. D. WATSON
Atlanta, Ga., Thursday, September 30, 1909
granted certain rights in Hetch-
Hetchy Valley by the Federal Gov
ernment. The granting of rights,
the permission to do a certain thing,
necessarily involves the right to the
means for acting upon those rights
and to do that certain thing. Sec
retary Ballinger’s red-tape officials
hold otherwise.
Acting upon the rights granted by
the Roosevelt administration, San
Francisco has gone ahead, making
all preparations to establish a source
of municipal water supply in Hetch-
Hetchy Valley. But the Ballinger
circumlocution office orders the Unit
ed States Army to interfere with and
prevent the work necessary for mak
ing use of the rights granted to this
city. Can anyone doubt that that
action was taken at the behest and in
the interest of the Spring Valley Wa
ter Company?
The California delegation to the
National Irrigation Congress has
adopted a resolution depreciating the
Ballinger efforts to defeat “through
technicalities the permit issued by
Secretary Garfield granting the use
of the waters of Hetch-Hetchy Val
ley” to this city, and the delegation
calls upon President Taft, “to see
to it that the plain purpose of the
permit is not overcome through small
technicalities, by the use of the Unit
ed States Army, against the public
interests.”
The Ballinger move against San
Francisco is plainly a move against
the public interests in favor of pri
vate corporate interests. If Ballin
ger wishes to act as an attorney for
private monopoly he should not be
permitted to remain in the Cabinet
to act in that capacity. The corpo
rations have enough attorneys out
side the Cabinet. Ballinger has be
come a scandal. He should be wrap
ped in a bundle of his monopoly red
tape and shipped back to his friends
in the State of Washington.—S. F.
Star.
TAFT ON NEGRO SUFFRAGE.
The people in the South, who are
running over each other and squan
dering their hard-earned pennies
contributing to the campaign fund of
the Republican party and making ig
noble donkies of themselves over the
coming of President Taft, will read
the following from his facile pen
with relish.
Discussing the proposed franchise
amendment to the Maryland consti
tution, President Taft says:
“It is deliberately drawn to im
pose educational and other qualifica
tions for suffrage upon negroes and
to exempt everybody else from such
qualifications.
“This is gross injustice, and I say
in violation of the spirit of the flf-
teenth amendment. It ought to be
voted down by every one, whether
Democrat or Republican, who is in
favor of a square deal.”
Os course, there is nothing new in
this announcement.
Taft thinks the negro is as good
as he is.
I do not think the negro as good
as Mr. Taft, but pretty nearly.
The expression of such views is
very encouraging to the average ne
gro of the South, and it increases
the difficulties which the white man
encounters in looking after the race
difficulties.
I suppose the President will ex
press similar views when he comes
to Jackson and talks to the negroes
in the grove to the north of the Fair
Grounds.
If he should, the committee on
arrangements ought to turn him
over to the negroes for further en
tertainment, even if it puts the
Chief Escort out of a job.
Just how any decent white man
could deem it “an honor to pay $2 5
to sit down to the table with a white
man who holds the views expressed
by President Taft”, is an inscrutible
mystery.
It’s an infernal outrage.
The fact is, the more I think
about it the more disgust and con
tempt the whole thing inspires.—
The Issue.
MR. WATSON’S HISTORY OF
FRANCE.
Hon. E. A. Copelan talks most in
terestingly of his trip abroad. Among
other incidents related was the fol
lowing:
“I walked into a large and well
kept book store in Paris and asked
as to the merits of the various his
tories of France. I wanted a first
class one and was willing to pay for
it.
“The proprietor readily informed
me that the history of France, writ
ten by Hon. Thos. E. Watson, was as
good as any of them.
“I proudly informed the book deal
er that I was a neighbor to Mr.
Watson, and I really felt proud of the
achievement of a citizen of my state.
“I also hear Mr. Watson’s ‘Napo
leon’ highly spoken of while in
Paris.”
INTOLERANCE SHOWN, READ
AND THINK.
The quarterly meeting was largely
attended here Saturday. A good re
port from all the churches was re
ceived.
Most of the old board of stewards
were re-elected. Dr. Brooks, of Lo
ganville, refused to serve longer.
Rev. Dimon nominated the same
board for New Hope, but Dr. King,
exercising his authority, stated that
he could not approve the nomina
tion of J. A. Smith, unless he had
changed his views on missions. He
was promptly told that J. A. Smith
had not changed, and that further he
would consider it a favor to be re
lieved of this difficult task. M. F.
Freeman was then elected.
Brother King could not force us
to yield our ground on this question
even by withdrawing fellowship.
But what right has one man to
dictate to another what must be
done in religious affairs? Is that
not the Catholic idea? Catholicism
may thrive where the laymen are
forced to sit like scared rabbits and
accept the mandates of the Popes
and Bishops, but Protestantism was
not founded that way.
We believe that in church as well
as state that the governing boards
derive their power from the consent
of the governed. We don’t believe
in “Joe-Cannon-Czarism” in church
any more than state affairs. Fully
two-thirds of the church people to
day must be opposed to our present
method of missionary work, or
would be if they fully understood it.
It must be a sad day for Meth
odism or any other “ism” when her
subjects cannot do their own think
ing.
It does not matter w’hat your opin
ions are if you will just “saw wood,”
do the paying and say nothing. But
don’t dare you speak your honest
convictions if they conflict with your
superiors ( ?).
A little book entitled, “Who Qual
ified for a Stewardship”, might
prove interesting reading.
It was our pleasure to listen to
Tom Bell’s speech last Tuesday.
Knowing him to be a Christian gen
tleman we noted with much interest
his statement in regard to the in
fluence that Roman Catholics are ex
erting over our Government.
He told of his efforts to exclude
so many low Italians from Southern
Italy, of how the Roman bosses,
through Cannon, had defeated the
same, and predicted that if the Prot
estants of this country did not get
together and combat Catholicism
the day was not far off when we
would be at the mercy of this creed.
But you can’t get our people to
see it, Mr. Bell. They are interestel
mightily in building chapels in Cuba
to save folks from this awful creed,
but they are painfully silent about it
here. They seem to let them elo
quently alone here.
And, by the way, we were shown
that this dreaded pellagra was
brought here by this low element
from South Italy. But trust in the
Lord, say nothing and be happy!
Gwinnett (Ga.) Journal.
Price, Five Cents