About Atlanta semi-weekly journal. (Atlanta, Ga.) 1898-1920 | View Entire Issue (Aug. 16, 1912)
4 THE SEMI-WEEKLY JOURNAL ATLANTA, GA... 5 NOETH TOXSYTM ST. Entered at the Atlanta Poetoffice as Mail Matter of the Second Class. JAKIJS B. GBAT, s ' • President and Editor. susscßxrnos price Twelve months z - - ••••• J**® Six Month* ! - „ Three Month* • • ■’ c The SemUWwMy Journal !s published on Tuesday and Friday, and is mailed by the shortest routes for early delivery. It contains news from ail over the world, brous it by special leased wires into our office. It bats a staff of distinsuisbed contributors, with strong departments of special 'slue to the heme and farm. Agents wanted at every pcsfoffice. Liberal com mission allowed! Outfit free. Write R R. BRAD LEE, Dept. The only traveling representatives we have are J. A. Bryan. R F. Bolton. C. C. Coyle. L. H. Kimbrough and C- T. Tates. We will be responsible only for motl ey paid to the above named traveling representatives. NOTICE TO SVBSCEXBEB3. The label used for addressing your paper ■hows the time your subscription expires. By renewing at least two weeks before the date on this label, you insure regular service. In ordering paper changed be sure to mention your old. as well as your new address. If on a route please give the route number. We cannot enter subscriptions to begin with back numbers. Remittances should b e sent by postal order or registered mail. Address all orders and notices for this de partment to THE SEMI-WEEKLY JOURNAL. Atlanta. Gt THE WATSON BLIGHT PROVES TOO MUCH FOR FLEMING The eleventh-hour withdrawal of Hon. William H. Fleming from the congressional race in the Tenth district drives home a timely moral which the public men and the people of Georgia should ponder well. Mr. Fleming is a gentleman of rich attainments and unsullied character. He numbers his friends hr the hundred. It might have been expected, in normal circumstances, that he would have received at least a fair measure of popular support. Yet, from the outset his campaign lagged and limped and at length broke completely down all because of the fact that he was the candidate of Thomas E. Watson, the Democratic party’s arch traitor and foe. It is far better /or himself as well as for his district and his state that he has retired from the fight rather than to bear any longer the burden and ihe reproach of such an alliance. It is far better for’ any man to be defeated because he lacks the Watson support than to win by virtue of its posses sion. But there are many wholesome signs—and Mr. Fleming’s experience is among them —that no man. however worthy he himself may be, can hope sci the suffrage of self-respecting Georgia Democrats If he seeks or even accepts the slanderous aid of the Tartar from McDuffie. The people are alert to the fact that so long as this political pirate is given countenance they cannot have pure primaries; that he is not a Democrat but, on the contrary, an inveterate hater of everything pertaining' to the party, and its leaders: that he en ters its primaries one month only to bolt it the next; that his only stock in trade are venom and slander and his only purpose his own selfish gain. Nor will the people ignore the fact Chat even now, while Watson is in the midst of a covert warfare upon the Democratic, presidential nominee, he is aiso urging his candidates for state house offices, i ‘lie railroad commission ind for other important pests of public trust.. The men whom he is thus supporting may be thoroughly honorable so far as their own characters and motives are concerned; we have no word of criticism of them personally. But the vital fact remains that any man who wears the Watson foliar or who accepts his support, ren ders himself unworthy the vote® of goo- citizens. The people of the Tenth district have set the state a valuable example In refusing to support bne of a respected citizen because they knew that if they did co they would encourage -the treacherous purfmses and advance the purely self ish interests of Thomas. E. Watson. Their rebuke is nnt’to Mr. Fleming himself but to the party's foe and the public's enemy. Let all other good Georgian* follow the example of their fellow-citi jw.r.s who live in Watson’s home district and who know biro best. • -!■ Let it be ' understood henceforth -that Watson's support of any candidate or any measure, will be a blight to the hopes of such a candidate, and suf fleient to destroy such a measure, because it is known in advance that underlying such support Is the selfish, and sinister purpose of the man. Mr. Fleming was merely the victim of a pretended friendship that withers whatever it touches, and destroys those who compromise themselves by yielding Jo its influence.* THE GEORGIA EMPIRE. Though it is unlikely that Georgia will ever pro duce enough wool to make her feel sheepish in the company of free traders, we are nevertheless re minded now and then that this is a wool-growing state. The Berrien county clip for 1912 bulked to ten thousand pounds. The prices it fetched ranged from twenty to twenty-seven cents a pound so that from these few Pocks of one community a con siderable sum of money was realized. Every little while the newspapers set forth a sim ilar record and all these taken together would doubtless show that the state’s annual output of woo- is in no wise to be laughed at. There is an interesting story, and a true one. that the first herd of Angora goats ever known on this continent was brought to Georgia from the Orient and it was h*re that this particular field of tne wool industry received its primal encouragement. Os equal inter est Is the fact that the culture of silk worms flour ished in General . Oglethorpe’s colony and Queen Caroline herself qhce wore a court gown spun of Georgia silk. The truth is, anything that is good to wear or good to eat can be grown in Georgia, so wondrously varied are its climate and soil. "Happy the man,” wrote the old poet, “H'hose herds tcifh mtik, whose fields with bread. Whose flocks supply him attire; Whose trees in summer yield him shade. In winter, fire." Such a nun the Georgian can be. It is a won derful empire that yields both wool and cotton each autumn, that feasts on strawuerrles in the spring time, on the juciest of apples in October, and makes the mouth of the nation water for its succulent peaches all the summer through; that digs precious metals from its hills and harbors' in its ports the ships of eastern seas; an empire that sits down to 'possum baked with sweet potatoes and, if it wishes, distills from its own berries or grain 4 or vines whatsoever beverage is desired to cup the - feast. The cost of Living wouldn't be so bad if somebody would furnish the cost. ' I 1-aFollette also reminds the people occasionally that he is still on the political map. PRESERVE THE REGISTRATION LAW FOR THE PEOPLE’S GOOD. For the sake of honest ballets and good govern ment, it is earnestly to be hopec that the bill whicn the State Senate has passed to amend the registra tion law’ will be defeated in the House. This meas ure would weaken, if indeed it would not destroy, one of the most useful and salutary statutes Georgia has ever known; and this it would do without reason or benefit. It would gain the people nothing, but it would lose them much. This bill purposes to change the time for closing the registration books front six months before the general election td thirty days before the primary. Its advocates contend that this is necessary in order to give the voters ample time for registering. A glance at the provisions of the existing law will show that this claim is without merit. For, as the law now stands, every citizen has a full half year in which to register. The registration books are opened in the autumn concurrently with the tax books, and they remain open until six months before the general election, which comes the following October. Let this fact be clearly under stood: the registration books do not close six months before the primary, but six months before the elec tion. What more abundant opportunity for registra tion could be desired? A man may thus register ac the same time that he pays his taxes, or at any other time between October and April. It should be noted in this con nection that he must pay his taxes six months be fore the general election in order to vote. The law concerning registration is, therefore, no more strin gent than that concerning the payment of taxes. It w’ould be just as logical to abolish the one as the other. It is just as easy to register as to pay taxes six months before the election. What is the purpose of registration? It is to make our primaries honest and fair by eliminating the illegal and purchasable vote Ln order that the true citizen s ballot may have due power. It is to protect our polls from that floating and venal element w’hich, if unhindered, can overflow a primary and often defeat the people's will. Without a registration law, the honest man’s bal lot would have little or no safeguard against that oi the political mercenary. The tramp who makes a trade of going from city to city and from state to state to sell his vote, who has no place of residence, who is, indeed, a man without a country and with out conscience—such a person would have as decis ive a voice in public affairs as the real Georgian were it not for an adequate registration law. The law cannot be 'adequate if it leaves only thirty days between the closing of the books and the holding of the primary. Our primary for governor, for state house officers and for members of the legislature takes place about sixty days before the general election. The registrars should have ample time in which to sift and test the registration lists, challenge any questionable registration and give the person so challenged a full opportunity to be heard. The present law leaves only about two months between the time when the work of the registrars is finished and the day of the primary. Many of the county primaries, it should be remembered, take place before the state wide primary, so that in these instances the registration lists are scarcely purged before the local primaries are held. It is thus evident that the provision requiring the registration books to close sijc months before Jhe general election is Ln no wise excessive as regards the length of time it leaves between the purging of the lists and the occurrence of the primaries. There is but one change necessary to perfect the present law, and that should be an amendment to make the citizen’s registration permanent, so that after he has once properly registered he shall only have to pay his due taxes from year’to year in order ' to be qualified to vote. Such an amendment would remove any inconveniences that may arise from the statute as it now stands, and at the same time it would leave the spirit of the law the same and the efficacy of the law unweakened. Such an amend ment would serve every rightful purpose which the Senate bill may have had in view, and it would do so without sacrificing the all-important principle of pure elections. in Georgia the white Democratic primary is equivalent to an election. Unless it is pure and fair, we cannot expect our government to be honest and just. 1 The ballot box is. after all, the source of govern ment; let us, therefore, keep it untainted. A citizen's vote is a vitally important possession; let him. therefore, guard it, as the title to his free dom and his rights. Let him see to it that it is not vitiated by the hireling ballot of a creature who has no regard for the common interests. The registration law should be preserved as it stands, because it is the true citizen's assurance that his vote will count for what, it is really worth, and because it is the public's bulwark against bribery anti fraud. To weaker, this law. as the Senate bill purposes, would invite a return of those disgraceful.conditions which the state has cast aside. It would rob the individual ctizen and the people as a whole of one of the priceless guarantees of their suffrage rights. The measure passed the Senate by a bare plurality. ‘ / It should be killed in the House by an over- . whelming majority. It'is not supported by public sentiment. It is not justified either by wisdom or expediency. It is full of folly and danger. The representatives of the people should repu diate it. We’ve seen cotton take a tumble in August be fore, and still live to bring fourteen cents. Nicaragua is in a revolution again, which would indicate that the world was returning to normal. As the almanacs predicted as early as last Novem ber, we are having a little warm weather Just now. THE ATLANTA SEMI-WEEKLY JOURNAL, ATLANTA, GA., FRIDAY, AUGUST 16, 1912. The Other Side of the Street By Dr. Frank Crane It is a rare gift to be able to choose and be satis fied. Some are perfectly content when they have made their decision; others are tormented by the thought that perhaps after all they have missed the best and selected the worst. The judge, in the Maud Muller affair, was entirely self-deceiv ed, in all probability. w hen he thought that had he married the other woman he might have be-n happier. He was doubtless one of those self-crucifying wretches that, whatever they do, alw tys wish they had done something else. Mark Twain somewhere in scribes how the new knife look ed quite contemptible to the boy while it was on the store count er with all the other knives, but was radiantly beautiful when he got it home. That may be true OU. ■ ‘ ’ As of some natures, but others are quite oppositely dis posed. The minute a thins i* theirs they despise it. Some girls cannot select a husband. It is not so much that they fear that any one of them would not do well enough; they fear that they may let a bet ter one get away. There are some old maids who are so simply be cause they have never dared settle on one man lest the man they should have chosen might afterward come along. This diseased condition of the deciding power is widespread. Most people wish they hadn’t —whatever It was. If you settle in Kalamazoo you wiah you had gone to Oshkosh Instead. If you send your boy to Harvard you wish you had sent him to Yale. If the house mistress chooses a Swede servant girl at the employment agency she will always be taunted by the intelligent looking German girl she had a notion to hire. I know a woman who was born in Hillsboro, 111., and the one regret of her life is that she was not born in Italy. If you are boarding ypu wish you were keeping house; if you have an apartment of your own you are envying the foot-loose folk who live in hotels. I know a man who actually prefers the table d’hote dinner. It is from sheer indecision of charac ter; he can’t bear to order veal because he is certain to wish he had ordered pork. Whatever it is, is bad—to you; and whatever did not happen would have been fine. Life is a series of wrong selections. The only reason you want to go to -h eaven is be cause it is not thia earth. Quit it! Don’t be a poor scraggly Wishihadnt. Nor a sickly little Wishiwerent. Nor a distressed Wlshididnt. You may remember Huxley's remark: “Life is like walking along a crowded street; there always seem to be fewer obstacles to getting along on the opposite pavement; and yet, if one crosses over, mat ters are rarely mended.” The Ragtime Muse JIMMY’S DIAGNOSIS. My pa says, “Step lively, son. An’ do as you are bid.” My sister, too, th’ biggest one, Calls out, "I want you, kid.” Ma wants some kindlin' from below, , Or somethin’ else like that, An’ gran’pa's goin’ out, and so I’ve got to hunt his hat! If I start out to go an’ play— It doesn’t matter when— Somebody, ’fore I git away Will call me back again*; An’ when they git me back, about Th’ only thing they do Is look at me an’ holler out, “I’ve got a job fer you!” It makes no diff’runce how I try, Them Jobs is never done, ’Cause ‘fore I git One finished, why, They find another one. An’ if I leave some doggone task An’ go to play instid, -• ■ They all say they’re surprised an' ask, 1 “Whatever ails .the kid?” You bet I know what ails me, too— I ain’t no reg’lar dunce! They always want that I should do Too many jobs to once. But I don’t see Why they should call Me “lazybones.” Well, yes. Th’ thing that ails me most of. all Is too much I guess. ,—i Saving and Investing Talks POSTAL SAVINGS BANKS' GROWTH. BY JOXlf sg. osxxaox. - Since January 3, 191,1, when the first postal sav ings banks were opened in a few selected postoffices, deposits have risen past the $20,000,000 mark, and are increasing at the rate of about r .1 Oi * il United States territorial, or municipal Issues. •Apparently,”- saya the California cashier, “the business of depositing municipal bonds- td procure postal savings funds is highly profitable;-” He rit**s as proof that out of a total of $46,649,012 of bpids deposited on the first qf last April to secure postal deposits of half that sqm (the government wants as security double the face value of bonds), '337.055.512 were municipal bonds. How does the bank get its profit? Here is the answer: < Suppose the bank buys $30,000 of 4 1-2 per eent municipal bonds to sepUre SIO,OOO of postal depqsit& The bank pays the government 2 1-4 per cent, or $225 a year, as Interest on the deposit, the government, in turn, paying the postal savers 2 per cent, or S2OO a year. From SIO,OOO of municipal bonds the bank s4so—-the difference between what it pays out as in terest to the and what it gets is $223. Then the bank has $lO,-000 of caAh to lend —k would probably get 6 Per fqr it, or S6OO a year. Here would be a net gain to; tne bank of $825, or 8 1-6 per cent a year, on a net Jlivestment of SIO,OOO. Natural ly the bank would hold SIO,OOO of the 4 1-2 per cent municipal bonds as- a reserve against the SIO,OOO of postal funds. Counting that in, there is a return on -the $20,000 investment of 6 3-8 per cent. It is a case of everybody benefited, ror the postal saver is, in practically every case, getting just 2 per cent more for his money than ever before, and tlie government's return of 2 1-4 per cent from the banks is ample to meet the cost of running the postal banks. $1,000,000 a week. Experts say that when the enormous num ber of small offices are author ized to receive deposits, and the is familiar to everybody, the rate of increase will rise to more than $2,000,000 a week. A Californian has pointed out the opportunity before the bank er to whose bank the government turns over ths deposits. It Is the policy of the postoffice le paftment to redeposit money re ceived in local banks, requiring the bank to put up as security acceptable bonds—United Stales, topks I *Cqh WCTEP. W .MRS. W HJTTXTOA iRX SIN Os OMISSION. It isn’t the thing you do. dear; It's the thing you leave undone «. That gives yaii a bit of heartache At setting of the suit. The tender words forgotten; The letter you did not write; The flowers you did not send, dear. Are your haunting ghosts at night. The stone you might have lifted Out of J a brother’s way. The bit of heartsbme counsel You were hbrried too much to say; The loving touch of the hand, dear. The gentle winning tone Which you had no time nor thought for With troubles enough of your own. Those little acts of kindness So easily out of mind. Those chances to be angels Which we poor mortals find — They come in night and silence. Each sad, reproachful wraith, When hope is faint and flagging And a chill has fallen on faith. For life is all too short, dear, And sorrow is all too great. To suffer cur slow compassion That tarries until too late; And it isn’t the thing you do, dear, It’s the thing you leave undone Which gives you a bit of heartache At the setting of the sun. —MARGARET E. SANGSTER. Sometimes I have felt like pinching myself when I am so pronp to talk to everybody that is near me in cars, on trains and in public places. I always learn something from them, and I feel like I must not lose my opportunity to say a cheering word to a tired mother or a kind-hearted person of the other sex. Occasionally I have been snubbed, but not often, and it is only when I got snubbed that I wanted to pinch myself for extending- a glad hand when they didn’t want my hand at all. And it would astound you to know how many last ing comforts and memories that I have stored away by . trying to leave nothing undone in this way. Per haps the people think I am a garrulous old lady, the kind that the story-books make so free to ridicule, but I verily believe I have smoothed my own long journey through life by always trying to do some thing or sdy something cheering for the strangers I meet. I could tell you many stories of what has come back in gladness to me after many days. I dearly love to talk to people and wake up interest in their eyes,- and I always recollect I may not gc their way but once, and it helps me so much to she their happiness. The Lord has been so good to me to keep me in mental health and vfgor for nearly four score years that I am always ready to say: Praise the Lord for His merciful, loving kindness forever and ever! CHICAGO —TWENTY YEARS LATER, t I was appointed as one of the two Lady managers of the Columbian exposition for Georgia in August. 1890, and received my commission on November 19 of the same year. I saw Chicago then and I saw a part of the same city last week. To be exact, I served, off and on, for four years in the early ’9os, and my services to the great Chicago exposition closed in June, J 894. I thought then it was the greatest city I had ever seen, t for I saw New York in the year 1880, ten years previously, and there was a great dif ference in favor of this western metropolis. I have attended several expositions since that time and noth ing ever equalled Chicago, not even St. Louis. The latter enclosed more acres, but Chicago covered the space and freely spent its money away up in millions of dollars. As I said before, I had not seen Chicago again until last week. Taking advantage of the convention rates. I made the trip from Cartersville to Chicago» in 24 hours, over 700 miles. When I first saw this city it required 33 hours, and I would be on train two whole nights and one full day. After I reached Cin cinnati last Saturday evening I secured a berth in' a steel car to sleep in. The walls were made of steel, and there was nothing to ignite unless it might be the bedding or curtains In case of fire. The road over those lines is owned by Pennsylvania capitalists, and they are the latest thought in travel arrange ments. I never saw such.. corn crops in ray life. The abundance is sjmply beyond compare. I never saw such a number .of wheat shocks on the same limit in land. I never saw such numbers of fat -catttle for the same acreaxe. I *aw hogs, in pasture lands by - same acreage. I savZ hogs in pasture lands by but hundreds of horses and a good many of yearling colts. As we rolled off the miles there was not a Jar or a Jostle, Even, smooth and swiftly our train rolled off each mile in quick time and order. I never saw a galled spot on those farm lands; the corn was a dark rich' green to the hill tops, and the pastures were knee deep iri verdure. It was good to see, the farming was so perfect. There were splendid dwell ings and enormous barns, and this panorama was un folded for more than 300 miles, the greatest farming country my eyes ever beheld. The wealth of that country Is made enormous by this grand farming work. x . I saw the nicest pears I ever tasted, and the tre -s were loaded with healthy, sound fruit, and even tne poultry' vards could be seen filled with chickens from the car window. This is a grand old country, this northwest section. The land is as level as our best river bottoms, and stretches away to the very horizon.' When I reached the Palmer House, the hotel that 1 made my stopping place during the Chicago exposi tion, I foqnd it just the same, and it was always a grand structure, seven stories high, and the best equipment possible then, but now it is overshadowed with 20-story buildings all about it. It made me dizzy to try to look up to count the rows of windows. I went to the First church, not far away, where I always worshipped 20-odd years ago. The land was given to the Methodists by a pion-er Methodist in Chicago’s early days, and his will made it obligatory to keep the location for a church. The building is several stories high and all except the top floor is rented to banks and other business. con-- terns. The. congregation pays all the salarie* of ■ preachers and choir, etc,, and the rents are used to • build a multitude -of Methodist churches all over the ' city. It is the mother church, and this money has . populated- Chicago with elecant Metho-j!<t churches. I went to their class meeting that forenoon—and they always have class rqcetihgs before tnetr pulpit rises. As I sat there and remembered the glad greet-' ings thatithey always gave their “Georgia sister' 20 years ago. I wondered why our people down here fail—; ed to do the same thing for strangers and aojoum-rs. After the sermon, and I had my midday luncheon. I took the Wabash avenue car and traveled to the site ' of the great fair, now knoUcn as Jackson Park. The,, park is a dream of beauty, only on- cf the fair build ings Left, namely, the great art institute, which hohle many relics of the fair! • The cold wind from tha lake front chilled me, and I made only a short stay on the well remembered •location-where I worked so faithful ly and for so long during the great Columbian expo sition. Twenty years ago, when the crowds were so im mense and the cars so packed. T secured lodgings about half way down to the fair, my room overlooking Ellis Park, with its beautiful fountains and flowers. I got off the street car there Sunday, went around the old, well remembered place and found the hou ->e that I lodged in. and the laay who now occupies the apartments gave me a seat and told me a great many things that had transpired later. We became real chummy, and I am so glad I made the little detour, CA MPAI GN FUNDS III —Four Years Ago. a FREDERIC J. HASKIN The campaign of 1908 was the first national cam paign in which publicity was required; and then not required by any national law, but by the law of the state of New York. . The two big campaign committees, hav ing their headquarters in New York city, thereby became amen able to the laws of the Empire State. The Democrats, at the in stance of Mr. Bryan, published their contributions and expenses before election, although that was not required, even under the state law. The Republicans re fused to publish their lists until after the election, but there was nothing shown in the report as I finally published that might not I just as well have been made pub ■ lie beforehand. •• • . I According to the statements ot the officials of the two J national campaign commlt- - - tees, the Republicans had $1,000,000 more in 1908 than the Democrats. The Republican statement placed the expenditures of the national committee at $1,600,000, while the Democrats had only $620,000 all told. Os the Republican fund $600,000 was raised by state fi nance committees, and was spent in the several states without going through the hands of th« national committee, although the accounts were forwarded so the committee. The national committee itself ex pended a little over $1,000,000. - , < • • • In the Democratic camp there were more than 103,- 000 individual contributors, upward of 23,000 of whom lived in the state of New York. Uncle Sam got $37,- * 000 from the Democratic national committee in post age, the express companies $13,000, and the telegraph companies as much more. On the labor bureau $37,- t 000 was spent in the effort to line up organized laLjr against Taft. The printing bill amounted to $142,000, and it cost $89,000 to supply the stream of campaign oratory that flowed from the hustings of the coun try. The various state organizations got $129,000. • • • Recently congress has been probing into the cam paigns of 1904 and 1908, through the committee on privileges and elections of the senate, but the results have not been at all startling. • • • According to the testimony of those who have ap ■peared, the political committees of the two great par ties have been as politically virtuous as they .well could be. As far back as 1904 they were turning down mi gar trust, tobacco trust and other trust contribu tions right and left, and neither party confes'ses to have been willing to receive “tainted money” fr.un any source. One man came to Chairman Cortelyou witlf a roll of bills amounting to $20,000 which he felt It his patriotic duty to give to the cause of his .party, and then offhandedly observed that when vie tpry came once more to the glorious cause of Repub licanism he hoped he would have a friend at court when he applied for a position in the diplomatic serv ice abroad. That little remark transformed a high purposed contribution into one described by a differ ent adjective, and Mr. Cortelyou said nay. nay, there iirino need of such money in our camp. Mr. Dupont, of Delaware, had a $20,000 donation to make in the 1908 campaign, but Mr. Hitchcock remembered that the powder trust was then having a little trouble with the government, so he told Mr. Dupont that he would better keep his money. Mr. Dupont did not view It that; way, however. “What I have given, I given.” he remarked, and immediately he opened up a Zs new bank account in the name of the Republican, party and started out to hold the $20,000 until such time a* the party would let him spend it. .. One of the most Interesting of all the contribu tions to the Democrtitle campaign fund was designated as the "Ewing contribution.” It amounted to nearly s3’oo<r, and except' for * : Teiw quarters and hair do!-- • lars, it consisted entirely of 5 and 10-cerit pieces. A man named Ewing in Illinois undertook to raise a nickel and dime fund, and it kept growing and grow ing until it became one of the comparatively few large contributions of the campaign. James Kerr, of Penn sylvania, also undertook to raise a fund by gathering together all the pin meney subscriptions he could and in the aggregate this was one of the most impor tant contributions coming out of the state of Penn- 1 sylvania. • • • Hermann Ridder, the treasurer of the Democratic national committee in 1908, .seems to have been the largest contributor in either party that year. Hot gave $37,000 to the fund, although the books do not show it. As Mr. Bryan had limited the amount that should be received from any one man to SIS,OOO, Mr. Ridder, according to his own statement, gave $37,000, of which SIO,OOO was in his own nam« and $9,000 in the n«me of each of his three sons. This Incident shows how easy it is. usually, to get around any l*w limiting contributions. Ip tM® particular case nc :one charges that the course of Mr. Ridder was open to criticism, for h* evidently had no ulterior motive ' in the matter; but the magnate who would want to give a large amount might mask it by giving through a number of individuals under him. * • • • The Democratic committee in 1908 is the first na tional committee that ever preserved and made public a full list of every contribution given. Not a single 5-cent piece contributed failed to command a record of the name of the donor in the books of the commit tea. The same policy probably will be pursued this -year, and the party leaders expect that the list of contrU utors will be the longest in the entire history cf American politics. The Busy Merchant BY WALT MA80?: . . . ‘ (Copyright. 1912, by George Matthew Adams.) Today I called at Beeswack’s store to buy some boneless cheese. The rain was falling with a roar. fu * . end said.' witn passinc frown: “Th* greater part of human grief is caused by sitting down. ’ When days are bad and trade is slack, the foolish merchant sit*, and broods until he breaks his back and..has connip tion •fits. And people comings to hie joint will ix« , hifh tnconing there and from his portals they’ll aroint, i . fiHJt'blbvr? their .scads elsewhere. And « I wh<*»p around my stere with high and active jupnps, and Ac head is getting sore, aad no one has the dumjJs.” ' j bought thre e cans of potted snifff. and shuttered, as -J.went “It's better far to mak* a bluff than roll in » discontent.” —-- ■ - •*— '■ 1 - ■ - " * because my mind is freighted with some sweet and some sad memories, and the people are all gone that I. knew in the early .’9os, yet the fountains and th# flowers and the beautiful parss are still there. I took one street car ride on the north side, went through the tunnel under the Chicago river and traveled at least 20 .miles that way on Thursday morning. Just as I got off for the Palmer House “the heavens opened and the rains fell. It was so cold and rainy I decided* to start home that night and maybe save myself a spell of Sickness. I made the return trip in 24 hours. I will tell you about the three days of convention at another time, as I have already written a long story for my Country Home column. the mud was to my knees. Old Bees,wack and his merry clerks were pawing through the shelves, and cleaning up the whole blam ed works as though they’d sfatn themseves. “Why not s|t down,” I said, “and rest, this wet and woozy day? No custom er or monied guest will coirje along this way. Why not sit down and let. things slide, and nurse your jaded feet? Why not sit down and point with pride,' and nuts and herrings eat?" Old BeeswaCk paused a moment brief.
