About The Cedartown standard. (Cedartown, Ga.) 1889-1946 | View Entire Issue (Oct. 5, 1922)
CEDARTOWN STANDARD Devoted to the Best Interests of Cedartown and Polk County. Volume 36. Cedartown, Georgia, Thursday, October 5th, 1922. Number 37. HON. GORDON LEE Who was unanimously chosen for Congress in the recent primary and formally re-no minated Saturday. HON. GORDON LEE IS RE NOMINATED - FOR CONGRESS AT A MOST ENJOYABLE CON VENTION HELD SATURDAY IN CEDARTOWN. A Congressional convention in the Seventh District of Georgia is not the formal and perfunctory affair that It is in many districts, but is always full of human interest. This is due to the persona) and political populari ty of the distinguished Representative from this district, Hon. Gordon Lee, who has always taken delight in try ing to serve his constituents efficient ly from the humblest to the highest, and who worthily wears the title of ‘‘The Working Congressman.” And of all the pleasant conven tions held in the district, none was over more enjoyable than that held in Cedartown last Saturday, when Mr. Lee was re-nominated for u tenth term to the high position which he has filled so wisely and faithfully. Hon. Paul B. Trammell of Dalton, an able member of the State Railroad Commission, is chairman of the Dis trict Executive Committee, and pre sided at the meeting. Mr. T. S. Mc- Camy, also of Dalton, is the secretary. The meeting was opened with prayer by Rev. C. A. DeVane, of the First Baptist church. Mayor Homer Watkins gave a most happy address of welcome, in which as himself an cx-Service man, he spoke feelingly of the fact that two statesmen from the Seventh District —Congressman Lee and Senator Harris—went themselves at their own expense to France to look after the welfare of “our boys over there.” It is not generally known, but is a fact, that Mr. Lee personally employed secretaries to handle correspondence about the boys from the Seventh who were in the army, and that he wrote over 50,000 letters in looking after their welfare. Judge F. A. Irwin also voiced cordial welcome to the visitors. Resolutions of regret and sympa thy were unanimously adopted as to the deaths of Hon. John W. Maddox, a former beloved Congressman from this district, and Senator Thos. E. Watson. As the women are now voters, > resolution was also unanimously passed that the membership of the Executive Committee be doubled, an equal number of women be added. A resolution of thanks was unani mously adopted thanking the Mayor and Council, the Kiwanis Club and the Chamber of Commerce for the in vitation to come to Cedartown, and to the Woman’s Club and U. D. C. for looking after their entertainment. The Committee on Resolutions re ported the following platform, which was enthusiastically adopted:— The Platform. We, the Democratic Party of the Seventh Congressional District of Georgia, in convention assembled, trend of national sentiment toward a return to power and a re-acceptance of the principles of the Democratic party as the best and surest moans of securing good government, domestic tranquility and business prosperity. The history of the past two years, with the Republican party in full con trol of all branches of the govern ment, has been disappointing. Our economic condition has been made distressing, and our rank as a moral force in the affairs of the world has been reduced. Campaign pledges have been forgotten or purposely vi olated. Taxes have not been reduced but shifted to the shoulders of those least able to bear the burden, while governmental favors have been gran ted to the favored few. Under leadership which preferred power to principle, constructive legislation has been abandoned for expediency. The aim and greatest mission of the Democratic party is to maintain the liberties of the people, the sover eignty of the State and the perpetuity of the Union; to insist that there must be an impartial administration of public affairs, wihout sectional or class discrimination; to an observance of the principles of human rights and strict justice, and to manifest an ever present interest in the brotherhood of man. We re-affirm our allegiance o and our faith in these principles, and re-assert our determination to pre serve them for the people and their posterity. Upon these the Demo cratic party rests its cause, wishing no safer guide, knowing no higher law. We call attention of all citizens, however differing with us in other re spects to the merits, record and a- chievements of our Representative in Congress, Hon. Gordon Lee 1 . As the nominee of this convention, itself rat ifying the unanimous verdict of the people expressed in the recent pri mary election, we confidently com mend him as worthy of continued con fidence nd support upon a record which has been honorable, practical and energetic. By reason of his splendid labors on the Agricultural Committee, he was given a place on the powerful Appropriations Commit tee, where he could serve the needs of the agricultural and other interests of his district and country to better ad vantage. His service in this respect has been fruitful of great good when measured by results accomplish ed, to which concrete reference can be made. Great credit is due him as a mem ber of the special committee which brought forth and secured the pas sage of the Federal Farm Loan Act, for the beneficent work under this law by means of which millions of dollars have been loaned to farmers to their great relief upon the easies view with satisfaction the evident terms of payment, at the lowest rates of interest, and upon security not be fore recognized. As a pioneer in the successful ef fort to engage the government in the good roads movement, he has render- eel distinguished service to every man, woman and child in America by mak ing the building of highways and their maintenance a charge upon the fed eral government as well as the state and county governments. To him goes credit for the im provement of the rural mail and pos tal service in this district; the im provements of navigation of the riv ers which flow through the district; and as a member of the Forestry Commission, for acquiring large re servations in Georgia for the conser vation of timber and better flood con trol. Realizing the sacrifices made by the soldiers and sailors of the great World Wnr in their defense of the nation, he has devoted his best ener gies to the veterans who went from this district, as well as to the bene ficiaries and dependents of those who were wounded, or gave their lives for their country, and has accom plished for these substantial benefits, and there are many who bear willing testimony-of his untiring activities a- long this line of service. These are a few of the outstanding achievements of his more recent pub lic service, but there is yet to be no ted a service in which ho stands pre eminent, not recorded in public doc uments, but as well and universally known as he is known by his consti tuents, namely his prompt, earnest and devoted attention to the inter ests and wants of the individual, the average man, no matter how small the detail. It is for this and all these things that his colleagues in Congress, and his constituents as well, have termed him “The Working Congress man,” a distinction which ho has richly earned, a title which he most appreciates. We express the firm belief that the future holds in store for him many more years of honorable and useful public service. Nomination Accepted. A committee of ex-Serviee men, headed by Maj. Homer Watkins, was appointed to notify Mr. Lee of his nomination. In accepting the nomination, Mr. Lee said in part:— MR. LEE’S ADDRESS. I confess that I appear before you with some embarrassment because it is hard for me to express the deep emotion which I feel, and hard to command adequate language in which to convey to you my sincere appre ciation of the honor you have so gen erously conferred upon me, and through you to that great body of Georgians who on the 13th day of September left farms, factories, stores and homes to again choose me to represent them in the greatest law-making body in the world. I would be ungrateful, indeed, if I did not cheriosh for you an abiding grat itude for the trust and confidence you have reposed in me. You have hon ored me in the past by electing me as your Representative in contests with men of sterling character and highest ability, and if I did not most sincere ly appreciate these honors I would be unworthy to serve you. It is con clusive evidence that you feel that my services as your Representative have been faithful and loyal. You have honored me for ten terms—twenty years,—and when I enter Congress on the 4th day of next March there will be but four Democrats and ten Republicans, out of a membership of 435, who have had the honor to serve longer than myself. After this long service, I am justly proud of the fact that you have again expressed your confidence in me by giving me the lar gest vote ever cast for any candidate for any office in the 7th Congressional District. This indicates to me, my friends, dating from the first day I entered Congress, unknown to the political game, an obscure farmer and business man, down to this good hour, that my service to my district and state have met with the approval of my people, for whom I shall ever cherish the warmest appreciation and deepest affectiion. My business training and the ex perience thus acquired has given me a wider and deeper grasp of the duties and responsibilities that honor you have conferred upon me carries with it. This experience, gained through my long service in Congress, and the grave responsibilities confronting our country and the unsettled condition of the business and economic world during the last few years especially, impress me with the obligation I am to assume, and better qualify mu’to discharge of the position. It is n great honor to be chosen by such a splendid vote to continue for the tenth term to represent them in the halls of Congress by a constituency of a quarter of a million people, who are unsurpassed in intelligence and enterprise—a district so varied in its resources and products that it is ad mitted to be the banner district of the Empire State of the South. Your message gives renewel approval of my record, and bids me ami inspires me to do the very utmost within my power for the best interests of my people in the district and our beloved state and country. I entered Congress new and un tried and with but little legislative experience. I, however, know that this great government of ours was but a huge corporation, and every man under the Stans and Stripes an equal stockholder. I felt that my business training might qualify me to give your business proper attention, and with this thought in mind I entered upon the duties with the belief I could make good. In my long service I have never found a proposition too small to attend to nor too large to undertake. Committee AsiignmenU. I do not think it would be out of place, and certainly pardonable in me, to refer briefly to some of my ac tivities in the passuge of legislation since I have been a member of the House of Representatives. I believe you arc familiar with the fact that n mew member rarely receives appoint ment on desirable .committees, and as rule has little influence with the men in Washington who cacomplish things. I received, I think, on enter ing Congress what was regarded as about the poorest committee assign ment possible—Wnr Claims. How ever, while a member of that com mittee, I was ablo to inject into it new life, and through my efforts se cured from Congress appropriations to pay damages to eleven churches destroyed by Sherman's army; also, for the payment of sixty-seven indi vidual war claims growing out of damages and lossos to citizens of the 7th District, and this fifty years after the Civil War wns over. After serv ing four years on this committee I was transferred to the Committee on Agriculture, and served there a num ber of years, finally reaching the po sition of ranking Democrat on that committee. As a member of this im portant committee I participated ac tively in all the legislation that has been enacted for the benefit of the farmers of the country. Last year Congress decided to take from the various committees the ap propriating power and vest it in one great Appropriation Committee. I was requested to accept an assign ment on this committee—probably the most powerful in Congress,—and have seen about a year of service there. With the rest of the commit tee I have shared the responsibility of appropriating four billion dollars for the various departments of the government. This, I am sure, you will recognize as a great responsibility, and I think, n recognition of the long service, nnd qualifications of your Representative. I am a member of the sub-committee which handles ag ricultural appropriations, nnd thus in better position than ever before to take care of this great branch of A- merican industry. Good Roads Legislation. During my service in the House I have been especially honored by Presidents from Taft to Wilson with appointments on special committees that were designated by Congress. After many years of effort to secure adequate legislation for good roads it was found necessary to appoint a Special Committee on Good Roads to harmonize the differences that existed among members of the committee formerly handling this character of legislation. I was named one of this Special Committee of twelve to ac complish this work. How well we succeeded I have only to point to re sults: Total amount appropriated for Good Roads in the United States, $409,000,000. Total amount apportioned to Geor gia (including 1923) $10,737,508. Forestry. During the year 1911 Congress passed a bill appropriating eleven million dollars to purchase lands in the White Mountains and Appalach ian Ranges, these lands lying n the mountains from Maine to Georgia. The bill created a Commission, known POLK’S COUNTY FAIR OPENS TODAY For Three Days of Sigh t Seeing and Enjoyment Fine Baby Show to Draw Crowds at 10 O’clock Saturday. Everything is shaping up nicely for Polk’s County Fair, which opens i.' Cedartown today. Exhibits commenced coming in Tuesday, nnd this morning sees an at tractive display in all lines. The management has been fortu- nnte in securing better accommoda tions than heretofore, nnd this wi’l add to the enjoyment of the occnsion. It is to be hoped thnt by the time the Fair comes back to us in 1924, it will come to permanent buildings fitted for the purpose. In the mean time, however, everyone will be pleas ed with the arrangements for the Fair this week. The Woman’s Department nnd the Girls' Clubs will have their exhibit in the Roberts Chapel on Ware street. The Farm nnd Poultry displays will be found in the Duke Warehouse on Wnre street. The live stock will be housed in the Young Stnbles on Main street. This gives plenty of room for the xhibits and for visitors to see them to advantage, nnd is as good an ar rangement as could possibly be ex pected without permanent Fair build ings. Business men and farmers alike are contributing liberally to the prize list.. If you jiave not done your part, see President Graves or County Ag ent Gnrner nt once. Every public- spirited citizen .should be anxious to have a share in this work. And new, folks, come to the Fair. Come and see what your neighbors have brought to exhibit, and see how it compares with yours. And if neithor of you have brought anything for display, come nnd sec how well other folks are doing. It may wake you up a little, and will do you good. Country and town folks —father, mother and all the children— will do. well to come and have a good time together. A cordial invitation is extended to all. Baby Contest. And everybody will want to attend the Baby Show at 10 o’clock Satur day morning. Every mother has the best baby in the county—of course. But come and see what the judge* think about it. Talk about your good times—this will enp the climax. as the National Forest Reservation Commission, composed of the Secre tary of War, Secretary of Agricul ture, Secretary of the. Interior, and two members eneh from the Senate nnd House of Representatives. I was named a member of this Commission from the House, and am still serving. For a number of years I wns the only member of the commission from tho South. How well I have looked after tho home-folks, I have this to say: I located the first National Forest Pre serve in Georgia, consisting of nbout 142,000 acres. The people of Georgia hardly real ize the importance of locating these great forest reserves in our state. I think eventually we will purchase something like 300,000 acres in the mountains of North Georgia. This will guarantee the future timber sup ply for our stato, and at tho same time furnish a recreation ground for the people of Georgia and the Sou thern States may desire to visit these forests for recreation and pleasure during the summer months. It might be interesting nnd perhaps surprising to know thnt in the forests of the West, where the scenery is more beautiful than our mountains, approx imately six million people visit and camp in the forests during the sum mer months. What this will mean to the people of Georgia when theso forests nre opened and camps estab lished, it is hard to estimate. Water Power. For twelve years Congress had tried to enact a law under which the water power of the country could be developed. President Wilson asked that a Special Committee be named to draft a workable bill. A commit tee of sixteen, known as the Water Power Committee, was selected, and I had the honor of being named on this committee. After many months of hearings we presented a bill which was passed, and was the last bill Pres ident Wilson signed before the ad journment of Congress in June of that year. The law is considered so fair and liberal, and so well protects the rights of the states and the gov ernment, that I have not a doubt in the years to come our great water power will be fully developed, and white fuel from the wasting streams will supplant coal, which is rapidly disappearing from our mountains. Then a new industrial period will dawn for our section which is so won derfully, blessed with potential water power. Since the water power bill became a law, although distressing financial conditions have existed in the country, yet the results have been more than satisfactory under such conditions. Up to Aug. 31, 1922, the Federal Power Commission, au thorized to administer the law, had issued permits for sixty projects in the United States with an aggregate horse-power capacity of 2,374,235; and licenses on 36 projects, with an aggregate horse-power capacity of 2,388,704; also, 23 transmission line licenses. Short Time Rural Credits. The last Congress authorized committee on Short Time Rural Cred its and I have the honor to be n mem ber of this committee. I refer to these committee assignments to re fresh your memory in regard to the fact that your Representative in Con gress ranks well in Washington, a* evidenced by his selection to serve on four great constructive special com mittees and commissions, namely:— Forestry Commission, Good Roads Committee, Water Power Committee, Short Time Rural Credits,—a record indicating that I have the respect and confidence of our President* from Taft to Wilson, and of our Speaken from Joe Cannon to Champ Clark. Incoma Tax. I recall many pieces of legislation enacted during the trying days of the war. It might not be amiss for me to refer to tho income tax. Under a Democratic administration a consti tutional amendment was passed and ratified under which an income tax could be levied, in order to require the great wealth of the country to bear its just share in the expenses of of government. A Democratic Con gress passed the Income Tax Law, which has brought millions of dollar* into the Treasury in fair taxes on the incomes of the rich, thus reliev ing the poorer class of people from excess burdens. We passed the Inheritance Tax Law, a Parcels Post Law, and a Bon ded Warehouse Law, and I am sure all realize the incalculable benefit for tho two last named to our people liv ing in small towns and the country. I will not consume time with more than a reference to my activity in se curing for the district more than 2,- 500 miles of rural routes, five public buildings,and the sites for two others. Federal Reserve Act. We passed a law creating a finan cial system for the commercial and industrial world known as the Federal Reserve Act, "but for which when we entered tho great war with Germany, it would have been impossible for the United States to finance its own .op erations, and in a fpw months we would have had a panic that'surpass- cd any experienced in the financial history of the country. Instead of having a panic, it may be of interest to you to state that during 1915 there were only four bank failures; in 1916 and 1917, only three; and in 1918 and 1919, only one. Under the old Republican system of financing the country, statistics show there was an average of one bank failure for every twenty-one days for a period of nearly forty years. I believe the Federal Reserve Act is the greatest piece of constructive legislation enacted by any Congress since the foundation of our government, and in all the at tacks that have been made upon it, no man in Congress to this date has had the courage to offer a bill to re peal it. (Continued on 4th Page) The Rome News publishes the fine speech of Dr. E. H. Richardson, of Cedartown, given in response to the address of welcome at the meeting of the Seventh District Medical Asso ciation in that aity last week.
