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THE BANNER, FRIDAY MORNING, AUGUST 4, 191*.
THE ATHENS BANNE
Established 1*32.
H. J. ROWE, Editor.
DAILY WEEKLY-
THE ATHENS WEEKLY BANNER
Is the official organ of Clarke County
and la malltd to any address for ths
fe'lrs-lng ratos: Yearly, *1.00:
months, 50 canto; three months.
All subscriptions are paid In ad
vance and remittances may be mads
by express, postoffice money order
registered letter.
The 1916 model politics is very
slight Improvement over the older
Myles.
The trade balance amounts to more
than two billion—and we are looking
lor our share of It.
The estate of the late John Pier-
pont Morgan amounts to the mere
bagatelle of *78,149,024.
The "Joint commission" we see
much about in the papers Is not the
“rice commission”—oh, no.
"Germans routed from Strong
holds," says the headline. But are
they still en route, the Allies ask
' 4
Senator Hardwick is opposed to the
child labor bill—though he admits
that it will be overwhelmingly passed
Somebody has found a new method
of economy in digging up the tact
that champagne bottle corks
worth *3.00 a thousand.
Pretty soon automobile tags
Georgia will be offered at half price
—but they will last only half as long
as the one sold at full rates.
Wish the legislature had taken up
a little more time on the highway
commission bill and the child labor
bill—and got them into better shapo,
f
Suffragists in New York are using
candy to catch votes. But most of
the suffs. have not been famous for
their taffy so as you could notice It in
the past.
4 7—
The trouble about running for of
fice la that opponents will rake up
everything wrong the candidate ever
did—and etill worse, they’ll likely
prove the charges.
*
The Bulgars and the Serbians have
been heard from again. -So long ago,
It has £een since they were In the
dispatches, we forgot they were some
of the particeps belli.
There is politics at every turn of
the road In Georgia these daya—and
It Is a rare dtlten Indeed who can
not find some candidate who (• will
ing to save the state in an accept
able manner.
4i
A traveling man wants to know
why there are so many hair-pins
found on the streets of Athens
Brother, It's only during the five
weeks from the last of June to the
first of AuguM.
One of the Important meetings of
the year will be the gathering here
of the Georgia State Agricultural 8o-
ciety this week. This Is one of the
oldest and most Important associa
tion! in the state or the South and
win aiaemble In Athena for two daya
a representative body of leaders.
All over the state there are this
month being held farmers’ Institutes
in which the faculty of the State
College of Agriculture have been
taking leadership parts. Thousands
of mature farmers are thus being
reached with the gospel of better
farming, live stock raising, post-flood
work on the farms, diversification,
boll-weevil offsetting, and other val-
aable lines of practical advice and
demonstration.
World's Oldest Flower.
The chrysanthemum Is the oldest
Calttvated flower In the world, and,
though Japan’s national emblem, was
Brat developed In China. Confucius,
who lived approximately 500 years
B. C„ mentioned It In bis writings,
and antique Chinese pottery in the
British museum Is decorated with con
ventional designs of the same flower.
Treatment of Walla
If a melding Is liked from which to
hang the pictures that do so much to
make our rooms homelike, the best
height for the molding Is In line with
the top of the doors. The modern Idea
seems to be to bring the window wood
work to the floor by using a paneling
beneath the slit, and to carry the tops
of doors and windows to a fixed line—
the molding line. Thus the walls are
divided into rectangular spaces, and
the decorative effect of a good paper
Is enhanced. A plain paper has the
dignity of a panel when so used.
COMPULSORY EDUCATION BILL
The compulsory education bill that passed the bouse of representatives
by an overwhelming majority was brief and to the point. It has very few
provisions but It Is claimed that they are sufficient to cover the ground and
that the bill will bo of such nature that It can be oaslly enforced and made to
bring good results.
It Is said that the senate will pass the bill, If not in the shape of the
house bill, at least In some other satisfactory shape. The campaign for com
pulsory education In Georgia has been a long one, but it appears now that
victory for Its advocates is practically asrnred.
Now that Georgia seems to be ready to give compulsory education laws
for the government of the people, the problem will at once arise as to the
housing and teaching of tho children who have not been going to school but
who will now have to attend.
Of course this problem will be met and solved, but in Its solving two
things will have to be done, viz., the spending of more money and the provid
log of more and better teachers.
Incident to the latter, It might bo well for the legislators to remember
that the trained teachers for tho common schools, the teachers who will have
to teach these children who now will be compelled to go to school, aro fur
nished by tho norma] schools' of the state and that those schools, If they fur
nish more teachers than at present, will hare to have bettor equipment and
more maintenance funds.
Therefore, the legislature should not for one moment hesitate to pass the
bills appropriating one hundred thousand dollars to the State Normal School,
fifty thousand to the Girls Normal at Mllledgevllle and fifty thousand dollars
to the South Georgia Normal at Valdosta for tho purpose of providing build
ings that are absolutely needed.
Compulsory education can bo made to serve the people of Georgia well,
but there will have to bo more money Bpent on the normal schools of the
state to do It.
MAKE THE BILL EFFECTIVE
While the Banner was not in favor of the highway commission bill as
passed by the house, believing as we do that It would have been better to
have divorced the commission from any of the political offices of the state
still the law can be made effective under the plan proposed by the house bill
If the senate will go a step further In perfecting that bill before It passos it
and sends It back to the house for confirmation.
The house bill does not provide the money or the machinery for making
tho bill effective. It Is simply enough of a law to clinch the federal appropria
tion and nothing more. That kind of law will do the state no real good. Un
less tho commission Is givon sufficient power and sufficient money with which
to meet the necessary expenses of too work, the bill will have accomplished
nothing for the state.
What the peoplo want Is a real highway commission, not one merely on
paper. Tho prison commission has now practically the powers given It In the
highway commission bill. The bill simply designates the prison commission
as the highway commission and leaves It at that. That Is not going far
enough. The commissfbn will havo to bo given some extra powers and pro
vision will have to be made for tho money with which to carry on tho work
If Georgia la to get the real benefits from the federal appropriation for
better roads, then this will have to be done, for you can rest assured the fed
eral government Is not going to spend lta money unless the state comes up
with Its share.
Tho senate should amend the houso bill In the proper way and send it
back to the house for confirmation. We believe the house will agree to any
thing that Is reasonable In order to make the measure fully effective.
TRADING STAMPS AND OTHER DEVICES
The merchants and business men of Georgia have been imposed upon
for years by the catch-penny game of tricksters Inducing them to take on
something new in their business which would cause It to Jump by leaps and
bounds. On the face of their propositions, many merchants hare been
caught, but to their sorrow they have found that the highly colored proposi
tion of gold dollars rolling Into their tills while their brother me'chant was
Idling, was a gold-brick pure and simple. This has been the case In trading
stamps, coupons and other fake propositions which merchants haTe been led
into by these shrewd dealers who are out for making something out of
nothing.
The merchant has realized that all such schemes profit only the man or
men who promote such games and In tho end the merchant Is the loser. A
bill prohibiting the use of such schemes and devices has been Introduced by
Senator Moon In the Georgia senate and Representative Hutcheson In the
house. It la belloved that the measure will receive a majority vote without
trouble, but those who are interested In such schemes will, of course, use
their beat efforts to bring about the defeat of the measure, and It Is to the
Interest of every merchant to call upon his representative and urge him to
work for and vote for the measure as It Is now before the legislature pro
hibiting the use of trading stamps, coupons and other like schemes Intro
duced for trade purposes.
Thousands of dollars are spent each year by merchants In this line of
work which they are led to believe la good advertising, but after all It Is an
expense to the merchant and costs him dollars without any returns. An ex-1
pense that no legitimate business can stand—that has proven and the mer
chant has realized It.
It Is now up to the legislature to give to the business Interests of this
state relief; It can be done and should be done, and the Banner believes that
the representatives will pass the measure by an overwhelming vote and 'heir
work will be applauded by every business man and merchant In the state.
back the orderly and prompt business of the departments and Institutions In
many ways.
Where state departments or institutions havo shown a good system and
careful expenditures of the state’s money no need exists for a change. If
there are departments or Institutions that are not doing this, then a change
as to them might be a good thing.
SHOULD IMPROVE BUT NOT ABOLISH
The legislature should by no means abolish the present tax law of the
state. It may not have proved a success In every particular, and that may
be said of practically all tho laws on tho statute books, but It has proved a
success in most particulars and through its agency much property that had
been escaping taxation has been brought to the tax digests of the various
counties. And In addition the returns on property that had bee^ given In at
inadequate figures have been increased.
The proper thing to do Is not to abolish this law, but to Improve It. The
legislature can make the proper investigations and If they think It is lacking
in force and effect In any particular let them supply the necessary change.
So far as wo can see, little change Is necessary In the law. Tho important
thing is to get the people to fairly, firmly and impartially enforce It.
Thus far it has been of great benefit to the state. Tho tax returns show
this and there Is no going behind the figures on the tax digests. They speak
for themselves and tell what this law has done In the few years that It has
been tried. If It Is left on the statute books of the stato It will accomplish
much more In the future than It has In the past.
Georgia has not been getting from the property of the people the taxes
she should have been receiving. We do not charge the peoplo with dis
honesty In their tax roturns, but they have not been giving In some property
at fair values and much property has not been given In at all. This has to a
large degree been remedied by the law passed a few years since. It would be
a step backward to repeal this law, unless something better wero put in its
place and it does not look like anything better has been suggested.
TO SAFEGUARD HEALTH OF STATE
The Georgia senate yesterday tabled a measure which we believe on
second thought members will take up and consider very seriously and if the
particular bill tabled is not Just the best to accomplish the desired purpose
we believe that the best thought of this senate will carefully remake It Into
an effective measure—the bill alluded to being one to empower the state
board of health to supervise the sources of water supply for the towns and
cities of Georgia.
There are other provisions in the bill also, but tills Is the present-need
imperative, pressing matter. There was a time when only two or three
cities of the state had systems of waterworks and sewerage. There was
time when the smaller towns and villages had wells and springs—with
occasional windmill here and there and now and then a cistern. Now literal
ty hundreds of towns In Georgia have waterworks systems aud accompanying
systems of sewerage. The bill to protect tho source of supply of water
would In Itself be of vital Importance to the health of the people to warrant
the best efforts of legislators; but when tho rapidly Increasing number
sewerage systems aro taken Into tho account, systems emptying Into c-treams
from which towns and villages further down-stream must obtain their water
supply, then the need Is vastly enhanced in immediate, Imperative Import
ance.
We believe that the senate will take up this bill again and If It Is not
ono to meet the nfceij will make a new one and enact It Into law.
NEVER SELL THE W. & A. ROAD
Ever and anon there are articles published from well-known men advo
cating the sale of the Western & Atlantic Railroad. One was recently pub
lished by Col. Robert J. Lowry, of Atlanta. Now Col. Lowry Is an eminent
Georgian and a man whose opinion In the world of finance cannot be lightly
disregarded, aud yet In our Judgment he is far off the track on this subject.
There Is nothing wrong In the state protecting Its railroad property by
preventing its being paralleled. The Interests of the majority of the people
outweigh those of the corporations that would be benefited. The section
country through which the state road runs is a pretty prosperous section
Georgia. We do not see that It has been ruined by not having parallel rail
roads to the Western & Atlantic.
It Is pointed out what great things could be done with the money should
sale be effected. Great things might be done, but would they be done,
would be a very tempting thing for any legislature In this state to have mil
lions of dollars to Invest. It la well invested now and It should remain where
It is.
Georgia possesses no better pelce of property. The argument that the
state could draw Interest on the money It would realize from the sale and
then tax the property as well, thus securing another Income, Is offset by the
fact that If the rental la not high enough to yield the Income that should be
received from the road, It can be put higher. When the road comes to be
re-Icased, there will be no great trouble In getting better loaso money from
than at present.
The state should never sell Its railroad. It Is a piece of property that
should be kept and properly guarded against everything that would tend to
depreciate Its value.
as necessary to provide naval bases and coaling stations as It is to provlj
battleships. Not only should the Danish West Indies be secured, but *
other bases for the ships of this nation that may be needed.
GIGANTIC WAR EXPENSES
Hie European war has reached a stage where the mind of man can
scarcely take In the big figures and the great scale on which It Is being
operated.
The announcement Is made that the war Is now costing England alone
thirty million dollars a day. That is a sum of money that the mind can
scarcely token in. And when the expenses of the other belligerents are taken
Into account the sum total staggers the imagination.
Just how this enormous expense is now being borne Is hard to figure out
and how It can bo borne much longer Is harder still to see. And yet the fight
ing nations go right on with their work and seem to think little about the
problem.
It Is certain to have its effect on the future, however. These great ex
penditures of money cannot be made without counting the future effect. The
nations engaged In war will stagger under the financial load for many years
to come, perhaps for centuries in the case of the vanquished.
Europeans will feel the weight of oppressive taxes for many decades and
children yet unborn will have to pay their part of what Is now being spent.
Nor Is the expenditures of money the greatest loss to Europe. The very
flower of her manhood Is In the trenches being made food for cannon. You
cannot take out of a nation a great part of Its male vigor and nlrength and
expect It to be the same nation. That Is one of the great prices that the
nations are paying for this war.
PROPOSED EFFICIENCY COMMISSION
As a result of the examination by the special legislative committee ,oto
the report of the special auditor, Charles J. Metz, a number of suggestions
have been made as to an Improvement 1n the handling of the finances of the
state. As yet these suggestions are In a tentative form and no bill has be n
drawn embodying them and taking steps to convert them Into law.
Doubtless such steps will be taken and among other things the legisla
ture will have to wrestle with will be the solving of this problem of more
efficiency In the handling of the money of the state.
The suggestion has been made that a board of control be established that
would have supervision over the state's business matters and that an effi
ciency expert be employed to bring everything to the best possible system.
central purchasing agency Is suggested to save money by purchasing sup
plies In large quantities and distributing them to the different departments.
By the adoption of these suggestions It Is stated the need of a state audi
tor can be dispensed with. Another suggestion Is that all money of the state
be sent to the state treasury and be disbursed from that point.
There are no doubt many good suggestions being made and good will
no doubt come from the special audit, but In whatever may be done the leg
islature should be careful not to make a more cumbersome system than we
now have. Too much red tape in the expenditure of the money by either
the departments or the state Institutions would clog the machinery and se.
THE ENGLISH BLACKLIST
The English government has raised a vexatious problem for this coun
try by blacklisting a large number of American firms under tho trade with
the enemy act. So serious a situation has risen that it la Intimated that this
country will make reprisal by blacklisting English firms unless the English
modify their orders.
The English claim that the United States during the War Between the
States did this same thing and that unler precedent set by this government
Itself there Bhould be no kicking at the present English blacklist
President Wilson Is expected to make vigorous protest. That Is about
all the situation calls for and the present administration has had As hands
full of protests. Diplomatically It has hold of several questions Just now
with England that furnish almost as bard nuts to crack as did the German
submarine question.
THE DANISH WEST INDIES
It Is reliably reported that the United States will obtain through pur
chase from Denmark the Danish West Indies, and that the price to be paid
Is twenty-five million and'the giving up of any rights of discovery this nation
may claim in Greenland.
Such a treaty has been prepared and It Is believed that It will meet with
the approval of both countries. The negotiations are now under way and
will soon be brought to a conclusion.
Such a treaty would be a splendid one for the Wilsor administration to
make. The United States can put these Islands to a good use. They would
furnish a great iaval base and coaling station which would be of Immense
benefit to this country.
While the United 8tates goes forward In the work of preparedness it la
LACK OF A QUORUM
Speaker Burwell seems to be having trouble nowadays In rounding up a
quorum of the members of the state house of representatives In order to
carry on the business of that body. It may be that the difference of opinion
over the highway commission bill Is responsible for some of this or the race
for the speakership next time or the prohibition question may hare an in
fluence. But whatever may be the cause, the members should get away from
such conduct and go to the house and attend to the business that Is before
them.
There are many bills of the utmost Importance pending before the house.
They are measures that require time and due consideration. Presently the
end of the session will draw near and business will then have to be done In a
great rush.
The thing for the house to do now Is to get down to business and clear
away the greatest possible number of bills in order to get ready for the final
fight on the big measures. The highway commission bill should be disposed
of and the prohibition fight should be put out of the way as poon as possible.
But whatever may be the result of the differences of opinion on the part
of mombers as to legislation, there should be no further necessity for the
speaker locking the doors of the house in order to keep a quorum of members
present.
DO NOT SELL THE STATE ROAD
Former Governor Joseph M. Brown has prepared a series of articles on
the state road in which he strongly urges that the state do not sell the prop
erty and he further urges that the state do not lease It for a longer period
than thirty years.
Ex-Governor Brown is sound In Judgment, wise In business affairs and
his arguments are convincing that It Is not for the best Interest of this state
to sell the rood, nor Is it for the best Interest of the state to leaso it for a
longer period than thirty years.
The Banner heartily endorses the position taken by the former gover
nor; the Banner believes that to dispose of as valuable property as is now
owned by the state would be nothing short of poor and unwise business Judg
ment. It la an asset which the state cannot replace, neither can the stato
afford to dispose of such a valuable Investment when there la no good reason
for It doing so.
The property Is bound to enhance In value and aa time passes, It will be
a veritable gold-mine.
To lease It for a period of ninety-nine years would be another very un
wise act on the part of the state. While the amount now being paid for the
lease appears to be reasonable, and, In fact, It Is thought by many that the
amount Involved In the lease Is all that the state could expect for years to
ceme, but In that belief, there are many reasons why It should not be con
sidered. As the state grows, so will the value of the lease and In thirtM
years from now there Is no telling what will be Its value.
Speaker Burwell now has a measure before the legislature providing (or
a commission to Investigate the advisability of either selling or leasing tho
property. The bill Is all right and there can be no objection to It, so far as
It now appears, but the people of Georgia should urge upon their representa
tives the Importance of retaining the title to this valuable property and cef*
talnly of not favoring a lease for more than thirty year*.
HIGHWAY COMMISSION MEASURE
At last, though unexpected, the members of the house have passed a
highway commission bill which will now go to the senate and there to be
ratified or rejected.
No doubt, there will be changes In the bill as passed by the house, but
the action of the house In passing some kind of a bill will enable this state
to get the benefit of the fund from the federal government
Under an act of congress elgfty-flve million dollars has boen appropriat
ed for rural roads, and It was absolutely necessary. In order that Georgia
might' receive any part of this appropriation, for the legislature to create
some authority whereby the government could disburse this appropriation
through. 1
Of this sum, *75,000,000 la to be expended for the construction ol rural
post roads under cooperative arrangements with the highway departments
of the various states, and *10,000,000 is to be expended for roads and train
within or partly within the national forests. The act limits the federal g»r
ernment's share In road work In co-operation with the states to 50 per cent
of the estimated cost of construction. Federal aid may be extended to the
construction of any rural post road, excluding all streets or roads In town*
having a population of 2,500 or more, except the portions of auch street.-- or
roads on which the houses are, on an average, more than 200 feet apart.
Five million dollars Is made available for expenditure during the fi- 1 ' 1
year ending June 30, 1917, and thereafter the appropriation Is Increased a
the rate of five millions a year until 1921, when the sum provided Is twenty
five millions, making a total of seventy-five millions. In addition, an appr ^
priatlon of *1,000,000 a year for 10 years—a total of *10,000,000-ls m*J*
available for the development of roads and trails wholly or partly within t
national forests. , M
The class of roads to be bnllt and the method of construction aro to
mutually agreed upon by the secretary of agriculture and the stato high**
departments.