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THE AMERICUS WEEKLY TIMES-RECORDER. FRIDAY. JULY 3. 1908-
THE TIMES-RECORDER
DAILY A>D WEEKLY
-ipjj e Americus Recorder, Established
The Americus Times, Established 1SDO
Conso uiated April, 1891.
Ent> -d at the postoffice at Ameri
cus as second-class mall matter.
THOMAS GAMBLE, JR..
Editor and Manager.
C. W. CORNFORTH,
Associate Editor and Assistant
Manager.
J. W. FURUOW, City Editor.
W. L. DUPREE,
Assistant Business Dept.
Editorial Room Telephone 99.
The Times-Rccorder Is the
Official Organ of the iCty of Americus.
Official Organ of Sumter County.
Official Organ of Webster County.
Official Organ of Railroad Commis
sion of Georgia for the 3rd Con
gressional district.
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Daily, one year $9.00
Daily, one month 50
Weekly, one year $1.00.
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Address all letters and make remit
tance payable to
THE TIMES-RECORDER,
Americus, Ga
OUB ackiccltcr.il schools
Amcricns, Oa n July 8, 1908.
Only the carcass of the American
legation Is now left at Caracas and
still President Castro is not satisfied.
When the directolrc gown hits
Georgia cities it will not be necessary
•to'go to Tybee to watch the fair bath
ers.
Macon wants to annex a suburb.
That city probably wants to keep
out of Atlanta's clutches by being too
large to digest
A New Jersey preaoher advised the
men of his congregation to let their
■wives have the last word. Any mar
ried man could tell him that such ad
vice Is absolutely unnecessary.
That "Chattanooga trip by the gen
eral assembly has a suspicious sound.
If the brewers' union have a hand
Id the entertainment, program the
suspicion will become a certainty.
Georgia took a great step forward when ft arranged to establish an
agricultural college in every one ot its eleven congressional districts.
Thev were recognized as the centres from which would flow a stream of
intelligent, scientific, comprehensive agricultural training that would raise
the level of farming In Georgia far above what it now is, or ever has been,
materially increasing the productiveness of its plantations, diversifying its
products, enhancing the values of its lands, and making agriculture of far
more absorbing Interest to those pursuing it. The practical educational
value of such Institutions Is properly regarded as Incalculable. Every stu
dent sent out from them equipped for up-to-date,progressivefarming should
become a source of light to the community in which he Is settled, assisting
those about him in achieving greater results from their labors and aiding
in the elevation of the industry generally.
But colleges, like individuals and institutions generally, cannot run
without money. None of the eleven district colleges has been able to ac
complish much during the first year of their existence because, they have
been so seriously hampered by the lack of funds adequate to equip them
for their work. Not supplied with proper and sufficient stock, nor with
first class machinery, they have struggled along; doing their best, and un
doubtedly achieving considerable, In the face ofgreat obstacles. They are
entitled to much praise for what they have done as indicative of what could
he expected of them If they were properly cared for.
Now it appears that these colleges may not be able to open at all In
the coming fall unless the state can be brought to make proper appropria
tions for them. From the statements in the Atlanta papers, which we
presume to be correct, there is doubt that any money will be available
for these colleges. As a result their managers are unable to contract with
teachers or otherwise make the necessary preparations for the coming school
ear. Prompt action by the legislature Is necessary to save the state from
the shame of having the doors of these important institutions closed when
September brings opening day. Some of the colleges, it is said, will make
no effort to advertise and secure students until they are reasonably sure
of funds on which to operate.
It is useless to expatiate on what these colleges mean to Georgia. This
is essentially an agricultural state. From the land comes Its vast annual
ncrement of wealth, and its three millions of people are mainly dependent
upon the soil of the state for their living. Anything that tells for the bet
terment of agriclture tells for the betterment of Georgia as a whole. There
may be important questions before tile legislature hut we venture to assert
that if conditions are as claimed with regard to the finances of these eleven
colleges then there is absolutely no question that confront the representatives
of the people in the General Assembly that overtops in interest and impor
tance this one ot providing the means by which the agricultural training
schools can be maintained and go on with the work for which they were
Instituted.
It Is certainly to be hoped that something will be done quickly. Fifty
days pass by rapidly and if the legislature potters away on various things
of less essential importance the time for adjournment may come with no
positive relief being afforded the agricultural colleges. The friends of these
institutions should see to it that this fate does not befall them. .Their, cfaims
should be kept persistently before the Assembly until positiV| and satisfactory
financial arrangements are made for them. It would be a disgrace to Geor
gia and a positive discredit to its reputation for progressiveness to permit
of such a thing as these schools closing their doors, as is threatened by the
force of existing conditions.
1 year from the pockets of the tax payers to the pocket of Judge Hines.
whose chief service to the public seems to have been a series of speeches
defending Gov. Smith and advocating his re-nomination, services which
should hardly he paid for out of the state treasury.
The duties of the commission are important and of great value to
the people. No reasons were ever advanced for the increase in the number
of the Board from three to five except that only in that vvay could Gov.
Smith appoint two of his friends and secure control of it. The increase
in numbers was a piece of politics pure and simple. Its purpose was to
make places for two of the governor's adherents and secure the chairman
ship for Mr. Guyt. McLendon. Why the people, unable to keep up their
public schools, and threatened with the closing down of the agricultural
colleges, should be called on to foot bills produced In such a way we fail
to see. /
Georgia can stand a little retrenchment in some directions, and one
of the best places to begin It Is in the railroad commission. Nothing should
be done that will impair the efficiency of that body, or make It of less
value as a protection to the people, but the state can well dispense with
two of the commissioners and the -special attorney, turn the money paid
them Into better channels, and suffer nothing by it
It is certainly to be hoped that the legislation proposed along this line
will be pushed through this legislature. The decks should be cleared of
as much rubbish as possible, and the broom might just as well be applied
now as a year hence.* And it might not be amiss to take a look in other
directions and see if the efficiency of the state government would be les
sened if there were some offices cut off elsewhere. The tax payers should
not be exploited to satisfy politicians and pay off political obligations.
ANOTHER GRATUITOUS SL Vr FROM HOKE
STOOD TRUE TO THEIR C0L0BS
If the platform adopted at ....
Atlanta convention on Tuesday ot thh
week is a foretaste of what may j.
expected, the people of Georgia ar j
going to be highly gratified with the
course of the Brown administration
Georgia has seen politics play e< j
and promises made with little or no
intention of fulfilling them. cam
paign promises have been looked
upon as being like the proverbial pi,
crust. But the platform made at At
lanta by the leaders of the Brown
forces show that It Is.their deliberate
Intention to carry out every promise
that was made during the recent me
morable campaign. Every position
that was taken is to be maintained
until the desired results are obtain-
ed. The public is being dealt with
faithfully and it appreciates the fact.
Seven main features marked the
campaign. Five of them differentiate!
the Brown element from the Smith
element In the body of voters. They
created the issues on which the peo-
pie voted. As regards two of the is
sues, Smith and Brown and their
followers practically stood on the
same ground. Both subscribed to
the prohibitum law. both subscribed
to the disfranchisement amendment.
The Smith people charged that the
Brown people were not sincere in
this respect. The answer is found in
two planks of the State platform, as
adopted by the Brown delegates,
pledging the party and its nominee
to both of these policies during the
next administration, the only term for
which it had any right to speak
The other five Issues made the vot
ers take one side or the other. The
Brown position was the reverse of
the Smith proposition. That the
Brown faction meant what Is said
when It went to the polls and voted
Sumter is rejoicing in her' peach
■■crop and has no envy of the Long
Island farmers who are tickled over
n record Irish potato harvest. Sum
ter county is some on 'taters her
self, it might he mentioned.
PROHIBITION HAVING CONSIDERABLE EFFECT
The more the people think about
it the more they wonder why the G.
O. P. nominated Sherman for vice-
president. He isn't a drawing card of
any especial magnitude,—unless he
draws on the pocketbooks of the
-trusts, et al.
When a congressional funeral party
made a trip In the good old times It
was said that it was easy to trace Its
route by the bottles along the line of
railroad. As much will not he said of
tho Georgia legislative trip to Chatta
nooga—unless It he on the return
trip.
A correspondent disturbs the Geor
gian with the question; “What Is an
unselfish politician V' One who con
-senta to accept an office only after
being repeatedly Importuned by his
friends of course. The variety
abounds and can be distinguished
without the use of a microscope.
Tom Hardwick Is going to have
plenty of fun in his district in the
next congressional race. Two candi
dates are already in the field. If the
people really studied the Interests
of the district, of the state and of the
country, they would beglu to serious
Jj consider the advisability of re
'taming Fleming to his old seat in
the House.
The making of new countiea seems
to be without end. Six more arc pro
posed. This simply means six more
Bets of politicians to have Jobs and he
fed out of the public crib. A little lo
cal vanity Is a costly luxury under
such conditions. Georgia has enough
counties now. There is no use -
reducing them to the peanut size to
make places for men yearning for
political offices.
Prohibition may not prohibit in some sections of- the state but the
tvldences are conclusive and convincing that it does prohibit in others
end that on the whole there is a decided diminution in the consumption of
iiquors in Georgia, a diminution which‘ would undoubtedly be increased
were it not ior the Cuct that in some places the local authorities shut
their eyes to persistent and flagrant open violations of the statute.
The national government figures show that prohibition has produced
t decided decrease In the liquor business in Georgia. Blind tigers, as a
general proposition, arc averse to going up against Uncle Sam. They take
pains to arm themselves In advance with licenses issued by that willing
gentleman. The fact that it will be necessary to greatly reduce the force
of the collectoi of Internal revenue for this state shows to what an extent
the revenue business has been affected through the prohibitory enactment.
Three clerks and four field men, it is stated, are to be dropped, and the
ralary of the collector, dependent on the volume of business done through
his office, will he cut from $1,500 to $3,000.
This sort of evidence Is indisputable. Add to it the accumulated testi
mony from the various towns and cities, with rare exceptions, to the effect
that the arrests for drunkenness and disorderly conduct have enormously
decreased, and it is apparent that, violated as the law is and with large
quantities of liquors coming in from other states at all times, the effect
of the law has still been for sobriety and order.
It Is quite probable that equally as effective results would have been
had by a law permitting the sale of liquors under severe penalties and
restrictions and the revenues of the state, counties, and cities maintained
or vastly Increased. But It is not time to'dlscuss this question now. Pub
lic sentiment insists on the present law being tried for three years longer
and public sentiment will prevail. Three years from now It may be that
sentiment will have veered toward a regulated traffic but until then it Is
not probable iliat any efforts to amend the law can meet with success.
And even then. If sentiment has changed In a measure, there will never
again' he the old time saloon in Georgia, the open and unlimited sale of
liquors to all classes, or the contemptuous violation of Sunday laws and
other restrictive regulations that marked the saloon Interests under the
eld regime. Say what we will of the present law, Georgia has undoubted
ly set its face forwurd and will never go hack to conditions that had be
come intolerable to a vast majority of its people. And coming In contact
os we have done with men from various counties of the state, we can
say that the failure to reasonably enforce the law In one
or more cities is not conducive to a future amendment of the law, to a
future modification of the statute in the direcilon of liberality toward liquor
sellers and consumers.
"A number of cotton factories were compelled to run on short time
and lumber mills suspended operations. The lack ot demand away from
Georgia for our manufactured products affected the markets otmm} f
our industries. Some of our railroad companies apparently w ithout just
reason, discharged their men and lessened required actiwties.
Did a man ever before condemn himself so much out of his own
rnouth as does Gov. Hoke Smith?
Here in an extract from his message to the Assembly, we have him
giving the cause for an effect and then, in a spirit of vengeful animosity,
denying the legitimacy of the effect.
Gov. Smith admits that Georgia felt the pangs of the panic. Its indus-
tries were affected in common with those of the country at large. The wjjou jt „ clll „„„
demand for it) agricultural products lessened. The calls for the output Is eh own ln the platform, which pro
of its manufacturing industries slackened. Cotton mills closed down or vide*:
went on short time. Throughout the length and breadth of the pise belt
Hie lumber mills ceased operations. Business houses saw their -patronage
diminishing and goods remained unsold upon their shelves.
The freight and passenger business of the railroads was necessarily en
ormously curtailed. When cotton is not sold and moved, when the manufac
ture of lumber stops, when the spindles cease to whirr, when the merchants
refuse to order goods, freight cars stand empty and engines are sidetracked
in idleness.
Yet acknowledging that all these conditions existed, Gov. Smith still
has the temerity to tell an intelligent body like the Georgia legislature that
the railroads discharged their men “apparently without just reason.’
The governor does not charge that the lumber manufacturers when
they closed down mills all over south Georgia discharged their hands “ap
parently without just reaso n” He does not charge that the cotton mill
owners, reduce I their employes to total or semi-idleness “apparently without
just reason.” He does not allege that the merchants who adjusted their
pay rolls to reduced trade dismissed their salesmen “apparently without
just; reason.” Even Gov. Smith can see that these things were the inevi
table and unavoidable results of the business depression.
But the railroads, those blood-thirsty monsters, those cruel ogres, those
-v lie combinations ot avarice and assassination that plunder the people of
their birthrights, those grasping aggregations of men with money but without
souls, when the lumber mills had no more lumber to ship, when the cotton
mills offered no more bales of domestics for transportation, when the
merchants had no more freight bills to settle, when the people reduced
their buying and selling to a minimum and remained at home instead of
traveling, then these conscienceless corporations, with a vindictive malice
that is almost incredible, actually discharged some ot their employes and
put others on short time.
“Apparently without just cause.” Why. of course, governor, It is just
as plalnas the nose on your handsome countenance. The rall ™ ads “
he pilloried for it, their managers hanged, drawn and quartered. No mercy
Should be shown the corporations that found their treasuries empty and
tfielr incomes inadequate to meet expenses and yet "apparently without
lust reason discharged their men.
Great Is the logic of Gov. Hoke Smith, great almost as his bodily bulk
and personal pulchritude And as we ponder over his statesmanship we
wonder how It was that Joe Brown's majority was only ten and not a hun
dred thousand.
Tax paying for others Bhould stop.
It Is a prolific source of corruption.
Thlii Is one reform that all citizens
interested ln the political welfare ot
the state might well unite, on. The
man, white or black, wjio allows
others to pay his taxes puts himself
In the hands of the payees when elec
tion day comes and that Is the real
reason for which his taxes are paid.
There Is no use ln beating the devil
around the stump. Poll tax paying
ihhply means vote buying. Let's get
rid of it and reduce corruption
that extent at least
LEGISLATION IN INTEREST OF ECONOMY
The proposition now before the legislature to dispense with the sheclal
attorney to tho railroad commission and reduce the commis
sioners from five to three re a Btep in the right direction. It will reduce
the expenses ot the commission without in the slight degree Impairing Its
efficiency.
The creation of the position of special attorney to the commission and
the filling of It by the appointment of ex-judge Hines was simply the old
method of making the public pay a political debt. With hte attorney general
of the state, and with able lawyers on the commission, there was apparent
ly iue owe, ouu mu* —— — -- fore It wants a new Judicial division,
ly no Just cause for the creation of the office. It simply transferred $2,500 on the ground that there are too
MAKING NEW GEORGIA COUNTIES
Several bills are before the present
legislature, having for their purpose
the chopping off of pieces from var
ious counties and the creation of
new counties to add to the already
large number ot units into which the
state Is divided.
While Sumter county is not direct
ly affected by any of these measures
the entire state is Interested In the
efforts that are continuously being
made to chop up counties and create
new ones. As a rule the procedure
Is the result of personal political am
bitions on the part of a few indivi
duals who find themselves unable to
get offices and honors under exislting
conditions. Added to this Is the
desire of some small community to
become a county seat, with a court
house and whatever profits and ad
vertising go with the location of tho
county seat.
As a general proposition the Inter
ests of the public are in nowise ad
vanced by the creation of new coun
ties. A few men get political places,
but the public generally suffers^ from
the increased burdens that come
from the addition of new governments.
Counties cannot be operated without
expense, and every new county that
Is made means just that much heav
ier burden on the people. After thp
new county ts made it Is not long be-
many counties in the old circuit. And
so the augmentation of expenses goes
on. There are enough counties ln
Georgia—too many, in all likelihood.
No one would suffer, except a few
office seekers, if the bars were put
down and kept down. If the thing
keeps on Georgia will have a lot of
peanut counties that will be the rid!
cule of the country. New counties
now will mean further efforts along
the same line a year hence. The
beBt thing to do is to stop the bust'
ness right now and let it he under
stood that Georgia Is not going to
be split into further sub-divisions.
The Seaboard has ordered 12,000
tons of steel rails for the northern
end of the system. Our end may
come next.
The indorsement of Bryan by North
Carolina would seem to remove all
doubts as to Ills nomination. Geor
gia spoke too late.
Georgia’s legislators do not hear
the call from home quite so fre- own time will accord him,
quently as when passes were Issued.
The baby and the crops must do
without them at two and a half cents
a mile.
The officials and clerical employes
of the Southern, whose pay was cut
ten per cent, some months ago, have
ten per cent, some montns ago, nave Prize fights are beginn ne ^
been cheered with the announcement popular with the fair sex. Th 1 *L baB d
that July 1 the old salaries will be m | n the near future to the i
vides
That all capital Invested in legiti
mate enterprises In Georgia, whether
foreign or domestic, corporate or
private, shall have the equal protec
tion of the laws and equal friendly
consideration of those who adminis
ter the laws.
To return to the county unit sys
tem of nominating Governors and
state house officers.
Payipent ot pensions to Confederate
veterans In lump sums.
Contraction of the Railroad Com
mission to three members and the
abolition of special counsel to the
Railroad Commission.’*
Primaries not before August and
not until the Legislature adjourns.
The platform is a decisive answer
to those who charged Mr. Brown and
his followers with Insincerity or dup
licity.
THE PASSING OF A GREAT AMERI
CAN,
'Twas said of a prince struck down,
‘Taller he seems in death.’
As time passes and the proper pers
pective comes greater will loom the
figure of Grover Cleveland on the
pages of American history.
The personal animosities that poli
tics engenders, the belittling ot vir
tues that intense partisanship breeds,
the hatred that emanates from dis
appointed ambitions and foiled plans
—these will be laid in the tomb of
time and a future generation will
study the life of the ex-president, his
character and his deeds, unbiased by
vindictive spleen and the gangrene of
disappointment, and award to him
place second to few, If any, of <
presidents and statesmen.
The few years that Intervened be
tween his retirement from the 'White
House and his death had considerably
mollified the bitterness that his
sturdy manhood and determined ad
herence to duty as he saw It produc
ed. But still the sting rankles ia
many breasts that were filled
hopes of personal preferment at his
hands, or the memory of defeated poll
cies rankles ln the minds of those
who conceived and engineered theni
In legislative halls. Death may stay
the flood of carping criticisms, the
fact that the vast public had come to
appreciate the man for what he " a5
may check the voice of political ca -
umny, and the bitter minority tho
has dogged his career, even la r '
tirement, with something akin 0
malicious vindictiveness, may he still
ed, but their antipathy to the ina °
and to hta i»licles wilt remain a» a lr
bute to his undaunted courage, u
the clarity of his vision, to the sago
city that marked his career from
entrance Into the political arena
the dying hour at Princeton.
In his death gfcat men do n
honor. But the monument of app”
elation that comlnfe generations »
build will far exceed any that
own time will accord hint. Hts l| a
ln history is secure and memora
One law which the Georgian t i »
would be santloned Is immun >
the slaughter of the man who a
“It Is hot enough for you?"