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EDITORIAL RAGE
The Atlanta Georgian
the: home paper
THE ATLANTA GEORGIAN
Published by TH 1C GEORGIAN COMPAKT
At 20 Kant Alabama St, Atlanta, O*
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Government Ownership of Tele
phones and Telegraphs l)e-
| sirahle and Inevitable
Eight years ago almost to a day, Representative William
Randolph Hearst introduced in the Fifty ninth Congress "A bill
to enable the United States to acquire, maintain and operate
electric telegraphs,” etc. The bill very carefully provided a
specific method of fair, legal purchase of "any or all existing
lines,” and their operation for the benefit of the people as the
postoffice is.
Rates were to be adjusted to provide a reasonable profit
to pay off the government bonds issued at popular subscription
to buy the telegraph or telephone systems.
A stand pat Republican Congress regarded Mr. Hearst's bill
as dangerous, if not revolutionary.
It was neither dangerous nor revolutionary, nor impractica
ble, but only NEW—like the Panama Canal, election of United
States Senators by direct primaries, income tax, and so many
other things that Mr. Hearst advocated long in advance of their
realization.
Mr. Hearst s bill of EIGHT YEAR8 AGO was reintroduced
in substance in the Sixtieth and Sixty-first Congresses.
TWO YEARS AGO, Postmaster General Hitchcock, a Re
publican, recommended it in a report to President Taft and to
Congress.
TO-DAY a Democratic Postmaster General makes the
recommendation the principal feature of his annual report.
President Wilson approves it in principle, although he has
not passed on any bill in detail.
Representative Lewis, of Maryland, to whose energy and
persistency we owe the parcel post law, is at work on the bill
for early presentation to Congress. It will first be submitted to
the Democratic caucus.
WHETHER APPROVED THIS WINTER OR NOT, IT IS
SURE TO BECOME LAW.
The telegraph, the telephone, the mail, owned by the gov
ernment, all operated together, united in one system.
The United States has thus talked government ownership
for eight years, but England has—since Mr. Hearst’s bill was in
troduced in Congress—actually accomplished it. The method
adopted was substantially that suggested in the Hearst bill. The
Government of Great Britain took possession of all the telephones
last year.
Competition is impossible between telephone companies.
There is no more excuse for two telephone or two telegraph
companies in the same place than for two postofflees side by side.
Duplication of offices is wasteful. The telephone now reaches
more remote and more numerous places than the telegraph. The
postoffice is even more universal. Every postoffice can be the
communicating nerve center of every community—with the
choice always at hand of the slow mails, the quicker telegraph or
the telephone capable of annihilating both time and space.
This combination is inevitable. Its realization is much more
difficult now than it would have been when Mr. Hearst first advo
cated it, because much more expensive. Representative Lewis
estimates the cost at NINE HUNDRED MILLION DOLLARS.
Where will the money come from? All the money centers of the
world could not furnish so great a sum at the present juncture,
even for the richest nation of the earth.
The development of the telephone has been pushed in the
past decade by men of great genius who have spent more than
$500,000,000, and made it as easy for the New York business
man to sit at his desk and talk to Chicago, Kansas City, or Den
ver, 2,000 miles away, as to the man in the next room.
The chief telephone system now has 50,036 stockholders,
and the stocks and bonds outstanding amount to $637,500,278.
The independent telephone companies not identified with the
American Telegraph and Telephone have stocks and bonds
amounting to $322,966,588 more, according to the Census figures.
The total, $1,010,556,836, of the telephone securities alone (ex
cluding all telegraph lines) exceed the total present bonded debt
of the United States, which on December 1 was $966,823,490.
The rate charged for telephones in New York City ($48
minimum for private house or office) is more than in London
(£6 or $30), but is LESS than in Paris (400 francs, or about $80).
London and Paris telephones are now both under government
control.
The problem of administration is as certain to be overcome,
in time, as the obstacle of first cost. Our fleetest battleships are
those built by the government, not by the private shipyards, and
our Panama Canal could not have been finished under private
engineers, even at government expense. It took a government
engineer to do it.
The government can employ or train another VAIL or
BETHEL, and it will in time, for government ownership of all
telephones and telegraphs is BOTH DESIRABLE AND
INEVITABLE.
A Suspicious Plan for Panama
- - -
The report that Secretary Garrison has determined upon a
form of government of the Canal Zone and has determined upon
a man to fill the delicate post of governor is disquieting.
It is true that nothing in the Secretary’s utterances indi
cates that the man he has in mind is not Colonel Goethals. But it
is reasonable to suppose that if the Secretary contemplated an
appointment so thoroughly in compliance with the public de
mand he would not hesitate about announcing it.
Until a few months ago the Canal Commission was very
efficiently guarded against politics, but the appointment as com
missioner of a Nebraska politician, the editor of Mr. Bryan's
’ Commoner,” awakened apprehension that this condition would
not long endure.
Commissioner Metcalfe very promptly signalized his acces
sion to office by recommending a commission form of government
for the Zone in place of the present one man power. A less self-
confident person would perhaps have waited until he had learned
his way about the Isthmus, and the difference between Culebra
Cut and Gatun Dam before undertaking a plan for its govern
ment in opposition to Colonel Goethals.
Mr. Metcalfe was, however, so prompt in recommending a
plan wholly at variance with the views of Colonel Goethals that
many people suspect that he was sent there to do precisely that
thing.
The people know Goethals and admire what he has done.
They already look with suspicion upon the hasty and immature
activities of Metcalfe. If the Secretary of War is incubating a
plan for the aggrandizement of the latter, or for the displace
ment of the true builder of the Canal, he had better get ready
Two Views of Christmas Shopping
In the first picture, above, you see the woman who is tired out after buy- lazy and heartless to shop early. The late shopper tires herself and crushes
ing her own few presents. In the other picture you see the shopgirl, the Atlas the salesgirl,
of the Christmas burdens, bent under the load imposed on her by all those too
Samuel Johnson
By REV. THOS. B GREGORY.
HFCN Dr. Samuel Johnson
died 129 years ago Eng
land and the whole world
lost one of the soundest intel
lects and one of the finest pieces
of manhood that the earth ever
saw.
Every one. every young man
and woman certainly, should own
a copy of Boswell's Johnson. No
library is complete without it;
without a thorough knowledge
of that book no education can be
complete, lloswell's work is the
most perfect biography in the
world—an almost perfect mir
ror of one of the most interesting
personalities known to us.
Samuel Johnson had his fall
ings. and realized the fact; but
his failings were more than bal
anced by the great basic virtues
that lie at the foundation of all
real worth and excellence.
Samuel Johnson respected him
self and made everybody else re
spect him. Ills independence
was rock-ribbed. He would die
before he would “sponge;” he
would die a dozen times over be
fore he would brook any kind of
condescension or any form of in
sult to his personal dignity and
honor. Nothing finer was ever
written than his famous letter to
Lord Chesterfield. Every one
should know' that Jetter by heart
and be steeped in its spirit.
Samuel Johnson saw straight—
straight and clear. Nobody could
fool Samuel Johnson. The va
rious tricksters of the world, big
and little, liv^and prosper by ap
pealing to human ignorance.
They live on ignorance as the
buzzard lives on carrion; but
nobody ever fooled Johnson. He
was wMse. He had facts—and the
facts made him the master of the
whole army of jugglers and de
ceivers. To read the story of
Johnson’s life is to be thorough
ly convinced of the fact that the
tirst condition of real progress,
personal and general, is clear
headedness. The quacks can do
about as they please with a fool,
but the man with the clear brain
is proof against their most sub
tle wiles.
But great as Johnson was in
intellect, knowledge and individ
uality. he was even greater in
his sterling honesty of heart. He
had his failings, but he deeply
and sincerely regretted them, and
kept at it until, in most cases,
he made them the stepping stones
to something better. He never
surrendered to his faults, but
fought them and conquered them.
A wonderful man was Dr. Sam
uel Johnson, as Boswell photo
graphed him for us in his immor
tal biography.
Mysteries of the Heavens Explained
The Indian
By GARRETT P. SERVISS
I F two smokers sitting in oppo
site chairs blow each a cloud
of tobacco smoke toward the
other, the clouds will meet and
mingle, forming a little model of
the starry universe, as it is rep
resented by some of the latest
investigations of astronomers.
The particles constituting each
of the clouds have a common
movement in the direction in
W'hich they were blown, so that
when the clouds are combined
two opposite motions appear, one
set of particles traveling one w f ay
and another set just the contrary
way.
In addition to this the particles
have individual motions inside
each cloud, so that, aa the clouds
penetrate one another, going in
opposite directions, their respec
tive particles do not all travel in
perfectly parallel lines, or with
equal velocity. There are strag
glers among them, and some
w’hirl around in eddies. But, as
a whole, each of the original
clouds retains its general direc
tion of movement. No account is
taken of the resistance of the air.
Now, to make this cloud of
smoke with its oppositely moving
particles present a striking image
of the universe, as astronomers
are beginning to see it, it is only
necessary, In imagination, to scat
ter its particles more widely and
to make every one of them shine
like a miniature star.
Two Great Streams of
Stars Pass Through
the Sky.
For the latest studies of stellar
motions show that there are in
the heavens two vast star streams,
moving in nearly opposite direo-
itons and apparently including, in
GARRETT P. SERVISS.
motion along with our sun is one
of the chief reasons why the
double set of star currents was
not discovered long ago.
We will not stop to inquire
what could have been the reason
for the meeting of two clouds of
stars or what was the condition of
those clouds before their encoun
ter. for there are other strange
facts to be considered.
To understand these we must
recall that astronomers have been
one or the other of their almost
innumerable hosts all the shining
orbs, great and small, that the eye
or the telescope beholds in the
immensity of space around us.
Our own sun is one of these
flying particles, belonging to one
able to tell the relative ages of
the stars by analyzing their light.
Such analysis shows what sub
stances they are composed of ar.d
in what state those substances
exist in the different stars.
It is generally considered that
stars containing helium are the
younger or the most recently
formed. As more and more of the
chemical elements appear in a
star its age increases. In human
life we have infancy, youth,
young manhood, full manhood and
old age; so in the stars there are
four or five distinguishable ages,
the first of which, stellar infancy,
is represented by the condition of
the helium stars.
Now' (and this seems very
strange) It hag been found that
the velocity of the individual stars
moving in the tw r o great’ streams
of the tw'o great intermingling
stellar currents of which the vis
ible universe consists. The fact
that we ourselves are in swift
or currents varies with the age
of those individuals.
The Older the Star Is,
the Swifter It
Moves.
The older the star the swifter
its motion. Here is a decided de
parture from the human simili
tude that we have used for illus
tration, since among us agility de
creases instead of increases with
age!
The helium stars move very
slowly; those of the next older
class more swiftly, and so on.
And then the mystery deepens,
for the helium stars, and their
younger brethren, show a decided
preference for one of the two
great star streams, and the old
er stars exhibit an equally strong
tendency to confine themselves to
just the opposite stream!
So the two mysterious currents
consist, broadly speaking, the one
of young, slow stars, and the oth
er of old, sw r ift stars. Why do they
keep apart? And why, among the
stars, is youth dashed with grav
ity and age inspired with nim
bleness?
Primordial Matter Is
Subject to No
Motion.
Although it would seem futile
to try to answer such questions,
even if put in a scientific form,
yet Professor J. C. Kapetyn, one
of the original discoverers of the
streaming of the stars, has point-
ew out facts which may even
tually clear up these mysteries.
He show's that the sluggishness of
the helium stars is an indication
that they have been formed di
rectly cut of something w hich he
calls “primordial matter” and
which is probably identical with,
the substance of the huge nebu
lous cloud in the constellation
Orion.
This primordial matter seems
to be subject to almost no motion
except that of the great current
in w'hich it lies. As it condenses
into stars, gravitation begins to
act more and more strongly upon
it, and thus the stars, as they
grow- older and denser, acquire
an increasing motion independent
of the general movement.
In confirmation of this, the fact
is pointed out that the Orion Ne
bula possesses precisely the move
ment characteristic of the helium
stars, and so may be regarded
as a birthplace of such stars.
* ^ THE TRAVELLER at at
BY ELLA WHEELER WILCOX
Revnntrd M p*rnjl«*lon from Magazine for IVoembrr. Ctopynffht, 191S, by Hearat Magarin*.
B RISTLING with steeples, high against the hill.
Like some great thiaOe in the rosy dawn
It stood; the Town-of-Christian-Churches, stood.
The Traveller surveyed it with a smile.
“Surely.” he said, “here is the home of peace.
Here neighbor lives with neighbor In accord;
God in the heart of all. Else why these spires?”
(Christmas season, and every bell ringing.)
The sudden shriek of whistles changed the sound
From mellow music into jarring noise:
Then down the street pale, hurrying children came,
And vanished in the yawning factory door.
He called to them: “Come back, come unto Me.”
The foreman cursed, and caned him from the place.
(Christmas season, and every bell ringing.)
Forth from two churches came two men, and met,
Disputing loudly over boundary lines.
Hate in their eyes, and murder in their hearts.
A haughty woman drew her skirts aside
Because her fallen sister passed that way.
The Traveller rebuked them all. Amazed,
They asked In indignation, “Who are you,
Daring to interfere In private lives?”
The Traveller replied, “My name is CHRIST."
(Christmas season, and every bell ringing.)
By EDWIN MARKHAM.
T HE most notable series of
boys’ books that Is now
coming out is Dr. Francis
Rolt-Wheeler’s U. S. Service Se
ries, issued by Lothrop, Lee &
Shepard Company, of Boston, a
queue of books based upon actual
work by our Government Bureaus
of Forestry, Fishery, Ethnology,
etc. The latest book, “The Boy
With the U. S. Indians,” takes up
with the eyes of youth the drama
of the Red Man of forest, plains
and desert, depicting enthusiasti
cally and authentically the va
rious tribes In their strange modes
and moods of life. I quote the
author's fine foreword:
“The haunting presence of the
Indian is the one great glamor
that remains of early America.
The great highways of modem
commerce follow the trail he
made; the streams that now bear
mighty ocean-going craft were
first explored in swift birchbark
canoes, and where are now the
waving w'heat fields of the West
the tepees of the buffalo hunt
ers stood. There Is scarcely a.
square mile of all this land that
does not bear some memory of
the Indian, and every American-
born citizen shares his birth
place with generations of copper
skinned braves who occupied the
land Defore him. And, withal, the
Indian glamor holds a full meas
ure of bravery, manliness and
courtesy; of a splendid obedience
to ideals that knew' no shrinking
w'hen put to the supremest tests.
“The Bureau of Ethnology and
the Bureau of Indian Affairs com
bine to show the Indian as he
really was and is, and the Indian
citizen as he is and will be. The
richness and variety of Indian
languages, the wonder and beau
ty of Indian literatures, the char
acteristic and peculiar contribu
tion of Indian art and music and
the sublime symbolism of Indian
religion are but recently perceived
to constitute in American tradi
tion a heritage not less precious
than ‘the glory that was Greece
and the grandeur that was
Rome.’ **
... In=Shoots
No wonder there’s a holler,
when that sterling immigrant, th W
Irish potato, is excluded.
• * •
English suffragettes are going
on a sleep strike. They’ve al
ready murdered sleep for En
glish officials.
• * *
Pennsylvania miner put dyna
mite in his neighbor’s coffee
Neighbor probably complimented
his wife on the unusual quality
of his morning cup.