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EDITORIAL RAGE
THE ATLANTA GEORGIAN
Publl*h#y1 by THE GEORGIAN COMPANY
At 20 East Alabama Rt.. Atlanta. Ga.
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Congress Should Act Upon the
Newlands River Regulation
Bill at Once
m p »
This Measure Seeks to Prevent Floods by Remedying the Evils at
at Their Source.
(The following editorial written by John Temple Graves is printed
simultaneously in Ucavst newspapers throughout the inuntry and to-day
is briny read by millions of persons.)
People of the lower Mississippi Valley are becoming tre
mendously interested in what they assert are the conflicting
provisions of the NEWLANDS RIVER REGULATION BILL
and the RANSDELL HUMPHREYS LEVEE BILL. There is no
real reason for apprehension. The two bills are not in conflict—
they are in accord. The Ransdell Humphreys bill would merely
do a part of what the Newlands bill would do. It would not
wait for Congress to enact the sweeping and far-reaching pro
visions of the Newlands bill, but would cut out one feature of it
and enact that forthwith. That, in essence, Is the sole difference
between the two bills.
The proponents of the RANSDELL HUMPHREYS BILL as
sume that Congress will be a long time, perhaps many years, in
committing itself to the provisions of the NEWLANDS BILL,
that the MISSISSIPPI VALLEY can not safely await the de
liberations inevitable before the Newlands bill can be passed;
that as the Newlands bill provides for additional and better
levees, no harm can be accomplished by the immediate enact
ment of a feature of the Newlands bill to which everybody must
be agreed who has studied the matter. The enactment will
hasten the safeguarding of the plantations along the lower Mis
sissippi and those who live on them, the Ransdell Humphreys
forces assert.
But the weakness of the Ransdell Humphreys bill lies in the
fact that it does not deal with the SOURCE OF THE EVIL. It
merely deals with the EFFECT. It is that weakness of the
Ransdell Humphreys bill that gives such strength to the New
lands bill. Each recognizes the danger of floods. One provides
for removing the danger of floods. The other merely provides
for structures that shall render less destructive the raging action
of floods.
Through the construction of reservoirs at the sources of
streams and along their courses, the Newlands bill would hold
back the raging floods. It would by scientific methods distrib
ute excess waters throughout the territory adjacent to the
rivers, so as to add to the fertility of the soil, its tillage and pro
ductivity; it would reforest where reforestation would have a
tendency to hold back the release of excess waters; it would
create reservoirs to impound the waters; it would construct
spillways by which the excess could be diverted in a manner
that would do good instead of harm; it would regulate the flow
of great rivers ; it would make the flow uniform throughout the
year, or as nearly so as possible; it would thus maintain a uni
form depth of water in the rivers that would be a priceless aid
to navigation, and would stimulate the use of the rivers for the
cheapening of transportation by increasing the number of ves
sels engaged in transportation.
The Newlands bill seeks to ascertain by scientific invest!
gation the causes of floods and by scientific methods it would
prevent floods. It would make the excess waters of rivers a
blessing instead of a curse to the people of all sections of the
United States. It is broad in scope because the United States
is broad in area; it is national in scope because the danger of
floods is nation-wide. The need for the distribution of the
waters over areas now denied them is acute; this the Newlands
bill would accomplish. The need for preventing loss of life and
property from flood action is acute; this the Newlands bill would
accomplish.
If Congress, in its wisdom, thinks the necessity is sufficiently
urgent for the separate enactment of the Ransdell Humphreys
bill, it should enact it. But such action should not defer action
upon the Newlands bill as a whole. Until the nation under
takes the scientific investigations provided for in the Newlands
bill and adopts the scientific methods growing out of the inves
tigations made under the terms of such a bill as the Newlhnds
bill, flood dangers will continue, the need of additional levees
will continue, loss of life and property, as, to day, in Texas, will
follow.
Floods are a national menace at all times, a national calam
ity many times. They can be prevented—not by the Ransdell-
Humnhreys bill, but by such bills as the Newlands bill. The
people of the United States want prevention of floods, regulation
of navigable streams, uniformity of depth of rivers by the regu
lation of the flow of their waters. The Ransdell-Humphreys
bill is a part of the Newlands bill. Common sense would sug
gest that the Newlands bill be acted upon at once, to remedy
the evils at their sources, where they are controllable rather
than where they defy control.
The Atlanta Georgian
Forget the Blots
If your record for the past year is stained young 1914 offers you a new chance with a clean page. Re
member the blots of the past only as warnings for the future.
Keeping Down the Gas Bill
*
. * T~~
STARS AND STRIPES
V-
TL
L IKE poppy flower* dropping (heir pollen on still seas,
Sleep flutters clown upon your eye*
I.ike dream w«v®s wafted from the infinite blue above,
Sleep drifts upon t our hear’
And velvet Darkness settles round about,
For ht and Sleep are brotuus.
if the majority would only con
tent to be ruled by the minority,
there would be but little trouble
in tlie world of politics.
# * * *
Political ambition that will not
loosen the purse strings is not
skin deep.
* • *
Take things as they come, un
less they are coming too swiftly.
Then dodge.
• * *
The man W'ho can not capital
ize his genius is no better off than
the boneheud.
Never propose to a girl in
moonlight. Wait and see how she
looks next morning.
• * *
The average boy had better
take his father’s advice than fol
low’ in the old man’s footsteps.
• * •
It is more diplonv. ic to sit on
the fence and let he other fel
low’ have the honor of telling the
whole truth.
A large yell do' not always
v> .n the football game.
The simple life would be all
right if a fellow' could select his
own brand of simplicity.
• • •
The individual who is con
stantly suspicious that someone
will get his job advertises him
self as a lightweight.
* * •
Bluff is not real worth, but
it often helps to keep things
moving. •
# * •
When some fellows air their
grievances the whole world seems
bad.
Ta,mpico has been captured by
the Constitutionalists—no, we
mt^n the Federals—no, it is the
Ctjflstitutionalists—no, no, the
Federals. Well, have it which
ever way you like.
* * •
Indigestion w ill always harden
the heart of the average man.
* • *
A single mistake can often
knock over the business efforts of
a lifetime.
* • *
Upon the whole, it is better to
be proud of your children than of
jour ancestors.
THE HOME RARER
DR. PARKHURST
Writes on
Broken Laws
The Time to Commence
Enforcing Any Law,
He Says, Is the Instant
It Is Enacted.
By REV. DR. CHARL
rpHK time to commence en-
i forcing a law Is the In
stant that it Is enacted.
Dispatch and severity, however
trying to the first offenders, is
mercy to the public.
Smoking on cars was stopped
at once, because the first that
disregarded the statute suffered
for it. So of expectoration
aboard trains. Promptness in
these matters has economized the
time of the courts, saved people
from having to pay fines, pre
vented a public nuisance, and
avoided the demoralization al
ways incident to official contempt
for official enactment.
Nine-tenths of all the peril and
the killing caused by automobile
traffic in great cities would have
been avoided by the same means.
As soon as autoists discovered
that there was little or no risk in
volved in speeding, in knocking
people down and even in slaugh
tering. they .were willing to take
what risk there was and stand
the chance of being held up,
taken to the station house, rep
rimanded, possibly giving up a
BS H. PARKIIUROT.
few dollars—dollars that meant
so little to offenders that were
well enough off to own a ma
chine that the pettiness of the
fine made the situation almost
more contemptible than if there
had been no fine.
There is where we are now.
We started in that way and have
gone on as we started and there
is nothing better in sight. The
whole situation is one of confu
sion, indecision and uncertainty.
If, from the start, there had
been determination on the part
of the police of the large cities,
followed up by impartial but con
siderate severity on the part of
the courts, all this street barbar
ity would have finished almost
before it began. We have occa
sional spasms of enforcement,
but they do not make good the
general undertone of irresolution
and are even more spectacularly
inane than would he a consistent
policy of indifference and apathy.
Who is there, man or woman,
that will champion a successful
revolt against the street despot
ism of the automobilist ?
Have the Grit to Say “No”
By EDWIN MARKHAM.
{ { TNTIMATIONS," written by
J[ John D. Barry, an- beau
tifully printed by Paul El
der & Co., of San Francisco, Is a
book dealing with angles and
facets of everyday living. Scarce
ly a page but has Its suggestion
for being or doing. Note this on
saying “No."
"Lately I have been reading the
essays of a moralist, who dwells
on the importance of saying
‘No.’ He seems to regard it as
the basis of morality. Here he
agrees with most moralists. He
reminds me of my earliest les
sons in ethics, 'consisting almost
wholly of prohibitions.
“As a matter of fact, when we
look right and wrong squarely in
the face we find that the right
course is—in the ent, at any
rate—always the more pleasure-
able; the only course that brings
returns worth having
"There are situations in life
where a plain ‘No’ is necessary.;
where a vigorous ‘No,’ too. But
they are comparatively rare. In
deed, where ‘No’ is used some
other word or expression may be
far more advisable and yet pro
duce the required result.
“It is impossible to let ‘No’
become an expression of self-in
dulgence, of disregard for other
people’s feelings. As I write, I
am reminded of one of the ablest
and one of the busiest men I have
ever met. The best of his thought
A lexander the great
won the Battle of the
Granicus, 2,247 years ago.
Crossing the Hellespont, near
the point where, more than 21
centuries later, Lord Byron was
to take his famous swim, Alexan
der moved on to the Granicus,
where he was to meet the Per
sian hosts who stood ready to
dispute the progress of the am
bitious young Occidental.
The battle that followed was
short, sharp, decisive, the Per
sians being routed, ’’horse, foot
and dragoons,” losing heavily in
killed, wounded and prisoners,
while Alexander's loss was tri
fling, amounting to but a hun
dred or so.
The Granicus was the first
clash between the sabre and the
sarissa*—a spear some twenty feet
long. The phalangites, about two
feet apart, and in a body sixteen
line? deep, moved to the attack
armed with this dreadful weapon
ns their chief reliance. It struck
terror into the hearts of the Ori-
l ontals, as well it might, and the
and energy and marly all of his
time he feels that he must de
vote to his work. But he is wise
enough and generous enough not
to confuse the attractions offered
him by the world outside with
tenvotations.
"In each offer he sees only
what is good—that Is, the friend
ly spirit. And he responds to it
in kind. His little notes, declin
ing invitations, are delightful ex
pressions of regret.
"Perhaps it is necessary, in the
case of many people, for the in
sistence to be placed on self-de
nial. But there is a finer stimu
lus in the truth so clearly demon
strated by Herbert Spencer, that
every human being best profits,
not by thinking of himself and
considering where his advantage
lies, but by giving himself freely
and eagerly to outside things.
“In other words, egotism, to be
truly successful, must express it
self through altruism. One migh*
go through life continually saying
‘No’ to temptations without
achieving a character worth hav
ing. without really contributing
anything to the world. There is
something to be said for the spirit
of moral adventure that goes res
olutely forward, taking risks,
seeking for opportunities of ex
pression, forgeting all about the
Petty denials, caring only for the
worth-while achievements.’’
mortal fear born at the Granicus
remained to the end. Again and
again after that battle the Per
sians formed themselves to meet
the conqueror, but the fear of
the terrible phalanx would not
down, and after a show of resist
ance they ran away like so many
sheep.
The Persians were a brave peo
ple, and all things being equal,
would have acquitted themselves
honorably enough, but against
the phalanx and the sarissa they
were simply helpless.
It was not so much the genius
of Alexander, or tfle superior
personal courage of his Macedon
ians, that won him his famous
victories, as it was the peculiar
military organization he had re
ceived from his father. Philip
was a most extraordinary man,
a captain of first rate powers, a
mighty administrator, and above
all a print-e of organizers; and it
was largely through his wise
forethought and genius that
Alexander won the fame which
otherwise, in all probability, he
v\ ould never ha*« A*suJtLt&. J
@ f he Granicus <
By REV. THOMAS B. GREGORY