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EDITORIAL. RAGE "THE ATLANTA GEORGIAN THE HOME PAPER
THE ATLANTA. GEORGIAN
Published by THE GEORGIAN COMPANY
f* At 30 East Alabama Street. Atlanta. Ga.
Cntersd aa Mroad-clue natter at poatoflea at Atlanta, under art of March I. 1171.
A Vanishing Type of American
Politician
American politics is not likely to produce another such fig
ure as that of the late Senator Nelson W. Aldrich. He was the
arch-type of the legislators against whom the American elec
torate rose in revolt a decade ago. Only in an era that tolerated
the theory that government should be by the rich, and for the
rich, could the Aldrich type be developed.
Mr. Aldrich appeared in politics about the time that the
monopolistic corporation appeared in business. He grew from
being councilman in a third-class city to that national eminence
which justified men in speaking of him as “the business manager
of the United States, ’ ’ in the twenty years that saw the ordinary
corporation develop into the billion-dollar trust. In shaping leg
islation he kept step with Carnegie, Rockefeller, Morgan and
Ryan. For them the development and elaborating of the system
of combination and monopoly—for him the task of directing
the legislation that made such monopoly possible, and employed
the power of the Government to swell its profits.
A captain of legislation, Aldrich marched shoulder to shoul
der with the captains of industry in relations of perfect equality.
Not for him the salaried subservience of a Foraker, or the ser
vility of a Bailey accepting a retainer. He was the partner, not
the employee. A partner of Ryan in the rubber trust, he saw to
it that the tariff which bears his name did no hurt to the rubber
industry. He was a partner of the Standard Oil crowd in the
management of the Rhode Island trolleys which built up his
great fortune.
How valuable political power mav be to a man with a lartre
property to sell was shown by the fashion in which Aldrich un
loaded the trolley system on the New Haven corporation at far
more than its value. “I was dealing with Nelson W. Aldrich,’’
said President Mellen plaintively on the stand. “Do you think
I got the stock of these railroads at par?”
Aldrich’s public life was one long record of work for the
‘‘interests.’’ But no cheap scandal entered it, no cringing let
ters from him were ever found in any trust magnate’s waste
basket. The trusts had no need to give him orders. He was one
with their rulers, and knew precisely what to do without being
told. Nor is there any doubt that in what he did he was honest
■with himself. He sinoerely believed that the Government which
fostered and built up “big business,” that fostered plutocracy
and privilege, was the right kind of government.
The Aldrich idea was shaken by the Democratic victory in
1892. The Populist agitation with the wide spread of radicalism
during the Bryan campaigns aroused public sentiment against
him. He was still powerful in the Senate, but the day when his
presence, and that of Gorman, was enough to make the Senate
complete passed away—not because of loss of following among
the Senators, but because his name among the people had become
synonymous with the “money power,” the overthrow of which
was decreed.
In his last days in the Senate he formulated ideas on the
currency that have since proved of positive worth. But under
his name it was impossible to enact them into law. The electo
rate, remembering a lifetime of partnership with the money
power, would not believe in a disinterested patriotism. Much of
the best part of the new currency law is due to Aldrich, but the
promoters of that measure sedulously concealed his part in it
until it ,became a law.
Another Aldrich in the public life of this nation is improb
able. ? Revolutions do not go backward, and the nation will not
revert to the practice of using governmental power to enrich
monopolists, who in turn contribute of their profits to support
the political party that favored them.
Federal Ownership Taught by
the War
Nothing that Senator Beveridge has written about his recent
visit to the war zone is as interesting as his prediction that the
war will mean the universal socialization of industry. “I did
not find a banker in London,” said the Senator, “who believed
that the English railroads would ever go back into private con
trol.”
War is the supreme test of a nation’s efficiency—the effi
ciency of its private industrial agencies, as well as of its govern
mental machine.
The three most impressive illustrations of absolute efficiency
have been furnished by Germany—the German army, the Ger
man railroads, and the German Krupps.
Krupps is a private institution only in that its profits go into
private hands. At all times under governmental supervision, it is
in time of war as much under government operation a* any navy
yard.
The German State owned and operated railroads have been
the salvation of the Empire. The swift transfer of troops back
and forth, between the battlefields of Flanders and those of Po
land, as need arose, has been the distinguishing mark of Ger
man strategy. The roads were built and manned for such an
emergency and have met it in a matter of fact way that be
tokens perfect organization.
In England, on the other hand, lack of established govern
ment operation has resulted in exasperating and hurtful delay
at many points vital to the prosecution of the war. The govern
ment speedily took over the operation of the railroads, proclaim
ing by so doing the inadequacy of private operators to the task.
But the machinery was new, and was slow in getting into work
ing order. The swift efficiency by which Germany, at once upon
the declaration of war, began rushing troops by rail to the fron
tier over its own railways could not he equaled by the British.
To get Sir John French’s first 50,000 or 60,000 men to the Chan
nel almost put the lines to the south and east of London out of
commission.
In the British dockyards, shipbuilding yards and gun fac
tories, strikes and labor troubles have been epidemic since the
v ar began. The industries which could least afford delay have
been repeatedly interrupted. Labor troubles have put upon the
nnHinet. almost as much care as the war itself. But across the
channel there are no strikes in Krupps any more than with us
there are strikes among the letter carriers or Treasury clerks.
Railway service in war differs from that in peace only in be
ing more exacting. This fact applies to all of the industries vi
tally concerned in the military preparations and operations.
Senator Beveridge’s observations in England were shrewd.
Few expect that socialism will result from war, hut only the shal
low can imagine that the lessons of efficiency it has taught will
be ignored after the war is over. And the United States is not
too removed from the conflict to ponder these lessons for its
An Embarrassing Moment
TPYING TO DECIDE WHEQE
TO TAKE YOUR RICH
UNCLE TOR DINNED
Great Mysteries of Nature and Science
The War Has Put an End to Many Experiments in Wireless
Telegraphy, but the Achievements of the War Telegraphers
Will Help Science When Revealed
By GARRETT P. SERVISS
A BRANCH of scientific re
search which has particu
larly suffered In conse
quence of Interruption by the Eu
ropean wur Is that relating to
radio-telegraphy, or, as It Is pop
ularly called, wireless telegraphy.
Experimenters are, to a great ex
tent, prohibited from using their
apparatus.
And yet, radio-telegraphy has
never been employed on so large a
scale as now, and when the time
comes for revealing the story of
the feats performed by skillful
and daring senders and receivers
of "news through the ether,” it’s
likely to be found that an amount
of experimental knowledge has
been quickly accumulated through
the necessities of war which could
not have been gathered by ordi
nary scientific experimentation In
a whole generation.
We are going to know some day
precisely by w hat means German
cruisers, thousands of miles from
home, on the other side of the
world, often have been enabled to
keep In touch with the supposed
ly hidden movements of their
pursuers, and to deal quick blows
at vital points, or to fiy from
threatened refuges with as much
certainty of movement as if they
possessed a sixth sense, which
enabled them to see through the
solid globe as though it were a
crystal ball. And when these se
crets are thrown open the art of
wireless telegraphy will probably
be put on a new footing.
In the meantime the scientific
experimenters are turning their
attention to * more profound
study of the whvs and wherefores
of radio-telegraphy, and to con
sideration of the many mysteries
which it still offers for solution.
For man has never had to deal
with a servant so capricious, so
manv-faced, so taciturn. $»o hu-
morsnme, and yet, at times, so as
tonishingly obedient and magical
ly efficient as this one.
Dr. J. A Fleming, talking to the
mem>> r- • '* th <?- Sncfetv.
of London, recently pointed out
some of the strange things about
radio-telegraphy that can, as yet,
be only theoretically explained.
Just at the moment when the war
broke out an attempt was being
made to find the reason for the
remarkable variations in the
strength of the signals received in
England from the Eiffel Tower in
Paris. The conclusion of this re
search has had to be postponed.
One of the things that has been
learned is that when a radio-tele
graphic wave passes over the
earth it penetrates a certain dis
tance into it, and loses amplitude
through the absorption of wave
energy by the soil. In passing over
the sea the penetration is much
less. Thus, according to the best
Information now at hand, the
penetration of a radio-wave a
thousand meters long Into sea
water is only about one meter
(3.28‘ feet), while in ordinary dry
soil the penetration amounts to
from 100 to several hundred me
ters.
One of the curious facts which
has become popularly known
within a year or so is that sig
nals coming from long-distance
w,lrelees stations can be picked
up by amateurs without the use
of any high-swung receiving wire,
but by simply connecting one end
Old Wine in a New Bottle
News of Atlanta. Five and Ten Years Ago
APRIL 20, 1905.
Baseball season opens with
game between Atlanta and Nash
ville. Governor Terrell throws
first ball. Crackers win, Smith
pitching, 8 to 0.
• • *
Responses to practical joke
advertisement by friends of Sam
D. Jones, president Atlanta Stove
Works, bring him 523 cats.
• • •
Anti-Tuberculosis League, in
session here, occupied by inter
esting discussion of the efficacy
of corn whisky in treatment of
consumption.
• • •
Railroads fight proposal of J.
Pope Brown. chairman of the
Rsllrosd CormrlF^ion, to reduce
passenger fares from 3 to 2 cents.
* * •
Rumor current that former
Judge John W. Maddox, of Rome,
will be a candidate for Governor.
APRIL 20, 1910.
Judge R. B. Russell, of th©
Georgia Court of Appeals, will en
ter the Governor's race, it is an
nounced by friends.
• • •
J. T. Cross. Mississippi capital
ist. proves faithain Atlanta by
ourehaslne . r r^nl este*
Latest purchase the home of Mrs.
M. A. J. Powell, No. 371 Peach
tree.
• * •
First day’s single seat sale for
grand opera nets $7,325.
• • *
Milton Reed. Marist College
shortstop, signs with Macon Sally
League team.
• * *
Funeral of S. P. Richards, pion
eer citizen of Atlanta, from Sec
ond Baptist Church this after
noon.
* * •
Southern Railway officials plan
new freight terminals at Inman
Yards, to cost 8163.000.
• • *
J. R. Smith, real estate man,
buys engine house and lot at
Murphy avenue and Benjamin
street from city, giving in ex
change $14 000 and two lots at
Oak and Whitehall.
• * *
George Adair nominated to suc
ceed himself as president of the
Atlanta Athletic Club.
• • •
William Hurd Hillyer named as
president of the new Sixth Ward
Bank, at Marietta and Thurmond
streets.
• * •
■’"•'l’-' he-*ts Cra- 0 '— ”
of the receiver to the earth and
the other end to any insulated
piece of metal, which may just as
well be inside a house as out of
doors.
An explanation of this may be
found, Dr. Fleming thinks, in the
discovery that when a Hertz os
cillator, generating radio-waves,
has one-half connected to earth,
it gives rise not only to what are
called “space waves,” which pass
through the air and earth and
convey the regular messages, but
also to a surface wave, which
consists of longitudinal electric
currents flowing upon the earth’s
surface. This wave, he thinks,
may be the source of the signals
that can be picked up by ex
tremely simple instruments
placed near the ground.
When the war suddenly put a
temporary end to their larger In
vestigations, the experimenters
were dea’.ing with another curious
fact, viz: That the nature of the
soil between the transmitting and
receiving stations has much to do
with the strength of the signals.
And, not only so. but the length of
the waves causes a variation in
the effects produced by the soil.
There are places where waves of
certain lengths can hardly be
forced to pass.
Thus, the ground north and
northeast of Newport, R. I., pos
sesses a remarkable absorbing
power for radio-waves of a thou
sand meters’ length, which lose 25
per cent of their energy in pass
ing over a distance of 45 miles,
while waves 3,750 meters long
pass over the same ground with
out difficulty and with only about
the normal amount of absorption.
Some day. when radio-telegra
phy has become the universal
method of intercommunication at
a distance the world may have to
be mapped electrically, so that
charts will show where messages
can go easily and where only
with difficulty, and what particu
lar. waves are needed for passing
nr r r^v* ' l
Why English Women
Adopted Militantcy
By ELBERT
L AST night I heard an English
militant suffragette address
an audience.
It was my first opportunity to
hear a sufTragist say why she was
militant.
I watched the audience with
more eagerness than I listened to
her.
Although Elsie MacKenzie had
announced her belief that English
militant methods were not appli
cable in America, yet danger sig
nals were out.
The audience was critically cu
rious, expectant. Just what the
people expected they did not
know. But it was evident that
few there wished to be put on rec
ord as “sympathizers.” In fact,
the audience was “mildly mili
tant.”
This was before Elsie MacKen
zie entered the room.
An audience is masculine. That
is to say, an audience Insists that
a man who addresses it shall be
bold, strong, brave and that he
shall hurl a challenge.
* * •
Why did English suffragettes
become militant?
Miss MacKenzie briefly sketch
ed the history of the suffrage
movement from 1906, She outlined
the route over which the request
of the people must go before It
can be made into a law.
Miss MacKenzie told the story
of 1906, 19-07 and on to 1911.
And then came the promise,
made by Premier Asquith for the
Government, that within the year
he would have their request pre
sented legitimately to Parliament,
so that it would receive an honest
vote.
The request was woman’s de
mand for the exercise of political
rights equal with men.
During this year of truce wom
en’s work for suffrage was quietly
educational. They worked in faith,
believing that the Government
HUBBARD.
would keep faith with them.
The Government promised and
■broke its promise.
The women thought It had used
them as though they were an
noying children.
• • •
Klsie MacKenzie said, In a soft
voice:
“I was the first one to throw a
stone at the windows of the Gov
ernment Building. We pay
We help to maintain the Govern
ment. We will use men’s methods
In asserting our rights.”
When Elsie MacKenzie said,
"Then I threw stones at the Gov
ernment Building windows,” the
ifien In the audience applauded
vigorously.
The women In this American
audience were feminine stilL
They were still submitting to de
feat, not rebelling against It.
But the men had a perspective
which the women did not have.
They forgot that the sufTragettes
were women. They saw them as
human beings resenting insult to
human beings, and, of course,
they applauded. It is male to do
It.
• • •
Englishwomen are wise. They
recognize ugly looking facts, face
them, call them by name and then
reckon with them.
They know It Is a long, long
Journey yet to freedom. They are
willing to pay the price which hu
man beings have paid and must
pay for freedom.
Englishwomen have worked,
suffered and died for liberty.
But wherever they work, like
the recurring theme In "ParstfeS,"
these women are giving Instruc
tion to Englishwomen and Eng
lishmen concerning the political
rights of citizens.
They are insisting that women
are citizens equal with men.
Political freedom will be theirs,
and many think the recognition
will come before this war Is oyer.
More Truth Than Poetry
By JAMES T. MONTAGUE.
At the Photographer’s
fTIHEY dressed up little Tommy in a rigid hard-boiled shirt;
They clamped a collar round hie neck that made his thorax hurt;
They set him in a straight-back chair and right behind his ears
They screwed a pair of iron n rongs—despite h Isklcks and tears.
And when they had him fighting mad and wholly ill at ease,
A sad man with a camera observed: “Look pleasant, please!”
WHERE EVERY PROSPECT
PLEASES AND ONLY MAN!
IS VILE. .
“All I can say about Haiti 'is
that nature has done everything
for her and man has done every
thing against her.”—Ex-Governor
Fort’s report on the state of thiat
island.
NOW LET THE ULTIMATE
CONSUMER SUE FOR
SOMETHING.
A straphanger was awarded
SI,000 In Washington for being
made to step lively In a trolley
car. And we thought the millen
nium was still a million years in
the future.
IT NEVER DISQUALIFIED
ROOT.
"Kno.wledge of the business af
fairs of the country has actually
disqualified men from taking any
part In the control of Government
over business.”—Elihu Root.
Sometimes too much knowledge Is
a dangerous thing, especially
when there Is a tendency on the
part of its owners to bring about
the control of business over Gov
ernment.
STRANGER THINGS HAVE
HAPPENED.
Wouldn't you feel foolish If O.
O. should show up as one of the
circus attractions?
HAPPY PERU.
The Peruvian Cabinet has been
changed four times. Evidently
they have a President down there
who Is willing to acknowledge
that he can make mistakes.
BEV’S MAGNIFICENT NEWS
JUDGMENT.
After talking to the Kaiser for
two hours, Senator Beveridge
prints a couple of columns of
what Hindenburg and Tlrpitz
talked about.
MUST HAVE BEEN AN ALL
DAY SESSION.
We read that the Kaiser talked
to Senator Beveridge for two
hours, which is a long time for
anybody to talk to Senator Bev
eridge when the Senator Is In any
kind of form himself.
SIMPLE ENOUGH NOW.
Of course when the Chinese did
away with their queues the con
struction of a Chinese typewriter
became an easier matter.
TO THE SAME PURPOSE.
The steam laundry, It has been
discovered, doesn't kill germs, but
it certainly restricts their pastur
age almost to the famine point.
OF NECESSITY.
Look out for a nation that is
beaten to its knees. It must per
force use its arms.
FOUND IN THE ALBANY DUMP.
r-„ in-inerated incinerator.
MORE MODERN METHOD.
A hundred years ago a man In
Columbus who had a shotgun
traded It for a hotel site, and went
Into the holdup business on a big
ger scale.
MUST HAVE BEEN HEARSAY.
We don’t know on what' the
Vice President based his asser
tion that the American people are
lackeys and flunkeys. They cer
tainly never adopted any such at
titude toward the Vice President.
SPRING IDOLS.
The boy that last winter was
General Kitchener or Admiral
von Tlrpitz, according to the par
ticular shade of neutrality that
tinged the family, is a real neu
tral now. He’s Matty or Ty Cobb.
POOR HASBEENS.
Don Juan and Lothario were
some dogs In their day, but they
couldn’t class with Oliver Os
borne.
BUT THE DOC WILL STICK.
Garrison May Leave the Cabi
net.—Headline. Very likely. He’s
one of the two efficient members.
TRULY A GREAT PEOPLE.
Although maintaining a strict
neutrality, we can not help ex
pressing admiration for a nation
which can abolish stimulants and
consonants within six months.
BUT THEY’RE GETTING
SCARCER.
The anti-suffs were the first
militant hyphenated Americans.
THE ISSUE IS JOINED.
at.t, great Britain to go
DRY: GERMANY SOON TO
ABOLISH SALE OF LIQUOR.—
Headline. At last we know what
this war is about.
THE SAVING SENSE OF HU
MOR.
The man from Skeneateles
With many a grin claims:
“Those Russian towns hand me a
laugh;
They have such funny names.”