Newspaper Page Text
The Atlanta Georgian.
JOHN TEMPLE GRAVES, Editor.
F. L. SEELY, Preildent.
Subtcrlptlon Rites:
THE ATLANTA GEORGIAN.
Published Every Afternoon
Exeept Sunday by
THE GEORGIAN CO.
it 25 W. Alibsmi Street,
Atlmti, Gs.
Entered is eeeond.elaes mittir April 25. 1905, it tbe Poatoffic* It
Atlsoti, G«, voder let of cooirou of March A 1*79.
One Year........
$4.50
Six Montha.......
MO
Three Months
1.25
By Carrier, per week
10c
and grooms nnd brides-to-be, all the happiness In
world, but we would like to know what there Is In the
mosphere Just at this season to precipitate this epidemic
of marriages.
THE GEORGIAN COMES TO
GEORGIA AS THE SUNSHINE
Love looks not with the eyes, but with the mind;
And therefore Is winged Cupid painted blind.
—Shakespeare.
An Amcrfcan Vicereine’s Death.
The death of Lady Curxon, wife of the former viceroy
of India, Is sn event of peculiar pathos, snd touches s
responsive cord of sympathy throughout the United
States.
As Mary Letter, the daughter of a Chicago capi
talist, abe was ona jf the most popular young women In
the United States. The wealth and luxury which sur
rounded her from her very girlhood left her (till un
limited when her alliance to George Nathan Curxon, in
1695. while he was secretary of state for foreign affairs,
opened up to her a more splendid destiny perhaps than
has 'aver fallen to the lot of any American woman. %At
the time of her marriage there was no assurance what
ever that she would one day be called upon to All the
high position which subsequently became hers.
But four years later Lord Curxon was appointed to
the position of viceroy and governor general of India.
Then followed a career for the tactful and lovable Amer
ican woman which more than one of the crowned head*
of Europe might well hare envied. Sharing with her
husband the throne upon which had sat the rajahs of
India, surrounded by a barbaric wealth and magnificence
which recalled the most luxurious period of the nabobs
of that enchanted land, she maintained her composure
and Indefinable (avoir falre In such a manner as to en
dear her to all with whom she came Id contaot
Tbs groat durbar in which ahe participated was con
fessedly one of the most splendid In the history of India.
We would have to go back to the days of Cyrus or Bar-
danaplaut to Imagine anything more Impresslre than
some of the scenes which marked the gorgeous festivi
ties.
But dissension arose between her hnshand and the
stern, Implacable Kitchener, who Insisted that the milita
ry commander of India should be Independent of the
viceroy In military matters. The tension became such
that LorCurxon resigned hts position and returned to
his homo in England, where he has spent most of the
time at the bedside of hla wife, who never fully recovered
from the serious Illness of a tew years ago.
While she had baen In feeble health for soma time,
her doath waa not expected, and was a source of peculiar
sorrow.
Lost in the pomp and ceremonials of a' land which
has long been proverbial for Its oriental splendor and
wealth. It teemed strange at times to think of the vice
reine as an American woman, but those who are best
qualified to know declare that she always retained the
simplicity of a child of the people and a daughter of a
free republic, so far as her character and conduct were
concerned.
There may be little to glorify In the conduct of Eng
land in India, but there was much in tae life and loving
tenderness of Mary Letter to command admiration.
The Matrimonial Epidemic.
We do not undertake to explain It. but content our
selves with recording the fact that the matrimonial ven
tures among people of distinction, announced during the
past few days, have almost amounted to an epidemic. In
nearly erery one of them there waa something of a sen
Ration, and the general public feel that thfly have been
given an embarrassment of riches.
Newport waa duly shocked to learn that Mrs. Burks>-
Roche. who was celebrated even before she made her
notable complaint that she couldn't live on a moasloy
hundred thousand a year, had been married almost a year
to a "whip" who actually earned his own firing. The
truth bss been divulged In some mysterious manner, and,
blnshlngly entering a plea of guilty, the happy pair have
sought seclusion, presumably on an ocean liner, to enjoy
their belated honeymoon.
It will be remembered that the announcement came
after the marriage of Mrs. Roche's daughter, who entered
Into matrimonial bonds only a short time ago, and It is
entirely possible that mother and daughter may meet and
spend a pair of honeymoons together on the continent
And then came “Zasa” Carter's leap Into the great
conjugal Perhaps. This marriage, too, was carefully con
cealed for some time, and Dave Belasco exclaimed, when
he heard o( It, that he would sa soon have expected to
hoar the devil calling for holy water as to think of Mrs.
Cartpr entering, really and truly. Into a state of double
blessedness.
Fired by hla mother's example, young Dudley Carter
took occasion a few evenings attarward to announce that
he waa engaged to marry Norma Hnnro, daughter of the
well known publisher, (tnd a young woman of very decided
personality. There seems to be some difference of opin
ion between Miss Munro*nd the man tn the case, sa
she Is reported to have denied the engagement, but per
haps this la only a part of the amiable fooling which
seems to be a legitimate part of engagements, and It will
all come right In the end.
Moet interesting of all, perhaps. Is the statement that
no less a man than Bonrke Cockran, the great Tammany
orator and member of congress, la engaged to marry Mlxfe
Ide, of California. It isn't so many moons since It was
rumored that the distinguished Irishman Intended to en
ter a monastery, but he changed hla mind about that mat
ter, at least, for It la since that time that he stood for an
other election to congress—which of course meant hla
election.
He la one of the real forces In the Democratic party.
There Is not much likelihood that he will ever succeed to
the presidency, for there seems to be an unwritten law
that no great otator shall ever be chosen to the chief
magistracy of the republic. But be will always be a
power In the counsels of the party and on the floor of
the house, so long as he remains there.
But the applause of listening senates to command Is
not enough to satisfy all the cravings of bis soul and
lie feels that hla life should be rounded out by such a
companion as be appears to have found.
We wlih him, and all the other brides and grooms
The Tipping Crusade.
We have no desire to be flippant at the expense
the unfortunste, but It would hardly be natural to pass
over without comment the fact that a waiter out
Indiana dropped dead from heart falluro when he was
I handed a flve-dollar Up by a man from Cripple Creek
who had Just made a lucky turn..
The melancholy fact lg that If a waiter In the east
had been banded a Up like that, particularly In one
the fashionable restaurants along the Great White Way,
be not only would not have dropped dead, but In all prob
ability he wouldn't have turned a hair. He would have
looked upon It as entirely a matter of course and It the
dinner party had been large and he bad been a bit more
atteoUre than the rules and reguIaUons call for be prob
ably would have been actually Insulting If he bad been
given anything leas.
As It was, It was rathar a small town In which the
Incident under discussion occurred, otherwise even the
new and more or lass unsophisticated weit would have
been more accustomed to flve-dollar tips. In Chicago,
for Instance, such an honorarium—to dobaso tbe term—
would not have been very extravagant
The occurrence will serve at'least to call attention
to the crusade which a few xealous people are still mak
ing against the tipping evil everywhere. It Is one of our
foreign ImportiUons which has flourished mightily In our
American soil. As usual when we take up a matter, we
have gone further than the people we Imitate. It has
becoma a nuisance and it Is hoped that tbe crusade.will
be effective at last
Somebody Is liable to drop dead at'any time.
St. Swlthin and the Rain.
Will It rain for 36 days more?
People who believe In signs and omens will take
something more than passing Interest In the question,
for last Sunday was 8L Swlthln's day. On that day It
rained and every day since, so, according to the supersti
tion which has obtained for nine hundred years, we
should have rain every day for tbe next 38 days.
Swlthin was an English ecclesiastic of the ninth cen
tury. He was chaplain of King Egbert and finally bish
op of Winchester. It Is he who la said to have estab
lished tbe tribute known as “Peter's Pence,” and the
regular contribution of tithes.
At hla death be was buried, by hla own desire, in
the churohyard of the cathedral of Winchester, so that
“the sweet rain of heaven might fall upon hjs grave.'
A hundred years later he waa canonized, and the le
gend goes that when an effort was made to remove his
body and bury It In the church, on Jnly 16, It began to
rain. This continued for 40 days, daring all which time
the removal of the body had to be deferred, and the pro
ject was finally abandoned.
True or legendary, something of the kind gave rise
to one of the most generally accepted superstitions
In the world. The “oldest Inhabitant" In every Chris
tian country la ready to maintain that 40 days of rain
ara certain If It rains on 8L Swlthln's day. Hence tho
proverb:
"St. Swlthln's day, gif ye do rain, for 40 days ft will re
main;
St. Swlthln's day, an ya be fair, for 40 days 'twill rain
nae mnlr."
People generally are keeping their eye on the weath
er, and the good saint—or at least hla legend—la on
trial.
Mr. Churchill’s Platform. ,
Winston Churchill’s race for the governorship of New
Hampshire Is assuming definite proportions and the peo
ple up that way, Including himself, insist on taking It
seriously.
On Monday the Lincoln Republican Club met at Con
cord and adopted a platform which promises a num
ber of reforms.
The platform advocates the onaotraent of laws pro
hibiting the giving of free railroad transportation; the
election of railroad commissioners by the people; the
taxation of the property of public service corporations
at their true value; prohibition of political contributions
by corporations; publicity of campaign receipts and ex
penditures; public registration of lobbyists; nomination
of candidates for office by direct vote; stringent enforce
ment of the liquor lawe and the present laws agtCTnat
gambling, Including book-making at the 8alem race track
and eliewhere.
In bis letter of acceptance Mr. Churchill aaya In part;
“I subscribe without reservation to the several
propositions today set forth, and would suggest that
they be submitted to the other candidates for gov
ernor. It they will all assent tbe success of the
cause Is assured, and that Is more to mo than any
personal conaldaratlon. In such event. It thought
desirable. I would gladly efface myself In behalf of
such one of the other candidates as the Lincoln
Republican Club thought fit to Indorse.”
The Indications are that the Lincoln clubs through
out the state will be content to have Mr. Chnrchlll ae
their standard bearer In the approaching campaign, and
that he wilt make It very uncomfortable for the Boston
and Maine 'railroad, which Is represented aa dominating
the situation In the granite state.
Hla success at tbe polls will be even better than
dramatising hit book.
WANTS.
To the Editor of The Georgian:
I want to see a sun-tanned preacher with plow-
handle corns Ita hla hands.
I want to see a national banker hoeing a bean patch.
I want to see a politician who says the country Is atl
right, and won't go to ruin, whether he Is elected or not,
and who Is running for the office and not solely tn the
Interest of the desr people.
I want to see a man In the Georgia legislature with
backbone enough to make an effort to pass an honest
election law bill.
I want to see some big railroad officials who carry
grander and nobler sentiments, and have more feeling
and love for their people than Sam Spencer has.
I want to see a newspaper printed In Macon that,
when speaking of Democracy, It don’t seem to think I am
the whole thing, and when speaking of farmers' organ
isations won't say It’s a good thing if they will only keep
out of politics; and when speaking of Populists will not
want them all disfranchised, and let the ring bosses, poli
ticians. corporations, their henchmen and the negro vote.
I want to see a Judge that will make It aa hard for
a millionaire murderer as for a penniless negro murderer,
and as hard for a Rockefeller rogue as for a negro hog
thief, and treat a firm who administered polaon by means
of canned meats, as an Individual who administered it.
in wines, fruits or confectioneries.
also want to see a United 8tates Judge who will
not sell his learning snd honor to the mosey power and
throw In a lot of Injunctions.
And 1 do really want to see one—Just one—honest,
unselfish, truthful, free from greed officeholder, one who
Is earnestly and honestly striving to serve his country
and people.
And then when all these wants are gratified, I shall
sarnastly look for tha millennium. J. B. HOWARD.
WILLIAM IRA VERS JEROME
ADDRESSES GEORGIA BAR;
SUBJECT; “PUBLIC OPINION'
New York District At
torney Leading
Speaker.
By J. WIDEMAN LEE.
Warm Springs, Ga, July 19.—Tbe
annual address before the Georgia Bar
Association was delivered this morning
by William Travers Jerome, district
attorney of New Tprk. His address,
the subject of which was “Public Opin
ion,” was aa follows:
Mr. President and my brethren of the
Georgia Bar:
I am sure I greatly appreciate the
honor end compliment of your Invita-
tlon to address you on this occasion.
When your learned president some
months ago extended to me the Invita
tion to be present and speak, the pleas
ure afforded me—and the distance of
the event—mad# It very agreeable to
accept and easy to promise anything:
but I fear, that as the time approached
for m* “to make good” on my accept
ance, diffidence effaced pleasure, and as
1 stand before you I feels great deal as
I did when ns a lad 1 was making my
first argument before an appellate trib
unal. And as then I stuck very dose-
[ ’ to my brief, I must be pardoned If I
o so now.
The fundamental and real reason for
gatherings such as this la not to listen
to the learned papers which may be
read. These are Interesting end often
valuable contributions to our knowl
edge of particular subjects and they
serve. In s measure, to characterise our
meetings. The real reason, though
perhaps not generally recognised and
seldom stated, Is deeper and the results
are more valuable than the elucidation
of aomt abtruse point of law even when
It concerns Important questions of the
The value of such gatherings la be
cause they bring the members of our
profession Into closer personal contact
and acquaintanceship. They make ue
realize our power nnq Influence and our
capacity for service, and they develop
solidarity and professional unity and
spirit which has In It tremendous
x>salbllltles for good. I think no re
flecting man leaves such gatherings
without having hla pride In and love
for hla profession Increased and quick
ened and a keener sense of honor and
responsibility to his professional breth
ren gwakened.
I cannot bring for your consideration
learned paper on some legal subject.
The reasons why concern me alone and
would not Intaraat you. Moreover, as
I looked over the program of your -ex-
I saw there waa little need of
enlarging tha discussion of purely tech
nical subjects.
If I am correct In my conception of
what the fundamental purpoae and re
sult of such meetings as this Is, It may
not be out of place at this time to of
fer a few reflections upon “Public
Opinion, Its Power, Some of Its Evils
and Injustices, and Our Duty as Law
yer* to It."
Of the power of public opinion no
one has doubts; of Its evils and Injus
tice* few care publicly to speak, but of
these every thinking man Is aware, and
our duty as lawyers toward It and In
fluence over It la little thought of.
Difficult to Determine.
There Is no mystery as in what pub
lic opinion is. It is simply the opint-
held by a majority of persons, usually
conceived of as a large majority, updn
any given subjert at a given time and
place. But to determine what Is public
opinion upon any particular subject at
a given time and place Is often the
most difficult task that can bo under
taken.
Sot again. Is there any mystery as
to why public opinion Is so potent.
Ultimately no doubt Its power rests on
the physical strength of a majority, but
Its Immediate motive force Is not found
In this. Emerson has touched the prln
dple when he says: “Yet we have the
weakness to expect the sympathy of
people In those actions whose excel
lence Is that they outrun sympathy,
nnd appeal to a tardy Justice." The
men who are doing things, who are
thought to have, and often do have and
exercise power, no less than the great
mass of the people whose Individual
opfnlons go to make up public opinion,
crave sympathy and approbation. There
are men, guided by o high sense of du
ty, w-ho will do and continue to do
their duty as they see It regardless of
this majority opinion which wo call
public opinion, but with how much ef-
f,.rt :tn-l depression! Tin- man wti'» rle
Clares he la Indifferent to public opln
Ion, If he be not a fanatic, Is loo often
something of n fool and a knave—a
knave to lie end a fool to think you be
lieve him. To a public officer, the dis
charge of his duty with or In the face
of public opinion Is like the difference
In the running of an engine with oiled
or sanded bearing*.
How potent public opinion Is In
everywhere evident to the lawyer.
What more eolemn declaration of Ite
will can a people moke then to declare
In lte constitution of government that
a thing shall not be done and that the
legislative. body shall enact eultable
lawe to prevent the doing of the pro
hibited act? And yet has Maine, foa
example, been able to enforce Ite pro-'
hlbltlve lawe? Do not Its eworn offi
cers almost everywhere fell to fulfill
their oaths of office? Like officers do
not fall In their duties where crimes
■uch as -larceny are concerned.
In my own state the constltutlo
titbits gambling and enjoins the l«
turn to pass laws to prevent It.
legislature, however, has dared to pass
a law which while In form aimed to
prevent gambling on race track* waa
notoriously designed to protect It, and
this waa possible only because public
opinion permitted.
There Is a large group of laws, note,
bly those concerning the social evil,
restriction on the sale of liquor and
Sunday observance, which will Illus
trate the power and the evlle, too, of
public opinion.
It would be Interesting and Inatruct-
Ive to have some competent person
trace the genesis and by comparative
study give ue the history of the growth
this longing for approbation and
sympathy which Immediately give* to
public opinion Its power. But whatever
Ite cause and whatever Ita history, pub
lic opinion stands today as the moet
Important single Influence In the Wife
of the nation.
Pubtlo Opinion Nearly Omnipotent
With ue, as perhaps with no other
natloa and now aa never before, public
opinion Is nearly omnipotent and has
largely converted and tends to convert
more and more our legislative aaaem-
SOUTH’S GROWTH AND PROGRESS
HE RECORD IN RAILROAD BUILDING
From The Chattanooga Tradesman.
T HE most prosperous year In the his
tory of railroad* In ths South and
throughout ths country. In fact,
closed with the fiscal year 1908-1904, on Jane
90. There Is ho better way to Judge the
conditions of the country than by the oper-
atlona of Its railroads. This being tree, the
tetter half of 1906 snd the first tail el
1901 were the banner period of genera
business In the South. All previous record,
were broken, every railroad In.the Smith
sccordli
have
the aesr
laces wee phenomenal, bat.
ling to the estimates of officiate
carefully looked Into the rondli
•w (local year will break the mt
record of that lost closed. Darina tea
iths of the twelve Just past, the tnr
• In the South did a capacity basin
<
as 'the main lines
_ jtMd tY
mcttngfretglit end experwaclja the ter*-
gr*s» Increase In tonnage ae the mein lines
and many of these feeders that bad never
before been paying property, earned good
dividends for the owners. ,
The year wae remarkable In many re
port*. Freight moved toward every point
of ths eoinrass, showing that the peculiar
local conditions brought the great reveane*
to the railroads. The South produced
demanded In other sections
did before, and consequently
Might more heavily la the Northern and
eastern markets. Commercial Intercourse
between the cities of the eoutheast end
the eoutbweet and northwest wss also
greeter, itvlng thousands of tons of freight
In eseesa of that ever handled before.
The parts on the Gulf of Mexico and the
lower Atteutlc developed their commerce
marvelously, giving n tremendous Increase
In freights hauled. Cub*, the Panama
country and Mexico were heavy buyer* In
he United State* ami the great bate of
his traffic wsa handled by the railroad*
the South through Southern porta
Everything seemed to work to the band of
the railroads resulting In a volume of busi
ness that surprised the moat ssngulue.
While the South has had a number of en-
terprlsln* manufacturing cities, theae and
numerous other* earned to uk* cm new life,
and many of them have donated their for
mer tonnage. l>lver»l8eatlon of crops
throughout The South added many more
thousands of tone of freight and all these
agencies gave the transportstkm business
to the Unfit of their capacity. During tea
of the twelve months every ear ami loco
motive on the Sllrosd* Of 'the South wets
' use constantly with a demand ter ft
than the supply. Daring the first.
_„nths. Jnly sud August, 194*. busli
was very llfrge. but not taxing the ca
pacity of the roads. Beginning with the
month of September, however, and cootln-
nine up to the present, few of tbe rail
roads could have moved a grrater Totems
of bnnlnesn than was offered them. BIX
months of the time, the roads were clear
ly unequal to the nsk, and the unsatisfied
demand for cure wns general.
Few of the railroad* hare been able to
losue accurate atntemeutn of the past year a
business, but many have Issued estimates
which are next to startling. The Nashville
Chattanooga and St. Umte raUwgy earned
nearly a million .loiters- more than Its
capital stock. The. Louisville and Nash
ville. Illinois Control. Queen end Creoreat
cnpttal stock. The Southern railway en
joyed as great or greater lucre*w thin
-r reads, ami but for Ita heavy capful-
loo Its ahowtag would ha aa good aa
result of e^_ petmperity^te eteeedy
road circles. . It kan beep provea that
South has ooly half the railroad mileage
weds and ihcrr la hardly a company
rating In the South but la now nr-
ring to build maay Bow Hues aad ox-
fie"niln.da Central proposes building a
ae from Nashville to Jarksoo, Mica.,
muectlng with tha mala Una to New
_Jtj- w
line to Jackson, Tenn. The
ndngham tnd Atlantic Is new ,
line* Into Atlanta and one to Birming
ham. This company alto proposes build
ing over the right-of-way of the Nashville
and Hantsvlll* railroad to Nashville. The
Southern railway Is building from Steven
son. Ate., to Chattanooga, 40 miles, snd
Is building another Important line from
Wallaad, Tenn., to Anderson. S. C„ form
ing 1 more direct line to Charleston and
Savannah for Its lines la Trnnmwe tnd
Kentucky. Betides these, the Southern
will build a score of amtll Up lines.
These ara hut a fewhf the numerous reads
that are under construction new or prac
tical!- —*- ™ — **--
eat _____ .
practically certain to build ehert line* ag
gregating 4<X) miles of new track. Tha
sarersa of railroad enterprise! In the South
has created Intercut throughout the coun
try, and In the pant few months a score of
to do so ss yet. Several of
-r, will probably materialise.
most Important trunk line*. The business
trunk Unr* has grown In the peat
where It can not be handled enc-
ceaafully on n single track nnd n number
of the roads are now ddbble-tracUng the
line*. The Illinois Central Is pushing Tts
doable-track work on through Memphis to
New Orleans. The LouterlMr and NtshrlUe
■
». to Birmingham. The Southern rail.
ch. / «..WM e K'SSSlu'WWffi
town, Tenn., and Is randy to doobto-tmek
sain line from Washington to Atlanta,
i number of other divisions aome don-
rack work wlU be dene. Tha Quean
Crescent also propose# building a sec-
track from Cincinnati to Chattanooga,
— will likely begin tha warh beforetne
close of the year 190?. It was compara
tively but- a few year# ago whan bank-
—„ 1,0*1 J majority of the reu
se South. Then when every one
declare n handsome dlrldend In
—...— — making extensive Improvements
It la not strange rkaf Investors throughout
x&cusfis&u* tu
bile
fr-.
func
c-srntatlve gatherings
Ic-legates whose < hl-f
raiulate un-I perfect tti
detail measure* dictated by the people
as a whole. ->r by a majority or sup
posed maj-irity of them.
This is the natural nnd logical out
come --f democracy In large, complex
ami intelligent eommunltleo like ours.
Whether we like It or not, it Is a con
dition which confront** us. It seems to
me wise and good men w III not seek to
change It, something I believe Impossi
ble to do, but frankly conceding the
great and, If possible, growing power
of public opinion, they will seek to In
fluence It, to form and guide It and
make It work for higher tilings In the
varied life of our people.
Correlative to that craving f-.r e-
pathy and approbation which la
large an element In giving public oi
Ion Ita power. Is that principle or trait
of httman nature that demand* con
formlty and also tenda to yield It.
cannot but think that this largely
springs from pride of opinion and
tellectual laziness. How few* of us hav
substantial reasons for the opinions
hold on any subject. We have adopted
them because nature abhors a vacuum
In the mind as In the physical world.
head-line In a newspaper; a hasty
glance through an editorial; a'blt of In
formation or misinformation gathered
from a speech or In conversation: our
belief that most of our associates hold
a particular vb-tv: -iirlv i-dti- itl-n and
environment; these nnd such as these
arc tho reasons for most of/our opl
Ions. Hut having ..ncc uco-pted n be
lief nnd provided Or been provided with
a formula for It our pride Is enlisted
and we are too often ready to condemn
the dissenter without any examination
"f tti-- t-a-iin* f--r his dissent. Ami
thus public opinion Is not Infrequently
formed lightly and upright men bent
only on public service are made to feel
til-- weight ,,f Its ill-pleasure h.
Mr MM dared to run counter to
and nilveinte mensures -r .i
which rest ..II the wisest and most un
selfish reasons. -
Standpoint of the Individual.
It la true enough aa the poet says
that “the Individual must wither and
the world be more and more" Snd I am
now considering the matter from the
standpoint of the Individual. But there
la a tremendous waste In injustice
this kind. It tends to drive and keep
the best men out of the public service
and to bring Into It a group of time
servers who under cover of bowing
public opinion seek only their own In
i erests.
To say that the rule of public opinion
has Incidental evils la after all only '
say that It la like all human Irtstitu
tlons. My reading and my own obser
vatlon and experience make me believe
that the people are' never consciously
unjust or ungenerous. Indeed they for'
give In their public servants everything
>ut pecuniary dishonesty and - often
overlook transaction! which from
moral point of view It la difficult to dl*'
tlnguteh from the latter.
A public man may with safety oppose
If hla views are Well
and he can command a hearing
for them. MHgH
A public officer may, without harm to
himself, refuse obedience "to public
opinion If he be honest, and has good
reason for hla conduct, and can make
tho people see why he does not comply
with their demand.
'But It la this Inability to get a hear
ing which enable* public opinion to
compel many men to conformity rath
than to draw them Into leadership
and make them Influential In Its own
formation.
In many parts of the country, and e*'
peclally In our great cities, a men'
ability to command a hearing must
largely depend upon the newspaper*,
and It le by them that the greatest Jus-
tlc* and sometimes the greatest Injua
ties Is done.
Power of the Newspaper,
If publle opinion la the greatest sin
gle force tn our public life, surely the
newspaper Is Incomparably the great-
a
Choliy
Knickerbocker's
GOSSIP
AboutT
People
While tbe southeast Is making rapid
•trtda# la Increasing it* railroad FadUtlM,
It te not area doing aa murh aa the south-
ant In Texas and Louisiana, railroads
ira building In almost erery direction. The
Kunasrvnen va
rifle, a division ot the Frisco, Is l- lug
rapidly constructed from Ho too Hour. t3
D*Q»ia*y, where It connects with tha Kan
sas City Southern to Beanmoot. The Bt.
Louis. Brownsville and Mexico Is ni-sritw
->mpletloa from BrownsrUle lo llonstoa,
here the Baton Uuuge lias will conflict
- llh It over the Beaamoat. Soar lake
nnd Western. All of tkeee are known at
Yoakum roads and will become a pan of
the Frisco System. Mr. Yoakum Is also
a toward Unites aad Fort Worth t*
t his southwestern linen with tha
tnrk letted end Frisco proper. The Sf.
mate Southwestern te building from near
est factor In its formation and spread.
A wise English writer In an acute
and friendly criticism of our institu
tions ha* spoken of the newspaper ae
discharging three functions, via.: "Nar
rator, advocate and weather-vane.” It
le as "narrator” that it has, I believe,
Its greatest Influence. By It* reporting
of facta—and too frequently flctlom
and private, it fi
niehes the material for the formation
public opinion »nd gives that publicity
without which government by public
opinion could not safely exist.
The newspaper seeks, or should seek,
to discharge its function ae advocate
through Its editorial column, but It
eeema to me that there Its influence,
though still great, has diminished. It is
the editorial page which "the man on
the etreet” has especially learned to
discount, while he too often accepts the
■tatemente of the news columns aa ac
curst* accounts of the events they pur
port to chronicle. It would seem, more
over, aa if the growth of the magoxlne
has had something to do with the loss
of Influence of the editorial page. Being
less ephemeral anfi partisan In char
acter, the article*' In the mag--'—
have been more Judicial
ton*, and their greater length
have given opportunltlea denied to the
editorial writer, with the result that
their Influence on public opinion haa
been steadily Increasing and ao far haa
been a beneficent one.
While Important in this character, it
seems to roe that the newspaper Is of
least value as a "weather-vane.” This
may well be because commonly no
more difficult task can be set than to
determine what rtally Is public opinion
on any subject at a given time and
place.
After an event, especially such an
on* as an election. It I* easy to see
what public opinion waa, but before
hand It Is different.
Its Meat Serious Public Wrong.
Ae the most Important function of
the newspaper, as It affects public opin
ion, Is discharged In Its acts aa "narra
tor,” so It le ae "narrator" that It does
Ha moat serioua public wrong.
When it frankly acta as "advocate. 1
as It does in Its editorial page, public
opinion Is helped or harmed aa the
.edl*
cause advocate
good or bad and is
J, but public opinion
But when under guise
accepted or rejectedrbut public opinion
Is not deceived. But
hear Beaumont tbrough Leak
Sow Orleans aa tbe objective point, ac
cording to a Ugh official of tkat com
pany. Not less Ihsa twenty other Use* ara
oullillug throngb Texas aad as many are
projected la lemlateaa. Arkansas aad Okla
homa. Doubtless, nsdny of them will sc
ran pjlsb mat construction this year.
Those barked by tha larger companies,
however, an practically certain to mate
rialise. Every- section of the cooatrv la
improving 1a a general way amt the
roads are having difficult*- to keep
The dnaartxl skies show ao paaicky ■
of reporting facta It wilfully intestates
and "fakes” It doe* serioua and, to In
dividual!, often Irreparable Injury.
Now Is It possible to have a wlae and
beneficent public opinion when the sup-
posed facta upon which it Is founded
are not facts at all but Actions?
I am not learned enough In the his
tory of Journalism, nor have I been a
close enough observer to know whether
or no* this evil Is of modem growth,
but that It la a real and aerious evil 1s
beyond dispute.
I am not thinking now ot those mis
statements which simply go to make a
good story, or which pander to a crav
ing for sensationalism. These usually
only affect Indlvuduala In their private
relation* and not public men and meas
ures. I mean those sinister and delib
erate misrepresentations which seek,
under the guise of reporting the news,
to play covertly In tne new* columns
the part of "advocate” and to Influence
public opinion on men and measures In
a way not possible through the edito
rial page when the news columns are
straight.
There la one Injustice which public
opinion not infrequently does, and it Is
one which lawyer* can do much to cor
rect and that la the criticism of judgeh
Continued on Opposite Page,
By Private I-ea-e-d Mire.
New York, July 19.—While it Is "An
drew Carnegie, citizen of the world,”
these day*, the great iron master haa
never forgotten that he made hla
money about Pittsburg, and ao.when
ever anything happen* In Pittsburg,
especially If it bears the name of Car
negie. he Is heard from. Twenty of
the most notable men In Europe are to
!.l- g-i-s-.s VI h.-ri lit., main l.-it: • .
of the Carnegie Institute te opened next
April.
Among them will be Professor
Adolph Harnack and Dr. Robert Koch
of Germany: M. Deicasse, late foreign
minister; Professor Marcellin B. Oule
Edmund Rostand, Baron D'Eatour-
nelles de Constant and August Rodan
of France: Alma Tadema, Lord Hugh
Cecil. William H. Preece, Frederic
Hardison, Molnerly Bell, William Hug-
gins, and possibly James Bryce, of
England; Maqsten Maastens, M. Van
Karnedeck, director of the Temple of
Peace, of Holland; Count Albert Ap-
ponyl, of. Hungary.
And Pittsburg may be depended upon
to entertain them most royally.
Great fortunes are hard to estimate
It la now said that Alfred Belt, fre
quently spoken of as a near-billionaire
really left only a paltry hundred mil
lion dollars, which. In these days. Is
nothing unusual. On the other hand
it would seem that the estate of the
m ?
r
ALFRED BEIT.
late Marshall Field was under rather
than over-estimated. The value ot the
property left by him In New York Is
appraised at 19,000.000. It la not Im
possible that he waa the richer man of
he two.
Newport has been thrown Into a flut
ter of excitement by the report that
J. Nicholas Brown, the ”110,000,004-
baby," has been threatened with ab
duction. The mother of the child 1s
)rostrated today. - An extra guard has
men placed over the lad. It Is de
clared that a band of criminals from
New York are here after the million-
air* baby.
Many New Yorkers will learn with
regret of the serious lllneis of Colonel
"Bill" Brown, politician, newspaper
man and ”man-about-town.” Colonel
"Bill” was at one time Joint proprietor.
of The Dally News, with the late Ben.
Wood, and represented his dletrlct In
the state senate. He has a wide circle
of acquaintances among public men.
Taldor Wormier la the bad boy of
this village. He does things that ive
would spank our children for doing,
and It 1a about time that we condemn
him as a nuisance."
That Is what T. C, Zinsser, the presi
dent of the village of Haatlngs-nn-
Hudson, said yesterday, when the
young New Yorker, who te a banker
at No. 15 Broad etreet, has a town
house at No. 24 West Fifty-fourth
street and a country residence near
Hastings, was brought up before Judge
Tomkins on a charge of having ex
ceeded the automobile speed limit, sec
ond offense, and waa fined $50.
GEORGIANS IN GOTHAM.
By Private Leased Wire.
New York, July 19.—Here are some
of the visitor* In New York today:
ATLANTA—W. S. Byck and wife, B.
. Friend. Jr., J. Hargrave, Miss Kirk-
caldle, W. E. Neall and wife, W. Vanes,
L. Boynton, P. M. Davis, C. t'-
Stovall, C. J. Beasden. J. W. Hlncllffr,
R. O. Hitt, W. P. McCord, W. O- Ml-
sell, c. L. Moore. . ,.
AUGUSTA—C. D. Perkin* and wlf*.
. A. Bonner, W. C. Welch. „
MACON—4Mr». L. Dempaey, Mrs. «.
\ Wahbury, „ _
SAVANNAH—H. BlumenthaL P. J-
Hassen, Jr, M. Lehwald, W. B. Still
well.
THIS DATE IN HISTORY.
D
th*
JULY 1#.
1203—Fall of Constantinople to
Venetlal crusaders.
1333—Edward III defeated the Scot* at
battle of Halldon Hill.
1553—Lady Grey proclaimed queen of
England by earl of Arundel.
1673—Dr. John Calua, founder of Calu*
College, Cambridge, died.
1629—Quebec capitulated to the Eng
lish; 110 years before Its fl n “
conquest by Wolfe.
1769—British sloop Liberty scuttled ana
sunk by people of Newport. .
1779—American force defeated Britl**
at battle of Paulus Hook.
1812—United State* brig Nautilus cap
tured by squadron of British frig
ttM. . rnff .
1621—George IV crowned king of Eng
1624—Iturbide, Mexican leafier, shot »»
Padlllo. .
1840*—Great Are In New York city!
$02 buildings destroyed.
1864—Battle of Peach Tree Creek. OJ-
1870—Napoleon HI declared war ™
1882—Funeral of Mr*. Abraham Llncola
at Springfield, III.
1888— E. P. Roe, novelist, died.
1899—Secretary of War Alger re-
1906—Chinese declared boycott af-Hn*
American goods.