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EDITORIAL COMMKN r.
Tim prijsu iigiuing seems to
have it.; o ismlitu-s. Now and
Ih-'.n the aw ex; lodes it or the:
pugilist gets worsted.
John l). Rockefeller m dee.-
$750 an hour. Many a I How
would, be glad to in he $750 a
year.
Galveston wants $0,000,0,)0
to get into dee]) water. Many
a fellow gets into deep water
for a less earn.
The appointment oi “Dear
Mat” to the Athens post office
is now awaiting the continua
tion of tiie sena'e. Tiiere is j
no doubt, but tint Athens will,
have to swallow the pill.
j
The grand jury of Muscogee I
county wants a law passed tor
the state disfranchising any
man from voting who has sold
his vote. This Ims always been j
the law where it is known.
However, there are thou-i
sands of negroes in the South
who sell their votes to the re
publican party every year.
Preparation for an urgent <:e
ftciency bill has begun by the
House Committee on appropri
aliens. The largest item in
this deficiency bill will be s2l,
503.000 on account of pensions.
This large deliceney, however,
does not indicate such a great;
increase in expenditures for
pensions as would seem appar
ent. The expenditures for the
present fiscal year with this de
ficiency, including about $97,-
000,000. While that of last
year included about $2,000,000
less. After the appropriation
for the present year was made,
it was found necessary to make
a deficiency appropriation of
about $8,000,000 for the pre
vious year. ibis provinginad
equate, thP connnissii ner of
pensions has drawn on the ap
propriation for $7,000,000 more
leaving that amount short m
the present year's account. No
one can tell in advance how
much the pension bureau will
need a year hence. It may be
o ver a dozen mi I lion.
A had i'jstake.
We have rcc.nily seen a
printed letter a dim out by an
ailianceman who \v ints office.
It sets forth in goi.d style Ids
fitness for the po-Lion and giv
es what he conceive: good rea
sons why he should be support
ml. This thing, taken aside
from the man's connection
•wall the alliance, would not ex
cis-e any comment upon our
part, but when men try to use
the alliance as stepping stone
to office, we mo.-t seriously ob
je-t. r l he aspirant is not in
any way tonne *ie l with ills
slate alliance, either as aa offie
or or as a committeeman, and
does not aspire to he governor,
Le he wants a position of ]>ub
-1..; id his printed letter
me of the alliance
; 1 belongs.
wants the nomina
}. • democratic party
v. see him seek it as
• . ■ . but not endeavor
i ; , Mmsclf an alii
; . ;e, and Send lib
. v.-aign circulars to
icemen of p omi
g their inuorse
: in turn would
.align literature,
o wi il known
• • tor a position is
tiie people
*•>„, . sui'e want inm
vuJ iiol have
to send on! letters to the order
telling them who lie is and how
ho is needed in office, those
of our brei hren who are now or
ever expect to indulge in that
kind of policy, will find that
they have male a great mi -
take. Simply being an alb-
Miceman docs not fit one for
office any more than it unfit*,
him for it. The order will al
ways condemn such attempts
to use its influence. That is
the kind of politics we are to
i’ear.—[Southern Alliance.
The Speaker's Tyranny.
The unprecedented events at
Washington in the house of rep
reseutatives from llie loading
topic of discussion throughout
the country. Speaker Heed’s
avbilrsvy and well nighrevohi
tionary action has caused more
thorough public comprehen
sion of the methods of proced
ure in the national congress
than the majority of us have
ever had before. Speaker
Heed’s course is consistent from
his own standpoint; at least he
has al ways advocated the poli
cy of so adjusting .the rules
that (he majority may ride
rough shod over the wishes of
the minority. In the magazines
and els*, where he lias publish
ed articles in support of this
doctrine. Ho has always claim
ed that the minority in con
gress had too much power to
obstruct and delay legislation,
and he has been in favor of in
creasing the prerogatives of
the majority in order to facili
tate legislative action. In fur
therance of this idea, lie has
disregarded all precedent, and
; his action is most extraordina
ry in any light in which it may
be considered.
The partisan republican press
as a matter of course, com
mend his arbitrary proceed
ings. With reference to his de
cision that members not an
swering to their names may be
counted in constituting a quo
rum, the point is sometimes
made that such procedure is
plain common sense. If a mem
her is present, he should be
counted whether he votes or
not. Nevertheless such a pro
cedure is contrary to the prac
tices of all legislative bodies in
this country. It may be tak
en for granted that no general
practice grew up in legislative
bodies without some good reas
on for it. At any rate, Mr.
Reed’s business is lo observe
• existing parliamentary regula-
I lions until they are formal!v
• changed,just as it is the duty
.of the judge on the bench to
| enforce existing laws whether
he personally likes those laws
or not. A good many people ,
for example, regard the Elec
toral College system of chos
ing a president as contrary to
; common sense. Yet any at
; tempt to disregard this provis
ion of the constitution in the
(slightest particular would be
! justly regarded as revolution
ary. Yet Speaker Reed’s de
iparture established p.ribmen
, tary usage, which is a sort of
unwritten law, is analogous,
though on a smaller scale.
In this country the majority
rules. Why not, then, lot the
majority liavefu'l swing in our
legislative assemblies? There
are many good reasons. The
pri -pul one is that wo already
nave too much—vastly too
much—!• ,-t i• c:. bot.u of a
-lu'o ;■■■■ ; character.
What -much
measures to f.icili'ate law-mak
ing as to restrict it. i ako our
state legislature for example.
Would it not be better if this
body should pass biennially on.
!y one fourth tTo usual number
of bills? We fuller from a great
excess of legislation, undone
of the best ways to prevent it
is bv allowing the minority a
fighting chance. We are not
advocates of filibustering as a
rule, but some! uims diluury
tactics are the weapons of pur
est patriotism.
If anything was needed to
demonstrate the unreasonable-'
ness and unprecedented .char j
actor of Heed’s position, it is j
the ruling of Janies (>. Blaine!
under similar circumstances. 1
On one occasion, when Blaine
was speaker, the opponents of j
the Force bill sat in their seats!
and refused to vote. Gen. But :
ler asked that the Chair do- 1
clare a quorum present if lie
believed there was one pres-!
eat. “The Chair can not de- j
dare a quorum against'a yea
and nay vote. The roll-call is j
the last mode of certilicalion
fi otn which there is no appeal.” ,
Being further urged by Cob- j
urn of Indiana, tiiat a member
present did not answer to Ins
name, another might point him
out and the Chair thus take
cognizance of his presence,
Blaine ssid:
“The Chair never heard of
that being done, no begs to re
mind the house, whereas it
might and doubtless would be
true that there is a quorum in
the hall, the very principle
enunciated by the gentleman
from Indiana has been the
fi undation probably for the
greatest legislative frauds ev
er committed. Where a quo
rum, in the judgment of the
Chair, has been declared to be
present in tiie house against
the result of a roll-call, these
proceedings, in* the different,
legislatures have brought scan
dal on their names. The mo
ment you clothe your speaker
with power to go behind your
roll-call and assume that there
is quorum in the hall, why, gen
tlemen, you stand on the* very
brink of a volcano.”
What can the republicans
say to a declaration like that
from their own greatest leader?
—[Louisville Post.
W;l!.Eiiias(uii i.flK-T.
From *l.o Jou nal’a 0- r esom d-*nt.
Washington, Feb. 17. I’he
fight over the new code of rules
can hardly bo called a skirm
ish, for when it came to a vote
their adoption was made with
out a struggle. The absentees
were more numerous on the
democratic than on the repub
lican side and Speaker Reed
found no difficulty in fixing a
quorum without resorting to
counting 11011-voters. At 5
o’clock on Friday, as provided
by the Springer resolution,
Reed declared that the hour
had arrived for the vote and it
was taken without demonstra
tion or unusual incidents. Car
lisle had advised a peaceful
cqprse and his advice was tak
en.
The mill in the senile was
grinding unusually fast on Fri
day, sixty bills being passed.
You could hear the buzzing < f
the wheels. There came a j
clog when a bill lo pension one j
RaviJ Peterson tried to go i
through. It was passed on the !
supposition that the calendar!
was gospel and if it was set
(bwn there a- reported luvor
ably, it must be nil right. Sub
sequently Sen. (Jockrel! called
the attention of Ilie senate to
the fact that the bill had been
in reality ;eported unfavorably
and lie measure was taken
b ick and killed, after which
the busy mill vheel went on
its way.
The law’s delay was never
more strikingly than in the
case of the starving Indians oi'
the Devil Lake Agency. The
secret r: referred the papers
to congress and the house re
ferred them to a committee,
and the committee will in
good time report a bill for their
relief. In the meantime, if
t e good Indian can retain life
in his body, be may be happy
yet. Some discretion in these
cases should be allowed (he
propper officers, for a man ski
ing is exactly in favorable cir
cumetance fer “awaiting future
legislation.” lie wishes to eat
in the present-tense.
Apropos of Indians, the bu
reau will probably revoke tlfe
order allowing Indians to trav
!el with shows. The Indians
■ who are tints employed return
to the tribes with a galaxy of
new vices and are lazier than
indolence itself. The Indian
i agents fill report adversely as
I to ti e custom.
The seventieth birthday of
that surprising woman, Susan
B. Anthony, was celebrated
Saturday by a dinner at the
R ggs House, given by her ad
mirers. Two hundred and flf
ty covers were laid and the
i flow of wit and humor was said
to be simply stunning. Miss
| Anthony has aged very little
| jn the last decade and it seems
i hard to realize that she has
I reached her seventieth year,
i In this sho is like a number
i of people who are continually
i bet ore congress with bills that
(they entertain r.o reasonable
j hope of having passed. They
I raivly show the approach of
1 old age. As in mad houses,
the victims are kept youthful
by heir immaginations. Miss
Anthony speaks as quickly and
uncompromisingly as ever and
the eyes between the wide
rimmed glasses Hash with the
| defiant light that has grown so
familiar to everyone.
Civil Service Commissioner
Roosevelt lias been about the
house for two or three days
trying to find out why the com
mittee appointed to investigate
the Civil Service Commission
does not commence its labors.
The committee promises to go
to work, but thus far have only
decided one question, and that
would seem to be one requir
ing no particular mental exer
tion, being only as to taking
up the charges against the pres
ent commission first, which
was decided in the affirmative.
There can be no doubt of Mr.
Roosevelt's anxiety to have the
investigation begin at once.
Lie says he is naturally an im
petuous man and delay is to
him a bugbear. He says that
he wants no whitewashing re
port. Commissioner Lyman
does not say what he wants,
but it is to be presumed that
he desires to get ort of the trou
ble as easily as possible, for his
skirts are blackened with the
mud of two administrations.
The pension apportionments
in this congress will be enor
mous. It seems the republicans
have turned the bull’s tail loose
and caught him by the horns.
Bargains o r *sa adi es .
ABQAIKS £ o H JLe£ ADI ES.
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Stock Of Ladies’
f TNaI (tMk & 10p4 B a
sL V Jay W' ms jiJiGt-
AT FIFTY CENTS ON THE DOLLAR, FOR THE
next thirty days - ——'
I. A. Madden, MAYSVILLE, GA.
Brumby’s
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The Greatest Pain Killer in tiie World—Best Mothers’
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PREPARED By It T. Brumhy & Cos, Drnggibts and Pharmacists,
Athens, Georgia.
Athens Music House
112 Clayton Street, Next Door to Postcfliee, Athens, Georgia.
Haselton & Dozier, Proprietrs.
a JSSMLtfe-
V :. ' TANARUS! Ends of mtifcf
instn meats on hand and for side
w • at gtcady reduced ptices for cash,
:% iY?|. or on the installment. Special
isles to churches and schools.
- -grip Picture banr.es on hand or made
2pp?to order at short notice. A full
Mfd ccrrplete stock of Artists’ Ma
'•• . . A'iv- ; ‘ I ; r::v : ig and painting ill
.il and water colon?
D P. llasel on, Thus. H. Dozier.
IS7O -Fonr Car Loads Cooking Stoves and Ranges been-188S.
ordered to Cocnmenca the season with by
E. E Jones,
THE LEAPING STOVE
Hi',
fleeter ©1 Karllicasl _jvfiv-'p**
Ci'orgin. u- !*. y - &r
-
Mv prices can not be beat. A
With Inoioasod Facilities, I am
prepared to suit si! purchaser". b-^es.- : - TijL'Wi .
See ray stock of '
Roofing, Guttering, Tin and
Sheet Metal Work! Tinware
{hspeT An-; BEsT/ Call On Cr WRITE
E, E. Jones, 209 iTF^ rc