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PAGE TWO
THE MAR ‘
THE MARIETTA JOURNAL
.""’ PUBLISHED WEEKLY BY
~ The Marietta Publishing Company
R Business Phone 18
"f,‘h‘—--—'_—_——_-———_———————
Ret <ol loioso oo . ... . Editer
: ’
Subscriptions: $l.OO Per Year; 50c for Six Months
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Entered at the Postoffice at Marietta, Ga., as Second Class
mail matter.
e et et —et ee — e S e e — e S ————.
- MARIETTA, GA., FRIDAY, JANUARY 23, 1920. |
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Business and Corrupt Politics ‘
A GREAT many people never say the word politicsi
without meaning corrupt politics, but we want to
make the assertion that clean politics and corrupt politics
are just as wide apart as the codes of morals entertained
by the most honorable citizen and meanest and most
dishonorable thief.
However it is the corrupt side of politics and its rela
tion to present business conditions that we wish to speak
of here.
Nearly all big businesses are now looking for the
government to establish for them a sound and profitable
basis upon which they may continue business. The rail
roads, the wire lines, the meat packers, the manufactur
ers, and scores of others are now looking to Uncle Sam to
straighten it all out for them.
And now since our government in all its branches is
honeycombed with politicians who were put into office by
corrupt practices in many instances, the hope of getting
honorable and unbiased legislation seems small. So many'
men of our lawmaking bodies were put there as corpora
tion or anti-corporation advocates, and not because they
were fitted in any manner for the place, that it would be
«imost a 8 miracle for them to produce laws based upon
~equity and justice to all.
This situation, however, has arisen largely from the
practice of big business in the past, of corrupting politics
to secure what they wanted and could not otherwise ob
tain. The railroads, who are today on the front seat of
the mourners bench, were perhaps the first and biggest
offenders. It is one of our earliest recollections of youth
ful extravagance to have met a young man, whose father
was a railroad attorney and in attendance upon the ses
sions of a state legislature, who was given a spending
allowance of ten dollars per day to entertain certain
young members of the said legislature. Can there be
any doubt that the morals of that young man were cor
rupted, even though the railroads may have secured the
special legislation they were after? Ten dollars of that
time was about the same as a hundred dollars is now.
Such practices as this soon made young men to forget
all earlier training of the home cr Sunday school, cut
them loose from all principles of right and honor, and
taught them to organize and seek office for the plunder
that might be had, first in passing desired legislation for
corporations and later to kill undesirable legislation.
The famous legislative band in the New York legisla
ture of a few years ago, known as the “Black Horse
Cavalry” was an outgrowth of this code of politics and
honor. It might be well to recall that this Black Horse
Cavalry was composed of a small majority of members
of the legislature who were sworn to act together in all
matters under the leadership of a shrewd and corrupt
politician. They pooled the bribe moneys received, and
whenever a bill of any character passed this gang mustl
first get its pay. As time went on, they enlarged their
operations to the point of having bills introduced, which
would either wreck or greatly harm all sorts of business—
businesses which had never used corrupt politics and had
no interest in it—forcing them to pay to have these bills
killed.
So strong was this gang that it almost took a revolu
tion to uproot it, and who shall say that many such com
binations are not yet operating on more discreet lines?
In the state of Missouri also a similar band operated, led
by the Lieutenant Governor of that state. He was a
democrat, while the leader of the New Yerk bunch was
a republican, but neither of them considered party lines,
a republican and a democrat looked just alike to them—
plunder and spoils were what they were after, and they
generally got it.
We don’t know the answer—there is no moral to this
editorial—unless it be to warn against every form of
corruption in politics or elsewhere. Probably no man
now connected with the management of the railroads is
responsible in any degree for the original sins of corrup
ton spoken of—it dates away back—but we can at least
see in it the “visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the
children unto the third and fourth generation.”
‘, Looking Back a Little
HE CONYERS TIMES, after reviewing the town
T as it is and as it was some years ago when thirteen
barrooms and only nine other businesses were operated
there, came to the conclusion that it does not take a
hysterical prohibition speech to convince one that prohibi
tion has done something for Conyers.
And yet the change in Conyers is typical of that which
has taken place in practically every town in Georgia, if
not the whole south.
We well remember the earlier local option campaigns
in this state, when many of the most prominent citizens
and church members were to be found in the ranks of the
anti’s pleading for whiskey on the ground that to take it
away would “kill the town.”
They really believed it, and the love of the dollar was
80 much stronger within them than the love of their
fellowman that they were the means of delaying porhibi
tion for a quarter of a century.
The conditions of that time in small towns were such
that no woman dared to go upon the street on Saturdays,
even the company of a male escort was not always pro
tection from insult, much less hearing and seeing low
down street brawls.
Let any man of fifty—no matter where he lived—llook
back and make an honest comparison of conditions of
the two periods.
We make bold to predict that within less than another
quarter of a century people will look back to 1920 and
wonder at the frequent prohibition violations of this year
very much as we now recall the days of the open bar
rooms.
We can not help envying those fellows who were so
fortunate as to attend that press meeting at Quitman,
but we already know the high quality of the hospitality of
that town, and we are generous enough to wish even as
much that every editor in North Georgia could have been
there. Georgia is a great state, but has not better people
than those of Brooks county, having been reared next
door, in Thomas, we can not forget it.
I Five Acres'to the Plow .
' OMMISSIONER BROWN advises that there is dan-
IC ger in planting mcre than eight acres of cotton to
!the plow. We are of the opinion that five acres to the
!plow would be worth more money to the south and be a
! much safer proposition.
? Our reason for this belief is that with only five acres
to the plow the total crop would not be so large as to
reduce the price, yet with five, instead of eight acres to
the plow, the cultivation and care of it would be more
intensive. ; |
Then again, with only five acres to the plow, morei
labor could be put on other crops, gradually leading to a
thoroughly deversified farming throughout the south, rais- '
ing at home everything needed for food for man and
beast, and a lot of surplus food to sell, and there is going’
' to be a good food market for years. ; |
[ This plan would permit farmers to do a lot of needed
improvements on the land—the barns—the stock houses,'
‘and last, but not least, upon their own homes. There are
few farmers who cannot afford to adopt such a program
this year.
We know that as a rule, farmers do not care for
newspaper advice—in former years it was laughed at and
despised—just as were all farmers who read and tried
to put what seemed good into practice.
But that day has passed and it is the wise and pros
perous farmer who reads and thinks, as well as hustles.
A farm paper of which we think well, The Progressive
Farmer, recently wrotefus that they considered that we
benefitted our county several hundred dollars every time
we sent them a subscriber, and who knows but what they
are right about it. Anything that can increase produc
tion on the farm, even a small percent, is worth that
much.
Although we favor a five-acre limit, a great many far
mers could do as well without planting a single acre. The
farmers in south Georgia who are in the best financial
condition today, are the ones who quit cotton first—who
did not wait for the boll weevil to show them how to do it.
A Useless Industry
ROM the number of circulars we get from the north-
F ern manufacturers of paragraphs and editorials, we
suppose there must be some money in the industry, but
for the life of us we can not see why any man calling
himself an editor should buy such stuff.
If we had not any ideas of our own which we wanted
to impart to our readers, we believe we would fill up
our editorial page with a chapter from the Bible. As
salvation is free to all, this would at least be cheaper than
the canned editorials, and we believe it would be read
and appreciated by a greater number of people.
Another advantage would be that no one would be
deceived into believing that you were the author of a
chapter in the Bible, while a good many of the unsuspect
ing often credit, or discredit you with the canned editor
ials.
Still a good many editors whom we know to be bright
men, use this canned stuff. OQur exchange list shows a
‘number, and when we glance down their columns—we
rarely read them—we often find the identical matter in
ltwo or more the same week. We often wonder if any
of these fellows using the same stuff exchange with each
other. If they do they never know whether they are
reading their own paper or some other fellow’s.
The Brooklyn undertaker who furnished the wood
alcohol to make the whiskey that killed so many people in
lsevera! eastern cities was at least promoting the business
‘of his profession, even though he may not have got any
of the business.
We are going to join Ernest Camp in relying on Paul
Harber to keep us advised about the new spring fashions
and other mportant matters in the gay and wicked
Gotham.
The Dawson News says editors are having less trouble
now getting stuff to print than they are getting some
thing to print it on. Still we believe a lot is being printed
that might as well have waited, without seriously endan
gering the health, wealth or happiness, of mankind, and
we are not speaking solely of the Congressional Record.
s e
Pat Grifin wants to know where the man with nine
wives spent the hat-buying period just before Easter.
Our information in the case is that a wife was one of
the things he ‘“gave up” during Lent each year.
We are willing to do without any of the ‘“reds” in
this country, and if an occasional “soviet ark” will not
suffice transportation room, we favor the establishment
of a regular boat line.
The democratic executive committee has been called
to meet on Saturday and the general impression is that
they favor an early primary for the county officers. A
campaign of more than a few months is too much of a
good thing.
Despite a most favorable winter we know that the
greatest need of Cobb County is roads—just roads—and
we believe the people as a rule will agree with us. But
how are we ever going to get them?
Jack Patterson thinks that linotype operator who ig
nited the keyboard of the LaGrange Reporter’s linotype
must have been some speed demon, but we rather suspect
that it was a flame from gas or alcohol, and not friction
from speed that set the thing on fire, and that with all
due regard for Johnny Jones’ protest to the contrary.
With the death of John M. Barnes by suicide on the
eve of beginning a nineteen year sentence for killing his
brother-in-law, one of the most violent and overbearing
figures in Georgia politics closes his career.
Atlanta is moving in every possible way to get a full
and complete census, as every city should, but somehow
we fear that we have a weak link in the machinery that
is to take our census.
News that Georgia is going after taxes and will stop
the policy of passing the hat to get the money she needs
is certainly encouraging. On investigation it has been
discovered that the counties have only been assessing from
twenty to fifty per cent of real values. Tkere is no reason
why Georgia should not assume her place in the records
as a rich state with Jow taxes instead of a poor state with
high taxes, and even then forever in debt and fighting
the wolf from the door. The old gathering practice puts
a premium on perjury.
THE MARIETTA JOURNAL
Your Welfare Is Our Own-
When You Prosper So Do We
s R e
| This Bank is dependent upon its cus- i
; tomers, and if they prosper, then it |
helps us to prosper. We have a per
f ‘sonal interest in your success and
~ will be pleased, not only to have your
? account, but to have vou call on us for
: advice on any matter of investment.
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Resources over $300,000.00
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Merchants & Farmers Bank
o R. E. Butler, Pres. R. A. Hill, V.-Pres. 7
' ~ W. E. Schilling, Cashier '
DIRECTORS: o
JOS. M. BROWN . G. P. REYNOLDS G. F. HAGOOD
R. E. BUTLER N. A. MORRIS J. E. DOBBS
A. V. CORTELYOU J. E. MASSEY E. P. DOBBS
T. J. CONNOR A. A. IRWIN - &N, A HILL
To The Public:
fifi
A temporary injunction has been granted by
the court, restraining the undersigned from oper
ating the moving picture show as heretofore oper
ated by myself under the trade name of Dixie
Theater, and the Dixie Theater has been closed
as a result of the order of court. The case has
been appealed to the Supreme Court for a final
hearing, and I am hopeful of being able to sus
tain my contention in the controversy now pend
ing between Mr. Marchman and myself, and tryst
that the closing of the theater will be only tem
porary. :
Thanking my numerous patrons for their sup
port in the past, I remain,
Very sincerely,
®
J. C. H. Wink
FRIDAY, JANUARY 23, 1920.
