Newspaper Page Text
14
"MY SIXTH YEAR.”
I began my sixth year’s newspaper
work in better spirit than I ever began
any important undertaking in my life.
The truth is, I dearly love my work
and am egotistical enough to believe
that I have struck my talent.
Previous to my entry into the news
paper field a lack of self-confidence
was at all times a great drawback to
me. True, I went to Mercer Universi
ty, the greenest boy ever raised in
Ben Smith’s district, and took sec
ond honor over men like Congressman
Hardwick, Judge Ramsey, of Louis
ville, and Hon. P. A. Brown, of New
York, and I taught a pretty good school
down here at Auburn, and have done
moderately well here at Lawrenceville
as principal of the local school and
as county school superintendent, but
none of this work afforded me any
pleasure.
In my editorial work I have been
complimented by the people of my
own county and by distinguished Geor
gians in the various walks of life so far
above my just desert as to lead me
to believe that I am a pretty good
hand at running a country newspa
per. For instance, Watson’s Jefferso
nian Magazine, for January, contains
editorial clippings as follows: The
Railroad Service —Royston (Ga.) Rec
ord, Paid Dear for Their Titles—
Gainesville (Fla.) Elevator, Honesty
and Honor —Gwinnett (Ga.) Journal,
Sacred Prosperity—Collier’s Weekly,
Trial for Murder —Saturday Evening
Post, The Negroes—Collier’s Weekly,
The Labor Famine —Pensacola News,
Cotton and the Negro—Gwinnett
(Ga.) Journal, The Railroad Power —
Omaha (Neb.) Investigator, Populism
—Nevada County (Ark.) Picayune,
Sense —Cordele Rambler, A Lesson in
Rusion —Missouri World, A Significant
Vote —Journal, Abilene, Texas, Where
He belongs—Journal, Abilene, Texas.
There are many who disagree with
Tom Watson politically but precious
few, if any, who do not proclaim him
the most brilliant writer of the state
and to know that my editorials are
scissored out by this genius and pub
lished along side of Collier’s Weekly
and the Saturday Evening Post is
indeed a great encouragement to me
in my work, especially in view of the
fact that nearly every one of the
three hundred Georgia papers has
had something to say recently about
Immigration.
But my editorial on Russell’s S3OO
scheme was commented on more favor
ably all over the state and copied
by more papers than any article I
ever wrote. In several counties, U
was published in pamphlet form and
sent out to all the voters of the coun
ty. Judge J. H. Thomas, of Baxley,
told me in Macon that the Hoke
Smith club of that county did this.
Recently, Judge Reagan’s Mistake,
Rose’s Purity and a Work as to Rap
ists have been most favorably compli
mented.
In all my work heretofore, I have
tried to follow my conscience in the
discussion of every article that I have
written and I promise now to ever
hereafter do the same. I own The
Gwinnett Journal, lock, stock and bar
rel, no collar around my neck, no
foes to punish, no friends to reward,
no close kins to shield. I can publish
the best county paper in Georgia and
1 am going to do it. —J. A. Bagwell, in
The Gwinnett Journal.
•t n n
The celebrated medium rapped three
times on the black cabinet. “And now,
kind sir,” she said in a spooky voice,
“what shade would you like me to tell
you about?” “Why,” replied the lit
tle man in the audience, “I would
like you to tell me the shade my wife
told me to match when I started down
town today.”—Chic, frs.
RAILROAD OPERATION IN
GEORGIA.
Extracts From the Speech of Hon.
Hooper Alexander, Given at
Atlanta Freight Bureau
Banquet.
“They talk to us of efficiency and
wisdom. Efficiency! What a girm
satire on the credulity of man! Effi
ciency! Lives and property destroy
ed by a juggernaut as merciless as
war; delays and dangers too absurd
to catalogue; passengers and mails de
layed, not hours, but days; remorse
less overcharges deliberately made;
discriminating rates, bold, impudent
and undefended; excuses offered but
for one offense. When travel is de
layed for days and the delivery of
freights has ceased, till commerce
halts uncertain before conditions
worse than war, and labor is com
pelled to stay its hand, they prate
of some alleged phenomenal increase
in traffic which they say they could
not have foreseen.
“No such excuse is offered or al
lowed in private contracts, as the
price for doing this -work we have
paid them in advance, dowering their
undeserving hands with the priceless
heritage of all the ages, and we have
armed them with the attributes of
sovereignty itself. They plead their
charters as a contract; let them
perform the covenant. We did not
bargain with them for excuses. Their
answer is demurrable in any court
of honest conscience, but I will not
cavil with them, and here prefer,
rather, to traverse its truth, and do
tender their own sworn statements
to rebut their plea. In eleven years
the volume of their traffic in Geor
gia has increased 118 per cent per
annum, a gradual and natural in
crease. For 1906 it was 11.6 per
cent. The only unusual increase was
in 1903, and then only 21 per cent
if that were phenomenal. They have
had three years in which to recover.
In dull times they want to increase
their rates; when business is brisk,
they cannot handle it. If, under
such conditions it is a harsh judg
ment to pronounce them driveling
incompetents, surely they ought not
longer to pose as the sole exemplars
of efficiency and wisdom. If the rec
ord of today does not convict them
of wilful disregard of their duty and
the rights of the public, it sets upon
them the blistering seal of incompe
tence and failure in a public trust,
and the time is ripe for a robust race
of men to snatch from their puny
fingers the dishonored insignia of
their privilege and power.”
* at M
VARIED AND INTERESTING.
We are in receipt of the first num
ber of il Watson’s Jeffersonian Mag
azine,” a new publication just started
by that distinguished Georgian, the
Hon. Thomas E. Watson. The new
monthly is beautifully printed and
splendidly illustrated. The contents
are varied and interesting and those
who subscribe for it will get a mag
azine chock full of interesting mat
ter. Mr. Watson is a vigorous writer
and he couldn’t be dull if he tried.
The subscription price is $1.50 per
annum. It is published in Atlanta,—
Gazette, Darien, Ga.
nun
The average yield of an oltve tree
is two bushels, which gives two gal
lons Os Oil, | • t '; 1 ,
THE WEEKLY JEFFERSONIAN.
SF,E o S FORIO CTS -
300 cinds of Flower seeds and 5 packages Garden seeds —
Radish, Tomato, Cabbage, Lettuce and Onim —all for only 10c., with
our new 1907 Catalogue, full of good things for the Garden, Field and
Flower Garden. lowa Success Seed Corn, the best that lowa soil can
grow. Package free. Address to
F*. C. Graves Seed Co.
Dept. V. - Des Moines, lowa
New Years Gifts
ON TAP/S
Grand Clearance Sale
Preparatory to Taking Stock
Trunks, Valises and Suit Cases
A FEW BEAUTIFUL HOLIDAY NOVELTIES.
Every article has its “Walking Ticket.” No reasonable offer refused
on any article.
The Augusta Trunk Factory
851 Broad St. H. M. Cleekly, Prop. Wrong Side of Street.
AUGUSTA, GA.
The McDuffie Bank
THOMSON, GA.
A STATE BANK OF LOANS AND DISCOUNTS.
J. F. Watson, Pres. W. S. Lazenby, Cashier.
H. T. Clary, V.-Pres. J. Glenn Stovall, Attorney.
CAPITAL STOCK $25,000.00
Modern Equipment, Conservative Management, Courteous Treatment.
Accounts Solicited.
DIRECTORS:
J. F. Watson, H. T. Clary, W. A. W atson, 0. S. Lee, B. T. Bussey, Thos.
E. Wauon, J. C. Fanning, W. R. Hadley, J. Durham Wat-
son, W. S. Lazenby, J. Glenn Stovall.
JAMES W. GREEN. J. d. WATSON.
GREEN & WATSON
ATTORNEYS AT LAW
THOMSON, GEORGIA
Consulting Counsel: m '” '| ' ! | .•*
THOS. E. WATSON
Will practice in McDuffie and surrounding counties. Loans negotiated and
I t * collections made on good terms.