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WATSON'S EDIT ORIALS That Expert From Ohio. A few years ago, when commercial fertili zers consisted mainly of a quiet color and a boisterous smell, Gen. Robert Toombs had oc casion to defend, in the courthouse, a farmer who was pleading “Failure of Consideration” to a suit which the ’Guano Company had brought against him for the fertilizer he had used. In the course of his speech to the jury, Toombs shouted, “Why, gentlemen of the jury, all that is necessary to do in the making of such guano as this is to drag a pole-cat through a sand-bed!” This saying of Toombs’ popped into my head as my wondering eyes traveled over the Report of Expert Jackson, of Ohio, on the condition of the Georgia Railroad. The finan cial performance of the Ohio expert bears the same relation to a genuine, conscientious ex amination and report that guano, consisting of sand and pole-cat perfume, bears to stan dard commercial fertilizer. Consider the case: The Railway Commis sion of the State is called upon to take notice of the fact that the Georgia Railroad has been for several months in a dangerous condition. Specifications are made out. Proof is offered to sustain every allegation made. What does the Commission do? It sends to the Arkansas Hot Springs, where an Ohio man named W. O. Jackson had gone for his health, and it asks this gen tleman from Ohio to come out of the bath, wipe himself dry right quick, and hurry over to Georgia to inspect the accused railroad. Why snatch this man Jackson away from the Hot Springs baths? Who is Jackson, any way ? J How did the commission happen to know of this particular “Expert”? Was there no citizen of Georgia competent to investigate the condiion of the road? If I had Obe Stevens on the witness stand for a pair of minutes, the probe would be plunged pretty deep at just about that place. But if the finding of the “Expert” was pe culiar, the ways of the expert, after having been found, were even more so. Apparently, the first thing he did after be ing discovered was to prepare a “Report” that the Georgia Railroad was all right, for his “examination” of the road was a roaring farce. Jackson and Obe Stevens, one of our funny little Commissioners, started out from Atlanta on April 4th, and it would seem that Jackson’s “Report” was ready on the evening of the 6th. Consequently, one is to be excus ed for suspecting that the Ohio man had his mind made up a« soon as he was employed— IF NOT BEFORE. All the world has heard of the young law yer who, at a Justice’s Court on Saturday, was strenuously endeavoring to convince the Jus tice, and to secure a favorable decision, but who was finally swatted by the remark of His Honor: “Young man, there ain’t a bit ’o use to argy the case any furder. My old lady and me talked this thing over last Sunday and de cided it .the other way.” Evidently, the Ohio Expert was in some what the same state of mind. WATSON’S WEEKLY JEFFERSONIAN A Newspaper Devoted to the Advocacy of the Jeffersonian Theory of Government. PUBLISHED BY THOS. E. WATSON and J. D. WATSON, Editors and Proprietors Temple Court Building, Atlanta, Ga. ATLANTA, GEORGIA, THURSDAY, APRIL 18, 1907. He came to find the railroad in good shape, and he found what he looked for. Nor did he lose any time about it. Not only the main line from Atlanta to Augusta was examined, but also the branch lines from Macon to Camak, from Barnett to Washington, and from Union Point to Athens. And all this inspection of the road, bridges, depots, sidings, etc., was completed inside of two days. Does the Commissioner Obe Stevens ex pect the people of Georgia to take such an examination seriously? Is a “Report” based upon such a flying trip over the road worth the paper it is written on? Consider two of Expert Jackson’s “find ings” : 1. He says that the passenger depots are “very nicely kept” . . . and are “ample to protect the traveling public in a comfortable manner.” This is the finding of an Ohio Expert who flew past many of these stations at 60 miles an hour! Did he examine a single one of these way stations at night? Does he know that the waiting rooms are not kept open at night? Does he know that water-closets are not provided at any of these passenger depots, as they are always provided by the railroads on the other side of Mason and Dixon’s line? 2. He says that the condition of the Geor gia Railroad is fairly good as compared with some other American railroads! Why not adopt a better standard of com parison? Why did he not compare the Geor gia Railroad with the roads of Switzerland, Germany and Great Britain? To say that the Georgia Railroad compares favorably with some other American roads is much the same as saying that one lame horse travels nearly as fast as another lame horse. What the people want, and are entitled to, is a railroad service that does not have to de fend itself by saying it is no worse than others, which are also bad. 1 here is no doubt of the fact that Manager Scott has strained every nerve to get his house in order during the last few months. Bowdre Phinizy dropped a coal of fire on the terrapin’s back, and it began to move! During the last three months a greater num ber of spikes have been driven into new ties along the line of the Georgia Railroad than for any similar period in many a year. To that extent, at least, Mr. Bowdre Phin izy has already done a public service of vast importance. Let us hope that Manager Scott will con tinue the good work. Let us hope that he will have the wait ing rooms kept open and lighted at night. Let us hope that he will voluntarily go forward and put in water-closets. Let him act upon his own motion, and not wait till driven to action by local pressure. In the name of common right and decency, let Manager Scott adopt the policy of run ning the road partly in the interest of the peo ple who patronize it, AND NOT SOLELY FOR THE PURPOSE OF FILLING THE PURSE OF A LOT OF REMORSELESS NEW YORK MILLIONAIRES! SUBSCRIPTION PRICE: SI.OO PER TEAR Advertising Rates Furnished on Application. Entirtd at Ptstoffici, Atlanta, Ga., January 11, IQO7, at itcond clan mail matttr. Lieutenant Lalvton Comes to Tohm. Stirred by the same impulse which has moved Missouri, Nebraska, Alabama, Penn sylvania, and almost every other state in the Union, Georgia is asking for a two-cent pas senger rate on the Railroads. One result of this movement in Georgia has been a muster of the military. We mean the corporation military, of course. The railroad warriors are turning out in great style, and are marching upon Atlanta in battle array. First, came Major Cumming and Colonel Scott. Later advices would seem to indicate that Scott is only a mere miscellaneous Captain— but that’s a detail. Next, came Major Hanson and Lieutenant Lawton. The Atlanta papers (always too flattering to the myrmidoms of Power) called him “Colonel” Lawton; but we know r better than that. His true title is Lieutenant—and a very nice, well fitting, bright looking title it is, too. When Major Cumming and Captain Scott reached Atlanta their general tone, demeanor and mode of expression indicated a temper that was violent, tumultuous, belligerent, in subordinate and insurrectionary. The way in which the Major and the Captain flung their flouts about, and snorted at everything that was not incorporated and chartered, filled The Jeffersonian with pain, and caused it to cry out in respectful protest. The Jeffersonian feared that the bellicose, if not bloodthirsty, aggressiveness of the Ma jor and the Captain would exert a baleful in fluence upon other corporation Mamelukes; and that they would come riding down upon us with a fury which might rouse a spirit of retaliation. Alas, it has so happened! Major Cumming and Captain Scott had hardly retired within their bulwarks, bastions, fortresses, bomb proofs, inner fastnesses, and so forth, before Major Hanson and Lieutenant Lawton ap peared before the walls, blowing bugles whose blare of defiance made our little one-horse Railroad Commission call for more peanuts. To say that Major Hanson and his Lieuten ant were every bit and grain as “sassy” as Ma jor Cumming and his Captain, is to put the case with wisdom, justice and moderation. In fact, Lieutenant Lawton, in manner and style and contemptuous disregard of the mere unincorporated, unchartered rabble, carried us back to the good old days when Commodore Vanderbilt could safely sav: “The public be damned! I run MY ROADS to make monev!” In the eye f Licutneant Lawton, the record of the railroads is almost as perfect as the multiplication table. The popular clamor against corporation abuses is mere poppycock. All who say that the laws of the land should be obeyed, passengers carried without being killed, employes liberally paid and not over worked, freight handled with some regard to the interests of the shipper, and net earnings limited to a reasonable return upon actual in vestment or real values—are frothing dema gogues. They deserve, and shall have, ridicule and abuse.