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PAGE TWO
Public Opinion Throughout the Union
BAILEY AND STANDARD OIL
STILL A LIVE ISSUE IN
TEXAS
Since the legislative investigation
of Senator Bailey last spring oppo
sition to him appears to have greatly
|inareased. Vigorous discussion has
brought home to the people of Texas
the fact that Bailey’s connection with
Standard Oil has destroyed his use.
fulness as a public servant and has
placed for the first time a southern
man in the ranks of the trust owned
senators.
Organizations have been formed
throughout the state for the purpose
of electing a majority of “anti-
Bailey” men to the next legislature
to put into effect a resolution which
wall be introduced calling for the res
ignation of Bailey from the United
States senate. Bailey still has a con
siderable following.. He controls the
state democratic executive commit
tee and can set in motion the organ
ized party machinery. Both the pres
ent governor and Senator Culberson
are mysteriously silent on the Bailey
subject. If they are against him
they seem to be afraid to say so: and
this indicates that Bailey’s political
strength has not been entirely broken.
On the other hand, the “anti-
Bailey” faction is trying to enlight
en tho voters and bring them to an
understanding of the perfidy of
Bailey’s conduct —to make them un
derstand that “a grafter is a traitor
to his country in a time of peace.”
Hon. Wm. A. Cocke, representative
from Bexar county, who made the
charges that.led to the legislative in
vestigation of Bailey, is writing a
book entitled: “Senator Bailey’s
Political Life and Character,” which
will contain, it is said, some interest
ing facts regarding Bailey’s earlier
career and his later affiliations with
Standard Oil.
What may be considered the most
audacious of the many bald acts of
this transcendent demagogue was per
petrated recently at a banquet in
Dallas, Texas, given in honor of Gov
ernor Campbell. After a good deal
of disagreement as to whether or not
Bailey be invited to speak, he was
invited but was given the harmless
subject: “The Paramount Issue of
1896.” To the astonishment of ev
ery one, Bailey prefaced his speech
with the charge that the attorney gen
eral of Texas was derelict in his duty
in allowing a branch of Standard Oil
to continue to operate in Texas. He
asserted that the attorney general
had been moved to prosecute the Wa
ters-Pierce Oil Co. branch of the
Standard and obtain a judgment of
ouster against same solely for the
purpose of discrediting him (Bailey).
The speaker then offered to furnish
the attorney general the necessary ev
idence on which to base a suit if the
attorney general would promise to
proceed at once to do so.
The facts in the case are: The
Corsicana Oil Co., operating in Texas,
has long been supposed to be a branch
Bailey, learning that the attorney
general bus for months been collect*
WATSON’S WEEKLY JEFEBRSONIAN.
ing evidence for the purpose of insti
tuting legal proceedings. Now. Mr.
Bailey, learning that the attorney
general had just returned from New
Tork, where he had been getting evi
dence from the case of the Standard
on trial there, for the purpose of
prosecuting the Corsicana Oil Co.,
made this astounding announcement
so that he might lay a predicate for
claiming that he had forced the attor
ney general to proceed against Stand
ard Oil. That this was his intention
is borne out by a speech he made two
days later in which he said, “1 have
lashed the attorney general into do
ing his duty. ’ ’
To Bailey’s evident chagrin, the
attorney general very promptly ac
cepted his tender of evidence and
called upon him to furnish the same.
Bailey hastened to reply that he was
not personally qualified as a witness;
but he cited a part of the testimony
of H. Clay Pierce, which was devel
oped in the St. Louis hearing List
summer. For Bailey, who says he i«*
a lawyer, to make the assertion that
the testimony he named would mate
rially aid the state is absurd in the
extreme. However, the attorney gen
eral does not seem to be satisfied that
Bailey is not personally qualified as
a witness in Standard Oil matters,
as he says he shall summon him to
appear in such capacity whether he
likes it or not. If Bailey is put on
the witness stand and compelled to
answer questions there will no doubt
be some interesting developments.
STANLEY BOYKIN.
Fort Worth, Texas, Nov. 3.
TOM WATSON COMPLAINS—
JUSTLY SO.
Why lags Georgia behind? The
regular session of our Legislature did
not give the people what had been
promised them. The anti-lobbying
bill met an ignominious disaster, The
attempt to break up the illegal- con
nection between the Central and tho
Southern came to grief. No effort
was made to cut down passenger rates
to 2 cents per mile. The other South
ern states cither have the 2 cent rate
already, or are after it. Some South
era states have it. Some Western
states have it. Why shouldn’t Geor
gia have it?—Watson’s Jeffersonian.
It is worthy of remark that “pro
hibitionists ” as a whole, are degener
ate politicians, seeking to build up
their own political fortunes. Public
duty is discarded by them for
“personal policy.”- Policy is only
another word for “ dishonest v.” The
late session of the legislature of
Georgia, a majority of them were a
gang of “prohibition politicians.”
This is in evidence: they neglected
the most vital matters of important
legislation and devoted their time,
and their energies, to building up a
‘ 1 prohibition-political-machine. ’ ’ Was
ithis not the first instance in the his
tory of Gecrgia that a woman was in
vited to address the legislature of
that state? Again is the lesson pre
sentad, for the thoughtful mind to
consider, that, where “effeminacy pre
vails” degeneracy is the accompani-
ment. This is the evidence all along
the line of all history! The man who
shuts both eyes and ears to the les
sons of history and refuses to con
sider the lessons of history, and goes
on and on in his risky speculation,
supported by no substantial founda
tion. and in order to promote his fool
designs he cultivates rotten politics
and “political petticoats,” is totally
unfit for a legislator; he ought to be
washing dishes with his peers. “Why
lags Georgia behind?” asks Tom
Watson. It is because Georgia is
losing character. “ Rooseveltism,
Watsonism, Tillmanism” was not in
the majority of her last legislature.
If That last legislature of Georgia
was a representative body of that
state, then Georgia is becoming “ef
feminate” and that virtuous spirit
which repudiated the Yankee school
inarm forty odd years ago, right after
the war, who was sent into their
midst to civilize (?) them, is either
dead, or is dying. That valorous
spirit of David Crockett, “Be sure
you’re right, then go ahead,” did not
animate the last session of the state
of Georgia.—From the Patriarch,
Seattle, Wash.
SUBSIDY VS. EQUALITY.
By A. R. McCook.
(This article, which appeared origi
nally in the Chicago Examiner and
later in Post’s Public, of Chicago, is
so very strong and true that it is re
produced in the Jeffersonian. The
anther, formerly principal of the
Elma , 10., schools, is now super
intendent at Shell Rock. He was the
Democratic nominee for State superin
tendent of lowa in 1903, and the fol
lowing year was a delegate to the
Democratic National Convention and
was secretary of the delegation. At
present 'he is secretary of the lowa
Democratic Club, which is an organ
ization of the radical Democrats of
that State.)
Like the “tainted money” contro
versy, Mr. Carnegie’s gift of $lO,-
000,000 in steel trust bonds as a fund
for college professors who have out
lived their days of usefulness, is ex
citing much adverse criticism and al
so some that is favorable.
It is unnecessary for the present to
question Mr. Carnegie’s motives, but
what of the influence and ultimate
consequence of these annuities?
Next to Rockefeller, Mr. Carnegie
is the greatest benficiery of the trust
system. There is already too much
trust and corporation domination in
the educational work of our colleges
and universities, and the influence of
prospective annuities will hardly in
crease the professors’ opposition to
these industrial monsters. Rather
may we not expect them to invent
new excuses and apologies for mo
nopoly’s greed and avarice.
The argument is made that teach
ers are underpaid, and that conse
quently the pension is deserved.
Teachers are underpaid, but the rem
edy should be an increase of salary
. rather than a pension—at least until
the aged common laborer is provided
for in some way; and then the gov*
ernment, and not individuals who
have accumulated millions as a result
of unjust laws, should grant the pen
sions.
With an equitable industrial sys
tem there would be no Rockefellers
and Carnegies who, like parasites, fat
ten at the expense of less fortunate
members of society.
Better than this system of unequal
distribution which breeds financial
princes and paupers, would be the
strict enforcement of the cardinal
principle of Democracy—“ Equal
rights to all, special privileges to
none.” This, while preventing the
accumulation of colossal fortunes by
our “captains of industry,” would
give to the private in the ranks of
the industrial army a just proportion
of his production.
Between socialism and monopoly
there is a happy mean, and when it
is reached all will be rewarded in
proportion to what they do fur so
ciety. When fair play and equality
become universal, tho problems of
“tainted money,” pensions and mo
nopolistic charity will disappear.
Democracy’s great mission to the
world is to abolish subsidies and se
cure equality of opportunity for all.
ALPHARETTA LOCAL UNION
NO. 1307.
Alpharetta, Ga., Nov. 5, 1907.
Whereas, The price of cotton should
be made amid the cotton fields of
the South, and not by a few men a
thousand miles away; and,
Whereas, The cotton growers toil
and sweat to support in luxury the
useless and damnable aggregation of
gamblers cf the stripe of Theodore
Price in New York, where they have
long since ceased to handle spot cot
ton in ary considerable quantity, and
that the unspinnable sort, and de
liveries have become few and far be
tween. Therefore, be it
Resolved, That we are opposed to
the existence of these fraudulent cot
ton exchanges of New York, and con
demn the high-handed gamblers who
operate them for their own benefit,
and to the great hurt of the cotton
growers; and
Resolved further, That every cot
ton grower in the cotton belt insist
that his congressman shall support
and work for the passage of a bill to
prevent gambling exchanges from
dealing in futures, and to allow them
to buy and sell only spot cotton.
Resolved further, That these reso
lutions be spread on the minutes of
this local, and that copies be sent to
Tigs Alpharetta Free Press, The Un
ion News, The Jeffersonian and The
Atlanta Georgian for publication.
N. H. BROADWEIL,
President cf Alpharetta Local Union
of the Farmers’ Co-operative and
Educaticnal Union of America.
j
Tom Watson is going at Governor
Smith for all he is worth for going
back on the reform pledges. I tell
you, the “Laird of mountain top”
won’t stand any shenanigan where he
is made use of the way he claim*
Governor Smith used him in order to
bo governor.—Rochelle Era, .