The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1889-10-19
FOUND IN THE WILDERNESS.
A Railroad Lost on the Way to Deep
Water.


DORCHESTER, LIBERTY COUNTY, GA. Oct.
15.-EditOr Morning Necs: The good book
tells us that many centuries ago multitude
of people were slain with the jawbone of
an ass. The good people Of Georgia should
feel special interest in that passage of the
scriptures, for to similar fate they seem
doomed if some means for their salvation
are not soon found to come between these
long-suffering people and the oc5opus-hke
state legislature. Month after month it
drags its slow length along, and to what
purposes The one really weighty and i'm
portant question this session has been the
state road matter, and that could have been
settled in a business-like aud equitable
manner in forty-eight hours If it
could have been left to dozen
good business meo like Representative
Gordon of Chatham. The trouble is that
there are seldom so many as one-tenth of
the legislators of Georgia who are compe-
tent when it comes to the disposal of real
weighty business matters The fact of the
case is that the people of Georgia are suf-
fering from over-legislation, and some re-
lief il needed. The attitude of the legis-
lature upon questions pertaining to the
railroads, and also guano dealers, is unjust,
and, much more, it is ridiculous. The rail
roads are the developers apd civilizers of
late them into bankruptcy, they should be
encouraged.
will give you beforehand list of few
bills that ought to be passed by the next
legislatures:
l. AS measure OF economy, and as
needed protection for the interests
of the people at large, that the legislature
of Georgia meet only every six, eight, or
even ten years.
9. That the sessions be strictly limited to
what may be found a reasonably sufficient
length of time to transact the business Of
the state.
3. That the governor be empowered to
appoint a legislative fool killer" whose
duty 1t shall be to condemn the incompetent
members and send them home on full pay,
and leave the competent there to dispatch
the business Of the state. This would be
cheaper in the end.)
Again, referring to the legislative policy
toward railroads, let me, in this connection,
relate a sad incident which "chanced
upon" recently while travelling in that por-
tionof Liberty county adjacent to Mcintosh
county. While was vending my way
along the desolate ''barrens" in the section
of country alluded to, heard low, sad
sobbing and wailing in the distance, seem
ing to fill all the still air with its sad re-
frain. Coming nearer and yet nearer the
strange sound, what think you l found? 1t
was a poor. little, young railroad; a
veritable little railroad in chrysalis.
IL was sad sight, and moved me to pity
so much SO indeed that / sat down by the
side Of the poor sick thing and took its
head in my lap and t led to soothe it. Its
one cry was for mammal "Who is your
mammaW l asked. 1t did not know, poor
little infant, but said that its earliest recol-
lection was its baptism by the Georgia
legislature, and that since that time it had
lain out all alone in the wilderness; that
now and then its wet nurse would come
along and give it suck, but with it all it got
no Stronger-rather worse. Poor thing
it was habited only in its earliest baby
clothes. Asked if no doctor had been to
see it. it replied that its nurse had been to
seek the aid of DIR. Plant and DR.. Haines,
but that they replied that they did not
practice in that bailiwick. Said its nurse
had also consulted New York and London
doctors, and that they did say what was
good for it, but no one could be found to
pay for putting up the prescription. 1 told
it to try and crawl off and go somewhere
Said its nurse seemed to think it only
wanted water-deep water, when it had
never yet reached the water age. Actually,
like Haggard's She" could see the poor
road drying up and whitening before my
eyes. So :! tried to console the poor
thing by telling it that perhaps it was all
for the best that it should die in infancy
rather than live a fitful, sickly life at the
mercy of its godfather, the Georgia legisla-
ture; that where it went after death it
would find many more little angel railroads.
tried to show that poor little road what it
was escaping at the hands of the railroad
commission and the Georgia legislature, and
I think partly succeeded, for left it rest
ing easier and less fretful, with the sad
autumn winds strewing its bed with sweet
smelling leaves and murmuring a low, soft
lullaby to the poor, sick little road.
ESSRFTRE