Americus times-recorder. [volume] (Americus, Ga.) 1891-current, 1906-03-22

an income tax, so that the large for.
tunes of great corporations and hold
ers of accumulated wealth may pay
their just proportion Of the necessary
expenses of the government. Is it
possible that Mr.. Lewis has been
asleep for the last ten years? Doesn't
he know that this very bill was passed
by Congress and approved by the
President, ordered levied, and in some
instances collected, but was declared
unconstitutional by the Supreme Court
OF the United States? Such utter
ances of Mr.. Lewis upon impossible
issues shows the desperateness Of his
present race, and are introduced solely
by him at this time to catch the vote
of parties who are not posted upon
this subject, and absolutely for no
other reason. This tax can only be
collected when authorized by a revis-
ion Of our present Constitution; but
If Mr.. Lewis is so much in favor OF
this measure, why is 1t that he has
never introduced a resolution to
low this tax to be collected? Why,
gentlemen, his platform from one end
to the other is unworthy of considera-
ton. 1t is a tissue of vain promises,
unsupported by facts in the past, or by
any effort of Mr. Lewis while in Con
greSS. In justice to Mr.. Lewis, | de-
sire to state that during the ten years
of his service i'll Congress he has in
trOduced and passed two bills of
private nature One Of these bills
granted a pension to Mrs. Mary Kaig
Ter, the other bill granted a pension
to E. c.. Miller. Mr.. Lewis has drawn
more than fifty thousand dollars from
the government for salary and mile
age for representing you in Congress,
and has succeeded in returning to you
two small pensions: one of these was
already a law before Mr.. Lewis was
elected to Congress, and his conneC-
ton with the same was only in the
nature of small increase to the in
diVidual drawing the pension. Mr..
Lewis admits that this is a very poor
record He owns that he has done
nothing for the District during the
time of his service; but offers the ex-
Cuse that the government has been in
the control of the Republicans. If
this be true, how is it that our other
congressman have been able to do so
much for their districts? If this be
true, how is it that Lon Livingston
could get a mammoth appropriation
for Federal Prison at Atlanta, and
million dollars for a new postofice
building at the same place? How is
it that Bartlett could get an appro-
priation of 100000 to tear down
| building in Macon costing at least
| 100000 and replace it with a new one
at five times the cost of the old? How
is 1t that Brantley could get a Divis-
ion of the United States Court and
public building for Valdosta while
Cordele goes begging? How is it that
Maddox could do the same thing at
| Rome, even though we had a Repub-
lican House, Republican Senate, and
Republican President? How is it that
Jim Griggs, who was elected about
the same time as Mr.. Lewis, could at
| tain such national prominence? He
| is at the head of the Democratic Con-
gressional Committee of the United
States. He also got one of those Di-
visions of the United States Court for
| Albany, when they were passed
| around, while Americas, much larger
| city, and more centrally located, was
shut out forever.
Don't you think it about time the
Third Congressional District was hav-
ing a hand in the pie? Isn't it time
| that some one else was representing
| this District as it should be repre-
sented? Can you for a moment be-
lieve that after ten years of trial Mr..
| Lewis future will be anything differ
ent from his past? He has stated to
you that he is now in position to be
of more service to you than ever be-
fore; that his ten years service III
| Congress has just fitted him to fill the
position which he asks at your hands.
But, gentlemen, | state to you that
Mr.. Lewis made more speeches in the
early days of his congressional career
than in his latter ones; he voted more
frequently during the first two terms
than he has ever voted during the last,
and was more active in every way
than he is now; and from these con-
siderations l have every reason to
| believe that instead of improving the
service he has absolutely refrigerated,
| and that his days of usefulness are
past
Hadn't you better keep Mr.. Lewis
at home hereafter? Won't you assist
in electing a man who will represent
this District as other districts are rep
resented? A man who loves this
Southland OF ours more than all the
rest of the world combined; and who
will ever labor and work to make it
that country whose God is indeed the
ord oU6 uyh}oh 1m nOroroaroo .r6