Fitzgerald enterprise. (Fitzgerald, Ga.) 1895-1912, 1906-04-05
WHAT'S THE MATTER WITH PENDLETON?


Blakely Reporter.
The letter is worth the time of any man at
all interested in the present Gubernatorial race,
to read and carefully consider.
Mr.. Editor:
Did you ever read the Telegraph years ago,
when Pendleton was at his best and wrote from
his own convictions of right and wrong! DO
YOU remem Der how his editorials sparkled and
how strong they we're? And do you read his
editorials of late? Doesn't it make you sorry
for him when you read them? Nobody would
ever imagine that the same man wrote the edl-
torals of the Telegraph two years ago and the
editorials of today-two four, six and ten years
ago, we will say, when he used to be writing in
favor of sound money, and encouraging the
party to have strong sound money platform
and fully endorsing the administration OF Grow
er Cleveland and the administration OF Hoke
Smith as Secretary of the Interior. rybody
praised his editorials. Not all of the people
agreed with him on Smith and Cleveland and
sound.money, but everybody admitted that he
made the best presentation of his side that
could be made. His editorials were referred to
as Pendletonan.
And two years ago, do you remember how
ably he wrote in the defence of Parker, and
sound-money and sound Democracy and ali
that? If you have read any number OF his edl-
torals for the past ten years, don't 1T make you
sorry for him when you see how he writes today!
There was ring of the true metal about his
old editorials but there IS no ring about whathe
writes these days on Georgia Politics.
Take for instance editorial which ap-
peared in the Telegraph week or two ago in
which he attempted to make light OF platforms
q am informed that such an editorial appeared.
have not seen it and it is not now before me,)
in which he ridculed all political platforms, and
said that platforms we're not made for except to
get into office on, or words to that effect. He
compared it to the platform on railroad coach
good for nothing only to get 10 on. don't
know that have quoted the exact language
which he used, but it was about like that.
Do you remember how he applauded Park
er when the Democratic party failed to take
position on the sound money question, and how
when Parker declared his position on the matter,
he extolled Parker for being brave enough to
make platform for himself when the party did
not do it? Do you recollect numbers of editor
als written in the past in which he showed the
value of party platforms? Now don't it make
you feel sorry, for when he gets in a position
that he has to repudiate all platforms and say
they don't represent anything? And take up and
use this cheap twaddle so often used by militia
district politicians, about mans platform not
amounting to anything, that it is like the plat
form of car, only made to get in on!
And then did you notice his editorial head
ed Revolutionary and Reactionary," on March
oath, where he filings a fit because he thinks
somebody is after the railroads, accusing them
of not being fair to the people? If you did not
read it, please get it and read it and see how RI
diculous it is. And just say what you think OF
his proposition that because the railroads carry
freight across the state cheaper than you can
haul it in wagons, that, therefore,, all this hue
and cry against the railroads is wrong. Did
you ever expect such an argument from Pendle-
ton? Let us see. If this is the rule to test the
fairness of the railroads to the people, there is
not man ia the country but would say that
they are fair and very fair, just and very just,
to the people,
Let us calculate little. By wagon way it
is us miles from here to Atlanta, and 275 back,
which makes $50 miles. We will suppose that
a man has to go to Atlanta to get wagon load of
corn with two-horse wagon. Anybody who
knows anything about it, knows that thirty
miles per day is big travelling. At that rate it
will take Is days make the trip. He could
bring ton of corn. which would be 80 bushels.
team that could pull ton 80 miles per day for
that many days would be worth $500 per day,
driver and all. Thus it would cost over 5000 to
bring SO bushels of corn from Atlanta.
What it would cost to bring it 500 miles
from where it is made to Atlanta l don't know
Now if the Telegraph's theory is correct and
the railroads were to charge $1.O0 per bushel
to haul corn from Atlanta it would be glorious
thing for the people. The people would not
have any right to com plain, and If anybody
should be fool enough to complain at the rail-
roads for making high charges, it would be
complete defense for the railroads, according
to Pendleton, to show that it was less than they
could haul it for on wagon.
Now this is Pendletonian, isn't it? How
does that proposition strike you? Now, if you
read his paper, you will find that he falls into
swoon almost every time auyb body says anything
against the way the railroads treating the
people. Can you explain this? Why is it he is