The Jeffersonian. [volume] (Atlanta, Ga.) 1907-1917, 1909-08-26

on, statesmen alert; national issues
to quicken the pulse of political en-
thusiasm-one would have supposed
the men of that State would have
been so eager to vote that they would
have fairly swarmed to the polls at
every opportunity to vote for any one
from President down to dog-catcher.
But they didn't Who can reason
ably doubt that in the older States,
where voting has ceased to be a nov
city, a worse state of lethargy ex-
lists?
With reference to female legisla-
tors the Ex-Governor says: "There
have been few who did not demand
the most absurd and unreasonable
laws. The only trouble about women
legislators is that they will not listen
to argument-no woman will. Logic
does not appeal to them"
If the Rev. DR.. Buchtel has sense
of humor, this clipping in passing
might strike him as funny, applied to
some of our male legislators:
The Pale Gray Pennant.
The Georgia Legislature has ad-
journed. The Hon. Tad Grubbs of
Bugville, the Hon. Moves E. Yell of
Buncombetown, the Hon. Sardanapa-
lus Q. Mudd of Hogwallow, the Hon.
Greene Peay of Squashtown-on-th
Pike, and near-coming statesmen,
have gone home to receive the honors
of triumph.
1t is perhaps too early to pass dis
passionate judgment on the labOrs Of
the late Legislature. The darnphool
pennant still waves over the Capital
of Georgia, however; for while the
Alabama Legislature has made no
BILE record, it has not shown the
asinine versatility that has character
lied the Legislature of Georgia.
One of the most illustriOus of GeOr
gia's lowbrOWs framed up bill that
would prohibit woman from riding
straddle. Another wanted to require
hotel keepers to provide mosquito
bars and nine-fOot sheets for all beds.
Another wanted to make baseball on
school grounds a misdemeanOr. An
other wanted to make it a penal Of
tense to sell goods of any kind to
minors. Another wanted to prevent
the moving of freight trains on Sun
day. And so on.
This was all right as far as it went
but it didn't go far enough. Suffer-
ing husbands have for years been
complaining of the shirt waist that
buttons up in the back. In many
places the barkeepers do not give
credit. The shirt-tail is too long.
Every ear Of corn contains, it is said,
more than one per cent. Of alcohol.
Tea and coffee contain a stimulant
that is. injurious Smoking is an i'm
moral habit. Riding to church on
Sunday is a violation of the spirit of
the Ten Commandments. Bachelors
are untaxed and old maids are allow
ed to go UNPUBLISHED.
Why was not some attempt at least
made to remedy these evils?
Of course it is easy to criticise the
faults of distant lawmakers. We sug-
gest these things, not because We
would depreciate the earnest labOrs
of the Georgia solOns, but merely to
show what might have been.
Justice compels us to admit that
the Georgia Legislature, however,
has distanced all rivals. Many of the
reform bills were defeated, it is true,
but there are always traitors and
knockers in the ranks. When all is
said, it will have to be acknowledged
that Georgia has richly deserved the
bale of hay offered by the Depart
ment of Agriculture for the best all
round aggregation of legislative
freaks in the country. -Commercial-
Appeal, Aug. 10, 90.