Atlanta semi-weekly journal. (Atlanta, Ga.) 1898-1920, 1909-03-12

Lowry, of Atlanta, If he cared to. would
be perhaps the most potential factor In
Republican politics of Georgia. But Cap
tain Lowry has neither the inclination
nor the purpose to interfere, so long as
1.-THE Organization works tremendously
and satisfactorily. Captain Lowry wants
only, the. best available men chosen Tor
the federal offices. He believes that the
best way to strengthen the Republican
party in the south. is tos,appeal TO the
/ southern peoples sense or reason ana
/ Justice by giving them the best admin
istration of their local affairs it is pos
sible to obtain.
Walter Johnson has long entertained
similar view, but in many instances ne
has been hampered by unsympatnetic
Republicans, who managed to get the ear
of the powers that be. Mr.. BUNS att
tude is unknown; indeed, he is an I'M
known quantity, but he is pleasant ana
approachable gentleman, and certainly
enjoys the confidence of Frank H. Hitch
cock. big chief in the matter of federai
patronage. 1t is believed that Blum VIII
work in perfect harmony with Johnson
Grier's Influence Gone?
/ 1t is agreed generally among Georgia
Republicans that Clark Grier's influence
lis on the wane. Mr.. Grier's ideas were
so much at variance with the plans and
purposes of the regular Republicans tnat
his influence was impaired from the nrst
He failed to harmonic the factions, 1t is
claimed, and challenged the hostility OF
many Republican war horses by MS new
tactics. His motives may have been OF
the best, but his method was not ap-
proved.
! II was a noticeable fact that, although
Mr. Grier, as president of the Taft clubs
iof Georgia, engaged headquarters in
Washington, and planned big excur-
| sion of Taftites to the national capital TO
attend the inauguration, few, If any, OF
the leaders Joined him in the movement
johnson, Blum, Jackson, Martin. and, In
fact all of the old liners disregarded the
Taft special and came along to the in
Iauguration as free agents.
| Then, too, the location of the Taft club
headquarters here in Washington was the
subject of adverse criticism. They were
on PENNSYLVANIA avenue, near 18th street,
upstairs, over a saloon.
| "Have you seen 'Grier's' Taft club
headquarters" one Georgia Republican
asked another at the Releigh hotel, after
each of them, individually and alone, had
slipped and slid through the streets to
take a peep at the quarters
J Eyes, in a back ROOM over a saloon;
the idea of Georgia making such show
| ing in Washington" was the reply. "And
that flag did you notice it?'
| But Mr.. Grier was not to blame for
! the flags appearance. The snow, the
sleet, the rain. the wind, these, contribut'
| ed their share to the appearance of the
| flag. And Mr.. Grier did the very best he
could have done under the circumstances
| in obtaining headquarters during the in
auguration. Georgia was, indeed. lucky TO
get a room anywhere within radius or
! three miles of the center of the city, and
here Mr.. Griers club was located within
three blocks of the white house.
| WASHINGTON, D. c., March 10.--Just
before the Sixtieth congress became a
memory, Senator Daniel, of Virginia,
went through the, form of calling up
| familiar ghost" He has performed this
feat about once every twelve-month for
many years.
The ghost is the $4,000 which the gov
| eminent owes the state of Virginia for
money advanced considerably more than
i a century ago, and which has never been
repaid. 1t cannot be said, however, that
the Lame Lion of Lynchburg," as Sen
/ ator Daniels people love to call him,
has been backward in pressing the
claim. He has dunned the government
| persistently.
| ! The debt was contracted in 1870. The
! national government, wanted to. build
great capitol at Washington, then a site
| in the wilderness, and little more. The
government was hard up. The demands
for money came from many quarters,
| and the sources of revenue were few.
| But the commonwealth of Virginia was
we'll fixed. financially, and the federal
government came, to it with the prop
osition that Virginia lend to the U. s.
| hundred thousand dollars, or So Nir-
ginia stood the touch" and has never
! been compensated
Chief Justice Marshall drafted the bill,
4 afterward passed by the general assem-
| bly, of Virginia. which made the loan OF
| 100000 to the national government. The
money was used by the u. s.. in the con-
| struction of the national capitol Re-
heated efforts have been made by Vir-
| ginia representatives and senators to in
! duce congress to make an appropriation
| TO repay the debt, but nothing has ever
resulted from such efforts. The late
lanes G. Blaine and others of equal
prominence in the Republican party re-
cognized the justice of Virginia's claim
and advocated the payment of the debt,
but their influence availed nothing.
Uncle Sam" a Hard Debtor
Uncle Sam is poor pay" few per-
| sons in the course of a long business ca
reer will find a debtor who is harder
/ than Uncle Sam" Claims century
| Old. the Justice OF WHICH, arc MT ANSS
toned are pending IN congress and have
been pending for almost century. The
court Of claims passes every year on
claims against the government referred
\ to it by act of congress, and finds them
absolutely just. Bills making appropria-
ton for their payment are introduced,
| but it generally requires from decade
| to two decades and a half to get the
| average claim preceded for by appropria-
| ton.
The omnibus claims bill, which passed
the house, and, after many claims had
been added in the senate, passed the
senate also, only to die IN conference,
contained about $4O0, 900 or French spoil
alton claims" The present claims for
shipping and cargoes destroyed by
| French privateers over century ago,
and serve to indicate how hard it is to
get money out of the government for
| just claims.
| The government of France made good
to the United States for the spoliation
| claims; that is, the U. S., in 1900, waived
the claims as a part of the consideration
for the territory acquired by treaty from
France in 1903. The u. s. agreed with
France to assume the payment of the
claims.
Twice congress has passed bills to pay
these claims President Polk vetoed the