Atlanta semi-weekly journal. (Atlanta, Ga.) 1898-1920, 1910-09-27

years until the present month, when the
whirligig of politics brought in another
Democratic governor and insured the
election of a United States senator in
stead of Hon. Eugene Hale, who has
been considered a fixture in the senate
for 80 years past.
There has been a moving force that
mas made a revolution in the politics of
Maine.
What is it?
There may be several things to con-
slider before we reach the bottom of the
situation, but the time has manifestly
come to rebuke the wastefulness of the -.
Republican regime. The tax money OF
the nation has been scattered without
apparent limit. 1t has become appalling.
Billions are voted away in apparent
indifference and the trading and SWAP
ping of votes, where public buildings are
concerned, has long been a disgrace to
the nation.
That is one indictment, and it has
the proof along with the charge.
Next there have been too many syn
dicate-trusts in control of national leg
islation. Railroads, Standard oil, the
sugar combine, etc, have all adopted the
G. o. P.'s side of the questions involved.
and the public mind Is satisfied that the
liberty of the masses has been turned
into serfdom by such interests. The ex-
travagant demands of those who defend
the high tariff rates. passed during the
last congress by Republican legislators
in both houses of congress has been an
eye-opener to those who see what they
are compelled to pay for the necessaries
of life, while Canadians will sell the
same things at a 80 per cent reduc-
ton.
Somebody is getting the profit and the
clutch of these great syndicates who
are led by money barons and those who
have grown mighty with predatory
wealth.
The pocket nerve of the poor voter
has caused this thrill in Maine politics.
This is reason number two.
There are but two national parties in
the United States, Democrat and Repub-
lican, so it became necessary to sustain
one to rebuke the other.
The old antagonism gave way when.
the question of meat and bread and de-
cent shelter pressed itself upon the voters
of Maine.
They had utterly failed with the G. o.
P, so they must of necessity try an
other Democrat, in the gubernatorial
chair, as the only hope for present relief.
And there is another lesson still to be
learned from Maine, namely, II the Dem
ocrats prove good leaders and follow
sound principles they will naturally come
into national power once more. but that
question is so serious that one is remind
ed of General Grants words when he
said there would always be a Republi-
can party so long as there was a Demo-
cratic party, because the latter always
lost its head as soon as 1t grasped ma
tional authority"
For instance: I was familiar with the
workings of the 44th congress. the first
one after the war when the Democrats
had a majority in the house Of repre-
sentatives A great many investigations
were set on foot, and a great splutter
was made over the guilty radicals, but ii
became a proverb in the United States
capitol that every exposure brought for
ward at least one rotten Democrat for
every rotten Republican"
There was loud cutlery in Washington
that the District of Columbia was In the
clutch of grafters, and that Grants adj
ministration was leagued in with these
District atrocities and Republican venali-
ty.
But I remember well that these in
vestigations petered out, because there
were so many Democratic politicians en-
tangled in the dirty business that the
whole thing ended in a farce. But the
outcry was so loud that Mr.. Tilden al
most won the White House. and would
have taken his seat IL some rotten DEM
ocrats had not traded and trafhcked
for individual advantage with the poll
ticians of the Hayes variety, and thus
South Carolina, Florida and Louisiana
went to pot in the controlling count,
where Mr. Tllden failed.
This Lorimer business in Illinois is
sample of the times we live in, where
II is notorious that the late election in
Illinois sustained the Identical Demo-
cratic politicians who are charged with
getting Lorimer's money in his election
to the senate a year or more ago.
A party that cannot furnish clean
bill of health to the country need not
expect to make more than trifiing pro-
gress with their present success In
Maine It is evident that the revolt
against Republican tyranny and corrup-
ton only took the least of two evils in
their desperate situation, and the lesson
that Maine teaches to the Democrats is
to turn over a new leaf and wipe OUT
the reprehensible record of past fail
ures and to redeem the time by doing
we'll as talking for cleaner politics In
national affairs.
The south must come forward with
leaders of character and statesmanSmp
and to be able to do this we must see to
it that our own doorsteps and back
yards are in sanitary condition, politi-
calIV