The Jeffersonian. [volume] (Atlanta, Ga.) 1907-1917, 1910-11-10

put up defenSeS to the action OF. the
representative who has voted antag-
onistically to the welfare and best in
terests of his constituents. l do not
mean to say that all papers which are
friendly to the gentlemen are in
congress are subsidized, but we have
enough evidence before us to war
rant few assertions, especially when
we witness congressman handing
an appointment to some editor or
newspaper manager. If we will in
spect the situation in the Eleventh
Congressional district we find that
Mr.. Brantley has made one or two
newspaper men gin reporters and a
few appointments in other vocations
of like kind, he in this way bribes
or Influences the good will of said
editor or manager.
The press of this country, if exer-
cised and controlled on an honorable
basis, would be great benefit to
society and would help destroy the
baneful control that the politicians
exert in order to keep themselves in
power, but when newspaper is in
fiuenced by corrupt motives it is a
very dangerous benefactor in the
community wherein it survives, and
when the people become aware that
the newspaper is not endowed with
manly and honorable impulse they
should Immediately cease to have any
connection with it and absolutely re-
fuse to read the vile doses of hyproc-
risy that it's columns contain.
Recurring to Mr. Brantley ode
serter from the ELEVENTH. we find
Il ic NJ
about August 18th, that he says that
all his efforts will be concentrated
beneath the Democratic flag; he
says: For all Insurgent Republic
cans who are willing to fight for
Democratic principles, l have the
glad hand, but | want it known ever
and always that | am fighting be-
meath the flag of Democracy and that
the things for which I stand are
Democratic in their essence and eff
feet PusillanimOus deception;
Great Heavens! This is the amazing
climax that he reaches in his at
tempted explanation, and it looks as
though to a close observer that he
has but very little respect for his
constituency and their intelligence to
think that they would accept such a
weak and vacillating effort to explain
why he refused to support the move
ment which was to deprive the
speaker of the power that naturally
left the legislation of the country in
his hands Mr. Brantley virtually
admits that the effort on the part of
the Insurgent Republicans and
Democrats to overthrow bossism was
wise and commendable, but how can
he palliate that desertiOn from the
Democratic banners and his alliance
with stand-pat Republicans and
Speaker Cannon?
The founders of this government
must have intended that the Speaker
of the House should be destitute Of
any power to dictate when they fail
ed to assign any authority to him in
the Constitution; they intended that
the legislative branch should be the
body that obeyed and enacted the
wishes of the people, and that this
body should not be dominated by a
Speaker under despotic rules allow
ing him such preposterous and un-
warranted and unlimited power which
the present Speaker of the House of
Representatives holds at his COM
mand, welding with such brazen au-
dacity that no member would scarce
ly dare to interpret. Rules that en-
abled the Speaker of the House to be
complete fOuntain-head of all legis-