Atlanta semi-weekly journal. (Atlanta, Ga.) 1898-1920, 1910-08-23
lFrom the Jenersonian.)

(F'rom the Jeffersonian-)
Happy is the man who is blessed with
a good son-in-law. Uncle ODE is extreme
ly lucky n that respect. In NJ. j. Yeo-
mans, Uncle ODE has an ideal son-in-law.
So much so. indeed, that he sympathizes
with the old brother in his desire to keep
the confectionery in the family. In the
goodness of his heart and in his natural
| desire that the candy should stay in the
family, this ideal son-in-law is circulating
literature that tickles me all over. Yeo-
mans didn't intend that any of it should
fall into my hands-but it did SO, just
the same. The political wire-pullers. and
the Dessrters and the Do-nothings, as
we'll as the Union City crooks, can't send
out any circular letters or campaign lit
erature to Old Man Peepul which that
keenly interested individual will not d.
vide with a Red-topped Person, looking
just about like me.
Thus it happens that 1 am in posses
sion of the Yeomans literature.
With pathetic earnestness. Yeomans in
quires, why Defeat the Farmer" An
/ other moving headline is, Farmers Must
Retain Their Representative on Railroad
Commission" The bucollc person refer
red to by Yeomans is, of course, Uncle
Obadiah.
Don't you remember when the Railroad
Commission got after the Georgia Rail-
road? Don't you remember that some
parts of it's road-bed were in such a di-
lapidated condition that spikes could be
pulled out of it's rotten crossties with the
naked fingers?
Don't you recollect how Bowdre Phinizy
carried a sackful of those old spikes to
Atlanta to show to the Commission?
Don't you remember how wrecks multi
piled? The condition got to be so terri
BILE and intolerable that, after a bad
smashup near Thomson, due to the defec-
tive condition OF the road-bed, called up
Governor Smith over the long distance
telephone, and appealed to him, for God
sake to do something.
Don't you remember how our farmer, 1"
Obadiah Stevens. was detailed to inspect
the Georgia Railroad? Don't you recall
how the railroad officials took Uncle ODE
in their special private car, and whirled
him over the road?
This iron highway starts out from Au-
gusta, and goes up to Camak, from which
place II sends out a branch line to Ma
con, Ca, a distance of about so miles to
the left Then the main line goes on up
to Union Point, from which place 1t sends
Plains and one to Athens. The White
Plains road is short, but the one to Ath-
ems is about as long as that to Macon
Then the main line goes on up to Atlanta
a distance of considerably more than 100
miles from Union Point.
This transportation company, being I'M
der accusation-the charge being that its
roadbed was in such a dilapidated condi-
ton that human life was being sacrihced
-r-,fe Tor ~
tailed Obadiah Stevens, the said farm
err" to make a careful inspection Of said
road-bed.
Could this farmer have been assign
ed to a more sacred duty? II he has at
heart the interests of humanity, will he
ever have a better chance to show it?
How did Obadiah Stevens. the farm
err" discharge that sacred duty to which
he was assigned?
Don't you remember that he devoted
less than two days to the careful in
spection" of nearly two hundred miles of
main line, and nearly the same distance
on three branch roads? Don't you recOl-
Iect That he reported that the road was
in tiptop condition?
Everybody knew that this alleged in
vestigation was a mere fake. Public
opinion severely condemned Obadiah
stevens for his betrayal of his trust. Dis
regard Of human life and of the rights
of the travelling public was never more
plainly displayed. Subservience to the
corporations was never more disgrace
fully exhibited.
The clamor became so great that the
Railroad Commission was forced into
action. Bowdre Phinizy deserves great
credit for the fight he made. (Of course
The Jeffersonian, and other papers. were
helping it, The Georgia Railroad was
ordered peremptorily to make certain re-
pairs within a certain time. The corpora