Americus times-recorder. [volume] (Americus, Ga.) 1891-current, 1910-01-12
GEORGIPS SENATOR'S on THE
SICK LIST.

Many public men have had their ca
reers cut short, or seriously marred
by poor stomachs. Given good
stomach the public man is apt to be
optimistic, to wear the glad smile, and
give the glad shake Of the hand, to be
popular with his constituents for his
sunshiney disposition Such man ra-
dates good nature around him and
wins the confidence of his political
foes as well as the affection of his
friends.
Our two Georgia senator's have late
ly fallen into the lists of those whose
usefulness has been interfered with
by stomachs that, to use the popular
expression, have gone back on them
Senator Bacon has just returned to
Washington after a tussel with that
organ, and Senator Clay is taking a
course of treatment in a sanitarium.
Both men have had spells of wretch
ed health of late, and it is regarded as
decidedly doubtful whether either of
them will serve out his full term. 1t
is a difficult matter for a statesman
whose stomach has turned topsy turvy
and refuses to give him its substan-
tial backing to concentrate his atten-
ton on the tariff, or the Panama
canal, or the Pfnchot-B aIlinger SQUAD
bic, or any of the other problems of
the hour. In the days when Senators
Bacon and Clay did not know, except
from the charts, that they had such an
organ as a stomach, except as a pleas
ant vacuum to fill with things enjoy
able to the palate, they could stand
as long a siege Of congress as any
of the peoples representatives. No
session could tire them out. Day
after day they were on the job, cheer
full, bright as daisy, ready to discuss
constitutional law or pilot a constit-
uent through the mazes of the capitol
building. But that halcyon period Of
their legislative career at Washington
seems to have come to a close. The
nursing of an aggrieved stomach is
one of the most painful of personal
duties, something that coanot be rele-
gated to a secretary, ans ., we fear,
struggle as they will to maintain the
old standards of usefulness and eff
cheney, our senators will find it more
than ever necessary from now on to
ease up on public duties, to throw off
the myriad minor responsibilities that
weary and worry and exhaust time
and energy and give their attention
solely to the higher sphere of states
manship.
Bacon and Clay have made a strong
team at Washington. 1t is certainly to
be deplored that the physical eondi-
ton of both should be in distressing
state at the same time. Never has a
state had two more willing represen-
tatives in the upper house, two men
more eager to promote the welfare Of
their party in all legitimate ways.
more intensely DESTROYS to advance the
interests of their state and section,
more willing to give their attention to
the requests, even though at times
perhaps unreasonable. of fellow Geor-
gians. The breakdown of Senator
Clay, who is only in his 57th year,
coming at the same time as that Of
Senator Bacon. aged 20 years, and the
reports current off and on that one or
the other, or both of them, may at any
time resign on account of i'll health,
opens up wonderful possibilities Of
stirring times in Georgia in the next
year or two.