Atlanta semi-weekly journal. (Atlanta, Ga.) 1898-1920, 1912-04-19

/ make use OF her own neglected
genius And that while the rest of the
country has guided and dominated in
/ the industrial and economic develop
ment OF the nation, she has only
shared modestly upon a scale that did
not compare with the scale upon
which other regions of the country
l shared the common life, and that
while there was a development going
on in the north which was changing
not only the whole economic aspect
OF affairs but the whole political as
/ pect OF affairs. the south held on. The
south didn't take leading and guild
/ ing part So that there remained
here in the south what I may call a
great unexhausted reserve OF unused
thought, of unemployed power. just as
some OF our great water courses for a
long time did not drive the wheels Of
/ Industry, so for a long time our own
native genius did not touch the springs
OF enterprise except upon local ana
limited scale. Now THE SOUTH BY
THAT TOKEN is MUCH MORE IN
I TEt.EsTED IN THE FUTURE THAN
SHE Is IN THE PAST. AND WHAT
THE SOUTH is NOW INVITED TO
DO Is TO TAKE HER PART AND
SHARE IN THE THINGS THAT THIS
NATION IS HENCEFORWARD TO
ACCOMPLISH.
"AN HUMBLE SCHooLMAsTER."
Senator Smith said to you, and said
very truly, that the circumstances
/ that some of US who have had to work
/ in the northern states have had 10
deal with in the field of politics have
/ not been duplicated in the south.
The state Of Georgia, for example,
has never been owned by the special
/ interests, but the state Of New Jer-
4 81 @pa0fa1 in
/ terests. The state of New Jersey has
suffered for a generation under
reputation which her people did not
I deserve. all over the country. II has
mortified those Of US who lived in New
Jersey that we should be looked upon
1 as a state which nursed, originated,
nurtured the trusts that were domi-
mating the economic life Of this coun-
/ try, and that New Jersey was content
to be ridden by the power of the
bosses.
New Jersey was no more content
under those conditions than the most
/ progressive people in the United
/ states. But this was/ happening in
New Jersey. that no matter how peo-
pie voted, no matter which party they
voted for, nothing was changed. The
same men dominated. the same inti1-
ences were in the saddle, and so, in
desperate moment, in a moment we'll
nigh reaching the point of despair, she
turned to an humble sch oolmaster and
asked him If he could see any way cut
of the situation. (Applause)
There were some gentlemen very ac-
compiished in politics in the state OF
New Jersey who were foolish enough
to advocate the nomination and cleo
ton Of that schoolmaster. (Applause.)
/ hope that they did not doubt his
principles-I believe that they did not
doubt his purposes. But they thought
/ that he was so innocent and fnexpe-
rienced a person that they could get
him." no matter what he tried to DO.
! (App.ause.)
81 carefully and candidly explained to
my fellow citizens that wanted them
/ to vote Tor me, II they did vote for me,
with a fun knowledge that I was a
schoolmaster. and that schoolmaster
was a person who was trained to ind
out everything that he could and then
tell everything that he knew (Pro-
lionged applause.) The most dangerous
thing that could have happened TO New
Jersey at that time was to put anybody
in that was accustomed to ind out how
things stood, and the next most dan
lgerous was to ind somebody so invet-
erately talkative that he would give it
all away. daughter and applause.) And
/ all that was necessary to do, in order
to summon the people Of New Jersey to
the exercise OF a novel supremacy, was
to reveal everything that was going on
at the state-house and everywhere else.
A FREED LEGISLATURE.
Now what was going on? want thus
to illustrate the past. I hope 1t will
remain the past in New Jersey and in
America. That legislative session that
{ II -
happiest legislative session. If 1 may
take the testimony Of newspaper cor
respondents who were in attendance
upon II, that New Jersey. had seen in
/ a generation Why? Because the mem
bers of that legislature realized that
they were free men. at liberty to follow
their own convictions and their own
knowledge OF the interests OF their con-
shtuents. Up 20 that time certain
group OF gentlemen whom these same
newspaper men had dubbed THE Board
OF Guardians" had sat privately in GER
tain rooms OF the state capitol and had
determined what the legislature of New
Jersey should and should not do.
/ That legislature was in the leading
strings of the lobbyists and direct rep
resentatives OF some Of the biggest and
most selfish corporations in the state OF
New Jersey. These gentlemen had dom
II the bldlcs udQ OWLCu ll6 Sldlcs
they had owned. I am ashamed to say,
both machines Of both parties, for tell
you. ladies and gentlemen, when It
comes to carrying business into politics
there is no distinction between ma
chimes. there is no difference between
bosses. THAT'S. WHAT THAT ELEC-
tTI0Ns MEANT. THAT VOTE AT THE
POLLS, THE OTHER DAY. IN PENN
tSYLVANIA. Pennsylvanians had been
! longing, just as New Jersey men had
been longing, for some open door OF pro-
test and emancipation. And they found
1T by repudiating the leadership of all
the older influences on both sides Of the
house. (Applause.) There dawned in
Pennsylvania on that day that new era
for which patriotic Pennsylvanians had
been praying, but praying hoplessIy, for
a generation
/ UPSETTING INSTITUTIONS.
Now, while these things have been
going on. while states have been owned,
in what direction has the thought of the
people turned? You have heard a great
deal about radicals and conservatives,
you have heard about men who were
standing pat in order to preserve those
I institutions.
What institutions were there to pre-
serve in New Jersey, for example? There
was no representative chamber there,
there was no executive there who could
be counted upon to guide the legislative
chamber in the way Of popular legisla-