Americus times-recorder. [volume] (Americus, Ga.) 1891-current, 1912-06-02
MAKING A MARTYR OF TOM WAT
son.

the RepuUIlCdH pdl y, a. HioAJ "
undoubtedly believe, the effect of the
prosecution of Thomas f. Watson on
the charge of sending alleged scurril-
GUS matter through the mails, attack
ing the Catholic hierarchy in the Unit
I'd States, will have at least one effect
that OF making him a MARTYR in the
eyes of his followers and of greatly in
creasing his strength and influence in
Georgia politics.
If it is a political move on the part
of the Taft administration, and it will
be openly charged and believed that it
$. it will simply have the effect Of
weakening the Taft administration in
the country as a whole. 1t may, OF
course. serve to further rally the Cath
clio vote to it in a measure, but its
ounter effect will be to further alien
{ te Protestant support.
There is no use in shutting ones
eyes to the fact, or in denying its ex-
istence, that there is a strong and
steadily growing opposition to the
Taft administration on the ground thar
the administration has gone out of its
Vay to cater to the Catholic church, to
enlist its support by species of alleg-
ed subseryiency to its leaders. Presi-
lent Taft has himself acknowledged
this in his recent letter protesting his
of the charges made against
him along this line. But even his
personal and emphatic denials have
failed to satisfy a vast mass of Protes-
tant voters, and his overthrow in Ohio
and New Jersey, as in Pennsylvania
and some other states, it is, in a meas
IRE at least, directly attributable to this
feeling of resentment.
Now the prosecution of Tom Watson,
at this particular time. with a great
in progress, will undoubted
ly be charged up to the same alleged
inclination on the part of the Taft ad-
to secure the support of
Catholic voters. The feeling will be
I oused that the United States, through
its courts, is being used as a means If
reaching Watson because of his at
lacks on the Catholic church, and that
the Taft administration is playing pol
itics in the matter. Once that idea be
comes impressed on the already dissat-
isfied Protestant voters and nothing
that Taft can say on the subject will
be of any avail. The case will I'M
Occasionally cut its figure in nationa
politics. 1t may benefit the admins
tration in some quarters, but it will
'a07n II IN ctAors.
Now as to Watson in Georgia, the
effect of the prosecution, if it is really
1ade, will simply he to rally to him
0anv people who have not heretofore
supported him but who will believe
that he is being prosecuted at the IN
stance OF the Catholic church. Tom
Watson is keen enough to play on this
feeling. He can plead the guaranteed
liberty of speech and of the press and
claim that it is being throttled by the
Catholic hierarchy through govern
mental mediums. And on that ground,
and there is no use in denying it, Tom
Watson will immeasurably strengthen
himself in Georgia. Instead of hav-
ing ten or fifteen thousand followers
he is more than apt to have thirty or
forty or fifty thousand
Some of Watson's attacks are viii
md infamous. Moderation is unknown
to the man. He is an extremist of a
bitter and INSCRIPTIONS type. His
denunciations OF the Catholic church
are of such character as to disgust
thousands of Professionals. But if it is
felt that Watson is being prosecuted
simply as a bait to the Catholic vote
that he is being prosecuted in a Geor-
gia Federal court at the instance OF
the Catholic hierarchy, and that back
of this lies the desire of the admins.
tration to strengthen itself in that di-
rection, this disgust may give way to
7nother feeling. Tom Watson as a
martyr to freedom of speech and the
freedom of the press, as he will de-
clare himself, and succeed in making
many countless thousands believe. is
not a spectacle that is at all pleasing
to those who are opposed to his pres
ent dominating position in Georgia pol
itics. Give him the added strength
that will come from this and Watson
will crack the whip as never before In
Georgia politics.
All in all, it looks like an unfortun-
ate movement, indeed very unfortun-
speaking. AS for the Taft administra-
ton, it is in the position of the hound
dog, everybody is kicking it around
and nothing it does can probably help
t much. Whatever be the motives be-
lind the prosecution of Watson it viii
,e charged up to Taft as another evil
lence of his alleged leanings and his
will be made the greater as
result. And the feeling that the
ourts are being used to this end may
roduce regrettable results in other
yaVs