Atlanta Georgian. [volume] (Atlanta, Ga.) 1912-1939, 1913-06-25

shield, you and to uphold the dignity OF
your laws.
Part of Government.
Instead, therefore, of being held as
a thing apart, the Constitution makes
them an integral factor of your gov
eminent; instead of being an excres-
cence, they are your strong arm never
to be eXerted save when your other ele-
ments Of strength are inadequate or
helpless; then with the force Of thun-
And in their patriotic willingness to
/ lay down even life itself to protect
you and your laws they embody the
words Of our Divine Lord Greater
/ love hath no man than this, that man
lay down his life for his friend" John
l5-lS.( And should any Of them lose
1 lives In the service for which your very
I Constitution has ordained their organi-
cation, they merit the paraphrase Of the
simple. yet sublime, epitaph which his
the Spartan band who fell at Thermopy-
[ lac in defense Of their country viz.
Go, stranger, tell IL in lacedRmon that
we died in obedience to her laws. !"
Let me say, therefore, that Georgia's
name should be the synonym of good
faith; that when she guarantees inn
partial and complete protection she
must make her guarantee good; that
the uniform of soldier who unselfshly
leaves home comforts and hazards his
life for the protection Of the laws of the
state and the lives Of her people is
badge of honor. And a twenty year
old youth standing in uniform with gun
in hand for the projection of the law,
is more to be honored than are 5000
hands for anarchy. class preference, or
class tyranny, for that youth repre-
sents not militarism in its formal sense,
but he is the ultimate resort Of the law.
UNFOLDING the Law.
The present law prescribing the man.
ner OF using the militia Of the State was
passed unanimously by the Senate and
almost unanimously by the House of
/ I'm enacting IT after considering 1t for
more than a year. Undoubtedly a pot
ent factor in securing the enactment Of
the law was the knowledge that, while
many good people are moving into
Georgia, yet there are also elements with
practices and views widely at variance
with these adhered to by our native
population.
Consequently we must assume that it
Is the judgment Of vast majority OF
the people of Georgia that the military
must be used as military when emerg-
encies demand. The General Assembly.
/ therefore, does not have to apologize
for making this law; and the Gov
ernor does not have to apologize for
militia does not have to apologize for
obeying the order the Governor trans
mitted to it. Each performed a high
duty which the people for their protec-
ton had ordained.
Some of the happenings in Georgia
during the present year have trended
| tuition into contempt II is for you,
! therefore, to say whether you are going
| to surrender this State to anarchy or
whether YOU are going to preserve it
for law. II is for you to say whether
you are going to allow one class with
less than 10000 members, preferential
privileges to the detriment and danger
of the remainder of the public with up
wards Of $50 600 voters or whether you
viii enforce your process against ali
law breakers alike,
Mobs and Lynchings.
II is for you to say whether you will
allow barns to be burned, residences dy-
namited and people driven from their
1 homes, thus destroying property valua-
1 tons and depriving certain counties OF
/ needed lahorers; and whether you will
4 allow uobs to force sheriffs and jailers,
1 before the muzzles Of guns, to surrender
/ prisoners in the States custody, who are
/ then taken out and unlawfully killed.
/ is for you to say whether you viii
1 allow the statutes you enact to be made
/ a moCkery or whether all men In all
classes shall obey them in the same
1 manner. You have the power to enact
laws which win control every situation
| have portrayed.
Yet, / am in the line of duty and self
respect when say: Do not make 1t the
Governors duty to enforce a law and
hen condemn him for doing il. ANY
Governor, true to his oath. viii enforce
il regardless Of condemnation. And do
not, even by inference, command a mill
tiaman. a sheriff or other agent of the
tate to imperil his life and possibly
.ose 1t, 70 protect your lives and prop
eTty and uphold the dignity Of your
Constitution, and then fire into his back
from the State House whence his orders
came Do not enact laws which you
intend shall not be enforced or which
YOU would allow to be tempered with
There is no middle ground between law
2rd anarchy.
The people Of Georgia are Jealous of
their liberties. but they are not going
70 suffer their statutes defeated and
helr Constitution made contemplate
under the false plea Of liberty That
license which styles itself liberty which
would subordinate the rights of the pub
lie to the selfish interests Of classes
or which would substitute the process of
anarchy for the process Of law. has no =
place IN any State Inhabited by freemen.
true liberty sits side by side with the
enthroned law.
Enactment of Laws.
In conclusion, allow me to urge upor.
You thoughtful care in the enactment OF
statutes for the public welfare The
laws Of Georgia should be deliberately
framed and so broad and Just as to be
craven on the very hearts OF her peo-
pie; they should inspire confidence and
willing loyalty which would make it the
proudest boast to say: Il too am a
Georgian And the authority Of the
State and of her municipalities should be
so reverenced that a Sheriff's badge and
a poiiceman's club would command as
great respect as does the baton of a
marshal OF France.