The Marietta journal and courier. (Marietta, Ga.) 1909-1918, 1915-11-05
THE sLANDERER IN POLITICS

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There is no man in Georgia, per-
haps, who knows more political lead
ers than d. F. McClatchey, secretary
CT the Georgia senate And he is
also authority on the different kinds
OF politicians you find in this state.
He was speaking few nights since
to the Young Peoples Society of the
Druid Hills Presbyterian church in
Atlanta, pointing out the reasons
why better political conditions could
not be brought about He showed
how the indifference Of the best pee
pie to politics, the refusal OF the best
men to run for office and other causes
brought about a bad condition in pol
tiles and in conclusion paid his res
poets to the political slanderer. His
words in regard to that kind Of poll
teal force in the community were as
follows:
I'VE have often heard that human
life was cheap, and this is true. Yet
more priceless than human life and
far cheaper is human character. No
human creature but ourselves can
know the struggles, the sacrifices
and the sufferings that have been
necessary in building a character. vet
the vile and malicious tongue of SLAM
der can destroy it in a moment. Slau-
der is the vilest of all the vices, for
1t is the executing vice that springs
from all and lives upon selfishness,
envy, ayarice and pride. 1t is the in
strument of all these horrible traits
Of human nature that is used to des-
troy virtue and, in politics, more
than in any other walk of life we
find the slanderer always active, al
ways on the job.
1T is this that makes the GOOD
men shrink from contact with politi-
cal life. 1t is this that makes the
good man shrink from allowing his
name to be used for public office. Ii
is this that often destroys good men
and good women and allows the evil
to prevail, and it is this, above all
other things that destroys and weak
ems the purity of politics and politi-
cal life and robs it of its highest.
unrest and Yobla,+ ;Ioaye
The prevalence of Islander and
the Indifference Of the people to it
cannot be denied, and this very fact
is the highest tribute to the men who
are actually in control of our public
affairs, for, if their character is
weak, if their record is corrupt, the
searchlight Of public opinion will
find the defect and the slanderer will
proclaim it to the world. Little men
and weak men cannot stand against
the tongue of SANDER, but to reso-
lutely ignore and disregard it, and
with a fixed and definite purpose, set
about the discharge of the duties of
an office with a conscientious pur-
pose to achieve that which is best for
the interest of our people, requires
man of the highest ideals, the mob
lest spirit and a master-soul that ever
looks up to God.
Therefore, to correct the evils Of
this day, to destroy the impression
that now prevail that politics and
politicians are all corrupt and to es-
tablish the high ideals that will
measure up to the standard of our
text, demands that the best people
that we have must put their should
ers to the wheel and do the full
measure Of their duties by society
and the state, and thus will they up
lift themselves, and in uplifting
themselves, uplift mankind and mag
nifty the Master. Athens Banner.