The Jeffersonian. [volume] (Atlanta, Ga.) 1907-1917, 1915-03-18

calling upon men in public life to get
together and set the necessary ma
chlnery IN motion to muzZle it.
Would Senator Fletcher, a lawyer
and law maker, have us believe that
the voluminous laws with which our
statutes are burdened offer made
quate protection for people and in
situations, whose records and opera
lions are above reproach?
1t would be interesting to know
the modus operandi most acceptable
to him in promulgating his press
muzZllng idea Would be install a
politician and a church dignitary at
either elbow Of every magazine edi-
tor IN America with a censoring blue
pencil? It SO, it would be interesting
to know he would have these gen
tlemen remunerated from the ex-
cheQuer of State. Or would he
blanket the censorship and throw
that old mantle of Oriental and Eu-
ropean tommy-rot around American
politicians, known as, "Divine right
OF Kings?''
THE King can do no wrong" you
know, but the American people know
that American politicians can do
wrong and very grievously at that,
even against their own constituents,
On occasions, to the advantage of
social interests and the Office holding
contingent.
Would Senator Fletcher have our
public men elevated on a pedestaled
plain separate and apart from the
people, privileged to partake of i'm
munity baths at will, with carte
blanche to squander public monies
and live riotous lives of luxury and
ease?
Would he make this an imperialis-
tic government, magnanimously al
lowing the people the rare privilege
of naming their own monarchs, at
stated intervals, instead of having
them born ready made, as is the Eu-
ropean practice? In that case the
people would enjoy the edifying
spectacle, around election time, of
seeing their monarchs descend from
their lofty perches and cringe and
fawn and promise, only to conven-
iently forget all about it as soon as
election returns are in.
AS a matter of fact it is our public
men and not the public press that
enjoys too much freedom They are
servant-Of-the-peopl during their
political campaigns, but once safely
ensconced in office they not infre-
Quently assume an arrogant mastery.
A "tyrannical and misleading
press Fiddlesticks. Had the press
of America exposed half the rotten
ness Of American official life of the
last two decades, the present panic
which, by the way, is second to none
of the many that have blackened the
pages of American history-would
never have occurred.
Were this country relieved of poll
teal grating and we'll rid of it's
army of cringing, servile and in
triguing politicians, such a thing as
a panic would be unknown.
The politicians are now noisily en-
gagged in beguiling the people to ac-
cept the European war as the source
of all their present troubles. Their
scape goat was Cleveland in '93,
Roosevelt in '07, and the European
war in 1914. Will the people never
shed their cataractous growth?
The half has never been told about
the rottenness of the politicians of
America The press and the people
feel it and know it, but are pOWerless
to produce the requisite evidence to
expose it, because of the intimidat-
ing, brow-beating and white washing
methods often practiced by the very
officials whom they know to be