The Dawson news. (Dawson, Ga.) 1889-current, 1918-12-03
LIBERALIZATION TO
DIVIDE The SOUTH?
MANY DEMOCRATS SAY FEEDER
AL OWNERSHIP PLAN MEANS
NEW PARTY.
A PROMINENT GEORGIAN
IN WASHINGTON IS QUOTED
Course to Be Pursued by President
Wilson Will Have an Important
Bearing on 192O-State Sovereign.
ty Fast Becoming Issue.

ty Fast becoming Issue.
MACON, Ga. - The Telegraph
prints from its Washington CORE
spondent, Walter S. Gard, a very in
teresting and Illuminating article on
the question of government owner
ship of railroads and other public util-
tiles as it relates to the present ad-
ministration and may affect the pres
identical campaign of 1920. It fol-
lows:
Forces are at work, which if not
checked soon, remarked a Georgia
democrat to me the other afternoon
while chattering in the capitol, twill
split the solid south from flank to
dewlap." | asked him to elucidate.
He glazed over to a corner where a
life-size figure of Fulton sits nursing
a Hudson river steamboat and said
Government ownership" That old
bird of politics has proved mighty
wise guesser in the past, and his last
prediction is not so wild as it sounds.
AS the time draws nearer for the
assembling of congress in the final
session of the present congress and it
becomes more and more clear that
President Wilson will not be able to
dodge an extra session of the new
congress very soon after March 4, the
agitation of the government owner
ship question becomes more and more
prominent. Indeed it may be desig-
mated not entirely enormously as an
issue Now, as this issue creeps
out of the mists of reconstruction
tasks which congress must soon face.
it is not at all unusual to run into a
good southern democrat who saws
very audibly and openly that he will
not follow his party into the fields of
government ownership. Not only
that, but there are scores of demo-
Gratis from the south holding office
under the administration or in con-
gress who are equally frank to say
that the moment the democratic party
comes out openly in support of gov
eminent ownership of the railroads,
ship lines, telegraph, telephone and
express companies, they will join in a
4A-O' NiLlShI 1OI IlIO CIGdGlOn Ol an CD
position democratic party that will
stand against federation and central
izatiOn and in favor of state sover-
eighty The war, armistice and mat
tiers growing out of the advent of
peace may be uppermost in the coun-
try outside of the supercharged po-
lltical atmosphere of Washington, but
in the nations capital the talk about
government ownership of public utili-
ties is the big topic whenever little
group gathers over cigars and bevo.
No Denials Are Made.
Statements attributed directly to
Director General McAdoo and not de-
MED by him, to the effect that every
effort must be made to insure contin-
uation of government control of the
railroads in case it is impossible to Sc
cure government ownership of the
lines, served to jolt Washington into
realization of the reality of the is
sue. Then along came Postmaster
Genral Burleson with his argument in
favor of the governments retention
of the postal and telegraph and cable
systems. This served to make it pos
slbIe for the republicans in the senate
to charge the administration with So
clallstic tendencies and direct lean
ing toward government ownership.