The Dawson news. (Dawson, Ga.) 1889-current, 1920-01-06
VACANT CHAIR ACT
GOES TO WASHINGTON
orp KNOCKS AT DOOR OF
HOUSE AGAIN. BATTLE Or
nA11oTS" FINALE, THEN IT'S
rprEDoM OR PRISON BARS.

rpEEDoM OR PRISON BARS.
MILWAUKEE,, Wis.,. Milwaukee
hod ifs "battle of ballots" and it
f~ds Victor L. Berger, surrounded
b. his lighting forcess celebrating
NonoIeon thought he had won the
ottle Of Waterloo, only to see defeat
! .,ose in all about him. Berger is not
mt of the woods.
The scene shifts from Milwaukee
washington. The Fifth district
Election finale will be staged at the
papital when Berger, carrying a GER
[ifcate of his election, presents him.
oIf to the house of representatives.
u # promises to be a short act which
oigbt be called "The Vacant Chair"
N Advanced notices seem to indicate
hat Berger is pretty well konwn in
Washington. He has made his speech
Bown there and explained to every
bodv, in his own way, that he is try
NO to save representative govern
ment but members Of congress ap-
hear to entertain the idea that the
Government has been struggling along
PSarlv wen these many years, and
that the ship of state won't sink even
e the doors of the house are closed,
gently but firmly, against Berger.
There is suspicion, report, rumor,
leak. or whatever else you may call 1t
that when Berger presents his certif-
icate of election, with the gold seal
of the state of Wisconsin attached to
! It someone in the house will read the
news %, and in due course, Berger
having been given the "once over"
and found to be the same Berger who
called some time ago, the house Will
decide that "the vacant chair" be-
longs to the Fifth district.
Self-Interview.
In this event Berger will return to
Milwaukee to have himself interview
ed in his own newspaper on how the
profteers have taken over Washing
ton, and how representative govern
ment, free speech, free Thought ana
democracy were shot at sunrise.
There will be some clamorlng Tor
another special election, but Gov. r..
/. Phillip looms up-and the COVER
nor looms some when he wants to
as a barrier to that sort of thing.
He saws there will be no more spe-
cial elections, and unless he changes
his mind crepe will hang from the
vacant chair" until after the next
regular congressional election. Inc
Fifth district will be represented by
''thunders of silence" -,
If these things come to pass, IL
does not mean the end of it all.
Berger is billed to appear In three
other acts, which must be of more or
less interest to him, because they
have a very important bearing on
how much talk and what kind of talk
one may indulge in under the constl-
tutional right of free speech, and al
so whether Berger is going to move
among his friends here or be absent
for a time.
Other men who have admitted their
greatness have not always lived
among the flowers. Napoleon, who
cut quite a figure while he was hit
ting the ball, ended up on a lonely
island.
Some men have set out to win ter
ritory, title and power by force OF
arms, and other men have sought the
power of uncrowned political kings,
but in both cases fate, if you believe
in fate, turned them aside.
Prison Looms Ahead.
There is no danger that Berger will
be sent to st. Helena or the Horizon
marsh to live out his days, but until
certain things are decided in his ia
vor there is some danger that the
gates of Fort Leavenworth will close
behind him.
The three acts in which Berger is
billed in the big role will be enacted
in courts. The first will be in the Chi
cago court of appeals when United
States District Attorney Clyne, of
Chicago, asks that Berger be remand
ed to jail because he (Clyne) is of
the opinion that Berger has repeated
things for which he was convicted of
the espionage law, and
thereby has forfeited his right to
freedom pending decision of the court
of appeals on Berger's plea for new
hearing.
The second act will come on the
day the court of appeals rules on
Berger's plea for another trial.
Should the decision be against him
his last hope, the third act, would be
an. appeal to the supreme court of
the United States.
Failure in the courts would mean
that he had played out his string.
Gray walls would loom ahead.
But before Berger passed beyond
those walls, if ever he passes that
way, he is going to have his say.
The very things he has spoken
lightly of, for purely political rea-
sons, will protect him to the last.
No one knows this better than Ber-
ger.