Atlanta semi-weekly journal. (Atlanta, Ga.) 1898-1920, 1920-01-06
MRsFEuTONS TALKS
CONDUCTED BY
Nsps WIZ. FELTON,
Would You Desire the Office of
President?

President2
Political ambition is hard task
master for those who seek public
promotion by public favor 1t is
strain OH small otfice-seekers. AS the
office gets to be more prominent, with
higher pay, the chase for political
offices grows more and more strenu-
Gus and the craving more acute. In
years gone by, with six years of
congressional experience and with a
near view of men and political Rmbi-
tions, l am going to say, and am
convinced what L do say is strictly
true, that oil1ce-seekers get so in
fatuated with these promotions that
they go to pieces, with few eXcep-
lions. When reverses overtake them
and. their luck changes TO defeat, l
have seen public men take to drink,
that Were considered, sober men in
their prosperity. / have seen them
hang around Washington City, wait
ing for something to turn UP, like
Micawber, until they became null
sances to their acquaintance : and
only a pitifui remnant of their for
mer selves. ,.
They couldn't let go. Their homes
were no longer congenial to their de-
sires. They stayed on and on until
they lost reputation and were knoWff
as "has-beens" Lobbying was gem
orally attractive in these days of
decadence. Just anything to remain
in Washington. The strain was al
ways on their minds and hearts. It
is the curse that attends political
ambition as a rule. No man can eX-
pect ito live long who has once occu-
pied the position of president. Many
times it has happened that there was
only one living ex-president. Once
or twice there were none. Today
there is only one living ex-president,
Mr. Taft President Wilson has been.
a bedridden invalid since early in
September.
Theodore Roosevelt was in the
prime of life--a little more than
fffty-when he sickened and died.
Grover Cleveland was built on such
stout lines, and was so set in his
ways, that those who saw him when
he left the White House predicted a
long life for so robust "a figure-but
ilS sui NANCo Ollly q ~" SSeNAo' AAAA7
is the general history of all our
presidents. Some of them have said
that they had not only perpetual I'M
rest in the White House, but were
always strained to nearly a break
ing point They are attended now
adays with detectives, some in uni
form, many in plain clothes.
was thirty years old in 1865.
Drocidont innn1O "a hnra1Iy pnfppnH
upon his second term, when Wilkes
Booth shot him down in a theater,
I have seen Grant and Garfield in
the White House. Garfield died from
an assassins shot. Grover Cleveland
served out his eight years, but Mr..
Mckinley was assassinated. Roose-
Welt escaped the same sort of fate
until he was q presidential candi-
date, but he, too, was fastened to
death by such IA bullet imbedded in
his body. All this has happened in
my time. -Four aSsaSsinated eXoCu-
tives. l expect there are many thou
sands who would be delighted to be
called president-but fame does not
insure Ions life. Is the game worth
the candle?
Zast1ossness
enough for me and 1 think Georgia
has advantages that are above and
beyond all the southern states.
have not the least desire or inten-
ton OF emini5r.,tIn@ to any other To-
cality that l read about or have ever
seen. 4-. e
How much of my contentment is
due TO my very advanced age, l can
not say4' Maybe if 1 was younger I'd
also be restless, too.
Nevertheless, L know, and many
of our Semi-Weekly readers know
that this world war has made every
body, nearly, very restless. People
who owned land, maybe by inheri-
lance, sell out and move to places
that they think will please them bet
ter. But they will not know until
they try it, and seeS how it works.
The sellers and buyers are rabid.
People are going around and about
to new places, that they never eX-
pected to visit, but they do so now.
People with automobiles are OBJ
sessed with one idea, namely, Lets
go"--and they do so, largely to be
going.
Every Mondays paper recites the
Sunday accidents, = the tragedies and
the disasters, but that puts no check
CT The man. Ger joy-ri..I;. l3,;1scI
going has become stale, while auto
/ MODELLING gets to be more and more
infatuating.
Railroad, trains are packed. going
and coming. Street cars are damned
and the people fill the streets of the
cities all Gay and far into the night.
People are frantic shoppers-they
see things and they determine to
buy. Prices were never so high fine
clothes never more expensive, but
there ""C .,1-l&2.'i rc1rJ aUu Watt-
ing. The rush, the hurry, the waste
of money goes on without intermis-
sion. North Georgia people are
f1oclling to south Georgia, despite the
boil weeVi. South Georgia folks
| are selling and buying more lands.
People 90 tE2 hin aort;0rs are corn
ing down to level places-and rich
folks are building summer bungalows
on mountain slopes. The restlessness
does not seem to abate-it grows
apace.
Lets go" 1--WE must be going"