Atlanta semi-weekly journal. (Atlanta, Ga.) 1898-1920, 1920-02-24
Mast EITONS TALKS
CONDUCTED BY
NR&WH. FELTON,
MY IDEA ABOUT WHAT THE
COUNTRY NEEDS

Nearly every day some new man
IS mentioned as good enough for
president and once Or twice a week
somebody formuIates political plat
form that will restore the United
States to its afore-time normal con-
dition, and allow the taxpayers some
thing for their money!
These United States have been
walking on stills for a number of
years. We have been in the air
more or less, and entirely removed
from a solid footing, on every. pub
lie issue. We have a vast horde of
people in this country who could
earn and also secure fabulous wages,
If they would work. AS it stands
today, these people are "agin the
work." as a daily avocation and they
only work long enough to supply
daily needs and the rest of it can
go hang! Idleness is weakening the
country We have gone into the bust
ness of filling the entire country
with well-paid officials. Every leg
islature adds to the number and ev-
cry congress authorizes solid
batch of new officeholders, who draw
pay from the United States treasury.
My first proposition, as member
| of broken-up affairs, would be a
scaling down of these needless Of
| ficials. They are actually in every
body's way. They tramp on the feet
| of the gang itself, and they must
either do something to show they
are doing something new, or they
cannot get a pay envelope once a
| week or twice a month.
Like grasshoppers, they nibble on
any new thing which stands for a
! fat pay envelope and the taxes are
raised accordingly. We see these
people grow fat and live well, and
somebody's property or somebody S
| labor is made to foot the bill.
The time is coming when these
grasshoppers must vacate the land,
| or there will be a revolution. 1t
has always eventuated in that direc-
| ton. France in 1887, cleaned up a
gang that had grown to such proper
lions that little children were starv-
| ing, and mothers were begging bread.
We certainly need fewer officials as
starter Unless the country puts
a foot down on needless extravaganza
times are going to be hard beyond
dispute.
The higher the price for clothes,
shoes, hats. automobiles and such
like, the more crazy are the masses
to crowd in to buy.
The land is crowded with expen-
sive automobiles. When 1 go to At
| lanta | see the streets are packed
with them, closely wedged in, and
| one who tries to cross very public
street has to dodge and scurry and
| slip by, to reach the surbstone.
They run over such people every
| day and the cemetery is daily re-
J mitted with icvtims of careless auto
mobile driving.
Something has to be done to allow
| common folks to get along in safety.
| Something will be done, when pub
| lie patience is worn to a fragile. L
| think the time has come to allow
| overseas people to look after their
own business a little We, in this
country have spoilt them completely.
| 1t is human nature to shirk work
and take what is pressed on you as
| hearty gift. We have been in this
| business of pressing hearty gifts UNI
| til they are getting "upity," and talk
/ big" Idleness is not good for any
body, and the time has come to tell
| them we are anxious to make them
| happy, by waiting on themselves a
| little.
To sum it up, I feel sure we have
had an excess spell of flinging away
United States money across the seas
and everybody will be happier and
| better contented to quit begging and
| get down to work. and we are need
| ing whole lot of money and hard
work to make it, to pay. interest on
the money we flung away, in a crazy
| spell of fictitious charity. I'm for
| America-plain America-the rest of
| my life service. We need a lot of
house-cleaning here at home to keep
healthy and quiet. Let the next pres
| ident be plain business man-and
acquainted with figures. We need
| tOning down to plain things a while