Americus times-recorder. [volume] (Americus, Ga.) 1891-current, 1922-06-02

TRAVIS HEARD In
TALK
Glass Given Some Drab Truths
OF Life, But Hope Through
Their Kind Is Shown

A picture of the world they are
entering Just as it exists, and not as
it appears on their rosy horizon, was
painted before the graduating class
of the Americus high school last
night at the commencement eXercis-
es at the Rylandcr theater by Attor-
ney Robert j. Travis, of Savannah,
the orator of the occasion. And it
Twas real disillusionment. Unusual
for an occasion of this kind, Mr..
Travis address was highly practical
in that he attempted to open the eyes
of the young folks going out from
their studies so that they might be
prepared to recognize truths as they
find them and understand the i'm
pulses that control the people of the
world as a whole.
Mr.. Travis said he understood that
the usual thing to do on such an oc-
casion was to glorify the greatness
of Georgia, or the men OF the six
ties, or the heroes of the recent great
war, but that he proposed to do
something a bit different. He said
that, although there was much in the
pronouncement of President Wilson
that the world must be made safe
for Democracy, there was also ne
COS aity for Democracy to be made
safe for the world. Declaring that
the morals of the state and nation
are but the collective morals of the
Ipeople comprising them, he declared
that we will have war, selfishness and
greed among nations just as long as
the majority of the people who make
up the nations are selfish and greedy,
world affairs being but an express
sion of the will of the majority and
life only the result Of the collective
motives, influences and activities of
the people.
Really No Democracy.
Coming down to our own institu-
tins, he declared that in actuality
we have no such an institution as De-
mocracy, and that people are so con-
stituted that men in public life do
not dare tell the absolute truth. He
called attention to the attitude of
men who offer for public office. For
example, he declared that in all like
lihood if the man who announced
! for congress or the senate were to
tell the truth as to his reasons for
/ being a candidate he would frank
ly say that his law practice wasn't
| very good and that the salary of the
| job appealed to him; that his wife
had social aspirations and thought
that she might get herself and
daughter into society down
in Washington if they were there in
an official position, etc.
| "If you think the average man who
offers for public office is sacrificing
himself, for the good of the body
polite you are very much mistaken"
said Mr.. Travis. "The fact is in
nearly every instance such men are
| influenced by motives entirely self
! ish. But they dare not tell the truth,
for if they did they could not sue
ceed. Instead Of doing it they an
nounce that their friends are urging
them to run for the place, they go
out and subscribe to this charity and
that, give to the church building, rear
up on their hind legs about the rum
traffic to those who are opposed to
it and invite the friends Of liquor up
to their room on the sly to have a
drink; in short, they are things to
all men. They have free seed for
the dear people and are diligent to
send congratulations on the birth OF
Yevery baby in the district.
"And again, if you think the av-
erage citizen has anything whatever
to do with the election of any i'm
portant official in our country-gov-
ernor, senator, or any other, par
ticularly in the large population CEN
ter-you are very much mistaken.
in every case there are at least two
factions. And in every case a small
group Of citizens selects each candi-
date. There is no Individual choice,
no chance for any. The candidates
are picked and the voters go to the
polls and vote for one or the other
Of the candidates without any know
ledge as to what the men stand for
or who are behind them.
Where Trouble Lies.
"The good, upright church-going
citizen nine times out of ten says
he takes no interest in political af-
fairs. And | want to say 10 you
right here, that is theA reason why
we have conditions as they exist to-
day. When enough good people take
enough interest i'll them to changs
them, conditions viii be different.
"But, as said, folks don't dare
tell the truth. Take a shoe store,
for instance. | go into store and
look at shoe. | ask the clerk if
the sole is all leather. he replies
that it is not, that it has thin lay
er OF leather on the bottom, with
finer underneath 7 ask him what n