Fitzgerald leader enterprise and press. (Fitzgerald, Ben Hill County, Ga.) 1921-1964, 1923-11-22
Shall Three Ward Politicians
Name Our Next President?
By DANIEL F. COHALAN
Justice of the Supreme Court, n. y


De Tocqueville, the great French
political philosopher, has said that De
mocracy was applied common sense.
| wonder il he would repeat that
statement if he knew the way in which
Presidents were made in this greatest
of all republics.
Let us take look at the prospects
ahead of us in 1924 and see how, in
spite of our Wanted liberty, our
hands are to be tied in advance, and
shall probably be left to make a choice
between two men who represent the
financial groups rather than the peo-
pie.
| Fate has made the choice for us on
the Republican side, for the death of
President Harding pitchforked the
Vice-President into the White House,
and has made him the odds-on favorite
for the nomination. Does any sensible
man believe he would have been chos-
EN- to succeed Harding if he had not
happened TO be Vice-President; or
that he would have been nominated
for Nice-PresidInt in 1920 if it were
not thought that Harding was a sup
etlatlFcY healthy man!
Fate plays strange tricks with ma
tons as well as with men. The sound
sense OF the people may yet assert
itself and force the choice of states
man. Mr.. Coolidge may astonish the
world during the next few months and
show himself to be a great man.
, But Barring these remote possibili-
ties we have one of the two candidates
Tor whom we can vote--alrcady in the
field-and he is neither a Jefferson
nor Lincoln.
Who is likely to be the other one?
If you can make in Your minds eye
composite picture OF Murphy of
New York, Brennan of Illinois and
Taggart of Indiana, you will have be
fore you the force that maybe will re-
pie of the trouble of choosing a can
didatc for President These three wor
thies are preparing to make the choice
They are prepared to let the people
take the consequences of such action.
They are marshalling their forces TO
go through the form OF holding con-
vcntion-probably in New York City
that will simply register their will.
They will pull the strings and the del
egates selected by them will do the
rest. The atmosphere OF respectable
ity and the appearance OF dccency will
so far as possible, be thrown around
the gathering, but from it will come
as the nominee a man who will be
Subservient to this trio or it may be
to one of them who can dominate or
deceive the other two
Murphy's satellite are already boast
ing that he is to make President in
order to satisfy his ambition. Brenn-
ans henchmen see in him the Warwick
of l924-although most of them would
not put it that way. Taggart is saying
nothing but saving wood What a
travesty on self government it will be
If the plans of this crowd work out?
Can they, with the aid of the unit rule
and the two thirds rule, set aside the
character and intellect and courage of
the historic party of Jefferson and
Jackson?
If SO. De Tocquevile was wrong, and
il will take some cynic to write the
story Of the way IN which democracy
has gone out OF fashion in America
We are told that we cannot gather
figs from thorns. AS well might we
expec- to get character or courage
from President chosen by men with
the background from which this trio
has emerged.