The Fitzgerald Leader, 1921-03-19

FRAMED, SAYS BUGGI (By International News Service) Hearing Expected to Continue, to Late This Evening ASK WAGE CUT RECALL Say Court Disregarded Law of Land in Authorizing Cut ATLANTA, March 19 - Hear 19 - Hearyng - yng 19 - Hearyng before Judge Samuel H. Sib Sibley - ley Sibley in Federal District Court, o the protest of representatives of the employees of the Atlanta, Birmingham and Atlantic is pro proceeding - ceeding proceeding today. The brotherhoods asked Judge Sibley to rescind his order reduc reducing - ing reducing wages under the receiver receivership, - ship, receivership, citing the Newland's Act, which requires twenty days no notice - tice notice in such cases. The hearing will continue until late this afternoon. That an agreement was made between himself as president of jthe Atlanta Birmingham and At Atlantic - lantic Atlantic and Birmingham Trust & Savings Company to throw the road into receivership and have himself 'appointed a receiver was admitted by B. L. Bugg under Ckoss examination in the hearing on petition of union strikers to heye the wage reduction order 'gcinded. Before Judge Sibley - sugg also admitted that he re resigned - signed resigned as president of the Atlanta #Birmingham and Atlantic Feb February - ruary February 24th to qualify as receiver a few days later. He also admit admitted - ted admitted the indebtedness of the road to the trust company was not due at the time the receivership was sought? -_-' - ?: - STRIKERS RETURN ON B''WICK DIVISION It was officially stated by 'local union men today that not a single man who walked out on the Bruns Brunswick - wick Brunswick Division of the Atlanta, Bir: mingham and Atlantic railroad has returned to work durir;g the first two weeks of the strike. a dozen employees remained-in service out of about nine hundred normally em employed - ployed employed according to union officials. SENATE TO RUSH (By International News Service) WASHINGTON, March 19. - Clo 19. - Clotute - tute 19. - Clotute will be invoked by the senate to insure passage of tariff legislation and clear 'the way for tax revision in "the next Congress. The plan virtual virtually - ly virtually agreed upon by the leaders was laid before Secretary of the treasury Mellen today and Mellen began shap shaping - ing shaping the tax program to submit to leaders at the capitol. ° French Send Premier . ° ~ To Placate Harding Y (By International News Service) HAVRE, March 19. - 1 hope my visit to the United States 'will remove any misunderstandings :, between America and France that may have been - created® by propagandists who have been charging France with mil militarism"; - itarism"; militarism"; decldred former Premier Viviani who sails for New York tonight. Preniier Viviani gave no indication as to whether his mission is to dis discuss - cuss discuss the League of Nations or the French war debt. . Alleged Murderess ° Acquitted By Jury COVINGTON, Tenn. March 19 - The jury today acquitted Mrs. Irenel Shaw, charged as accessory to the wer of George 'Reevqs,'y M'emphiq'

Confirms Leader's Three Points of Difference with His / Alleged Contentions lDid Not Say Labor Is Commod Commod| - | Commod| ity, Nor Attempt to Com Com' - ' Com' pare Russia and America \ ~ The Leader publishes herewith an explanation fram Col. B. L. Bugg, ex expresident - president expresident and receiver of the Atlanta, Birmingham and Atiantic Railway Company, in regard to his talk to the Lion's Club in Atlanta last Tuesday. Col. Bugg states that the Leader's ed editorial - itorial editorial comment was based on erron-i eous premise as to what he really said. The Leader considered the pos-' sibility that Col. Bugg's remarks had' been misconstrued in the news story on which its editorial was based and{ in the editorial said: "We hope Col. Bugg did not need to say what the news story seemed to say he meant." The Leader is glad to have .its pre previous - vious previous good opinion of Col. Bugg con confirmed. - firmed. confirmed. The letter follows: | Mr. 1. Gelders: / } Dear Mr. Gelders: .Editorial comment in the Fitzgerald Leader-Enterprise, on my talk to the Lion's Club in Atlanta a few days ago, appears to have been based lon an erroneous premise as to what T really said. 1. What I said was that while the Clayton Act sets up the statement that labor is not a commodity, I had never heard it claimed by any one that labor is a commodity, but- that labor is a service and as such is subject to the law of supply and demand. I further amplified my thought to say that the ability to pay is the extreme limit of an employer to pay high wages, and a living wage is the extreme limit of an employee to accept low wages, and that all disputes over wage matters in industry have been between these twoi extremes. '_l'he present controversy is not whether the employees shall ac accept - cept accept the lowest living wage, but whether the railroad shall continue to pay the highest wage known in the history of that idustry when it is abso absolutely - lutely absolutely imposible for it to continue to pay that wage and exist as a going concern, s 2. I did not state that the employees sought, under the Esch-Cummins' law, to have the scale of wages fixed the same for all sections and climates without regard to local conditions. It is not the Esch-Cummins' law that is doing this but the attitude of the Union leaders in undertaking to hold to a uniform wage on all the railroads under varying conditions of service, living costs, climate, difference in skill required, to say nothing of the inability to pay. 3. My reference to the Russian sit sit'uation - 'uation sit'uation was: simply to point out the parallel existed only in the demand for wages above the ability to pay. It would be absurd for anyone.to contend that there is any similarity of indus industrial - trial industrial conditions between Russia and this country. Very truly yours, B. L. Bugg, Receiver.

WE SHOULD HAVE AN : OFFICIAL HIGHWAY It is a lamentable fact_ that the section of country from Valdosta by way of Ray City, Nashville, Alapaha, Ocilla, Fitzgerald, Abbeville, and on direct to Macon is not represented on any of the official highways. i\nd this very section is one of the finest sections of Georgia. The editor of The Herald has re recently - cently recently discussed this with parties who taking an interest in a "Direct Route" from Valdosta to Macon. By creat creating - ing creating a route as indicated, it would save many miles and pass through a most desirable section of Georgia. It is not the fault of the hundreds and thousands of tourists from the north who come this way to Florida every year that they do not get to see any of the country just named above. They would be only too glad to come one way and go back another if they suad the road to travel . People in all the towns named above should get busy and let's have a road as above outlined chartered. By consulting a map it will be seen that such a road would be an air line. It is the one thing that the section of country named needs. None of the tourists coming this way annually see this section. That is what we want. That is what we must have. The very section along this route should be given more pub publicity. - licity. publicity. A road as outlined would give it that very thing. All it needs is to be seen by the outside world. The best way in the world to let the outsiders see it is to provide a way for them to pass through it comfort comfortably. - ably. comfortably. There is no - use acknowledging this is a fine idea and then sit down and let the matter drop. If you think it is worth while and would like to "get on the map", then let's be up and doing. We will never get it until we go after it. So, let's be up and doing. :

' WOULD-BE 'BREAKER Horace , Buckalew under Bond for Thrashing W. F. Godwin UNIONS NOT BLAMEABLE Buckalew Not a Striker; Godwin Not Employe of Road Horace Buckalew, youngest son of the late T. T. Buckalew who lost his life in the service of the Atlanta, Birmingham and Atlantic railroad several years ago when he wrecked his. locomotive to save a passenger train from going though a bad bridge, was this morning ~ommitted to Ben Hill Superior court on charges of assault' and battery and rioting in connection with the thrashing of Wal Walter - ter Walter F. Godwin of Albany, who had come to Fitzgerald to obtain employ employment - ment employment on the Atlanta, Birmingham and Alantic railway since the strike began. | Young Buckalew, who has not been in the employ of the railroad for more than a year and is not connected with any union craft now on strike, is al alleged - leged alleged to have taken Godwin, in com company - pany company with four other men whose identity has not been learned, out in the country near Fitzgerald and given him a sound thrashing because of his anti-union views. He was charged with assault and battery, rioting and conspiracy. The conspiracy charge was dismissed by Judge D. P. Adams, before whom the comiftment trial was held, after God Godwin - win Godwin had made this statement. Bond of $5OO was fixed on each other charge The accused had not made bond to today. - day. today. ~ Rumors on the streets yesterday had it that Godwin had been beaten and manhandled by strikers and that one of the strikers had been caught. Ru Rumor - mor Rumor had it also that Godwin had been warned to leave Fitzgerald at peril of his life and was being protected by a guard of sheriff's deputies. It was learned today that Godwin was not being guarded against possible further attacks. ;

Abbeville, Rochelle, 'Douglas and Ocilla 'Readers Attention: - If a general strike is called on all railroads in the Southeast, the Leader Publishing Company will start two automobile routes with its daily paper out of Fitzgerald the day it is called. One route will carry six hundred papers to Ocilla and Douglas and one will carry four hundred papers o Abbe Abbeville - ville Abbeville and Rochelle. We want to get in touch AT ONCE with a live wire man in each place who will be competofft to handle the local distribution of the Daily Leader. Should a general strike be called, mail service will be cut off entirely, no big city dailies will reach this section, and the Leader, by automobile, carry carrying - ing carrying the telegraphic news of the world by Interna International - tional International News Service, will be your only reliable com communication - munication communication with the outside world. 'The demand will be large enough to enable a hustler to make considerable money as agent for them. The following schedule will be put in effect in case a geéneral strike is called and the out of town circulation of the paper will be limited as specified in order to conserve our supply of newsprint paper: Arrive Ocilla, 300 copies, 4:15. Arrive Douglas, 300 copies, 4 :45. Arrive Abbeville, 200 copies, 4:30. Arrive Rochelle, 200 copies, 4 :45. Responsible parties should wire or write AT ONCE giving at least two references in order that contracts and instructions may be forwarded and the organization for a satisfactory distribution sys system - tem system perfected, immediately. No applications after Friday. ADDRESS - - CIRCULATION MANAGER, LEADER PUBLISHING COMPANY, FITZGERALD, GA. !

LEADERS IN CITY World Famous as Labor Advo Advocate - cate Advocate and for "Plumb Plan 'ADDRESS OPEN MEETING !Probably Speak at Grand Opera | House Friday Morning \ - - ! Glenn E. Plumb, world fam famous - ous famous lawyer and advocate of un unionism, - ionism, unionism, author of the Plumb plan of railroad ownership and opera operation, - tion, operation, will speak twice in Fitzger Fitzgerald - ald Fitzgerald March 25th it was announced today by local union officials. He will come from Washington at their invitation. Mr. Plumb will speak once to the public in an upen meeting at * 11 o'clock Friday morning, prob probably - ably probably at the Grand Opera House, and once to the striking em employes - ployes employes of the Atlanta, Birming Birmingham - ham Birmingham and Atlantic Railway at the Odd Fellows Hall. Mr. W. M. Martin, chairman of the joint federation committee represent representing - ing representing the thirteen striking crafts will preside at both meetings and introduce the famous speaker. (By International News) RIGA, March 19. - The peace treaty 'between Soviet Russia and Poland 'was signed heére late last night with iUkrapian representatives signing as parties to the treaty. It ended the state of war that has been existing for a year and was the third triumph of the Russian Soviets within the week. A few days earlier the government put down an anti-Bolshevik uprising at Kronstadt and signed a commer commercial - cial commercial agreement with Great Britain. According to the treaty the Russians will pay Poland $15,000,000 within a year.

Central South Georgia Official Highway Is Urged VALDOSTA TO MACON President Georgia Press Associ Association - ation Association Starts Movement J. Kelly Simmons, president of the Georgia Press Assofiation and who recently became a Central South Georgia booster through the pur purchase - chase purchase _of the Nashville Herald, of which is he is now editor, urges ed editorially - itorially editorially in his last issue that an of-. ficial highway be designated to con connect - nect connect all the towns and small cities of Central South Georgia in a direct' route from the Florida line to Macon.( The Dixie Highway to the east and the National highway to the west leaves out several little cities whose interests are closely bound up with those of Fitzgerald. An official high highway - way highway connecting them and kept al-{ ways in tip top conditon, paved as soon as financial affairs of the coun counties - ties counties through which it passes willi allow. | Editors and boosters along the route suggested by Mr. Simons will be asked to take up the proposition and it is probable that a meeting will be called in the near future, probably in Fitzgerald during the automobile show, to put the Central South Geor Georgia - gia Georgia Highway project across. ' Editor Simmons has the follow-' ing to say editorially:

Fire origihating from an unknown source in Ambrose, Ga., yesterday swept the entire business district of the little town and caused damage estimated in five figures. The Post Office, Feller's Drug Store and Mar Markell's - kell's Markell's Department Store are all under understood - stood understood to have been destroyed. ' SRI Telegraphers Get ° ° Strike Relief Pay According to reliable information reaching Fitzgerald today, the gener general - al general chairmen of all the organizations of railroad telegraphers in the South Southeast - east Southeast are meeting in Atlanta today to ;provide means of giving strike relief to the seventy-five telegraphers who ileft the service of the Atlanta Bir Bir'mingham - 'mingham Bir'mingham and "Atlaatic railroad two 'weeks ago today. The order of Railway Telegraph Telegraphers - ers Telegraphers does not provi(* regular strike relief asgdo the Big Four Brother Brotherhoods - hoods Brotherhoods but because of the importance of this strike to employes of all roads, the strikers will be financially sup supported - ported supported by their brothers on other roads, according to this information. Strikers belonging to. several other crafts are understood to be drawing regular strike pay from union head headquarters - quarters headquarters now,