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ATLANTA Population 1 JO, 000 Homos 26.000 Telephones Main lines of ratlromis...., The Atlanta Georgian. • railway*.'' i 13'>. snlji.lN Mndleg., Bales cotton consnmen In 1905. Value of 1906 cotton crop. uoo.6>jd VOL. 1. NO. 110. ATLANTA, GA., SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 1, 1906. PRICE: {MftJKJIWSHI CRY FOR MUNICIPAL OWNERSHIP OF THE ELECTRIC AND GAS PLANTS IS GROWING IN CITY OF ATLANTA The City Has Already Voted in Favor of Proposition. MOVEMENT BEGINS TO TAKE SHAPE GEORGIA DEMOCRATS SPLIT ON QUESTION OF GOV’T. OWNERSHIP Fight To Be Carried to Of ficials and Put Square ly Up To City Council. Municipal ownership and Bn* nicipal control is the slogan which is going to be uspd by several cit izens and city officials for the next two years. They are going to tell the people of Atlanta that they ought to own their gas plant. They are going to tell the people that they ought to own their elec tric lighting plant. They are going to tell the peo ple that they ought to control the street railway system. And to back up their assertions these citizens ana city officials are prepared to give facts and figures which are going to carry weight. They are going to tell the peo ple that Atlanta has already voted for municipal ownership of an electric lighting plant. They arc going to refer to the records and show where commit tee after committee of the city council has recommended the very thing for which they are contend ing. They are going to insist on mak ing a fight to disprove the claims of the Georgia Railway and Elec tric Company people that the franchise under which they are operating the gas company was granted in perpetuity. They are going to present rea sons for municipal control of the street railways of the city. They are going to show the pen pie where the tax rate cbii be re duced materially, and instead of the profits going into the pockets of the men who get these favors from the people that the people themselves will get the profits. Corporations Not Philanthropists. These are facts which cannot be denied. The city of Atlanta is a more powerful corporation than any of the corporations which op erate within its corporate limits. It has properties which are worth thousands of dollars to the corpor ations. These properties are worth just as many thousands of dollars to the people themselves. Operated in behalf of tho people these properties will yield the profits to the people. It is a well known fact that the average cor poration is anything but an elee mosynary concern. They arc in business in Atlanta for the money they can make out of the people of Atlanta. To help themselves they have got to help the city to an ex tent. But if the city went to work to help itself just ns much as the corporations help them selves the city would be benefited as much as it is already being ben efited and in addition be benefited as much as the corporations are benefited. There are a lot of people in At lanta who have lost faith in the present system. Thomas II. Good win is a young man who has brought that evidence to light. A lot of people know Goodwin per sonally. Many do not know him personally. But every man, wo man and child knows him now by reputation. He ran for mayor re cently; ran against a man whom every one believed to be the most popular man in the city. Mr. Good win was not so popular. He had been in the public eye only in the capacity of councilman. His rec ord was good but ordinary. When he started out to run for mayor he told the people what he stood for. People Voted for Principle. Municipal ownership was the strongest plank in his platform. A great majority of the people smil ed at Goodwin—at first. Then ■oine of that great majority got to thinking. Then' the> .got serious. When election day roiled around MR. BRYAN MAINTAINED THE VIEWS AS PERSONAL No part of Bryan’s New York speech created such widespread com ment, adverse and favorable, as his utterances relative to government ownership of railroads. Mr. Bryan's remarks along that line were worded with all the con summate skill for which he Is famed. While he commits himself person ally to government ownership, nowhere does It appear that he commits his party to It, or will he Insist that It be one of the great Issues of the campaign Just ahead. In order to clarify the atmosphere and place before the public Mr. Bryan’s exact position, his utterances relative to this matter are here with reproduced: # ”1 have already reached the conclusion that railroads partake so much of the nature of a monopoly that they must ultimately become public property and be managed by public officials in the Interest of the whole community, In accordance with the well defined theory that public owner ship Is necessary where competition Is Impossible. “I do not know whether a majority of the members of the party to which I have the honor to belong believe In the government ownership of railroads, but my theory Is that no man can call a mass convention to decide what he himself shall think. 1 have reached the conclusion that there will be no permanent relief on the railroad question from discrim ination between Individuals and between places, and from extortknate rates, until the railroads are the property of the government and operated by the government In the Interests of the people. "And I believe—1 believe that there Is a growing belief In all parties that this solution, be It far or near, Is the ultimate solution. But, my friends, to me the dangerous centralization Is a danger that can not be brushed aside. The greatest danger of a republic Is the consolidation of all power at the capltol remote from the people, and because I believe that the ownership of all the railroads by the Federal government would so centralize power as to virtually obliterate state line, instead of favor ing the Federal ownership of all railroads, I favor the Federal ownership of trunk lines only, and the state ownership of all the rest of the rail roads." Many of Local Party Leaders Too Dazed To Discuss It. Continued on Pago Throo, Governor Joseph M. Terrell favors government ownership of railroads, along the lines laid down by Bryan In his New York speech. So does Secretary of State Phil Cook. Comptroller General William A. Wright and State Treasurer R. E Park are opposed to It. Attorney Gen eral Hart was out of the city Saturday and no expression of opinion could be obtained from hlpi. But many* of-the meh prominent In the political affairs of the state shy when approached for any expression of opinion along this line. Most of them meet the query for an expression of opinion with the state ment: » "I do not care to be quoted. It Is j big question, and one which I hav< not had time to thoroughly digest. I Is too vital a matter to give an off hand opinion on." Watson Strangely 8ilent. Even Thomas Watson, who reached Atlanta Friday evening from Thomson, en route to Afton, Virginia, to visit his son for several days, when seen Satur day morning at the Piedmont, declined absolutely to express any view on that question, or, In fact, any other. "My views on government ownership of railroads are too well known for me to say anything further," was all he would say to persistent questioning. Government ownership of the rail ways was one of the leading planks In Mr. Watson’s presidential platform in 1904. Editor James R. Gray, of The Jour nal, and Speaker John M. 81aton de dined to express any view on the sub ject. have not had an opportunity to digest the matter In my own mind yet," said Mr. Gray. 1 do not care to make any state ment now, because it Is too big a ques tion for an off-hand ’opinion," said 8peaker Slaton. Clark Howell, editor of The Atlanta Constitution and national committee man for Georgia, said: "Give Commission a Chance." Unless the Inter-state commerce commission, by authority recently vested in It by congress, meets every demand of the public as to railroad rate re-adjustment, government own ership of railroads will be the dominat ing political Issue In the near future. What the people want Is results, and they are not so particular as to how they are brought ubout. "If private yontrol Is absolute and satisfactory, and the Interstate com merce commission meets the demand of the people by establishing satisfactory rates, then the question of government ownership will be postponed, and per haps entirely eliminated as un Issue. The matter Is largely In the hands of the Interstate commerce commission/’ A Republican'* View*. Colonel Robert J. Lowry, president of the Lowry National Bank, and one of the leading Southern Republicans, said: I do not believe this country Is yet ripe for government ownership of rail roads, telegraphs, telephones and other great public utilities, for the one leads Inevitably to the other. In my mind there Is doubt as to whether we shall ever reach that stage. Such centrali zation of enormous power Is a question that should be approached with great care and caution. "To my mind government ownership of railroads would mean the placing of too much power In the hands of any political party. It would mean I practically the |>erpetuatlon of the | party that might he In power when t such a law became effective. I think It Is purely visionary now to talk of such a thing." An effort was made to see Judge J. K. Hines former candidate for the) governorship ot Georgia, pa Popu list ticket, but he was out of the city. Four years before he ran for governor, Judge Hines In an open letter declared for ownership of railroads by the gov ernment. Are the leaders In matters political In Georgia stunned by this great prob lem suddenly thrust by Mr. Bryan Into public altalrs? Reticence to speak In dicates that most of them are chary of leaping Into the arena with any opinion on the matter, pro or con. Opinion Differs Among Leaders. Colonel John Temple Graves’ dis patch to The Georgian Friday Indicates that a wide divergence of opinion ex ists within the Democratic party on the question of railroad ownership. The conservatives, led by such men as Congressman John Sharp Williams, of Mississippi, minority leader In the national house, Senators Daniel and Martin, of Virginia; Senators Bailey and Culberson, of Texas: Congress man L. F. Livingston, ,ot Georgia, and others, shake their heads ominously at the Idea. What Is designated on the other hand as the radicals applauded Mr. Bryan’s utterances along this line? What significance attaches to Tom Watson’s declination to express an opinion? Usunully he Is free about expressing his views on such funda mental Issues. That he has favored for some years government ownership Is well known. Why, then, does he now decline to say anything relative to Mr. Bryan’s views along that line? Who has the answer? This picture, which was taken in New York expressly for The At lanta Georgian, shows Mr. and Mrs. William Jennings Bryari with the members of the reception committee on board the yacht mini. Lewis Nixon Is the man wearing glasses and who stands behind Mr. Bryan. 7HE POST SA YS SOUTHERN DEMOCRATS ARE DIVIDED OVER W. J. BRYAN'S SPEECH By Private Leased Wire. Washington, Sept. 1.—The Post to day publishes as apparently authorita tive the following dispatch from New York: "The greatest dissatisfaction was ex pressed today by Southern Democrats over Bryan’s dramatic declaration for government ownership of railroads. Yet not a Democrat from the South would give an Individual Interview express ing disfavor with Bryan's utterances "The Southerners simply contented themselves by Individually and collect ively declaring that If Bryan persisted on thrusting his views on this subject upon the Democratic national conven tion of 1908 the Southern delegates would be opposed to him to a man, and should Brr ti, overcoming all objec tions, become the candidate of Democrats for president In that con vent Ion, a number of Southern Demo cratlc states would go over to the Re publican columns. “The Southern Democrats went on to say that government ownership of railroads would cause an upheaval In all states below the Mason and Dixon line. "Several Democratic national com mltteeinen said that a majority of the committee who had come on from dif ferent states to welcome Bryan were much dissatisfied with his speech. They not only objected to the government ownership of railroads, but It stated by these committeemen that there was a llavor of Socialism about It which was undemocratic and which has caused dissatisfaction In the minds of a majority of the commit tee." V 2,000 ARE ARRESTED BY A GENTS OF CZAR 8pec!sl Cable—Copyright. Wnrsaw, Poland, Sept. 1.—New out rages on the part of the Russian police threw the city Into a turmoil today and a revolutionary outbreak is expected to follow. In a wild raid through the city last night the police officials of the czar seized 2,000 persons, most of whom were Innocent of offense, and cast them PAST WEEK’S EVENTS TOLD IN PICTURES CARTOONI8T £ncWERTON TAKE8 A STAB AT SIX DAYS’ DOINGS. 7 PEACHTREE The City Engineer To Advertise For Bids. pm in WHATTD M. Declares Government^ Ownership Is Not Paramount Issue NO DECISION YET AS TO MATERIAL Street Committee Finally Makes Move in Much- Talked Matter. At last the city has decided to ad vertise for bids on paving Peachtree street, and after twelve years of con tinuous annoyance the supreme court will be annoyed no more by the rumble of passing wagons, as Capitol Square will also be paved. These two Important matters v settled at the meeting of the street committee, James L. Key, chairman, Friday afternoon, and there Is rejoicing In two camps. The Peachtree paving proposition has been before the public for the past six months, and its every feature Is well known. Friday, after a few mlnutfes’ deliberation, It was decided to adver tise for bids and City Englner Clayton was so Instructed. The nsphalt-bltu- llthlc duel is not yet settled. The paving of Capitol Square Is a smaller matter, but one which has been brought before the general assembly consecutively for over a decade, and has as regularly been turned down. The state is a part owner of the street and the city has refused to pay the state's share of a new paving. The poor con dition of the street and the annoyance It has caused to the supreme court has at lost compelled that body to take a hand, with the result that the court will stand thq state’s portion of the ex pense. Dr. J. B. Baird appeared for the citi zens living Mi the street and laid the fools before the committee. Logan Bleckley, clerk of the supreme court. appeared tor the state. WARE & LELAND MAY DEC! TO CONTEST. Managers Confer with Coira sel Saturday Aft- J u ernoon. Whether nr not n tight Is to he made on the Boykin "anti-bucket shop bill," panned by the lant general annembly, III he definitely determined here Sat urday nfternoon. Ware & Leland, who nun a chain if the hirgrnt exchangee In the coun try, will consult with prominent local attorneyn during the afternoon to see If light, with ponslbllltlen of success, a be made on the new law, which be comes effective on January 1. 1907. J. H. Ware and F. T. Dlakemore, of Chicago, heads of tho Ware Sc Le- land firm, are In Atlanta attending a convention of Southern managers of the tlrm. It ts given out that the meeting Is to promote closar relations between the local managers over the Southern circuit, and to dlncusn gen eral brokerage conditions In the South. The plan to combat the antl-hucket Shop low has bepn kepi as Millet as possible, nn the exchange people do not want It known until the opinion of their legal experts la obtained. Upon that opinion will depend the course of events In tills state as regards the brokerage business In the next few onths. Nineteen men are attending the con- entlon. which will continue through Tuesday. The first business session 111 be' held In the assembly hall of Piedmont hotel Saturday afternoon at 4 o’clock. Saturday evening In the Piedmont the visitors will enjoy a ban- for which some twenty covers ill he laid. Those in attendance here are: George L. Bacon. Louisville, Ky.: E. McGinnis, Nashville, Tenn.: J. R. Stevens. Huntsville. Ala.; t\ H. <’oth- rftn. Birmingham. Ala.; J. If. Aid worth, Opelika, Ala.; DtLany, Mont gomery. Ala.; J. W. Moore, Selma, Ala.; J. S. Robbins, Mobile. Ala.; E. \V. Arm strong, Tupelo, Miss.; R. G. Strain, Tupelo, Miss.; K. R. Owen, New Or leans. La.; C. W. Blau. Columbus, Ga.; Kalnion. Albany, Ga.; W. C. Wim- sfc, Ainerjcus, Ga.; P. H. Watson. Macon, Ga.; J. H. Ware, Chicago, III.; F. T. Blakemore, Chicago, III.; B. C. Cothran, Atlanta, Ga.; J. J. Smith, West Point, Ga. Ooooooooooooooooooooooooot o o o After Receiving Welcome in Connecticut, Nebraskan Returns to New York. OO0OOOO000OOOOO000OO0O0000 O BRYAN AND HEAR8T a O WILL VI8IT VIRGINIA, a O o O By Private Leased Wire. O O East Radford, Va., Sept. 1 O O William J. Bryan and William O O Randolph Hearst have accepted O O Invitations to attend the district O O fair to be held at Radford the see- O O ond week in September. • O O 0 oooooooooooooooooowoooooa By Private Lensed Wire. New York, Sept. 1.—William J. Bry an Is back In New York. He arrived at the Grand Central station at 10 o’clock from Bridgeport, Conn., where he had made a speech and afterwards was entertained at the home of Sena tor McNeill. There were few people on hand to greet the Nebraskan when he arrived, as there had been no an nouncement of the train he-would take.> But the "home folks" made up for ' this when the Hotel Victoria was reached. They greeted their neighbor and leader with loud yells of welcome, and made the corridors look like tho late hours of Thursday once more Mr. Bryan went tp his rooms as soon aa he could get away from, fils boys from Nebraska and there was grated by his wife and daughter. Later h*« prepared to go to Jeraey City where* he la to speak and be the guest of Rob-a ert Davis, the Democratic leadeT of th#\ town across the North river. BRYAN TELL8 DEMOCRATS WHAT PARTY MUST DO By Private Leased Wire. Bridgeport, Conn., Sept. 1.—After be ing heartily welcomed In New Haven and In this city, William J. Bryan s the night at Senator McNeill’s h and took an early train today for ; York to begin the final day olj tlons In honor of his returt At New Haven Mr. tlon was particularly cordial strong contrast to the rece^ received ten years ago. Three ll Jlrere delivered by Mr. Bryan in ■ Haven—the first, an absolutely partisan discourse; the second strongly .partisan utterance at a co ference of Democratic leaders fr< New England, and the third alao a p lit leal speech to the big crowd oi common. Bryan Talk*,, Bluntly. At the conference in the New tine, which was called for the purpose of taking steps to spread through ju New England Mr. Bryan’s views c what he believes should be the party policy, he was harsh to bluntnesi- In the expression of opinion aa to tho| party needs. Mr. Bryan dwelt principally on tin question of the public ownership o: railroads, which he said was on* of the most Important to be consider'd by the party, though he did not Continued on Page Two. O IF IT I8N'8 ONE THING, O WHY, THEN IT’S ANOTHER. SooOOUOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO ly / 0 By Private Leased Wire. 0 0 Neiv York, Sept. 1.—A flutter of 0 O exrltement wiur cauxed shortly !>e- 0 0 fore noon hv a rumor to the effect 0 O that President Roosevelt had been 0 O ehot. Prealdent R.roxevelt wnx xur- O O prised to hear of the report, aa O O there had been nothin* out of the O 0 ordinary with him today. t O Stoves are going up Ju.t u the O I O weather begins to get cooler. The O I 0 poor public sure catchea It com- 0 | O Ing and going. In season and out. O For one has not yet forgotten the O ralee In the price of Ice last June. O The fostenst: O Partly cloudy Saturday night O and Sunday; not ao 0 day night. O Saturday temperatures O 7 o'clock a.m 74, O 8 O 9 0 HI 0 11 O 12 O O O 'a