About Atlanta semi-weekly journal. (Atlanta, Ga.) 1898-1920 | View Entire Issue (May 7, 1909)
• VOL. VIII. ESCAPED BED NOB TO DIE OF KONGER IN AOm STREETS Pitiful Survivors w ande* 1 They Were Lost Througr* Ruins of Their Homes and Die of Starvation. 23,000 MASSACRED IN OPEN DAYLIGHT BY FRENZIED MOBS Wretched Women and Children Wail Through the Nights of Terror and Many Become Insane—The Hornet Are Charnel Houses. (By imHitM Praaa.) ADANA. Asiatic Turkey, Wednesday. April 28. via Constantinople, May 6.—The Rev. Stephen D. Trowbridge, a mission ary of the American board of commis sioners for foreign missions, estimates the number of Armenians killed in the province of Adana since the outbreak of the anti-Christian rioting, at 23,00). The missionary said today: "A conservative estimate of the Chri-s tians killed in the city of Adana is 3,000. This calculation is made up from the lists prepared by the priests and other officials who give permits for burials. “Not fewer than 20.000 perished in the towns and villages of the province. This figure is based on the full information sent forward by the British consul. Wretched Survivors “The surviving Armenians tn the en tire province are largely women and chiU dren. They amount to about 36,000 souls and are today without homes, shops, tools, clothing or bread A most piti able and wretched multitude is passing up and down the streets of Adana like a lost people. •They throng the big factory yards, where a dole of flour is given out by the relief committee. Crowds of broken hearted women and children are coming in from the Country to even greater mis ery m the city.” Mr. Trowbridge has written a further account of the events at Adana, espe cially with reference to the attitude of the Turkish authorities. In thia recital be says: The Awful Truth "We understand, from consular tele grams. that the sublime porte assured the ambassadors at Constantinople that a slight outbreak had occurred at Adana with about 60 casualties and the burn ing of few houses and the porte de clared further that the Americans here wwe amply protected. •We do not know the exact origin of the straggle I say struggle, because this has net been a massacre in the sense that the Armenians died without resist ing. They fought desperately in self defense. and the fury of the Turks in creased in proportion as the Armenians succeeded in slaying Mohammedans. For two days preceding the outbreak ' there had been a bitter feud between mos iems and <_ art st tans. in one vineyard shooting wai begun ana hatred was aroused on April 12. An Armenian who had been beaten, shot one of his oppo nents dead and wounded two others. This man escaped to Merslna and took passage on a vessel. Dragged Corpses Through Streets "The Turks in Adana then assumed a mdhaclng attitude, which greatly alarmed the Artnenlans. The body of a modern killed in the streets was pur posely dragged to an open square and left there exposed by the Turks as a fa natical challenge. “A rumor spread among the Armenians on April 14 that massacreing by the Turks already had been begun, and as a dem onstration of self-defense, a volley of shots was fired from the roofs of Chris tian houses. This in turn was Inter preted in the moslem quarters as an at tack and the word spread like wildfire that the Armenians were in revolt and must be crushed. ••Subsequent events hace shown clear ly tffat the Adana government acquiesced if it did not actually participate, in the cruel and indiscriminate attacks made with fire and rifle and sword upon the entire Armenian colony, including our Protestant congregation which, as a body, has been wholly loyal to the gov ernment. Two Christian prisoners who escaped from government headquarters declared that horsemen came in at inter vals from outlying towns and villages and reported to the military authorities as follows: Death Knell Hung Hamidleh is finished' or 'Osminieh is finished,' meaning, of course, that the Armenian populations of these places had been put to the sword. The military of ficers received this Inform atlon as a matter of course. ' The further occupation of Mohamme dan minarets by regular soldiers began shortly after noon of April 14. at the very outset ot the struggle. These soldiers kept up a cruel fusillade into all parts of the Christian quarter. They were shielded by the parapets of the minarets. There were no patrols of soldiers or po lice all day Wednesday, the 14th, none on Thursday and none even on Friday at the real crisis, when a moslem mob filled the streets from here to the river, surg ing against the walls of the girls' school. The government furnished us no protec tion whatever.'* Continuing, Mr. Trowbridge related how Tie reached the governor of Adana by a dash across the city carrying the Turkish flag and accompanied by two Turk*. Governor Turned Pale "The governor was running about in dismay.*' Mr. Trowbridge said, "and could “"ircely give a coherent answer to my questions and demands. I told him of the murder of Henry Maurer and D. M. Rogers, American missionaries. He turn ed pale at my statement, although he must already have heard of the killings. His answers were. ‘I cannot be responsi ble." To this I replied: ’You must be responsible: we have no other force to re ly on except the government. You have completely abandoned ’h rough this cri sis ' The governor was so alarmed and con fused that it was clear that he had no mastery of the situation. Prisoners and soldiers, common Turks, were running in and out of the governor's audience chamber. The governor finally conferr ed with hW - .’i««flr\.it. w* ordered 150 ‘ -"a under Osman Be. * dispatch ed to the American his way back to the mtcrion house, Mr. Trowbridge observed that all the Atlanta Warnal IMPEACHMENT FOR MISSOURI JUDGES? CONGRESSMAN MURPHY AN- NOUNCES ON FLOOR OF HOUSE THAT HE WILL FILE IMPEACH MENT CHARGES AT ONCE. *®- Associated Pres*.) haSHINU...-, -day 6.—At the con clusion of a lengthy statement in the house today regarding his resolution of inquiry into the official conduct of Fed eral Judges McPherson and Phillips, of the western district of Missouri, Repre sentative Murphy, of that state, an nounced that he would present formal charges of impeachment. Mr. Murphy brought the matter as a question of personal prMlege. The res olution involves the conduct of the judges in relation to the two-cent pas senger fare litigation and themaxlmum freight law of Missouri. Reads the Newspapers Mr. Murphy had read some newspaper dispatches to the effect that Frank Hag erman, attorney for eighteen railroads, had telegraphed the attorney general of the United States alleging that the charges in the Murphy resolution were “an outrageous tissue of misrepresenta tion by one who has no knowledge of the facts." He said he had confirmed the fact that such a telegram had been re ceived by Attorney Oeneral Wickersham. Mr. Clayton, of Alabama, a member of the judiciary committee, objected, say ing that the argument was not one of personal privilege. Speaker Cannon ruled that Mr. Murphy was within his rights and could continue, but he had not proceeded far when Mr. Henry, of Texas, another member of the judiciary committee, stopped him with an inquiry at to whether he did not intend to formally bring in charges of impeach ment. i • Rucker-* Hot Reply The Missouri member, however, did not give a direct answer, but continued his recital of the charges contained in hit resolution. He called on Mr. Rucker, his college, to substantiate what he was say ing. Mr. Rucker did so, and declared that Judge Philips should have been impeach ed twenty years ago. Continuing, Mr. Murphy denied that the state of Missouri had been accorded ev ery courtesy in the rate cases, as was stated in Mr. Hagerman’s telegram. The state, he declared, had no knowledge or notice whatever of the first injunction in t hoses cases. The house then adjourned, and immedi ately thereafter Mr. Murphy notified members of the judiciary committee that he would at once formulate formal charges of impeachment against the two judges. RULING OF M’PHERSON IN RAILROAD RATE CASE KANSAS CITY May 6.-Judge Smith McPherson today In a statement from the bench in the United States court here indicated that he believed the recent suit brought by Seebert Jones, circuit attor ney of St. Louis, enjoining the railroads of Missouri from charging a three-cent fare, had violated the injunctive order of the federal court which restrained the state courts ai.c' state officials from pro ceeding against the carriers in the pres ent litigation. The judge added that, on the other hand, he did not consider any action of Attorney Oeneral Elliott W. Majors, up to this time could be considered in con tempt. **l do not to prejudice this case," the judge said, "but my present opinion is that ICrcuft Attorney Jones has infringed upon the jurisdiction of this court.” The remarks of the court came at the opening of the arguments on temporary restraining order against the state offi cials recently issued by Federal Judge John F. Phillips, tn the absence from the city of Judge McPherson. The principal arguments today were made by Jeptha Howe, of St. Louis, for the state and by Frank Hagerman, of Kansas City, for the railways. BOTH JUDGES SILENT; WAITING FOR FILING KANSAS CITY, Mo.. May haw nothing to say at, this time, and will make no statement until Representative Mur phy formally presents his charges of im peachment." said Judge Philips when shown the Washington dispatch. Judge McPherson also declined to make a statement. shops on the central square of Adana, both Christian and moslem, had been looted. He related various examples of the government's indifference to the safety of the Armenians or its participa tion in their killing. Amenians begging refuge at government headquarters were killed in the market place. Villagers who brought prisoners in were asked: "Why did you not finish these giours in the villages; why have you brought them here?” Fifty Armenians were thrown Into the river above Adana and drowned. A Frightful Conspiracy Throughout the fighting, railroad, pdh tal and telegraph communication was cut off. It is Mr. Trowbridge’s conviction that a plot existed to destroy the 50,000 Arme nians in Adana province, and that of this total number 23,000 were destroyed. SCENES OF MASSACRE ARE CHARNEL HOUSES BEIRUT. Asiatic Turkey. May «.-The situation at Suadia, where a number of Armenians have been massacred, has been relieved as a result of the presence and exertions of the captain of the Brit ish battleship Triumph and the British consul at Alexandretta, who went down the coast on board the Triumph. The two officials visited Caladoran and Kessab, and found these towns indes cribable charnel-houses. There are more than one thousand helpless and destitute women in a village on the eea coast near Kessab. DEVASTATED COUNTRY NOW FACING FAMINE HADJIN, Tuesday. May 4.—Hadjln is facing a terrible famine. There Is neither money nor food in the city. The orphans that have been cared for by the American missionaries are crying for bread, and the missionaries are anxious that their benevolent friends be notified of the sit uation here. SITUATION AT SUADIA REPORTED VERY CRITICAL BIERUT. Asiatic Turkey. May 6.—The situation at Suadia and Deurtyul again is critical. Trouble Is brewing and further anti-Christian outbreaks are feared. Five hundred Turkish troops have been dis patched to those two points. In addition the British battleship Tri umph. with the British consul on board, left here this morning for Deurtyuk ATLANTA. GEORGIA. FRIDAY, MAY fa ‘1909. FINGER OF GOUT 1 POINTED AT BOYLE OF WILLIE WHITLH I Looking at Man Who Kid naped Him, Victim Declared “That Is the Man,’’ Before the Jury in Court. WITHIN FEW MINUTES JURY FOUND BOYLE GUILTY OF CHARGE Immediately After Conviction of Boyle, ‘‘Mrs. J. H. Boyle,” the Un known, Is Placed on Trial for the Same Crime. (By Associated Press.) MERCER, Pa.. May fl.-After being out about 16 minutes, the jury in the kid naping case against James Boyle, return ed a verdict of guilty. Willie Whitla, on the witness stand In the trial of James A. Boyle, his alleged abductor, today pointed his finger at the defendant as he sat in the prisoner’s box and said: "That is the man.” , He had been asked if he could point out the man who took him away from Sharon last March. Boyle Pleads Not Guilty Hundreds crowded the frail building Serving for a temporary court house when court convened this morning and the doors were ordered locked to prevent a possible disaster from overcrowding. Boyle entered a formal pleas of not guil ty, the jury selected yesterday was sworn in and the opening address to the jury was made by T. C. Cochran, in charge of the prosecution. "Willie” Whitla was the first witness and told of the man who saiji his name was "Mr. Jones,” calling for him with a buggy at the school and telling him he had been sent to take him away on ac count of smallpox. •‘The boy said "Mr. Jones” gave him a letter and asked him to write his moth er's name and address on it. That he did so with a pencil and the man mailed it in Sharon. ,He told of the drive to Warren, the subsequent trip to Niles and Ashta bula, of visiting a park at Ashtabula and standing beside a cannon. Then he said he was taken to Cleveland where he was told he was in a hospital. 14 contained, he said,' two rooms and a bath. He told o£ hiding in the bottpm of the buggy and tn the box under the wash stand in the “hospital” lest the doc tors should see him and put him in a pest house. He said "Mr. and Mrs. Jones” told him to do so. The cross-examination of "Willie” was very brief, the questioning indicating that the defense would attempt to prove an alibi. . Charles Flowers, of Sharon, testified he had seen Boyle In Sharon the night before the abduction and had spoken to him. Wr.c Not Positive J. Thompson,a liveryman. identified Boyle as the man who hired the buggy from him early on the morning of the kidnaping but on cross-examination ad mitted he was not positive of his iden tification. L. Smith, of Sharon, said he saw Boyle on the morning of the kidnaping in a buggy with a boy. > He said the buggy stopped at a mail box and he saw "Wil lie” Whitla get out and mall a letter. On cross-examination he said the reason he had not inforirffid the Whitlas of what he had seen was that he did not want to get mixed up in the case. IMFULSETOIOOT DOE TO INSANITY? ALIENIST DECLARES THAT ACT OF CAPTAIN PETER C. HAINS WAS DUE TO ’ IMPULSIVE INSANITY. FLUSHING, N. Y„ May 6.—The exam ination of export witnesses for the de fense was expected to be concluded today tn the trial of aCptain Peter C. Hains Jr„ for the killing of 'William E. Annis. Dis trict Attorney DeWitt was prepared to begin the examination of witnesses in re buttal late today. At the opening of court the district at torney resumed his cross-examination of Dr. L. S. Manson, the alienist, who tes tified yesterday for the defense. District Attorney DeWitt explained to the court that he did not consider Dr. Manson having qualified as an expert. He said he would concede that Drs. Clark and Brush, the other alienists fqr the de fense, were qualified experts fmd his cross-examination of them woulq conse quently be much shorter. ' "When Captain Hains stood on the yacht club platform at Bayside with fold ed arms looking out over the water and then grabbed the boom of Annis' boat and shot Annis to death, what kind of Insanity was he suffering from at that time?” asked Mr. DeWitt. "With impulsive insanity,” was the re ply. "At just what time did the impuse seize him?” asked the district attorney. “I can't tell; no man can,” replied the witness. "It probably was when he first heard the name Annis.’ ” Dr. Arthur C. Brush was called and qualified as an expert on nervous and mental diseases. Predicating his opinion on the hypothetical question in connec tion with his own observations, witness said the shooting of Annis was an Im pulsive act of maniac depressive insan ity. ’ , » With only one more alienist to call be fore the defense rests. District Attorney DeWitt marshaled his witnesses in rebut tal at the recess tooday. There are about twenty of them, including Mrs. William E. Annis and eight army and navy men. who have known the defendant for many years. Dr. L. Pleree Clark, the last of the trio of alienists for the defense, tes tified that the defendant was insane on August 15th when be shot Ann la. SHERIFF DEFIES COMMISSIONERS WON’T PERMIT* THEM TO PUT LOCKS ON JAIL—ROW WILL. PROBABLY GO TO THE CITY COURTS. It is highly probably, unless some sort of agreement is reached, that the courts will be called on to decide whd shall car ry certain keys of the jail—A. D. Howard, the engineer, who is tracked by the coun ty commissioners, or Sheriff W. Man gum. • . / ■' i Sheriff Mangum, after he had received the opinion us Aldine; Chambers, his at torney, on Thursday, said that he would not permit new locks to ba put on the jail by the board, as it ordered at its session Wednesday. Me also refuses to give up what keys he has, although he said Thurfcday that lie had never <oi possession of the key* to the front and side entrance. * He said that the jailer. on demanding these keys of HowardJ was Informed by the latter that one wa| in Ma automobile in another part of the county, and the other his wife had. He, however, gave up the rest of the keys.? Chambers’ Opinion The opinion of Attorney Chambers, in substance, is that no court would permit the sheriff to furnish £*ys of the jail to a man who was not answerable to him. Mr. Chambers also holds that the opin ion of the county attorney, which was give nthe board doesn’t au thorize the construction, the board gave it. The authorities quoted -by the county at torney, according to ?jj. Chambers, are substantially the sam® as those quoted Ibv Mr. Chambers. * Mr. Chambers says that section Itt? of the criminal code defcnes the sheriff s duties. One .is that M shall furfiish his prisoners blankets, heat and hot water s These were denied th<>{ sheriff, according to him. Commenting op the grafid jury's recommendation that t|e sheriff be given countrol at the jail. Mfr ■Chambers quotes further from a section! which authorizes the grand jury to investigate the jail, and make "which recom mendations the Ordinaries (county com missioners) shall strictly enforce. Said juries shall also make such present ments as to the general sanitary condi tion of the jails hnd the treatmeftt of the inmates as the facts may justify.” Mr. Chambers admits' that the county board may have general jurisdiction of the jail .but holds that this supervision may be exercised only when the sheriff is neglectful of his duty. Will Forbid New Locks "What will be your next step?” Sheriff Mangum was asked. “To sit steady In the boat.” "Suppose the board puts new locks on the doors?” "They won't do it. I wouldn’t permit it. If they did, then we would have to Iqt the law decide it. J would abide by what the taw said. "As far as the keys to the side and front entrances are concerned, they were never given to me. My jailer told me that when he demanded them Mr. Howard said that one was in his automobile in another part of the county, the other his wife had.” a llegeiTnightrld'er IDENTIFIES DEFENDANTS Trial at Waverly Is Put at High Pitch of Interest as Result of the Identification (By Associated Press.) t WAVERLY. Tenn., May 6.—John Win ters was again placed on the stand in night rider i case by defense Wednesday and in answer to a question by Attorney General Bowman, the witness arose and identified all of the defendants on trial as being present and taking part in the Rees whipping on October 15, last. This at once put the trial at a high pitch of interest. Cross examined by Judge John T. Al len, witness stated he was “Lieutenant” of a night rider company of the Eighth district, the company being twenty-one strong. He quit night riding In Decem ber last and went before the grand jury. He did not think that either he or his son, Harrison, had been indicted for night riding. Witness denied that he had solicited the bakers to go into night assaults, not made public at the time, or called them cowards for not joining him. Witness took part in the Mayberry raid, when a well-to-do negro was taken out and given twenty-five lashes. Mayberry was whipped just to make him leave the "Hollow.” Winters denied that he had made the statement that he and his son, Harri son, were going into the night riders and expose the members in order to obtain a large reward; denied saying he would swear that certain men were guilty. Wit ness had been convicted in Perry county for carrying a pistol. The members selected to do the whip ping was chosen by majority vote. Lee Warren was first chosen, but he was so strong there was fear he might kill his victim,' and Sam Dickerson was se lected. Members who deserted In the raid were to be shot. Henry Marshall and Ross Swan cut the telephone wires on the night of the Rees raid. They were detailedto do the work. Young Harrison Winters followed his father on the stand. He also identified all of the defendants as having been present at the Rees raid. DID THIS ORATOR PARAPHRASE H. W. GRADY (By Associated Press ) 4 NOBLESVILLE, Ind., May 6.—R. L. Holton, superintendent of the Nobles ville schools, demands of E. J. Llewellyn, ehuperintendent of the Sheridan schools a gold medal and fifty dollars In cash gran ted as first prize to John Miller, a Sher idan youth. In a recent Hamilton county oratorical contest. Mr. Holton alleges that Miller’s address on "The Typical American” originally was delivered by a Wabash coulege stu dent three years ago, and, at that, is a paraphrase of Henry W. Grady’s trib ute to Abraham Lincoln. EX-SENATOR WHEATLEY VISITS STATE CAPTOL Ex-Senator Crawford Wheatley, who represented the Thirteenth district in the. state senate in 1905 and 73)6. visited his many friends at Uie capitol Thursday. Mr. Wheatley made scores of friends during his term and was known as the "Beau Brummel” of the senate as well as the author of the bill for a lieutenant governor and as a supporter of the Au dubon bill. WORLD-FAMOUS TENOR WHO CLOSES FESTIVAL qea—na*Wiateee: ,2J * ■--'ata?-- W i GIOVANNI ZENATELLO, He will sing Thursday evening ifbthe final concert of great festival. ZENATELLO’S MAGIC VOICE IS MARVEL OF MUSIC WORLD HIS RISE TO.FAME HAS NOT BERN. PARALLELED IN MODERN TIMES—MOMENT OF SUPREME SENSATION WILL BE REACHED WHEN HE APPEARS ON THURSDAY EVENING. A few years ago the name of Giovanni Zenatello came thundering into the world of music with a magic unlike anything heard in modern .times. There had been tenors before him of rare lyric sweetness and of wonderful technical mastery, but this voice of hi® burst into being like some elemental force of nature herself. It setmed that the harmony of the winds, the cadences of great rivers rushing to the sea had been gathered, together and turned to a miracle of concord within this great Italian. He is the one supreme artist of the entire festival. People never speak of Zenatello except in superlatives. It is impossible to do otherwise. 'To hear him even in a re hearsal has the effect of looking from a mountain top across rolling landscapes flooded with the light of noon. He is the Shakespeare of all tenors today. Zenatello is now the leading tenor ot the Manhattan Opera house, and is reck oned as the rarest addition that Oscar Kammerstein ever made to American opera. Only 33 years ago he was born at Ve rona, Italy. He came into world with a tremendous gift of physical strength. He labored with his hands when a boy. The chest bones grew stronger with every passing year. He loved the open air as he now does. Every fiber in his physique was firm, supple and tireless. He had, to begin with, the things must /always come as a gift from destiny. And when he felt that he had a voice. His father, a business man, protested at first against the boy devoting his time to things of art. But Zenatpllo’s spirit was as virile as his body. Soon he had proved to his parents GUMMING OF IOWA SPEAKS ON TARIFF COMMENDS COURSE OF DOLLIV- ER IN HIS ATTACKS ON THE PENDING BILL—REFERS TO SENATOR ALDRICH. (By Associated Press.) WASHINGTON, May 6.—Commending the course of his colleague, Mr. Dolliver, in his attacks on the pending tariff bill. Senator Cummins, of lowa, today in opening his speech upon that measure turned to Mr. Aldrich and said the man who challenged the Republicanism of senators because they seek to revise the schedules of duties forty years-old, was taking a most remarkable course. "Have we arrived at that slackish state of public opinion,” he asked, "in which it becomes a question of political fealty to Insist upon corrections of schedules made forty years ago, when we consider them in relation to conditions existing to day?” NINETEEN WILL FACE CHARGE OF LYNCHING TYLER. Texas. Mav 6 —District Judge Simp son here today called the cases of the nine teen citizens charred with nartlcipating in the lynching ot thte negro Jim Hodge on lasi Saturday. A company of State Rangers are on hand to preserve order 4 LIGHT STEEL RAILS WILL (OST MORE PITTSBURG. Mav 6.—Announcement wa> made todav at the office of the Carnegie Steel company of an increase tn the price of light •leel rail* of from $3 to It a ton. and to the city about him what genius lay unfolding/witP.in him. At 27 he was the marvel of Italy. A study of Zenatello’s life would show that it has been one ceaseless, gigantic labor In art. And yet when he sings, he does so as carelessly as a child laughing. There is a fine, unpremeditated rapture to every note as though he were simply strolling through the world, singing be cause it is In his heart to sing. Hundreds of people have been wonder ing what Zenatello has been doing since his arrival £or the festival last Tuesday evening. They could never guess, for they picture him probably as some one apart from the Test of life. On the con trary he has been sauntering about ths, streets at his own pleasure, taking auto mobile rides With members of the music committee and other Atlantians, living just as an ordinary man 'would live. Thursday morning he ate for breakfast just what he would eat any other day in the year, although he is to sing Thursday evening the leading tenor role in the over whelming sextet from "Lucia Di Lamme moor.’.' “I do what everybody else,” he said in his Italian-colored English, "because everything in life is crammed with in terest.” It is this very point of view which gives to Zenatello’s art its illimitable breadth and human appeal. It is because he lives close to all mankind that he under stands them and can make them feel his own emotion. His appearance with the six other fa mous artists Thursday evening will mark the greatest moment in the entire festi val, the moment of supreme sensation. GAPT. 0. E. PARK DANGEROUSLY ILL HE WAS BROUGHT HOME FROM NEW YORK IN CRITICAL CON DITION—OPERATION TO BE PERFORMED. State Treasurer R. E. Park was brought home from New York Wednesday afteV noon in a dangerously ill condition and will be operated on Thursday afternoon at the Piedmont sanitarium. The outcome of the operation is doubt ful. » *** Mr. Park, accompanied by his wife and daughter and his niece, Mrs. Dr. Hope, left Atlanta Tuesday, one week ago, for New York. The second day after their arrival in New York he was taken ill and his condition soon became serious. He was brought back to Atlanta Wed nesday afternoon at 5 o’clock, and an examination by the family physician showed that he was suffering from inter nal trouble that demanded an operation. Thursday morning he was removed to the Piedmont sanitarium, where the opera tion is to take place. ..... 4 Harriman Elected Director (By Associated Frees.) , CLEVELAND, 0.. May 5.—E. 11. Harriman was elected a director of the Lake Store and MicMmui Southern Railroad company, at the annual meeting ot the stockholders here today. Mr. Harrihiau was elected to the New Yort Central board recently and the election Tnea dny to the Lake Shore hoard was for a [>eriod of three years. W. K. Vanderbilt. Wm. Rocke feller and H. Twombly also were elected for, three yean. FOOT miE FIGHT j IS AIRED BEFORE ’ MIMI BOMO Hearing Is Begun of Famous Rate Question, Which Has Been Agitated for j Throughout State. LOCAL COMPANIES ASK FOR PORT REDUCTIONS | ON IRON AND COFFEE Petitioners Say That Atlanta Is U»« able to Meet Competition Becau«<t of I<ower Port Rates t® Othe.- Cities. . I Preliminary maneuvers in the "port rate” battle, which has been agitateu in Georgia tor so long, were begun before the state railroad commission V.’ednei 3 day morning, when the first hearing took T| place betore the entire commission, a number of shippers and a strong array ui 1 counsel lor the petitioners and thu attor- j) neys representing the railroads. The entire morning session, which was | not adjourned until 1 o’clock, was occu- I pied with the presentation of the petitions of the McCora-Stewart Grocery company S and the Beck & Gregg Hardware com pany, the answers of the railroads and I the pretests of the Atlanta Steel com V pany, and the Merchants and Manufae- x 4| turers association and the Folwer-SuIU- H van company, of Rome, Ga. )’ The petitions of the McCord-Stewart Grocery company and the Beck & Gregg * Hardwa-e company were presented by Attorney W. A. Wimbikh, of Wimblsh, Watkins & Ellis. In the petition filed with the railroad commission, the McCord- a Stewart Grocery company asked for a revision of rates on coffee from Bruns wick to Atlanta and other interior Georgia points. The company itsked that the port rate be reduced to 15 cents per one hundred pounds. It was stated that | the rate from Brunswick to Nashville was now considerably lower than that io Atlanta; so low. in fact, that the Nash ville shippers were able to receive cos- ® fee shipments from Brunswick and re ship back to Atlanta qjtd sell at a price lower than Atlanta coffee merchantsV could do. It was pointed out that the average rate on coffee to Atlanta within an aver- « age rate of 180 miles was 34 cents, while Nashville enjoyed an average rate of 44 J J cents per one hundred pounds for an average 400 miles. These facts were brought out by th® J testimony of C. E. Hudson, of ’he Me- Cord-Stewart company, the first wit>vas "/U --used for the petitioners. • ” , . The answer of the railroads to this oOn ‘ Y tention was that the rate usdd from I South Atlantic points was practically use less as no business came through this i channel, but was routed via New Or-' 1 leans. The lines interested said ®iat the rate to Nashville was in reality based upon the New York to New Orleans rate. A revision of the port rates to > Atlanta would mean the readjustment of the general rate schedule to and from the east, so the roads stated. Beck and Gregg’s Petition The petition of the Beck. & Gregg Hardware company asked for the reduo ? ♦ ion of iron product rates from Savan- M nah to Atlanta from twenty-three rents to thirteen cents per one hundred pounds, it being the contention that the present rates to Atlanta were far in ex cess of those granted to competitive points. The petition asked that the rate from Savannah to Atlanta, thir- I teen cents, be the same as that of from I Atlanta to Savannah. The railroads, through their counsel, stated that the rate from Savannah to | Atlanta bad been made so that it would give the Atlanta steel manufacturers a "chance to live.” It was stated that the rate was reduced from Savannan to Atlanta it would give the manufac turers an opportunity to exploit the Atlanta market at a market price that would undersell the Atlanta manufae tv .s. A protest to the proposed revision was .fi entered at this point of the hearing by J. Carroll Payne, representatlng the Atlanta Steel company. Mr. Payne said that if the rafe was reduced the Atlanta Steel company would lose its differential rate of 39.60 a ton and that the Pittsburu and eastern manufacturers would seU goods in Atlanta at the same price ihat 1 it cost the Atlanta Steel company to mar- ■ ket its output. He stated that the com pany had invested 31.500:000 in Atlanta, and that when working in its full capac ity, had an annual pa>- roll of $480,000. He stated that under the reduction proposed the company’s profits would be so reduc ed that dividends could not be paid. , .'S Wimbish Files Brief In his brief presented to the commission j Attorney Wimbish contended that Atlanta is entitled to lower rates from Georgia ports on the commodities affected, aa the proximity to the sea entitles Atlanta ' to the benefits of ocean competition from eastern cities to Georgia ports, "which is . | now greatly restrained because of the dominating influence of rail carriers." '' | Attorney Wimbish that Nash- ville, Lynchburg, Roanoke. Knoxville. Chattanooga and other points, have rela tively lower rail ano water rates from the east than Atlanta has. He further stated that as a result of the high rates from the ports Atlanta and other Geot)- gia cities are deprived of the ability to compete with other markets of supply. ■. which receive the benefits of reasonaMa rates. LOWER PORT RATES . WOULD CURB TRUSTS ' The hearing upon the petitions for a re vision of port rates in Georgia, which seemed to have narrowed down into a fight between the Atlanta Steel company and Atlaattf jobbers, developed the fact Thursday, according to witnesses for the petitioners, that the question of a reduc tion of ten per cent in rates, would not only be a saving, but would at the same time remove Georgia consumers of ircri' from the clutches of the alleged steel trusts of eastern and Pittsburg districts. This was revealed in tl>e testimorty ol Vice President and Treasurer W. E. Newill, of the King Hardware company. Vice President Newill stated that prices on steel and iron were made upon vacil latory bases either at Pittsburg or Iron ten, O. When prices were made upon the } fronton basis there was a reduction of Continued on page Three NO. 67.
