About Atlanta semi-weekly journal. (Atlanta, Ga.) 1898-1920 | View Entire Issue (Feb. 23, 1912)
®he Weekly SgwmM VOL. XI SECRMY WILSON REPUDIATES LETTER ON MIDI LANDS Declares Use of His Name Overstatement Boosting Ev erglade Real Estate Was Not Authorized (By Associated Preu.) WASHINGTON. Feb. 20 Secretary of Agriculture Wilson today denied au thorship of a letter which has been widely circulated by one of the com panies exploiting lands in the Florida everglades The advertisement, headed. "Secretary Wilsons Opinion." was credited to the 'East Coast Home Seeker,” of June, the year pot being given. The purported letter follows: "There is no other large body of land anywhere in the United States, in fact anywhere else in the world, that will, when the drainage is completed, be so valuable as the once despised ever glades "Between 3,000.090 and 4.000.000 acres of rich alluvial land located in a cli mate that is almost absolute perfec tion, where all crops can be grown the entire season through, where there are no long, cold winters, no excessive heat in summer and no malaria or other dis eases. "I'rom the very nature of conditions, Florida becomes the paradise of the whole world. There a careful, thrifty tiller of the soil can make more money on 10 or 20 acres of land than on 150 In the north or west. The doubting Thomases who are standing awaiting development will in a few years see their folly. There is no other section of the United States where the climate is so near perfection. There is no where a tille of soil receives such large 1 rewards for labor. The is no other sec tion of the state where the opportuni ties for small capital are so great and where In a few years the small man can have a home and competency." “I have no recollection of ever writing anything of this sort.” said Secretary WUson today. 'This sort of thing hap pens often, and I will have to stop it. as I have been forced to do many times before. It is not uncommon to rind my name and that of Ur. Wiley used with-, out authority in advertisements. Dr. Wiley's perhaps oftener than mine, be cause he is more prominent.” INQUIRY RESUMED. Inquiry into the department of agri culture’s connection with the everglades was • resumed today by the house com mittee. J. a Wright, now chief drainage en gineer of Florida, admitted that he knew in 190 of tha alleged financial ir iwiyliar ittys upon which C. G. Elliott missed frmnWe department, but he did not make the charges until a month ago. Wright said he tol4 the facts to the agricultural department after newspaper articles had appeared in which C. G lUHott criticised him for part of the delay in publishing the everglades re port. “Did not you think it your duty to re port those irregularities when you iearned of them in 1909?” asked Henry E. Davis, attorney for Elliott and Moro house. “I was in the government service then, and I did not want to make charges against a superior officer." said Mn Wright "But when these alleged quotations of Mr. Elliott appeared, you made your charges to the department of agricul ture as a matter of retaliation?” "Not retaliation, but self protection." Attorney Davis sought to develop what connection Senator Fletcher, of Florida, had with the preparation of senate document 89. supposed to con tain all of the official reports on the everglades. Wright admitted that the. department's everglades report as it appeared in the senate document was not the report as finally prepared by Chief Engineer Elliott and set up in type at the government printing office. REPORT WAS JUGGLED. Senator Fletcher, he said, had turned the galley proofs of this report over to him. Wright made the original re port to the department which Elliott revised. He testified that he rewrote portions of the report to restore it as nearly to the original as he could re member, and that it was in this shape as it appeared in the senate document. Repreeentative Clark brought Senator Fletcher, when he asked Wright about a conference between the senator, Wright and ex-Governor Jennings, at which the Wright report as revised by Elliott was restored to its original form. SENATOR FLETCHER SPEAKS. “There has been an effort.” said Sen ator Fletcher, "to create an Impression that there waa some special interest to be served by the publication of that document by the senate- Then is no foundation for any such imputation." •There has been no imputation.” Mr. Clark replied. “And I don’t see any ex cuse for the senator to make a speech at this time. Thete can be no objec tion to the senator taking the stand and testifying, but the records ought to be held down to facto." • Representative Higgins r-iggested that there had been intimations tliat ex- Governor Jenn ngs was in partrership with the land promoters. "Is that true, senator? I'H take your word for it.” “I reall.- couldn't say whether he is or not." said Senator Fletcher. "1 don't know anything about it.” CHILDREN MAKE PLEA FOR MOTHER IN JAIL (Bt Associate 1 Press.) WASHINGTON.'ban. 33. A pitiful ap peal to President Taft from a 15-year-old Polish girl of Erie. Pa., who begs for the rebase of her mother from jail has excited the sympathy of federal of ficials although they are powerless to act. The mother, the Child wrote the pi evident, was sent to jail "unjustly" as th eresult of a dispute with a neighbor. She left behind her four children, one a nursing babe, with no guardian or means of support. The case was refer red to J. A. Finch, pardon attorney of the department of justice, who has taken up with the mayor of Erie the question of relieving the children's distress. Educators to Meet (By Associated Press. 1 MONTGOMERY. Ala., teb. 33.—The Southern Educational association will hold its 23d annual meeting at Ixmls ville, Ky.. November 38 to 30. Sixteen southern states make up the associ ation. HOUSTON TO GET $3,500,000 INSURANCE FOR BIG FIRE Losses Wiil Run From 7,000,- 000 to slo,ooo,ooo—Some of Insurance Is Said to Be Companies Not Licensed by Texas Laws (By Associated Press.) HOUSTON, Tex., Feb. 22.—Total loss es in Houston's fire wefe >6.500,000; to tal insurance, >4,500,000; and total in surance to be paid about >3,000,000. These figures were taken from nearly complete comparison today of local, in surance men. Salvage from the burned district is counted on to reduce the actual insurance payments to near >3,000,000. COTTON STILL SMOKES. The 50,000 bales of cotton representing about $2,000,000 cash, still smoked today in the burned area with scarce abated energy, showing that some portion of the >2.000,0uu was still unconsumed if only some means could be found to get the fire out of the stubborn material. Cotton men assert that a considerable amount of good cotton could be salvaged from the interior of the partly burned bales. Firemen poured water on the cotton and most of the burned district all night. Much of the burned district housed ne groes and the childlike humor of their race burst forth even during the height of the fire. For example a crowd of ne groes watched a carload of hams sizzling and frying. Temporarily the rest of the fire did not seem to interest them. Charlie Favor, Jr., the infant who was ill with meningitis and whose mother, the only person who dared to rescue him. sat all night in a cold- deserted shanty, holding him in her arms, was re ported at detention camp today as doing well. Another child ill with meningitis and driven out by the fire was also taken to the camp. Both of them have probably better medical attention and more chance for life at the camp than they would have had at hqme. INJURIES ONLY SLIGHT. Complete lists of the injured show that almost without exception flying shingles caused the hurts. The wind drove pieces of shingles at times almost like blazing Relief work went forward rapidly today. Tnousand dollar checks from the wealthy and humble baskets of bread from the poor came into charity headquarters with all sorts of other contribution-. A remark able feature of the tire is the absolute cleanliness today of the flame swept dis trict. The northwest gale swept nearly all ashes away along with the smaller debris. Now the district looks as if.it bad been gone over with a gigantic broom. • . , The International and Great Northern railroad, a Gould line, appears to be the heaviest loser among railroad*-. Two miles of its track was practical y de stroyed and ninety-three box ears, twen ty-two of which were loaded with cot- BRANDT GRANTED A NEW TRIAL; “STOLE” TWO PINS AND SHOE HORN (By Azsocizted Pres*-) NEW YORK, Feb. 22.—Folke E. Brandt, who was sent up on April 4th, 1907, to serve a term of thirty years in the penitentiary for burglarizing the house of his former employer. Mortimer L. Schiff, has been granted a new trial by Justice Gerard, of the supreme court. The habeas corpus writ has been sustained, and Brandt s long pris on term is broken up. He will prob ably be released from the Toombs, on bail, today or tomorrow. Justice Gerard’s decision brought to a climax a case which has had the absorbing attention of the public for nearly a month and is still a matter of grand jury investigation to deter mine if there was conspiracy in giving Brandt such a long term. According to records Justice Gerard read into his opinion, Brandt on March SENATE WILL GET BUSY ON TARIFF REVISION Democrat Tariff Measures Will Be Assigned for Hearing at Once (By Azaecia ted Pre* a.) WASHINGTON. Feb. 22.—Democrat ic tariff revision measure will be as signed for hearing before the senate committee on finance as fast as they are sent over from the house. Adoption of this plan by the regular Republican leaders is the only progress the senate has made in arranging for the disposition of the big tariff prob lems before congress. Several of the progressive Republi can senators have conferred informally over tariff plans, but they have deter mined on no definite policy. The Dem ocratic senators are equally inactive. The chemical tariff revision bill pass ed by the house yesterday was sched uled for reference to tne finance com mittee by the senate today. There is a formidable list of wit nesses yet to be heard on the steel bill. The finance committee expecta to close its hearings on steel next week. The chemical hearings probably will be begun about the first week of March. CRAZY OLD MAN OF 72 SLAUGHTERED DAUGHTER Police Found Body Lying in Closet With Knife in Throat (By Associated Fraas.) OLEAN. N. Y., Feb. 32.—William Lundy, 72 years old, is in the police sta tion here today a raving maniac follow ing his confession that he murdered his daughter-in-law. Mrs. Thomas Lundy. He walked calmly up to the chief of police last night and made his confession, say ing he w anted to be hanged for the crime. An hour later he was in delirium. A policeman, who was sent to inves tigate the story, found the body of the woman lying in a closet at her home. Her head had been beaten in with a ham mer and a knife was sticking in her throat. From Lundy's incoherent story, the police believe that the murder followed a quarrel between the old man and his daughter-in-law. ATLANTA, GEORGIA, FRIDAY, FEBRUAKY 23, 1912 ♦ STORY OF HOUSTON FIRE ♦ ♦ KILLS LOUISVILLE WOMAN ♦ ♦ (By Associated Press.) ♦ ♦ LOUISVILLE, Ky., Feb. 22. -e- ♦ Reading of the Houston fire had so w ♦ wrought upon the nerves of Mrs. ♦ ♦ Ella Schuman, an invalid, that -a ♦- when she heard the clanging of ♦ ♦- fire gongs and glancing out her ♦- ♦- window saw smoke emanating ♦ ♦ from a house across the street, ♦ ♦ she collapsed and died here last ♦ night without regaining conscious- ♦ ♦ ness. ■* ♦ ♦ ♦♦♦♦♦♦<*«-♦♦* ♦♦♦♦♦♦♦ ♦♦ ♦ ♦ ♦ ♦ ton. The Southern Pacific lost 21 cars, ten loaded w’ith cotton and several blocks of side tracks. Claims Average $75,000 On Each Insurance Firm (Special Dispatch to The Journal.) HOUSTON, Tex.. Feb. 22.—1 t will probably be several days before correct information can be secured on the to tal losses of yesterday's fire. It is es timated today that the total loss will not be less than $6,000,000. Already the insurance known to have been car ried aggregates more than $3,000,000. There are upwards of 120 insurance companies authorized to do business in Texas. The definite statement was made this morning that not one of the companies will lose in excess of $75,- 000. which means that the risks are well distributed. Among the companies carrying heavy risks having southern headquarters in Atlanta are the Royal. Queen, North American and the Cotton Insurance as sociation. The latter company is in terested only in cotton insurance. A careful rechecking of the losses this morning gives the following re sult; Fifty-five thousand two hundred bales of cotton, two compresses and a warehouse. 11 industrial plants, in cluding 2 rice mills; 1 church. 1 school, 8 brick business houses, 11 residences, 124 box and tank cars. The following figures give approxi mately the fire risks that were handled through Houston agencies on the larger plants and industries: Childress & Taylor. $500,000. Rice, Radford & Burns, $261,700. Lea & Lloyd. $252,000. O. L. Cochran, $320,000. Torrey & Co., $275,000. Cravens & Cage, $225,000; W. H. Kirkland & Co., $221,000. S. O. Cotton & Co., $200,000. Maillot & Lubberck, $275,000. Belk & Co., $165,000. Painter, Relchman & Co., $15,000. Frazier & Mclntyre, SIOO,OOO. Duble & Co., $75,000. fi. G. Raphael, $70,000. Vinson & Oliver, $60,500. Young & Felker, $41,000. Williams & Porter, $25,000. C. V. Bradley & Co.. $15,000. George Gage & Co., $5,000. Total, $3,101,700. 28, 1907, withdrew a plea of not guilty to the todiement charging that he fel onously broke into the Schiff home and stole "two pins and a shoe horn” and pleaded guilty. In sentencing him a week later to thirty years in prison Judge Otto A. Rosalski illegally con demned the man, according to Justice Gerard. The court held that the examination of Brandt at the time he was sen tenced tended to refute the plea to a charge of first degree burglary, as he denied that he forced entrance to the Schiff house. “The questions and answers set forth in the examination,” declared Justice Gerard, “show that Brandt,. whatever crime he committed, did not ‘break’ to enter, within the meaning of the law, and showed that the crime of burglary in the first degree, or in any degree, was not, in fact, committed.’’ DIES OF BROKEN HEART GRIEVING FOR BROTHER J, H. Thompson, of Jackson, Ga n Dies Fifteen Days After Brother’s Death <Special Dispatch to The Journal.) JACKSON. Ga., Feb. 22.—Qrlef over the death of his brother, who died here two weeks ago, Is said to have caused the death of Mr. J. H. Thomp son, which occurred at his home here early this morning. Just 15 days ago Mr. W. B. Thompson, one of the best known citizens of the county, died aft er an illness of only a few days. His brother was never the same aft er his death and following a short ill ness he passed away. Pneumonia is given as the cause of his death, but it is believed that grief over his broth er was the principle cause of his un timely passing. Tne two brothers were Inseparable. They were together constantly. When W. B Thompson died friends said ~ls younger brother would not live but a few weeks and in this they were cor rect. Mr. ’lhompson Is survived by his sister, Mrs. E. C. Cawthon, and sev eral nephews. He was 43 years or age on his last birthday, December 25. The funeral will be ’neld at Sardis church In Henry county Thursday ana he will be interred by the siue of his hr..her, whose funeral was held therj on February 7. ALL HAWLEY’S SERVANTS ARE CLAIMING BIG SUMS (By Associated Press.) NEW YORK. Feb. 22.—One of the tan gles which the administrators of the estate of the late Kdwin Hawley, mil lionaire railroad man, will be asked to unravel, concerns the lifelong savings of the servants in the Hawley household. All the household employes intrusted their extra earnings to him for invest ment but so far as has been learned no account of the sums thus deposited has been discovered. Kiami Kobo, the Japanese butler who has been in the Hawley employ for 19 wars, claims to have entrusted SIO,OOO i to his employer’s care while Mrs. Mc- Cales. the housekeeper, believes her sav ings amount to more than $7,000. Other servants claim deposits of small amounts. ROOSEVELT FIVDRS REGAL OF JUDGES IND HAMMERS TAFT Speaking Before Ohio Consti tutional Convention Roose velt Proclaims Himself a "Progressive” » COLONEL TELLS WHAT "WE PROGRESSIVES" WANT Former’ President Proclaims Himself the Champion of Practically Everything That La Follette Has Done (By Associated Press.) COLUMBUS, Ohio, Feb. 21. —“Big Business,” the fitness of the American people for self-government, the recall of judges, and praise for the progres sive legislation in Wisconsin Instituted and furthered by Senator Robert ID LaFollette when he was governor, wcrei topics discussed by Theodore Roosevelt in an address today before the Ohio constitutional convention. Colonel Roosevelt chose as his subject, “A Charter of Democracy.” Os what iie termed “Big Business,” Colonel Roosevelt had this to say: "The anti-trust law does good insofar as it can be invoked against combina tions which really are monopolies or which restrict production or which ar tificially raise prices. But in so far as its workings are uncertain or as it threatens corporations which have not b4en guilty of anti-social conduct it doee harm. There 'Should be a fixed governmental policy which shall clearly define and punish wrong-doing ana give in advance full information to any man as to just whajt he can and just what he cannot legally and properly do.” As to -the fitness of th* American people for self-government, Colonel Roosevelt said: ' "Many eminent lawyers believe that the American people- are not fitted for popular government and that it is nec essary to kfeep the judiciary ‘independ ent of the majority of the people.’ I take absolute issue with all those who hold such a position.” Os the recall of judges, he said: "The question is one of expediency merely. Each community has the right to try the eiipertment for itself in whatever shape it pleaes.„ I do not be lieve in adopting the recall save as a last resort when it has become clearly evident that no other course will achipve tha desired A : *Sault. ‘ ■ TKIBUTU TO I*iFOLLETTE. Senator Was mentioned but once, as follows: « . "Following Senator LeFollette a number of practical workers and think ers in Wisconsin have turned that state into an experimental laboratory of wise governmental action In aid of social and industrial justice. They have ini tiated that kind of progressive govern ment which means not only the preser vation of true democracy, Jjut the ex tension of the principle of true Democ racy Into industrialism as well as into politics.” I Colonel Roosevelt said in part: “1 hold it to be the duty of every pub lic servant, and of every man who in public or in private life holds a posi tion of leadership in thought or action, to endeavor honestly and fearlessly to guide his fellow-c-ountrymen to right de cisions; but I emphatically dissent from the view that it is either wise or nec essary to try to devise methods which under the constitution will automatically prevent the people from deciding for themselves what governmental action they deem just and proper. LET PEOPLE RUKE- "It is impossible to invent constitu tional devices which will prevent the popular will from being effective for wrong without also preventing it from being effective for right. The only safe course to follow in this great American Democracy is to provide for making the popular judgment really effective. But It Is a false constitutionalism, a false statesmanship, to endeavor by the exer cise of a perverted ingenuity to seem to give the people full power and at the same time to trick them out of it. “Yet this is precisely what is done in every case where the state permits its representatives, whether on the bench of in the legislature or in execu tive office, to declare that it has not the power to right grave social wrongs, or that any of the officers created by the people, and rightfully the servants of the people, can set themselves up to be the masters of the people. Consti tution makers should make it clear be yond shadow of doubt that the people in their legislative capacity have the power to they deem necessary for the betterment of social and industrial conditions. “I hold that he is the real progressive, that he is the genuine champion of the people, who endeavors to shape the poli cy alike of the nation and of the sev eral states so as to encourage legitimate and honest business at the same time that he wars against all crookedness and injustice and unfairness and tyran ny in the business world. This is the reason why I have for so many years insisted as regards our national gov ernment, that it is both futile and mis chievous to endeavor to correct the evils of big business by an attempt to restore business conditions as they were in the middle of the last century, before rail ways and telegraphs had rendered larger business organizations both inevitable and desirable. “FLINTLOCK LEGISLATION.” •'The effort to restore such conditions, ' and to trust for justice solely to such I proposed restoration, is as foolish as I if we should attempt to arm our troops i with the flintlocks of Washington’s continentals instead of with modern weapons of precision. Flintlock legisla tion. of the kind that seeks to prohibit all combinations, good or bad, is bound to fail, und the effort, in so far as it accomplishes anything at 'all, merely means that some of the worst combina tions are not checked and that honest business is checked. "What is needed is, first, the recogni tion that modern business conditions have come to a>tay, in so far at least as these conditions mean that business must be done in larger units, and then ths cool-headed and resolute determina tion to introduce an effective method of regulating big corporations so as to help legitimate business m an incident to thoroughly and completely safe- (Contlnued ou Fage Nine, Column 3.) Important Witnesses in Florida Case ... *** ' r """'1 fl-% On the left is A. D. Morehouse, former assistant chief of drainage investigations of the agricultural department. On the right is C. G. Elliot, former chief of “/’LL KILL THE MAN WHO HAS STOLEN AWAY MY BABY GIRL" (By Associated Press.) OWENSBORO, Ky., Feb. 22.—An irate father with a revolver in his hand, two policemen trying to restrain him and a crowd of Interested citizens greeted the incoming boat from Rockport, Ind., yes terday afternoon but the eloping couple for whom this Inhospitable welcome home had beet) arranged, were not aboard and a friendly tip by the tele phone to the bridegroom averted the fur- 35 CA TS SLEPT IN HIS BED; THIS MAN GOT EASY DIVORCE (By Associated Press.) KANSAS CITY, Feb. 22.—Because his wife kept 35 cats in their home, Samuel W. O’Dell, 74 years old and a civil war veteran was granted a divorce at Kan- SETH LOW STILL LOTH TO INTERESTS OF TIFT Believes He ShO'uW Be ’W 1 Nominated Roosevelt's Friend Keeps Silent Here With ruddy cheeks, sparkling eyes and elastic step, the picture of splendid health, Seth Low, former mayor of New York and retired millionaire, alighted from a New York train in Atlanta Wed nesday, posed for The Journal’s staff photographer, declared his belief that President Taft would be renominated, and the Republicans win, sh .k hands with a number of friends —all within a period of five minutes—and then left for Tuskegee, Ala., where Thursday he is meeting with the board of trustees of Tuskeegee university. He was accompanied by a party that filled two private cars. They will pass through Atlanta Friday at midnight on the return trip, but will not stop over. The personnel included Seth Low, Law rence F. Abbott, president of the Out look;. Robert C. Ogden, Frank Trumbull, William G. Wilcox, A. G. Fraser, J. W. Frothingham, Dr. and Mrs. S. G. Maule, Mrs. Falconer, the Rev. Clarence A. Vincent, Mrs. Henry C. Davis, Charles E. Mason and other well known person ages of New Y'ork, Boston and Phila delphia. Mr. Fraser is *from London. Mr. Abbot, who is a son of Dr. Lyman Abbot, editor of the Outlook, as an as sociate of Col. Theodore Roosevelt, de clined to make any reference to the possibility of the colonel’s becoming a candidate for the presidency or as to whether he would accept the nomination. He said: “Colonel Roosevelt is able to speak for himself upon that subject.” Mr. Abbot, however, eagerly inquired of any news regarding a speech by the former president before the constitutional convention at Columbus.* Said Mr. Low. “I’m trying to rival Georgia now in raising peaches. Since I served as mayor of New Y srk, ten years ago. and quit active business, to say nothing of poli tics, I bought and moved to a peach farm at Bedford, N. Y., in Harlem. And, believe me. I'm raising some peaches. “Politics? Hush! I’m not in politics, but I believe the Republican party owes it to Mr. Taft to renominate him, and if they do this we will elect him. Per sonally, I’m a friend both of the presi dent and Colonel Roosevelt. What do I think of Colonel Roosevelt's intention? Honestly, I believe there is only one man in the world who Knows this—the colonel, himself. However, should he be nominated, I coUld support him free ly.” . The former mayor bent almost to his knees and took a peek at the skyscraper district of Atlanta from beneath the train shed at the Terminal station. “My! But Atlanta is giowing. Wish I could stop over,” he added. Tne meeting at Tuskeegee today is one held annually by the board of trustees. FORTUNE CAME CLOSE BUT IT MISSED HIM * (By Associated Press.) BOSTON, Feb. 22.—William B. Turn bull, stepfather of Anita Baldwin, the claimant of the “Lucky” Baldwiin mil lions, has filed a voluntary petition in bankruptcy here disclosing liabilities amounting to $1,232.52. He has no as sets, not even enough to pay the 530 fee required for bankruptcy expenses. Turnbull is a chiropodist. Mendez to Meet Knox (By Associated Press.) NEW ORLEANS, Eeb. ’.’2.—Senor Joaquin Mendez. Guatemalan minister to Washington, sailed from New Or leans Wednesday on the United States fruit steamer Atenae for Puerto Bar rios. Minister Mendez goes to Guate mala, to i- present at t'ne reeetpion ot Secretary of State Knox. the same department. They are accused of transferring public funds by means of irregular vouchers and they will be important witnesses in the investigation of the Florida Everglades affair. ther possibility of a tragedy. The unforgiving father was Mayor Lambert, whose 19-year-old daughter ran away, and married Charles Pruitt, of Rockport. Mayor Lambert, who was in formed they would return by the af ternoon boat, declared he “would kill the man who had stolen away his baby.” Friends reached Pruitt by telephone and advised him to spend his honeymoon outside Kentucky. sas City, Kan., yesterday. O’Dell testi fied that his wife gave her cats more attention than she gave him, fed the pets the choicest food and ignored his protests when the animals slept in his bed. NEW YORK Till IMS ME WITCHED 8! POLICE ritmr terßwynt' Beginning to Implicate Chauffeurs (By Associated Press.) NEW YORK. Feb. 22.—Sharp police supervision of taxicab chauffeurs is urged by members of the police de partment as a means of preventing the numerous automobile robberies which are being perpetrated dally by bands of motor car highwaymen. Investiga tion of automobile chauffeurs in the city show that no less than 20 licensed chauffeurs have served terms in state prison, while over 100 ’chauffeurs are said to have criminal records. The detection of crimes, such as the recent holdups of, bank messengers, is made extremely difficult by the taxi cab which Ts used as a “get-away.” Many of the chauffeurs 'with criminal records came here as strike-breakers, and while the police. know them, they are powerless, to do anything until the chauffeurs are detected in the act of commiting a crime. The licensing of chauffeurs and the registration of automobiles at present is in control of the secretary of state. VIADUCT DEDICATED A LA JAPANESE FORM (By Associated Press.) DALLAS, Tex., Feb. 22.—The usual form of dedication ceremony' varies in the plans of the opening late today of the viaduct which joins this city with its largest suburb. Oak Cilff. The Jap anese dedication ceremony—that of re leasing homing pigeons—will be ob served instead of cracking a bottle of wine on the artificial highway as was originally planned. The plans were objected to by the women’s clubs of the city, led by the W. C. T. If., who declared they did not want the viaduct stained with wine. The Dallas-Oak Cliff viaduct, declared to be the longest, reinforced concrete viaduct in the world, is 4,780 feet long. - TWO TICKETS ENTeT TALAPOOSA PRIMARY .. (Special Dispatch to The Journal.) TALLAPOOSA, Ga.. Feb. 22.-The com ing election for mayor anx city council men for the city of Tallapoosa promises to be one of the most closely contested in several years, as two separate tickets are in the Aeld. The election is to be held March 2. Candidates in the field are as follows: Mayor, C. E. Pierce and Dr. W. J. McCurdy; councilmen. G. W. Sheppard. A. C. Carter, Wyatt Miller, J. H. Fuller ton, A. C. Colvin, Dr. BrocK, Jud Miller. K. G. Kilgore, L. J. Lipham, H. B. Sewell. >• MISSISSIPPI TO BAR GREEK LETTER “FRATS” (By Associated Press.) JACKSON, Miss., Feb. 22. —Seconding the action of the state senate, the house of representatives of the Mississippi leg islature has adopted an “anti-frat” bill, which orders the abonsmrrent of all Greek letter fraternities, sororltls and secret orders in educational institutions supported in whole or in part by the state. The bill passed 77 to 22 and will be come a law immediately if Governor Brewer affixes his signature. NEW LUK'jn LAW URGED BT PRESIDENT IN MESSAGE TUESDAY Taft Strongly Recommends That Congress Pass Bill Re cently Framed by Employ ers’ Liability Commission (By Associated Press.) WASHINGTON, Feb. 20.—President Taft today submitted to congress the report of the employers’ liability com mission and the commission’s proposed employers’ liability and workmen's com pensation bill, accompanied by a mes sage urging the enactment of the meas ure which is the most advanced piece of liability legislation yet presented. Ths president sets forth that the proposed law not only would insure to employes of railroads engaged in interstate com-; merce quick adjustment of their claims for damages, but also would relieve the courts of a vast amount of work anl enable them to administer judicial af fairs with greater dispatch. "I sincerely hope that the act will pass.” said the president. *T deem it one of the great steps of progress to ward a satisfactory solution of an im portant phase of the controversies be tween employer and employe that has been proposed within the last two or three decades.” The main provisions of tha measure are sketched in the message, and then Mr. Taft takes up and disposes of three objections that have been advanced by its opponents. "In the first place,” says the presi dent, “the question arises whether un der the provisions of the commerce clause, the bill could be considered, to be a regulation of interstate and for eign commerce. That seems to t»e al ready settled by the decision of the supreme court in the employers? liabili ty case. “The second question is whether the making of these remedies exclusive and the compelling of the railroad compa nies to meet obligations arising from injuries, for which the railroad would not be liable under the common law, is a denial of the due process of law which is enjoined upon congress by ti*e fifth amendment to the constitution in dealing with the property rfghts. This question the report takes up. and in an exhaustive review of the authorities, makes clear, as it seems to me, the va lidity of the act It is sufficient to say that the argument of the commis sion is most convincing to show that the police power of the government ex ercised in the regulation of interstate commerce, is quite sufficient to justiify the imposition upon the interstate rail road companies of the liability for the injuries to its employes on an insur ance basis. “The third objection is that the right lof trial by jury, guaranteed by the sev enth amendment, is denied. As a matter of fact, the right is preserved in this ..get .'(ymitting a jury "Issue''wnen duly ance with the limitations of the act.” President Taft then alludes to the al leged iniquities attending personal in jury litigation. He declares that per jured testimony, emotional juries and badly constructed saws limiting liabili ty, have tended to hamper the adminis tration of exact justice while the heavy expense of litigation has rendered- it almost impossible for the poor man to command his rights. In referring to the condition‘of the courts because of this form of litigation, the president says: “The administration of justice today is clogged in every court by the great number of suits for damages for per sonal injury. The settlement of such cases by this system will serve to re duce the burden of our courts one-hr.lf by taking the cases out of court anu disposing of them by this short cut.” The message concludes with the re iterated hope that tte bill may passed before the adjournment of tha present session of congress. AVALANCHES MENACE PANAMAjCANAL WORK Million Cubic Yards Stop Open ations in Culebra Cut ; Section • - i (By Associated Prost.) NEW ORLEANS, 22.—Earth slides totalling nearly a million cqbic yards have interfered with operations in the Culebra cut section of the Pan ama canal according to mail dispatches received here today from Colon. Cracks in the earth indicate another slide which nay assume more alarming pro portions. The day on which the slide occur red was not Given. The letter says the first slide was of about 250,000 cubic yards and took place on the cast bank, tearing away a big section of the 95-foot roadway and cloning a portion of the drainage ditch. Tins slide, it continues, will ne cessitate the relocation and regrading of all railsoad tracks in tne vicinity of the pioneer cut. The earth is crack ed in the vicinity of this slide and ca nal workmen are alarmed over t>ie probably of a great earth "slip." The second slide was on the went side of the cut on the site of the great slide of two years ago, and the cagfß workers say it has "become active again” approximately 750,090 cubic yards having already gone in, and the end 13 not believed be in sight. HE HAS QUIT UNCLE SAM FOR J. PIERPONT MORGAN (By Associated Press.) NEW YORK. Feb. 22.—Michael Nathan, the United States customs de partment’s chief expert in matters per taining to the fine arts, will resign from the service to accept employment ■as an art advisor to J. J*. Morgan, ac cording to a report printed here today. Mr. Nathan at present is in London, where he is supervising on behalf of the government the appraisement and sealing of Mr. Morgan’s art treasures which have been on exhibition few sev eral years in the Victoria and Albert museum. South Kensington. Mr. Nathan first entered the customs service of this country in 1897 and has been in charge of the art division sev eral years. Postmaster Appointed (Special Dispatch to The Journal.* WASHINGTON, D. C., Feb. 29.—J. A. Union county, vice T. Alexander, resign-* Dyer appointed postmaster*at Choestoe, ed. 45
