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About The Henry County weekly. (McDonough, GA.) 18??-1934 | View Entire Issue (March 25, 1921)
THIS EDITORIAL IS TAKEN •• TOM THE JANUARY 26 * H ISSUE OF ENC.i EEiTiNG AND CONTE ACTING, A TIAGAZINE PUB LISH L£> IN CHICAGO. “A charge persisted in without knowledge of facts is nothing short of slander. We may safely hr on Am this gen eralization to read: Persistent statements not. bn -d on in vestigation of facts are tantamount to deliberate fal.ofica tlOii. “We concede that the aver ge man is as yet very care less in his assertions, anti that In- sees nothing reprehensible •- in being wrong. But when being wrong in an - rtron works injury to someone, the alerter is morally bat little above a common liar. “During the pest few verms.when public utility owners and managers hare been herring the public fr r- f fr>>tn excel sively low rales for services tendered, there have been numberless printed assertions by public official; to tire effect that existing rates were hirh enough to yield a fair return upbn actual investments. Even" where .appraisals by reputable engineers and audits bv accountant.-, have belied such assertions. rarely have the as.serters had the honesty to investigate the facts. Instead, ‘heir unusual practice has been to ignore all evidence and persist in fficir improvable statements. “To such a pass has this form of immorality brought things that seven'll state legislatures are to be asked to rescind laws r kiting to state regulation cf pubii.* utility rates. When way rs> and otlvy public offfcials p rs: t in telling the > that street railways can prod:: ' iy carry passengers at 5 and 6 cents, is it any wonder ih it many people have come ro regard state utility commissions as being the tools of utility companies? “in one state tiic governor has ousted all the utility com missioners, because they incurred the ill will of certain people on account of rate increases granted to public utili ties. In another state one of the most fearless and capable utility comm .-sinners has 'resigned, apparently disgusted with the charges made not merely by some mayors but by some newspapers that the commission has done nothing but raise utility rates unnecessarily. If the engineering societies in such states were a few years in'advance of their present development, probably the public would receive au thoritative expressions of engineering opinion that would contradict and perhaps silence the false statements of dema gogic mayors. The time is certainly overripe for protests from associations of professional and business men against the baseless assertions and the selfish acts of politicians who are pandering to the worst side of human nature. The public would like to ride on street cars for a nickel. They would like better to ride for nothing. Hence the public is not only willing to be convinced, but is half convinced be fore any one has spoken that the ‘predatory railway kings’ are robbing them. The silence of men who know better— engineers, business men and editors—is taken as evidence that the statements of the pandering politicians are true. “it vv-ill hot do to excuse,ourselves from the duty of speaking and acting now. We have ‘passed the buck’ times without number, until a few more passings will find us -ill riding in the street cars as slowly and expensively operated as the elevators in the typical city hall. America is face to face with municipal ownership of s: eet car systems, of gas and electric plants. Steadily and with unrelenting pressure, the economic life of public utility companies is being squeezed out. State commissions and courts are trying :o be just, but an ignorant public is constantly threatening them and doing all that it can to block their efforts. The ignorance of the public is mainly ascribahle to the silence, of the men who are most competent to speak not only with authority but with freedom from selfish motives—the pro fessional engineers. “\\ hether there is to he municipal ownership of all utili ties or not, professional engineers will be employed. Many engineers think that their chances of securing adequate compensation are better under public than under private administration. At all events there is so little to choose in that respect, that engineers as a body cannot be charged with selfish motives in advocating fair rates for public utility corporation services and fair treatment of public util ity commissions. “Apropos of the unsound attitude of most municipal offi cials relative to public utility rates, we quote from a recent address before the League of California Municipalities by W. E. Creed, president of the Pacific Gas and Electric Co.: “ ‘On the habit of jumping at conclusions without knowl edge of the facts, I cite ‘the official procedure when an application for increased rates is filed. “‘The city council meets. It forthwith passes a resolu tion and instructs the city attorney to oppose the applica tion. The city attorney issues his public pronouncement, duly accompanied by photographs, saying: “I will tight to the last ditch.” as he raises his eyes to heaven and prays to God to give him strength that justice may triumph and right prevail. “ ‘Never in all my experience, and I have been in the public utility business a good many years as a lawyer and as an ,executive, never in all mv experience have I ever heard of. read, or seen a resolution bv a city council direct ing a city attorney to investigate the facts and to reason from those facts to a sound conclusion in the public inter est. Apparently some public officials are not concerned about the facts, but are stalwart nevertheless in their con clusions. “ ‘A rate inquiry ought not to be an adversary proceed ing, but should be a mutual and co-operative investigation of the facts, proceeding upon the theory that either to<3 high or too low a rate is an injury both to the utility and to the public’.” HOWARD L. CARMICHAEL FUNERAL DIRECTOR AND EM BALM IN G Office Phone 19 Residence Phone 30 HENRY COUNTY WEEKLY, McDONOUGH, GEORGIA TAX RECEIVER S NOTICE SECOND ROUND. : Saturday, March 26 —Stock | bridge. Monday, March 28—Tussahavv. Tuesday, March 29 Sandy Ridge, Beersheba. Wednesday, March 30— McMul j ien’s, Love’s. Thursday, March 31—-Flippen, ; Sixth. Friday, April I—Locust1 —Locust Grove. durday, April 2 —Hampton. Thursday, April 7 Brushy; Knob, Shaker ig. Friday, April B—Love’s, h above dates give the day; S at I will be in your district. You : will find notices posted at every! stnn- and public places- as to what ! hour 1 will be at that place. I will be in McDonough first I Tuesday and court week, and all ELLIS-SETZER CO. % FUNERAL DIRECTORS AND EMBALMERS OFFICE PHONE NO. 3. RESIDENCE, 57, 54-J, 132. Spring Sponsors’ Delightful Modes in Hats, Suits, Frocks, Wraps and Shoes Women who have postponed buying the new Spring Wardrobe until now will find hosts of interesting styles, fresh and unhandled and tinged with some of the whimsical charm of Spring itself. The amazingly reasonable prices at which Suits, Hats, Shoes, Wraps and Frocks may now be had makes this a Spring when one will take keen pleasure in choosing clothes for all the many feminine needs. A CHARMING COLLECTION" OF WOMEN’S SPRING HATS Truly each one has befen created to be the ‘’crowning glory” of some tasteful woman's Spring outfit Each one expresses the genius for style and beauty tha t was given it by the artist why designed it. There is marvelous variety or materials’ forms and colorings. For every woman who seeks this accessory there is a style! a shape and a coloring exactly suited to her requirements, and the final factor o' beauty with with which it is our function to seee that you are served, is Becomingness. SUITS Swinging mandarin coats, semi tailored styles, box-coats, bloused coats or coats with cape backs-these are a few of the modes from which to select a Spring Suit. No Spring wardrobe need be without a treas-' ured suit for the long season of wear ahead with prices so low. $25 00 to $65 00 FROCKS With Frocks priced so reasonably, with styjes so varied and charminq and with Spring, the season ideal for wearing Frocks, now here, there is no reason why a woman should forego the pleasure of the new Frocks. Gray Georgettes elabo rate with embroidery and beading, vie in individuality with soft Canton crepes and taffetas in colors that are lovely for warm days. ’ sls 00 to S6O 00 SHOES THAT TELL A TALE They speak the taste and discrimination of the wearer. They speak of cor rectness of style, of thorough workmanship and finish, they tell good words of com" fort and protection. We do the rest and see ihat each purchaser secures a perfect fit* GRIFFIN MERCANTILE COMPANY THE BIG STORE .... GRIFFIN, GA. This Woman Suffered. Mrs. H. A. Teaman, Star;in I Colo., writes:.. “1 suffered with ! bladder and kidney trouble for i years. Doctored and tried every | thing. No help. Finally a friend jsent me Foley Kidney Pills. They j helped me so much I used 7 bot j ties. Now 1 feel fine. Spent [sleepless nights. Suffered so it | seemed I could hardly live. Rec jornrnend Foley Kidney Pills to all ! who suffer from kidney as I did.” McDonough Drug Co. other days not advertised else where. It is very important that you make your tax returns, and I ask tin' co-operation of every citizen in the county. Yours to serve, VV. C. THOMPSON, ' Tax Receiver. WRAPS Was anything ever so delightfully feminine, graceful and pleasing as the Wrap? Wrapping its soft folds about one, for one does it with Wrap, Cape cr Coat this season; one forgets that it has a practical aspect and simply remembers that it is smart ann good-looking. Many are trimmed with buttons, braid and embroidery. $15.00 to $35-00 Commencement Speakers. IV M'.'.ia nt ' to s--- ; A at Locust Grove: Annie Lee Wit her on, • hestef, Cm, Rosa Malone* Monticsllo, Exa Roper, VI! tseln- Laney, LocuA Grove, Myr tis Goss, Locust Grove, Archie . Claude E. Brown, Eton, W. T. Harvey, Col umbus, A. C. Johnson, Mi» ’ll, A. L. Piffien, Summerville. ■IST DROP ELL ‘EE '
