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THE LEADER-ENTERPRISE
AND PRESS
Published Every Monday, Wednesday and Friday of Each Week by-
THE LEADER PUBLISHING COMPANY
SHibsription Rate: peranntitle o . o o sogod Jiel 28300
Entered at the Post Office at Fitzgerald as Second Class Mail Matter
\ : Under Act of Congress, March 18, 1897.
Offician Organ of the City of Fitzgerald
ISIDOR GELDERS ot oiad oo YUEDITOR
STEWART F. GELDERS ____.___MANAGING EDITOR
Rates for display advertising furnished on application. Local readers,
10 cents per line for each insertion. No ad taken for less than 25 cents.
AMERICAN PRESS ASSOCIATION, Foreign Adv. Representative
GOVERNMENT OWNERSHIP
OR CHAOS—WHICH?
The gauntlet has been thrown down
by the money masters; what shall la
bor do? What further bruises will the
inocent bystander, the public, bear
when the battle is over if labor accepts |
the challenge? These are I_)crilous;
times in which we are living today.
Great consequences hinge on cvents_‘
and deeds which are subject of ban
ter on the streets and are discussed as |
light and freely wherever men con
gregate. {
In Russia the “Whites,” the coun
ter-revolutionists, are, making the final
desparate effort to overthrow the Bol
shevik “dictatorship of the proletar
iat” and to substitute ordinary re
publicanism, or at least socialism, !
for the prevailing communistic scheme
of things. In America the powers that
be in the world of industry and com- |
merce are preparng to wage with re-|
newcd vigor the battle that the Rtis-|
sian autocrats fought and won hun-|
dreds of years ago, only to lose it!
with their lives and all their posessions |
during the last few years, t
How long will the Public permit!
this unceasing cconomic war to con- |
tinue between Labor and Capitol?%
How much longer is it necessary that |
men, and men’s wives and men’s chil-'
dren will have to go hungry during
periods of strikes in order to enforce
payment of a decent wage? l
One of three things MUST even- |
tually result out of the present scheme |
of things. The money masters willl
contnue to gain power until in Amer
ica is established a scheme of things
similar to that in Russia before the
revolution; the labor unions will con- |
tinue to gain power until they becomel
supreme, or the organized people, the |
government, will assert power and its |
supremacy over any group and will|
take over, own and operate the rail- |
roads for the benefit of all the people |
anl every group. ;
Should the first possibility become al
fact United States will see a period |
of years similar to that before xhc;
French and the Russian revolutions. |
Such a.condition can only resuit onlyf
as it resulted in France and Russia, ini
a period of red terror followed by a|
slow climbing out of the slough ofi
Revolution and economic upheaval,
It would mean stopping the course of !
progress for several hundred years
only to resume it again a puttished
but no wiser race.
Should the second possibility be
come a fact we would have a social
istic America in which all the allied
benefits and all the alleged hurts inci- |
dent to socialism would become effec- |
tive. America would never become a\st
‘Russia is said to be today for the sim-l
ple reason that Americans are not like'
Russians and the American laboring’
man, trained in self-control and sane
initiative by generations of compara
tive freedom from oppression wouldn’t
make as many mistakes as the untrain
ed, unenlightened Russian laboring
man has made. He would not become
so facile a tool in the hands of one or
a few strong minds because he has a
‘mind of his own that he has learned to
be. But it is not our purpose here to |
discuss socialism.
Should the third possibility become
a fact, the railroads would be taken
over by the government through the!
simple process of issuing governmentl
bonds to replace railroad stocks and |
bonds on a basis determined by the!
proportion between the true value andi
the capitalized value of cach railroad |
company. The railroads would be op-t.
~erated in a way generally similar to |
_the federal reserve banks, with a cen- |
tral board and director at \)Valshing-l
ton and regional boards and directors%
‘at central points throughout thet
United States. Wages and rates
‘would would be adjusted the nation
‘over to the best advantage of the user
of railway service and of railway labor.
If wage reductions became neccssary]
‘they would be made on all lines so
“that living costs would be immediate-{
b effected. Competition would cease
‘and it would be possible for iines ofl
‘road in thickly populated industrial
imtets where there is much shipping
to make up for the losses on lines in
“mew sections which those lines are de
_weloping, as the A. B. and A. in Soyth
Georgia. The railroads would be un
_der the control of the people through
i,,?y_ower of Congress and the presi-
Zm ‘who are clected by all the peo
;Eflpc!unge the laws under which
‘_ m:?ag boards would operate the
ally” we must come to a
_choice of one of those three condi
tions. Until that time constant war
- will be waged between labor and capi
ee : :
t % vith the public always footing the
Bill.* The private owners of the rail
roads want to make money and will
|continue to want to make as much
money as posisble with the railroads
G "f!'i‘%:jfi,,,‘\ them. That is
P oo S :‘,‘«725,“.\1?45’ AL
: B e Bl ..(A_fstg*l"?’;‘;{fs?”" Socid
gfvnd itself by fighting back and often
resorting to its only effective weapon
‘--thc strjke. Phis condition of con
!stant ecomomic war may be allowed
'to continue without reaching a defi
‘nite decision for years, decades. And
"the Public will pay. How long?
! The investigation to be started by
'the United States Senate may bring an
| carly answer to that question of “How
"long” If the ¢ommittee includes a
| majority of true representatives of the
‘public interest, government owner
' ship may be a development of the next
few months. Let us sincerely hope so.
VARIETY OF THINGS
AT CURB MARKET
(Contributed)
~ Before buying your Sunday dinner
give the Curb Market a trial Saturday
morning at nine o’clock. The grow
‘ers are learning what the péople want.
and they are going: to try and have
it there. Some of the things promised
are as follows:
Fresh strawberries, asparagus.
beets, mustard, garden peas, turnips,
and onions. Pecans may be had for
25 cents a pound, 20 cents if you take
ten pounds. The best quality of
sweet potatoes, sugar cane, dressed
chickens, fresh meats, smoked meats,
smoked hams and sausage, pure Geor
gia cane syrup, cottage cheese, but
ter, milk, eggs, home canned tomatoes,
half-gallon for 35 cents, pickled bects%
at 35 cents a quart, 20 cents a pint,
canned snapped beans 50 cents for a
half-gallon jar and many other things.
You may buy flowers for your ta
ble, sassafras roots for tea, and an
effort is being made to have fresh
fish, shad and Ocmulgee riverfish.
i Committees from the Farm Bureau
and the Woman’s Club will be on
‘hand at all times to direct you to what
you wish, and to promote the inter
ests of the Curb Market.
COL. BUGG'S TALK
TO THE LIONS
(From Yesterday’s Daily)
Col. B. L. Bugg, ex-president and
Receiver of the Atlanta, Birmingham
and Atlantic, railroad made a talk to
the Lion's Club in Atlanta in which
he made three bad errors: he _erred
in tact, he erred in fact and he erred
in judgment.
_ He erted in tact when he deliber-
Htcly and brutally classed laborers
‘as a commodity. Labor is a commod
ity when labor is defined as the prod
'uct of human effort not considered
‘in connection with the other ingred-
ients—raw material and capitol—that
go intc a finished article, whether
that go into a finished article, wheth
that article be a bale of cotton or
traversing a unit of distance by a
freight train. The men who create
this commodity are not commodities,
not in this blessed year of 1921. A
laborer was a commodity in Georgia
in 1862 before Abe Lincoln set the
negroes free. Col. Bugg, if correctly
quoted by the Atlanta Constitution,
considers the “price” of laborers, as
fixed in wages, subject only to the
action of the laws of supply and de
mand, just as coal and iron and horses
and cows. Such a thought is horrible.
We hope Col. Bugg did not mean to
say what the news story seemed to
say he meant.
Col. Bugg erred in fact when he
said that the employes sought under
the Cummins-Esch law to have a
scale of wages fixed the same for all
sections and climates without regard
to local conditions. The Cummins-
Esch law, better known as the Trans
portation Act, specifies seven differ
ent things which are to be taken in
consideration in fixing wages and has
not been construed to contemplate
anything of the sort Col. Bugg said.
The men are standing for the obsery
ance of the T'ransportation act.
Col. Bugg erred in judgment when
he tried to draw a parallel of the
present case here with the situation
in Russia. From the supposed fact
of the Russian debacle, Col. Bugg
deduced that it was the fault of labor
in demanding more than its employers
could pay. Others as wise as Col.
Bugg have deduced from the same
bunch of facts th§t the fault was in
the employers who had absolute sway
over their employees and so oppressed
them by refusing to consider what
‘was fair and just in pay that they
finally rebelled against their employ
ers, convicted them of oppression of
their people, and killed them. The
fault, these reasoners deduced, lay
in the employers who oppressed their
men beyond endurance. As a matter
of fact, no one who has all the avail
able data on both sides of the Russian
situation and the railroad situation
would consider that there was a par
allel or even a remote analogy be
tween them. In that Col. Bugg made
a second error in judgment,
The untruth, fostored both in the
news columns and editorially by
some newspapers, that the present
“strike was called” at the order or‘
PSS R LTt R i R
THE LEADER-ENTERPRISE AND PRESS FRIDAY, MARCH 11, 1921.
A Thought for the Evening
A VERSE AND A VIGNETTE
By Dan G.Bickers
THE PATIENT ONE
(WOODROW WILSON.)
£
Discharged with honor from a trust
He kept most sacred, now he must
Be spared to us___that he may Watch and Wait!
11.
His duty done, unselfishly, superbly done,
Responsibility is shifted now upon
Those he has tried to serve; and, soon or late,
They will be worthy of his leadership, come back
Unto, into the path he marked for men
And nations___ to th’ inevitable track
Of truth and justice, to his leadership again !
lIL.
For he has Watched! He read the signs
That ran, some secret, subtile and insidious designs,
Some bold and plainly writ. Watching, then he
Was given prescience notable to see
What was, what is, what is to be;
Watching, he caught the Vision rare
That none else perfectly could share,
The World Ideal of Peace, of lasting peace
In which confusion of all wars should sease'
Iv.
Waiting, for yet a little space
Of years he certainly shall see :
The vindication of his course, the face
Of every nation turned unto the Vision he,
Inspired, saw yonder through the cloud
That darkened battle-fields of earth;
Waiting, serene and confident that it shall be,
He will know that all peoples heard the loud,
Clear call to Unity of action, see the birth
Of peace on earth, good will among men___
He can afford to Watch and Wait till.__ then!
A Sermon to Live By
By Rev' Elam Franklin bempsey, D. D.
~ THE CALL
There was one who heard the voice of Patriotism..__
And knew that Patriotism called in the name.__
© Of Humanity !
Text: “He went in also that other diciple, which came first,”
John:20:8. With this text a great preacher has given us an immor
‘tal message on “Unconscious Influence.” John came first to our
Savior’s tomb but entered only after the bolder spirit of Peter had
exerted its influence upon him. An unknown poet chosing the above
title, has written the following impressive lines:
" There’s a sweet old story translated for man,
The gospel according to Mark, Luke and John—
| On Christ and his mission below.
Men read and admire the gospel of Christ,
With its love so unfailing and true _
But what do they say and what do they think
Of the Gospel according to you?”
"Tis a wonderful story that Gospel of love
As it shines in the Christ life divine;
And, oh, its truth might be told again
In the story of your life and mine.
_ Unselfishness mirrors in every scene; -
* Love blossoms on every sod; |
And back from its vision the heart comes to tell |
The wonderful goodness of God.
You are writing each day a letter to men.
Take care that the writing is true
"Tis the only gospel that some men will read—
The “Gospel according to you.”
Well may we ask each day of God His guidance and help as to
“The Gospel According to You.” But it is a fearful power—our in
fluence over one another.
also be nailed in passing. The
men themselves have engineered nc-}
gotiations in this controversy. They
walked out by agreement and not on
orders. Not until they had walked
out were the national executives of
the unions given executive authoi‘ity‘
in the matter, The men themselves“
voted to walk out shoold a certain!
situation develope. Such a situation
developed and the men walked out.
'RAIN HELPED WATER
MELONS SAY FARMERS
(From Yesterday's Daily)
The showers yesterday will make
watermelons come through thf:ground}
like the well known Jack's equally |
well known bean stalk, according to
farmers interviewed toaay by a Leadcr|
reporter. A large acreage of water
ymelons has already been planted and,
‘barring a freeze or very cold spell be
tween now and May, Ben Hill wili
produce the largest crop of the luciousi
fruit of the vine this year that it hasi
ever produced. |
The Ben Hill Farm Bureau is get-w‘
ting in touch with foreign watcrmelonl
markets and many thousands of dol
lars worth of Georgia melons will be
shipped North and East this Summer.
Cantaloupes are also being planted this
month with the expectation of ship
ping to foreign markers.
ALLIES TO MAKE
GERMANY PAY
(From Yesterday's Daily)
In the Allied invasion of Germany
this week one who has been follow
ing the international situation and
‘the railroad situation finds some
thing interestingly suggestive. The
Allies have fixed an enormous sum
as Germany's fine for going to war.
Germany says she is unable to pay.
The Allies send troops into Germany
to force her to pay, to collect the in
demnity at the conquered nation’s
sources of income. Whether they
will ever be able to collect what they
want or not is still a matter of con
jecture, : g :
Dropping the thought of the faint
analogy, the process of collection
will probably lead to another war as
soon as this generetion of people is
dead and the horrors of the late .war
have become only hearsay in the
maind of the lving. .. o Lo
increasing horribleness of warfare.
The worid is good for only one big
war in each generation. It hasn't
the resources to stand more than one
war in each generation. The horrors
and the hardships act as a check on
the belligerency of only the individ
uals who experienced them. The
next generation will march as blithe
ly to the slaughter as though war
were still the thing of pomp and
glory it was in the days of the good
King Arthur,
IMPROVEMENTS FOR
CURB MARKET
(From Yesterday’s Daily)
Several farmers who brought prod
uce to the Fitzgerald Curb Market
yesterday suggested that the markets
could be made a great deal more pop
ular with both farmers and the house
wives'of the city if long tables were
built on each side of the park in the
middle of Central avenue in front of
the Post office on which the farmersl
could arrange their goods attracti\'ely‘
‘and from which the buyers could
select what they wanted at a glance
without having to walk aound and
look into each wagon and automobile.
The tables could be built very
cheaply out of rough lumber about
three feet high and two feet wide
along the curb sides under the trees.
The farmers could drive their wagons
and gutomobiles up to the curb of
the park, unload and -arrange their
produce on the tables. The ends of
the park should be left open and the
buyers could pass through between
tl‘l’e two rows of sellers. The protec
tion of the shade trees will be much
needed in a few weeks more for the
comfort of the people and to lessen
the chances of the green goods wilt
ing and spoiling under the sun.
. The cost of such an arrangement
could not,be very much. Either the
Farm Bureau or Womans’ Club
should get estimates on the cost and
share the expense equally. City.
Council, the Woman's Club, the Farm
Bureau and the Chamber of Com
merce could quarter the cost without
an appreciable drain on the resources
of any and Fitzgerald would have a
really permanent curb market and
the beginnings of a sure enough city
INVETIGATING AUTO
SHOW PROSPECTS
(From Yesterday’s Daily)
A committee of Fitzgerald auto
over the automobile show there and
mobile dealers is in Atlanta looking
investigating the prospects for a show
in Fitzgerald this Spring. It is'at
present considered doubtful whether
an automobilg show will be held here
at all. For the benefit of the auto
mobile dealers, users and potential
buyers and for the city of Fitzgerald
the show should be held if any way
possible, even if on a smaller scale
than heretofor. X
The automobile is no longer con
sidered a luxury by even the most
conservative of people. Even the
passenger car has become a neces
sity, a broadening influence that
makes for fuller living as well as
for more efficient business. While it
is impossible to expect as great a
volume of automobile sales as last
year for many years to come, normal
prosperity will bring constantly in
creasing use of automotive vehicles
and the rate of increase will be de
termined to a great extent by the
vigor of the sales effort.
To quit trying because trying did
not bring the results it once did is a
foolish course. Retrenchment in bus
iness should be made on everything
else before it includes sales effort.
Just waiting for good times to come
around and send one to prosperity
on the crest of the wave won't al
ways work. Hard times result from
stoppage of buying as ‘often as stop
page of buying results from hard
times. It is best to use every effort
to keep the wheels of business turn
ing and when they seem to be slow
ing down to fight the hardest to keep
' - . from stopping.
4 rald has in the past received
.+ ¢ o 1 good advertising from the
autcmobile show and Fitzgerald as a
whole, as well as the dealers, is inter
ested in the continued success of the
show. |
KIDDIES PLAYGROUND
REOPENED AT PARK
(rrom yesterday’s Daily)
The children’s playground at the
City Hall Park has been thronged
every afternoon this week by romping
kiddies who are taking full advantage
‘V E have moved into the/new Bowen
~ Block with store fronts onf Cen
tral avenue and Main street. Our
friends tell us that our new home is
the prettiest, most modern, spacious
and convenient in South Georgia.
They have always said that our
stock of Furniture was the most at
tractive and complete in South Georgia
and that our policy toward our custo
mers was the most liberal, and that
they just liked to do business with us.
We have a new home but we are
keeping the same old policy of good
goods and good service. We are proud
of our new home and want you to call
around as soon as you have a chance
and let us show you through it.
- A :
The Home Furniture &-
~ Undertaking Co.
Central and Main Sts. ~ Fitzgerald, Ga.
of the firemen’s work in rebuilding,‘
rearranging, and refinishing the appa
ratus. The playground looks like new
again and is filling a big place in the
child-life of the town.
The playground was first built by
the firemen after the Community Ser
vice Council, the \Woman’s Club and
the Junior Red Cross had furnished
the plans and funds. The firemen are
eeping it up at their own expense and
effort during leisure time.
Hand Kissing Is Old Custom.
Amongst the Romans the custom of
kissing hands was very common; peo
ple desiring a favor of anyone, even
if he was an equal, would come Dear,
and thus salute him before making the
request, though usually equals gave
each other their hands or embraced.
Soldiers in the army kissed the hands
of their cenerals tec show respect; the
same honor was given to the consuls
and practors,
The Yellow Sea.
’ The Yellow sea is an arm of the Pa
cific ocean,,on the northeast coast of
China. I[ts length is about 620 miles;
its greatest breath about 400 miles. It
is very shallow, and obtains its name
from the lemon-yellow color of its
water near the land, caused by mud
'suspende In the water from the in
’flow of the river Hoangho and Yang
' tsekiang.
l Tre Elderly Woman.
The world’s first historian was an
old woman—and still, in every primi
tive community, she is the living store
house of communal memories. The
world’s first sage was an old woman,
eoining the hoarded wisdom of genera
tions into proverbs and maxims. In
all probability the world’s first doctor
was an old woman, though here she
was displaced rather early. After ages
of neglect she is coming once more
to be appreciated at something like
bher value.—Chicago Journal.
Jolt for the Doctor.
Drink sour milk and eat potato
peelings, advises Doctor Boynton of
Bellingham, and live long lives; but
that is what hogs eat and none gets
gray at it.—Portland Oregonian.
| Not Merely American,
~ An English writer comments upon
;nur custom here of betting a hat on
tlection and other contests. What’s
&vtranze ahout it? We’'ve often read
1 some Englishman winning a Derby.
I—Rt\stuu Transcrint.
“Red Rag to a Bull.”
1t is probable that the expression “&
red rag to a buil,” signifying some
thing which arouses wrath, has been
imported from Spain, where red cloths.
are used in the bull rings, in prder to
infuriate the animals before the mata
dor makes his appearance. But bulls
are not the only animals affected by
red. Many horses, especially stallions,
are irritated by red; and turkey-cocks
attack wearers of red most ferocious
ly, as do ganders. Physiologically,
red is a color which irritates and:
fatigues the optic nerves; and so it
arouses temper and produces a quar
relsome frame of mind. :
At 125 Degrees in Death Vulley.
At Greenland ranch, in Death val
ley, California, the air temperatiure,
as recorded hy a tested maximum
thermometer exposed in a standard in
strument shelter, rose to 100 degrees
or higher on 23 days during June, and
on every day during July, 1920. The
extreme maximum was 125 degrees,
recorded on the last day of July. On
July 10, 1913, the temperature there
reached 134 degrees Fahrenheit, the
highest officially recorded air temper-.
ature in the world.—From the Bulle
tin, American Meteorological Society.
Cupid’s “Shaft.”
A honeymoon down a coal-pit sounds
® bit weird and dark: but that, at
least, was the first trip made by
bride and bridegroom after the church
ceremony. The hridegroom was a
coal-pit manager, and his new wife
had never been down a coal-pit, or
even seen one; till the wedding day.
At her own request they went from
the church, donned suitable attire,
stepped into the cage, and were taken
to the bottom of the shaft, where
they had a rousing reception fromx
miners armed with pick and shovel
e e s ‘
Flower Is Image of Bird.
Hungary grows a wild flower whichy
is the exact floral image of a hum
ming bird. The breast is green, the
throat yellow, the head and beak al~
most black.
Why Buffaloes Wallow
The water buftalo of China has few
gweat glands in its skin, and for this
‘reason cannot endure hard work in the
sun for a long period unless its body
s wet with water. This accounts for
the desire of the buffalo to wallow in
mud or water. The animals are easily
overcome by heat if worked hard in
the sun, and sometimes they go crazy
and become very dangerous. ’