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THURSDAY
EDITION
THE WEATHER—Fair tonight and
cooler in Southeast . :
U. S. SENATE WILL PROBE RAILWAY CONTROVERSY
Atlanta-Manchester Service Resumed Today On A. B. & A.
RED REGIME THOUGHT TOPPLING
“WHITE” ARMIES
Reported that Kerensky May Re
~ sume Anti-Red Command
BOLSHEVIKI DEFEATED
Trotzky Takes Personal Com
mand As Defeat Impends
(By International News Service)
BOLSHEVIK UPRISING
IN BATUM
BATUM, March 10—A Bolshevik
uprising has broken out here. Thous
ands of persons, in addition to the
Allied mission and members of the
Gtorgia Government, are leaving. The
Bolsheviki hold the railway from
Kutais to Batum.
TROTZKY LEADS REDS
TROOPS TO VICTORY
..LONDON, March 10.—A Moscow
wireless announces the surrender of
the Kronstadt Fortress by the Anti-
Bolsheviki,assording to an exchange
telegraph dispatch from Helsingfors.
The Times printed an unconfirmed
report from Riga that the Rebels took
Petrograd and Soviet leaders fled in
automobiles. :
It is reported that Krasna, Jagorka
and Oranienbaum were taken by the
Rebels. A central news dispatch from
Helsingfors reports that Trotsky led
‘the Bolshevists in recapturing Krasna
and Jagorka.
".Advices from the foreign office are
that the Rebels captured Pskoff for
Fortress. It is reported in Riga that
the Bolsheviks are retreating along
the Nicolaievsky Railway. :
Many British officials profess to
believe that the Whites in Russia
now have a chance for success. De
velopments are being watched closely.
The Star asserts that Kerensky, for
mer Socialist Premier of Russia, is
in London in touch with the foreign
office. He is quoted as saying that
he is confident of success. The Star
expressed an apinion that Kerensky
may soon appear in person as the
leader of the Whites, |
Senate Postpone
- ®
Columbian Treaty
(By International News Service) ‘
WASHINGTON, March 10.—The
Sénate. has postponed action on the
Columbian Treaty until an extracr
dinary session early in April, Thei
postponement was forced by oppo
nents of ratification. ‘
Summer Camp for Corn And Pig
Club Boys Of Ben Hill And Irwin
County Agent Owens Tells of
Big Time in Store for Young
sters This Year
The following notice to club mem
beps was handed to the Leader by
Mr. Owens before his departure for
Atlanta today:
“It might be interesting to the club
members in this county to know that
we have sixty Corn and Pig Club
members already enrolled and we
fully expect to.increase this number
to at least one hundred. We hope to
make this year’s work with the club
boys through the Farm Bureau more
interesting and helpful than it has
ever been. 4 ;
“Sometime about August Ist, wé
expect to have a camp for the Club
boys in this county in connection:
with the Club boys of Irwin county,
either at Bone Lake or Bowen’s Mill.
During the three “days spent in camp
we will have some of the Club Di
rectors from the State College of Ag
riculture with us to give some real
illustrative lectures from moving pic
tures, teaching all kinds of improved
methods of farming and growing live
stock,.also with this moving picture
outfit we will have some real inter
b esting and funny picture shows to
THE FIIZGERALD LEADER
| AUDITORIUM COMMITTEE
| MEETS THIS AFTERNOON
.~ The jont committee from the
| city council, board of education
" and Woman’s Club appointed by
| Mayor J. L. Pittman Monday to
~confer and make definite ‘plans
for a high school auditorium is
) in session at the city hall this af
ternoon. The Leader will carry
| a full report of their plans to
| morrow afternoon.
% .
Recreation Center
°
. Free For Strikers
Full Time Secretary Retained; Junior
Memberships Be Accepted
The board of managers of the
Young Men’s Recreation Center last
night extended an invitation to the
employees of the Atlanta Birmingham
and Atlantic railroad to use the gym
nasium, reading room, game tables
and athletic courts free of charge.
The board yesterday retained Mr,
Ben F. Tolle as corresponding sec
retary and supervisor for the Center.
Mr. Tolle is straightening up the ac
counts of the organization and will
accept new memberships upon appli
cation at the Center in the old Good
man building, south of the First Na
tional Bank on Grant street.
Under new regulations passed by
the board, junior memberships will be
accepted from boys between the ages
of twelve and sixteen. A jynior_» em
bership entitles a youngster to the
privileges of the Center from 4 to 6
o'clock each afternoon and 10 t 0.12
t"clock Saturday mornings. No boys
under sixteen will be allowed in the
building after curfew. A regular
membership at $l.OO per month en
titles the member to privileges of the
organization at all hours every day.
Income Tax Man At
- Chamber Commerce
Mr. Parker of the internal revcnue‘
department of the United States gov-|
ernment is at the Chamber of Com.-!
merce assisting local people in making]
out their income tax returns. He may‘
be seen at any time during the day
after nine o’clock.
Mr. Parker does not expect any
appreciable decrease in the number of
incomes to be turned in for taxation
in this section but estimates are the
total amount of the incomes will be
under that of last year. This is styled
a “loss taking year” by officials of the
bureau, %
entertain the boys.
“We hope also to have a number of
boy scouts with us and will divide
the boys into military companies and
do some real military drilling. We
expect to make this one of the best]
Club boy camps held in Georgia.
“Different prizes will be awarded
at this time on the best record books
and other contests which will be held.
There will be at least two hundred
boys available to “attend this camp
ing providing they carry out the work
undertaken in theé growing of their
acre of corn and pigs. Through thcsc}
contests the boys will have an oppor
tunity of preparing themselves for
some of the state contests to be held
in Atlanta, Macon, and other points
in Georgia,
“I trust that every boy in the coun
ty will enter into this work with the
idea of making good and winning
some of the State prizes. I earnestly
request the parents of the Club boys
to assist us in making this a success
ful year for Club boys in this county.
Please don’t hesitate to call upon me
for any information desired in re
gard to this work.
“Yours very truly,
“C. T. Owens, County Agent.”
VOL. I, NO. 4
LEADERS FOR STRIKE
‘ e e e e
}Reply to Mayor Pittman Express
| Sympathy for Men
'MARTIN ANSWERS SLUR
Strike Is Entirely of Men’s Own
- Will and Volition
Mayor J. L. Pittman yesterday re
ceived from Col. B. L. Bugg, ex
president and receiver for the Atlanta,
Birmingham and Atlantic railway the
following telegram in answer to his
wire urging early settlement of the
present strike:
“Your night letter received. Regret
inconvenience to your city and people
along line due to present strike.! This
\is a situation created, however, by
employees and not management of
road. I have been making every ef
fort to persuade the employees to
exercise reason and common sense
but they have been badly advised and
are now being made victims of their
union leaders who fear possible influ
ence on other roads of accepting what
thgy must realize is a reasonable wage
on Atlanta Birmingham and Atlantic.
“The employees have my sincere
sympathy. Am glad to know that at
Fitzgerald they are conducting them
selves with dignity and forbearance
and hope they will continue to do sO.”
Mayor Pittman had wired Col.
Bugg as follows:
“We would urge you in the intere_é;
of the city and the people along your
line to make every effort for an early
adjustment of the strike. The men
are conducting themselves with dig
nity and forbearance and have the
sympathy of" this community.”
Not Leaders’ Strike :
W. M. Martin, general chairman of
the engineers employed by the A. B.
& A. and chairman of the joint fed
eration committee ' representing the
thirteen crafts now on strike, replied}
in no uncertain terms to the charge
of Col. Bugg that the striking em
ployees were dupes of their union
chiefs.
“We want it understood once and
for all’ that the cessation of servicc’
which is now in effect, was made on'
the initiative of the men who are out.”
he declared. “It was started by them
without direction or influence of any
other organization or agency and is
being prosecuted by them at their
own volition, uninfluenced and un
hampered.
“The grand lodge officers of the
Brotherhoods,” he continued, “had
nothing to do with the negotiations,
except in a passive advisory capacity,
from December 29th, when the first
proposal of a wage reduction was
made, until March sth when the men
severed relations with the operators of
the road and placed the negotiations
in the hands of the grand lodge offi
cers: w o &
“This walk out is unique in the
annals of controversies between em
ployers and employees in that there
has never been a strike order issued,"l
Mr. Martin stated. “The only fo'i'ce{
that impcllcd..th'e' men to leave thciri
jobs was their owf’ consciences. Our |
employer, the Atlanta Birmingham®&
Atlantic railroad, had violated the
law in its attempt to avoid the pay
ment .of a just and reasonable wage
scale. 'We could do nothing else but
leave the service, |
. “Mr. Bugg infers that the em
ployees of the Atlanta Birmingham
and Atlantic railroad are being used
to fight the battles of all union labor
against all railroad operators of the
country,” continued Mr. Martin. “We
entered this contest to protect ‘our
own individual rights. If the rail
roads have seen fit to make this fight
a test of strength between capital and
labor we are so placed that we must
‘accept the challenge and our case is
so palpably just that we can win it
without the assistance of our sympa
thizers on other railroads.
“However,” concluded Mr. Martin,
“we are standing pat on the laws of
the land as they directly control in
FITZGERALD, GEORGIA, THURSDAY, MARCH 10, 1921
| STANDARD OIL CO. 2
i PLANT IS BURNING
(By International News Service)
|| NEW YORK, March 10.—Fire
il broke out at noon in the plant of
|| the Standard Oil Company’s
|| Brooklyn plant. Four tanks are
]l reported to have exploded, others
|| are threatened. 3
. .
Mediators Confer
.
l With Bugg And Men
United States Commissioners Seek
Solution for A. B. & A Tie Up
Information reached local union of
ficials last night that the United
States Board of Mediation, created
by the Newlands Act of 1913, would
confer with Judge Samuel H. Sibley
!and Receiver B. L. Bugg.of the At
’lanta Birmingham and Atlantic in an
effort to find a solution for the dead
lock in the wage controversy which
Eis tying up the railroad. ;
~ The Birmingham Loan and Trust
Company, whose petition caused the]
‘appointment of a receiver for the A.
‘B. & A. yesterday filed an amend
.ment to its petition asserting the
Newlands Act to be unconstitutional.
Should that contention be sustained
iat the hearing set by Judge Sibley
for March 26th, the Board of Media
’tion would of course be held without
!authority to help in the present diffi
culty and the conferences, whatever
‘they offered in the wiy of a solution,
lwould be considered as having never
been held.
l The Board of Mediation has ‘been
in conference since Monday with the
Grand Lodge Officers of the Brother
hoods. .
’Slayer Ot Lover
| °
Goes On Trial
(By International News Service)
ARDMORE, Okla, March 10—A
girl with white face and set lips came
into court today to face twelve men
who will have her fate in their hands.
She was Clara Smith Hamon, facing
trial on the charge of murdering her
husband Jake L. Hamon. She ‘was
accompanied by her mother.
el
(By International News Service)
PARIS, March 10—French military
patrol upper Silesia was attacked by
Germans arid several were wounded
the Polish Legation announced.- The
French in upper Silesia are on police
duty pending the plebiscite on the
question of whether the territory shall:
be French or German.
BERLIN, March 10.—Berlin is
apathic over the Allied advance except
for bitter press comment. Dr. Walter
Simons, Foreign Press Minister, is
expected to address the Reichstag to
day. A huge crowd greeted Simons
on his return from London where he
conferred with the Allied Premiers.
* . »
Herrick Again Will
Head French Embassy
(By International News)
WASHINGTON,March 9.—Presi
dent Harding decided to send Myron
Herrick of Ohio back to his old post
as Abassador to France. It is learned
| authoritatively today.
this particular case. We did not pass
these laws, in fact they were passed
over our protests, but they are the
laws of our country and we are going
to fight to the last ditch to have them
enforced.”
Bugg Says He Will Be Ready
to Run Others Tomorrow
FREIGHT TRAIN RUNS
Tinney Is at Throttle As Train
_ Leaves Birminbham
‘ (By International News)
BIRMINGHAM, March 10.—First
freight train since the A. B. & A.
strke began to run today from this
point to Lineville, Ala. W. L. Tin
ney,, ‘lumber man and former engin
eér wa s at, the throttle as the train
pulled out of the yards. ;
i Passenger train scrvice on the A.
B. & A. will be resumed tomorrow‘
between Atlanta and Manchester, Re
ceiver Bugg announced. This will‘
be the first regular service since the
walkout last Saturday.
Workmen will be recruited for
other trains from men applying for
work. Tomorrow's service crew is
already engaged.
Two trains will be run, one on
schedule No. 2 returning on schedule
No. 15 about one hour late.
Citizens of Omega indorsed the
stand of the A. B. & A. Receiver.
(By International News)
MITCHELL, S. D, March 10—
St. Paul train No. 106 bound from
Aberdeen to Sioux City was, wrecked
at Cuthbert, S. D, this morning. A
wrecking crew has been sent out. No
word of casualties has been received.
Admission to the high school senior
play tonight is '4O cents and 60 cents
Col. Bugg Explains Finances of
Atlanta, Birmingham and Atlantic
Col. Bugg Refutes Charge of Ex
orbitant Commissions From
Sale Of Bonds.
The Leader publishes below a let
ted received this morning from Col,
Bugg ex-president and receiver of the
A. B. & A, in which Col. Bugg ex
plains the financial operation involved
in reorganizing the road in 1916. The
letter follows:
Atlanta, March 9, 1921.
Mr. Isador Gelders, Editor,
Fitzgerald, Leader-Enterprise,
Fitzgerald, Ga.
Mr. Isidor Gelders, Editor,
I have just seen an item from your
issue of March 2nd headed, “Confi
dence in Bugg as Receiver,” and thank
you for your straight forward state-‘
ment with respect to having misquo
ted me.
With reference to the last para
graph of the clipping I have in which
you say, “It was stated by one of the
labor leaders in Chicago before the
Labor Board that out of a large bond
issue the road really received approx
imately one-third of the amount, the
two-thirds going as underwriting char
ges and commissions.” While I do
not think that such a statement was
made before the Labor Board at the
hearing, at the same time there was a
statement sent out to the newspapers
by Mr. W, S. Carter, headed, “To be
released when Mr. W. S, Carter Ap
pears Before the Railway Wage Board
in Chicago, probably Tuesday or Wed
nesday, Januory 25 or 26th.” In that
advance copy (which I understand
was furnished the newspapers gener
ally) there was a statement substan
tually to the effect that you mention.
I am writing you for your infor-§
mation, not asking you to publish it,
although there is no objection if you
desire to do so. 1 simply want to give
you the facts about the erroneous
‘statement which is going around.
| The present operating company, the
Atlanta, Birmingham and Atlantic
Railway Company, was organized and
took gver the properties operated by
SHORT AND SNAPPY
NEWS OF THE WORLD
BY TELEGRAPH
COTTON—Good Middling..____lo7%4c
No Sales, No Receipts
HOLD CONFERENCE
Author of Transportation Act
Seeks Whose to Blame
NATIONWIDE WAGE CUT
New York Central Joins Penns
ylvania Wage Reduction
(By International News Service)
WASHINGTON, March 10.—Sen
ator Cummins of Towa, author of the
Railroad law, after a conference with
President Harding announced that
the senate will shortly conduct an in
vestigation of the entire railroad sit
uation.
It will probe whether the roads are
grossly mismanaged and f there is
justification for the present high rates.
NEW YORK CITY, march 10—
It is reported that the N2w York Cen
tral will follow the lead of the Penn
sylvania i 1 a drastc program of re
trenchment. The New York Central
has already given notice of a wage
reduction effective April 1. It is now
prepared, it is reported, to announce
further reductions.
CHICAGO, March 10.—Informa
tion received at local headquarters of
the railway labor department of the
American Federation of Labor indi
cates that virtually every large rail
road in the country is preparing to
put wage reductions into effect for all
their employees. E. M. Jewell, chair
man of the committee, said in discuss
ing the proposed reduction announced
by the Pennsylvania lines.
An official of the Association of
Western Railway Executives, who
declined to be fuoted, said that Mr.
Jewell's statement probably was true
and that further wage reduction an
nouncements might be expected "at
any time.
’LABOR PREPARES
'FOR STRUGGLE
WASHINGTON, March 10—La
bor leaders are preparng for defen
sive action against any general move
ment to reduce wages. Announce
ment of reduction by the railroads
has brought strong protests,
the Receiver of the A. B. and A. Rail
way January 1, 1916. In this reorgan
ization all the capital stock of the A.
B. and A, Railway ‘Company, amount
ing t 0525,000,000, all of the preferred
stock amounting to $10,000,000, and
the first mortgage gold coupon bonds
amounting to $14,443,000 were wiped
out, leaving only the underlying issue
of first mortgage A, B, & A. Railway
bonds of $4,090,000.
In ths reprganization the holders of
receivers’ certificates accepted for
their holdings an issue of first mor
tage bonds of the new company par
for par, this issue amounting to $5,-
200,000, and the holders of the first
mortage gold coupon bonds of the A.
B. and A. Railroad Company were
permitted to buy stock in new Com
pany par for par upon payment of
$12.00 per share of stock. Before the
Receivership this stock was quoted on
the New York Stock Exchange at
about $6.00 per share now. The new
company as organized is as follows:
Common Stock ________ $30,000,000
15- year income mortage bonds ___ ‘
e $5,200,000
A. and B. Underlying bonds Sanßi T
e e ee - $4,090,000
The amount received from the sale
of the stock at $12.00 per share-$3,600,-
000-was applied to the payment of
equipment of the A, B, and A. Railway
Company then due or past due, togeth
er with equipment notes of the old
company due at a later date, and to
payment of interest due on underly
ing bonds, to the payment of legal ex
penses of the receivership incurred
during several years, interest charges
and the fee to the underwriting syndi
cate referred to by Mr. Carter, the
com missions” in question amounting
to $73,000 and $144,000 respectively,
the balance of the amount received be
ing turned over to the new company
for working capitol.
The amount of $72,000 paid to the
financial agents and $144,000 to the
underwriting syndicate were the only
- " (Continued on Last Page)