Newspaper Page Text
®be Atlanta Evi-WcckU Journal
VOL. XXIII. .NO. 6.
NATION’S FARMERS DEMANDING RELIEF
‘Mixed Baby 9 Case
Will Go to a Jury;
Hospital Is Scored
Judge Gives Pittmans Tem
porary Custody of Tiny
Louise Madeline Pending
Verdict
» t
Excoriating the “system” of hand
ling new-born babies at the Grady
hospital and declaring that unless it
is remedied it were better to “put a
torch to the institution,” Judge
George L. Bell, of the Fulton supe
rior court, on Tuesday made empor
ary disposition of Atlanta’s famous
"mixed baby” case by awarding ’he
temporary custody of Louise Made
”-,6, the little girl over whom the
tontroversy has arisen, to Mr. and
Mrs. Dan’-’ L. Pittman, and setting
the case to be tried before a Jury at
the ndxt term of ...... ilton superior
court.
abrupt ending of the hearing
before Judge Bell came when he ad
mitted an amendment to the writ of
habeas corous by counsel for and
Mrs. John C. Garner, who claim that
Louise Madeline is their child and
not the Pittmans*. The amendment
prayed that the court allow ->se
to ffe tried before a jury to settle the
legal parentage ,of Louise Madeline,
who, the Garners contend, was born
to Mrs. Ga- at the Grady hospital
and given to Mrs. Pittman, who gave
birth to a child on the same day at
the same hospital.
Judge Bell’s decision, admitting
the amendment, awarding . the tem
porary custody of Louise Madeline to
the Pittmans and sending the ■■ ise to
a jury, followed exhaustive argument
by counsel on both sides. Attorney
James W. Austin, for the Pittmans,
contended that the court was with
out jurisdicti6n to turn the case over
to a jury and cited several decisions
in support of his argumdnt. Attor
ney William Arnaud, representing
the Garners, insisted that the court
could properly permit a jury to >ass
upon the question of fact involved
in the controversy over the parent
age of Louise Madeline.
Arraigns Hospital System
No more scathing arraignment has
*ver been heard from the bench in
the Fulton super+or court than was
delivered by Judge Bell’against the
"system or lack of system” in vogue
at the Grady hospital for the han
dling of new-born infants. He took
pains to say, however, that he
had no criticism of tne institution
as such; thab.it served a noble pur
pose and deserved the support of the
public, but that his remarks were
directed against the “system.” Judge
Bell likewise declared that he had
no criticism to make of Superintend-,
ent Steve Johnson, "a good nan. a
conscientious man and my personal
triend.”
"Grady hospital is a great insti
tution,” said Judge Bell, “an(l 1 am
proud of it. It deserves the support
of the public, for it is doing a noble
work.
“But if I were a woman and were,
expecting a baby I would go out
into the w-oods to be delivereil, I
would not take a chance on going
to the 'Grady hospital and let their
‘system’ destroy the identity of my
baby.
"They call it a ‘system,’ but«irom
the evidence introduced at this hear
ing, I have never seen or heard of
such a rotten, vicious system. Wom
en lying helpless in their beds can’t
tell their children apart because the
‘system’ fails to properly identify
them. Why, it has been testified
here that babies have gone without
tags for a week.
“If this condition is not remedied,
It were better to put a torch to the
Grady hospital and avoid the Possi
bility of a recurrence of such a hor
rible situation as is presented in this
case. No matter w’hat the result of
this case may be, a terrible cloud
Will be thrown over the lives of two
families and the innocent little baby
which is the cause of the contro
versy. It is a horrible thing and
the ‘system’ is to blame for it all.
It must be stopped.
Thanks All Parents
"There must be some way to stop
such heart-rending occurrences as
this- ,
“I want to thank Mr. and x Mrs.
Pittman and Mr. and Mrs). Garner for
their attitude during the hearing of
this case,” continued the judge.
•‘Their attitude and Conduct has been
Remarkable. They have taken the
gane, sensible view of the matter and
have tried in an orderly way to
determine the facts in the case and
arrive at a definite, legal solution of
their problem. I also want to thank
counsel on bth sides for their atti
tude in the case. They have en
deavored to assist the court in han
dling an entirely new situation and
one that is of the most vital char
acter.
“Let me make it plain that I have
no criticism to nti<e of the Grady
hospital as an institution. It is the
•system’ that I am The
system must be changed. Neither
have I anything to say against Su
perintendent Steve Johnson, a good
man, a conscientious man and my
friend.” 1 '
Judge Bell then passed his formal
order, awarding the temporary
custody of Louise Madeline to the
Pittmans, who have had her all the
time, and fixing the date of the jury
trial for November 1 in his own
division of the Fulton superior
court.
“I want to preside in this case my
self,” said the judge, “I don’t want
to shift the responsibility to some
body else.”
Attorr >y Austin, injmediately aft
er the passing of the formal order,
made formal objection for the pur
pose of getting tjie matter in shapd
to be taken to the higher courts if
such a course is decided upon. He
indicated that he might take the
case to the court of appeals on a fast
bill of exceptions and in this event
the trial of the case in the Fulton
superior court would be delayed un
til the higher court had made a de
cision.
Exception to Ruling
A conference will be held by Judge
Bell and Attorneys Austin and Ar
naud to determine whether the trial
shall be held on November 1, as
planned, or whether the court of ap
peals shall be given an opportunity
to say whether the case should be
tried before a jury.
r Attorney/ Austin, in his objection,
ook exception to the judgment of
he court that the case was properly
(Continued on Page 7, Column 3)
POUU RD
SWEICETm
EFFECT ISDOUBTFUJL
Non-Militaristic Elements of
Both Sides Predominate,
Duration of the Peade Is
Problematical
Z BY ISAAC DON LEVINE
(Special Cable to the Chicago Daily News
Foreign Service, by Leased Wire to
The Atlanta Journal.)
(Copyright, 1920.) (
RIGA, Latvia, Oct. 13.—“ How long
will it last?” was the question hover
ing over the peace table when at 7:30
o’clock last night the Polibh and
Soviet delegates affixed their signa
tures to the preliminary peace' and
armistice pacts. “Can a peace cut
ting Russia off from Germany and
delivering to Toland 4,000,000 Rus
sians be permanent?" was another
question in the minds of Soviet sym
pathizers.
Jn the host of observers present
were several who since 1918 have
publicly advocated the resurrection
of the Poland which was (criminally
partioned by Catherine the Great. The
same men witnessing the Polish-
Russian peace concluded here won
dered whether young Poland had not
followed Catherine’s grievous policy.
The delegates supplied no answers
to these questions. True, as com
pared with the solemn faces of the
Soviet envoys, the Polish representa
tives looked happy.
In their closing speeches, the
heads of the delegations. Adolph
Joffe, for the Bolsheviki, and Jan
Dombski. for the Poles, struck Af
ferent'note's. 'M. Joffe omitted giv
ing his opinion of the but paid
a personal tribute to M. Dombski’s
peace efforts.
“In six days,” M. concluded,
“the military operations will cease
completely and both peoples will
themselves see that the war Is not
renewed. Legally peace is not yet
in effect, but actually it already ex
ists in the hearts of the people on
both sides.”
“This peace,” said M. Dombski in
reply, “is based only on right prin
ciples, namely, honor and justice.
It is a peace without victors or van
quished and this guarantees its dur
ability. The soldiers will soon re
turn to their homes, bloodshed end
ing and constructive work beginning.”
The text of the treaty signed last
night differs from the summary pre
viously cabled regarding the time for
ratification. This was finally
changed from twenty-five days to
three weeks. Concerning the gold
questions the Poles refused to take
5,000,000 rubles ($2,500,000), leaving
the matter to be settled at the final
peace negotiations.
Militarists in each deljgation op
posed the agreement, Dombski and
Joffre being looked upon as repre
senting the pacifist elements in tneir
respective countries. The militant
communists held that the ueace fa
vored by Joffre was an -unwarrant
ed Capitulation. Fearing the effect
of the,. approaching hard winter th<?
extreme-communists favored the con
tinuation of the war. That would
enable them to tell the Russian peo
ple that the responsibility for the
added suffering rested not on the
soviet government, but on Poland
and France. On the other hand, the
Polish militarists, believing that the
soviet government was near a col
lapse and regarding Dombski’s tri
umph as a blow, to their power, also
opposed peace.
The present red offensive against
General Wrangel strengthened the
militant communists. On the other
hand, Frapce, worrying ovfcr what
might happen to General Wrangel,
exerted her influence to block an im
mediate peace, altncugh the crea
tion of a Polish corridor separating
Russia from Lithuania and Germany
is considered a French diplomatic
victory. For quite opposite reasons
Britain dislikes the present peace
agreement.
The Lithuanian delegates here are
aroused against both Poland and
Russia. While protesting against
the Polish invasion of Lithuania and
the attack on Vilna, they also
charge the soviet governmen' with
violating the recent Russo-Lithuan
ian peace agreement by surrender
ing to Poland Lithuanian territciy
for the ccrridar to Latvia. Follow
ing tne example of Lithuania, the
Ukranian, eastern Galician and White
Russian delegations here issued pro
tests against the disposal of their
territories by Poland and Russia, '“he
L’kranians' are especially aroused
over Poland’s recognition of the
Ukrainian soviet government.
Cox Will Speak Near
Harding’s Front Porch
ENROUTE WITH GOVERNOR
COX. LAFAYETTE. Ind.. Oct. 13.
Governor Cox will speak next Fri
day within a few blocks of Sena
tor Harding’s front porch at Ma
rion, 0., it was announced today.
Governor Cox will stop there en
route from Columbus to Detroit.
DEMOCRATS MOVE
TO DISRUPT E. 0. P.
WITH LfflE ISSUE
Strategy Is to Drive Wedge
Between Republicans Fa
voring and Those Opposing
Covenant
BY DAVID LAWRENf’T
(Leased Wire Service in The Journal.)
(Copyright, 1920.)
NEW YORK, Oct. 13.—Democratic
strategy for October —the critical
month < f every presidential cam
paign—is to drive a wedge between
those Republicans who favor and
those who oppose the present League
of Nations.
President Wilson has gotten into
the fight actively. This is all by
pre-arrangement. When Governor
Cox talked with Mr. Wilson at the
White House just after the San
Francisco convention, it was agreed
that the Ohio governor should open
the campaign with a series of
speeches in ihe west and that in
the meantime the president should
remain silent. The idea was that
there should be no confusion in the,
public mind as to the identity of
the leader of the Democratic parly.
Indeed. Governor Cox was to ex
pound his doctrines of leac’evshin.
The statement from Mr. Wilson
that he was in entire accord with
Governor Cox on the peace treaty
and League of Nations was generally
construed as a surrender by Govern
or Cox to the president, but the fact
of the matter that the Democratic
nominee told Mr. Wilson his views
aif dthe president expressed no ob
jection to the plan of campaign or
the ideas on reservations to the
peace treaty which Governor Cox
mentioned.
Time for Wilson to Enter
Now the western trip is over and
Governor Cox has given to the peo
ple his own views on the treaty and
other Issues unembarrassed by any
concurrent statement from the White
House. The time has arrived, how
ever, when the president can enter
the campaign. Governor Cox wants
him to do so. The issuance of u
statement denying what Senator
Spencer said about the proceedings
of the peace Confefence and alleged
promises to give American military
aid to Roumania and Serbia was the
first step.
The controversy Which ensued will
be cleared up by the president in a
day or two. Unquestionably it has
been badly handled. The facts are
coming out. As usual aoth sides
had justification for what they said.
Senator Spencer took a newspaper
account purporting to give an ac
curate copy of what the president
said.
Mr. Wilson himself knew he had
never made such promises.' The
writer attended the Paris peace con
ference and remembers the
ty which everybody experienced in
getting an accurate transcript cf
what was the open sessions.
Chance for Errors
This was because half of tjie pro
ceedings was in French and the oth
er half in English. As soon as Pres
ident Wilson finished speaking, Lieu
tenant Mantoux, of the French army,
a remarkable interpreter, would arise
and repeat in French from memory—
almost verbatim but not actually, of
course—everything that had been
said in English. '"V
The interpreter reinforced his
memory with Jong hand notes as
he himself was not a stenographer,
but while he did an extraordinary
piece of work, sometimes repeating
speeches of a half hour’s length
without interruption—he did not get
the precise meanings of many of
the English words. When the presi
dent himself said that so far as he
knew, no actual stenographic tran
script of his speech was in exist
ence, he had in mind, undoubtedly,
the fact that what Lieutenant Man
toux said was taken down by French
stenographers and possibly trans
lated into English.
The copy which Senator Spencer
saw was obtained from French
sources and the existence of an
American version was unknown un
til Fred Carlson, of Chicago, an
American stenographer, told that he
had taken the proceedings in short
hand and was forwarding a copy to
the White House.
Correspondence With Taft
The discrepancy appears to be be
tween a specific promise of American
military aid to Rumania and the
sending of a fleet to Europe as re
ported by Senator Spencer, and a
general promise that if the world
should be troubled again as it was
in 1917 and American rights were
violated, the United States would not
hesitate to send a fleet and an army
to Europe once more to save civili
zation. This is practically the same
thing as Senator Knox included in
his famous paragraph five in the
resolution he wrote as a substitute
for the League of Nations
But the issuance of the documents
showing how President Wilson was
frequent cable communication
with former President Taft during
the peace conference is plainly in
tended by the Democrats and by
the president himself as a refuta
tion of the oft-repeated charge that
he never consulted anybody or that
he wanted the pact ratified without
the crossing of a “t” or the dotting
of an “i” exactly as he wrote it.
The white house has plenty of let
ters from Herbert Hoover, too,
which if published may place him in
an embarrassing position before the
country.
Hunger Strike Wins!
Dog Starves for Master
SACRAMENTO.—Here’s a hun
ger striker that succeeded. David
Mcßee, miner, was in jail here
charged with having set a forest
fire. Foresters found Mcßee’s 16-
year-old dog at his cabin starving to
death and broken-hearted at the loss
of his master. They had Mcßee re
leased and the miner sent back to
feed his pet. “We ain't been parted
a single day in all the time we been
together till now,” said Mcßee of
the dog.
ATLANTA, GA., THURSDAY, OCTOBER 14, 1920.
Forth to
Go get those.
Oto plutocrats, a
/ HEJ-P THE
( NATTOAJ sass FOR
DEMOCRACY
Ztl PW
j xx 5 *
- ■ ----- ■ . '
BULLET SLAYS
TROLLEY HEAD
MAKING ARREST
In an effort to arrest J. C. Knight,
a conductor on the Luckie street-Mc-
Daniel street car line, J. M. Means,
assistant superintendent of trans
portation for the Georgia Railway
death about 10 o’clock Tuesday morn
'ing, which Knight turned his
pistol upon himself.
Versions differ as to whether Mr.
Means, who had long been connected
with the power company and who
was universally popular, was delib
erately shot by Knight or whether he
was killed in a scuffle over Knight’s
pistol when the conductor attempted
to commit suicide.
P. D. Reed, the only man in the of
fice at the time of the shooting,
quotes Mr. Means as saying “He shot
3e,*' while Knight declares that Mr.
eans was killed in a scuffle over
the gun.
“I admit the shortage," was sub
stantially the statement Knight made
to The Journal. “I wanted to kill
myself insteau of submitting to the
shame tof being placed under arrest.
I tried to shoot myself and Mr. Means
tried to take the g'un away from me.
He was shot while we scuffled over
the gun,”
W. N. FOREACRE,
SOUTHERN ROAD,
DIES SUDDENLY
ASHEVILLE, N. C., Oct. 12.—W.
N. Foreacre, general manager of lines
east for the Southern railway, was
found dead in his private car at Hen
dersonville, at 6:50 o’clock this morn
ing by his porter. Acute indigestion
was assigned by physicians as the
cause. He had been dead about t&o
hours, it was said, when the porter
went to his room on the car to call
him. He was sitting in a chair in
his night clothes with a light on.
Cleveland Team Wins
Baseball Championship
Over Brooklyn Nine
The Cleveland team, pennant win
ners in the American league, became
the 1920 baseball champions of the
world Tuesday by taking the decid
ing game of the annual post-season
series from the Brooklyn club, rep
resenting the National league.
The score of the decisive strug
gle was 3 to 0 in favor of Cleve
land. Coveleskie, who had already be
come a hero by pitching two win
ning games for Tris Speaker’s “In
dians,” registered his third victory.
Grimes, former Southern ■ league
hurler, pitched a creditable game for
Brooklyn but his team-mates were
unable to produce any runs. ’
Tuesday’s victory gave Cleveland
five victories out of the seven games
played. They won on Monday by 1
to 0. The last four games were
played in the champions home town.
Tremendous throngs watched the se
ries. Each member of the Cleveland
club will receive close to $4,500
from the gate receipts, while the
losing Brooklynites will each diraw
about $3,000.
ENLIST THEM IN THE CAUSE
BOGUS MAJOR IS
FACING JURY ON
FRAUD CHARGES
Sensational testimony describing
how Ray Vincent, a discharged Fort
McPherson private, masqueraded as
a wounded major of Infantry with a
brilliant overseas record and won his
way into the home of a well-kpown
Atlantian while he was serving in
France with the army Y. M. C. A.,
frequently calling on his young wife
and obtaining from her large sums
of money, Liberty bonds and other
property, were told to a jury in fed
eral court Wednesday. r
The case went to the jury at 1
o’clock. Although fourteen wit
nesses had been subpoenaed by the
government, the prosecution rested
after placing four witness on the
stand. Vincent was not permitted
by his council to testify, Attorney
John Y. Smith stating that in his
opinion, testimony by the defendant
would have no bearing on the jury’s
verdict for the reason that the gov
ernment had utterly failed to show
any intent on his part to defraud
Mrs. Dougherty.
Two indictments against the de
fendant were produced. To the first,
which charges the unlawful wearing
of the United States army uniform,
a plea of guilty was entered by At
torney John Y. Smith for Vincent.
To the second indieffnent, which
charges Vincent with using the uni
form to defraud-Mrs. D. O. Dougher
ty, of 19 Prado, out of sums of money
and property, the , defense pleaded
“not guilty.” /
Fourteen witnesses fdr the govern
ment, and one for the defendant were
sworn and then ordered sequestered
on motion of the defense.
Assistant District Attorney Paul
Carpenter introduced the army serv
ice record of Vincent in evidence,
which showed his service was limit
ed to six months at Fort McPherson
as a private soldier, and that he
was discharged July 16, 1918, several
weeks before his unit received em
barkation orders.
Husband Hurries Back
The first witness called was D. O.
Dougherty. J£e told or his departure
for France in September, 1917, and
said he left $3,100 in an Atlanta bank,
an automobile, the key to his safety
deposit vault which contained a
number of Liberty Bonds, and other
property, in possession of his -wife.
“I wanted her and the two chil
dren to be well provided for while I
was away,” he told the jury. The
witness said he had been in France
nearly seven months when he re
ceived information from Atlanta
which caused him,to hurry home. On
his arrival, he said, he found that
he was financially wrecked; that his
money, Liberty Bondfc, automobile
and even the kev to his bank vult
and his watch, were gone. He said
he found the defendant enjoying
prosperity.
"My wife gave me a note for $1,400
which she had taken from Vincent
as security for some of the numer
ous loans she made him,” the wit
ness went on. "I at once sought him
and secured the possession of two
automobiles, handing him back this
note.”
Mr. Dougherty Identified photo
(Continued on Rage 7, Column
SLAYER OF BABY
SHOWS WHERE HE
DISPOSED ,OF IT
HARRISBURG, Pa., Oct. I?.—Au
gust Pasquale, self-confessed kidnap
er of Blakely Coughlin, today took
Captain Samuel Gearhart, of the
state police, to a spot along the
Schuylkill river below Norristown,
where he declared he had thrown the
body of the child, and a diver found a
of rail and some string which
he alleged he had tied to the child
whejf he hurled it into the stream,
according to a statement made today
by Major Lynn G. Adams, superin
tendent of the state police.
The search for the body is being
continued by the diver, the major
said.
Major Adams also said Pasquale
had confessed to killing a woman
about sixty years old at 608 North
Eighth street, Philadelphia, last
spring, and to stealing S3OO.
The news of the search was tele
phoned to the superintendent from
Norristown and simultaneously the
statement regarding the Philadelphia
n/irder was issued.
SEARCHERS DIG V AINLY
FOR BODY OF BABY
EGG HARBOR, N. J., Oct. 12.
Spaded earth in spots here and
there near here today marked the
trail of the searchers for s he body
of baby Blakely Coughlin, hastily
buried four months ago by his kid
naper, August Pasquale.
A grim little searching party
hunted for hours around the place
where Pasquale, according to his
statement to Major Lynn G. Adams,
placed the infant’s bodv after he had
accidentally smothered it by but
toning it under his coat while he
tied from the Coughlin home at Nor
ristown. Pa.
George H. Coughlin, father of
the baby, was the grimmiest of all
the group. Stern and with a set ex
pression, he stood close by while
members of the Pennsylvania state
constabulary, under direction of
Captain Gearhardt, spaded up the
earth. They hunted all around a
shack once occupied by Pasquale,
and also dug at various places in
the bungalow colony—now deserted
by the Rummer cottagers—but with
out coming across a trace of the
little victim.
NORRISTOWN, Pa., Oct. 13.-r-
Magistrate Lenhardt indicated today
that a lunacy commission may be
appointed to investigate tXe mental
condition of August Pasquale, con
fessed kidnaper and slayer of Baby
Blakely Coughlin. The various con
fessions made by Pasquale are con
sidered symptoms of a disordered
mind.
“About Played Out,”
MacSwiney Says on
62d Day of Fast
LONDON. Oct. 13. —Terence Mac-
Swiney, lord mayor of Cork, did not
have a good night at Brixton prison,
according to a bulletin issued today
by the Irish Self-Determination
League. It is declared a doctor in
attendance found him perceptibly
weaker this morning and that his
mind was not as clear as it has
been since he began his hunger
strike.
“I feel I am about played out,” U
a statement repeatedly made by th3
lord mayor, according tq' Father
Dominic., his private chaplain, who
is quoted by the Herald, organ of
la.bor.
MacSwiney today began the sixty
second day of his hunger strike-
Farm Heads Meet
In Washington to
Aid Agriculture
lIGHT RIDERS' fflW
FEE PROSECUTION
BTU.S.GOVERNMENT
Posting of Gins and Violence
in Cotton Belt Referred to
Department of Justice for
Action
WASHINGTON, Oct. 13.—Federal
prosecution of "night riders” and
others responsible for the burning
jof cotton and cotton gins in the
southern states will be ordered if
an investigation started today dis
closes violation of any federal laws.
Department of justice agents have
been instructed to investigate and
report immediately Instances where
federal laws appear to have been vio
lated.
In most cases, officials believed
the outrages have constituted crimes
only under state laws, but the In-,
vestigatlon was ordered when it was
Indicated there might have been in
terference with shipments in inter
state commerce.
A special committee of the con
vention of agricultural 'interests in
s- here decided tonight to rec
ommend that the convention adopt
a resolution tomorrow denouncing
the work of night riders and others
in cotton states. The committee res
ol will dec,., e that activi
ties of those responsbile for the
burning of cotton and cotton gins
and for threats o& violence are cal
culated to hinder rather than help
rehabilitation of the cotton market.
While no further reports had been
received Wednesday of the posting
bf warnings at cotton gins in Geor
gia, there was no slackening In the
efforts of the authorities to establish
me identity of the parties who have
thus far posted tnreats to destroy
gins which remain in operation while
cotton stands at its present market
price.
' The posting of gins in Georgia has
apparently been confined to certain
sections of the- state and the move
ment has not become general. The
authorities believe it is the result
’ of a “wave” originating in Texas apd
‘ traveling eastward through the cot
ton belt. When it spends its force,
1 they say, the fanatical element will
’ subside
1 The Associated Press sent out the
‘ following general account of the sit
‘ uation in the cotton belt:
“The federal authorities have tak
’ en cognizance of the activities of
night riders in the south, who are
waging a campaign to keep cotton
off the market until it reaches a price
’ of forty cents a pound by threaten
ing to destroy gins whose owners
ignore warnings to discontinue oper
’ ation until that price is realized.
"The department of justice an
nounced its agents in the affected
: areao had been instructed to inves
tigate instances where federal laws
relating to interference with ship
ments in interstate commerce might
1 have t-ee'i violated.
“Departmerit of 'justice agents
have been investigating the destruc
tion of a compress and warehouses
at Cameron, Tex.. Sunday morning,
with a loss estimated at $1,000,000,
according to A. J. Dossett, owner of
the property, who returned to Waco
• from Cameron.
! “The burning of two more gins
in Texas was reported. One at
Pursley was destroyed Tuesday night
with a loss placed at $6,000, while
the other, at Branchville, near Cam
eron, was burned Monday night with
a loss of approximately $12,000.
Both fires are believed to have been
of incendiary origin.
, “Flames were discovered at the
Fort Smith, Ark., compress Tuesday
night. It was the third fire in a pe
riod of two weeks, at this point, but
there was nothing! to indicate a wil-
, ful attempt at its destruction.
“The posting of warnings on gins
in Arkansas is continuing 1 , operators
at Lavaca, near Fort Smith, discov
er ng placards on their plants with
this inscription:
“ ‘Don't start this gin until sixty
days. If the wheels turn you know
the results—unless the price gets
right.’
“Guards were placed about the
gins- and the owners were to confer
today with farmers to determine
what course to pursue.
“Several additional gins in Morgan
county, Alabama, were idle yester
day after the receipt of warnings to
discontinue ginning.
“Up to a late hour there had been
no reports of the receipt of furthe
warnings bv ginners in Georgia and
South Carolina.”
King Alexander Is in
Critical Condition as
Result of Monkey Bite
ATHENS, Oct. 13.—(8y the Asso
ciated Press.)—Only the strong con
stitution of King Alexander of
Greece is relied upon by his phy
sicians to bring him through the
crisis of his illness resulting from
the bite of a monkey a short time
ago. It was admitted at the palace
that the king had entered into -the
critical phase of his illness.
The government, alarmed at the
serious turn in the king’s condition,
discussed the question of a regency,
and decided that the council of min
isters would take up the task of
administering the country in the
event of the king’s condition becom
ing worse.
The statement was the first inti
mation that the physicians in at
tendance were relying only on the
strong constitution of King Alexan
der, who is only twenty-seven years
old, to save him.
Scents a copy.
$1.50 A YEAR.
Relief in -Present Crisis
Sought Through Confer
ences With President Wil
son, Cabinet and Reserve
Board
The Atlanta Journal News Bureau,
623 Rigg-s Building.
BY THEODOBE TILLEB
WASHINGTON, Oct. 13.—“ General
Bankruptcy and ruin are inevitable”
unless some immediate remedy is
found to relieve the present price
situation as it afltects the farmer,
says a report submitted to the agri
cultural conference here today by a
general committee appointed to study
the situation. The report was .adopt
ed by the conference without a dis
senting vote. T , *
The committee blames the federal
reserve system for present prlcesj
charging that It “has arbitrarily
withheld from assisting the basic
Industry of this country to maintain
a levei vi prices that at least meets
the cost of production.”
Declaring that the condition of the
mind of the farm population is “om
inous," the committee says "this
state of mind can only be changed
by a frank and fair attitude ;on the
part of those In authority—the test
of which can be only their acts.”
The federal reserve board will hold
a conference with the general com
mittee at 4 o’clock this afternoon.
Senator Overman reported to the
convention. Secretary of the Treas
ury Houston will meet the commit
tee at 10:30 tomorrow morning, Mr.
Overman said.
The demands call for a lowerin'*
of the rediscount rate of the federa'
reserve banks and expansion of
credits. #
Vitally Needed Loans Restricted
The report was prepared by a cbm
mittee representing farmers from
many states both in the wheat ami
cotton belt in convention here at the
cell of the national board of farm
organizations. The report scores
Secretary Houston and other govern
ment officials for announcing that a
price decline is in progress, which,
the report said, caused banks of the
country to restrict loans vitally
needed by farmers.
"Current market prices for farm
products are below the cost of pro
duction,” the report read, “and un
less some immediate remedy is found
to relieve the situation, general
bankruptcy and ruin are inevitable.
The conditions now facing the agri
cultural interest of America «are not
confined to any one section or any
one product.
“In our judgment it Is wrong as a
matter of policy artificially to press
down prices and it is particularly
wrong to begin with the raw com
modities.
“The condition of agriculture is
now desperate. The condition of
mind of the farm population is omi
nous. Producers of all crops have
come to feel that the hand of the
government is against them.-
“It is no concern of the federal
reserve system or of the treasury
department what the producers o
the country may determine is a
fair price.”
Signers of the report are J. J.
Brown, of Georgia; ( J. A. McParren,
Pennsylvania: Fred ’Roberts, Texas;
Frederick Shangle, Pennsylvania; A.
D. Washington, D.* C.\
Clarejnce S. Kates, Pennsylvania;
Charles W. Holman, Wisconsin; John
Tromble, Kansas; Senator E.- D.
Smith, South Carolina; Roy O.
Young, Louisiana; T. C. Atkesirfi,
West Virginia; T. R. Kilkenny, Ari
zona, and J. S. Wannamaker, South
Carolina.
Responsibility Placed.
The report of the committee says
the present situation was brought
about by the-following official acts:
"Restriction of credits.
- “Raising the rate of discount on
farm products.
"Discontinuance of the war finance
corporation.
“The statements given out by the
secretary of the treasury, the gov
ernor of the federal reserve board
and the federal reserve banks have
been construed to the effect that com
modity prices, particularly th*e price
of farm products, were coo hign and
that a pre-war basis, or an ap
proximation of a pre-war basis of
prices must be reached within a short
time. The consequent effect of
these utterances upon the member
banks of the federal reserve system
and the banking industry of the coun
try generally, was cause them to
withhold such accommodations as
they might otherwise effect, Lecause
of the fear that the security taken
would necessarily decline.
“The action of the federal feserve
board In counting the bonds held Ly
member banks as part of the com
mercial credit of the banks holding
these bonds, thereby enormously de
creasing the power of such banks, to
extend the needed credits to the/ag
ricultural interests of their respec
tive communities.
“Your committee feels,chat the of
ficials of the treasury department and
the federal reserve system have ex
ceeded their authority when they
publicly announced opinion as to
prices of farm products which have
resulted in disastrous price de
cline.”
Punctlon of Reserve System.
The committee further reports that
it is of the opinion “that the func
tions of these institutions, as ex
pressed in the law, are to discharge
the duties imposed on them by the
law and spirit of the law, regard
less of what effect it may nr may not
have upon the markets of the coun-
(Contlnusd on Rags *?, Column 4)