Newspaper Page Text
■H IMPORTANT
HI ST 0R Y MADE IN
CLOSING YEAR
Titanic Disaster and Balkan
Defeat of Turkey Are Most
Prominent Events.
Much notable history was written in
\ear of 1912—events of vast impor
ter and of world-wide interest fol
, ved each other in the quick inarch of
,, ls . past twelve months.
The most significant of these, doubt
j was the revolt of the Balkan
-rites against the Turkish empire,
, fcii put a period to the sultan’s an
, , -ui retnacy in eastern Europe. The
-uciden rise of the minor states which
..mprfsed the Balkan allies is one of
'nr narvels of the age. No less mirac
u; us was the swift and decisive way
In which they swept the Turks across
' plains of Thrace and forced them
~'ick to the banks.of the Dardanelles.
Tlie fortunes of this war caused the
.elude world to wonder. The very map
Europe was changed from day to
ay. Especially has this war brought
into significant power the states of
Servia and Bulgaria and given them an
important voice in the diplomatic fo
unt of Europe.
Sinking of Titanic.
The most grievous occurrence of the
year, especially to America, was the
sinking of the Titanic on April 14. The
~ss of this greatest of all ocean liners.
,Ith over 1,500 persons, was the great
est marine tragedy of all time.
It was not only the multitude of vic
tims that made the catastrophe so
overwhelmingly sad, but the character
i nd Importance of many of those who
sank—the appalling figure being 1,519.
In the middle of the night, while the
ship was flashing with myriads of bril
liant lights and the great vessel was
ringing with music and laughter, the
Titanic ran head on into a gigantic
Iceberg while going at the rate of over
30 miles an hour.
Death seemed to reign in the air as
veil as on tlie water during the year
'ML. The number of airmen who lost
L it lives was unprecedented. And one
Aio'nric.iM woman is numbered among
vi tin.- . Jliss Quimby, who fell into
i ,i from the height.of 1,009 feet,
claimed 30 airmen, bringing
a total of all up to 217.
••• year marked some improv, m -nt
j>> hydro-aeroplane, but t.n the
hob- the science of flying did not pro
_r. ss to any material degree.
Wilbur Wright Dies.
in tliis year of the most lyumerou: air
disasters it is quite significant that
ath should claim, by sickness,
nan who invented the first practical
dying craft —Wilbur Wright.
The great American inventor passed
i way at his home in Day ion, Ohio, and
was given one of the most notable fu
nerals in the history of the city.
In the political realm the year 1912
witnessed many remarkable tilings.
Pei haps the most significant was the
completion of the overthrow of the
Mnncliu dynasty in China and the in
t illation of the Chinese republic with
in. Sun, a Harvard graduate, as pres
ident.
lu America, of course, the most im
wirt int political event was the over
whelming defeat of the Republican par
' and the return of the Democratic
laity to power, after sixteen years,
with Woodrow Wilson as the new
president.
An interesting feature of tlie political
lavements in this country was the
■I, th of the Progressive party, with
■H iner President Theodor. Roosevelt as
i- god father.
South Pole Discovered,
Tin year 1912 also witnessed the dis
■very of the South Pole by Captain
• '.aid Amundson, the Danisli explorer.
In the field of science great progress
.as made, especially in surgical exper
uients. The Nobel prize, for the most
notable achievement of the year in the
latter field, was awarded by Dr. Alexis
1 'arrell, of the Rockefeller institute,
New York. Although Dr. Carrell is a
Frenchman by birth, he has labored in
America for years. He is. to all events
and purposes, an American, and the
work he did for which he was given
the Nobel award, was performed in an
American institute erected by an Amer
ican philanthropist. Therefore, Amer
ica claims the honor.
The year 1912 has witnessed the pasti
ng of many prominent men. Among
'he eminent Americans who died dur
tig tlie year were Vice President James
- Sherman. Rear Admiral Robley D.
Evans, Ambassador Whitelaw Reid and
Jeneral Frederick D. Grant.
The Rosenthal Murder.
The most sensational individual crime
f the year, at least in America, was
the assassination of Herman Rosen
hal, the New York gambler, by four
-'tinmen acting as agents of Police
Lieutenant Charles A. Becker. The lat
er and his four hired murderers are
tow under the sentence of death.
The circumstances surrounding tills
rime and tlie subsequent developments
arising from it constituted the most
farnest steps ever taken in probing
municipal corruption.
The immediate result of the Becker
crime was the opening of the alder
manic investigation, which revealed tlie
revolting .V ails of the alliance between
the police and the underworld.
Another event which stirred the
heart of the nation was the dastardly
attempt to assassinate Theodore Rome
velt at Milwaukee by John Schrank, a
New York crank, who is now in an
insane asylum.
In the matter of legislation, perhaps
tlie most important I'eiitureß were tile
. eto of tlie new Demovutic .''ingress
arlff bills relating to wool, cotton and
uuig am; tin. laruivr. free list, by Pres-
Oldest Sigma Nu Defends Secret Societies in Colleges
!“FRAT” MEN HAVE GREAT DAY
' -
IMWMIMIgSwwWr 'll y
f Irr ’T'F))
CJ»-a ffbt
'jMF W [K f **■ t
' *■ 4 <,.. ’ lib' -<Bb AgiMdMx >
j I
JJ w
v / MS
1 ISSIhr - £7% i "7b J? - JP?
B
R. iJftw Reynolds. Atlanta, bn left, and A. C. Riley. Jr., Atlanta, delegates to the Sigma Xu
eonvention exchanging “official” greetin",s.
HISTORY-MAKING EVENTS OF
THE PASSING “NEWSY” YEAR
I
War between Tinney and the Balkan states.
Sinking of the Titanic when 1.519 souls perished.
i A. i< nipted assassination of Theodore Roosevelt.
Democratic victory in the United States and the election of
Woodrow Wilson for president.
Conviction of 38 labor leaders for conspiracy in the Mc-
Namara dynamiting.
Establishing of the Chinese republic.
Winning of the Nobel prize for surgical research by Dr.
Alexis Carrell, of the Rockefeller institute.
President Taft’s veto of the tariff bills reducing the rates
on wool, cotton and iron. Also his veto of the farmers’ free
list bill.
Canada’s rejection of the reciprocity agreement.
The assassination of Herman Rosenthal, a New York gam
bler, at the instigation of Police Lieutenant Charles A. Becker.
Death of 30 airmen during the year, bringing the grand
total up to 217.
Winning first place at the Olympic games by the Ameri
can team.
Winning of seventeen championships b\ American athletes.
United States supreme court decisions in the Union Pacific
merger and the anthracite coal trust cases.
ident Taft, and the defeat in Canada of
the reciprocity agreement.
Several important opinions were
handed down by the United States su
preme court, the chief of these being
tlie opinion touching the Union Pacific
merger. The action taken by the court
resulted in the dissolving of the great
railroad combination which had been -
effected by the late E. H. Harriman.
Another supreme court decision
which caused much comment was in ,
relation to tlie Anthracite Coal trust.
While the opinion of the court pur- '
ported to be adverse to the trust, many
commentators hold that it will not in- 1
jure the coal interests in tlie least.
The year 1912 still found our, neigh
bor on the south, Mexico, restless and
disturbed by internal dissensions. Sev
eral revolutionary uprisings against
the existing administration were made. '
One of them, led by a nephew of Gen- '
oral Porflrio Diaz, former president of '
Mexico, promised to develop into a for
midable menace to the Madero regime. ,
But Diaz was captured within a few
days, together with other leaders. Th« '
latter were executed, but Diaz stil is in 1
prison.
A big event at the end of the year ,
was the conviction on December 28 of
38 union labor leaders on a charge of I
conspiracy growing out of the dyna
miting campaign of the McNamara
brothers, who a year ago confessed to
blov ing up The Los Angeles Times and
numerous other property, for which
they were sentenced to San Quentin
prison, California, for life. The 38 men
were sentenced to prison on Decem
ber 30. Sentence was suspended on five
of them.
KILLS MOTHER-IN-LAW:
SLEEPS PEACEFULLY
KENDALLVILLE. IND., Dee. 31.-Ed
ward Hart shot and killed Sarah Me-.
Bride, is mother-in-law, and fatally
v, ounded his wife! lUana. at their home in
LaGrange. Hart sl -i'> fully in the
home where the tragedy was enacted and
<vas arrosted after a posse searched six
hours for him.
THE ATLANTA GEORGIAN AND NEWS. TUESDAY, DECEMBER 31, 1912.
COSMOPOLITAN LIFE
TO BE REORGANIZED
FOR BUSINESS FEB. 1
Reorganization of the Cosmopolitan Life
Insurance Company will be effected as
soon as the necessary details, Including
a decrease of the $1,000,000 capital
stock, and an addition of a substantial
sum to the surplus, are arranged.
Heretofore known officially as the “Cos-®
mopolitan Life Insurance Company," the
rehabilitated concern will be called "The
Cosmopolitan Life Insurance Company,"
with an addition of the article as the
only change of title.
The step toward a change of organiza
tion was made as a result of the litiga
tion into which the affairs of the com
pany have been plunged. Every indica
tion as regards the volume and extent of
business done is flattering, the stockhold
ers announced ala meeting held yester
day. With $2,500,000 insurance written
before the receivership suit was filed last ■
full, with business in sight to swell the
volume to $4,000,000, and with a new lease
on life which tin reorganization will give,
the company will prosper, the stockhold
ers believe. The newly organized con
cern will be ready for business Febru
ary 1. i
.The decision to reorganize, with other
details connected with the proposition,
was made at Monday's meeting of the
stockholders.
POLICEMAN WHO CLUBBED
PRISONER TO FACE TRIAL
DALTON. GA.. Dec. 31.—Waiving
preliminary hearing, Policeman Waltei
Smith was bound over to the grand
jury on the.charge of assault and bat
tery. J. S. Grider contends that the po
liceptan unnecessarily clubbed him in
arresting him. The policeman made the
SIOO bond required.
MOVING DAV IN VIDALIA.
VIDALIA. GA.. Dec. 31.—This is mov
ing day in this place, fully seventy-five
families having moved in and out of town
today. Most of tlie movers, however, are
f.'tmers moving to their new locations for
the ■ omlng season. Several of the mer
chanUt have also secured new quarters for
the coming year.
Theater Party and Ball to
Feature Closing Days of the
National Convention.
John Alexander Howard, of Tallahas
see, Fla., the oldest Sigma Nu in at
tendance at the fraternity's convention
In Atlanta, is a firm believer in the fra
college. He deplores the anti-frater
nity fights instigated b disgruntled in
dividuals and declares that if the true
meaning of the fraternity were under
stood by all there would be little cause
for friction.
“The fraternity is a great institution
in its influence on the average Ameri
can undergraduate,” declared Mr. How
ard today. “It fills a need in the life
of tlie college student which never
could be filled in any other way. Boys
naturally seek others of their kind, and
it is inevitable that this tendency
should find expression in the student
organizations which we know as fra
ternities. Wherever man is thrust he
easts about for congenial spirits. He
will find them sooner or later.
"Fraternity life, properly lived, brings
out manly qualities that otherwise
would lie dormant or undeveloped.
Pride in the various groups of men ami
the name of the orders stimulates men
to do theh' best in appearance and in
action.
“Good For Colleges.”
"Only good to the college can result,
with members anxious to go out and
bring in prospects who are of like high
character and standing. Thus does the
college renew its youth, and the growth
is a healthy one."
Yesterday was one of the pleasantest
days of the Sigma Nus' young lives.
Starting with the opening business ses
sion at 11 a. m. and ending with a big
banquet at the Piedmont at 8 p. ni., the
day was brimful of joy.
Especially joyful were the "pre" and
“post" trimmings of the banquet, tiie
main affair being most too dry to wet
a single whistle. Water—water was
everywhere! “Pete” Daley and tlie
California delegates were the first to
make the discovery and the news
spread like wild fire.
E. L.-e Worsham, stale entomologist
and one of the most congenial spirits in
this section, presided as toastmaster.
He spoke of lhe value of the fraternity
bond and introduced several enthusi
astic speakers.
Preston 8. Arkwright, also a Univer
sity of Georgia graduate, spoke on “The
Opportunities of tie- College Men In the
South." Rev. Albert H. Wilson, of New
York city, regent, talked of “Sigma
Nu—Her Achievements."
Theater Party Tonight.
John W. Pull, of Nashville, took as
his subject “Fraternity Ideals in Col
lege Life." lb nry Tillman spoke on
“<'housing a Fraternity.” Thomas H.
Piekies, of Richmond. Ky., took the
subject "Brothers All.” Walter James
Sears asked "Shall the Fiaternity Sys
tem Be Abolished?" •
The offlceis made reports and there
wore other speakers. 11. E. Hibson, of
Philadelphia, chairman of a committee
on fraternity houses, spoke on the need
of acquiring more homes for the chap
ters, and he will make a further report
at one of today's sessions.
Today and tomorrow there will be
business sessions starting at 10 o’clock
in mornings ami at 2 in the afternoons.
Tonight the delegates have reserves
tu< parquet of tin Atlanta theater am 1
GUARD PREPARES
FDRINAUGUHAL
War Department Writes to Ad
jutant General—lnspection
Officers Named.
The adjutant general s office has re
ceived a request from the national war
department for information as to how
many, as nearly as can be estimated at
this time, Georgia troops will participate
in the inauguration parade in Washington
on March 4
General Leonard Wood had been re
quested by the inauguration committee to
act as grand rnazsl of >he day, and it
Is for his information, and by his direc
tion, that the Inquiry is sent to the ad
jutant general’s department.
The national war department is antici
pating the largest attendance of military
on inaugural ion day in the nation’s his
tory, and preparations for the big parade
already are well under way.
The adjutant general’s office also has
been informed that the annual inspections
in Georgia will be conducted by tht fol
lowing officers; Captain .1. M. Kimbrough,
Jr., will inspect the state arsenal and de
partment in Atlanta, Lieutenam ICdward
King will inspect the artillery. Major
Henry Jones, of the Seventeenth infantry,
will inspect the ' state infantry. Major
David Baker, of the medical corps, will
inspect the hospital service in Barnesville
and Atlanta, aid Major Collins of the
medical imps, will inspect the marine <!•--
uichnuH. in Savanna I
QUAKER OATS CO. IS
PROBED BY U. S. IN
SEARCH FOR TRUST
CHICAGO, Dee. 31.—A Federal grand
jury investigation of the Quaker Oats
I'ompanv. regarding certain transac
tions which the government believes
were violations of the Sherman anti
trust law. is under way here today.
The purcha.-e of the Great Wi stern
I Cereal Company about a year ago by
the oats company is the point under
examination. It is tlie belief of tin
district attoriH .. that tile transaction
virtually made the Quaker Oats Com
pany a. cereal trust.
SAILOR IN U. S. NAVY
NOW WORTH $250,000
WEST HAMPTON. N. Y.. Dee. 31.
Knight Wheeler, son of the late Fred
erick M. Wheeler, and worth about
$250,000, has for tlie last live years
been an enlisted man in tlie X’nited
States navy. His duties have been so
Well performed that, ills friends are ex
pecting any day to hear of his winning
a commission as ensign. He is visiting
his mother and sisters at the magnifi
cent Wheeler estate. He rose through
the various grades until now he is chief
machinist on the Albatross.
TRAVELS 1.500 MILES
TO SMASH FURNITURE
—, —
PORTLAND. OREG., Dec. 31.—Re
senting the repulse of his attentions
by a sister of Grant Carter, manager of
a slide company here, formerly of Chi
cago, Victor Barone traveled 1,500 nilles
for revenge and broke into the office at
night and destroyed SSOO worth of of
fice fixtures. He was arrested. It Is
said Barone lived with Carter and his
sister in Chicago and when Carter came
West he was deserted by the object of
his affections He was armed with
brass knuckles when arrested.
HUNDREDS OF CATTLE
BURN IN PRAIRIE FIRE
CENTER. N. D., Dec. 31. -Prairft
fires are unusual in North Dakota :it
this season, but one burned a strip
from one to three miles in width from
Sanger, this county, to the Missouri
river. There was a heavy wind ami tin
flames jumped over all the ordinary
“fire breaks.”
Thousands of tons of liny were burn
ed and several hundred head of cattle
perished. The ranch of Thomas Hall,
recently elected secretary oi’ state, was
in the path of tile fire, and he lost
"heavily.
GIRL COUGHS UP NEEDLE
IMBEDDED IN GOOSE
ST. LOUIS, Dec. 31. Miss Margaret
Bux, a telephone operator of Belleville,
was dining on goose at her home last
night when she felt a pain in her throat.
She coughed so violently that her mother,
Mrs. William Jenks, sent a hurry call for
a doctor. Before the physician arrived,
however. Miss Bux had succeeded In
taking from her throat the caus' 1 of irri
tation, a large needle
How the needle came to be in the goose,
Mrs. Jenks, who cooked the fowl, can not
understand. The ne«?<lh* must have been
In the bird’s thigh while it was living, she
believes.
FIND GRAIN SPECULATOR
DEAD IN ROOM FROM GAS
' CHICAGO, Dec. 31. -Charh-H Thiope,
a grain speculator, was found asphyx
iated in a rooming house at 6GI Dear
born avenue. His death is believed to
have been accidental.
TWO SURVEYORS DIE
WHEN MINE EXPLODES
VINCENNES. IND., Dec. 31.—A gas
explosion in a mine at Bicknell killed
Frank Stewart, county surveyor-elect,
and fatally Injured A. J. Frey. Th< |
men were surveying the mine. Both of
Stewart's hands were burned off.
will see “The Spring Maid” with theli
young women friends.
The closing event will be the big fra
ternity dance given tomorrow night at
the Capital City club. Three hundred
Slginn Nus and one representative of
each fi nteriiity at Teeii will be present,
not to mention an array of society
belles.
EXPERT SANDS ON HOW
TO MAKE CITY STREET
DEP A R TMEN T EFFEC TIVE
Efficient administration of the office of chief of construction
demands that it be tilled by a high-grade business executive se
lected solely on merit. It would be better were he to have a
technical engineering training also, but this is not essential.
When men such as this position needs can be persuaded to serve
the people in such an office the position must usually come to
them by appointment without the strife, and often taint, of politi
cal contest. The head of the department ehargd with building
and maintaining the city 's street.-, should be bound by no cam- ■
paign obligations and have no political fences to tend. And yet
I his is an elective office in Atlanta.
Such work can not be mixed with politics without just such
a result, as Atlanta has experienced. It is logically to be expect
ed. I’he chief of construction should be appointive and the best
man available in Atlanta or anywhere else in the United States
should be eligible for appointment.
Bolstering Up an Illogical Structure
The two main functions of the department comprise the con
struction and repair of streets, and the construction and repair
of sewers ami operation of sewage disposal plants. A recent or
dinance intended as a basis for reorganization of the department
provided for an assistant chief of construction, an engineer in
charge of streets and another in charge of sewers. The latter
two positions are necessary, but assuming the head of the depart
ment to be efficient it does not seem that as a matter of organi
zation an assistant chief of construction is necessary. Such inter
nal reorganization can at best but bolster up an illogical struc
ture. As indicated above changes are basic.
The men at the head of the bureau of streets and lhe bu
reau of sewers should lie men of experience and recognized
standing in* street and sewer construction respectively. If they
ar>' also graduate engineers so much the better, but the prime
requisite should be experience. They might be designated re
spectively as superintendent of streets and superintendent of sew
ci's, i The present position of superintendent of streets should be
abolished.) Salaries should be provided for these positions ade
quate to attract competent men. and they should be continued in
office under civil service regulations. The former would have
supervision of all street work, both new work and repairing and
including sidewalks and curbs. The latt'W would have supervision
of all construction and repair of sewers. Other construction and
repair work such as sewage diiyiosal plants, crematory, etc.. •
might b<- assigned to either of these two bureaus, according to the
judgment of the chief of construction, or retained under his per
sonal direction.
Should Be Strictly Accountable
The superintendents of streets and sewers should be held
strictly accountable for results, and they ought, therefore, to be
allowed to nominate their subordinates, appointments being made
by the heiftl of the department after a test of qualifications.
Pending establishment of a civil service commission such tests
might be conducted under temporary civil service regulations.
The city, through this department, is following a policy of
changing many street grades. Before approving plans for fur
ther changes of this character it would be wise to await the de
velopment of the plans of the newly created Atlanta city planning
commission. No grades should be changed hereafter without the
approval of that commission, because only in that wav can all
public projects co-ordinate in th<- development and beautification
of the city.
The old adage a “stitch in time” is particularly apt when
applied to street pavements. A rut or hole in a pavement, if re
paired when it first appears, takes but little lime, and may lie
done at a minimum cost; if such holes are allowed to remain,
however, vehicles continually drop into them, and not only en
large the hole each day, but rebounding, strike the pavement
beyond with such impact as to start a second depression, and
thus a series of depressions result which become very expensive
to repair. Good economy, therefore, demands that a sufficient
appropriation be made available each year to repair breaks in
pavement at oneu they appear.
LEAP YEAR FALLS SHORT
ON MARRIAGE LICENSES
DALTON, GA., Dec. 31.—Leap year
lias prow d a severe disappointment to
Cupid in Whitfield county, for the sale
of marriage licenses shows fewer is
sued during the past twelve months
than for any other similar period in
seven years. Just 176 marriage licenses
were issued here, as compared to 186 in
1911, 199 In 1910, 187 in 1909. 189 in
1908, and 209 in 1907.
TWO BILLIONS U.S. EXPORTS
FOR PAST ELEVEN MONTHS
WASHINGTON. Dec. 31. -The value of
the total imports Into the United States
for eleven months, ending with November,
B>l2, aggregate $8,664,270,806, according to
a bulletin issued by the bureau of for
eign and domestic commerce and labor.
The value <»t exports from this country to
all parts <>f the world for the same period
amounted to $3,148,617,686.
HAVE YOU A DEAF CHILD?
tile only private school In the South for Deaf Children. 'Only school
South teaching SPEECH exclusively. Moat advanced methods; home life
Unsurpassed results.
Miss Arbaugh’s School for Deaf Children
110 Rogers Ave. MACON. GA.
Modern Expert Dentistry at Reasonable Prices
$5 Crown and (T
* 1 Bridge Work
( j Set of (3*
jr Teeth ***
' 1 I All other dental work at prices that
> 1 T ■ I ? I r wlu P ,eaße - Plates made and deliv
•kZ I I J ered ’ ame day.
Dr. E. G. Griffin’s Gate City Dentai Rooms
24! 2 WHITEHALL STREET.
Bell Phone 1708. Hours: 3 a. m. to 7 p. m. Sundays, 9 a. m. to 1 p. m.
WOMAN KILLED IN FUN;
GLASS PIERCES NECK
M)S ANGEDES, Deo. 31. - Falling on th.
> ragged edges of a glass door broken In a
playful bout with a guest over a box ci
cigarettes, Mrs. Ortance Koetsch, a wid
ow, was almost Instantly killed in her
' home in West Sixteenth street, when one
i of thy long Silvers of glass pierced her
: neck. So unusual and dramatic was her
! sudden death that several of her women
, guests became hysterical and fainted
NEW ARMY AEROPLANES
TO BE ALL-NEW PATTERN
1 WASHINGTON, Dec. 31.—Specifications
How being made up by the signal corps of
the United States army will bring into use
by the army in 1913 a type of aeroplane
entirely different from those at present in
commission . All that will be purchased
In the future must have a streamlike or
torpedo-shatied body, with a wind shield
for the aviator and passenger, and be
equipped with the latest radio-telegraph
apparatus.
3