Newspaper Page Text
Warning to Advertisers!
The Atlanta Federation of Trades
Wishes to inform the public that it is in no way
connected with the publication of the so-called
“Union Labor Directory.”
SRR . RSN 20 VNI (OO Rl2 L 5 oM. BRI AT 5 AR AeNARN BN PDA
Now Moving from 31-A South Broad St. to 135
Whitehall Street—the
We are too busy moving today to quote any
prices, but even though we may not be entirely
settled in our new quarters tomorrow, come right
along and we will wait on as many customrs as
possible,
SATURDAY
This stock is stil very large and you can buy all
you want at the same “below-the-market” prices.
NOTE NEW ADDRESS CAREFULLY
135 WHITEHALL STREET
Between Mitchel St. and Trinity Ave.
. L. C. MORRIS, Selling Agent.
FIRE—RENT—TORNADO
AUTOMOBILE — SPRINKLER LEAKAGE
2 :-:s’3"?&'»‘ — €¢ . 7 fes) Gadan>
PR Service fgE
.}fi"?-’@ AR 'f y .’fi.‘ ANEoEARYE
%’%fl"m‘"fi; Day or Night @’s%%:‘:’ls 46)
(Kd SE\ Day Phone: Night Phone: (Lo MRARFY.]
Ivy Hemlock
“America Fore”’ 280 2239 A “America Fore”
_——mnmsms§m§SSmSS s —m m m—m—mmm—m
< i SEMIANNUAL STATEMENT
& 81x months ending December 31, 1918, of the condition of the
OF NEW YORK,
Organized under the laws of the State of New York, made to the Gov
ernor oM:te of Georgia, in pursuance of the laws of said State.
Prif¥ipal Office—No. 80 Malden Lane, New York City.
I. CAPITAL STOCK.
1. Whole amount of capital stock .... ... ... ses cse os. $1,000,000.00
S AT DORE UD I DA L. v e v e 1,000,000.00
11, ASSETS.
3. Stocks and bonds owned absolutely by the company:
TRE I oy i v i b sk s ve BN 00
MAUREE RIS (ORFPIBE DREY .., oy 44 ehs sen sse ses. BREZLOBL.EO
5. Cash in the company’s principal office.. .. .... $595.15
6. Cash belonging to the company deposited in
RSN SIS L ek e S L
7. Cash in hands of agents and in course of trans-
W s e eke N ey BIEEaR 81
TURRE o i o ivr o she vew Gaekd ah ae duniBDRB AT
TOthl cauls lEOON TOAPTINE OBR) .. ... .iiosiy wsd wee e $002,476.02
9. Amount of interest actually due and accrued and unpaid. 7,623.00
11. All other assets, both real and personal, not included here-
B f - i e Al as e e 1,740.84
Total assets of the company, actual eash market value .. 83,1'34.862.36
IH. LIABILITIES,
2. Gross losses in process of adjustment or in sus
pense, mcluding all reported and supposed
IR o Sire vy e SRR A i athaniitNS 30100
3. Losses resisted, including interest, cost and all
Other exXDONEEE thEPQON .« . vivii v §o co 62 469.00
4. Total amount of claims for losses.. ~ .. .... 428,636.83
6. Deduct reinsurance thereon . ..... .. .. «... 214,165,456
6. Net amount of unpaid losses (carried out) ..s ees ove .. $214,471.38
10. The amount of reserve for reinSuranCe ... ... .es soe o 4 969,7656.78
11. All other claims against the company ... ... .e 4ss 49,995.08
12. Joint stock capital actually paid up in cash ... .., ..... 1,000,00000
13. Surpius Deyond All UabIILION ~ .... ... .cv ood ses uw 900,672.17
SO BRI ¢ i 0 e e AR
IV. INCOME DURING THE LAST SIX MONTHS OF THE YEAR 1918,
1. Amount of cash premiums recelved . ..../ ... svs i 1 os $917,429.85
B POCUIVER TBR INUEROMR % cah hsnkan saeiiwe weel ke ey 72,254.16
4. Income received from all other sOuUrces ... ... ... ieo.. 243,385,00
6. Total income actually received during the last gix months
BB GMMI ia' o i Wha M S b P iaa bwi b so3B . 588080.01
V. EXPENDITURES DURING THE LAST SIX MONTHS OF THE
YEAR 1918,
S AR OF T IR vy o viinie i ek ek e $267,420.70
L CON SIVIORaE AOTRRHY DR o 0 cov s se s wteßad 70,000.00
3. Amount of expenses paid, including fees, salaries and com
misgions to agents and officers of the company ... .. 226,731.92
4. Paid for State, national and local taxes in this and other
BB soc v i il heßaAl Gwh GeR eaE eke 22,661.27
6. All other payments and expenditures ... ... ... ... .. 450,311,338
Total expenditures during the last six months of the year
B ORI x.s "G sk ane avhibeiast vie wasiane wnery - BLOITONLES
Greatést amount insured in any one risk .. ... $100,000.00
Total amount of insurance outstanding .. .... 636,835,719.00
A copy of the Act of Incorporation, duly certified, is of file in the office
of the Insurance Commissioner.
STATE OF NEW YORK--County of New York:
Personally appeared before the undersigned Krnest Sturm, who, being
duly sworn, deposes and says that he is the Secretary of the American
Fagle Fire Insurance Company, and that the foregoing statement is correct
and true, ERNEST STURM, Secretary.
Sworn to and subscribed before me this 25th day of Pebruary, 1019,
WILLIAM JOHNSTONE,
Notary Public, Westchester County, New York.
Name of State Agent—-BSAM T. MADDOX.
Name of Agent at Atianta-—-CECIL MEYER.
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‘ 719-720 FOURTH NATIONAL BANK BLDG. |
THE ATLANTA GEORGIAN ~ © @ ® A Clean Newspaper for Southern Homes ~® © © FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 28, 1919,
| Continued From Page 6.
\
dress, which was cheered, Ivan E, Al
len presented resolutions, which were
adopted, calling for the appointment
of a resolutions committee to whu-h!
all matters will be referred for re
ports.
Dean Brown was interrupted fre
quently in his address by loud ap
plause, which was especially marked
Mr. Taft in a ringing address, inl
' which he spoke of the love Atlanta
‘bears this favorite visitor. He spoke
of the harmony between this great
' Republican and the Democratic ad
'ministration in the peace movement.
| “Taft and Wilson.”
“Taft and Wilson are working hand
in hand to consecrate this country
and the world to lasting peace,” he
said. ‘
| “The Star-Spangied Ranrer” was
' sung by the audience under the direc
ltinn of Song lLeader Charles Morse,
' and then Mr. Taft began his address.
| Taft Explains League.
| Mr. Taft's address was a clear-cut
|oxplmx.|(i(:n of the terms of the pro
| posed league of nations covenants.
He took up each clause of the pro
posed treaty and discussed it, not in
legal verbiage, but in plain English
When he reached that point which
Davison-Paxon-Stokes Co.
Many New
Wonder Hats
$ 500
Have You S:en Them?
calls for the “outlawing” of a nation
which refuses to abide b{ a decision
of the arbitrators to which it has
submitted its complaints, he was ap
ghudcd vigorously. Mere s hils aa
ress, in part: 1
The Atlanta congress will bring to
a close the series of nine congresses
which have been held in all parts of
the country in the interest of the
league. Mr, Taft and his compatriots
have been speaking directly to the‘
people, in the effort to rally the na
itlon to a whole-hearted support of
‘Prealdent Wilson, explaining the
‘Prlnclples of the league, expounding
its provisions, and answering its crit
ies. The speeches in Atlanta will be
’ specially aimefl to reply, where neces
sary, to the attacks hurled at the plan
by its opponents in the last few days.
Among the notable people coming
to Atlanta for the sessions are Gov
ernor Pleasants, of Loulsiana, and
Governor Catts, of Florida; Corra
Harris,' the famous author; Mrs, Ar
thur . King, of Tau Paulo, Brazil,
representative of the American Red
Cross in South America; Colonel A.
P. Prescott, of Baton Rouge, and Miss
Martha Berry, of the Berry School at
Rome, Ga. ‘
s 83
Visiting Women ‘
To Be Feted |
Two hundred Atlanta persons will be
presented to Dr. Anna Howard Shaw
and other fi)rumlnent women delegates
to the Southern Congress of the League
of Nations at the lunchecn to be given
Saturday by the Drama lLeague for the
visiting women. The luncheon will take
place at the Ca%unl City Club follow
ing the morning business meeting of the
Confiress.
Elaborate arrangements for the en
tertainment of the women attending the
Southern Congress have been made by
a special committee of Atlanta women
headed by . Mrs. Hugh M. Dorsey, wife
of the Governor, There will be a num
ber of incidental smaller affairs, but
the outstandlng}\ social feature will be
the luncheon, Irs. Kdward T. Brown,
Trealdent of the Drama IL.eague, said
“riday morning that acceptances had
been received to practically all of the
|lnviluuons sent out.
Mrs. Brown will preside at the lunch
eon. Mrs. Ulrie Atkinson is chairman
lof the committee on arrangements, and
she I 8 being assisted by Mrs, w. C.
Jarnigan, Mrs. B. M. Boykin, Mrs. Al
bert E!‘hormon. Miss Madeline Kelpp,
Mrs, Linton Hspkins, Dudley Coles,
Professor William Gilmer Perry, Lind
se( Hopkins.and the Rev. W, W. Mem
minger.
The Retail Merchants Association
will be host at a luncheon at the Cas
ital City Club Friday in honor of Ed
‘wsrd A. Filene, of Boston, a director of
i the United States Chamber of Com
merce and president of one of the big
gest stores in Boston. J. P. Allen,
fresldent of the association, is arrang
ng an interesting program for the
luncheon.
Twenty Montgomery
.
Delegates Arrive
Emmett O'Neal, former Governor of
Alabama, and a delegation of twenty
representative citizens of Montgom
lery, arrived in Atlanta Thursday after
noon. Headquarters were established
at the Piedmont Hotel, and a meeting
was to be held Friday at § a. m. form
ally to organize the delefluon.
Xmong the party are Michael Cody,
Montgomery banker; John 8. Tilley,
vice chairman of the Alabama State
Board of the Peace League; Bruce
Kennedy, secretary and Charles J.
Beane, president, of the Montgomery
Chamber of Commerce; V. P. Chilston,
L. B. Whitfield, W. P. Cobb, P. G.
Branch, John W. Durr, J. T. McCarty,
Emanuel Meertief, Fred S. Ball, George
W. Jones, Sydney Levy and Dr. Robert
H. McCaslin, president of the Mont
gomery Rotary Club.
' South Carolina
Delegation Leaves
COLUMBIA, 8. C,, Feb. 28.—Dr. W. B,
Currell, president of the State Univer
sity; Mrs. W. C. Catheart, Dr. 8. E.
| Burts, A, M. Lum{»kin. Frank Tompkins,
Dr. 8. C. Byrd, o Chloafo; A. H. Mon
teith, Dr. G, T. Pugh, of Columbia Col
lege; J. Hughes Cooper, Dr. A. G. Voigt,
of Columbia; Dr. Robert Wilson, of the
'Medxcal College of Charleston; Horace
| L, Bomar, of Sf)):;rtau})urg: D. D. Moise,
{of Sumter; Dr. D. M. Douglas, of Clinton,
| 8. 8, Edmunds, of Sumter, are among
i the delegates from this State who left
| last night for Atlanta to attend the (‘on-}
li‘ress of the League to Enforce Peace.
¥ here will be other South Carolinans tol
attend.
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Farmers Want a Better
.
Price for Peanut-Fed HQF
ALBANY, Feb. 28 -—Farmers in
this section say they are not receiv
ing fair treatment from Swift & Co.,
who operate the packing house at
Moultrie, claiming the packers’ agree-!
ment with tQe Food Administration
is being violated. Swift & Co. are
paying 17 1-2 cents a pound for
standard corn-fed hugs on the Chi
| cago market, while their highest
prices at Moultrie, according to a
letter they have written a local news
paper which took up the farmers'
fight; are 11 1-2 and 12 cents a pound,
They justify the difference on the
‘grounds that Southern hogs are
largely peanut-fed animals and are
’not worth as much for meat pur
poses as the corn-fed ones.
The farmers, however, are quoting
a letter Senator Hoke Smith wrote R.
L. Hall, of Newton, one of the big
gest hog raisers in this section, stat
| ing that an agreement exists betweenl
| the Food Administration and the
packers whereby a price of not less
than 17 1-2 cents a pound is fixed
for standard hogs, but recognizing
as just a reduction on peanut-fed
hogs of not less than two cents a
pound. The newspaper handling the
digscussion has called on Swift & Co,,
for an explanation, and has asked
what price they will pay for Southern
hogs fattened entirely on corn when
the price in Chicago is 17 1-2 cents.
BANDITS GET $5,000.
CHICAGO, Feb, 28~ Three bandits
“stuck up” €. Q. Casey, manager of
the Merchants’ Bank, and escaped
with $5,000 ghortly before noon to-
QY. L
ADVERTISEMENT.
——————————————
]Statement From
.
\ James M. Smith Estate,
l BEditor Atlanta flaorglun.
Dear Sir: In The Constitution of Feb
ruary 26, 1919, there was published an
article in which it wasg stated that,
“Administrators of the James M. Smith
’umto have refused to accept the prop
lvrly of the Tabernacle Baptist Church
tof Atlanta, and insist on ‘forcing to the
L wall' the underwriters of the chureh’'s
debt, according to a statement issued
| yesterday (24th) by the board of dea
jcons of the chureh,” and in The Geor
glan of the 25th inst. it was stated,
| *“They have directed a statement to
! the publie telling of the stubborn refusal
| of the mortguge holders, who are admin
| latrators of the Jim Smith estate, to
|nllnw the Tabernacle a chance for sal
vation."
| This matter is one of public Interest
| by reason of the character of the insti
| tution and the work it 18 doing and by
{ reason of the fact lh’:al thousands of
dollars were contribut to the Taber
‘nl(‘la Baptist Church in the fall of the
year 1917 by the people of the State of
| Georgla In response to a State-wide ap
| peal made through the public prints and
|gy thousands of letters M(R‘aned to
individuals soliciting contributions of
.mnney to be used for the lgecmc purs
| pose of znylnu the debt on the propertfl
of the church. The responses in money
| were mnn{ and generous, but not one
| dollar of this hrflo fklnd has been ap
plied toward the lHquidation of the debt,
The writer ls fully acquainted with
this matter, and is actuated solely by
L ite public interest in publishing the
facts from its inception,
-y ¥
: ADVERTISEMENT,
At the time the ’Fropoumm\ Lo loan
$75,000.00 to the 'abernecle Baptist
Church was presented to the late James
'M. Smith in the year 1911, the loan
' had been declined by every insurance
and loan company applied to and the
| officers of the church had nos been suc
!ceutnl in flndln"’ an individual in the
city of Atlanta who was willing to make
i the loan,
Colonel Smith was disinelined to un
dertake it, but he was urqlently ap
&ellod to and after several trips to At
nta by one of the attorneys then act
ing for him and on the representation
‘Lhnt the pmpart{ was worth from two
to three times the amount of the loan
ln‘ppliod for and that the note would be
signed by several whose net worth ex
ceeded one-half million dollars, he
yvielded.
Colonel Smith finally closed the loan
at 7 per cent, when at that time he had
more applications than he could cor'\
sider at 8 per cent and to that exter§
his contribution to the church was
$760.00 per annum,
During the years 1913 and 1914 the‘
interest on this debt was some months
in default and after paxmem of .inter
est due February 14, 1915, no interest
has been pald on the debt—a period of
more than four years, - !
The lmgre son sought to be con
veyed to the mhlic mind is that the ad
ministrators of the estate of James M.
Smith have been without regard for the
institution and it work and that they
have proceeded to enforce collection
without consideration,
The present attitude us\g‘mod br the
board of deacons before the public is
not only ck-arl({ controverted, but the
l'ollowlnfi stated facts and correspond
; ence will show that decided and unus
ual consideration and leniency were ac
corded the Institution and that the
friendly attitude of the administrators
of the estate met with no responsive
consideration on the part of the officers
of the church,
At the time of Colonel Smith's de
mise, December 11, 1915, there was
nearly one year's Interest past due
During the incumbency of the tempo
rary administration, several visits were
made by one of its members to the offi
cers of the church and repeated assur
ances were given that measures had
been adopted and were then operative
to secure ttmds to pay off, or at least
reduce, th® debt. These assurances
were accepted in good faith, but no pay
ment was made on the debt.
Four months after the gualification of
the permanent administrators and more
than a year and one-half after the death
of Colonel Smith the firgt official writ
ten communication was addressed to
the treasurer of the church:
Athens, Ga., July 17, 1917.
Treasurer Tabernacle Baptist Church,
Atlanta, Georgia,
Dear Sir: The administrators of this
estate are now proceeding with regular
administration, an® are collecting all
rnt due debts owing the estate as rap
dly as Poulb]e. The one owing by your
institution is long past due, both as to
principal and interest. We have been
under the impression that funds were
balnf raised to pay it, and for some
considerable time we have been repeat
edlv assured that the interest past due
would be paid.
It is incumbent upon the administra
tors to make collections of past due
debts, and we should therefore he very
glad to have you advise us as definitely
as possible what position you are now
in to take care of this obligation.
Awaiting your response, we are,
Yours very trulfi,
ESTATE OF JAMES M. SMITH.
(Signed) By J. O. MITCHELL,
Manager.
; The financial secretary replied as fol-
OWS
Atlanta, Ga., July 19, 1917,
J._O. Mitchell, Manager, Kstate of Jas.
M. Smith, Athens, Ga.
Dear Sir: Yours of the 17th Inst. to
hand, and noted. Mr. H. A, Etheridge,
chairman of the board of deacons, who
has charge of this particular account of
the church, is out of the city, and will
be for a few dn{: yet. Upon his return
the letter will turned over to him,
and he will give it his personal atten
tion. Yours ver% truly
(Signed) D. S. EDINFIBLD,
| Financial Secretary.
In pursuance of the financial secre
ta:a"a response the following letter was
addressed to the then chalrman of the
‘board of deacons:
| Athens, Ga., July 24, 1917,
‘Mr. H. A. Btheridge,
| Atlanta, Ga.
i Dear Sir:
On the 17th instant, we addressed
‘the treasurer of the Tabernacle
‘Baptist Church with reference to
the debt due by that institution to this
estate. In responge we were informed
that our letter would be referred to you
for reply.
As. you are aware, more than two
years' interest remains unpaid, the
principal ig also nearly three years past
due. Prior to and subsequent to the
demise of James M. Smith, assurances
have been given that the |nter(ft would
be promptly paid and that the debt
would be liquidated either by payment
of the organization or by refunding.
The adminigtrators have pursued the
policy of leniency in order to afford
debtors to the estate an ozrortunlty to
either pay off their indebtedness or ar
range for refunding. Time is now well
advanced, and they feel that it fs in
cumbent upon them to promml{ collect
all past due debts due the estate, or
have them in such gdefinite shape that
there will be no question as to their
collection within the next few months.
The cdministrators do not feel that
under their responsibilities they can al.
low the present unsatisfactory and in
definite status of the account to so re
main, and that it will devolve upon
thermn as administrators to take legal
steps unless some satisfactory and defi
nite arrangement ig consummated for
the liguidation of this debt within a
reasonable time.
We should be very flltl to have you
write unvon receipt r; “thla.
ery respectfully,
ESTATE OF JAMES M. SMITH.
(B'lfi‘nod) By J. O. Mitheell, Manager.
{ e principal was nearly three years
| past due bc{ reason of a provision in
| the contract that in event the default
in interest, or nonpayment of any part
of the principal due, the entire debt be
comes due at the option of the pnye.‘
of the note.
No direct reply was made by the
chairman '?f the board of deacons, but
the following letter was addregsed to
the manager for the administrators by
counsel for the church:
Atlanta, Ga., August 9, 1917, |
Mr. J. O. Mitchell, Manager, |
Estate of James M. Smith, |
Smith Bullding, ‘
Athens, Ga. ’ |
Dear Sir:
The Tabernacle Baptist Chureh and
Mr. H. A. Etheridge have referred to
me your recent letters in regard to the
grht due hfi the Tabernacle Baptist
hurch to the estate, I have also dis
cussed this ’omawhnt with Mr, Krwin,
of counsel for the administrators, |
The problem involved in this situn
tion grows out of the fact that the
property is not worth anything llke the
~amount of paper against it. There
}wlll be no need of foreclosure, if the
property is what you want, and the
fnntlnmm who are hsmdllnf this maiter
‘or the chlurch have been trying to get
together the means of making you a
proposition whereby you would have
the option of taking so much money, or
taking the propert(y without foreclosure.
It occurs to me that if a conference
could be nrrnn{ch between the admin.
istrators and Mr, Etheridge and my
self, representing the church, that we
could make some progress in agreeing
upon a satisfactory solution of the prob
lem presented, and if you will indicate
the time and place when such a mrenna’
can be arranged, Mr. FEtheridge an
mygelf will try to conform to it
Yours Vl'l;'y truly,
(Bigned) A, G. BOWELL.
The letter received from counsel of
the church was answered as follows:
Athens, Ga., August 18, 1917,
A. G. Powell, Ksq., »
Atlanta, Ga.
Dear BSir:
Your communication of the th in
stant has been referred to the adminis.
trators of this estate, and in reply we
wish to say that it is not the disposi
tion of the administrators to take pre
cipitate action, but it s their desire to
reach a definite understanding as to
when the debt will be liguidated, and
they also feel that a substantial pay.
ment should be made In the very near
future,
While it I 8 true that the value of the
property conveyed to secure this debt
was represented to be from two to
three times the value of the amount
ADVEBTISEMENT,
e gt e st
of the loan, the writer knows that Colo
nel Bmith did not rely as much upon
ths real estate security as upon the in
dividual indorsers of the note to secure
the payment thereof, angd the adminis
trators view the debt in the same Ilfht.
Actuated by promises made at various
times during the past two years or more
that payment on this debt wouid soon
be forthcoming, the administrators have
refrained from making urgent demand.
Time i now well advanced, however,
in which it is incambent upon them to
have matters of this character either
disposed of or in some definite form, and
we therefore request that you mk: up
the matter with the parties in interest
and inform us definitely what we may
exg«ct in the way of Payment on the
debt and its ultimate lquidation,
Very regpectfully,
ESTATE OF JAMES M. SMITH.
(Signed) By J. O. Mithcell, Manager.
Counsel for the church further come
municated with us on the subject:
Atlanta, Ga., August 20, 1917,
Mr. J. O. Mitchell Mnnu?r.
Estate of James !\d Smith,
Athens, Ga.
Dear Sir:
My relation to the Tabernacle Bap.
tist Church situation is purely that of
attorney. Ido not know what promises
have been made to you in the past in
regard to this loan. 1 came into the
situation with the information that the
property would not bring the debt, that
the solvency of the personal indorsers
was not such as to make the notes
worth par; that the membership of the
church felt a great desire to retsgn it
and were willing to make voluntary ef
forts to raise as large a sum of money
as possible for that purpose. That
while the full amount of the mortgage
‘could not be ralsed, between $50,000 and
$60,000 could be raised. It Beemed to
me, therefore, that the intelligent way
of handling the matter from the stand
point of both parties would be to get
together and see If a sum could be
agreed upon by way of compromise, and
if the sum which those who are inter
ested could raise is not sufficient to sat
isfy the executors then to arrange with
the executors to take the propert{ with
out litigation or exmnle‘ It might be
necessary to have the consent as the
individual indorser to such an arrange
ment, but I have no doubt that such
consent could be arranged. To this
end I have suggested a conference in
my former letter and if you think that
such a conference mlTht avail any
thing, would be glad still to have it, at
some convenient time.
Your( very truly,
(Signed) A. G. POWELL.
Reply to the above letter is below
stated:
Athens, Ga., August 24, 1917,
A. G. Powell, Esq., ‘
Atlanta, Ga.
Dear Sir:
1 beg to acknowledge receipt of {ouf
favor of the 20th instant which will be
referred to the administrators at their
next regular meeting. .
Very re:‘pectmlly,
(Bigned) J. O. KITC)!‘{“H“M
er,
The administrators being entirely
without power under the law to enter
into negotiations as suggested by coun-.
sel for the church, no conference on the
matter was held.
In October, 1917, Rev. J. W. Ham,
<or of the Tabernacle Baptist
urch, inaugurated a campaign
through the public press and by per
sonal letters to individuals throughout
the State asking for contributions of
one dollar each, this mney to be ap?
plied only for psyl:’ off the debt owing
on the proportz the church. The
response to this appeal was large In
numbers and in many cases very gen
erous in individual contributions. It
was expected that the debt would be
paid by Thanksgiving Day of that year.
The administrators looked for some
advices by December 1, and in the
absence of any communication from
officials of the church, the following let
ter was addressed to its pastor:
Athens, Ga., Dec. 5, 1917,
Rev. J. W. Ham,
Pastor Baptist Tabernacle,
Atlanta, Ga.
Dear Sir:
‘We had hoped to recelve some advices
from gou ere this with reference to the
Proba. le date of po.ivment of the ob
igation of your institution to this es
tate, as from the press we had reached
the conclusion that the debt would be
aid off by or before Thanksgiving Day
Fuut past.
We should be very glad indeed to
learn from you the present status of
the matter, and to have you give us
some definite idea as to what we may
have good reason to expect.
Your early response will greatly
oblige ‘
Yours very truly,
ESTATE OF JAMES M. SMITH. {
(S_ll!nvm By J. O. Mitchell, Manager,
0 which the Pastor reglied: ‘
Atlanta, Ga., December 21, 1917,
Mr. J. O. Mitchell, \
Mgr, of the Estate of James M, Smith,
Athens, Ga. ‘
Dear Mr, Mitchell: ‘
Yours to hand under date of Decem
ber sth.
Will ’you be good onou’fh to pardon my
delay in answering? he fact of the
matter is mfi‘delk has been piled hlfh
with work that has been neffected or
two weeks, this condition being due to
unusual demands being made ug‘on me
during this ecold n‘)ell. 1 have had an
avalanche of charity cades where the
needs were for fuel, food and clotmnfn
1 have worked night and day on this
line and am not out of the woods yet.
Our campaign continues. It is on the
upgrade to final completion gometime in
the near Jutum we believe. We are re
joiced over what has heen accomplished
thus far and full of faith and optimism
over the final outcome. We have agreed
that it would be wise to hold all the
results of the ('amlmlxn intact until its
consummation, which we trust will be
very soon.
We have some plans for the continua
tlon of the campaign that we believe
will put us “Over the mg Just now
my pezmanent relationship with the
Church is giving me the most concern,
We hope to be “out of the woods"” in
two weeks concerning that.
With ecordial regards, I am,
Yours sincerely,
(Signed) J. W. HAM,
Pastor Bapt. Tabernacle.
In order to Five the church ample time
and opportunity to accumulate the bal
ance required over and above the
amount already in hand to pay this
debt, the administrators held the matter
in abeyance as |onx as they could con
sistenly do so. fter waiting seven
months without any word from e
church or offer from them to apply the
money already contributed by the publie
to relleve the encumbrance on its prop
erty, the followlnf letter was forwarded
to the pastor, under whose direction the
campaign was carried on and by whom
the funds were received:
Athens, Ga., July 23rd, 1918,
Rev, J. W. Ham, |
Pastor Baptist Tabernacle, \
Atlanta, Ga.
Dear Sir: |
Referring to vour letter of December
21st, 1017, relative to the dc"bt due by
the Baptist Tabernacle to this Estate,
would say that in view of the statement
made in that communication in which
yop expressed the hope that you would
very soon thereafter bhe able to lHguidate
the entire debt, we have allowed the
matter to remain in abeyance. ;
It ig our understanding that the sub
geribers to the fund raised thruurhl
newspaper advertisements, appeals by
personal letter and by personal solicita
tion were assured that the money would
be used for the .pecmvur{ou of the
payment of this debt. o therefore as
sume that as stated in your letter, “'we
have agreed that it would be wise to
hold all the results of the campaign in
tact until its consummation, which we
trust will be very soon,” that you still
have this fund on hand. 5
We wish to Inform you that all Mti
gation against the state as to helr-w‘
or administration has been dismigsed, |
The last will and testament of .lumu{
M. Smith has been set up and the Ad
ministrators with will annexed are now
preparing to enforce collections and
make distributions to the legateea,
In view of the fact that no Interest
has been paid on this debt for more than
two years, it would seem to us that wln}
the funds in hand for the payment o
the debt, it would be sounder business
and frentur l}umrw to lhoa;s who have
contributed, to nxpls that fund toward
the payment of the debt and relieve the
organization of a ronn!dernhlvmrun of
the carrying charge. The Administra
tors feel that unusual Indulgence has
bheen shown to all debtors to the Estate
who have not as yet paid, and that the:
have for the past two years and a h&
ADVERTISEMENT, '
B ———
had ample notice and orportunuy to
make grovmon for the l*uidn.tlon of
th&lrr obligations to the HEstate. k
e trust you will take such lte})a ns
will relieve the Administrators of the
necessity of adopting letul measures for |
the colle‘&;tlon of thofdfi t.
ery respectfully,
BSTATE OF JAMES SMITH,
(Signed) By J. O. Mitchell,
)lanafer.
No reply was received to this letter
and the pastor was agaln addressed.
Athens, Ga., August 9, 1918,
Rev. J. W. Ham,
Pastor Baptist Tabernacle,
Atlanta, Ga.
Dear Sir: ’
On July 23rd, 1918, we addressed you
with reference to the debt due by your
organization to this Estate. We are at|
a loss as to how we should construe the
absence of a reply.
As suggested in the letter above re
ferred to, we believe it is only fair ml
the conrtibutors that the fund collected !
for this specific purpose be upplied on
the debt, and it is also Iremy to the
advantage of your organization to re
duce the carrying charge by the appli
cation of thig fund.
We are fully aware that in these war
time conditions subseriptions or contri
butions are not as voluminous as In
years prior to the war, but there is no
difficulty in obtaining money at any
time on good security. r
The reduction of the debt due this
Estate by the amount contributed since
the inauguration of your campaign last
Fall should render it a matter of no diffi
culty whatever to locally refund the re
mainder for a comparatively short
period, which would enable you to se
cure the balance of the full amount re
quired without pressure.
As stated In our previous letter, the
Administrators are now preparing to
enforce collections and make distribu
tlon to the legatees under the will. We
feel that ample notice and unusual in
‘dulfience have been given and shown to
such debtors as have not liquidated their
indebtedness to the Estate within the
past two and a half years.
We trust to be favored with a prompt
response,
Ro:poctfully.
ESTATE OF JAMES M. SMITH.
(Signed) By J. O. Mitchell,
Manager.
On August 27, 1918, the pastor made
the following response to the two above
quoted letters: ‘
Fayetteville, Ga,, Aug. 27, 1918,
Executors of James M. Smith Estate,
Athens, Ga.
Gentlemen: w
I have been in South Georgia con
ducting meetings and find your letter
upon my return,
I found three members of my pruden
tial committee out of the eity on vaca
tion. I wanted to have a meeting be~
fore replying to your letter. They will
return Saturday, and I will ikewise re
turn Saturday-—am now at Fayetteville,
Ga. I think I can %1“ you an official
answer Monday next. 1 may say just
here that we have a fund for this mort
gage loaned out on short term note on
real estate drawing 8 per cent interest
and due January 1. We loaned this
money before the last action of the
court, and it did not look like action
was coming soon and gince the interest
is equal to the amount we are payiug,
we made the loan,
Will write you statement of commit
tee as soon as meeting is held.
Yours nlnaengy,
(Signed) JOHN W. HAM.
On August 29, 1918, the letter of the
rflntor was replied to dh‘ectlnf his at
ention to the fact that the litigation in
which the estate had been involved in no
vtr precluded the payment of any debt
owing the estate and that it was the
duty of the administrators from the first
appointment by the Court of Ordinary
to make collection of all debts due.
It appears that this reason for non
payment did not exist in the mind of
the paster pmir to nor during the cam
f‘ifi’" for public contributions, but that
t was evolved nearly a year after the
money had come into hand and was
still unapplied to the purpose for which
it was contributed:
Athens, Ga., Aufl:‘nt 29, 1918,
Rev. John W. Ham, Atlanta, Ga. ‘
Dear Sir:
We heg to acknowledge receipt of
rmr letter of the 27th Instant, and ndte
ts contents.
With reference to the litigation in
which this estate was involved for some
time, we wish to say that there has been
no time while the estate was in the
hands of temporary administrators or
permanent administrators, and now um
der the administrators with will an
nexed, that the appointges of the Court
of Ordinary were not clothed with full
Fower and u‘ron whom the duty was not
mgmsed under the law to collect the
d.’!‘;n. due the emntlp, S S
r 0 rship no ng
whi L Bkes of hel
The administrators were charged with
the duty of making collections and with
responsibility under their bond “for all
the assets of the estate.
‘We trust the action of your prudential
committee the coming Saturday will
make provision for the payment at an
early date of the amount of the debt
due by your l%ltltuuon to this estate
over and above the amount you have al
ready collected and v}hlch is now out on
real estate loan due January 1, 1919,
As stated in previous norren{:ondence,
the administrators are preparing for a
prompt distribution and it is their de
sire to collect debts due the estate with
out lQ’]ll process. ]
We hope to hear from you tull{‘ and
explicitly early in the coming week. |
Very mpooflull{i ‘
ESTATE OF JAMES M, SMITH,
(Signed) By J. O, MI’I'C{‘I'ELL. ;
anager.
Subsequent to the proposed meeting
of the prudential committee, not hav
ing any communication from the pastor
as promised, inquiry was made on Sep
tember 9, 1918: |
Athens, Ga., Sept. 9, 1918,
Rev. J. W. Ham, Baptist Tabernacle,
Atlanta, Ga.
Dear Sir: ‘
We had expected to have some
advices from you last week, after
the meeting of your prudential commit
tee, relative to the debt of your institu
tion due this estate,
Will you kindly write us with refer
ence to the matter on receipt of this,
greatly obliging ‘
Yours tml{.‘ |
ESTATE OF JAMES M. SMITH.
(Bigned) By J. O. MITCHELIL,
Manager.
No attention was paid to the letter of
flefnemlmr 9, 1918, and on September 24,
1918, the pastor was again written to,
which up to this lhl}; has been ignored:
Athens, Ga,, Sept. 24, 1918
Rev. J. W. Ham, Pastor Baptist Tab
ernacle, Atlanta, Ga, J
Dear Sir:
fluhnc‘uom to the receipt of our
communlcation dated August 27, {D&
we have twice addressed you on
the subject of the debt of your institu
tion due this estate, to which communi
catlons we have racalv%d no acknowl
edgment, The respongibility under the
law of the administrators requires thot
they lmmmllm,el‘:' collect all debts due
the estate, and should they have nothing
the administrators in the matter, In
substantial from your orfanlmflon by
October 5, the matter will be placed in
the handg of our utmrnoi/n for collec
tion. Ver% regpectfully,
BESTATE OF JAMES M. SMITH.
(Bigned) By J. 0. MITCHELL,
Manager.
KEvery possible m;-ana to secure at
least part payment of the debt, that part
which the ‘&;QODIH of Georgla so gener
ounl{emntr uted for that purpose, hav
ing been exhausted and the utter failure
of the administrators to obtain anything
approaching a definite official statement
or plan for the liquidation of the obll‘n
tion, the necessity of recourse to law
was forced upon them.
Since the filing of suit and issue of
the fi, fa. several propositions have heen
made by rnrren«mullvu of the church
to compromise the claim. The adminis
trators have no power to take such ac
tion, their sole duty is to collect the
debt, for which they are as responsible
as for other assots of the estafe,
It Is unequivocally denled that attor
neys representing the administrators, or
that the admanistrators, at any time
agreed to take over the ‘Tabernacle
property In lquldation of the debt and
releasge the Indorsers of the note from
nn’; liability thereunder.
he attorneys with full knowhdfo of
the powgrs and responsibilities of ad
mintetrators could have made no {llegal
agreement of that character,
On l“«bruur(y 23, 1018, Mr. R, N. Fick
nlt&hnd Mr, O. H Puckett called upon
MceWhorter and MeWhorter, Mt.zrmyu
of record In the sult and repre ntm
which conference there were algo pr
TR
, ADVERTISEMENT.
et
e
ent Mr. James F. Shehane, one of the
ldmlnig_‘truloru. and the i R R
m“r. ol ‘}l‘onl:iett lwm nr&d ckett and
mgelf had come ed to turn over
by deed to the ldm?l‘l irators of |he
estate the Tabernacle property in ‘fall
liquidation of the debt, which he had
been informed the flmah 'S Were
willing to accept. . Fickett was ad
viged that :Eu administrators were un
“ah}e to do t t‘; u[lt w‘o{uld releage the
ndorsers on the note. e w ked |
that was not his purpose l:l: m
{»haflcnlly diselalmed having thought
hat before the question was put to hh
Upon refusal of the ndmll;; LT
consider the P‘roposltlon. r. ckett
‘;rnp(med that the property be taken over
by one of the legatees and in
lthm he stated that the property is w
' $260,000.00, that within the year it
-be disposed of at a handsome profit;
that some time ago theatrical mlnu?l't
Ihml offered $2256,000.00 for it and he had
' advised the church to sell at that figure,
| but it was decided not to do so. In the
event the legatee took over the property
'he wanted it agreed that the organiza
tion occupy it for six months, unless it
were sooner sold, in order to give them
an opportunity to redeem it.
It was stated to him by the adminis
trator present that the legatee referred
to had no desire to nor would Invest in
}c‘hun'h ||ropertg. The ovlmon was |h2
expressed to him by the writer thal
| while the large conzreg)nuon of tx
johurch was khowin to be good &
| earnest people, they had demonnufl.fi
[ their financial inability to take care '
the load of debt put upon them
that the policy of t{xo pastor in the ];nf
pit and his policy with refererice to civi
matters jn the ¢ity of Atlanta were not,
of such character as to invite the lug‘
port of its broad and liberal minded cit~
Izens of means in the hour of need.
Mr. Flckett assented to this and stated
that he had but one hope and that w:
in one man whom, he believed woul
gpgn his big heart and take care of >
ebt, £
Hused on the value of the property
stated by Mr, Fickett, the murfln
over $140,000.00 above the debt is
great to be overlooked by capital seeks
ing investment in the heart of the City
of Atlanta and theorrobabluty of In=
dorsers on the note being called upon m
deficiency after the sale of the pr
is very remote. 3
On final refusal to accept the property
for the debt Mr. Fickett gtated that
felt at liberty to exercise all means
his command to save the indorsers
to avert the sale of the property. !
The writer interpreted this as res
ferring to publicity and stated to Mr,
Fickett that we had no objections to
anything that might be sald or publhla
ad, provided ALL the facts were stated
and no misrepresentations were made.
It is pertinent at this point to say
that three versions of the dispositi
of the fund contributed by the people
of Georgia have been given us:
1. That the money was loaned out on
real estate at 8 per cent. b
2. By an Indorser of the note Qm;
none of the money was loaned, but t!
it was on do’msl( and at his instigation
the board of deacons passed a resolu=
tion directing that the fund be used
no other fiurpon than to apply on
debt of the church.
3. B{‘ one of the board of )
that the expense of the cam -
hausted all the contributions:
his attention was called to the fact
a letter in the files of the estate
the money invested in a loan
;)lied that he thought they did have
6,000 invested in that form, £3
The debt is an honest one, the cone
tracting parties should treat it as h
estly as is the debt. There has
no disposition nor action to ‘‘force p
the wall” nor a ‘‘stubborn refusal
allow a chance for salvation.” On
contrary, indulgence in an umuu-, -
gree has been accorded and the
istrators of the estate had every
to expect a higher exhibition of #
from the heads of a Christian
nm; thagl is"nnw Iour;{l. in tth'e'tenor
their publicity, spectfu
2 O b,
(Adv.)
TABRRNACLE TO BE poLB 341%
WHAT A SHAME! TR
Editor Atlanta Georglan.
Dear Sir: : g@s
Some years ago the Deacons and some
other members of this institution called
upon a wealthy citizen of one of the
adjoining counties soliciting his ald %
enabling them to procure a “1‘ cash
lzm to help their church In its it
need, SR
These fanuemen doubtless knew that
this wealthy citizen had been akil @i.s
loans to religious institutions, hospitals
and similar organizations all ov the
State when such loans could not be ob=
tained elsewhere, Most business people
are aware that these classes of urity éj
are looked upon by lenders of money as
the most undesirable collateral, ot=
withstanding this fact, so well kno n
to this exceptionally 1\.0(, business man,
he let them have the money and I
addition in every case charged the 18
lowest interest of any loans llllzo o
anyone, Less than bankers and well-to
do merchants and farmers were paying
upon their “Giltedge paper.'” ‘his
statement can be so easily verified. «
Take Arlec- 03 paper and make a list
of some of the most representative Baps
tist and Methodist Churches g
Schools in the State and then go and
examine the mortgage records ?. ale
r«‘mr'ev\lv‘e ::ung;:dul\ghyou.v‘vm eofs
vine o e mPfl Citie
zen fflnmeu M. Smith, now M
has been quietly doing furmfl TN
The article appearing in 2
tion of the 26th inst, under the €
as Wikl NOT ACCE‘:I‘ :
CHURCH FOR DEBT. “Deacons e
Baptist Tabernacie say James M. bl
Estate insists on Forcing Un b
to wall.” The American people 5
am most willing to belleve all ofl‘v %
ilized people) love fair flhy ustice.
This article is not only misleading an’
unjust, but perpetrates & slander upon
a 3 geth poved, that X
ames ~ 8m never 0 ‘&
have heard of, as a saint or minister o;%
the Gospel, but 1 venture the assertion
without the -uglmut tear of successful
contradiction that his record will com
pare most favorably with the repum
of some laying claim to a more
Calling. 4 4
MR. BLACKBURN'S CARD. =
I am sure Mr. Blackburn's suppliea
tlon is prompted by the llnconlé“o
tives, but 1 am equally sure Mr. -
bugn has lost sight of the fact o
several active “drives” have bee a
in the past few years to ohidn,x{ o
nations, a sum to retire this part oS
mortgage, Just how much eash 3
been recelved in the aggregate as
result of these drives the Individ %
donors have never been advisd.
THE WORST CRITICISM OF ALL.
Commencing with December 320, lz!
up to date I can't recall a day but
I have heard either in street cars,
depots, on trains, or in hotels discuss
glon pretty much In substance as fol
lows: “See the Tabernacle is .omg“u
be- gold. 1 thought that debt had N
paid off long ago.! “So dia L” You
know in addition to several special cols
lections taken up for this debt m
sent out 100,000 (sometimes have h A
it placed at 120,000 and all the wt{é <4]
to 300,000) letters asking for one é‘ J
dollar subsecription to hel') pay off that
mortgage—that this dollar would be
used for that purpose and no other and
that the purpose was to be able to burn
the mortgage on the coming Thanksgive
ing. “1 gave mine.,” “So did I; but T ¢
had a sort of misgiving—guess i Im"w
a lttle more or thought I did about the
‘hub’ round there, but I sent it anyway.”
“What has become of all that money?”*
I would not repeat the replies I've heard
lm this next above question,
1 will give Jou just one however vhlo% :
caused considerable laughter--1 didn
laught, it put me in an entirely different
mood from that, “CGuess they bought
Eggs with it.” i
The Tabernacle should not sell. T”‘vz ;
good people of Atlanta, Georgia, ean a :
wuult‘ I am sure prevent it, but first an
accounting must be had, Mr. Ham
should be required to render an acecount
of the funds reccived to satisty or apply |
on this mortgage ’l‘hu‘z«narul holltog !
that anywhere from §540,000 to 360,000
were gathered In from thoss §I.OO el
ters alone, Untll thiy & done we iR
not expect the public to aid any fu o
in the matter, ) {3
I have deposited with ";5 m/u e
Constitution my cheok for $25.00 to b 4
turned over by that paper eunl as 2
as the money already collucted has )
applied as intended, and we Are ad i
the exact amount of the balstee o 2
on the mortgage. A .s‘“{
Raupvv?full)‘ Siie
« Oy i
210 West Peachtreey 4
¥ G kel
9