Newspaper Page Text
I\”FWE CENTs]]
LAmgricg FIRST andJ
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VOL. XV
MAYORS' LEAGUE UNANIMOUS FOR PUBLIC OWNERSHIP
| l
|
y VUT[
* The Constitutional Amendments
7 Committees of the House and Senate
voted in executive session Tuesday
aftefnoon to-report the capital re
moval bill back to the General Assem
bly with the recommendation that it
be passed.
This action was taken following an
open hearing held at 3 o'clock in the
hall of the House before a joint meet
ing of the Constitutional Amendments
Committees of both branches of the
Legislature. The meeting was filled
to overflowing with both Atlanta and
Macon sympathizers and was ad-‘
dressed by some of the ablest men
in Georgia. ‘
4 While the committee action was
-~
against Atlanta and in favor of the
claims of Macon that the question
should be submitted to a vote of the
people, the measure in committee en
countered more opposition than had
been expected, a still ballot being put
up against it.
Ivan E. - Allen, chairman of the At
lanta Citizens’ Committee, stated
Wednesday that prospects of killing
the measure in the Legislature are
brighter now than ever before, as
even the strongest and most opti
mistic friends of Atlanta had not ex
pected as many votes in their favor
as were received. Mr. Allen added
( that it has never be=n the aim of At
lanta to kill the measure in the com
mittee rooms, but to beat it fair and
square, for now and all time, upon the
floors of both houses.
HOW THEY VOTED.
In the House committee the vote
was 22 to 11 in favor of the bill, and
in the Senate it carried by a vote of
17 to 7. Mr. Johns of Barrow is re
ported to have fought against the bill
in the House, while Ivan E. Allen of
the Thirty-fifth and Fermor Barrett
of the Thirty-first led the opposition
in the Senate committee. The reso
lution in the Senate to report the bill
favorably was introduced by Ben J.|
Fowler of the Twenty-second and
seconded by J. E. T. Bowden of the
Fifth. ‘
“Several members of the Senuto‘
ocommittee were absent, but we had‘
not expected as many votes as we
~ received even if all had becn presem."‘
said Senator Allen, following the an
nouncement of tne committees’ action.
“The House committee vote was ani
agreeable surprise, and I think now
we are in better shape. ‘
“We have never had any idea of
choking the Dbill off in the commit
tees and indications are good. It con
vinces us more strongly that the
capital removal bill can never receive
a constitutional majority of the whole
House and Senate. The advocates of
Atlanta are delighted.”
The floor and galleries of the House
and even the aisles and doors were
packed when John Bale, chairman of
the Constitutional Amendments Com
mittee of the House, called the joint
session to order at 2 o'clock. 1 acon
put up only two speakers—Joe Pottle
P of Milledgeville, who was snowed un
! der several years ago in his race for
| governor of Georgia, and Warren
Grice, former attorney general of the
State and now an attorney of Macon,
ATLANTA'S SPEAKERS.
Atlanta put up Mayor James L.
Key, Robert C. Alston, Col. H. H.
Dean of Gainesville, Hatton Lovejoy
of LaGrange, J. W. Oglesby, one of
the biggest landowners of Brooks
¢ County, and R. B. Blackburn.
| Both sides agreed that the ca)ital
{ removal agitation is not a fight be
. tween Atlanta and Macon., Advocates
.~ of Atlanta, however, claimed that At
lanta had spent her money to provide
a site and bulld the capitol, and that
to move it would saddle off 4 burden
of expenses for the taxpayers to
shoulder, while Macon claimed that
there is a State wide sentiment be
hind the movement, and that even if
\* does put a burden upon the tax
payers they have a right to decide
that ‘for themselves and pay it if they
! want to,
Before the argument opened Ben J
Fowler oi. Bibb presented a memorial
gigned by the mayor and council of
Macon, which stated that city will
enter into a sacred contract with the
State of Georgia t¢ provide a sixteen
acre tract of land known as Tattnall
Square, near the heart of the city, for
the site of the capitol
Judge A. W. Cozart of Columbus
fired the opening shot for Macon
when he was called upon to epeak on
the resolution. He declared the cap
ital removal agitation hag ceased to
be a joke. He said Georgia needs 2
new capitol building worthy of the
State, and added that the present
building looks like a “last year's bird
nest."”
SEES DESIRE TO VOTE.
“Judging from the gathering here,
it would seem that the people of the
State want to vote on the question,”
he said, “and when it is probable that
a majority of the peopie want a eon
"gqmtinnal amendment it should be
Continued on Page 2, Column 2.
Full International News Service
i
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<
‘(3
ELASH ;
|
Five men sitting in judgment late
Wednesday afternoon were to deter
mine the success or failure of the
first phase of Mayor Key's fight ror‘
municipal ownership of public utili
ties. It was to be the initial test
of strength between the city admin
istration and the power company.
They were the Charter Revision
Committee of City Council—Council
man J. R. Nutting, the chairman; Al
derman John 8. McClelland, mayor
pro tem.; Alderman Harvey Hatcher
and Councilmen Claude Ashley and
A. J. Orme. ‘
I By a clever maneuver executed at
the mavor’s luncheon to the visiting
Gieorgia mayors at the Capital City
Club Tuesday afternoon, the chances
for the plans being definitely acted on
at the present session of the Legisla-,
ture were increased enormously.
Walker T. Lee, the mayor's secre
tary, left his place at the vast lunch
eon table in the ballroom of the club.
He appeared across the table a mo
ment later beside Alderman McClel
land and the two conversed briefly
in low tones. He then consulted
Councilman Nutting, who sat t‘arlher'
down the line of guests.
MEETING ARRANGED.
Returning to his seat, the secretary
quietly announced that a special
meeting of the committee had been
arranged for and that a call would
be issued for 4 o'clock Wednesday
afternoon by Chairman Nutting im
mediately after the luncheon.
By nightfall every member h:\d‘
been informed. The chairman’'s agree
ment to the move was not regarded
as an indication of the attitude he
would take toward th. measure. Two
reports were regarded as certainties,
but there was much speculation Wed
nesday as to the tenor of the ma
jority report. |
Through this action the mayor's
proposed amendments will " reach
council at the extraordinary meeting
Thursday afternoon i 1 form for im
mediate action. In the normal course
they would have been introduced
Thursday and of necessity referred
to the committee. They could not
have been reported out until the next
meeting, late in July.
Because of the magnitude of the
fight and of the certainty of many
efforts to delay final action, the sav
ing of two weeks which was effected
was regarded as an achievement of
importarce, |
A disposition to open up a bit was
noticeable among members of Coun
cil Wednesday in rather marked con
trast to their demeanor on Tuesday
when the mayor's message and
'amendmentn made an unheralded ap
pearance at the regular session. None
was willing to talk for publication,
however.
WOULD CARRY WEIGHT.
The attitude of the Charter Revi
sion Committee was under consider
ation. The majority recommenda
tion, while not final, would carry
great weight, it was believed, espe
clally if it were favorab.e.
An unauthoritative forecast placed
Alderman MecClelland and Couneil
man Ashley on the favorable side.
i Equally credible observers held con
flicting views of the positions that
would be assumed by the remaining
three members. Councilman Orme,
however, was tentatively placed in
| opposition.
The committee was to meet in the
conference room adjoining the coun
cil chamber in the City Hall. It was
regarded as likely that champions of
{ both sides would appear before it,
| Copies of the mayor's message a:.d
|nmendml-nt~x were completed late
Tuesday by the office force of City
Clerk Walter . Taylor, and a num
ber were distributed to members of
council. The reading of the mes
sage had been interrupted Monday
when the body adopted Alderman
Hatcher's resolution for a special
meeting to consider it
. e
{Lzeutenant Edwards Has
v
Returned From France
First Lieut, A. M. (Gus) Edwards,
well known Atlanta boy, is back after
1.&:-:\im; for ten months with the
American expeditionary forces in
Fronce,
Fieutenant Edwards is enthusiastie
in his praise of *he American soldlers
and tells of their bhravery iime after
!linr- in constructing trenches under
Vfire of the Germans between timeas
| wher H;A\ ‘went ‘over the top” He
was attached to the Pifty -fourth In
fontry and took part in the Meuse
Argonne offensive
Gus left his position with the Ja
cobe' Pharmacy Company to enter the
gecond officers’ training camp at Fort
| Oglethorpe, graduatine as a eecond
llh-ntfln:n‘l After n few weeks at
| Cam,py Wadeworth he was ordered
overseas, where he was stationed for
ten months, On receipt of hix dis
{ ehurge he will assume his former
,vl\niv.\‘ ot Jacobs'
| W. B. COLEMAN RETURNS,
News hag been received in Atlanta
by Mr. and Mrs. George H. Coleman
of the arrival in Charleston, 8 C, of
their son, Wilhur B. Coleman, who
‘hil! been in France thirteen months
with the S O 8
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Here are some of the city offieials who attended the second annual convention of the Georgia League of Municipalities held Tues
day at the Capital City Club, when a state-wide movement for municipal ownership of public utilities was launched by unanimous
vote. The two mayors in the rear of the upper group are J. C. Walker of Cedartown and Andrew (', Erwin of Athens. Below,
Mayors R. M. Strickland of Tallapoosa, E. W. Fowler of Covington and G. A, Tanner of Douglas. The central figure is Dr. W, A,
Palmour, mayor of Gainesville. At the lower left is Archibald Blackshear, city attorney of Augusta, who introduced the reso-
Jution committing the league to the principles of public ownership of publie utilities. At the left are Commissioner J. P. Jones
of Rome, seeretary-treasurer of the league, and Mayor W. M. Tift, president, both of whom were re-elected to serve another term.
a 1 1 B o anens
.
Exposition Cotton Mills
Boys and Girls in Camp
The Bluebird ('lub of girls and the
Ironside Boys' Club of the Exposi
tion Cotton Mills held a three-day
camp at Silver Lake July 4 to 7
Twenty-five youngsters, chaperoned
by Mr. and Mrs. Fred Netherland,
turned out to the outing.
The campers left Atlanta Thurs
day in motor trucks and arrived at
Silver Lake late that afternoon. Tents
were pitched near the lake and the
crowd proceeded to have three days of
real pleagure, One of the features of
the camp fvus the watermelon feasts,
An entire wagon load of meions was
brougpit out by the campers The
paru(returnml Sunday afternoon,
ATLANTA. GA. WEDNESDAY, JULY 9, 1919
. .
German Food Minister,
Free Trade Foe, Quils
COPENHAGEN, July B.—~Herr Wis.
sel, German food minister, has re
elgned, owing to difficulties of opin
lon with the ministry growing out
of opposition to his ideas of free
trade,
HELD AS SHOPLIFTER.
Bertha Lietzau, 578 Simpuon street,
the wife of a soldier, was bound over
under bond of 2200 on a charge of
shoplifting by Recorder Georgg John
son Tuesday afternoon, Special Ofe
ficers Young and Hcoggins arrested
the woman on the chirge of stealing
severn! articles from o downtown
department store. The woman denind
the charge and stated she would
prove he: innocence when tried,
. .
Deputy Sheriff Fails
.
To Enjoy Milk Bath
Deputy Sheriff Lane Mitchell, fol
lowing an experiment, was convinced
Wednesday that he doesn't care sot
milk bathe as a regular thing,
The deputy was given a “shower”
of buttermilk when he and Deputy
J. H. Estes went to the home of K.
Strange in LaSalle avenne to serve
proceedings taken out by Mrs,
Strange for the custody of her youns
#on. The Qfficers stated that several
women asgshiled them, and that one
of them poured buttermilk on Deputy
Mitchell's head
Hearing on the petition for custody
of the boy was had Tuesday after.
noon before Judge Humphries, wio iy
acting in the motion divigion ¢/ Bu
perfor Court. The boy was turned
over to the mothep.
Snider in Bad; Storm |
| Slips Up on Negro
Clarence Willlams, negro, of Griffin,
stated emphatically Wednesday morn -
ing that Professor Snider of Griffin
is all wrong in his predictions of
weather conditions, The professer
llvr‘mlivlw! beautiful sunshiny weather
for his trip to Atlanta, Willlams said,
but this is what he got:
} During the electriec storm Tuesday
afternoon Willlams was knocked
}dm\ n and severely bruised by a bolt
of lightning in front of the Morris
Ll',rn\vu (‘ollege in North Boulevard.
He was taken to Grady l'irmnnal.
'\\ here he remamed until Wednesday
\murnlnu when his condition had
greatly improved,
Issued Daily and Entered as Second Class Matter at
the PostoMice at Atlanta Under Act of March 3, 1879,
30 ITIEo JON BATILE
FOR AIGAT 10 OPERATE
OWN UTILITY SYSTEM
A tremendous step in the movement for municipal ownership
of public utilities wee made Tuesday when the Georgia League of
Munierpalities, without a dissenting vote endorsed the principle in
its eatirety and appointed a committee of five to appear before the
prezent sessicn of the Georgia Legisieitre ana appeal for legisla
ticn permitting municipalities to acqnirz or build and operate such
publie vtilities as they may desire.
Adoption of the resolution endors-9
ing municipal ownership came latel
Tuesday afternoon, just before the
close of one of the most momentous
conventions ever held in the State,
Those who came to the convention
as doubters had been swept off their
feet by the overwhelming volume of
evidence introduced by various advo
cates of the reform. The resolution
came befgre the convention with
unanimous approval of the resolu
tions committee and was unanimously
adopted without discussion,
ASK LEGISLATION.
The resolution, as presented b}'%
City Attorney Archibald Blackshear,
representative of the City of Augusta,
declared first for municipal owner
ship as opposed to private ownership
of street railways, gas, electric light,
water and power plants. It next pro
vided for the appointment of a com
mittee of five to appear before the
Legislature and ask for legislation
as follows:
A bill granting municipalities the
right to acquire real and personal
property stich as may be necessary
) to own and operate gas, electric
\ light, power, steam heating and
- water works plants and street and
electric railway systems.
Authority to purchase plants al
ready in existence by negotiation
or condemnation proceedings, with
proper safeguards for the rights
both of the municipalities and the
former owners.
Permission to municipalities en
gaging in public utilities business
to furnish service to other munici
palities desiring service and the
right of municipalities to act in the
ownership and operation of public
utilities either individually or col
lectively as they may elect,
The Le‘gialalure will also be asked
to guarantee to the municipalities
that their right to own and operate
their own public utilities shall not in
any way be abridged or restricted.
With the adoption of this resolu
tion officers of the league were con
vineed no one could now deny the
people of the towns and cities of
Georgla have voiced their desire for
municipal ownershin and the plea of
the Georgia municipalities for the
necessary legislation will be heeded
by the General Assembly.
ASK BETTER WATERWAYS,
* The league went further in its
recommendations than mere endorso
ment of municipal ownership on an
individual or collective scale, A res
olution introduced by First Commis
sioner Vandiver of Rome, memor
jalizing "Congress in the interest of
development of waterways in Georgla
received unanimous approval,
~ Commissicner Vandiver's resolution
urged that matters concerning flood
control, navigation improvement,
construction and operation of power
dams, construction of freight inter
changes and terminal facilities he
longed properly to federal agencies
and urged that federal aid in these
matters be called for.
~ The resolution pointed out the vast
amount of work being done by the
government for Western States in ir
rigation, construction of power dams,
ete., and asked that Georgia be given
similar aid. Damage to property and
crops in this State because of lack
Lor fleod control was cited, It was
urged that the government constract
great power dams on the Georgia
streams and dispose of the current at
}n falr price 1o the Georgla eities for
distribution through municipally
owned electric systems,
U. 8. AID IS SOUGHT.
“The rivers and waterways belong
to the people,” Commissioner Vandi
ver declared in urging adoption of his
'rvmlutmn, “but there is grave danger
of thelr product being given away and
the heritage of unborn generations
being squandered through our jack of
foresight.
“T'he government can handle these
development schemes far better than
can private enterprigses, and should
do %0 No private ownership or pri
vate control should be permitted to
enter inte this field, The govern
ment, in co-ouperation with the State
and the manieipalities, can develop
the 2,000,000 sersepower of électricity
that now goea to waste, distribute
| it to the people and make of Georgla
the garden spot of America.”
The general sentiment of the con.
vention appeared to be in favor of the
formation of a glant system of hydro.
electric power production and distri
hution similar to that in existence in
the provinee of Ontario, Uanada, as
described to the convention by R. T
Jeftey, member of the Hydroelectrie
Power Commission of Torongo, who
came hers at the request of the league
INIGH T
"EDITION |
y £
to present the facts about the Ontario
system. i
~ Mr. Jeffery addressed the conven
‘tion Tuesday afternoon, explaining '
the Ontario plan in full detail. Hll;
%mldress lasted for more than an hour ¢
~and was received with the closest at
-3
tention by the Georgia municipal ex-.
ecutives. At the close of his address -
he was given an ovation. ¥
JEFFERY DESCRIBES PLAN,
The plan that has worked so sue-.
cessfully in Ontario, as described by
Mr. Jeffery in detail, is substantially’
as follows: :
! The province of Ontario created a
lHydroolectrio Power Commission, to;
act under control of the provinecial s
government, in the production of hy-*
droelectric power for distribution to |
the citizens of the province through ,
municipally owned lighting and power™”
systems. . <
Money to finance the scheme was .
raised through an issue of bonds.
which mature in thirty vears, for the
redemption of which a sinking fund’
was created from the excess profits of ,
the system. Funds for the establish- "
ment or purchase of distributing sys-,
tems by the municipalities are raised
in the same way. ?
The commission brings the pewer
on its own lines to the municipalities
desiring service and seils at a fixed
price, requiring the muniripal sys
tems in turn to sell at a fixed price:
established by the commission, ¥
A total of 750,000 horsepower. of
current has been developed by the
commission, which now supplies 95.7
of the electricity used in the provinee, *
in competition with a convenient and
fairly cheap coal supply. Private en
terprise competition is not forbidden,
but has been gradually displaced on‘
account of inability of private enter- _
prise to produce and sell as cheflrly"
as the commission. The commission '
has power to purchase by negotiation
or condemnation proceedings any’
plant deemed necessary for the con- -
duet of the system., Condemnation’
proceedings have never been found
necegsary, fprivate owners having
“read the handwriting on the wall
that private cwnership in Ontario is
finist ed.” .
GROWTH PHENOMENAL., ;
The growth of the system has been
phenomenal and is, in itself, a most
convineing testimonial for govern
ment and municipsl ownership., From
twelve municipalities in 1910, the~*
commission has come to serve 234
municipalities with power, The mu
nicipalities served have a combined .
population of 1,750,000 people, or a
total of 200,000 consumers. A total .
of eighty-six electric generating sys-.
tems have been absorbed by the com
mission. The commision has 1,500
employees, ;
The benefits derived from the work
of the commission are incalculable,
He said rates were reduced to the«
domestic consumer from 8 cents per
K. W. H. to 2 1-2 cents or less than ~
one-half the rote charged by print.;
concerns. Encouraged by certainty |
{of low power rates and prospects of ¢
still lower rates as the system et-:
tended, huge manufacturing interests *
have sprung up in the province, ‘l'h.:
profits that formerly went to pay div- |
idends on stock -largely w:lterodi
stock, at that—now go to swell the
| coffers of the municipalities partak- 3
ing in the enterprise, FEven with
rates as low as 2 1-2 cents per K, W-!
H., the profits mount to a sum thats
can not be regarded as negligible, &
Every year the rates are rfivl.od:
downward to keep down the profits. ~
Across the boundary, in New York
and Maine, where the citizens are.
paying much higher rates for elec-z
trical current, industrial growth has
not been so rapid during the last “nf
yeurs as it has been, proportionally, §
im Ontario. It is becoming increas- .
ingly difficult to convince the cm-"
i zens of those States that government g
and municipal ownership of public ¢
lnnmu-s is a failure. The facts and§
figures are too well known. 4
PLAN NEW VENTURE. :
The commission Is preparing now ;
to gu extensively into the interurban
lnlc-orrh' rallway business. It's flrlt;
venture in that field—the purchase of ®
| the London and Port Stanley Rails
| way, a twenty-five mile stretch tha*
had been run down and unprofitable
is now the best equipped road in
the province and shows a net annual
surplug of over $25,000 since l’li.,
wher the commission acquired the .
system,
The Georgia munieipal executives .
were profoundly impressed by thes
account as given by Mr, Jeffery. '
Mayor Key, who introduced the .
speaker, declared Georgia sta on
the threshold of wonderful achieves
ment and the Empire State 9
NO 292