Newspaper Page Text
16
PAGES
Vol. 58. No. 23.
WILLIAM A. WRIGHT IS
l
GLASSIFIED TAX PLANS
Fears Operation Would Re
sult in Injustice
Says Fault of Present System Not
in Its Fundamental Principles,
Which are Pronounced as Sound
and Safe.
The plan of classifying property
according to kind and imposing a
different rate of taxation upon each
group, as recommended by the tax
commisssion in its report to the leg
islature, is opposed by Comptroller
William A. Wrigh in his annual report
to the legislature, which was made
public Wednesday.
Comptroller Wright contends that
uniformity of taxation, which is the
present system and which consists in
putting all property in the same group
and levying upon all the same rate of
taxation, is far more sound and for
pore safe than the plan of classifi
cation recommended by the tax com
mission. In this connection he says:
“The substitution of a system of
classification of property to be taxed
at diflerent rates for existing unifor
mity would undoubtedly have the ef
fect of depriving the small holders
of all classes of property of the pro
tection guaranteed by the uniformity
system, and make it possible for large
organized and capitalized interests to
shift the burden of taxation, which
they should properly bear, to the
shoulders of the small taxpayers, and
these interests as a rule are not slow
to avail themselves of such an op
portunity.”
Comptroller Wright is willing to ad
mit that there are defects in the pre
sent system of taxation as administer
ed, but he contends that the defects
are due to laxity and inefficiency of
administration rather than to defects
inherent in the system. He shows that
a great deal of the inequality of tax
assessments was corrected by the tax
equalization law of 1913. He recom
mends that this law be extended and
strengthened along the lines recom
mended by the late Judge C. Hart,
state tax comissioner.
He Surrenders in Face of the Most
Menacing Strike Situation
Yet Developed
At last the Postmaster-General has
been forced to acknowledge that he
can not curb the spirit of the wire
workers, and he has ordered the im
mediate return of the lines to their
owners.
The order was issued on Thursday,
effective at once, andiin the face of
the greatest prospective fight yet
made by the employees who were
members of the unions.
Although this last trouble started
with the Atlanta phone operators, it
bid fair to extend itself to the tele
graph companies and possibly all un
ionized labor.
The order of the Postmaster-Gen
eral for the return of the lines stip
ulates that rates are to remain the
same as at present pending final ac
tion by congress, retaining authority
over the lines to that extent, and fur
ther orders that no employee be dis
charged solely on account of labor
union affiliation.
OUTW. U. OPERATORS
Says Return of Wire Lines Does Not
Solve the Difficulties of Many
Poorly Paid Operators
Following the order of Burleson re
turning the wire lines to their owners
on Thursday evening, President Kon
encamp, of the Commercial Telegraph
ers Union ordered a strike against the
Western Union calling out 12,000 op
erators from its offices over the coun
try.
One hundred strike breakers were
reported as arrived in Atlanta, and it
is too early to predict the outcome
as we go to press.
The telephone situation in Atlanta
was stated to be unchanged on Friday
morning, the strikers holding out and
lthe company claiming business was
very little affected by the walk-out.
e el |
NOONDAY DRAINAGE PROJECT |
An order was granted at the meet
ing of the county commissioners on
Tuesday advancing the organization
of the Noonday Creek drainage pro
ject.
By the order the viewers are di
rected to make their final report,
classifying the lands, and submit an
estimate of the cost of the canal, at
the first meeting of the board in July.
THE MARIETTA JOURNAL
Delegation Tells Commissioners that
Road Apportionment is Unfair
To Their District
When the board of commissioners
met on last Tuesday quite a number
of citizens of Acworth and Kennesaw
districts appeared before them and
asked that a revision of the road plans
be made so that their section might
secure more of the mileage out of
bonds in event bonds are voted.
Mr. C. F. Morgan, who is the mem
ber of the board from that district
state their contention to the board,
and was followed by a number of oth
ers, who stated that while they were
heartily in favor of bonds, they did
not think enough of mileage pro
posed in the scheme of the county
highway committee was to come to
their district, and if some revision
could not be had it would result in
loss of votes for bonds in that district.
Upon motion of commissioner Mor
gan, the board agreed to use their
influence to have a satisfactory ad
justment made of the road plans of
the county.
At a recent mass meeting a county
highway association was named to
act in conjunction with the county
commissioners in laying out plans and
schedules of road work on which bond
money was to be voted. An early
meeting of the officers of this asso
ciation with the commissioners is ex
pected.
Mr. John P..Cheney was named
chairman of this committee with a
vice-president from each militia dis
trict in the county.
IFodcral Government to Take Matter
In Hand if State Fails to Get
‘ Proper Records.
The State Bureau of Vital Statis
tics received during the month of
March 2071 birth certificates as com
pared with 864 in January and 1155
in February, an increase of 250 per
cent. The March repoft shows 158
more boys than girls, there being
1097 male and 939 female births.
1,556 births were reported in white
families, 477 in negro families. In
the 2,071 births, there were 36 sets
of twins, 30 white and 6 negro; 2 sets
of triplets, one white and one negro;
1 set of quadruplets, white. The re
port shows 56 illegitimate children,
10 white and 46 negro.
The quadruplets were reported
from Walton county; Decatur and
Camden counties reported the trip
lets, while Cobb, Floyd, Fulton,
Glynn, and Pike counties reported
two or more sets of twins.
Twenty-three certificates did not
show the date of birth, 256 did not
bear the signature of the local reg
istrar, and without these items a cer
tificate is illegal and of little value.
The justices of the peace and city
clerks of Bacon, Calhoun, Catoosa,
Chatham, Chattahoochee, Coffee, Co
lumbia, Douglas, Echols, Jones, Mcln
tosh, Quitman, Richmond, Schley,
Treutlen, Twiggs and Wilkes coun
ties, made no repeoxts.
The physicians, midwives and un
dertakers of Georgia are required by
‘the state statutes to file birth and
death certificates with the justic of
‘the peace or city clerk in the dis
tricts where the event occurred, un
‘der a penalty of a fine of not less than
$5.00 for the first violation and a
$lO.OO fine or imprisonment for each
subsequent violation. Many physi
cians and midwives are laying them
selves liable to prosecution by ignor
ing this state statute. |
Unless the individual states secure
complete records, the federal govern
ment will be forced to take over the
matter of birth and death registra-i
‘tion, on account of the enormous ex
pense involved in securing such data
‘as shown by the recent draft. Thei
Georgia law was suggested by the
Federal Bureau and the U. S. Public |
Health Service. If the federal gov
ernment enacts such a statute, those
who violate the provisions thereof
will be haled into federal court, which
is generally considered a cold-blooded
proposition by those who have fallen
into its clutches.
Georgia believes in local self-gov
ernment. The physicians, midwives
and undertakers must register their
births and deaths, the justices of the
peace and city clerks must make a
local record of such and forward the
certificates to the State Bureau of
Vital Statistics, and the prosecuting
attorneys of every county and the
police departments of this state must
enfrce this statute as they would any
other act of the Georgia legislature,
otherwise, complete birth -and death
registration will be secured by the
federal exactment.
Marietta, Georgia, Friday, June 6, 1919.
No Application Locall
In Judgeship Editorial
Brumby and Bunting Make Written Disclaimer of Having
Meant to Reflect Upon Judge Morris in the
Recent Times Editorial '
On Thursday, May 22nd, an editorial appeared in the Cobb County
Times under the caption “They Can’t Be Touched,” which read as follows:
The most unapproachable person, the most autocratic person,
the person easiest to commend and hardest to condemn today is
the man who wears the robe and sits in judgment behind the bar.
As a whole, judges are guarded from criticism, no matter how
great their corruption, more closely than any other individual. A
phrase “Contempt of court” and its legal embodiments have made
it impossible for the press to say of judges anything excepting that
which is praiseworthy.
But all judges are not praiseworthy any more than all preach
ers, all editors, all doctors or all merchants are praiseworthy. Just
in proportion as they are equally human and equally affected by
the circumstances of life, just so much is the judge likely to be
guilty of malpractice as are some who come before him for trial.
Presidents, governors, senators, legislators and men in public
office everywhere come in for constructive criticism but aloft sits
the judge, who cannot be criticised or reproved by printed words.
While it may be fitting and proper that certain things should not
be published at certain times, in the interest of fair justice in court,
vet it seems that the press should have the privilege of disseminat
ing public information which is quite commonly repeated and
vouched for in the streets, the meeting places and business offices
of concerned citizens.
He who dares to speak is in danger of being haled to court to
answer for daring to speak against the quality of justice which is
being meted out or questioning the public acts of the judge while
on the bench or serving his term of office.
It is probable that we will be assured of ¢leaner life when the
law makers let down the bars sufficiently to allow the press to re
port the substantiated facts of malpracticé which are vouched for
in open and general conversation.
Judge Morris has furnished us a copy of the correspondence that passed
between himself and the editors of the Cobb County Times in reference
to the editorial in question, which is as follows:
: Blue Ridge, Ga., May 28, 1919.
Mr. Otis A. Brumby and Frank C. Bunting,
Manager and Editor Cobb County Times,
Marietta, Ga.
Gentlemen: My attention has been called to an editorial in the
issue of your paper dated Thursday, May 22, 1919. This editorial
being headed “They Can’t Be Touched.”
As I construe this editorial and as, in my opinion, the average
reader would construe it, it undertakes to make a serious charge
of corruption and malpractice against the court, or the presiding
judge thereof. It has been suggested to me that in view of the fact
that I am the only trial judge presiding in the courts of Cobb’
County that this editorial was intended to apply to myself as the
presiding judge of the courts of such County and the Blue Ridge
Circuit.
I write to you as such presiding judge to know if this editorial
was written or published with such intention. I feel that lam
entitled to an immediate, full, and frank reply.
I am enelosing you an addressed, stamped, special delivery
envelope, and respectfully ask that you reply to this letter at once.
I am holding court at Blue Ridge at this time and will be here
practically all the week. Respectfully,
N. A. MORRIS.
COBB COUNTY TIMES
Judge N. A. Morris' M.fiett‘, Ga., May 31, 1919,
Marietta, Ga. 3
Dear Sir: Referring to yours of the 28th inst.
The editorial article in the Cobb County Times of May 22 to
which you refer, dealt only with the privilege pertaining to the
office of Judge, and was written without any reference, or intention
to refer, to the incumbent of the office.
g Respectfully,
OTIS A. BRUMBY,
FRANK C. BUNTING.
Red Cross Girls Help to Raise Half
of Cobb’s Quota in Marietta
Saturday
Saturday was Salvation Army Day
in Marietta and the doughnut was in
evidence with a good number of work
ers who made the doughnut famous.
The park was headquarters and a
band of the Salvation Army rendered
patriotic and sacred music as the las
sies in uniform gathered up the cash
and pledges of all who wished to help
in the Salvation Army cause.
Envoy Fulghum made a speech
from the bandstand in the park and
city chairman Joe Abbott had enlist
ed the Young Ladies Auxiliary of the
Red Cross to assist in the work.
Mrs. Henry Wyatt, Jr., also Mrs,
Ryburn Clay, Miss Constance Cole,
Mrs. L. N. Trammell and number of
others, deserve especial mention for
the assistance renderd in the work
of the day.
The subscription for the day in Ma
rietta aggregated $752.00, about onge
half the sum expected of Cobb county
for the cause.
Women, Prepare Your Ballots!
THE United States Senate has passed the bill to refer the Equal
Suffrage Amendment to the states, by more than the necessary
two-thirds vote. There is no longer any doubt that woman suffrage
will be an accomplished fact in the United States in time for the
women of the state to vote in the presidential and all other elections
in the fall of 1920. ;
On the first day of the session of the Georgia Legislature, Mr.
C. M. Dobbs, one of Cobb’s representatives, will introduce a bill for
the ratification of the constitutional amendment.
While Georgia may not vote for the amendment, more than enough
states are pledged to carry it through.
Money Now Coming Back to Repay
All Thrifty Investors in the
Liberty Loan Bonds
On the 15th the Treasury Depart
ment will pay interest on First Lib
erty Loan Bonds, totaling $36,658,-
376.63.
Of this amount, $809,955.12 will
come to the people of the Sixth Fed
eral Reserve district—this district.
Think what it means to have this
vast sum of money turned loose in
one day! It's money for which the
people didn’t work—a reward for
their thrift, g
What will the people do with this
sum? If they spend it, the work of
their money is wasted—unless they
buy War Savings and Thrift Stamps.
Then their dollars will be doing dou
ble duty. Interest will be making
more interest.
Liberty Bond interest coupons
should be clipped promptly, and re
invested. Thriftless money or money
which lies idle, is of no benefit to the
individual, or to the community. It
should be put to work.
DISTRICT NO. 3 IS LET
Is Secured by Local Contractors Who
Will Purchase Another Steel
Dredge Boat
The drainage commissioners of the
Noses and Mud Creek District No. 3
let the contract for the draining of
Noses Creek, Mud Creek, Ward Creek,
McEachern Creek and Cook Branch,
to the Morris Construction Company
on Tuesday of this week.
.~ Mr. N. M. Morris, stated that his
company would purchase another
‘dredge boat at once, and the work
to begin as soon as the machinery
can be shipped here. :
The dredge work on these pro
jects will exceed 350,00 cubic yards
and the contract price was 1214 cents
per cubic yard. \
The difference in the price on this
project and the Powder Springs pro
ject is caused by the fact that the
‘dredge boat will have to be built on
\each of the three creeks, while on the
‘Powder Springs project only one
‘build is necessary, while the yardage
‘'was nearly as great.
- The other bidders on the project
were Thompson & Mosley, of Atlan
‘ta, and Sigmund Reinhardt & Co., of
'Stanley, N. C.
- It has been a little over a year
since work was started on the first
Icanal in Cobb county, and this is the
ithird project for which contract has
‘been made while another has been
organized and will soon be under way.
The farmers of Cobb county have
'not been slow to recognize the bene
fits to be derived from drainage, and
improved health in the drained section
is not one of the least of these.
WORLD-WIDE FIGHT
Will Ignore Wilson Plea for‘ Time for
Light Wine and Beer
Manufacturers
Washington, June 4.—A world an
ti-saloon league, committed to the
task of driving alcohol out of exis
tence as a beverage, is expected to
be organized during the Anti-Saloon
League convention here this week, ac
cording to prohibition leaders today.
“Dry’”’ workers will first demand en
forcement of war-time prohibition
and will then press for an internation
al organization against “booze” mod
elled on the Anti-Saloon League,
Leaders said.
Sharp disapproval of President
Wilson’s beer and light wine recom
mendation will be voiced by the con
vention, it is said, and resolutions
will be adopted demanding thorough
enforcement of both war-time prohi
bition and the constitutional amend
ment.
The convention will be attended by
delegates from all parts of the world
called in anticipation of the start
ing of a world campaign to extermin
ate intoxicants.
~ “Strong action will be taken to in
sure enactment of prohibition enfor
lcement laws,” E. C. Dinwiddle, leg
islative superintendent of the Anti
‘Saloon League, declared today.
“The overwhelming majority of the
American people expect congress to
‘enact before July 1 an effective law
‘'enforcement code to make operative
"the eighteenth amendment and the
‘war prohibition act. The propaganda
of the brewers from New York, back
‘ed by an alleged billion dollar fund
to prevent the amendment from be
‘coming operative is an insolent chal
lenge to the American people.”
’ Testimony of labor leaders before
‘the house judiciary committee that
the “working man wants his beer”
brought an answer from Anti-Saloon
officials that the union officials speak
for themselves and not for the mem
bers of their unions on this question.
Samuel Gompers, president of the
American Federation of Labor, and
believed by the “drys” to have been
influential in inducing President Wil
son to make his recommendation for
the reinstatement of beer and light
wine does not speak officially for the
labor unions, according to Dinwiddie.
The call for the convention of the
Anti-Saloon League here went out
suddenly five or six weeks ago when
sentiment for repeal of the war-time
prohibtion act grew especially strong.
The American Federation of Labor
convention meets next week in At
lantic City and lxor leaders here
believe that the “drys” are trying to
turn the force of anti-prohibtion de
claration which the labor convention
may make by getting in ahead.
Representatives will zttend from
England, Scotland, Ireland, Switzer
land, France, New Zealand, Mexico,
Japan and New South Wales.
BISHOP MIKELL COMING
Bishop Mikell, of Atlanta, will vis
it St. James’ Parish on Tuesday even
ing, June 17, to administer the rite
of confirmation.
Established 1866
Only Twenty-Five Votes Are
| Cast Against It
More Than Necessary Two-Thirds of
Senate Vote to Have States Vote
on Constitutional Amendment Giv
ing the Vote to Women.
Washington, June 4.—Action by
congress on equal suffrage—subject
of a fight of forty years’ duration—
ended late to-day in adoption by the
senate by a vote of 56 to 25 of the
historic Susan B. Anthony constitu
‘tional amendment resolution.
The proposed amendment, adopted
by the house by a vote of 304 to 89,
May 21, as the first act of the new
congress, now goes to the states, rat
ification by legislatures of three
fourths of which is required for its
incorporation in the federal consti
tution.
The roll call to-day showed two
votes more than the necessary two
thirds for the resolution, which was
drafted by Susan B. Anthony in 1875
and introduced by Senétor Sargent,
of California, in 1878. Counting
paired and absent members, the sen
ate actually stood 66 to 30 for the
measure. 3
Loud applause, unchecked by the
presiding officer, swept the senate
chamber when the final vote was an
nounced following two days’ debate
and many jubilation meetings were in
progress to-night at headquarters of
various women’s organizations which
have been active in support of the
measure.
’ Immediately after the senate’s ac
tion, the resolution was taken to
‘Speaker Gillett’s office and signed.
}lt was rushed back to the senate for
its presiding officer’s signature, but
arrived after the senate had ad
journed and will be approved to-mor
row. President Wilson’s signature,
it was stated, is not necessary, al
though the resolution will be sent to
the white house as usual and may
be signed by the executive. It will
be certified to the states by the state
department. .
The Rell Call Vote.
Upon the senate’s roll call to-day,
the vote was as follows:
For Adoption—Repulicans, Cap
per, Cummins, Curtis, Edge, Elkins,
Fall, Fernald, France, Frelinghuysen,
Gronna, Hale, Harding, Johnson, of
California; Jones, of Washington;
Kellogg, Kenyon, Keyes, LaFollette,
Lenroot, McCormick, McCumber, Mec
'Nary, Nelson, New, Newberry, Nor
ris, Page, Phipps, Poindexter, Sher
‘man, Smoot, Spencer, Sterling, Suth
erland, Warren, Watson. Total, 36.
~ Democrats—Ashurst, Chamberlain,
Culberson, Harris, Henderson, Jones,
of New Mexico; Kendrick, Kirby, Me-
Kellar, Myers, Nugent, Phelan, Pitt
man, Ransdell, Shephard, Smith, of
Arizona; Stanley, Thomas, Walsh, of
Massachusetts, and Walsh, of Mon
tana. Total 20.
Total for Adoption—s 6.
Against — Republicans, Borah,
Brandegee, Dillingham, Knox, Lodge,
McLean, Moses and Wadsworth. To
tal 8.
Democrats—Bandhead, Beckham,
Dial, Fletcher, Gav, Harrison, Hitch
cock, Overman, Reed, Simmons,
Smith, of Maryland; Smith, of South
Carolina; Swanson, Trammell, Un
derwood, Williams and Wolcott. To
tall?7. '
Total Against—2s.
Those paired were:
Senators Ball and King for, with
Shields against; Calder and Town
send for, with Penrose against; Ger
ry and Johnson, of South Dakota, for,
with Martin against; Gore and Colt
for, with Pomerene against.
Senators Owens, Robinson and
Smith, of Georgia, were absent and
were not paired.
Of the absentees, Senators Owen
and Robinson favored the resolution
and Senator Smith, of Georgia, was
an opponent. Including paired and
absent senators, the aetual senate
line-up was 40 republicans and 26
democrats for the resolution, and 9
republicans and 21 democrats in op
position.
Text of Amendment.
The amendment as it will be ad
ded to the constitution if ratified by
the states reads:
“Article—Section 1. The right of
citizens of the United States to vote
shall not be denied or abridged by
the United States or by any state
on account of sex.
“Sec., 2. Congress shall have pow
er, by appropriate legislation to en
force the provisions of this article.”
MARIETTA OFFICERS ON LEAVE
Friends here are enjoying seeing
Major Glenn Giles and Lieut. Lind
leyv Camp, who are here on leave.
These popular young men are only
on leave now, after thirteen months
overseas, but hope to be mustered out
and home soon.
$lOO
A YEAR
