The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1899-06-15
OPERATIVES ARE STARVING.
CoUNCHMEN DENOUNCE ATLANTA
COTTON FACTORIES.


Men and Women Brought 20 Allan
IN ON a Promise of Good Wages.
Rut Are Not Paid Enough to Live
on-City Has 80 Feed Them or Fur
niSh Them Transportation Home.
CounciImen say They Want No
Wore Factories.
Atlanta. June 1.-two members Of the
Atlanta city Council are dead against Of
ferius Inducements for cotton factories to
Iotate iu luis city, aud upon their unusual
opposition there hangs taie-
They are not only opposed 70 new cotton
factories coming here but they are severe
IN their criticism OF some OF those already
established.
These councilmen are Messrs. Lahatte
and Holland. members OF the relief com
mittee which has been appointed 10 look
after The paupers Of the town. The eXper-
ience on this committee is what has
brought them to the conclusion. as Mr.. La
hattie puts it that cotton factories are
a menace to manhood and womanhood and
ought to be restricted
These things come out at a meeting of
the relief committee to-day when an in
vestigation was INDUCED IN to see what
was being done with The city's charity
funds.
j. X. Hunter, the city warden, was call
ed upon for Information, and he threw
some interesting light upon the situation
by describing how the cotton factories in
duce poor people to come here upon a
promise of good wages, then when they
come, pay them such meagre rates that
they are compelled 10 get back 10 the
ing to death. Under these circumstances it
becomes the duty of the city, the warden
said 10 feed these starving people or fur
nish them railroad tickets 10 get out Of
town with. Here IS what Warden Hunter
told the committee. and The comments Of
the councilmen upon the subject, all Of
which is fun of interest If not significance:
Women Are Starving.
Certain Atlanta factories are to blame
for this state of affairs" said Warden
Hunter. "They advertise that they are
paying good wages in Atlanta, and they
get the city filled fun Of paupers, who
come here 10 work. The people who come
20 me say that the factories are paying
them starvation wages, and they must
get out Of town or starve 90 death.
"A woman came TO my office last month
who had seven children with her. She
said she had eft her home in Jackson.
Ca, to come here 10 get work at one Of
the big factories. She said the railroad
had given her ticket to come on, but
that when she went to work the factory
people took the price of the ticket out
of her wages. and besides that made her
pay rent for a house on their premises in
advance. She went on TO tell me an awful
tale about the starvation wages they paid
her / could not do anything but give
her a ticket to go home on, for the fam
lily was starving.
Not long after that another woman
with a baby came into the office and said
she had to get to Rome. The factory was
giving her starvation wages, she said, af-
ter they had induced her 10 come here by
promising good wages and she Just had
10 get back to her people to keep from
starving"
Factories Deceive Them.
at is a fact" said Councilman Holland
that the factories are advertising for
labor and then when they get the opera
tives here they pay them starvation wages
And il is costing the city "A pile of money
the way the factories are doing Talk
to me about giving cotton factories free
sites and exemption from taxes, I'll see
them out before I'll vote for It."
That's right" said Councilman La
hattie. THE cotton factories are a me-
mace 10 manhood and Womanhood and
they ought to be restricted They ought
70 be made to hire only negroes as opera
tives"
Yes" added Warden Hunter. "95 per
cent. of the paupers who want transport
tation are women and children who come
here TO get work and find themselves
stranded They are a dead weight on the
City, and Il is a question with me whether
II IS cheaper to send them off or bury
them"