The Montgomery advertiser., 1906-08-11
mR. coMER.s ArFrDAvrrs.

These are the first and only attempts so far made to answer the allegations
 made by Rev. pr. A J. McKelway in a
 letter printed in The Advertiser on the 3rd inst Mir. Conner himself has so far made no answer. These afidavits, how ever, give evidence of being prepared by some lawyer or campaign manager
 in hIs interest and inasmuch as the signers are for the most part connect ed with his mill. the work has doubtless
 been done by his inspiration.
 It will be observed that these afidav-
 it's are from t:.e following persons:
 Rev. W. McD. Howell. minister in
 charge of the Methodist Church at the Avondale Mills His eyes have beheld noth,-g that was not proper in the mills or In the village where the operatives
 live. He states that there is also a l Baptist Church in the village. but the 1 name of the Baptfs. minister is not
 attached to the affidavrt. nor is l it's absence explained. It looks as if
 the Baptist minister might not agree
 altogether with MT Howell It may be I that he has seen the situation much as Dr. McKelway, the Presbyterian min- l ister and expert cotton mill observer. The next afidavit is from Dr. j. H.
 Finch. who ayers that he has been 1 Tor the last s ven years the physician
 of the operatives working at the Avon
 dale Mills. and is the only physician i who attends the operatives in said milI"; that "he Is under instructions from MT. B. B. Conner to look after sani- tary conditions in the houses and the streets. Apparently pr. Finch Is the contrAct physician of the mills. and If such Is theacase he draws aiis pay from the mill office According to his own
 statement, he is largely responsible for
 whatever conditions exist at the mill. Under these circumstances 1t Is trral i that everything Ae sees is admirable. It will be obss wed that he has made
 the mill village one Of the greatest
 sanitariums in Alabama He says
 that for three years past the death rate
 has mot been ovr five persons to the
 thousand" Does 1t not look as riff the
 Magic City was blind to it's opportunity?
 why should 1t not put this marvellous
 sanitarian in charge of its health affairs,
 and make itself the model city of the
 counthy in sanitation.
 The other afidavits are from various
 persons who admit that they work
 in the mills. They praise the mill, the
 village, etc. very highly. They go in
 to details apout various names of chiF
 dren given in Dr. McKelways letter denying all the material statements
 made by him. If there is any doubt
 about the age of a child offering to
 work ,an afidavit is required from It's
 parents; that frequently children under
 legal age go irto the mill to visit their
 parents or to car their meals" one , operator says that one of his children mentioned by Dr. MeKelway sometimes goes into the mill to -lp his brother l but has not been c ployed by the mill : As matter of course. if the mill re- | quires affidavits of parents of child operatives, and if any parents were to make such affidavits untruthfully. il
 would be expected that such parents
 would again make similar affidavits. It is interesting to note how highly , these operatives laud their boss; Mir Conner ITS not only esteemed, but very
 popular with the operatives; that he
 is exceedingly considerate and kind
 to them;" that there Is n free school
 maintained nine months of every year" And yet this great philanthropsist and lover of schools. according to Dr. Ed , gar Gardner Murphy. Chairman of the } state Child Labor Committee In 1903
 fought any sort of child labor law, and succeeded in forcing out of the bill proposed, any requirement for child , operatives to attend schools. And I then, too, Dr. Mekelway says that 1t was ia constant complaint" that ! children were taken away from schoo < to so into the mills It Is curious how ' the tes imony from various sources conflict about Mir. Conner as q philan. : thropist.
 It cannot be denied that this testi < mony put forward by MT. Conner tc answer pr. McKelway's charges comes
 from persons who are for the mos ? part MT. Corners employees. and art , more or less under his influence or hi; , domination. The only possible impar tial witness is the minister, MT. Howell q and doubtless he has received man! ? favors at MT. Corners hands and natCr r ally feels kindly toward him. To on' l of these witnesses is an absolutely i'm 8 partial outsider. or an expert. like pr l McKelway of the National Antl-ChilC s Labor Committee, who has travelled al ' over the South examining mills. Fur y thermore, it is quite probable that othe 7 employees. past or present. of the Avon
 dale NH. could be found who woult
 gave conflicting testimony. and yer. probably there are other citizens O Birmingham and vicinity who have no e seen things through such rosy glasse
 as Rev. MT Howell
 Tn the face of these afidavits iron
 the minister the doctor and some O O the employees at Mir. Corners mills - stands out one conspicuous fact. Rev d Dr McKelway has not qualifie 8 CT withdrawn his statements abou - Mr. Corners mill and its surround ,. ings. Yet he was in Birming
 ham for several days after his lette Il was printed, and has again visited tn d mill grounds. and has been interviewe