The Lee County journal. (Leesburg, Ga.) 1904-19??, 1908-03-06
PEONAGE LIES
TN LIMELIGHT
Vile SANDERS Against South are
Exposed in the House.
INVESTIGATION ASKED
Southern Congressman Say Stories. are
Told to Divert immigration Clark
ROasts Agents of Department.

a Washington SpSCldl says. An IN
vestigation by the immigration COM
mission of labor of conditions in tur-
pentine camps, plantations and other
industries Of the south, especially the
existence Of peonage, is provided for in
a resolution taken up by the house
Monday under suspension of the rules.
Mr.. Williams of Mississippi said that
the circulation abroad of stories re-
garding peonage had done harm to the
south, and he desired an investigation
by an important body In reply to a
question by Mr.. NS.nn of Illinois, he
said he believed the stories had, been
put out by labor agents in New York
in order to divert immigrants to other
sections of the country. Mr.. Hum
phreys of Mississippi supported the
| resolution.
He charged that systematic cam.
paign had been waged for the past
twelve months throughout the press of
the country by those whose interests
could be best served in that way" for
the purpose of discouraging immigra-
ton to the south. Stories of peonage
| and white slavery, he said, had been
conjured up and given to the press
with sensational coloring, and the state
of Mississippi especially held up to the
world as a slave camp. Agents of the
Italian government, he said, had busted
themselves in connecting and circulat-
ing these stories When / deny them,
as do now most vehemently deny
Them he said, Il want some tribunal
created and authorized to swear wit.
nesses and hear testimony, and before
which this issue may be tried, to the
end that those who have uttered these
libels may be compelled to appear and
either substantiate them or stand con-
victed as common slanderers."
In bitter criticism of the govern
ment and some of its officials, Mr..
Clark of Florida declared that the
state of Florida was prepared to an
swer "the accounts of 'peonage,'
slavery, involuntary servitude 'bru-
tai and inhuman treatment of labor
ers,' and other publications which
smell of the Sums and in some of
the most remarkable documents ema-
mating from the department of justice
Of the United States" which, he charg-
ed, were absolutely, false in all es-
sential particulars.
The people of Florida, he asserted,
courted the fullest investigation of
matter which had been Of so much
injury to the fair name of their state.
He predicted that these people will
come through the ordeal of investiga-
ton" without the smell of fire upon
their garments and in spite Of the bat
teries of SANDER which for the past
year have been belching their infam-
Gus slum begotten" fabrications.
The department of justice, Mr.. Clark
charged, had never been. especially dis
tinguished "for the legal knowledge of
the alleged lawyers who are generally
supposed to be housed therein" but he
said that usually something of law
yer" had been at its head. He feared
that the country had fallen into evil
times" with reference to the "big chief"
of that department. Whatever may be
the qualifications of Attorney General
Bonaparte, he said, that official had
been unfortunate in the selection OF
some of his interiors to whom had been
committed peonage prosecuti0LIs in
Florida and other states He referred
to Attorney General Bonaparte as this
transplanted bud of alleged French no
bility," who had become acquainted
with a lady bearing the euphonious
cognomen of Mrs. Mary Grace Quack-
enbos, whose field of labor previous to
her acquaintance with the great Balti-
more lawyer was in the slums Of the
least side" Of dear old Manhattan
isle" He presumed, therefore, that
Mr.. Bonaparte considered this great
Stun worker" very proper person to
send to Florida to regulate conditions
in the south.
Mr.. Clark next turned his attention
to Assistant Attorney General Charles
w. Russell, who was given charge Of
the investigation, and who, he said,
quickly called to his aid Mrs. Quack-
enbos. my Cod" he exclaimed what
combination! In normal times it
would be an affliction upon any people
to send into their midst Charles w.
Russell, "a southern man and a demo-