Evening star., 1909-05-25
Not a Wheel Turning on Geor-
ola Railroad and Branches.
MANY TOWNS IN STRAITS
Complaints in Affected District of
Shortage of Provisions.
ICE WAGONS COVER Is MILES
Automobiles Garry Mails and Staples.
Trains With Negro Firemen
Barred at Many Stations.

ATLANTA, Ca, May 25.-With delivery
Of some necessities Of life stopped in sew
eral small Georgia towns, the Georgia
railroad firemen's strike to enforce the
supremacy Of white men over negroes is
in its ninth day.
Not wheel Is moving on the entire
main line between here and Augusta, nor
on any OF the roads branch lines.
No definite hope of improvement is
held out before the arrival here Of Com
missioner OF Labor Charles P. Neill. Cen
eral Manager Scott Of the railroad and
Vice President Ball Of the firemen's or
ganization leader Of the strike, are both
here awaiting Mr.. Neill.
Gov. Smith meanwhile has not aban-
doned his efforts to bring about arbitra-
ton.
The e'complete tie-up Of the railroad has
one unusual aspect. Several communities
through which the road passes have made
1t known that trains will not be allowed
to pass carrying negro firemen or strike
breaking firemen. So positive have been
these announcements that the outcome OF
attempting to force trains to run Is
matter of some anxiety.
Ice Carried Twenty-Five Miles.
Shortage of ice is one Of the inconven-
fences imposed by the strike. Wagons
left Atlanta today, some carrying ice
fully twenty-five miles.
Lithonia, Stone Mountain, Scottdale and
Decatur all sent to Atlanta for ice. An
automobile newspaper delivery out Of At
lanta has been established for more than
forty miles along the railroad line.
Towns most seriously affected by the
tie-up. in addition to these. are Con-
yers, Ilmond, Covington. Hazlebrand, Al
GOWN. Social Circle. Rutledge, Dorsey.
Union Point, Greensboro, Washington,
Lexington and more than score of
smaller places.
Vice President Ball of the fremen said
pect Of the strike spreading to other
roads on account Of the diversion Of the
Georgia railroads freight.
Mr.. Ball said he had no intention of
calling such a strike on the other roads,
and that it would be entirely outside his
powers to do SO. The general chairmen
of the firemens organization, he said,
would have to take the first step in the
matter.
General Manager Scott, upon arrival
here today, went into conference in his
private car with officers and directors
of the road.
Race Question Up to Neill.
be presented to Commissioner OF Labor
Neill when he arrives tonight to attempt
to settle the strike.
+. The immediate cause of the strike was
the discharge of the ten white firemen
and the filing of their places with ne
groes. The demand of the firemen now is
that negroes be eliminated as far as pos
sible from employment by the Georgia
railroad.
The firemen argued that as negroes sell
dom or never become locomotive engineers
in any capacity, to employ them as fire.
men means the shutting out Of white
men from this Indispensable apprentice
ship for engineering positions. They have
not, as yet, demanded that all the negro
fremen be supplanted by whites but they
insisted that the seniority of white fire.
men over the negroes be recognized.
In respect to it's negro employees the
railroad has taken the position that many
of them have given faithful service and
that it cannot agree to lower the rank of
these negroes.
The race issue has been a growth since
the strike, rather than it's specific cause.
Automobiles Garry Mails.
AUGUSTA. Ga, May 25.-Not wheel
is moving in the Georgia railroad yards
| here today. There is no indication of i'm
mediate efforts to start train service.
Complaints poured in from small towns
near Augusta. Automobiles were sent
out carrying mails and the most urgently
needed supplies.
| Six young men who were arrested last
night for failing to move on at orders of
| the police appeared in court today and
were dismissed with warning.
| Last night a crowd followed non-union
| fireman leaving his engine. and made a
demonstration against the guard, A. Todd
He fired at random to frighten the crowd.
They pursued him. and once he fired into
them as he ran, but touched no one.
policeman arrested Todd on a charge
of melting riot. The road gave bond for
him.
In police court today Todd's case was
lcontinued, owing to absence of counsel.