The Montgomery advertiser. [volume] (Montgomery, Ala.) 1885-1982, 1909-07-11

I see by The Montgomery Advertiser
OF July l.. which has just reached me.
that bin has been introduced In the
f,eorria Legislature to require railroad
companies to hire Q white fireman or
assistant to the engineer. being not
to prevent railroads from employing
negro fremen, but as additional safe
guard to public travel"
Partly because Chancellor Barrow
and +, who recently. as arbitrators Of
the question involved In this bill did
not publish any opinion giving the rea-
sions why we found that the employ
ment Of negro firemen on the Georgia
Railroad did not endanger the travel
Ing public. and stiii more because OF
the abiding interest have in this mat
ter. ask you to publiah this commufi-
cation.
Let me premise that my law f,rm are
the local attorneys Of the eeaboard Air
Line Railway In Warrington City. get
ting az compensation not salary. but
fees for such business a. comes to US
there. These fees constitute an insig-
nificant item In my practice, averaging
not over seven hundred dollars per an
mum. and I should despise myself II !
thought that this sum. Or indeed. any
amount Of money. could account In any
degree for the deep and abiding con-
vfctiong have concerning the Ques-
tons involved In the recent arbitra-
tton at Atlanta and again in the bill
now before the georgia Legislature.
am an intense southerner. proud to
have fought alongside Of wrights
Glorious Georgia Brigade under Lee.
have studied the negro question care
fully Tor forty years. and have been.
and am now, heart and soul with the
people OF Alabama, Georgia and other
Southern States In their every struggle
for the political supremacy of the
white man. This supremacy. thank
God. we have secured completely. In
teiligent public opinion at the North
is at this writing 20 thoroughly with
MS that there IL now no longer any
danger OF interference with us from
Washington. either Legislative or exec
utive, 10 long as we do not, by harsh
or unjust treatment OF the negro, now
at our mercy, alternate the sympathfes
uf the majority section Of our Union.
The completeness of our supremacy in
the South over the negro Is illustrated
by the fact that In the recent arbitra-
tion at Atlanta the right OF the negro
to earn q living by working as loco
motive nremen was argued and decided
when he was not present or represent
ed BY counsel The majority Of the
hoard decided that the negro was COM
potent. and that his employment did
not endanger the public safety, affix-
Ing as an addition that he should be
paid the same price as the white fire.
man. was not fully satisfied with
this condition when signed the award
Every moment Of rejection since mas
given me uneasiness about Il. And 1
nav wish to say this communication is
prompted only by O. desire not to be
mssunderstood, and by the notice In the
papers OF this bill in the Georgia Leg
fsiature. In q brief discussion OF the
case that was before the board. having
no papers at hand. must rely entirely
upon memory. but IL I err in any Of
my statements. the record OF all the
evidence Ia accessible In the United
states Circuit Court In Atlanta.
Hsrthern Orwanizexs.
Il appears that for years on the
Georgia Railroad. many Of the firemer
were negroes working harmoniously
under and In subordination to the en-.
gtneers, who were invariably whites
Some time last spring, representative
/ from the North OF the Brutnerhood o,
locomotive Firemen and Enginemer
appeaxed upon the scene. Then the
trouble bsgans q strike came on: many
gumcrs filed the air. and the excite.
ment grew until Representatives Of the
Federal government went to Georgia
ana Drought about an Arbitration un-
der the Erdmgn act.
The main issue was whether the
Georgia Railroad should be permitted
any longer to employ negro firemen
The only way by which the Brother
hood could get rid OF the negroes was
TO show that they were not competent;
and the wonderful record Of the 0eor-
gia Railroad was that during life
time OF seventy-five years. only one
passenger has ever been killed, and
that casualty occurred on q mixed pas
senger and freight train, on a branch
line. For thirty.eight, q majority, OF
these years. negroes had fred upon It,
and yet. in the face of this record. the
task of showing that these negroes
could not be trusted was boldly essay
ed. The strikers HAD with them. a.
witnesses and prompsers In the litiga-
tion. two officials OF the B. L. ". q e..
one from Toronto, Canada, and the
other from Chicago. These ofiicials
had with them many statistics and
books from other railroads which, in
the opinion OF the majority Of the
Board, had little bearing on the case,
and which. IL remember correctly.
were little. IL any dwelt ON by counsel