The Montgomery advertiser., 1909-05-23
Acts of vioIence. q.

white firemen on the Georgia Railroad entered upon its fifth day today, with its already accompanying acts of yio- lence and intimidation. gives promise of more serious consequences.
 State and Federal authorities are taking extraordinary precautions-the latter on the grounds of protecting the maiIs--to prevent interference with the operation of train service on the road but 1t Is realized that the situa- tion Is developing into one of serious ness.
 At small towns along the Georgia Railroad between Atlanta and Augusta. much feeling has been manifested by those who sympathize with the strik- CTS, # having been publicly proclaimed by the. officials of the Order of Loco motives Bremen and Enginemen that the strike is based upon a question of white supremacy, resulting in no little display of race feeling at these way side stations. A number of negro fire- men have been roughly handled at some of these points, enraged citizens even going so far as to attack armed guards of the road and compelling them, as we'll as the negro firemen. to abandon their trains.
 Following the open threat of the of- ncials Of the fremen's- organization to extend the strike to every road in the South and continue the fight until ev- cry negro fireman has been replaced by white men, comes the rumor today that there Is 6 possibility of the en- gineers being drawn into the fight.
 This morning, General Manager Scott of the Georgia Railroad, announced that he had been notified by F. A. Burgess, Assistant Grand Chief of the Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers, that engineers cannot be expected to rfxr qu&te protection. MT. Burgess asked for prompt statement from Mir. Scott as to the attitude of the railroad, the latter responding that he had appealed Co the State and Federal authorities to take vigorous measures to protect the engineers and other trainmen against all forms of violence.
 Mir. Burgess's action Is believed to indicate the grounds upon which the engineers may base Justification for a Walkout. The authorities express re- gret that 1t has been sought to stir up race prejudice in connection with the strike as its fruits cannot be measured If once the flame is ktndled sufficiently The hope is expressed in business and official circles that further trouble will be averted through arbitration, but this now seems doubtful.
 The sheriff of McDuf1e County wired Governor Smith that the situation at Thomson is critical and that he Is un- able to handle 1t. Several trains have been boarded by strikers at Thomson.
 At Augusta several strike breakers who arrived yesterday left town today and the strikers claimed they had won the absentees to the cause of the strike. One of the alleged strike breakers was from New Orleans and he was roughly jostied by a crowd of strike sympathizers before a squad of police rescued him.
 Vice. President Ball of the Locomo- tive Firemen. claimed today that thir- teen trains are tied up by the strike.
 Tonight there was little change To- eally in the strike situation. F. A Burgess, assistant Grand Chief of the Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers saidI
 we are not going off half cooked fin this affair, but we are not going to send our men out to be slaughtered or maimed."
 Burgess said the instant he becomes