Fitzgerald enterprise. (Fitzgerald, Ga.) 1895-1912, 1910-09-13
ATLANTA LOAN SHARKS

That the ravages of the loan sharks
have been effectually curbed since
the agitation of a few months ago;
and not an arrest for debt is known
to have been made in the past two
months, and that the Workingman
is learning that in the Legal Aid
society he has a friend to protect
him from illegal claims is brought
out in the report of the society's
lawyers, made at a meeting of the
organization Friday in the officers,
of W. Woods White, pres ident of the
society
Atlantans will remember the cru
SADIE against the loan shark evil
waged before the grand jury a few
months ago. a campaign culmina ing
in indictments against dozens Of iO2n
AGENTS accused of lending money at
illegal rates and collecting claims by
illegal methods and thru alleged col
fusion with bailiffs and justices in
certain courts. The Le9ol Aid society
vas an Out9r0wth of that campaign,
tonned to g,vc pro :t;ol to TIL VIC
TINS Of the sharks to proVede for
hem free legal advice and defense,
and to assure tor them fair deal
when arrested or oppressed IN the
collection of debts. The report OF
The society'S lawyers shows what
coed work has already been accom-
plished.
CMMITTEES MN D.
At the meeting Friday afternoon
the society accepted its charter, ap-
pointed two committees and adopted
a resolution that the present grand
jury be urged to make careful in
vestigation Of abuses in certain JUS
tice of peace courts, as recommend
ed by the previous grand jury.
President White announced the ex-
ecutive committee as follows: Y. H
Kriegsha5er we: president, chair
imam; Nell R. Wilkinson, Edgar Wat
kins, Cam Dorsey, l. Schoen, Mr.
While.
The president next announced
the legal committee to be composed
of the following: Edgar Watkins,
chairman; Victor L. Smith, Cam D.
Dorsey, Phillip Aston, W. D. Ellis.
In the report of Charles B. Shell
ton, of the legal firm of Ogburn,
Dorsey & Shelton, caunsel for the
society, number of facts were
brought out which showed the good
work the organization has accom-
plished. Instances were given of
relief furnished men haraSsed by
loan sharks and the bailiffS and
cases won in the courts. 1t was
shown that while no arrests have
been made of debtors following the
work of of the grand jury, that the
men VINO testified before the grand
jury have been prosecuted by loan
agents in many ways their salaries
held up by assignment and other
steps and the men submitted to var
iuos annoyances and persecution.
Until within a few months ago
it was almost daily occurrence for
men to be arrested, sometimes plac-
ed in Jail, and not infrequently sent
to the chaingang or penitentiary, al
though they had committed no crime
had violated no criminal statute,
but whose only offenSe was that they
had borrowed money and failed to
pay it back a maturity" says the
report. Il am conservative when |
sap that up until few months ago
hardly a day passed in the city of
Atlanta without one or more such
arrests being made. Such condi-
tons do not now exist. The Allan
ia Legal Aid society and the men
who are back of it have already
abolished the criminal Wrrrant as
means of collecting the debt of the
loan shark. | do not know of sin
gle arrest which has been made
within the last two months. For
the first time in years the provision
of the constitution forbidding i'm
-.-:ooonooo+ Cor 1aht &c boipd pnforo-