Atlanta semi-weekly journal. (Atlanta, Ga.) 1898-1920, 1911-01-03

hut thew were seen TO break out eight
panes of glass. and the shattered glass
was there to tell fts own tale when
eot there next morning. The police
force waved me OF with lofty indiner-
ence and smiling blandly said, We can
do nothingr'--and so they didn't DO any
thing. / am taxed 10 the limit TO pay
for these uniformed policemen ana II
I get a SILVER of help or proft from the
force I wish somebody would point 1t
OUT TO me. Four OF these small houses
have not brought me enough 10 pay
their taxes In. 1910. and they have been
vacant the entire year because i could
not protect them, or rent them TO wor-
thv persons. Now. why should l. be
taxed so heavily TO pay the salaries ana
uniforms OF a squad OF men who never
do a blessed thing to protect my prop
erty7
Yesterday / read touching story or
the shooting OF a 14-yecr-old boy in At
lau.a. the .ce little youth sitting quiet
ly with some companions in a private
ward. without a single thought OF dan
ger. Somebody shot that orphan boy,
and he is dead!
mo clewr'-is the word that Is pass
ed around, but the police department
Of Atlanta should be raked as with a
ine tooth comb until somebody can be
found who will investigate that shoot
ing. and that somebody should be re-
warded with badge Of merit for MS
courage.
know exactly why i can get no.
hodv TO investigate the Iawlessness that
Is destroying my vacant houses, because
there are fully a dozen men ready to
get on the police force. with Its easy
time and good pay. and II the parents
OF these destructive children are made
10 answer they can vote agin him
but when It reaches place where nice.
decent little boys, cannot be protected
as to life in their own back yards the
time has come to raise racket-ano
answer my question, namely what do
we nav our police to do?" Our finely
dressed policemen watch the trains and
that Is something the railroad auth ori-
ties should be forced TO pay for, but the
average citizen has about as much at
tention from these uniformed gentlemen
OF leisure as a poor dog with a tin can
tied to It's tail.
Tired" is not the name for our dis
gust and dissatisfaction: and the time
viii come when the whole business will
be put on a real working basis. instead
Of our being taxed TO the limit with
nothing doing
For my part / am willing 70 make
a sort OF change that will take such
public ofices away from the tommy-rot
of municipal politics. This tommy-rot
pervades everything with strong suspi-
cion of graft.
In my opinion the most helpless and
worst treated people I know anything
about are the tax payers who are as
sessed on their property to the last inch
OF forbearance and who get absolutely
nothing for their money. have been
taxed on a valuation of $500 each on
these vacant cabins (and made vacant
bv the destructive tendencies OF bad
bows who have absolutely no homo
training) and yet have not been able
during the last IL months to coax a
policeman to look at the destruction
or hale these offenders before the prop
er auth critics.
That poor boy who was shot from
the outside in Atlanta in the midst OF
his happy conversation with his two
school mates will be buried out OF sight
because the average policeman is prin-
cipally concerned about keeping his pay
and his uniform. and on good terms
with well-to-do offenders, unless IL
might be a poor Niger shooting craps,
or some fellow who is in somebody's
way-and like Poor joe" made TO move
on.
I am too, old to start a crusade
against such public evils-but 80 years
from now the country will stare in
wonder and disgust at the forbearance
OF our present citizenship on the sub
jects herein discussed.