Atlanta Georgian. [volume] (Atlanta, Ga.) 1912-1939, 1913-10-21
TOkEEP
POLICE OUT
Of STRIKE:
Workers Threaten Trouble for
Cotton Mill for Violation of
'Sweatshop" Law.

An appeal from committee of the
striking employees of the Fulton Bag
and Cotton Mills for relief from al
legged intimidation by the city police
to Mayor James G. Woodward Tues
day afternoon resulted in a promise
from the Mayor that he would take
the matter up at the special meeting
of the Police Commission Tuesday
night.
Unless you ars disturbing the
peace or resorting to violence the po-
lice have no right to interfere with
YOU said Mayor Woodward. Il
don't think there will be any further
cause for complaint against the
police"
j. W. Flynn, a weaver, was the
spokesman for the delegation. L. c.
Cotton and Allen Floyd were with
him. Down on Forsyth street a large
crowd of the strikers awaited to hear
the attitude of Mayor Woodward.
Flynn Talks With the Mayor.
Flynn told the Mayor that the
strike was based on general griev-
ances brougkt to an acute stage Sat
urday by the discharge of an en-
ployee.
For one thing, the water in the
factory has been too warm to drink
since October 1, when the mill quit
giving us ice water" he said. THE
pipes run all around through the mill
and the water becomes heated A
complaint was made to the author
tiles for better water, There was no
areply to it.
For quite a while the mill has had
system of holding back five days
pay. A notice was posted the other
day stating that so hours pay would
be held back hereafter. They re-
quire the employees to give five days
notice when they are going to quit,
else they won't get this back pay.
In the weaving department the
normal wage. by the piece, amounts
to about S1.75. When an employee is
sick a day $2.05 is deducted from
the normal wage for the week But
The person who takes the place of the
regular employee gets only S1.25 a
day. That gives the mill a net profit
Of so cents on every day that a reg
ular weaver Is ILL
From this source and the back
pay system the mill reaps thousands
OF dollars of profit every year.
Public Meeting Held.
When the men were put out OF the
mill Monday they were doing nothing
more than insisting that they be Civ
on their back pay. Every one Of them
thought they had a legal right to this
money. Then the city police came
IN and it looked like intimidation.
Tuesday morning Chief Beavers
and quad of policemen rode through
the village.
? "A pubic meeting was held to dis
cuss the matter Monday afternoon.
H. j. Wood lead a prayer for the
cause He was arrested Tuesday and
taken to the police station.
A committee went by there Tues
"aN afternoon and asked the cause OF
MS arrest. The police stated that
lhey had been requested to arrest
"m' but that they had no charge
against him. He was released"
estimates as to the number of men
now on strike differed widely. Ac-
'orolng to the mill heads not more
man 100 are out. The strikers es-
innate placed the figure around 1000
"Hlch is believed to be a great exag-
seration. About 100 gathered at the
City Hall.
oscar Elsas said to The Georgian
Wednesday afternoon that the trouble
was not as serious as had been paint
GU Oy the men on strike. He declared
mat many had returned since yes
e'aay and that at the most, not more
"'ah 100 employees were out.
MI Elsas said a committee of four
ahu waited on him in the morning
N VIA renewal of the demand that
M employee who had been discharged
al an assault on an assistant SUI
be reinstated
Y ne cotton mill head declared en-
"A tgiol''alIy that no other deman Is
III M, made and asserted that the
hag governing the payment OF wages
oeeh In effect for many years.