The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1915-09-10
GEORGIA..
A Non-Hebraic Southerner Discusses
Her Pecullaritles.

TO THE EDITOR OF " SUN-SU' I
lived ten years In Augusta, Ca, and
know hat city as well as l know my
front yard. The letter published in TIKI
Sun of September 5 from Thomas j.
Hamilton of the augusta Herald about
the Frank case and Georeia's culture n
humanity and so on deserves n reply
from somebody who knows Georgia as
we'll as Ntr. Hamilton does.
After reading this reply Mr.. Hamil-
ton may assume that ! am "A Northerner
or a Jew. or something else that he con-
siders to be instinctively and naturally
hostile to Georgia. Nothing Of the kind,
I am a Southerner with six generations
OF Southern ancestors. among whom
there is not a single Jew.
Mr.. Hamilton says that Georgia with
all her troubles does not send young
girls to perdition through the white
slave route" I am one Of those who do
not take much stock In the hysterical
reports OF widespread white slavery In
vestigators. Some girls are bad and
some are not, and IL does not take much
Incentive to start a naturally bad girl
going wrong, no matter whether she
lives in Georgia or New York. But 80
far as Georgia and. particularly, Au-
gusta are concerned. ! am sorry that
I must take issue with Mr.. Hamilton.
The resorts In Augustus red light dis
trict are filled with mill girls who were
induced 10 enter the life through meth
DDS almost Identical with those en-
ployed by the white slavers Of New
York's East Side or which were en-
ployed before New York's white slav-
ers were sent to the ~penitentiary. .
II is we'll known in Augusta TO well
informed people hat tho population OF
these resorts Is recruited in this way.
Prostitution In augusta is ~rRanized
and wide open. as II Is In most Southern
cities. There Is not the smallest protest
on the part Of anybody there. The
newspapers In Augusta are too high
toned TO print anything but society
news with wordy descriptions of Mrs
So and Sos toilet, and the doinRs of
the Rotary Club. a local organization
for self praise.
Augustus pride Is her power canal
land her gigantic cotton mills. which line
It's river banks Her cotton factory oper-
tives. thousands OF them, live In houses
owned by the manufacturing companies
ana in conditions OF squalor and neglect
which would not be tolerated for a day
by the self-respecting workmen OF any
Northern city. There Is no child labor
restriction in Georgia to cmount TO any
thing. and the result is that hundreds
OF understood. poorly nourished and ig-
norant little children are working In
Augustus cotton mills.
In winter the children. a forlorn and
sleepy little army. start to work before
daybreak and come home after dark.
Only white people are employed in the
mills, and while the factory white chill
dren are stunting their bodies and grow
ing Up in ignorance the negro children
are out in Gods sunshine and going to
school. 1t is n positive fact that the
negroes are progressing faster in Au-
eusta than the poor whites. I can only
look with horror on this and the results
that are sure to come from II.
You can hardly imagine the poverty
and sodden misery OF the average fac
tory hands home. In this limited space
| will not attempt to describe Il, but
the Harrisburg factory hand Harris
burg Is the mill district OF Augusta) Is
the true white slave, though he is too
ignorant and illiterate to know Il.
Has the Augusta Herald ever written
of these conditions? Never. Why not?
The southern people have such an exag-
Rerated and false idea OF local patriot
ism that they cannot tolerate criticism
they are all blood relatives OF the house
keeper who swept the trash uNder the
bed and called the house clean. The
consequence Is that the Augusta Herald
pursues its innocuous and ruerile way,
Hll-u WIN patent WeOlClle advertise
ments and society fol de rolls. while the
greatest problems that confront the
American nation are staring 1t In the
face.
Mr.. Hamilton asserts that Georgia
does not have thugs and gunner tho
intimation being that Georgia Is far
holier than New York in it's considcra.
ton for human life. The figures do no,
hear him out. The last year for which
| have m homicide statistics IL 1912
In that year there were sixty-scver
murders In Atlanta I haven't the fig
ures for Augusta. That same year there
were PA murders in Greater Nv York
In New York there are 5000, 900 people
in Atlanta 10000. On the same homi.
eide ratio rs Atlanta New York should
have 2,2o0 murders a year instead OF
27a.
| have known men in Augusta who
would kill for money, gunner plain and
simple, one OF them was hanged a few
years ago for killing his wife. Several
years before this crime he told me that
he would kin a man for $50. and Offered
TO do It If l would produce the money
For years he went his criminal course
protected by n political pull. If Mr.
Hamilton will go to the neiehborhood o.
H!cks's Hall, a well known place In Au,
pusta. or send n reporter, and take
the trouble to get acquainted with thu
habltues OF the vicinity, he will soor
meet a well established ward heelel
who will introduce him to gunner whc
will beat. kill or steal for hire.
The trouble with Georgia, amons
other things. II that she thinks too lit
tie OF Mary Phagan alive and too mucl
OF Mary phagan dead, In the mill dis
trict Of Augusta Mr., Hamilton will fnc
whole battalions OF white faced. THU
and an%mic little girls working fol
wages which would be scorned In New
York. They are the Mary Ihhgans o
Augusta.
I and scores of Southerners In New
York condemn Georgia in the Franz
case because she convicted Leo Franz
on evidence that would not ':ang a dog
As a born Southerner l would neveI
have believed that any southern com
| munity could sink to such n level tina
I II would convict a white mai on tn,
virtually unsupported evidence OF {
5 negro criminal, liar and periurer,
Yet there are lots OF hne ard nobl,
t people in Georgia, hundreds OF thou
sands of them, men like Judge Henry c
Hammond of August But II they hsv,
raised a voice OF protest against Geor
gas plunge into barbar!sm II has s,
far failed to reach New York.
EDWIN w. WALKER.
NEW York, September ..