The Washington herald., 1917-02-17
Interesting Chats
From Hotel Lobbies

Frank Brooks, a travelling salesman
from Atlanta, was at the Ebbitt House
yesterday and told Herald man about
the great growth Of his city.
''One Of the best things that ever han
pened to Atlanta" said Mr. Brooks yes
terday. was when We elected Asa Cand-
Ter mayor Of the town. He is the owner
OF the Coca-Cola Company. and worth
probably $50, 100000. He is greatly inter-
ested in clean government We elected
him mayor last fall and we expect At
lanta to have the best government it has
ever had. Mr.. Gambler recently built in
Atlanta the largest cotton warehouse in
the world, and it is simply a storage
warehouse to which Georgia farmers can
ship their cotton and hold it until they
want to sell The storage and insurance
charges are very small and it is a won
derful thing for the farmers"
Mr.. Brooks said two of the things the
people of Georgia are trying to do Is to
Ahave real compulsory education and to
wipe out Iynching.
Most of the mobs who lynch negroes
,in our States" said Mr.. Brooks, "are
imsde up of the idle and riff-raff. They
come into industrial competition with
the negroes and hate them in many cases
so that at every opportunity they try to
cruelty them. Public sentiment has been
aroused. partly because of the great
movement Of negroes to the north, and
il isn't likely that there will be many
more lynchings in Georgia. In all cases
the negroes look to the better class of
white people, the former slave owners,
for protection and for help. Lawyers
who have negro clients always try to get
a jury Of former slave owners.
so many Of our people mostly back
woods people, have the idea that COM
pulsory education is an invasion Of their
home, and they would fight with guns to
deny education to their children. The
Ideas OF these people are slowly chang
Ing. and it will be only few years until
the white people of Georgia support COM
pulsory education as much as is done in
the North now"
Harry Petersen. a merchant of Dayton
Ohio, was at the Raleigh yesterday, and
. talking about Ohio.
I'VE are going to have woman suffrage
in Ohio in a short time" said Mr.. Peter
Lsen. The State senate has already ap-
proved a bill to allow women to vote for
President. and it Is highly probable that
the bill will be signed by the governor
Suffrage sentiment has been very strong
in Ohio and most Of the best newspapers
are supporting it,
Mr.. Petersen thinks suffrage will mean
prohibition for Ohio
I'VE have had several prohibition cleo
tions in Ohio, but the vets have won
every time. largely because of the votes
Of Cincinnati and Cleveland. Cincinnati.
OF course. is about the wettest town in
the country, and the last to vote dry, but
the country districts are very dry. More
than half of the counties of the State are
entirely dry now, and II the women get
the vote on State issues they will GER
tainly vote the entire State dry"
Dayton has entirely recovered from the
great flood that inundated it in 1913, ac-
cording to Mr.. Petersen, and is greater
city than ever.
I'VE have some of the largest manu-
featuring plants in the world; they are
all going at top speed. and Dayton is
more prosperous than ever before" he
faid. The National Cash Register Com
pany Is growing larger every year and
other plants are also growing by leaps
and bounds"