Lexington dispatch-news. [volume] (Lexington, S.C.) 1917-1919, 1918-05-29
SHOP MEN URGE BEN
ABNEY'S REMOVAL
W. State Nav "a.

wav shops yesterday duplicated the
action of the City Federation of Trad
es the previous night in urging W G.
McAdoo, director general of rail-
roads, to have B L Abney ousted from
the office of chief counsel of the
Southern Railway in Columbia The
dissatisfaction has been brought about
by Mr. Abney's refusal to subscribe to
the Red Cross in the present cam
paign The following is the telegram
sent to Mr. McAdoo last night by the
Shop Federation of Employees, com
prising about $50 workmen:
"Columbia, S C May 23, 1918
"Hon W G McAdoo,
"Director General of Railroads,
Washington, D c
"We regard the expression of b
L Abney, chief counsel of the South
ern Railway in Columbia, as unpatrl
otic, and will not be satisfied until he
is removed from the service of the
Southern Railway. Hope, all such
who make such remarks will be dealt
with to full extent of United States
law.
E R Fetner,
"secretary Shop Federation Of En-
ployees"
The following report of the speech
by F H McMaster at the Pastime The
atre Tuesday night appeared in The
Columbia Record Wednesday after
noon:
considerable interest has been man.
ifested in Columbia on account of al
talk made at the Pastime Theater
Tuesday night by FitzHugh McMas-
ter, president of the Columbia Chap
ter of the American Red Cross Socie-
tv. AS one of the -four minute
speakers Mr.. McMaster appeared at
the Pastime and this is substantially
what he said:
"That Lieut.. John David had given
his young life to the cause Of human
ity, that young Hemphill of Chester
had done his full duty and sacrificed
his life; that young Montgomery,
that fine fellow from Spartanburg,
had been lost to those who were near
and dear to him; that others had done
the same, and that even McCallum,
colored man that he was, had sacri-
fled his life to protect US, and yet
there were men in this community.
men who had made their fortunes
here, who had refused to give cent
to the Red Cross.
'That kind of man, if he could af-
ford to give ought to be despised;
that there was one man in Columbia
who ought to be despised by every
body and that his name was Benz. L.
.Abney. When the committee went
to see Mr.. Abney, he told them, "Not
damn cent for the Red Cross"
mark you, mot damn cent"
"He ought to be run out of Colum-
bia," said Mr.. McMaster. 'He ought
to be run out of the great Southern
Railway that be represents. Column
bia is no place for man who says,
''Not damn cent for the Red Cross
and is able to give"
Abney Makes Statement.
The Charleston American yesterday
carried the following statement from
Mr.. Abney in part:
Mr.. Abney said that, of course. he
was not going to undertake to pass
beyond the conduct of gentleman
of his profession and of his age, nor
the dignity owing to his station in life
However, he would now say, inasmuch
as Mr.. McMaster had admitted the
correctness of the report of the re-
marks attributed to him, that these
remarks appeared to be so ridiculous
and foolish, when examined in the
light of reason, that he could not at
tribute them to anything but to a
devot- to some malign interest or
secret influence governing and prom
pting their suggestion, or to an over
wrought, foolish and fanatical mind.
Which of these causes they may
be attributed to, or could be attributed
to-" said Mr.. Abney. II do not care at
present to say but l may later as
certain whether the man is mentally
responsible or corruptly stimulated in
making such charge against one who
from Mr.. McMaster's very youth, has