The Birmingham age-herald., 1920-07-06
GRAND JURY URGED ID O|NVEST|GATE
 SPECIAL CHARGES
Profiteering, Rent Increase, Rioting, Road Contracts,
 Fire Insurance and Bet
 ting Included In Charge

In lengthy charge given to the grand jury of Jefferson county, impaneled yesterday yesterday morning, Judge Will liam E. Fort urged a full inves- tigation of alleged profiteering
 on the part of the merchants of
 Birmingham; of the rioting
 caused by the attempt to lynch
 a negro two weeks ago; of the
 road contracts made by the l board of revenue; the alleged profiteering of landlords; the
 fire insurance rates, and
 charges of betting and unlaw- | full use of money in the recent 1 primary election.
 The personnel of the grand jury fol- l lows Robert F. Adams, precinct 21, I optician foreman; W. Edward Camp bell, precinct 15, farmer; William M. Richard, precinct 34, manager Estes ! Lumber Company; R. P. Cork, precinct 1 46, carpenter; J. L. Crumley, precinct 34, clerk; Andrew w. Flournoy. pre- 1 cinct 34, salesman; Pierce Graham, pre- l cinct 50, farmer; Thomas J. Dusen- I berry, precinct 21, manager City Tire and Top Company; William J. Harts-
 field. precinct 12. farmer; Lewis E. Key,
 precinct 9, clerk; F. A. Riddle, pre-
 cinct 21, manager Southern Add Com | pany; D. F. Smallwood precinct 21, | bookkeeper; James B. Sherrod, pre-
 cinct 45, timekeeper; H. c. Thompson, precinct 9. salesman; Charles E. John
 son, precinct 10, carpenter; John l..
 Stewart, precinct 46, division superin- | tendent; J. Horace Moore, precinct 52,
 clerk; Samuel J. Prince, precinct Az, | secretary.
 At the conclusion of the charge the grand jury retired and after sounding | the docket adjourned until 10 o'clock
 this morning, when investigation will
 be taken up.
 RIOTING SCORED
 Judge Fort charged the jury in part as follows: There are four special
 propositions which I desire to take up
 with you gentlemen. You are familiar with the recent serious attempt to
 lynch a negro in Birmingham, and l
 consider it of prime importance for you
 to investigate the matter.
 l Whenever a man from whatever
 motive sees fit to stir up his fellow
 man to riot to lynching or to mob
 violence, he is an enemy of society He
 is an enemy of yours. He is stand : ing out the dictator of public jus
 tice and IS long as we maintain free
 government we must use the machinery
 and the power of the law to protect even the humblest citizen against wrong.
 From what I can understand there was no foundation for the attempt
 made on this occasion to lynch this ne
 gro- If reports are true, he made
 apology for what he terms his acci- , dental act in brushing against white woman and knocking some bundles from her arm. It appears that he was followed by white man until crowd ed corner of the business district was !. reached where he was surrounded and ! with threats of violence forced into a defensive attitude. If the negro had not been so treated the affair would : not have happened.
 "Would it not have been better to have taken the ordinary course of ar resting the man and bringing him promptly before judicial tribunals l where the facts could be ascertained without excitement and where he might 7 receive what the constitution and laws 3 guarantee to every man in his rights
 by prompt investigation of the charge
 against him if he had violated the law l This county so far as I know has :. never had a lynching.
 Tn 1888 I believe it was there was an attempt to lynch a white man in this , county by the name of Hawes a no
 torious wife murderer who killed not
 only his wife. but his children. and threw them in the lake but the sheriff in this case took full measures of pre- venting the storming of the county jail and since that time we have not had : a recurrence of such an incident. The only approach to it was this of recent 3 date, and if we are to avoid this kind r of lawless acts in future. it well be- l hooves every one concerned in justice s to bring indictments promptly and tc !, see that examples are made that vii , reach by another thirty years in the : history of our great county.
 PROFITEERING
 "Another matter to which I desire tc s call your attention is the general feel ) ing that the prices of the necessities oi l life here are extortionat and that the ] average man has no protection against : those who sell. This matter di 7 rectly concerns the home. Al must have food, coal and clothine Tt is true that much of the high prices
 under which we suffer is the result ol Y war conditions. Much of it is the result of economic consideration which we can
 rot at this time thoroughly control, but f there seems to be no doubt that there hal { been an era of high prices which art : lnot wholly justified by conditions or by economic law. People look to their gov
 ernment to protect them. and if the gov.
 ernment does not protect them they have no recourse except criticism and denun- i citation of the government itself. | 'If the federal and the state govern ments will get behind those who would i kprofit at the expense of the many in this country then, my friends. it is a serious moment in the history of our common l country because when the government loses the confidence of the people, when ithev feel that there is no governmen, lagainst wrong doing. whether it be profit making or any other selfish action then we need to make some laws or to produce some machinery that will produce this re- | s,,,t at the earliest practical moment. RENT INCREASES
 .In this connection are complaints al (Continued on Page Fifteen)