Between the first and the thirty-first of December 1910, the Atlanta Georgia and news magazine provided readers with information on a variety of topics, including politics, economic reports, social issues, legal issues, and advertisements for different businesses' goods. By going above and beyond to generate awareness and funds for the less fortunate members of the community to ensure they enjoy the Christmas holiday like others, the magazine significantly contributed to being the mirror of society. The following is a discussion of some of the important topics covered in the magazine during this time. The 3rd December 1910 paper informed on the defeat of Senator Beveridge to Roosevelt after convincing the whole of the Indiana citizens to back Democrats. On sixth December, both the houses were to discuss the president’s message which was to be read by a clerk. Majority of the Congress members as expected did not to pay attention when the letter is read like a copy of the president’s message will be issued to them, then they confine to their office and peruse on what the president had to say. New members were also sworn in as Senator Martin of Virginia presented the credentials of Senator Swanson and credentials of Senator Terrell of Georgia and Senator Young of Iowa were submitted by Senators Bacon and Cummins respectively. The new senators took oath read by Vice President Sherman and subscribed to the Senate register.
Democratic leaders in Congress would soon consider revising the rules of the present congress with the intention of submitting their work to the sixty-second congress. The move was made only to relieve the new house of the tasks and to facilitate early agreement so that the Democrats may clear the decks for a reduction of the tariff immediately the sixty-second congress summons.
President Taft presented individuals to be considered for appointment as associate justice judges and chief justice. Out of the 400 names given to the president, only eight are now considered who include Associate Justice Hughes of New York who is conceded as the president’s choice for chief justice. Others include Judge Gordon Russell of Texas, Judge Joseph R. Lamar of Georgia among others. Monday 12th magazine reports that President Taft appoints Joseph R. Lamar to Supreme Court as the Chief Justice honoring the southerners. On the 14th December newspaper, Judge Baldwin declined to confirm if he would attend chamber of commerce bouquet on which it was rumored that the ex-president Theodore Roosevelt was to be the guest. The ex-president was alleged to have attacked the judge during re-election.
15th December paper echoes that Ex-president Theodore Roosevelt gives a public address to students at Harvard University at the new lecture hall and advice the students to get into politics. On the same page, reports of the death of Philadelphia Congressman Joel Cook are outlined. He succumbs to the stroke of apoplexy which he suffered the previous Saturday; he was sixty-six years old. On 17th the senate committee on privileges and elections held a meeting on this day with the aim of considering what report to present to the Senate on the charges against Senator Lorimer of Illinois. The subcommittee which conducted the investigation completely and unanimously cleared the Illinois senator. On the same date, a complete census for the United States and Georgia was given out. Georgia now had a population of 2,609,121 leading all of the states of the southeastern portion of the United States. Discussions started instantly on whether Georgia will have one or two more representatives in the Congress, whether one county will have a broader representation in the lower house of Georgia than another and if the senatorial districts will have to be changed to cater for this increased population.
On 19th December politics, fights to justify Senator Lorimer begins in the Senate. Senator Beveridge who is among the committee of privileges and elections made its report to the central court. Though the story is secret, it is well known that it gives Lorimer a clean bill of health. On 26th after Christmas, President Taft was expected to shake up his cabinet coming March according to Washington dispatch printed in the New York Press on this day. Those slotted to be removed; Secretary of the Interior Ballinger, secretary of the Treasury MacVeagh, secretary of state Knox, secretary of agriculture Wilson among other with some of the likely successors being outlined too. On 28th progressive Republican senator insists on a thorough probe of the election scandal in which Senator Lorimer is involved. Senator Cummins goes ahead to designate that he would take part in the investigation and asserts that if senator Lorimer is found guilty, they will ensure that senator Lorimer vacates that seat.
Economic
On 6th December paper, the Atlanta Speedway was faced in a quagmire on whether to continue automobile racing or plant melons there. The answer was left to the people of Atlanta, and a committee was formed to discuss on that issue. The 8th December magazine tables the finance committee of Board of Education recommendations for a new scale of pay for city teachers. The Atlanta teachers receiving the least amount of salary will start earning $7.50 per month, and the Board urged the council to make the changes immediately. On the same paper, the South’s insurance representatives gathered in Piedmont hotel to form the Southern Conference of Insurance Companies. This new company is meant to fill the same place in the southern market that the Detroit Conference fills in the north.
On 9th paper records according to a statement prepared by clerks of the senate and house appropriation committee, the talks about the economy was underway on the administration part concerning the next year fiscal estimates. It was found out that the increase in ratings for 1912 over the forecast for 1911 exceeds $21,000,000. On 13th December, the magazine informed that Georgian poultry show was about to take place in the next year January was to bring the most elegant birds in Georgian. This was due to the improvement of poultry breeds in Atlanta. On 20th December, the state department of agriculture issued a statement showing that the Georgia agricultural crop has increased over the previous year by $2, 310,000 which includes vegetables and fruits.
On 23rd big companies begin giving millions of money to its employees as Christmas bonuses. The United States Steel Corporation offers gifts amounting to $2,750,000 which was an excess of what it proposed last year by $700,000. The International Harvester Company spent $500,000 to its workers while the Standard Oil Company announced a general salary increment ranging from a dollar a month for office assistants up to $100 a month for those earning large amounts of salaries. Most banks such as the First National bank, the Bank of Commerce maintained their old scale of bonuses and a number of it was issued on this day to the workers. On 26th Board recommends raise of 32 police officers’ salaries. If the recommendations are adopted, captains and other employees now receiving $110 a month will receive $125, and sergeants and detectives will earn $100 instead of $85 a month.
Advertisements
The December third paper recorded that the cotton millers preferred to buy lump sum amounts of cotton bales to safeguard on the unpredictability of the prices of the cotton bales the following year. According to the paper, the processed cotton prices had risen from $14.97 in January, $15.25 in March, $15.40 for every pound in may this tend generated so much profit for the millers. On the other hand, the purchasing prices for cotton bales had declined from $14.75 in January to $14.17 in may per pound and eventually rose to $14.72 in December. The effect brought uncertainties on the future purchasing prices of the cotton crop from the farmers hence led to purchase of large amounts of the produce.
According to the paper, the Chicago grain market was accompanied by varying prices of different grains. The wheat prices were lower by around 2/3 percent than the previous day whereby the commission firms were at the led in sales. In Liverpool, the wheat prices rose to ¾ dollar from ½ dollar in the last day. Corn prices remained steady and firm through the sales were low at the beginning of the day while the trading intensified in the day. Oats prices were constant at the beginning of the day through its deal was restricted. The grains prices rose steadily in the day. According to Oklahoma report, wheat prices closed at its highest. In Liverpool, all grains prices settled at their highest rates whereby the oats prices were higher relative to other grains due to the low supply during December. The pork led to the purchases in the Liverpool market.
From eighth December, the mood changed to a holiday one with even the newspaper giving a narration on Christmas on its first page. Holiday stocks adverts were so many which included Calendars and Christmas letters, pictures for Christmas, doll beds, Davenport and tables, solid old mesh bags, sterling silver mesh bags, gold lorgnettes, silver cigarette cases, silver card cases and shirtwaist rings. Silver belt buckles, enamel belt buckles, enamel collar pins, enamel hat pins, Bostonian great shoes for men and House and table decorations for a holiday and all were available at affordable prices.
Georgian advertising for free theater tickets by giving people invitations with an aim to let everybody know and appreciate the drawing power of Georgian Want Ads and can sell anything that is to sell, rent rooms, houses, and stores by finding buyers and tenants for all kinds of the property was aired almost every day. Similarly, the Georgian’s poultry show for the benefit of the Georgia poultry association seemed to be attracting a world of newspaper publicity all through the 26 states. The show which was to happen on January appeared in the majority of the Atlanta Georgian and news magazine.
Help fill the empty stocking advertisement was adamant in almost all the days preceding to the Christmas day. It was an initiative meant to fundraise money to be used to make Christmas a happy day for the hundreds of little orphans in and near Atlanta. On the twenty-fourth, nearly $550 is raised for the unfortunates under the empty stockings initiative, and the money is distributed on the previous Saturday morning. At 31st, Daniel Brothers Company advertises both male and female clothes for the New Year where full dress suit costs $40, and Tuxedo suits for men costs only $37.50.
Social life and others
On December third, 1910, the Georgian newspaper it informed that the census conducted on the year 1910 showed that the population of the southern cities had significantly increased according to the census bureau at Washington. New Orleans in the Los Angeles state-led with the most significant people of 339,075 persons followed by Atlanta in Georgian. Portsmouth city emerged the last according to the census with a population of 33,190 persons. The first class cities had the more extensive community compared to the southern towns whereby London city led with a population of 7,429,740 persons. The New York City followed with the people of 4,766,883 persons, and the Paris city came third. The Philadelphia had the smallest population of 1,549,009 persons. Concerning the December sixth magazine, Superintendent Carey’s proposal to turn the west side dumping site into a park was adopted. After the court decreed the west side dumping ground be superseded, there has been determined effort by the citizens and their representatives in council to make the land more productive.
On 7th December magazine, the success of girls’ night school campaign run for ten days was completed with success. Enough capital was raised which could make the school run for until the new city council can take steps in January to make it a part of the municipal school system. On 13th, the paper informed about the merchants Atlanta carnival celebrations whereby all the stores were left open and lit brilliantly by the streets light outside. The celebrations were expected to induce a ceremonial environment in the whole Atlanta. The next day’s paper informed about a Negro Bob Patman who was suspected of killing Valentine Dunaway. The black person was to be tried on the following Monday by Jude brand in the superior court of Clerke county. The paper also informed of the new volume of poems the Gates of Twilight authored by Henry E. Harman which was published by the Stone and Barringer Company.
On 15th the president of the center of Georgia railroad and the Ocean Steamship company Major John Fletcher death is reported. He dies at the age of 70 as a result of liver affection from which he had suffered spasmodically since August that year. On 19th the magazine recorded how people began deserting volcanic islands after an oceanic earthquakes killed about five hundred people in Salvador which caused the sinking of islands in the Ilopango lagoon near San Salvador. On 21st, the long-awaited shake-up in the presidency of the Illinois Central railroad finally happens when Charles H. Markham, president of the Gulf Refining Company of Pittsburg, was elected to replace James T. Haraham as the president of the road.
On 22nd, the paper recorded on the series of disasters which happened over that week with the latest being on Thursday where more than ten firemen lost their lives in stockyards at Chicago culminating to a loss of $1,000,000. On Wednesday fifteen policemen and firefighters are killed in leather warehouse blaze at Philadelphia. On the same day, two firemen are killed and seventeen injured is shoe factory fire at Cincinnati, over 300 miners are entombed and perish in Hulton colliery at Bolton in England and ten people die, and close to 100 are injured following a power house boiler explosion in New York. On 23rd, Chicago start raising money for families of firemen killed and an estimated half million dollars is expected to be built. On 24th paper, the newspaper announces that the University of Georgia and the State Normal school are closed for the Christmas holiday. The two schools have had a successful term with the attendance of both schools being above average.
One day to the end of the year, the police records showed that there was a significant decrease in cases of drunkenness by 843 as compared to the previous year. A material decline has been demonstrated in intoxication in every month of this year except one as compared with 1909. The Christmas drunks have run the total of the present December beyond the figure for the same month last year. The month ends on a sad note as Moisant; a daring aviator is killed by fall from the sky in Harahan. He was fatally injured when his airplane was dashed to the ground from a height of 300 feet, only ten miles from the city of Harahan and died a few minutes later while being taken to a hospital.
In conclusion, the Atlanta Georgia magazine reported some issues within that period. Some were repeated over and over to stress on their importance such as the fill the empty stocking advert. Most of the adverts seemed to be skewed toward holiday product given the Christmas and New Year eve was around the corner. Politics of the day were as well given similar attention in the magazine.
Reference
URL https://gahistoricnewspapers.galileo.usg.edu/lccn/sn89053728/1910-1-31/ed-1/seq-2/#
