Historical Newspapers of South Carolina

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. ' . ,:.;..-... ? Abbeville Press and Banner TtVi?? ABBEVILLE, S. C., WEDNESDAY. MAY 19 1915^ ESTABLISHED v 1 844 Germany J Inhumar FULL TEXTOF AMERICAN HE Statement of International Rights and Obligations. The United States Government lias cabled to Germany a note calling attention to the grave situation brought about by the violation of American rights on the high seas, culminating in the sinking of the Lusitania with the loss of more than a hundred lives of American citizens. The following is a full text of the note:? "Department of State, Washington, May 13, 1915. "The Secretary of State to the American Ambassador at Berlin: "Please call on the minister of foreign affairs and after reading to him this communication leave with him a copy. ' ? "In view of recent acts of the Ger man authorities in violation of American rights on the high seas which culminated in the torpedoing and sinking of the British steamship Lusitania on May 7, 1915, by which over 100 American citizens lost their lives, it is clearly wise and desirable that the government of the United States and the imperial Gex-man gov ernmeni snouia come to a cier.r ana full understanding as to th<> grave situation which has result? i. Other Incidents. "The sinking of the Br;i:.?h passenger steamer Falaba by a German submarine on March 28, through which Leon C. Thresher, an American citizen, was drowned; the attack on April 28 on the American veisei Cushing by a Germai aeroplane, the torpedoing on Ma/ 1 of the American vessel Gulflight by a G> r ^ man submarine, as a resulc of which two or more American citizens met their death; and, finally the torpoi'oing and sinking of the steamship Lusitania, constitute a series >? events which the government of tile United States has observed wtv. growing concern, distress and amazement. "Recalling the humane and enlight ened attitude hitherto assumed by the imperial German government in matters of international right, and particularly with regard to the freedom of the seas; having learned to recognize the German views and the German influence on the field of international obligation as always engaged upon the side of justice and humanity; and having understood the instruction of the imperial German government to its naval commanders to be upon the same plane of humane action prescribed by the naval codes of other nations, the _ government of the United States was loath to believe?it can not now bring itself to believe?that these acts, so absolutely contrary to the rules, the practices and the spirit of modern warfare, could have the countenance or sanction of that great government. To Speak Frankly. "It feels it to be its duty, there fore, to address the imperial German government concerning them with the utmosst frankness and in the earnest hope that it is not mistaken in expecting action on the part of the imperial German government which will correct the unfortunate impressions which have been created and vindicate once more the position of that government with regard to the sacred freedom of the seas, v ^ "The government of the United States has been apprised that the impeiial German government considered themselves to be obliged by Must Drop le Methods the extraordinary circumstances of the present war and the measures adopted by their adversaries in seeking to cut Germany off from all com merce, to adopt such methods of retaliation which go much beyond the , ordinary methods of warfare at sea, in the proclamation of a war zone from which they have warned neutral ships to keep away. This government has already taken occasion to inform the imperial German government that it can not admit the adoption of such measures or such a warning of danger to operate as in any degree an abrogation of the rights of American shipmasters or of American citizens bound on lawful errands as passengers on merchant !ships of belligerent nationality; and , mai n must noia ine imperial uer;man government to a strict accountability for any infringement of these rights, intentional or incidental. Rights Not Questioned. "It does not understand the imperial German government to question those rights. It assumes, on the contrary, that the imperial German government accept, as of course, the rule that the lives of noncombatants, whether they be of neutral citizenship or citizens of one of the nations at war can not lawfully or | rightfully be put in jeopardy by the (capture or destruction of an unarm ea mercnaniman, ana recognize also, as all other nations do, the obligation to take the usual precaution of visit and search to ascertain whether a suspected merchantman is in fact of belligerent nationality or is in fact carrying contraband of war under a neutral flag. I "The government of the United States, therefore, desire to call the attention of the imperial German | government with the utmost earnest j ness to the fact that the objecton to their present method of attack against the trade of their enemies lies in the practical impossibility of employing submarines in the destruction of commerce without disregarding those rules of fairness, reason, justice and humanity which all modern opinion regards as im, perative. Can Not Observe Rules. "It is practically impossible for 1 the officers of a submarine to visit a merchantman at sea and examine her papers and cargo.- It is practically impossible for them to make a i ?> < ' I pi i//c ui nerj ana n tney can not ! put a prize crew on board of her | they can not sink her without leavi ing her crew and all on board of her j to the mercy of the sea in her small ; boats. These facts, it is understood, the imperial German government | frankly admits. We are informed | that in the instances of which we i have spoken time enough for even j that poor measure of safety was not given, and in at least two of the cases cited not so much as a warning was received. Manifestly submarines can not be used against merj chantmen, as the last few weeks! 1 have shown, without an inevitable ! violation of many sacred principles of justice and humanity. "American citizens act within their indisputable rights in taking their ships and in traveling wherever their legitimate business calls them upon the hijrh seas, and exercise i those rights in what should be, the | well justified confidence that their j lives will not be endangered by acts i done in clear violation of universally I acknowledged international obliga| tions and certainly in the confidence j that their own jrovernment will susI tain them in the exercise of their I rights. The Warning Advertisement "There was recently published in | the newspapers of the United States, i I regret to inform the imperial German government, a formal warning, j purporting to come from the imperI ial German embassy at Washington, addressed to the people of the UnI ited States, and stating, in effect, j CONTINUED ON PAGE SEVEN ABBEVILLE COUNTY " HAS NO ROAD TAX: s [ Thomas H. Peeples, attorney gen- t eral, in an opinion, given Comptrol- A ler General Sawyer Thursday, takes t the position, as no provision is made in the statutes, that the comptroller general has no authority of law to ( instruct auditor of Abbeville county to impose a road tax, or to instruct treasurer of the same county "to Impose a penalty and collect any tax j from delinquent road taxpayer? i X from last year." Both the comptroller genera! and the attorney general have scrutini- r zed the statutes and no provision i:-; ^ made for a road tax in Abbevilk y county. J The opinion in part says: v "I will say that under date of j. April 30, 1915, in response to your t request at that time, the assistant attorney general stated he had made j. a careful examination of the code of 1912 and the Acts of the General .. Assembly since that time, with the exception of the Acts of 1915, which v had not been printed, and he could find no statute fixing the amount of r the commutation tax or the number ( of days of road work to be perform- ^ ed in lieu of the tax in Abbeville Cfiiintu "There being no statute author- !{j izing the levying and collecting of , any such tax, I know of no authority of law that you have to instruct (1 the county auditor to impose such , tax or to instruct the county treasurer to impose a penalty and collect any tax from delinquent road tax- , payers from last year." j THEPENNALWILL i CONTEST ENDED: i The Probate Court finished the * taking of the testimony in the matter 1 of the last will and testsament of A W. H. Pennal, deceased. The case ^ was commenced some time ago, but ^ has been continued from time to I time until yesterday when it was 2 ended. ( Soon after the death of Mr. Pen- ' nal, his cousin R. H. Wideman pro- ' duced a paper purporting to be the ' last will and testament of W. H. Pennal, in the Probate for this County, asking that the same be admitted 1 to probate in common form. His brothers and the other kindred of ^ Mr. Pennal then filed a petition J asking- that the will be nrnverl in c due form of law. The hearing was 1 upon a petition filed for this purpose, the contestants claiming that the paper propounded as the will was a forgery. After hearing the testimony and arguments, Judge Miller rendered a decree holding that the will is not the true last will and testament of W. H. Pennal and set the same aside. The estate will now be divided among the kindred according to the Statute of Distributions. SOLICITOR COOPER TO JPEAK Distinguished Citizen of Laurens to Visit Abbeville Next Sunday. The Hon. R. A. Cooper, solicitor of the eighth judicial circuit, will speak in the Baptist church next J Sunday afternoon at live o'clock. Mr. Cooper is so well and favorably known in Abbeville county that no words of commendation are needed. It is only necessary to state ^ that he will appear to insure the at- 1 tendance of a large concourse of t people. Mr. Cooper is visiting Ah- ^ beville as one of a number of distin- ( guished laymen who have been se- * cured to make addresses on religio- '< civic topics in the Baptist church 1 this spring. 1 General News Dr. P. H. E. Sloan, Secretary and treasurer of Clemson College, died tuddenly Saturday morning while litting in his chair. Dr. Sloan has >een connected with Clemson since ;he college was organized and was veil known and beloved by many oi ;he young men of the state. Columbia Seminary is soon tc srect two new buildings, a chapel md library, which will bear the lames of Woodrow and Wilson, comnemorating the names of Dr. Joseph I. Wilson and James Woodrow, the 'ather and ancle of the President. Former Presdent Taft, in a speech nade in Cleveland, Ohio, before the World's Court Congress, outlined lis plan for the establishment of a eague of peace and arbitral court vith the object of settling by arbiration differences betwen the naions of the world and preventing urther wars. Such league should nclude all the great nations, Mr. ["aft explained, with an agreement hat should any signatory power be:in war against another member without first submitting its grievince to the court all the other siglatories would be bound to join in a 'forcible defense of the member hus prematurely attacked." The county municipal street cai ystem of London, is tied up on ac mint, nf a striWp t.hp pmnlnvpps Hp. nanding an increase of fifteen pei :ent, war bonus. Only forty cars >ut of fifteen hundred are running. Speaker James A. Hoyt has oriered an election in Sumter countj 'or July 30th to fill the vacancj :aused by the resignation of Dr George W. Dick. An election wil! ilso be held in Spartanburg to fili he vacancy caused by the appoint nent of W. G. Querry as state ta> ommissioner. A committee of mercy has beer ormed in America for the relief oJ he people in Poland who are starvng, as a result of the adversities oJ var. This committee has Hon Slihu Root as President, Charles W Elliott as si Vice President and othei jeople of prominence. Robert Cro :ier, commissioner, reported tha1 )ver three million people are starv ng in this district and many death: lave resulted from fever and chol ira. Mr. David B. Traxler has beer ippointed post master at Greenville thereby ending the violent campaigr for the place. Mr. Traxler is i son of one of the first dispensary commissioners of the state and for nerly lived at Timmonsville. The big naval parade going on ir \*ew York this week is to be one o: :he most spectacular in the history >f the country. President Wilsor las gone on in the vatch. Mavflower ind will be received with all the hon irs due the president. There wil je four submarines in the parade. The American Commission of Re ief for the Belgians will have ex pended over $65,000,000 dollars bj :he first of August, in providing fooc stuffs to the Belgian people. This relief commission has restored th< iredit of the country and has kepi ;he price of bread lower than th< orice in London. The report say: ;hat the profit on this; bread by th< "irst of August will have reached 6C ocv cent of as much as the "benevo ences of the world." A Distinguished Speaker. Dr. H. II. Harms, of Newberry, President of the Lutheran College .vill make the address before the graduating class of the Abbeville :Iigh School, Monday night; in the >pera house. Dr. Harms is one of ;he most gifted speakers in the state md our people are looking forward :o having the pleasure of hearing nim. Latest W I I s GERMAN ARTILLERY WIPED . OUT OWN MEN ; German Troop* Trying to Surrender Were Caught By Own Fire. London, May 17.? Field Marshal > Sir John French, commander-in-chief ] [ of the British expeditionary forces in , France, today sent a report under . date of May 17 to the war depart- , t ment here as follows: j , "The first army has gained further ] successes south of RichebourgL'Avoue and all the German trenches , l on a front of two miles were cap- 1 , tured. [ "This morning several bodies of j t Germans surrendered voluntarily to - our troops, who continue to fight ] with great gallantry aAd determina- ( tion. One of these bodies, while try. ing to surrender, was caught by Geri man artillery fire and practically an- ( nihilated. "The exact number of prisoners has not yet been ascertained, but ' . 550 have been cleared to the lines of communication." J AUSTRIANS DRAWING I1 CLOSER TO LEMBERG. 1 Further Advances in Galicia An- 1 nounced Officially at Vienna. I Vienna, May 17.? (via London)~ . A further Austrian advance in Gali- ! . cia is announced in an official statement issued here today. The Austrians have captured Drohobycz, in central Galicia, about 40 miles southr west of Lemberg. j The statement follows: "Compared with the last fortI night's obstinate fighting, yesterday L passed generally without material events along the entire front. Our : armies gained further ground. "Austria columns advanced to ward the upper Dniester ana occul pied Drohobycz, capturing 550 men f and eight machine guns. f BRITISH OFFENSIVE HAS FOR-' CED GERMANS BACK FOR ; TWO MILES. Vienna Reports Sunday Passed With But Little Activity. 5 London, May 17.?Field Marshal Sir John French in a message tonight informed the British people that their troops again had taken the offensive after a fortnight spent in ' hurling back German attacks and had swept across and captured all German trenches south of Richer bourg-L'Avoue over a two mile front. This movement, which has resulted in the capture of numerous prisonx ers, is still under way and gives indiP cation of being as important in the matter of territory won as was the . recent French advance. Elsewhere along the western battle front a lull ) prevails. [ In the east Vienna r^p-?rts that Sunday passed with little activity. This is considered here as possibly indicating that the Russians have reached a point where they are able to re-establish their line. The Austri&hs, however, assert that their army still advances. A homeward bound Zeppelin, re ? turning from a raid on England, was attacked today as it reached the Bel[ gian coast. The big gas bag is re- ' ' ported to have been damaged, but the J fate of the aircraft was not learned as it drifted away in the fog out of sight of the attackers. The strain of waiting for definite !1 news of Italy's intentions with re- ' gard to the war has been relieved somewhat by statement that 1 nothing further is to be done until I parliament meets Thursday. Mean time special trains are reported to be ' in readiness to take the German and ' Austrian ambassadors out of the ' - country. The German press is gloomy : over the situation. Paris, May 17.?The official com' munication issued by the French > war office tonight announces the capture by the British troops of several ; rar News The Civic Club. The Civic Club held its regular meeting at the home of Mrs. W. P. Greene last Thursday afternoon. There was a good attendance of the members and all listened with interest to the report of the club's delegate, Mrs. J. C. Hill, to the State Federation at Bennettsville. Mrs. Hill was most pleasantly entertained and brought home such news of the meeting as would be inspiring to the members at home. The regular election of officers was held and resulted in the re-election of all the old officers who are: Mrs. W. P. Greene, Pres; Mrs. E. C. Horton and Mrs. J. L. McMillan, Vice-Presidents; Mrs. C. H. McMurray, Secretary, and Mrs. M. C. Owens, Treasurer. After the business of the afternoon, strawberry ice cream was 3erved. Frank L. Morrow Visit* Hit Home People. Frank L. Morrow, of Walterboro, was in Abbeville last week visiting his sisters, Mrs. S. C. Seal and Mrs. W. E. Owen. Mr. Morrow is another Abbeville boy who has mad^good. He has been in the newspaper business for several years and knows the business all the way. At present he is with the Press and Standard, of Walterboro, of which he has been editor for several months. The Press and Standard is the only county paper in Colleton county, and Mr. Morrow has been making a most readable paper out of it. He has given no person any reason for establishing another paper in that county, because he gives all the news to his readers. The Clean Up. The clean up week is over in Abbeville and the Council is making every effort to haul off the trash. There being only one wagon this is slow work. Every body cleaned up at the request of the Board of Health and now we hope the Board will get in behind the council ac "i mal e thorn nf fho tin mn the lower end of Bowie street. There ) are enough tin cans in the gullets on that street to make a billion mosquitoes and many cases of typhoid fever. Last year the little McClane boy was a victim of fever and he lived next door to the "dump." College of Charleston. Invitations have been received in Abbeville to the commencement exercises of the College of Charleston. The invitations are handsomely gotten up and contain two names of es pecial interest to Abbeville people. Robert Coleman and Alex Dick will finish this year. Both young men stand well in the college and have had many honors conferred on locm by their classes, the college ard their friends. Robert Coleman has been a tutor in Mathematics for the past year. Strawberries. Strawberries have been very plentiful in Abbeville this season, and as always have been very delightful bo the taste. The berries are selling now for two quarts for a quarter. Mr. John Duncan was in town several days ago and brought with him forty quarts and then said he had only gone over half of his bed. Mrs. George White gathered a bushel from her bed on Friday, while Mrs. Oscar Cochran has sold eighteen dollars worth of berries from i bed of six rows. additional German trenches to the north of LeBasse, together with a thousand prisoners. In an engagement at Ville-SurTourbe the French took 400 prisoners and in an attack at the Ailley Woods carried several German works and captured 40G prisoners.