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Abbeville Press and Bailieil
$1.50 ABBEVILLE, S. C., WEDNESDAY, AUG. 25, 1915. established'
a year. ' ' '
- ? ; : ; .
TEXT OF NOTE
, SENT TO AUSTRIA
f -UNITED STATES DECLINES TO
PROHIBIT SALE OF AMMUNITION
AND GIVES' REASONS
Note Is Friendly
But Very Firm
Austria and Germany Reminded of
Having Sold War Materials to
Belligerent Nations.
*.
By The Associated Press.
Washington-, Aug. 16?The United
States, in its note to Austria-Hungary,
published today, firmly but politely
declines to accede to the re-y
quest of the Vienna government that
the exportation of arms to the allies
; .stop.
. The communication replies to the
recent Austrian protest that the
united states, oy permitting tue export
of arms to Austria's enemies,
was violating the spirit of neutrality.
The American note is a flat denial
of that contention and upholds the
right of the United States to export
munitions of war.
The position is justified by the recitation
that the international law
and the practice of nations are the
security of the United States and
other nations without large military
. or naval establishments.
The note reiterates the fact that.
f . Austria-Hungary and Germany sup *1
Pytifain
|;iiCU liiuiiitiuuo w uicau JLji. iiaiii uui-ing
th6 Boer war.
Text of the Note.
Washington, Aug. 16.?The State
v department last night made public
"its reply rejecting views advanced in
the recent Austrian note which con\
tended that exportation of war munitions
from America to Austria's
enemies was conducted on such a
: scale as to be" "not in consonance
with the definition of neutrality."
. Though friendly* in tone, the note
flatly denies the Austrian contentions
I J 11_ xl.i ?1 - a 1
. ana recalls mat uiat country ana
Germany furnished munitions to
. Great Britain during the Boer war
when England's enemies could not
import such supplies. It insists that
the American government is pursuing
a strictly neutral course and adher?
ing to a principle on which it would
depend for munitions in the world's
J markets in case it should be attacked
' by a foreign power.
"The principles of international
law," the communication concludes,
"the practice of nations, the national
safety of the United States and other
nations without great military and
naval establishments, the prevention
of increased armies and navies, vth6
-adoption of peaceful methods for the
adjustment of international differences,
and, finally, neutrality itself
are opposed to the prohibition by a
neutral nation of the exportation of
arms, ammunition, or other munitions
of war to belligerent powers,
during the progress of the war."
Pointing to a practical and substantial
reason why the United Statep
aside from the question of principle,
advocates and practices unrestricted
1 trade in military supplies, the note
declares:
"It has never been the policy of
this country to maintain in time of
peace a large military establishment
sufficient to repel invasion by a wellequipped
and powerful enemy. It
I has desired to remain at peace with
" all nations and to avoid any appearance
of menacing such peace by the
threat of its armies and navies. In
consequence of this standing policy,
the United States would, in the event
Q If kir o
iVA. wvwvik KJJ c* ivivigu puvyci, UC at
the outset of war seriously, if not
fatally, embarrassed by the lack of
arms and ammunition and by the
means to produce them in sufficient
quantities to supply the requirements
of national defense. The United
States has always depended upon the
right and power to purchase arms
and ammunition from neutral nations
in case of foreign attack. This
right, which it claims for itself, it
cannot deny to others."
The United States asserts that it
cannot accede to the suggestion that
- it modify the rules of international
usage during a war on account of
special conditions and declares the
idea of neutrality advanced by Austria
would "involve a neutral nation
in a mass of perplexities which would
obscure the whole field of international
obligation, produce economic
confusion and deprive all commerce
(Continued on page five.)
- ' jmu -i
ENGLAND WILL BUY
SOOTH'S COTTON
BRITISH GOVERNMENT PLANS
MEASURE TO PREVENT
DAMAGE TO SOUTH
Washington, Aug. 23?That Great
Britain plans measures to take care
of the South's cotton crop in order to
mitigate any damage that may arise
as a result of. its contraband order
was evidenced here this afternoon
when Sir Richard Crawford, of the
British Embassy, conferred with W.
P. G. Harding, of the Federal Reserve
board. - 41
It was generally believed that Sir
Richard informed Mr. Harding that
.the British Government.expects to
buy up a large part of the cotton
crop.
0. S. Reserve Bank to Supply Funds
j "The Federal Reserve Bank will
j supply enough cotton-carrying money
to handle all the cotton.
"It will lend all that is necessary
on a l?asis of about 80 per cent of
the market.valtie of the cotton."
That is the way J. S. Toole, govern
or pro tem of the Atlanta Federal Reserve
Bank, summed up the situation
Monday. He believes the Southern
cotton planter will have no trouble
in carrying his cotton this year, and
that the staplecan be put on the market
as the demand comes without the
price being beaten down by a flood of
selling:. i
TURKEY AND BULGARIA
\ REACH UNDERSTANDING
V '
' Berlin, Aug.23, by wireless to Sayyjlle.?The
Overseas News Agency
today gaVe out the following:
"Official reports from Sofia and
Constantinople state that Turkey and
Bulgaria have signed a new treaty,
Turkey granting Bulgaria her desired
direct railroad connection with the
sea and Bulgaria agreeing toobservc
a benevolent neutrality." .
Germans at Constantinople
London, Aug. 23?The Germans
are devoting their whole attention to
the fortification of Constantinople
and attach no importance to the defense
of Adriaiiople, says the Times'
Balkan correspondent.
The Turks, the correspondent says
for some time have been preparing
a second defensive line on the Gallipoli
peninsula.
:
JAPAN TO START INTO THE
FIGHT MORE ACTIVELY
I
Tokio, Aug. 23?The Kokumin
Shimbun says:, "Premier Okuma
states that Japan has decided to give
greater assistance to Russia to prosecute
the war. He could not discuss
details, but allowed it to be understood
that this assistance would take
the form of the forwarding of greater
supplies of munitions."
Why Japan Goes to Russia's Aid
Tokio, Aug. 23?One of Russia's
greatest needs has been1 guns and ammunition.
Military writers have said
that the extent of recent Russian reverses
has been due in part to inadequate
supplies of munitions.
Russia's facilities are entirely in
sufficient to meet the large demandsof
such a campaign as is under way.
With the Baltfc Sea closed to her ves
sels from without, she has been able
to import supplies only through Arch
angel, or over the trans-Siberian railroad.
The attempt of the allies to
force the Dardanelles has for one of
its objects the opening of the straits
route for the assistance of Russia.
Large orders have been placed in
the United States by Russia and extensive
shipments have been made
from Pacific ports. Japan also has
forwarded war supplies to Russia.
Advices received by the Associated
Press from Vladivostok several weeks
;j i. x- ? ?
agu saiu tnat great, amounts 01 supplies
were being received there for
transportation to the Russian front.
GERMAN WORKER ENDS
LIFE AT ARMS PLANT
New York, Aug. 23?The second
German at the National Conduit and
Cable Company at Hastings-on-Hudson,
to commit suicide within a week
ended his life today by filling his
pockets full of stones and leaping
into the river.
He was Christoph Dorner, a watchman,
who replaces Gustave Gross, the
first suicide. Both men were grieved
because the plant was manufacturing
munitions for the Allies, ^^
I
ANOTHER LINER
SUNK BY GERMANS
WHITE STAR LINER ARABIC
SUNK BY GERMAN SUBMARINE
WITHOUT NOTICE
Censorship Is
Puzzling to U. S,
Clear Day and Fact That Bonti Were
Ready^ Saver Many Passengers
from Watery Grave.
London. Aue. 19.?The White Star
liner Arabic "was torpedoed and sunk
by a German submarine this morning
southeast of Fastnet.
I According to the White Star Line
' no- warning was given and the vessel
sank in ten minutes. She was enroute
from Liverpool to New York was, j
therefore, without contraband.
Of four hundred and tweny three
persons aboard?a hundred and eighty
one passengers and two hundred
and forty two in the crew?thirtyfwo
are missing, all but six of these
being members of the crew.
Whether any of the victims were
Americans has not yet been determined,
there being twenty six aboard
It is reported that the passengers j
ViaH llist. sppn a RriticVi cfoomn-r r\ya
sumably, the Dunsley, torpedoed and
the Arabic' passengers were adjust- j
ing life preservers when the German
torpedo hit the ship. The passengers
took to the rafts and lifeboats and
were picked up by other ships and ;
taken tjo Q*eenstown. There was
perfect order in launching the boats,
according to many survivors. This,
and the fact that' liners now traverse
the war zone with lif^ boats swung
out and that the day was clear prob- j
ably saved many lives.
Captain Will Finch and most of
the officers were saved. The Arabics'
tonnage was five thousand. She was
the largest ship, except the Lusitania,
that the Germans have torpedoed.
The torpedo boat was seen to rise
just before it fired the torpedo which
hit the starboard side about a hun-j
dred feet from the stern.
New York, Aug. 19.?Careful!
checking of the various lists of sur-j
vivors here shows no Americans were j
lost on Arabic unless some of them
boarded at the last minute and were
listed as of other nationalities.
London, Aug. 19.?The Pres^ association
announced definitely that the
Arabic was sunk. She is reported to
have gone down in eleven minutes off
Fastnet a small island four miles
southwest of Cape Clear, Ireland. It
is reported that the steamer took off
the passengers and crew. The White
Star line received a message saying
if ta linno/1 ?? - '' -
.. .? uiav man; ur most 01 Ifle
passengers and crew were saved. _
The company announced the vessel
had 170 second and third class passengers,
but none of the first, cabin
and 240 in the crew. She sailed
from Liverpool at 3 o'clock yesterday.
The Arabic'3 tonnage was 15,801,
10,062 net. She was six hundred feet
long, 65 beam and 47 deep.
She was built in Belfast in 1908.
Two sticks of dynamite were found
on the steamer before she sailed
from New York on July 28 apd she
was chased by a submarine. She has
been used to carry war supplies.
BRITISH SUBMARINE
LOST IN THE SOUNDOfficial
Announcement Made That
E-13 Has Gone Aground?Half
of Crew Lost.
London, Aug. 20.?Official* announcement
was made today that a
British submarine had e-ronnrJpH in
the Sound. Fifteen members of the
crew were saved.
The official announcement follows:
"A British submarine, the E-13,
Lieutenant Commander Layton, on
its way to the Baltic, grounded yesterday
morning on the Danish island
of Saltholm, in the Sound.
"Fifteen officers and men are reI
ported to have been saved, -while 1FT
are missing. Full details will be
made known as soon as they are received."
"Destroyed, Berlin Says.
Berlin, Aug. 20 (via London).?
The following official announcement
has been made by the admiralty:
"During the forenoon of August
19 the British submarine E-13 was
destroyed at the southern outlet of
the Sound." A f y >.
GALVESTON WAS
SAVED BV SEA WALL
PROPERTY DAMAGE VERY
HEAVY BUT THE LC'SS OF
LIFE NOT VERY GREAT
? - V
Death List Over
Country if. Heavy
Lone Star State Wat Swept by a
Very Disastrous Storm?One Hundred
on an Island May Be Lost.
Houston, Tex., Aug. 19.? 'The sea1
wall did its duty fully. Galveston was
saved." These were the first words
Dr. Kemon Powell, an official of the
Galveston Commercial association,
who arrived here late.yesterday, said.
He cj.me from Gelveston, to Texas
City by steamer and "motored here.
The greatest property damage was
r\-rt +V?<* VvAonVi wlmvn "fVin liAiioas nrava
of flimsy construction. Practically all
houses east of Tweritieth street and
near the Boulevard were destroyed.
A strip of from one-half to two.
blocks wide to Fourth street was
swept. Small damage was done on
Broadway and the wharves were
slightly damaged.
When the storm approached, 5,000
sought refuge in the depot and 500
in the Scottish Rite cathedral,
Rev. T. J. Sloan, of Houston, and
Sheriff Kemp Wharton told of a
thrilling night battle against death
when a two-story wooden hotel on
Virginia Beach collapsed with sixty
in it. Between fourteen and twenty
probably perished. Inhere are many
Stories of thrilling rescues and bravery
in the face of great dangers. The
Surfside life-saving station tit the I
mouth of the Brazos river was deniol-1
ished. Two of the crew were saved;'
others, with some visitors, are
thoup-ht to have nerished.
Only Fourteen Bodies Found.
San Antonio, Tex., Aug. 19.?Only
fourteen bodies of storm victims had
been recovered in Galveston al; noon
Wednesday, declared Charles S. Hayden,
staff correspondent of the Light;
who returnecTtoday from Galveston
and Houston. He doubts if more perished
in,the city proper. Deaths in
the-lowlands and shipping in harbor
would probably reach 200.
Hayden went to Galveston Monday
night. He was on the first boat to
reach Galveston from the mainland.
He attributed the'small lif'e loss to
the fact that residents heeded government
warnings and sought refuge
ifi big buildings in the center of the
city.
Fear* For Many.
New Orleans, Aug. 19.?No re
ports have been received yet from
Marsh Island, about 150 miles southwest
of here, where over a hundred
are either marooned or lost. Rescue
boats are on. the way.
The American steamer, Harowijno,
of the United Fruit company line,
overdue from Belize, British Honduras,
has not reported. It has aboard
thirty-five passengers and a large
crew. Efforts to communicate by
wireless have failed. It is feared she
may have gone ashore during the
hurricane.
no Additional fatalities.
Beaumont, Aug. 19.?No additional
fatalities have been reported in
this district today so far as known
here. Near a score are dead and a
number missing. Five are dead at
Port Arthur, eight or ten at Patten
and one at Port Bolivar. Three bodies
were seen at Sabineno, in Neches
canal.
There were many narrow escapes.
Four hundred residents of Johnson's
Bayou took to tree tops and high
grounds. Homes were washed away.
All lives saved. A man drifted into
Port Bolivar Wednesday on a bale of
cotton, nearly dead. He had been in
the water since Monday. Thousands
of cattle drowned in flooded ranches.
The Night at Galveston
CJnr> A wfrtwin Anm 1 Q pA'flirvAaci
kJClU -TV II L.UI11U; XTLU^. J. %/ IVtiUgCCO
v/ho spent the night of the storm in
a hotel at Galveston said that'at no
time did the sea run clear across the
wall. The breakers sent a spray of
high waves which broke with a terrific
force. Two granite monuments
erected to commemorate the 1900
storm were blown down and in other
places iron posts were bent double.
Granite coping on the sea wall was
wrenched loose, and some stones carried
them a block or more, ffy?
ft
Ml AND
HARRIS SPEAK HERE
OUTLINE PLANS FOR FINANCING
COTTON CROP?EXPLAIN
WAREHOUSE BILL
Honorable Jno. L. McLaurin, State
Warehouse Commissioner, and B.
Harris, of Anderson, Organizer of the
Farmer's Union in this State spoke
in the Court House on last Wednesday,
to an audience of about four
hundred leading farmers and business
men"of the County. Mr. J. Allen
Srtrith, President of the National
uanK, presided at tne meeting and introduced
the speakers. - * Mr.
Harm was the first speaker.
He stated that the officers of the
Farmers Union met in Columbia,
some ten days ago, and that believing
that the people of the State do
not know the benefits to be derived
from the State Warehouse System,
a number of meetings have have been
arranged in different parts of the
State in order that the warehouse
Commissioner might address the
people as to the purpose of and benefits
to be gotten out of the warehouse
system. He stated that he
was here to speak" also for the upbuilding
and up-lift of the agricultural
interests of Abbeville County,
which meant the-interest of every enterprise
and business man in Abbeville
County.
He staged that the great question
before the."people was how to solve
the farmers' problem, for when we
have .solved that we solve all of the
problems of life, in the South; that
everything depends on the agricultural
interests; the woold depends
on the farmers for a living. He
stated that farming was tfie only occupation
given to man by his Maker,
that all other occupations were invented'by
man. He announced three
1 ?
great commands which must be obeyed
in o'rder to develop the country;
First, diversification of rrops; -Second
organization,- and (third, co-operation.
Speaking on the first question he
stated* that the farmer coulcl raise
his living at home at one-half what
it cost him to buy it on the market;
that the farmer who had been raising
cotton and purchasing the things upon
which he lived in Abbeville'County,
must quit it right now, not next year.
He further stated that the farmer
himself must do this, and not look to
someone else to do it for him: that
if the railroad trains were to quit
cpming into Abeville County, it would
be but a short time until the people
would be face to face with starvation
and he thought such a condition
of affairs a shame and disgrace in a
country where everything might be
raised.
On the subject of organization he
stated that some years ago farmers
in the West were burning their corn
for fuel, as we all read in the papers,
but since 1902 no corn had been
burned for fuel although the crop had
increased some two million bushels
per year since tha? time. The reason
of this he thought was that the Western
farmers had organized and cooperated
in the marketing of their
crops. He stated that he had seen
corn hauled to the station and sold
at eighteen to twenty cents per bushel
and that he bought oats at 14 cents
in the Worthwest; that hogs were
cpllinop of fV?nf time of 1 1 -Af nm*
pound and hay at $4.00 per ton;
that the farms in the West were
covered by mortgages but when the
people got together and gradually
marketed their crops they received
a proper price for same, and the
farmers of the West had prospered.
He was of the opinion that the
farmer should get 12 l-2c for his
cotton and that it can not be raised
(Continued on page six.)
The wreckage was scattered
throughout the city. It is doubtful if
any public service corporations will
resume for several weeks. No newer
brick buildings were badly damaged.
The total number of houses, exclusive
of sheds, wrecked, is estimated
at ouu. estimates 01 tne damage
reach high as $10,000,000.
Citizens are jubilant over the sea
wall. Great holes were torn on the
streets inside. The four-masted
schooner was blown half way across
the wall. Fort Crockett soldiers rescued
the sailors' greatest need.
Nearly all groceries are water
soaked. Five-cent packages biscuits
are bringing 50 cents. Efforts to
send supplies are being made as rapidly
as possible,
STATESMEN ARE PESSIMISTIC
OVElt FINANCIAL OUTLOOK
OF EMPIRE
Country's Resources
Are Almost Gone
f" * , ^ /. ' j
Chancellor Bethman-Hollvreg Reported
to Have Threatened to Reaifn
if Germany Continues her Policy.
Amsterdam, via London, Ausr. 23?
At the secret conferencie of cabinet (
ministers, political leaders and influential
writers called by the German
imperial chancellor before the reassembling
of the Reichstag last Thurs . .
day to discuss the political situation,
the Telegraff says Karl Helfferich,
secretary of the treasury, explained
that the new German war loan would
completely exhaust the empire's resources
and that the increase in ex- ,
chequer bonds would cause bankruptcy.
Therefore Dr. Helfferich
urged, ii was needful to prepare for* /
an honorable peace.
Chancellor von Betbmann-TTnl 1 wocr
according to the same report, declar- ,
ed that the difficulties of the empire
were "'increasing and advised his hearers
to ub4 their influence to soften
down bel^icoae inclinations and expan
sion policy in the .Reichstag and the
country, aiid carefully to prepare
peace proposals which would be ac- '
ceptabl^ to the' four members of
the entente^: / - ."T
Dr. Bamhard Dernburg's report of
the . failure; of his mission in the
United States and other neutral cdun '
tries, the TelegrafF says* made a
stronger impression on the confer*
ence. *;j
General von Moltke, former chiefof
the general staff, declared that he
fully 9grj&ed with the chancellor and
addqd tJiatr only those not fully informed^
bri\the situation could hope
for the, pqssibility of complete Rus- ?
sian defeat.,
Despite these declarations) the story
concludes, the meeting refused to
adopt a resolution advocating moderation
in 'the Reichstag. Whereupon
the chancellor declared that if a majority
in the Reichstag should show
an irreconcilable chauvinistic attitude
he would be obliged .to resign as
he could not accept responsibility for
Germany's disaster.
; , , . _ ' / .
DllCCIft PlftlMC
[\UOuln ULnllTIU
NAVAL VICTORY
CZAR'S FLEET SANK ONE DREAD.
NAUGHT, TWO CRUISERS
AND 8 TORPEDO BOATS .
London, Aug. 23?An official Russian
communication, descriptive of
the naval battle in the Gulf of Riga,
was forwarded from Petrograd today
by the correspondent of the. Central
News. It gives the German losses
as one dreadnaught, two cruisers and
eight torpedo boats. The statement
follows:' 1
"In the .Gulf of Riga, between August
16 and August 19 the Russian
fleet sank or damaged no fewer than
two lierman cruisers^ ana eignt torpedo
boats. At the same time a Brit
ish submarine sank one of the best
German dreadnaughts. The Russian
gunboat Sivutch was sunk in a brilliant
fight in the course of which she
sank a German torpedo boat while
she herself was in flames and sinking."
1
SINKING OF ARABIC
SHOCK TO OFFICIALS.
Washington, Aug. 19.?News of
a A-P A 13 tn fi c-Vt Knar
tuc LVI^tUVillg VI VUV UilUOll lliiti,
Arabic, with Americans aboard, came
as a shock to American officials, who
hoped that since the last note to Germany
there would be no further aggravation
of the already tense situation.
While it is not known officially
that any Americans were lost,
the torpedoing without warning of
a vessel carrying Americans has in
itself been pronounced by the United
States as a violation of its rights,
which if repeated would be regarded
as "deliberately unfriendly."