Historical Newspapers of South Carolina

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Abbeville Press and Banner] Established 1844. $1.50 the Year. Abbeville, S. C., Friday, Dec. 28,1917. Single Copies, Five Cents. 76th Year GOVERNMEI OPERATE I VI Mmaam ? Control of All Lines to| Be Assured at Noon Today _____ * STEP NOW NECESSARY DECLARES PRESIDENT McAdoo, Named as Director Gener al, Expectejl to Direct Unification . and Operation of Roads Through ! . Their Present Management. 'V^^. i'' Washington>-NvDec. 26.?Government possession and operation of \ the nation's railroads for the war was proclaimed by President Wilson tonight, to become effective at |1 noon Friday, December 28. William G. McAdoo, retaining his place in |1 the Cabinet as Secretary of the J Treasury, is placed in charge as di-j rector general of railroads. Every railroad engaged in gener-! al transportation, with appurtenan-i' ces, including steamship lines, is ta-, ken over and all systems will be op-1 erated as one under the director j, 1 general. In a statement accompanying the j proclamation the President stated j that as soon as Congress reassem-:, hies he would recommend legisla- j, tinn guaranteeing pre-war earnings | and maintenance of railroad pro-j perties in prood repair. Government! , backing1 will be given to new issues', f railroad securities that a ready jj irmrket maybe found. i > The President's move, although; forecast for weeks, came at this < time a sa great surprise to nearly;] everybody in Washington, including: railroad officials. It had been gen-j erally believed he would await the,; reassembling of Congress before < taking any step. He acted through Secretary of War Baker under au- j thority conferred in the Army Ap- ( propriation Act. Direct management of the railroads will remain in the hands of railroad officials and the railroad board, comprised of five railroad., heads, will continue to direct actual ( operation under Secretary McAdoos j general supervision. V ' THEIR PERSUASIVE ELOQUENCE 1 r i 1 An energetic '.rive has been made in the city and over the county in; the past week in the interest of j the Red Cross, getting members fori v 1918. Speeches have ben made at; many 01 trie negro cnurcnes and j' ^ the response to the appeal has been j1 excellent. . Mayor Gambrell and Mr. C. D. ' Brown visited the Fire Band Bap- ' *\^ tist church last Monday and tried |' their persuasive eloquence on the i congregation. It was effective for our cook told us that Dr. Gambrell i "talked to pitiful about nothing to eat and nothing to wear that even them old widow women got up and ^ said, 4I be down in the morning, j? Doctor.' I'd give him a dollar my-!' self if I'd had one," which is proof that Mr. Brown and the Mayor!1 . reached the very heighth of elo- i '' quence. At one of the churches Mr. Brown was so eloquent that he had ninej c cnversions and one man joined | the church. Mr. Joel Morse and Lieut. Albert 1 Morse and Dr. Gambrell went out % to Shady Grove Sunday and fifty ' members were secured, Lieut. ^ Morse's handsome uniform doing . much to impress the crowd. Miss Kathleen Patterson is in Anderson this week visiting friends. . V ? j; V COTTON MARKET V 1 V Cotton 31c. V ' V Seed J? $1.05 V 1 vvvvvvwvvvvvvvvvv 1 IT TO iAILROADS A GLANCE OVER THE COUNTRY News in a Condensed Form to Be Read By the Busy Reader. - * x- V .Five tnousanci quarts ux ncmumj whiskey was seized just before i1 started on its journey into Bon< Dry States. The valuation accord ing to ruling piices is about $50, 000. Some of it had been packec in barrels wi,th top and bottom lay ers of fruits to conceal it whilt others had been put up in. lard fir kins. Gen. P. M. E. Sarrail will be sue ceeded by Gen. Guillaumat as heac of the allied armies at Saloniki. H( arrived at that place Saturday. H( was one of >the heroes at Verdun. Seven Sailors of a Swedish shij were executed for aiding Germans [t was said the ship was planting mines off the South African coas' when captured. The members wer< taken prisoners and the seven wh( were found to be in the Germar pay were executed. Gen. Allen'oy's troops are stil advancing on the plain of Sharor north of Jaffa, and have occupiec four more towns. The General Assembly of Soutl" Carolina will convene on January 3th. David R. Coker of Hartsville, ha< resigned as food administrator oi ^culh Carolina and William Elliot ui attorney, of Columbia, has beer recommended as Mr. Coker's sue :essor. DEATH OF MRS. SIMMONS. Mrs. Mattie Simmons, wife of W F. Simmons, died at her home ir Calhoun Falls Christmas Day. She iias been in bad health for sometime ind death was not unexpected. She kvas a member of the church and lead a Christian life. She is survived by three sons and one daughter, and several grandchildren. MISS WINTON PARKS Miss Winton Parks is expected in Abbeville on Sunday. She will be ;he guest of Dr. and Mrs. C. C. Sambrell. Miss Parks is greatly Deloved by the people of Abbeville and her friends are always glad tc have her come back CALLING IT 'POSSUM. Mr. E. A. Thompson, Mr. Bradley Reese, Prof. D. H. Henry and Mr. F. C. King went down to Dyson's :his week to take dinner with their friend, Jim McMillan. They made the trip in a car and had a large and flourishing time. MISS MARGARET WILSON. Miss Margaret Wilson has returned to her home in Iva aftei spending a while at the home of Mr. W. D. Wilson. She was one of the attractive young ladies that served refreshments at the Link-Everett wedding reception. $11 FOR HANDKERCHIEFS A young gentleman went into L. W. White's Dry Goods Store lasl Saturday and bought $11.00 worth 3f crepe de chine handkerchiefs. He jot 44 handkerchiefs for thai amount of money and he divided them among his cousins for Christmas presents. III. S. 10IAKE OVER G COAL BUSINESS ] ' G.rfi.ld ~iTy. Th.,A Long War Is Sure to Ri*ir? or Tills RmuH. i . ITI I CENTRALIZATION OF ROADS TO FURNISH ONLY RELIEF [ G' Senate Committee Drops Sugar In- j quiry Until Friday, Hoover IsI sues a Statement From the ! W? White House. [ t| | | ar '| Washington, Dec. *27.?Fuel Ad-|pU " j ministrator Garfield told the senate Jf0 "j investigating committee yesterday a * j that if the war continued very long W? " j the government would be compelled er 51 to pool coal and sell it at a reason- 0f "jable price. m( Some coal operators, he said, were j)( | making the greatest profits in their j1 history, but he considered high ^ ! >?!/>/<o efimnltic +<-> +Vio crrpat" nm I jUitco c* oiimuiuo KV vi*v e- w. x uj s 1 duction the war demands. j The fuel administrator said he br ! saw little relief in prospect for the re: ) i t , I railroads until their operation was ac< ] centralied. | Gc ^ Dr. Garfield said he did not wantjou J to place blame for lack of transpor-jto Jtation on anyone, nor did he want'in j to try to shift blame, that might be! j attached to his administration. He | wc j added that it was impossible for thejGr I j railroads to cope with the situation, j Gi ,j "Coal is responsible for one-half j an j the congested traffic, and thousands! ; of cars arc being backed up at bot- [ in{ t!e-neck points through which the wc (i railroads have endeavored to move! be r large amounts," said he. "The onlyjGr j thing to do is just vhat we have th< j done?ask Judge Lovett for a pri-' ; ority order for coal and to appeal ex f | to the operators to shoot whatever air t i coal they can to points where most an i needed. That hai helped in some re- foi - j spect." ' la\ ur. uarneia mejiuonea jriitsuurs, > Cincinnati and Toledo as examples ! of "bottle-neck" points, but saidij$ , there were many others. Mines in j eastern West Virginia are shipping'Q ( west, and those in the western part ,! shipping east, causing congestion at * (' meeting points. A change involves , I great tletail in changing contracts I which are not closed until next| J April, he said. ' dir / "Unless conditions are improved,!me 11 may abrogate these contracts and | ^ri j divert shipments to prevent con-|cal , gcstion," Dr. Garfield said. jth( "I think that a wise plan," re-jsul marked Senator Kenyon. : atl lj War demands for bituminous coal!mt !jhave been greater than mines could c^? meet, although the increase of pro-i ^ r|duction this year has been normal, j ma !!Dr. Garfield testified.' In an effort|taT ' I to alleviate conditions, he said, the; j fuel administration was laying em-!rec phasis on stimulating production ra-!t^( j ther than regulating price. j ^ "When the operators complainf i that prices fixed by the president in^ ' j are too low, we are inclined to givp j C01 I them the benefit of the doubt," Dr. j ; I Garfield said. j an Admits Big Profits. j ^0( !j Senator Kenon asked the admin-'001 11 istrator if he had information of I res i fliirivi(7n f pama fufi 1 nvon ati_ ; ui viucituo yji ouiut ui tut . | erators and he answered that he had j ?a ! no accurate figures on them and j ^er could not furnish them. He knew, ag< however, that big profits were being me made, but believed it necessary to ne( stimulate production. I prc ' Questioned by Senator Kenyon,|ser r Dr. Garfield said his organization is J composed of about 200 persons, lma chief of whom are engineering ex-| p perts, lawyers, coal producers and He proceeded at length to give details of how complaints against ' r\*?i nnr? Vio rll nrl T? PlinVi f* A TY"? aic iiaiiuicu. i ui ouvu vuiu tn plaints of operators had been inves-| ' tigated, he said, and each one had ^ 1 required services of engineers, ex- . 'l pert accountants and lawyers. Dr. 1 , j onj ^ Garfield said his chief advisers were nQl volunteers an dworked without sal tht aries or expense accounts. we REECE BIDS SONS I JOIN U. S. ARMY; ihens Government to Support the American Arms iXT CF OFFICIAL COMMUNICATION eeks Serving in American 'Army Considered as Serving in the Greek Army. Washington, Dec. 26.?Greece ints her citizens in the United! ates to enlist in the American; my. Not only will she suspend! nishments which ordinarily would; llow enlistments of Greeks withj foreign power, but she will reird them for supporting the Amican arms. This is the substance a note from the Greek Govern;nt delivered today at' the State ;partment. An official communication from 2 Greek legation here to Greeks the United States \ollows: "The roval legation of Greece I ings to the knowledge of Greeks siding in the United States that, cording to a decision of the Greek! >vernment a collective and previ-' s authorization has been granted a41 the Greeks wishing to enlist the American army. ( "No legal consequences therefore >uld be applied in scuh cases, the eek Government considering any eek enlisted iin the American j my as ssrving in the Greek army. I "Furthermore, any Greek server in the American army and who i tuld be mentioned for gallantry! ing considered as fighting in thej i eek army, will be rewarded by; 2 Greek Government. "This collective authorization is; tended to the Greek.^who have! eady enlisted in the American; my without previously applying1 * the authorization by the Greek: vs." OLDIERS SHOULD ! E TRAINED I YEAR; ! i en. O'Ryan Tells Sen-! aite His Opinions Just Formed, i 4 ^ Washington, Dec. 2(1.?Its first ' ect information regarding equip-! :nt of America's fighting men in: ance and American training ' nps was received here today by, ; senate military committee in re-: ning its inquiry into army oper-: ons, and the committee proceeded lependently to remedy winter! thing shortages vin the latter, rom Major General O'Ryan, com-!' mder at Camp Wadsworth, Spar-:' lburg, S. C., and former head of i ; New York National Guard, who;' :ently returned from inspecting! i American operations abroad, j ; committee heard of general con- j ions both among General Persh-j f's men and cantonments in this I: antry. ' \ Before examining General O'Ry-r for three hours behind closed 11 ors and an hour in public, the j1 nmittee unanimously adopted a I' -olution by Senator McKellar, of j nnessee, requesting Secretary |1 ker to act at once to furnish win-!1 clothes at camps where short-'1 es exist, and to set aside depart- j1 ntal "routine" to get clothing if! :essary. The resolution was ap-jJ >ved after Senator McKellar pre-j1 ited information he secured byM egraphing all cantonment com- i i nders. ! AMILY BURNED TO DEATH IJ Mrs. J. L. Whitman and her six 11 ldren were burned to death when | ] :ir home was destroyed by fire on j i ristmas Eve, near Greenwood.. e father and one son who were j Greenwood at the time are the j ly survivors of the family. It isi t known how the lire started. All 1 ? remains that could be found re put in one casket anil taken to 1 MILITARY I CONFINE! COUNCIL OF WAR wit i up arrive ?T ii-dt-t AJM-* m * w mm | Other Officers to Be Added as Necessity Arises Says Secretary of War. Washington, Dec. 25.?Newly created council of high officers 'in the war department will become one of the most important war agencies of the government if Secretary Baker's plans are carried but. This military cabinet, it was learned, wijl guide the secretary in the decision he must make on questions vital to the welfare of the army and the prosecution of the war. Organization of the war council has not been completed. The five general officers now constituting its membership are meeting every day however, to go over with Mr. Baker the large problems pressing for solution. No statement has .been issued covering any point so far taken up by the officers of the council. In his announcement of the formation of the new body however, Mr. Baker laid stress on the fact that addition dL UllJLCia WUUIU c*o ??vvessary and there are indications that more appointments are to come within the next few days. There are many questions of sup-1 ply and equipment which the secretary must decide and heretofore he has had only the individual often conflicting views of the staff or bureau chiefs to guide him. The council provides a means for coordinating these opinions and for the threshing out of any conflict of. views. COMMISSIONS BY WAY OF THE RANKS It will be good n^ws to the rank and file of the Army of the United j States in training at home that new; and broader plans tor promotion, have been adopted for Gen. Persh-j ing's expeditionary force in France and will presumably be extended to; the forces preparing to go. Tempo-! rary or trial appointments to higher, grades will be open to lower-grade commissioned officers in accordance; with demonstrated fitness, and so onj down to non-commissioned officers; and privates, with a training school; especiall for "non-coms." This is along the lines adopted by; Secretary Daniels in recruiting midshipmen from warrant officers and; th elatter from the enlisted per-! sonnel of the navy. West Point no| more than Annapolis will be the' sole road to commissions in the Regular Army in these times when merit lacks no opportunity to prove itself in the experience or action of the United States outside of the regulars?the old National Guard and the , new National Army?we may fairly presume that the three months' graduates from officers'! training schools without any prior' experience in practical soldiery will i not necessarily side-track those who r??*r> nrvno tVioir mprit. from lone'I training in the ranks. What made the armies of the! French Revolution the greatest j fighting force than ever known was, the knowledge, as Napoleon said, that every soldier carried a Marshal's baton in his knapsack. Anj application of the same principle to| the armies of the American demo-| :racy on a more intensive scale i than has hitherto been possible will,1 be anDlauded without as well as! ivithin the ranks.?New York World Miss Willie Abies and two brothers, Thos. and Henry from the Santuc section, were in the city last Saturday. She gave us a most beautiful bunch of holly with the red Due West for burial. iCTIVmES D TO ITALY Only * Bombardments I and Raids on Snow Covered Front * ?]J FIGHTING CONTINUES f | WEST OF THE BRENTA j Teutonic Forces Recover Gains in i-w Some Instances After Defenders Had Thrown Invaders Back and "~3 ' Seized Positions. Except on the Northern Italian front the military operations con- / % tinue far below normal. In France/ ;V;|j where snow has fallen along the en- M tire front, only bombardment? and 1 $ small raiding 'operations are taking < ^ place. West of the Brenta river in the 'J Italian highlands the Italians Christ?' - J mas Day continued their counter-at .|| j tacks upon the Austro-German fore| es, which previously had succeeded in making gains on Col. Del Rosso and Monte De Valbella. The battle waged throughout the morning with '/fg great violence, and the Italians .;, wrested several of their former po- '* sitions from the enemy, but, owing it to renewed onslaughts by the Teu-,'; |S tonic allied froces, they were com- ; pelled to give ground. The Berlin war office admits the Italians threw heavy counter-at- $ tacks against the invaders on Col. Del Rosso and neighboring sec- '>J^( tors, but asserts that all; of them' broke down. ' Russian Situation. The stiuation surrounding the peace parleys between the Austro- ^ Germans and the Russians is still be? clouded, owin^ to lack of detail? -'iij being permitted to come through.,: At last accounts the Germans had not only failed to return an answer to the demands made by the Bolshe- J viki delegates, but had requested i that the negotiations be extended for virtually another month. j' 'M MEN ON ALL FRONTS VIRTUALLY INACTIVE Only in Northern Italy Does Strife f| Pnn tiniin in C * ? ges Seen From Last Christmas. :V3jjj Christmaatide of 1917 finds the armies on all the maor battle fronts . it virtually inactive except where the Teutonic allies are endeavoring to overwhelm the Italians and force a passage through the hill country of Northern Italy on the plains of Ve- % netia. As viewed from the war maps the battle lines today are . tj markedly changed from those of 1.1 i. J mi ? me yesteraay-year. ine rcussian front from the Baltic to the Black Sea is virtually non-existent; the Italians under the intensive drive of ' | the 1 autonic allies today are stand- f\ ing miles from where they were a , ^ year ago along the Isonzo front; from Belgium to the region around ' fesrdun great salients have been rfciven into the German " lines by I both the British and French armies :;3 and in Asiatic Turkey the British * have made notable gains both in '*i Mesopotamia and Palestine. Mni-tViwarH fVi-rrmtrVi +Via lntf-pr gion General Allenby's forces hav? made great progress against the Ottomans and Christmas of 1917 finds the Christmas once more in control of Bethlehem, the birthplace of Christ, and of Jerusalem and the holy sepulcher. VISITOR FROM CAMP JACKSON. Lieut. James Carlisle Fair came up from Camp Jackson last Saturday and spent a part of the holidays with friends. The handsome Lieutononf maAo a nloflcnnt. imnrpflsinn on all who met him. berries. We prize it very much for .