University of South Carolina Libraries
Abbeville Press Established 1844. $2.00 Year. Tri-Weekly Abbeville, S. C., Friday, April 28, 1922. Single Copies, Five Cents. 78th Year. ihrimfhv I STATEMENT TO BE MADE THAT POLAND WAS ATTEMPTING TO ASSIST W RECONSTRUC TION OF RUSSIA? REPLY FROM POLAND Genoa, April 27.?Announcement by the British delegation that a meeting of the signatories of the Versailles treaty will be held in Genoa within a fortnight to deter mine upon action in the event of Germany's failure to meet her rep arations obligations at the end of May was the chief feature of today's conference activities. This call for a meeting of the allies wao inspired by Premier Poincare's Bar Le Due ad dress intimating that France was nrornroH tn not alnnp if the allies ? -- failed to support her in enforcing the treaty. Poland replied to Russia's protest charging the Poles with violating treaties with Russia and seeking to undermine Russian sovereignty. The Polish reply asserted that the Poles were endeavoring to assist in the re construction of Russia and had no thought of violating their treaty agreements with Russia. While the leading statesmen as sembled in Genoa were consulting each other on what kind of a reply they should make to the Bolshevik counter-proposal and what would be the probable scope of the non^ag gression pact which it is proposed to submit to the conference, the ex perts here from many lands were hurrying on with their technical work connected with economics, fi nance and transport. The transport commission in a fi nal session recommended the urgen. cy of the powers adopting all pos sible measures in concert to improve the transport system of Russia. The ieague of nations was asked to in vite the nations, whether memlbers or non-members of the league, to work together on technical matters furthering the caus? of transport. The experts insist that important things have already been don? at Genoa in the way of improving con ditions; these have largely taken form of arranging for future con ventions, ibut it is pointed out that the present convention, including 34 states, has brought about knowledge of actual conditions In Europe which is certain to prove beneficial for fu ture amelioration. Much is expected from the cur rency and general financial meetings viilch will be held at London and Paris. The exact form of Mr. Lloyd George's proposed pact has been the subject of discussions among the leaders, as they wish to introduce a measure strong enough to 'be genu inely effective in reducing to a mini mum the chances of war. The Washington four power pact is frequently referred to as an ex ample on which the project may be used. ABOUT THE PRIZE WINNER J. C. Reid. Jr.. the young man who carried off the honors for Erskine at the Oratorical Contest in Green wood last week, is a nephew of Mrs. J. Hayne McDill. The young man is the son of Mrs. Ximena Hunter Reid, who was the daughter of Mrs. Emma McDill Hunter, who went to Mexico as one of th? first Associate Reformed Missionaries. Mrs. Reid was married in Abbe ville and there are many in town who remember her pleasantly. CLEMSON-NEWBERRY GAME George Smith, Allen Long, Fred Minshall, Claude Gambrell, Ray Swetenburg, J. W. Ladd, Bayard Swetenburg, Mr. and Mrs. C. E. Wil liamson and Mrs. J. D. Kerr attended the CI em son-Newberry game at Clemson College today. SUPREME COURT GRANTS IN JUNCTION TO BELSERr-RE ? ^i?? v^/vn# mat 4 rrrrT LtlNi At 1 UUUU iwi nrrbvi ESTATES WHERE DEATH WAS PRIOR TO ENACTMENT Columbia, April 27.?The inheri tance tax act passed by the leg"isla-l ture at the last session is not retroac tive and no tax can be imposed upon estates now in the process of settle ment where death occurred prior to the time of the passage of the act, according to an order of the supreme I court handed down yesterday and ! signed by all members of the court. In the order the court grants the petition of J. Edwin Belser, admini | strator of the estate of the late ! John E. Lowry, and thereby refuses j to allow the tax commission to force ! Mr. Belser to appear before the com-] | mission with all the records of the j Lowry estate in order that the com i mission might ascertain what tax i? i , due tne staie. Under the terms of the order by the cdurt, the inheritance tax will ! be applied only to estates where death occurred after the act took ef fect, February 23, and no estates not settled on that date will he tax ed if the- death occurred prior toi 'February 23. The tax commission was anxious to get the court's ruling on the law as to what estates it applied to and J when Mr. Belser carried the matter j to the supreme court a test case was | made. i . . .. I A construction OI xne recent j was the main reason for carrying' the I matter before the supreme court. "The question is," says the court in its order, "are estates in the process I of settlement, at the time of the I passage of the act, lialble for the tax. j The answer is estates now in the process of settlement where the de ! ceased died 'before passage of the act are not liable for th? inheritance tax. The only question is as to the construction of the act. It is very clear that the act is prospective. "It is the judgment of this court that the petition be granted." The order was signed by Chief Justice Gary and Associate Justice Watts, j Fraser Cothran and Marion. j MR. MESCHINE KILLS HIMSELF At His Home Near Lowndesville Thursday Afternoon Mr. E. C. Meschine killed himself at h;s home west of Lowndesville yesterday afternoon. He fired the pis tol one time in the air to test it, and then turned the next shot and fired lit through his brain, causing instant death. His body was found by a lit tle girl who was working a short dis tance away ana neara me shuls. Mr. Meschine came to this coun try from France, and settled near Lowndesville, and by hard work and careful management for 35 years had become well fixed in life, but most of his savings have been wiped out within the last year or so. He also had the misfortune to lose two children, a son and daughter when a ferry boat sank at Harper's Ferry, April 4th, 1921. Recently Mrs. Mes chine died, and it is thought these misfortunes combined with ill health was the cause of the act. Mr. Meschine is survived by two sons, Forrest and Reynolds Meschine. Funeral services will be held this afternoon in the Presbyterian church at Lowndesville, and interment will be in the church cemetery. DEATH OF MRS. GIBERT News of the death of Mrs. Albert Gibert was received in Abbeville Wednesday night. Mrs. Gibert has been in indifferent health for the past year and she was in Johns Hop kins when death came. Mrs. Gibert has many relatives and friends in Abbeville and was a frequent visitor to the city. FOUR STATES SUFFER SEVERE LY, SAYS WEEKLY REPORT OF WEATHER BUREAU?FULL EXTENT CAN NOT BE DETER MINED Washington, April 27.?Much damage was done to fruit in the up per Ohio valley and central and northern Appalachian mountain lo calities by the recent severe frost and freezing temperatures, the wea ther (bureau said today in its week ly weather and crop review. "The full extent of damage can not be definite^ stated at this time," the bureau sa:.J in the review. The first official estimate issued since the cold wave. "Reports at hand, however, indicate that it was greatest in the mountain sections of Virginia, West Virginia, Maryland and Pennsylvania. Tne destruction was not nearly so complete, or so ex tensive geographically as was caused by the freeze last year which occur red the latter part of March. It is noted also that this year's fruit bloom was unusually heavy and a large proportion could be destroyed on the heavily laden trees with suffi cient remaining to produce a fair yield of better quality. "The greater part of the fruit * 1 appears to have been killed over a few extreme northwestern counties wrifV* rkiwivnaaaivolir 1 oca V YTAVlfc pvgi WWW* v V*J *vww damage southward in that state, but extending well into the central counties. "Apparently not much injury was done in the heavy peach producing belt of North Carolina, but some fruit was frosted in the northern and western portions of the state." Moisture conditions, the review said were favorable in most of the Southern states for planting cotton, although the soil was too wet for satisfactory progress in a few locali ties especially in the northern por tions of Georgia and Alabama. Work was interrupted in the northwestern ?\A*fiAw ax flio iKtklf Vv ffonoTfl! rain<t yvt fiVU VMV >WV?V ? the latter part of the week. Planting of cotton made excellent progress in Texas and extended to the extreme north-western part of the cotton growing area. The nights were too cool, however, for rapid germination in most sections of the belt, although the ?arty planted cot ton that is uip made fairly good pro gress. In eastern districts the crop has advanced to the stage whore it is T?oo/1ir fn pVinn nut ?yi ?PY?t.vnn<5 nf t.hp. V..vr ... coastal plains of South Carolina, while chopping progressed favorably in the more southeastern districts. Late planted cotton is germinating slowly in Florida. EZELL LITTLE DIES. Ezell Little, negro employee of the city department of Greenwood had his left arm crushed off and was bruised about the 'head and body when run over by a Seaboard freight train on the Cambridge street cross ing in Greenwood yesterday morning. He was brought to the Abbeville Memorial Hospital for treatment yesterday and died last night. The negro claimed he was sucked under by the train. After being Via r?Af lin QT?^ TX7Q1 IfoH fft A OV1 UVIV. iiw 5VU U|/ HIIU *f ?rw ? nearby store to telephone for a doc tor. He tied a handkerchief around the stump of his arm at fche shoulder to keep from bleeding to death. He was taken to the Greenwood County jarl and made comfortable until ar rangements could be made to bring him to Abbeville to the Hospital. SPENDING THE WEEK-END Misses Mary Hemphill Greene and Eleanor Hyde, who are In Greenville this week attending the Southern College Journalists Association as representatives from Agne-s Scott College, are expected in Abbeville tomorrow evening to spend the we-Dk-j end at the home of the former. WORLD TODAY NEED I SPIRIT OF GEN. GRANT DECLARES PRESIDENT HARD- 1 1NG IN ADDRESS?SAYS SPIR IT OF GREAT LEADER NEEDED TO SPEED RETURN OF PEACE AND OF PROSPERITY. Point Pleasant, Ohio, April 27.? The world today needs something of ! the spirit of G?heral Grant, President Harding declared today in an ad dress at exercises commemorating the one hundredth anniversary of the birth here of the great military lead er. "I sometimes wonder," the presi dent said, "if the magnanimity of Grant, the dogged, persistent, unal terable Grant in warfare?the un conditional surrender Grant?would not be helpful in the world today. The great world struggle, which we might reasonably designate the civil war of western civilization, and in which we so creditably and helpfully participated, left peoples and nations prostrate, hardly knowing which way to turn for restoration. I can not help but believe that something of the spirit with which Grant welcomed victory, something of his eagerness to return to peaceful ways would have snppHpH the restoration and hastened the return to prosperity and happi ness, without which there can be no abiding peace." Mr. Harding paid tribute to Grant as "the military hero of the repub lic; a commanding figure in the mili tary history of the world, the sur passing example of magnanimity of all times; the most striking example of the possibilities in American life; the confident and relentless comman- . der in war, and the modest and sym pathetic petitioner for peace after victory." "We know his cherishment of peace intensified by his intimate knowledge of the 'horrors of war," the president said. "I said well believe he would have appreved of all that the republic has so recently done in join iner other nations in liftine the bur dens of armament and promoting un derstandings which make war less likely. I know he would have approv ed, because we surrendered no inde pendence, we gave up none of na tionality for which he thought, but we have furthered the assurances of peace, which was the supreme yearn ing, of his great brave heart." Declaring at the outset that he had pondered over the attributes of |the character of Grant, the president, jsaid the Union leader "looms majes-| jtic in the blend of them all?his I fame is secure." | CLEMSON-CAROLINA GAME Dick Swetenburg pitched for Clem son in the game yesterday at Clemson College between Clemson and Caro lina. It was a fine game, Swetenburg allowed only six scattered hits and his team mates gave him air-tight support. Reames stole three bases. The score was three to one in favor of Clemson. The following attended from Abbeville: Carroll Swetenburg, Russell Thomson, Goode Thomson, Jordan Ramey, Bayard Swetenburg, Neill Swetenburg, and Prue Bell. COUNTY CONVENTION The County Democratic Conven tion will meet in the Court House ; Monday at 11 o'clock. Delgates from i oil +ViA ntnike in if.liA CfMintv will bft present and delegates will be elected I to attend the State Convention which meets in Columbia in May. MISS MARTIN DEAD People in Abbeville who remem ber Miss Bernice Martin, a sister of Mrs. T. W. Sloan, will learn with re gret of her death at her home in Newberry his week. Miss Martin has often visited in Abbevlle.. UUINiJJ AT rfcKKIDAY, LA. MORE THAN THREE HUN DRED FAMILIES DRIVEN OUT DURING DAY New Orleans, April 27.?With practically all hope of closing the break in the levee at Ferriday, La., abandoned, the break there now having widened to 1,500 feet, levee engineers today turned their atten tion to other podnts where danger threatens, the most pronounced of these being at Arkansas City, Ark., J r>1 2 T . ana riaqu.em.nie, iju. Two important breaks in the levee system in this state today have em phasized he importance of the levee protection work, according to engi neers, and the planters are showing more willingness to cooperate in working out protective measures. The second break of the day was repoi^ed at Poydras, 12 miles below New Orleans, where about 350 families were driven out of a sec tion of St. Bernard parish between the river and Lake Borgne. Flood water from the crevasse at Ferriday, which is on the right.'bank of the Mississippi, eight miles north west of Ntehee, Miss., will return to the Mississippi and Atchafalaya rivers htrougn tfte JtJiacK, ix>wer Ouachita and Red rivers and will in tensify and prolong the flood situa tion in this section, says a (bulletin issued by the local weather bureau late today. Water from the Feorrdday crevasse will cover practically every foot of Concordia parish, more than half of Catahoula (eastern and southern sections), Lower Tensas, southern Franklin and part of Avorles parish. Heavy rains during the last 24 hours in the Red and Ouachita river basins have murther intensified the flood situation. Water now in the Mississippi be low Old River is a half foot to one foot higher than in 1012, the pre vious highest stage of record. REVENUE FROM GAS TAX Total of $67,196.87 for the Montb of March. Columbia, April 27.?A total of $67,196.87 was collected during March under the new gasoline tax act. the tax commission announced yesterday after figures for March had been compiled. A few delinquent 'nrnr.ycrs h?.vc not yet reported, but the total as announced is practically the amount that will stand as the month's collections. March was the first month on which the tax of two cents a gallon was paid on gasoline, and judging by the fig ures for this month a total of ap proximately $620,000 will be collect ed for the ten months of this year. However, these figures may be chang ed as the sales may increase during the summer months or they may de crease. Under tne terms of the gasoline tax act, oneJhalf of the money col lected goes into the state treasury and one-half goes to the counties for uuuuuig auu liiaiiivaauiig * vMMw. The commission is also certifying to the state treasurer the gross earn ings of all the public utility corpora tions in the state. These public utility corporations pay a three mill tax on their gross earnings and the commis sion is certifying a total of $84,257. 81 as the taxes due the state by these corporations. ALBERT MORSE HOME SOON News has been received from Dr. Rakestraw of Chester that Albert Mors? is improving rapidly, is able to be up in a rolling chair and will be home soon. He was to come to morrow, but on account of the weather he will not make tho trip until weather conditions are favor able. INDUSTI HEAD OF MANUFACTURERS . TALKS OF TRIALS IN NEW ENGLAND.?NAMES THRE1 GREAT CAUSES WHICH FORC ED GOODS DOWN uoston, April z i.?irying limes in the cotton industry due to downward readjustment and the strike situation were described in an address by. President Russell B. Lowe of Fitch burg, at the convention of the Na tional Association of Cotton Manu facturers here today. At the same time he expressed the hope that the darkest period was passing and that the next few months would carry the industry into better times with more employment and a larger and a more stabilized market. He named three great causes which 'A have "forced goods down and brought M about the present situation. First, un- ; satisfactory prices received from crops which reduced the purchasing power of th? farmer. Second, unem ployment which has cut the purchas- - ing power of millions of consumers. Third, the imports of foreign goods which on March were 99,000,000 '1 square yards for the previous eight -| months. "These are enormous factors jj and it is difficult to say which is the '3 worst," he continued. "A wage reduction has been neces- # sary since last December and every buyer and manufacturer knows it." Labor, continued Mr. Lowe, may be asked "if cloth goes up why should we go down." k "Because labor in 'England will 3 probably be down 20 per cent before ; we are, labor in England can out sell J you in the United States, and is do ing it now. They can more than do it ' with their reduction. A speedy pass- jj age of the tariff is the only way to prevent even greater curtaflment than \ now is going on. "We have not kept our place in the cotton trade. For ten years now the south has used more cotton than the 'i& north. New England is losing con trol of one of the great industries of j the country but New England does not take it seriously. "Now as to the futare. I recently | took a trip to Chicago and St. Louis ? and found goods accumulating in the jobbing houses. One buyer said the | strikes were a blessing to him and "Jj a president of a jobbing house said trade was the worst now in his forty years of business experience. "The coming crops are the next ; bright spot. What will they be? the 4 answer goes a long way to forecast ing the future. Unemployment is get- >j ting less but the coal strike may 1 change that. Purchasing power from 1 these great sources cannot be much J | until late summer, anyway. This is the opinion in the distributing cen ters. The tariff should cut imports in two. Allowing in that case, 8,000,000 square yards more a month to be provided by American labor." GRIFFIN NICKLES HURT Griffin Nickles made a trip to Co lumbia this week and returning by motorcycle got as far as Newberry when the motorcycle exploded. Mr. Nickles had several ribs broken and was bruised up considerably, 'but was able to make the trip home on the train. DR. REEDY IN COLUMBIA Dr. W. C. Reedy came up from Columbia and spent the week-end with Mrs. Reedy who is home on a visit to her people. Dr. Reedy is in Columbia now with the Shandon Drug Company, and Abbeville peo ple will be glad to know Dr. and Mrs Reedy will make their home in South Carol'na. COTTON MARKET No cotton was sold on the local market today. The most offered was 17 5-8 cents.