University of South Carolina Libraries
, '■ 1 t- -.b ‘ *'5*. ’ ■- THE CHRONICLE I StriTea To B« • Clean Nows* paper, Conplete. Newsy, and Rdiable. VOLUME xxxvm CLINTON, S. C., THURSDAY, MARCH 10, 1938 NUMBER 10 LAUEENSJORQUE GUESTS OF CLUB faimesft^sked Clinton and Laurens Commer cial Organizations Hold An nual Meeting Here Tuesday Night. Rep. J. B. Britton, of Slimter, Discusses Legislation and Business. “The business man is the backbone j of the nation, and yet he is truly the forgotten man. No pleas are made for him; no laws created for his wel-j fare; and in a world full of ‘isms’ he- must think intelligently and fight forj himself,” stated Repre.sentati\se-'J. B. j Britton of Sumter in an address on “The Necessity of Go<.h1 Government” made before a joint meeting of the Clinton Chamber of Commerce and the Laurens Business League at Ho tel ^Clinton Tuesday evening. Mr. Britton, in opening his address, gave his reasons for running for the legislature. Business in 1933 was at a low ebb; his own business was at a complete standstill; he realized that Sawyer Denies House Approves Law Violated Vote On Whiskey Begins 30th Year Says Charge of Governor John ston Is Untrue That Road Bond Debt Ei^ceeds Legal Limit. I.Awmakers, After Hearing Sug gestions. Decide To I.«t Peo ple Speak On Prohibition. Columbia, Mkrch 3.—The house of * Columbia, March 8.—Governor Qlin j sifted through a mass| I). Johnston’s charges that the statel^f fhe ; highway department exceeded the lt..{ •“'fate lu|ubr law today, finally.approv-. gal limit of its bonded debt drew a referendum which would givej complete denial today fn>m Chi.'f ‘^e people a chance to vote on wheth-, I Highway Commissioner Ben M. Saw-/’** they \vant to return to statewide^ ye c. prohibition. The }vopular vote plan was in the I form of an amendment to a bill to' ‘•limit private j)ossession pf liquor to! ! one gallon. Although the amendment' I was overwhelmingly appro\‘e<i. the . , . , * u- I u- u i’iil itself remained to be voted on! Johnston sent his annual highway . , , I ^ ■ , wlnm the house adjourned for the i I aydit,-to the as^tembly with a j-■ ' message charging that “an imjHirtanti" *■ The new gubernatorial accusations were place! before the general a«- •^sembly and the house *of ref'resenti- tives mad.‘ immediati* plans to go into them. i state statute has Wni flagrantly vio-i “It merely submits the question of L, , , , . ! whether they want litiuor or don’t ’lated at a cost of ^hundreds of thou-! •’ ' SMITH EXPUINS NEW FARM BILL Senator Addresses Large Group of Laurens County Farmers On 1938 Cotton Program and Explains Major Provisions of Measure. 1 business men must begin to run thej state if business were ever to prosper. [ “The serious troubles of 1933 are! passed, but today We have a trouble which is different and even more se rious; for business, the backbone of the nation, mu.st be considered in its legislation. Experimental government such as we have to<lay calls for intel ligent thinking. The vast flood of ‘isms’ must be checked.” As his first major point, the rep resentative chose the labor question. “Labor and capital must come to gether. Bu.siness must have.labor and Representative J. B. Britton, of Sumter, appealed for fairness by the legislature in dealing with bus iness in an address here Tuesday night before a joint meeting of the Clinton Chamber of Commerce and l.Aarens Business l^eague. .. I want it.” Representative Grant of! n* « ^ ,1 . . , i* * 1 e* 1 sands of dollars in interest, and , , . , • 1 *• *• . hestcr, author of the referendum nancial manipulations amounting to gross irregularities have been carried I t-,’ ^ * * , . , , , ... .. , .. iiu The amendment would confer up on just at a.time when it would be' • . A. » on the voters in the Democratic pn- to the greate.st p<diticaT advantage of thts department.” Fanners Go To Polls Saturday County Precincts Designated At Which Farmers Will Vote On Cotton Marketing Quota. Sawyer’s reply, a formal statement to the press, said: labor-8 wrffaro at hoart, and lab»tj„„t,ij,h„.„, , m.rkotina quota! must reciprocate- with business. The’ remedy to our serious problem is toj^'**’ educate labor and business to the this county Saturday, March 12, as realization that they must work to- provided in this year’s agriculture The governor’s charge that the highway department violatt'd the statutes with respect to the limita tions imposed by them u|>on its. in debtedness is not true. “The bonds were issued within the provisions of the .statutes and the bonds were approved by the state of ficers as rtHjuired and in the manner prescriluHl by law. I am preparing A referendum to determine wheth^'a** official repoi-t on this matter for .. « ..o ♦v.«-fhe members of the general assem- er or not cotton grtiwers favor the , oiy k Sawyer, long a target of the gover- mary election next to be held in the state of South Carolina the right to SENATOR E. D. SMITH With the sounding of tht* gavel last Friday by Vice-President Garner, Elli son l>urunt Smith began his 30th yi^r as U. S. senator from South Carolina. The senator was sworn in as a member of the senate on March A crowtLof several hundred farm ers that taxed the seating capacity of the court house, gathered in l^au- rens Friday morning to hear Senator 1 Elli.son D. Smith, chairman of the jlJiiited States senate agricultural j committc'e, ex|>lain the jinivisions of j the new federal farm program for j 193S. The meeting, one of the large.st of its kind held in recent yea.'s, was pre- sidisl over by ('ounty -Agent (’. B, Cannon who, -following preliminary remarks to the farmers, introductsl the speaker. .Senator Smith opened his addre.ss by giving the legislative history of the Agricultural Adjustment act sign- vote^qmn Ihe jm-stion of the con-j4^ 1909. The only other .senator now Gnuance of the manufacture and salei.^in^ who was there then is William of alcoholic liquors within the state.” j k. Borah, of Idaho. He went to the .South Carolina s la.st liquor refer-j two years ahead of endum was in the primary of 1934, at donator Smith. During the history of which time a wet majority was shown.]j^ore have been 1,360 sen- The presmil law, umler whicn private j and only Twelve have .served dealers are subjwted to a high license ^^an Borah ami Smith. - and close supervision by the tax com-l .• 7 • ■ . , w <• \N hen Senator A. < . I^atimer died mission, was enacted as a result of the popular vote, in Washington, b'l*!). 20, 1908, seven \V..t-,l.y on tin. ho,.,o for jwlu'li"!: Durant most part .iisappoarr,! in Iho votos i >“‘'1 ft»r himself as a friend of the cotton for the referendum, hut Representa-1, er t e ai. • . 'tiv>- Hon A.lam8,' oli Columbia, | f-rmrT, otforod for tho nom.nat.on A »n<l that-thw qat»tMt» *1' adjustment acL, If ^oneThird or morc-i .identical.” The government of South Carolina is a huge business enterprise through whose hands $41,000,000 pass yearly, he stated. This huge business requires business men to run it. We would not trust our bank account to a man who know.s no business, and yet we trust the large business of the state to such men, he stated. , ^ The social security and unemploy- . . . „ u » n- n ment compensation acts are destroy-; p of the farmers taking part in the referendum vote against quotas, they will not be effective. Nine polling places with community committees in charge have been des ignated by County .Agent C. B. Can non, and circular letters mailed to holders of work sheets in 1937 in forming thenij^ where to vote. The referendum was called by Secretary ing busine.ss. Their present rates con stitute a tax of five per cent on all ' Farmers will vote "yes" or "no" on the question of whether they favor 'ton crop during the marketing year , • J u • 1. 8 a marketing quota for their 1938 cot- business, and business can not operate,. . . , .. with this large a sum taken out at this time, and yet the indicattOTT that the situation will grow constant ly worse, Mr. Britton .said. “The outlook for business is the and colored farmers *are eligible to vote. No farmer can vote more than once in the referendum even though darkest in my recollection,” he said. “It is even worse than in 1933; and unless buainesa does something about it there will be no hope.” We wonder why mills do not come he may have been engaged in cotton production in more than one com munity, county or state. There shall nor’s enmity, did not say how soon his “official nqxirt” would be sub mitted. Highway bonds are issued by the state freasiirer, aftiT apjVrovaT by the attorney general. Johnston called on the sol on s to “act according to their consciences in behalf of the real interest of the state of South Carolina and the peo ple they have sworn themselves to represent.” The senate referred the audit and mes.sage to its highways committee, while the house ordered -bath printed in its journal and fixed Wednesday, (Continued on page six) quick tu hall the’result as a ".ll’stiia:! t™* l>l;;<-'-on'l when the victory for the drys.” : votes were counted, Smith was on to|) “While many (divs) would prefer Presbyterians To W,090,000 the local Tiptum amendment for the reasorr that it ^would - have made it possible for’a number of counties to have put a legal ban on the sale of liquor within the next four months,” Adams said, “the statewide vote gives 'the people an opportunity to express them.selves sooner than many drys had hoped for.” Those registered against the amend ment were: Speaker Blatt, Represen tatives Abbott, Farr, Foster, Greer, Huggins, McKay, Pratt, Prince,"* Saw’- yer. One hundred favored it. • Theaction super.seded a pending proposal for local option. The plan, with John Gary Evans, of Spartan- chI by President Roosevelt, and which became a public law on the IGth day of February. He pointed* oiit that the new law is the result of a series of meetings held over the nation in which farmers were asked to make suggestions for a farm program. “They told me in <'oluinl>ia when I spoke there that they wanted control . burgV arid 11. G. TOiett, of <’/harIeston, portioned to the states and the in- » farmer is given his allot- 'Every Member Canvass** Opens March 13. South Carolina*8 Benevolent Share $98,BOB. be no voting b> proxy or agent. Each voting place will be open from 9 to South Carolina, and yet the trouble *• II?" , .,, , , ' The following places will be used for balloting on the question: Sullivan township—Hickory Tavern school. ' » purely political, Representative Britton emphasized. “$2,000,000 in vested by the government to bring new business to the state would re pay itself even one per cent under the present government,” he said. The state legislature is apparently riding the cotton mills now, but that is only because they are the biggest industry. If a bigger one were to come, they would let the cotton mill industry alone. At their present rate they are killing the mills, and when that is done the vast taxes paid by the mills will be placed upon the farmer and the state will be wrecked, he warned. “The cotton mills have done more for South Carolina than any other one thing,” he said. Dials township—A|>ercrombie-Ow- ings store. Gray Court. Youngs township—Robt. A. Harris store. Waterloo township—Center Point school. ' Laurens township — Agricultural building. Laurens. Scuffletown township — Sandy Springs school. Cross Hill township—W’m. Miller’s store, and the colored school. Cross Hill. Hunter township—C ity hall, Clin ton. Jacks township—Bell’s store, Ren- Atlanta, March 5.—Seeking pledges for the support of its work for the fiscal year beginning April 1, the Southern Presbyterian church will launch it.s “every member canvass” Sunday, March 13. The total sought is approximately $10,()90,(M)0, includ ing a provision of $7,670,000 for cur rent exiienses and $2,420,000 for ben evolences. Financially, it is the biggest day in the history of the church. The bud get is expected to be pledged in one day by the approximately 493,000 members of the 3,516 churches in the 17 Southern and Southwestern states which comprise the Southern Presby terian church, and which is served by k total of 1,630 ministers. Of the benevolent fund, approxi mately $1,375,000 will be applied to assembly’s causes, apportioned among in ine run-off and took his .scat while William iloward Taft was president. Tillman died in 1918, and since that time five men have been sent to the .senate fnim South Carolina, while i Smith ha.s served as the state’s .senior 'senator. Those were (Thristie Benet, W. P. Pollock, N. B. Dial, Cole L. Blease, and the state’s present junior -aenmtol', James F. Byrnes. Senator Smith is up for re-election this summer. He is expt*cUMl to be opi^o.sed by Governor Olin D. John ston. with teeth in it. If you vote for it now, that is what you will get,” ho said. The present cotton legislation, drafted by a senate-house conference committee of which Senator Smith was chairman, provides a national quota of about 10,.5()<),(i00 hales. The allotments, he stated, are changed to an -ac-reage -bams- when - they nre a^r- Last Meeting which was not voted on, would have _ . V V I 1 allowed-15-nen-cont of the-qualified I 1 CftCIlCrS~XgOlCr electors to call an election on the, question of prohibiting liquor sales in | any county. The house did, however, vote 57 to | i^urens County Teachers’ as- 40 against an amendment which would ^^ting of the hare requireil ^ rather than 15 Pt’** g^hool year in Clinton Saturday as cent of the electors to call the local I the faculty of the city ment in acres rather than in hales. Under the.se provisions, ho said, .South Carolina will be given an allotment of 1,278,000 acres and the individual farmer will be permittwl to grow’ as much cotton on this acreage as pos sible. Stating that the provisions of the legislation depend on the outcome of the cotton marketing quota referen dum m«xt Saturday, Senato’r Smith outlined the major provisions of the act as follows: With the state allotment being 1,278,000 acres, the first two^per cent . . the 17 synods as follows: Representative Brittori said that]"®;, . . * r' u • a Alabama, $49,500; Appalachia, $79,- one of the worst menaces to the na-| . Agent Cannon has issue Arkansas, $32,000; Florida, $60,- tion’s security lay in John L. Lewis.statement perUinmg, Georgia, $96,500; Kentucky, $62,- William Green, president of the Fed-ilP _ _ [4)06;^>ouisia7«rr^49,5OO; Mississippi, eration of Li^or, he said, is really | The marketing quota i.« in eff^t j $,52,000; Missouri, $40,000; North working for the good of labor and'now according to the Act pused by ^ G^^olina, $284,.500; Oklahoma, $5,500; business; Lewis is selfish, and he is Congress. The farmer will vote | Memorial, $400; South Car- building a kingdom for himself. BusV finess must counter-organize to pro tect itself against him. The remedy lies in the hands of business and it is simple. Elect men to run your government on these qualifications: honesty, background, record, busine.ss sen.se, taxes paid (for whether or not to reUin the market-j oUna, $98,000; Tennessee, $73,000; ing quotas. Government officials i $115,600; Virginia, $241,000, sUte that cotton loans will not be Lnd West Virginia, $35,500. available in 1938 unless producers j Distribution of the “askings” among approve cotton marketing quoUs. In;the assembly’s agencies will be as other words, if the marketing quota is not voted no money will be loaned on 1938 cotton regardless of number a taxpayer will attempt to reduce] of bales produced, or the price. If taxes and then industry will flock in),'the marketing quota is voted to re- and the absence of factionalism. ! main in effect, the government will follows Foreign mis.sions, $719,583; home missions, $380,417; Chri.stian educa tion and ministerial relief, $178,750; religious education and publication, option vote. “This thing of agitating prohibition and the sale of liquor every four or five years, causes confusion ...” Crews, of Columbia, said in support of his 35 per cent suggestion. “What is really aimed at is prohi bition,” he said. “You can get 15 per cent of your people back home to sign a petition to do anything, while 35 per cent* would get a cross-section that includ ed the rural folks,” Crews argued. Bennett, of Marlboro, replied that the purpose of the 35 per cent amend ment was “to make a referendum so .schools. The program was presided over by W. E. Monts, superintendent of the Clinton schools, and retiring president of the association. The devotional ex ercises were Ie<l by Dr. J. C. Roper, pastor of North Broad Street Metho dist church, with the principal address delivered by Dr. Dudley Jones of the college faculty. An enjoyable program of entertainment was given by a group of students from the Training school. The following officers were elected for next year: President, A. D. Aber- difficult that you would not have one Mrs. John D. Davis Loses Mother crombie, principal of the Mountville school; vice-president, Mrs. H. S. Blackwell of the l^jiurens city schools; secretary-treasurer, J. Leroy Bums, county superintendent of education. the program the Clinton assisted by Mrs. W. E. I Monts, Mrs. John T. Little, Mrs. J. C. Friends in the city of Mrs. John D. j Roper, and the home economics class Davis will .sympathize with her in the j of tho high cla.ss, served a delicious Jkfier teachers. death of “*hel^ mother, Mrs. W1 W.l luncheon to the visitors Sellers, 79, which occurred Sunday at j a Florence hospital^ following a criti-! cal illness. | Funeral services were held from' farmers who have not raised cotton during the past threi* years and who plan to grow it this year. 'Then three per cent of the county allotments is divliled amtmg farmers who are entitled to an allotment of between five and 1.5 acres. The act benefits the “little farmer” in that thosM* who have produced less than five acres during the past three years are allowini to plant the highest number of acr(» in use during one of these three years, plus the acreage which was diverted under the soil conservation program. (Thus if one acre had been plante<l in 1935, three in 1,93€ and two in 19.‘17, the farmer would 'be alloted three acres). Every farmer who has planted more than five acres liuring each year the pa.st three years will he given a minimum allotment of five acres. The remainder of the county allot ments will be distributed in each county on. the basis of a unifoi'm, fixed percentage of the tillable acres on the farms, deducting from such tillable acreage such land on which rice, wheat and tobacco for market was productMl, provided the allotment odes not exceed the highest planted acreage—plus—the—acreage—diverted DEATH TERMED SUIHDE Ijaurens, March 7.—A coroner’s jury .. . T .8 m* J #8 -Monday termed suicide the death of the remdi-ncc at Ulta Mon^y after-g FqllbrlKht. 68, Sunday m>on, conduct^ by the Rev. f red | ^ Hay, paator of the D.llon Pre.byte- ' nan chuixh, and the Rev, C Clyde,|^.__ pastor of the Hopewell Presbyterian | church. Besides Mrs. Davis, Mrs. Sellers is survived by a second daughter, Miss Etta Sue Jailers, Dillon county home $61,875; Assembly’s Training school,agent, a son, M. M. “Never vote for a man who is fight-■ on the 1938 catton crop not; $20,62.", andT .American Bible society,’ I-atta, and a sister, Mrs. ing another man. Vote for the man j less than 52 per cent nor exceeding $13,7.50. * Hilliard of Florence county. who is fighting for a principle,” he urg;ed. “Business men should get to gether and save the situation. It can be done. It must be done.” The speaker was introduced by William P. Jacobs, president of Pres- county. 75 per cent of the parity price. That jhe budget for benevolences and 1 means that the government will loan current expenses was set by the Gen-! $2*000 Agaifl GlVCll between eight and 12 cents per pound eral Assembly of the Southern Pres- » r* g. g. on cotton this fall if the marketing byterian church at its meeting in! I*OF ^OttOll ^0111681 quota is still in effect. If the mark eting quota is in effect, a farmer is May, 1937, at Montreat, N. C., andi the “canvass,’’ will be supervised by! W. P. Jacobs, of this city, secre- byterian college, who in his introduc-: P®*^Itted to produce and market tax committee on steward^ship and fi-1 tary-treasurer of the South Carolina tion emphasized the saneness.,and the!free all cotton produced on the al-| nance, of which Dr. B. k. Tenney, of »> leveling influence of this prominent acres. It is hoped that each man in politics and in business in 'CMt a vote based upon his best busi- Atlanta, is executive secretary. the state. About 80 people attended the joint meeting. President W. R. Andersoni;^®^ cotton farmer farmer producing cotton in 1937 will j LOCAL RED CROSS ness judgment as to what might be Jr., of the Clinton organization, in welcoming the vi.«iting club, express ed his pleasure that the business men of Clinton and Laurens were creat ing a spirit of friendly cooperation. Joc'F. Smith, president of the Lau rens dvt>, in replying, suggested that (Continued on pege eight) KIWANIANS TO HEAR LANEY The Kiwanis dub wiB have aa its guest speaker this evening at 7:30, State Senator Gco^ K. Laney of Cheaterndd. The program will be in diarge of the committee on public affairs. DRIVE COMPLETED J. J. Cornwell, chairman of the lo cal Red Cross membership drive wag ed here last fall, announces that the campaign has been completed and a total of $611.10 raised in this com munity. This amount is the second highest ever raised in the Clinton- GoMville area, the chairman stated. Cotton Manufacturer.s association, has notified D. W. Watkins, Clemson col lege extension service director, that the association will again this year! contribute $2,000 for prizes in a five- * acre cotton improvement contest. Largely as a result of the contest, over 90_per cent of the state’s cotton crop is now 15-16 inch or longer sta ple and 70 per cent one inch or long er, aa compared with only 20 per cent of 16-16 inch or longer in 1926. An other result, it is stated, is larger and more economical production per acre. DRIVE CAREFULLY SAVE A LIFE! So Far This Year There ’ Have Been— 3 FATALITIES from AUTOMOBII^ ACCIDENTS in LAURENS COUNTY Let*s Strive To Blake 1938 a Safe Year On the Highways. This date last year, •. during the past three years. The Commoility Oedit corporation would be required to supply loans to farmers when cotton reaches 52 per cent of parity or below this figure, thus keeping the market price qbove 8 cents per pound. A penalty of 2 cents per pound would be provide<l for all cotton sold from acreage in excess of the allotted number of acres. The legislation differs from the Bankhead act in that a farmer is given the beneflt-s of fertile, soil and good farming methods, since the al lotment is made in acres ami not in Godfrey Named Chamber Head At the .March meeting of the Cham- i her of Commerce held Tuesday night, the report of the nominating com mittee for 'the year was adopted and the following officers duly eli*cted: President, A. B. (Jodfrey. Vice-President, A. L. Shepard. Secretary, Dr. D. O. Rhame, Jr. Tfrii»urer,--C. F. Winn. Additional directors: W.‘R. Ander son, W. E- Johnson, W. R. Pitts, A. B. Galloway, and John W. Little. The newly elected officers will be irfdneted, into office at the April meeting. i'i vA'. ^ ,8