Cheraw chronicle. (Cheraw, S.C.) 1896-2005, October 20, 1921, Image 2

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1?Marshal! Field's house in \ , 2?Largest unit of ordnance ever proving grounds. 3?Parents in the children-. NEWS REVIEW OF ! CURRENT EVENTS Passage of CaYial Tolls Exemption Bill May Result in Serious Complications. ' / MIDDLE WEST IN PROTEST American Delegates to Arms Conference Formulating Policy?Sudden Death of Senator Knox?Germany Is Enraged by Reported Partition of Upper Silesia. ? nr% Ul Biri/ADn By fcUWMPIL/ ??. nvnn.w. When the senute last week passed the Borah bill exempting American coastwise vessels from payment of Panama canal tolls it started something, and that something may prove later rather embarrassing for the administration, provided the house also passes the measure. In the opinion of the opponents of the bill it is a violation of the treaty of 1914 with Great Britain assuring all nations equal treatment in the operation of the canal, and they are confident that the British not only will protest the bill if it is made law, but will de inand arbitration of the matter. Some senators asserted that it was unwise to bring up the tolls Issue at this time because it would add a new complication to the armament conference. This view was held by Senator Lodge, although lie declared the United States had the right under the treaty to exempt its coastwise shipping from tolls payment. Senator Borah, however, intimating that he had consulted the President, said that "those who 'are primarily responsible for the success ful outcome of the conference, so far as the United States is concerned, do not share the fears of embarrassment, which have been expressed on. this floor today." When it came to a vote. 35 Republicans and 12 Democrats were recorded In favor of the measure, and IT Republicans and 20 Democrats in opposition. Free tolls was a plauk in the Democratic platform of 1012, but it was repudiated liy President Wilson, and at his insistence the free tolls clause in the canal act was repealed In 1914 sifter nu exciting parliamentary battle. Last year the Republican platform advocated the exemption of * American shipping and President Harding lias urged the passage of the bill. In middle western states business and commercial organizations are strongly opposing the measure because they believe it Is designed to benefit the Atlantic and Pacific coast states at tbe expense of the rest of the country. Many of the middle western senators who voted in favor of tlie hill tire blamed fur blindness to the Interests of their sections of the country. The argument that the measure is in contravention of the treaty is weakened by the fact that coastwise traffic is restricted hy law to vessels of American registry, and it is to these only that The proposed exemption will apply. The real battle over the Issue will come In the lower house, aud it is predicted that the bill will be allowed to sleep there until after the conclusion of the conference on armaments. While the foreign delegates to the anus conference are on their way to America, our own delegation is hold ing meetings to formulate the policy j that will be followed by the United ! States. At Its first session Secretary of State Hughes reported that not one of the participating powers had raised a single objection to any part of the tentative agenda he had submitted. Even Japan, which at first was a bit coy. has proposed no additions or eliminations. Mr. Hughes also said be bad cabled to the powers, as an addition to tlie agenda, the proposition that the conference consider the question of electrical communication in the Pacific; which, of course, means that the controversy with Ja| an over the Yap cable and radio will come up. unless it is settled in the meantime. TROUBLE IN MEXICAN CITY; Suspension of Business Expected in Pucbla as a Protest Against Alleged Excessive Taxation. Mexico City.?Wholesale suspension business by stores and factories in the city of I'ucbla was expected, it was asserted in dispatches received here from that city. This would be !n protest against alleged excessive taxation by the state government. indicate the v..ci>intrfnii w-iicpil l?v French Kinhussv built in America, 16-inch .50 caliber g > Volga district of Russia carrying to a ci | The American delegation selected Basil Miles as its secretary, considered and upproved the physicul arrangements for the conference, and then took up the matter of publicity for the big meeting. The members explained to the anxious representatives of the press that this is a question for the conference to determine, but that they would place no obstacle in the way of the fullest publicity possible consistent with the expedition of the conference's business. Hundreds of idealists have written to President Harding, under the impression that the conference is expected to accomplish the complete disarmament of the world. In a reply to one of them, the President has undertaken to dispel the illusion. In it he says, as he lias said before, that it is erroneous even to suggest that the conference can go so far as to attempt universal disarmament, and that "if we can get a reasonable limitation we shall think that great things have been accomplished." Continuing, he says: "By 'reasonable limitation' I mean something practicable that there is a chance to accomplish, rather than an ideal that there would be no chance to realize. It is necessary to deal with actualities; to do the hest possible. Universal disarmament would be beyond hope of realization; even Its desirability at this time might well be questioned. Thousands of years of history recording the wars and controversies of mankind suggest that human nature would require revolutionary reorganization to make universal uisarmament possible. a consideration of the present stale of the world ntu??t, I think, enforce the conclusion that this is not a hopeful thne to undertake that kind of revolution. ... To undertake the Impossible and fail might leave our last state worse than our first. The attitude of the nations warrants confidence that we will not fail, but rather that substantial results will he accomplished, calculated to lessen the armament burden and to reduce the danger of armed conflict." / . One of America's most astute statesmen and lawmakers. Philander Chase Knox, died suddenly in his home in Washington last Wednesday. As attorney general, secretary of state (and senator from Pennsylvania, and for many years as one of the leaders of the Republican party, Mr. Knox won high consideration and fame. He was a candidate for the Republican nomination for the presidency In 1908, and In recent years was especially prominent as an unswerving opponent of the Versailles treaty, and the author of the resolution declaring the state of war with Germany and Austria at an end. When he was attorney general, under President Roosevelt, he di- ; rected the suit that smashed the Northern Securities railway merger; as secretary of state, in President Taft's onhinef, lie did much to extend American business in foreign lands, developing the principle of "dollar diplomacy," especially In the Far East. \ Mr. ICnox often aroused the antago- i nlsm of others by his downright poli- i cles, but liis unadulterated Americanism was never questioned, and his services to his country were numerous and important. It was expected in Washington that I the death oj Senator Knox would result in brief delay in bringing the I pence treaties to a final vote In the senate. In response to many demands from all over the country, the house rules committee has been conducting pre- | liminary hearings to determine whether or not there shall be a congressional investigation of the Ku Klux Klan. From a postal Inspector the j most Interesting Information was oh- ' tained. He said the Klan's membership is between Sn.000 and lUo.ttOO. instead of 800,000, as has been often declared, and that In the North it Is ' strongest in Chicago. He found the I organization has collected $1,148,000 in dues, and i-ould not discover anyI thing to substantiate certain charges of fraud made against It. Neither | could be find that it had contributed any money for charitable purposes. 1 lie said Imperial Wizard Simmons I I I .. < ..! .CI I IMI 1 .. M.m,. other witnesses told whut they knew, ??r thought they knew, against the i economic situation there is serious. A few textile plants are in operation, hut were said to have sullicient eoal for only three clays more, j The food supply also has become a real problem for the residents of I'uebla, who continue their street demonstrations. Governor Sanchez and a citizens' committee was expected to arrive here to confer with President Obregon. Governor Sanchez was declared in dispatches to have threatened the ] arrest of Mexico City newspaper I * ^ for duration of arms conference, un, demonstrated at Aberdeen (Md.) inetery Uie bodies of their sturved Klan. and then Colonel Simmons himself took the stand. He declared the Klan is not anti-Catholic, anti-Jew or anti-negro; that it was not organized for personal profit, and has no lawless creed, and never has taken the law into its own hands. In six years, he nsserted, he has received only $12,000 from the organization. He told the committee he hoped it would make the most thorough investigation of the Klan, and promised that if one onethousandth part of the charges against it were proved, he would call the grand council together for the purpose of disbanding the organization. Colonel Simmons declared the attack on the Klan was started by a Democratic paper of New York, to increase its circulation, and as a political scheme to put the proposition for an investigation up to the Republican congress, and that certain other metropolitan papers had to fall into line to save their circulation. If the council of the League of Nations has decided on the division of Upper Silesia between Germany and Poland on the lines reported in dispatches from Europe, the reactionary elements in Germany will he given a fine chance to regain some of their lost power. Though the reported solution of the problem'is a compromise, and gives Germany a considerable share of the manufacturing region of Upper Silesia, including the districts of Gleiwltz, Hindenburg and part of Reuthen, the Germans are highly displeased with the decision. The monarchic press is howling for revenge, and the radicals and conservatives unite in denouncing the partition as a "erim-.. Inal act." The almost immediate resuit is likely to be the resignation of the cabinet, and if Chancellor Wlrth Is thus forced out. it is most probable that Doctor stresemnn win come mro power as his successor. He, as lias been said before in these columns, is at heart a reactionary, and is bitter against the entente allies and the United States. Meanwhile, according to rumors, certain of the Silesian cities awarded to Poland are preparing to fight to stay In Germany. The old German military bodies that were disbanded when the league troops took charge In the district, are getting together again, and arms that were buried instead of surrendered, are being dug up. The prospect Is far from peaceful. King Alexander of Servla is the sub ject of a lot of international gossip these days. For weeks, since the death of old King Peter, he has delayed his going to Belgrade to assume the crown of Jtigo-Shivln, and the explanations of this delay have not been at nil satisfactory. One day last week It was reported In Paris, where Alexander Is sojourning, that he had re pounced tlie throne, preferring the pleasures of the French capital to the perils of being a king In his own land. Next day this story was flatly denied by the Jugo-Slav legation in Faris. One of the rumors afloat is that the young monarch Is enamored of a French girl who would not he acceptable as queen. Ireland's pca<-e delegates, after receiving a noisy welcome from their fellow countrymen in London, went Into conference with Premier Lloyd George and several other members of the Uritlsh cabinet. The sessions are likely to continue, with brief interruptions, for many weeks, and if the Sinn Feiners have their way, the public will know little of what is going on until the whole affair is ended. Apparently both sides are showing tact and gi>od will, and the feeling in London Is becoming distinctly optlmis! fie. The conference on unemployment adjourned sine die on Thursday, after approving a general program of per! niunont measures designed to cure Involuntary idleness and restore the nation's business and commerce to a normal condition. These are in addl: tion to tin* steps for immediate relief of the situation already taken, ineluding tlie enlistment of commercial and employers' associations and mu- ; i nieipalities and states in the solving 1 of the problem and the setting up in Washington of a centralizing agency i under Col. Arthur Woods. , men who he said were sending nut 1 of I'uolda "startling and exaggerated j reports of conditions." The two railroads running through 1'uebla continue to unload goods consigned to that city, and warehouses there are overflowing, as teamsters refuse to move any of the accumulated merchandise. Tantpico again appears In press reports as another scene of unrest, due to unemployment. Four thousand oilfield workers are idle and a bread line has been started. I. I LONDON WELCOMES GENERAL PERSHING GENERAL ARRIVES TO LAY UNITED STATES MEDAL ON BRITISH To MB AMERICAN TROOPS CHEERED London Newspapers See In Visit An Evidence Of Everlasting Friendship London. ? General Pershing, who comes to London to take part in the ceremonies attending the laying of the nAnn-rnt'C!ir?Tl 11 rtlOfTo 1 On t Vl P tflTTlh nf tUU^lCDOlWHUi 1I1V.UUI WMV - w.? _ . Britain's "unknown soldier," has arrived here from Paris. The general was met at Victoria station by a distinguished reception committee from the various government departments. He was the first of the party to step off the 'rain, and was greeted by Sir Laming WorthingtonEvans, secretary for war, who introduced him to the others, while hundreds of onlookers, who had streamed in through the gates, applauded. Among those who shook hands with the American chief of staff were Lord Lee of Farreham, first lord of the admiralty; Lieut. Gen. Sir Travers Clarke, army quartermaster general; Admiral and Sir Henry Oliver, second sea lord, and Sir Herbert Creedy, secretary of the war office. Accompanying the party was Field Marshal Sir Henry H. Wilson, chief of the British staff, who had been in Paris on official business. At Folkestone, where General Pershing disembarked, he was met by the military and naval attaches of the American embassy. He remarked to the newspaper men that he had had a pleasant trip from Paris, and added: "The channel was smooth as a lake, thank goodness." Within five minutes after his arrival here the general entered a limousine, accompanied by his ladles, and, as the car passed through the gates and encountered the crowds lining both sides of the thoroughfare, hearty cheers were given again and again. General Pershing went direct to the American embassy, where he will stay while in London, and later was the guest of the ambassador and Mrs. Harvey at a dinner party which included Earl and Lady Haig, the secretary for war and Lady Worthington Evans, the first lord of the admiralty and Lady Lee, Viscount and Lady Astor. Vive Admiral Albert P. Niblack, U. S. N.. and Mrs. Niblack, Rear Admiral Nathan C. Twining, U. S. N., and Mrs. Twining, and Major O. N. Solbert, American military attache, and Mrs. Solbert. "The Star-Spangled Banner," rendered by the Welsh Guards' band, and the cheering of thousands of men and women, boys and girls, greeted the composite battalion from Coblenz when the special train rolled into Victoria station two hours after the ar rival of General Pershing. The battalion consists of 450 men from the Fifth, Eighth and Fiftieth infantry, with a-hand of thirty pieces and twenty Officers, all under command of Major R. 0. Barton. It was welcomed in the name of the British army by Major General Hugh Sutton, representing the army council. The battalion was twenty-seven hours on the way from the Rhine. William Retrenches; Fires Gardener Doom, Holland.?The slump in the Sernian mark is beginning to affect the ,'ormer German emperor who. is endeavoring to combat unfavorable financial conditions by reducing his household and other radical measures. Ten members of his staff have been dismissed In the recent past, including the chief gardener, whose place has been taken by William himself. He himself is a trained gardener, having spent much of his youth in gardening, and he believes old age will not suffer by this form of exercise. Hightower Guilty Of Priest's Murder Redwood City, Cal.?William A. Hightower was found guilty of first degree murder with recommendation of life imprisonment by the jury in the case in which he was charged with the murder of Father Patrick E, HesIin of Colma, Cal. Veterans' Bureal Officials Gather Washington.?The head, medical advisers and vocational training officers of the fourteen regional officers of the Veterans' bureau will meet with Director Forbes of the bureau in a series of conferences here at which efforts will be made to complete the decentralization of the organization. It has been announced that Colonel Forbes desired to frame new rules regarding the disposition of all eases so that the regional offices might be able to pass on most of them finally without reference to headquarters here. Crucial Period In Irish Parley Is Near London.?The week beginning October 16 saw the British and Irish peace delegates getting down to the fundamental issues of the Irish problem. It is freely predicted that the week will further see the injection of the Ulster question, which is one of the most delicate phases of the situation and one which offers the first true test of the sincerity and efficacy of the conference. The spirit of optimism pervades the United Kingdom, notwithstanding the delicacy of the situa. tion. Baptist 1S22 Budget Has Been Adopted Richmond, Va.?Before adjourning its annual session, the foreign mission board of the Southern Baptist convention adopted its 1922 budget of $2,928,012. This represents an advance of $100,000 over last year, and takes carc of work on eighteen foreign fields. The board voted to accept the resignation of Dr. W. A. Hamlett, who recently went from Austin, Texas, to become the near east representative, with headquarters at Jerusalem, but a new representative will be cbosen and the work continued in the Holv Land. 1 ? A GIANTS WIN CHAMPIONSHIP Mighty Ruth And Home Run Baker Make Supreme Effort In Last Of Ninth Polo Grounds.?The New York Giants won the baseball championship of the world recently after stellar defensive play in the final inning against a furious, assault by the game Yanks that turned the watching crowd into a mob of raving maniacs. The score was 1-0. Anything might have happened in that miserable last inning, and a good many things did. It was one of those innings that makes slaves for lfie of baseball fans. Men go to ball games year after year, hoping to see something of that sort, just about the time they get tired and indifferent and ready to quit the pastime, a similar situation occurs and the fading fan is good for another ten ttAnt?a nffan/lon/in tn f K a V* Ann fViaf if I v lui n (UICIIUHULC, iu vuc uupo ?-???. ?v may happen once more. In the last half of the ninth, the Yanks came to bat one run to the bad. Walte Hoyt, the Brooklyn school boy, had pitched wonderful ball, but a boot by the usually dependable Peckinpaugh had given the Giants a run. With Art Nebf bending them over like twisting streaks of wild lightning, that one run looked as big as a wholesome bootlegger's yearly profit. A home run would tie the score. The crowd rose and roared for that home run. During the American league season the huge slugger had swung with all the power that lies in his great back and shoulders, and all the accuracy that his keen, brown eyes give him, and sent the ball speeding far up and out for a homer on 59 occasions. Once more! Just once more! Somehow, the crippled and bandaged hero of the diamond, standing there at the plate with ripples of agony running under the tanned skin over his set jaws as he waggled his big bat, made one think of another great old-timer, one Samson, who was badly crippled and put out of the running, and who, in a moment of desperation, prayed for but a moment of his one-time strength and was rewarded. ,/f It was a tough game for poor Hoyt to lose. He pitched in all twentyseven innings against the hard-hitting Giants and in that time yielded only two runs, one of which, the one which came in the last game and won the ball game, was due to an error by the usually perfectly fielding Peckinpaugh. He is entitled to all the sympathy in the world, but that doesn't get him the winner's share of the purse. For the second time in his career John McGraw had won the world championship and for the ten thousand-seventh time it has been proved that the Yankee jinx is a long lived, sturdy old misanthrope, who will have to be disposed of sofnehow before the American leaguers from New York can attain the highest honors the game has to offer. Kansas Branch Of Union Is Suspended Pittsburg. Kans.?Alexander M. Howat. president of the Kansas Mine Workers' union, and his administration were suspended from office on order of John H. Lewis, president of the international union, and George L. Peck, member of the suspended executive board, was designated acting president of a provisional organization created to handle district affairs. It was announced thht the action was taken because Howat and other officials refused to abide by a ruling of the international union convention at Indianapolis recently that certain striking miners be ordered hack to work. $8,000 In Cash Taken From This Bank Winston-Salem, N. C,?W. R. Snow, assistant cashier of tne South Side branch of the Farmers' Bank and Trust company of this city, was held up by a lone bandit, and about $8,000 in cash taken from him. The burglar covered the cashier with two pistols, forcing him into the vault and to lie on the floor. U. S. Judge Landis Sought As Arbiter Chicago.?A telegram to Federal Judge Kennesaw M. Landis from the Soo Lines asking him to act as arbiter in the wage and working condition differences between the road and its employees has been received at the judge's office. Judge Landis is in New York. Ragged Wanderer Suspected Of Murder Morristown, N. J.?Efforts to extract from Frank Ruke. ragged wanderer, a confession that he murdered Janet Lawrence are being persisted in by city detectives. Ruke became highly excited when the detectives tried to take him to the spot in Kluzen wood, where the body was found. The detectives said he refused to look at the spot and cried "Kill me! I wish I was dead!" A girl's handkerchief was found in nis pocKet. x ne prisoner denies all knowledge of the crime, but the authorities believe him guilty. Knox's Death Delays Peace Treaty Washington.?Senate leaders made plans to postpone consideration of the German peace treaty until later on account of the death of Senator Knox of Pennsylvania. The treaty was to be brought up under the agreement to limit each senator's time to one hour, with a vote expected shortly after. Most of the senate foreign relations committee and other senate leaders, however, are to attend the Knox funeral here and at Valley Forge, Ya., and negotiations virtually have been concluded to postpone definite action. | Austro-Hungarian Dispute Is Settled London.?Complete settlement of the controversy between Austria and Hungary over the ownership of Hur! genland, the strip of West Hungarian ' territory awarded to Austria by the 1 Trianon treaty, appears to have been i reached. A dispatch from Venice to the Lopdon Times outlines the terms of the protocol signed there. The | parliamentary agreement was reached . i by M. Bannffy. Hungarian foreign minister; Herr Schober, the Austrian ( chancellor., and Marquis de la Torretta Italian foreign minister, mediator. NATIONWIDE R.R. STRIKE IS ORDERED' TOTAL AFFECTED WILL REACH / 2,000,000?WALKOUT ORDERED r IN FOUR GROUPS OF ROADS 2 MAIL TRAINSARE INCLUDED 1 Other Organized Workers Will Join 117 t Strike?Groups To Quit Work At 0 Twenty-Four Hour Intervals v t Chicag^.?More than half a million American railroad men have been a ordered to initiate a strike October f 30, while other unions whose member- t | ship brings total to about two million, t announced unofficially that they were preparing to follow suit and make the ? walkout general, on the same dates. t Under this program the tie-up would 1 he complete, according to union pre- 1 dictions, by November 2. * The hour is fixed for 6 a. m., Oct- ( ober 30, except for one Texas line, ( whose trainmen were authorized to go ( out October 22. t The railroads listed in the first group on which the strike is to be- * come effective, touch forty-two of the * fortv-eieht states with a trackage of * 73,000 miles out of the total United j States trackage of approximately 200,- i 000. I The New England states comprise J the group that is virtually untouched in the first walkout. The strike orders were issued to the big five brotherhoods, oldest and most powerful of the railway unions, and they specifically included mail trains in the walkout. Their provisions instructed strikers to keep away from railroad property with a warning that "violence of any nature will not be tolerated by the organizations." The strike was announced following an overwhelming vote, said to be upwards of 90 per cent, favoring a strike because of a 12 per cent wage 8 reduction authorized by the United States railroad labor board of July 1/ 1 and after it was declared by the Asso 8 ciation of Railway Executives In session here recently that a further re- e duction would be sought by the rail- : roads. It was said that the strike : decision was made before the an- ! nouncement of this further cut. Print- i ed instructions as to conduct of the strike, issued in Chicago, were dated J recently, October 14. "I fear it will be one of the most j serious strikes in American transportation history," said W. G. Lee, president of the railroad trainmen; who during recent weeks has sent circulars to his men warning them of the critical nature of the steps they contemplated. Chicago.?T. C. Cashen, president of the switchmen's organization recently, said that the Detroit, Toledo and Ironton railroad, owned by Henry Ford, would be the only one not affected by a strike. He said that Mr. Ford's treatment had made it- unnecessary to organize men on that road, and that i they consequently were not affected by the strike order. Mr. Cashen said that general head quun.ers tor me siriKe would De in 1 Cleveland. Hearquarters of the Switchmen's Union of North America will be moved there from Buffalo, and the Order of Railway Conductors will! transfer its headquarters from Cedar Rapids, Iowa, to Cleveland, he added. | Freedom Of Press Upheld By Judge Chicago.?Judge Harry Fisher has sustained the demurrer of the Chicago Tribune to the ten million dollar libel suit brought by the city of Chicago. He declared the city had no cause for action, and denied it the right to amend by petition. The city brought identical suits against the Tribune and the Daily News, claiming the papers had printed false statements regarding Chicago's financial standing and thereby injured the city's credit. The judge portions of English common law restricting freedom of press had not been inherited by this country. "This action," he said, "is not in harmony with the genius, spirit and objects of our institutions." . ( I Fire Wipes Out Texas Oil Town Fort Worth, Texas,?Fire virtually wiped out the oil town of Ellasville. in Yonnp' countv. recently. Onlv four or five buildings remain in the business i section of the town, according to a tele phone message from South Bend. e Knox Laid To Rest At Valley Forge * Valley Forge. Pa.?The body of United States Senator Philander C. c Knox has been laid to rest in Valley a Forge Memorial cemetery. The body 1 of the senator, who died in Washing- 1 ton, after having returned from a trip 1 to England, where he went in the hope 1 of regaining his shattered healtth, lay 1 in the back room of his residence here ^ during the morning of the interment. ; J Many friends and acquaintances called * and paid their last respects to the * deceased. He was much loved in his | d home town. | n Former Monarch Of Bavaria Is Very III S Berlin. Germany.?Former King Lud- i wig of Bavaria is seriously ill, and his c recovery is doubtful, acccording to ad- ! 1 vices received from Saryar, West Hun- 6 gary, to the Deutsche Allgemeine Zei- ! r t <i.Vm ,-o rc ?i.i t tnLift. i^uuvtift, nuu 10 iu ;caia uiu, j * arrived in Sarvar a fortnight ago from i: Bavaria. His health had been in a ^ poor state for some time, and it was L' hoped that a change of climate would r enable nature to take on a new leap, s hut so far no change for improvement b is notod, and his death is considered P a matter of time only. a Trouble Brewing In Upper Silesia F Berlin.?The inter-allied commission, I j in Oppeln. Upper Silesia, has again i s 1 warned both the Polish and German d | factions in Silesia that force will be d I used to suppress disorders. A state tl 1 of siege has been declared in the Beu- 11 then district, where the Germans have it been carrying on demonstrations.. Re- s newed agitation has been started in a j Upper Silesia for a general strike in V ! protest against the decision of the t< ! council of the league of nations, re- f< I garding the region, which is increasing t! in excitement 3 1AILR0ADS FORGING DEFICIT ailway Executives To Consider Pro posal To Slash Freight Rates As Rail Pay Drops J Chicago.?A proposal to meet all uture reductions in the wages of raiload employees with corresponding dereases in rairoad freight rates Is 0 be presented to the Association of tailway Executives at its meeting lere soon, it was announced. The proposition ts to be submitte4 >y a special committee of railroad fficials which last week conferred vith government officials at Washing* on, it was stated. This announcement was made by 1 railroad official here for the coherence. He stated that the commitee had prepared a report embodying he plan. The proposition to pass all future lecreases in operating costs along to he public, it was stated, was in line vith the policy of the railroads to nake freight rate reductions and at ' he same time allow the railroads to jperate at a profit. Freight rate reluctions are impossible so long as jperating costs remain unchanged, ,ui? uiiR'mi ciaHeritfa. The railroads emerged from the war acing a huge deficit, he said. The > per cent profit provided for by the raisportation act failed to bring any naterial belief because of the decrease in business, and had the railt oad labor board not authorized a reluction, in freight rates because of he decrease in the prices of othei commodities. They have, however, ceen unable to effect such reductions, le said, because of the fixed operatng costs, this applying to the arbiry fixing of wages and to the limitar ion placed on the number of hours emiloyees can work and the amount ol vork that can be done. To effect a reduction of freight ates and at the same time maintain iresent revenues for the railroads, he plan announced recently was fornulated. Increased business, brought ibout by lower freight rates, is expect sd to provide the Increased revenue lecessary for the railroSds to operate it a fair profit, it was stated. The plan, if approved by the executives, will be presented in an offirial announcement by executive officials, it is expected. Those in close ouch with the situation recently minted out that even if the proposal >ecome effective at once, some time vould elapse before freight rates could be reduced. To decrease rates, he railroads would have to go through ilmost as much formality as to raise hem, it was stated. A conference with employees would , >e necessary; and if the employees efused to accept the proposed reducions, the case would then be placed >efore the railroad labor board, under ^resent provisions. If the railroad abor board authorized the requested eduction in wages, the interstate commerce commission then would be equired to pass on a proposal to reluce freight rates. Executives of the conductors, enjineers and firemen's brotherhoods net behind closed doors again, in a continuation of conferences to deterII in/a wfi.lt aclinn ahull ha ?ab<vn an ? ? "V.V MWV.VU ?U?M1 WW IOAWU VU he membership vote favoring a strike. The recent discussion, it was said, linged on whether the vote formaly should be communicated to the aiiroad officials. According to brothirhood heads, it appeared likely that t 10 action calling for a walkout would >e taken immediately. Crazy as Bed Bug' Wrote Toledo Man Baltimore.?Harry C. Hassett, presdent of the merchandise brokerage 'irm of Henry C. Hassett company, Toedo, Ohio, was found dead recently in he bath room of his suite at the Belredere hotel. He had shot himsell * hrough the head. When found he was ilasping a revolver in ea^h hand. The lead man left several notes which ire now in hands of police. One of * hem said. "Let the Elks take care >f me," and in another he declared ie was "as crazy as a bedbug." . \ Granted Bail At Mine War Probe Logan, W. Va.?Four men, not mem>ers of the United Mine Workers, who vere Indicted in connection with the lisorders on the Boone-Logan county >order last August and September, lave been admitted to $1,000 bail each >y Judge Bland, in circuit court, here. Tight members of the miners' union, inder similar indictments; were allow !d bail recently. Ball has been refus id sixteen of the accused. )ebs' Pardon Waits On Making Peace * Washington.?Action in the Debs :ase still awaits the final ratification / md exchange of peace treaties beween the United States and the cen- ^ ral powers. The government's course n this matter, it was stated both at he white house and department of ustice, remains the same as it has leen repeatedly announced before. i sew reports that Attorney Genera) Jaugherty had tendered a pardon to 1 )ebs were positively denied at the # !epartnient of justice, and that peace nust be restored before his pardon. ^ Anent Cotton Croo Ginned Washington.?The regular report on otton ginned in the period ending Oc* ober 18 will be accompanied by a pecial statement from the census bu* eau, "indicating that a large propor* ion of the cotton crop for this year ?> s already ginned," Senator Harris ol ieorgia recently announced after a onference with officials of the bu* eau. This statement. Senator Harris aid, would bring the public's attention o the low estimated crop "for com* arisen with an expected abnormal mount of cotton ginned." ossum Caused Finding Illicit Still Chattanoga, Tenn.?A drunken posum is given crodit by officers for the iscovery of one of the largest illicit . istilleries ever found in this section, he raiders having been attracted by he reeling marsupial while traversag the wilds of Walden's ridge. The till was mounted on a concrete base, nd had a capacity of 250 gallons. Vhen first seen, the possum appeared o be ill, but, upon investigation, it was Dund to have a breath redolent with he juice of the corn. A search was tarted and the still was found. m, *