Historical Newspapers of South Carolina

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*v*C**eT. t<+ ■ vi*- HOUSE WITH WILSON L OP FREE TOLLS WINS BY VOTE OF 847 TO 161. CLARK SPEAKS FINELY NATURE WILL SOLVE IT CENSUS STATISTICIAN TALKS ABOUT RACE PROBLEM. Speaker Lead* Opposition Bat Shows Admirable Good Feeling—Wilson’s Personal Appeal, Backed by the Force of Reason, ^Sweeps Through House of Representatives. The national House of Representa tives Tuesday night, after one of the most spectacular legislative struggles in the history of the nation, voted to repeal the provision of the Panama canal act exempting American ves sels from the payment of tolls. The vote on the repeal bill was 247 to 161, a majority of 86 votes in sup port of the personal plea of Woodrow Wilson, president of the United States., . This verdict on the issue which has absorbed congress for many weeks came at the close of a stirring day, made memorable in the annals of the House by a party division which found Speaker Champ Clarke Majority Leader Underwood and otlier Demo cratic chieftains lined up in open op position with the president on an issue which the latter has declared essential to the conduct of the na- ■^'an’s foreign policy. Tuesday’s result was the first strug gle within the party since Democracy took control of the government' a year ago. On the final vote 220 Democrats in the IJousa stood by the president, giving him in ’‘ungrudging H^easure” what he had asked “for the honor of the nation” in its foreign relations. Twenty-five Republicans and two Progressives also voted to sustain the president. Fifty-two Democrats followed Speaker Clark and Leader Undyerwood to defeat. Nothing, it seemed, could stem the tide of administration success. Speaker Clark, for nearly 22 years a member of the House, made the speech of his life to forestall what he termed "unquestionable degradation” of the nation. In this he failed, but he did smooth over the party breach with kindly words for his adversaries, ILL STALLS SOUTH CAROLINA LEADS OTHERS IN VALUES PER ACRE. Census Shows That the Negro Race is ' / . • T. Loosing Ground Steadily in the fSOuthern States. •’ . ' -s _ j ’-—T- + - ~ " f <. r Solution of the negro problem through the difference in natural in crease of the white and black races in the United States is foreseen by Walter F. Wilcox, special agent of the United States census bureau and chief statistician of the twelfth cen sus. He points out in a report, copies of which have just been made public, that the negroes are steadily losing ground throughout the South, both by immigration of whites and by their own declining birth rate. They are losing ground still more rap idly in the North and there is thus reason to believe that nature will solve the race problem in her usual way, by the survival of the fittest;— “That the white race is slowly dis- plaeing the negroes in the United States is now well known," Mr. WiU- cox writes. “The more rapid increase of the whites is due not only fo the influx of hundreds of thousands of white immigrants, but also to the fact that in the registration area of 1910 an area including three-fifths of the negroes, and so a fair index of condi tions in the country at large—the negro death rate exceeded the white by about two-thirds.” Furthermore, “during the years since 1880 . . . the excess in the proportion of negro children over white children in the country has likewise been failing. The present difference in fecundity betwemi the races is little more than^pne-fburth of that in 1880, and at the present COVERS TWELVE CROPS MAKES NO ATTACK SPEAKER CLARK DISAPPOINTS PRESIDENT’S ENEMIES. Show That Government Figures While Six Others Are Nominally Ahead of This State, Their Small * Average Makes South Carolina Actually the Peer of Then All. “Very often we hear it stated that If we could only get the value of our agricultural products per acre'up to what It is in the States of the Middle West, South Carolina would be the greatest State in the Union,” remark ed Commissioner Watson recently. “The truth of the matter is that South Carolina has a greater value per acre for the 12 leading crops— corn, wheat, oats, barley, rye, buck wheat, potatoes, hay, flaxseed, cotton, rice and tobacco, representing more than 90 per cent, of the total area of all crops—than any State in the Mid dle West, than any other State in the South and than any other'jState in the Union, with the exception of Neva da, Arizona, Massachusetts, Rhoue Island, New Jersey, Connecticut, the only six States which exceed the dis tinguished little pioneer. In volume of agriculture none of these six States could be called an agricultural State, as agricultural States go to-day, and that being true, when we consider the volume of production measured in millions of dollars, the farm of 1913, for value per acre of crops, belongs to South Carolina. REmns ANISE WILSON SORRY FREE TOLU BAT- TLE HAS YELLOW STREAK. Finley, Aiken and Ragsdale Oppose Wilson—Lever, Byrnes, Whaley, and Johnson Favor Repeal. Although Speaker Clark made a tremendously Interesting and effec tive •< speech Tuesday afternoon against the repeal of the law exempt ing our coastwise trade from Panama canal tolls, the presidents majority was nearly twice as great as was last week on the rule limiting debate. After the first decisive test some of those who had been wavering came over to the administration side. 'So far as can be ascertained, the speak er’s great heart-to-heart talk to his colleagues in the House Tuesday did not change a vote. c But there are magy win* do not follow the speaker on this subject EXEMPTION A SUBSIDY ENGLAND FACES OOSB <w? >. Mwm PREMIER ASQUITH RESIGNS TO TAKE CHARGE OF ARMY, praise for President -Wilson, and- an unquaMfied denial of any vaulting am bition on hie own behalf. When he had closed the debate for the opposi tion to the repeal the speaker was triumphant in defeat, for the entire legislative assemblage, in which were many senators, rose en masse to cheer him. The scene in the House chamber when Speaker Clark yielded the gavel to Representative Underwood, the majority leader, to defend his course in the great controversy probably was unrivalled in the history of Ameri can legislation. Never before within the recollection of the oldest member had the galleries been so packed with interested spectators. Outside the bal leries the corridors were jammed with disappointed hundreds. On the floor nearly every member was in his seat. Even the Senate had adjourn ed and scores of senators occupied seats on the floor. It was a rare political stage set that this throng witnessed, nding. before them while Demo- cfatis and Republican members cheer ed him to the echo was the sturdy, big framed, silver haired speaker with resolution beaming on his coun tenance, lils thin Tips clenched tight ly, his face pale and stern. Behind him, pounding for order,, was-Mr. Underwood. p?here they were await ing the climax of the long debate, these two leaders of the Democratic patty, heading the first revolt in the party ranks since Democracy put Woodrow Wilson iti the White House. Even House*Democrats who for the first time had turned their backs on their immediate leaders, and stood resolutely by the president through out tl}e fight were impressed at the scene. The interest was tense as Speaker Clark began to speak, and his first utterance, breathing a spirit of har mony as against discord and assuring the country that the president and he personally were" at peace, seemed to spread over the assemblage, particu larly the Democratic side of the House a feeling' of relief. "There is no personal issue be tween the president and myself,” said the speaker and his voice was ■ drowned in a chorus - of Democratic shouts while Republicans and Pro gressives applauded. At the outset the speaker read his address, but soon he got into his old time oratorical swing and was ham- rmering home with sweeping gestures his deliberately delivered words. When he praised the patriotic mo tives of President Wilson, again was ha Interrupted by applause. Upon his emphatic declaration that with those who charged him with attampt- peared entirely before the next cen sus is taken.” The decline is largely due to negro emmigration to the cities, the writer is only about two-third that of city whites, but the fecundity of country negroes is much above that of coun try whites”. The negroes’ loss of ground is further hastened by their tendency to migrate North, where the fecundity of all races_ is lower than it is in the South. “The evidence then,” Mr. Willcox concludes, “points to a differential natural increase as an important fac tor, ar factor, in my opinion, at least as important as immigration in de termining the present and future rel ative proportions of the two main races of this country.” wu father to the thought” not a member on the floor but applauded him. “Doea.any man in this House believe the Democratic leaders are working to apUt Democracy?” the iker fairly howled as he leaned the Democratic aide and Into the faoea of hli col leagues. “No! No!” was the thunderous re ply from every part of the chamber. “Let him courageously stand up here and now,” continued the speak er, “that we may see his cast of countenance.” But no man stood up and the House cheered again. Throughout the speech thhere was not a dull moment. Repeatedly he was cheered and the echoes of the plaudits rang through the reveiberat ing halls of the capital in frequent waves. The speaker talked calmly whep he referred to the Baltimore convention and recalled how he had led in the presidential nomination for 29 bal lots and when he told his colleagues he was mindful of the fact that his course In this crisis might mean the end of his public career, there was no evidence of regret or of alarm in his voice or demeanor. There were many things worse, he said, than being defeated for congress or for the speakership. When he de clared he was hot.a caadidate for the presidency and could be happy with out it, he interrupted himself with a chuckle that brought more applause. The speaker said he had.no harsh words to speak of any colleagues who had criticised Wm, but he referred to some of them—Representative Henry of Texas, who led the fight for the cloture rule on the repeal bill; Rep resentative Shirley and Representa tive Hardwick, who had aided in ihat fight. The House was moved to up roar of laughter when the spealter said, referring to Mr. Hardwidk: “So far as the gentleman from Georgia is concerned, I say: ‘Shoo! Fly, don’t bpdder me;- Shoo!' Fly, don’t bodder me.’ ” C It was several moments after this humorous disposition of the case of his party adversaries before the speaker could resume because the en tire House sat back ,and roared— roared again with laughter. Even Mr. Hardwick laughed, and those who came expecting to listen to a politi cal diatribe laughed and cheered with theothersT" The House listened attentively to the speaker’s argument against the ’oils repeal, his assertion that he be lieved the president was njistaken, his argument that .the Canadian Pacific railroad and the Tehantepee Na tional railway would profit by the re peal. anj} his appeal against yielding anything* to Qreat ^rttaln. President Says Democrat# Should ' Know Which Conrae to Take, Al though Platform is Contradictory on the Subject—Regards Attacks as Slap at Administration. President Wilson declared Monday lhal because of the contradictory statements in the Baltimore plat form, Democrats should have no hes itation'In voting for the repeal of the Panama canal tolls Exemption. The president emphatically characterized exemption as a subsidy and pointed who think that it was a mistaken and"^ 1 one P lank th « Baltimore plat unjust policy to attack him personally and as a Democrat for his stand. President Wilson has been careful not to say anything personally disa greeable about Mr. Clark, and Mr. Clark has been likewise careful about the president. Speaker Clark, in closing the de bate against the repeal, disappointed those who expected him to attack President Wilson. He disclaimed auy personal issue with the president, de clared he believed Mr. Wilson was actuated by the highest patriotic mo tives and that there was no breach in the Democratic party. He argued at length against the president’s con tention and declared that “the amaz Ing request of the president for a re peal, like the peace of God, passeth all understanding.’ Went in Box Ow to Sleep. has been carried from Pensacola, Fla., in an unknown box car, into which be went to sleep Monday. land clalni-pt, {(oae, Ark., Saturday. perhaps, that this would happen, and I hardly believed it myself to-day, when I got from Washington these average values per acre of the 12 crops combined in each of the States of the Union. South Carolina's value per acre is 125.18, Georgia’s is only 120.80, North Carolina’s is very close up to the Palmetto State with $24.84 Virginia’s is $23.69, and then they tumble. The so-called great agricul tural producing section of the Middle West runs like this: “Ohio, $19.29; Indiana, $17.28; Illinois, $14.87; Iowa, $17.01; Mis snuri, $12.29; Michigan, $16.83; Wisconsin, $19.41; Minnesota, $14.26; North Dakota, $8.15;, South Dakota, $9.48; Nebraska, $10.85; Kansas, $7; Tennessee, $1-8.01. “In the rest of the South not men tioned above it runs this way: “Alabama, $20; Mississippi, $19.62; Louisiana, $19.05; Texas, $18.52; Oklahoma, $19.06; Arkansas, $18.56. "In the Far West, with the excep tions I have noted, New Mexico and Nevada, the highest figures are $20 and $20.25 in California. Up in the East the figures are: “Maine, $23.72; New Hampshire, $20.44; Vermont, $20.78; Massachu setts, $32.34; Connecticut, $37.63; New York, $19.33; New Jersey, $29.02; Pennsylvania, $21.34; Dela ware, $18.47. “The average for the entire United States Is $16.31, which is just exactly 1 cent more than it was in 1909. ’ “It ought to be pretty convincing also to the people who come <\own and look around the South and' say that if the conditions here were ‘like they are at home what a paradise it would be’, to know that the average value per acre of these 12 crops in the South Atlantic States is $22.54, which is higher than In--any other sectign iff.United States. In the ftorth Atlantic States it is $21.08, lit the East North Central States it is $17.07, ih the West North Central States it is $11.52, in the South Cen tral States it is $17.45, and in the far Western States it is $19.59. The increases since 1909 show that the South Atlantic States out- stcip-the entire country.—Ih both the East and West North Central States there has been a steady decline, and this is true of the North Atlantic States. In other -words, these offi cial federal figures that have just been issued show beyond all question of doubt that while we have only as yet begun to scratch the surface of our opportunities here in the South Atlantic States, agriculturally, these States are to-day the leaders in agri cultural production when measured by the only true yard stick, which Is the actual value of the crops produc ed on each acre of land cultivated and planted. /‘They- bring, to tbe eyes of tbe world what is ever more important to us people here in South Carolina, And Jthat is the fact that South Caro lina, volume of agricultural produc tion considered, is Indeed the leading State in the American Union to-day in agricultural endeavor. It demon strates to the outsde world that tbe methods we have been employing in tbe last decade in South CaroII|ia to Increase average production per acre of the IS leading crops of tbe coun- i ^rrf-qnt Three Rilled ta Fend. TbrM taea hiV^flead-and 6 woman la dying an a remit of a feud over ailat to the world, tbese official flgmrea. and that abe is actually is advance at this time of any of her sister States by perhaps several years. - “It occurs to ma that wa, as a people, ought to thank the federal gorerament for collating and publish- ter they are saffideat between the president and himself and added that if the president had reasons “which afe not utterly un tenable and which compel him to make this request” he had not given them to the House. He differed from the president’s statement that toll exemption was “a mistaken economic policy” but admitting dispute on that point, proposed that the exemption be suspended two years. He con tended that 'the president was mis taken in his view that the exemption was repugnant to the Hay-Paunce- fote treaty. He attacked the attitude of House democrats who have led the presi dent’s fight for the toll exemption re peal. Referring to published declara tions that his opposition to the presi dent was the “opeping gun of his fight for the nomination in 1916”, the speaker declared he had told all to whom he had spoken about the 1916 Situation that if the president’s ad ministration was a success, Mr. Wil son would be re-elected, and if it was a failure “the nomination would not be worth having." As to his own future the speaker insisted he could be bappy without the presidency or he speakership. The South Carolina delegation tood as, it stood last week—four with the president and three against him. This time Representative Jas F. Byrnes was on the floor to oast his ballot for repeal. He left his sick roo mto do so. With him oh the ad ministration side were Messrs.! John son. Lever and Whaley. As before Messrs. Finley, Aiken and Ragsdale voted against repeal. Representative Joseph T. Johnson, who was the only member of the South Carplina dele gation to speak on the tolls repeal strongly supported Mr. Wilson. RELEASED FROM SENTENCE. form thus declared against subsidy direct, or Indirect while another de clared lor tolls exemption. The pres ident said there should be no doubt in the minds of Democrats as to which declaration took precedence. Mr. Wilsoh . reiterated that when the exemption was before the House a majority of the Democrats voted against it because 4 was a subsidy. The president explained that he had been in favor of the exemption repeal even if the international situation he referred to in the message to congress had not arisen. Mr. Wilson said the report that h had made a bargain with Great Britain was one of the insults that had been introduced into the .tolls debate, and expressed regret that what promised to be a dignified con test with- genuine differences of opln- ■"•-rrr-- yi'iiitiiirrnr 'iiiiiiiiiinin. t nfmi...-'^^^-^ r * CTnft ^ r< . 1 | r ||-, l Asquith Will Take Charge of tte Wm Office in Order to Deni With Irish Trouble. After nil the’-many solutions of the English government crisis. Which bad been proposed and discussed Premier Asquith announced Monday a solu tion to .the House of Commons which none of the prophets had suspected or even expected. Tbe Premier himself will assume the bur-" den of the War Office in addition to his other dud almost crushing duties. He will resign from the House at this critical stage, when the second read ing of the home rule bill is about to be taken up and will appear for re- election to his constituents in East Fifej Scotland, within s Tew days. Mr. ^squith apparently consulted no one except the King before his' bold decision. His colleagues in the cabinet seemed to be as surprised as the other members of the House when he revealed his plans. Mr. As quith is already First Lord of the j Treasury which office he will continue to hold. The political seers gather that Mr. Asquith is In fighting mood. It looks at the present moment as though he proposes to make the re organization of the army a fighting Issue. ' The establishment of s federal sys tem of government for the British Isles was suggested to the House of Commons Tuesday by Sir Edward Grey as a solution of the home rule difficulty. The suggestion wu receiv ed with great attention b> the House, which wu engaged in debate on the second reading of the home rule bill. Negro in Arkansas Electrocuted After ■ J Gaining His Release. ' . * —-After receiving an executive par don, which released him from a 115 year sentence, Fred Pelton, negro, f confined in the Alaba state peniten tiary at Little Rock, jvas electrocuted Saturday for the killing of a negress. There was a question as to the legal ity of electrocuting Pelton until after he bad served his 115-year sentence for another crome and for that rea son the pardon was granted. man from Iowa, the man from Illi nois, and the man from Michigan, who comes down oh a trip to look the situation over and because things happen not to be done exactly in the «ay he is doing them, begins to dis course at length about the great pro ductive power of his country and to scorn the conditions that his eyes rest upon around him. “I meet such every day, and here after, for this year at least, I shall keep these federal official figures with me all the time, and when I strike such a man^ quietly hand them to him to study and then in a brotherly manner advise him to come and make his home in what, ten years ago, when conditions were pitiable, I wu bold enough to proclaim to tbe out- it is now—“The side world Garden Country or America!.” attempt to discredit the adminis tration. He said, this made a victory of the administration all the more certain but he regretted that public affairs should be handled thus. He added that he didn’t think all the opponents of repeal felt this way President Wilson let it be known that he opposed any amendments such u had been proposed by some senators. He Is for and unepjiyocal repeal The president directed attention to his analysis of the Baltimore plat form as showing an inconsistency be tween the plank against ship sub sidles ahd that favoring free tolls It was not hard to tell, he affirmed which was the much important. For one hundred years or more, the party has been unalterably opposed to any kind of subsidy. Its position on the question is historic and it wu reaf firmed at Baltimore. As he viewed it, the issue present ed was whether an immatnrely con sldered plan favoring free tolls—a subsidy—should be preferred to the fixed policy of tfie party against sub sidies in any form. Free Panama tolls were utterly Inconsistent with Democratic doctrine, said the pros! dent, and the proof of that fact wu found in the line-up of Democrats In Friday’s roll call. No expression wu forthcoming from the president u to attitude of Speaker Clark. Ills friends- have declared the at tempt to discredit t£e adminlslration did not emanate wholly from Repub lican or Bull Moose sources, but the president makes no comment on this phase of the controversy. The presi dent entertains no fear as to the out come of this position. He believes the result in congress is already set tled, while reports received fijT^the administration from the country show the bulk of public opinion sustaining his stand. The president does not charge all his opponents with a sinister motive. On the contrary he believes many of the men opposirg him are honest and patriotic'in their decision, but their attempt to make the fight on its merits has beeta overshadowed by ( the clamor aroused by those who desired to humiliate the president. The White House later authorized A quotation of what the president had said in answer to the charge that the president had been made a deal with Sir William Tyrrell, private secretary to Sir Edward Grey. British foreign secretary. The president had been asked if the charge was true. He said; “Of course, that answers itself. It Is just the crowning insult of a num ber If insults which have been intro duced in this debate. This whole thing reminds me of a story I used to be fond of telling of a very effec tive debater—I need not say where this happened—who sent a challenge down into a county very hostile to him to debate. The people down therq did not like the Job much, but they put up the man they liked best and who Is generally put up on such occasions, a great big husky fellow whom they called Tom. “The challenger was given the first hour of the two nours allotted to the debate and he hadn’t got more than half way through his speech when It became evident that he was convlnc- our present difficulty ie not solved by the introduction of a federal> system the country will go under through the sheer inability of Parliament to transact ita business.” Sir Edward Grey put forward a hint that the government was ready to go to the country for a general election if Parliament would enact its bills abolishing the system of plu ral voting, giving borne rule to Ire* land and dls-establishlng the Welsh church. Meanwhile the question of the coercion of Ulster can not arise. After i a, week. of sensational 4* ,r *^ 1 ’' otfiBWirtrin connexion,,urtth v the Ulster situation, the House of Commons Tuesday started the debate on the second reading of the home rule for Ireland bill. It is expected the meas ure will occupy the House for at least three days. The absence of Mr. Asquith, who was in charge of the bill, was bitterly complained jof pj the Unionists. It is reported from Dublin that Premier Asquith is to be opposed in the by-election for East Fife by James Larkin, who, as head of the Transport Workers’ Union, wa* lead er of the strike in Dublin last au tumn. In connection with the strike, Mr. Larkin was sentenced to seven months’ Imprisonment in October for inciting to riot, but was later releas ed. ~v v- * WANTS LEGISLATOR. Rearly TldUed to DCite. “Tickled to death” came a< ing literally true for Miss Ivy a pretty ll-year-old girt of month, Ohio, Saturday, when she came ill ae a result of too langhlhg. and ter a time was thought to bo dying. Member From Barnwell County Gave Out Worthless Checks. b A warrant for Norman C. Creech, member of the lower. House from Barnwell county, alleging that he had issued a worthless check in the sum of $&&<), was received in Columbia Saturday by John C. McCain, aheriff of Richland county from J. F. Win gate, magistrate at Rock Hill. The warrant was issued at the instance of L. C. McFadden, a member of the firm of Diel & Moore at Rock Hill, to Whom Mr; preech had given the check. The check was drawn on the Pal- matto National bank of Columbia, dated February 14, and was returned on account of insufficient founds. Sheriff McCain has returned the war rant, as Mr. Creech’s whereabouts are unknown to him, and as on Fri day he sent to Barnwell a warrant'-©* ' a charge by Mrs. UlYian I. Kaminer, proprietress of the City hotel, that Mr. Creech had left the city owning her a board bill of $83. BOY FIGHTS POLICE. • -— -*• Fifteen-Year-Old Lad Stands Off « Squad of Officers. A 15-year-old hoy, barricaded in a gun ahop, held off a squad of Tim . Haute, Ind., police with a continuant revolver fire Tuesday until wonndnd in many places, and his clothes blood-soaked he staggered from bin fortress and surrendered. [ The lad— Kfaest McWilliams—was fonnd In the gun ship and when his surrender was demanded he replied with a fus illade. In the battle that followad all the window panes In the store ing the audience, when one of Tom’s •haltered and an automobile. which tbe boy bad taken refuge^ ttrfla riddled with bullets from ! partisans cried oat: Tom, Tom, call him a liar and make It i fight’ That la the stage this thing has reached.” The president’s auditors asked him If he was going to fight and hi smil ingly answered (hat ho did not need weapons. ■ Old newspaper* for salo. Mistaking h daughter for o Wilson of Boot with fatal renl Rlr;