I ' * > ' 1 .
*
firstect,on (IIjp laatforg ffirraU) PA<f^08
$2.00 Per Year in Advance BAMBERG, S. C., THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 27, 1919. Established in 1891
========================= = 7 -
' SIMILAR CONDITIONS 1
AFTER CIVIL WAR
LARGE CITIES WERE REELING IN
7 ^DISSIPATION.
STRIKES GENERAL.
i
Cost of Living Mounted High, and
Labor Unrest Was Prevalent.
Government Ran Railroad.
Washington, D. C.?That familiar
saying "History repeats itself,'-' gives
a great deal of comfort in these times
of strikes, extravagance, fear, doubt
and social -and industrial unrest. It <
should "buck up" those who are asking,
"What is the world coming to?"
This is not the first time this country
has experienced these conditions,
~ later to emerge into years and generations
of unexampled individual and 1
national happiness. By the same ]
token it is destined to do so again.
Immediately after the Civil War
the country was more disturbed and
the outlook darker than now. Writ- <
ten history only sums up. The un- 1
folding of events is best followed in
the daily newspapers of the time of ;
their actual happening. From this ,
source and from reports of various
commercial bodies, together with
those of societies and state and na- ^
tional institutions facts are presented (
which show how similar in many \
phases are the old struggles and the (
new. v i
\ x Writing of the reckless prodigality j
of the American people in 1865, a i
New York correspondent of the London
Times says: , t
"This*war has brought the levity of ,
Srt the American characters out in bold
relief. The indulgence in every variety
of pleasure, luxury and extravagance
is simply shocking. There is t
something saddening in the high glee f
with which the people here look upon i
a grievous national calamity. The <t
jewelers' shops in all their cities have j
trehhled their trade: the love of fine 1
I
dresses and ornaments on the part of (
women amounts to madness. They r
have money and they must enjoy it." r
The New York Independent adds: *
x * "Ask Stewart about the demand for j
^ . camel's hair shawls. His answer is, g
'Monstrous!' Ask Tiffany what kind j
of diamonds are called for. He will j j
reply: 'The prodigious; as near hen's j
egg size as possible; price no object.'
"Ingrain carpets wont do at all;
Brussels and velvets are now used (
:v from basement to garret." \
From the files of the New York j
Herald it is seen that interest in horse \
racing was keen and that grand opera t
enjoyed great prosperity. The thea- (
ter never had been more crowded. ,
"War and high prices," says the ,
Herald, "can not terrify the Gotham- ,
ites. As long as life remains in (
them they will keep up their reputa- ]
tion for jollity and good fellowship." ,
Gayety was epidemic in Washing- t
ton. Frederick W. Seward, assistant ?
secretary of state, in a letter said it a
was a sign that the people had given '
up mourning and grumbling and were i
devoting themselves to festivities. The
Springfield Republican declares that 1
Washington was drunk and reeling in <
a whirl of dissipation, where only the 1
best women devoted any time to '
: home, husband or children.
wot A f 1
i lit; l easuu iui mis uuLumob v/i. i
jollification was ascribed to reaction
from the strain of war and the plenti- 1
ful supply of money in the hands of 1
all classes.
"Nowhere in the world," wrote the
same London Times correspondent, 1
"is the laboring man so prosperous
./ as in America. If there isp, country ;
.In which labor is petted, humored, .
and put in clover, it is here." 1
Suddenly when the war ended,
peace in the industrial world gave
way to discontent. Wages remained i
stationary and prices for commodi- (
ties rose. This was due to the infla- <
tion of the currency, caused by the in
troduction of paper money. "Labor," ,
says the writer, "assumed an attitude ,
of hostility toward employers ,and t
i took concerted measure for self defense."
The situation in New York,
he says, was typical of the period.
Necessities Jumped 100 Per Cent. <
Eggs jumped from 15 cents a dozen
to 25, cheese went from eight to 18 i
cents a pound, potatoes advanced to i
$2.25 a bushel from $1.50?all neces- ]
sities rose i:i value fi^-i 60 to 100 per :
cent. Wages on the other hand lagged
behind. The average increase in all 1
trades was about 25 per cent. As the c
discrepancy between wages and val- 1
ues of food and clothing became
greater industrial unrest tended toward
revolution. Labor entered into 1
determined effort to offset the shrinkage
of the dollar by forcing wages up
I *
/ 1
DRY ACT STANDS
DURING WAR TIME
PRESIDENT WILL. NOT ISSUE RESCINDING
ORDER.
RUMORS SET AT REST.
/
Failure of Senate to Ratify Treaty
Kills Hope of Wet
Christmas.
Washington, Nov. 20.?While the
supreme court was hearing arguments
today on the validity of the
wartime prohibition act, word went
out from the White House that President
Wilson would not rescind the
"dry agt until peace formally had
been declared." This was expected
to set at rest the ever recurring rumors
that the "dry" would be lifted
by the president irrespective of early
ratification of the treaty of Versailles.
Failure of the senate to act on the
treaty at the extraordinary session
was regarded by many administration
officials as precluding the ending of
the technical state of war much before
the constitutional prohibition
amendment became effective. next
January 16.
Should such prove the case, the
only possibility of a "wet"' Christmas
ivould be for the supreme court to
ieclare the war time act unconstitutional.
Arguments on the pending
rases will be concluded tomorrow but
is the court begins a recess Monday
110 decision is expected until it reconvenes
on December 8.
The rights of congress to prohibit
he manufacture and sale of intoxicating
liquors was sharply attacked
md vigorously defended during the
arguments.
Elihu Root and others contended f
;hat the war time act and the Vols;ead
enforcement measure not only
violated the fifth constitutional <
imendment prohibiting the taking of
iroperty without just compensation,
)ut were inoperative owing to the
:essation of hostilities and the denobillzation
of the army which were
esponsible for their enactment.
Solicitor General King and William
1.. Frierson, an assistant attorney
general, for the government, argued
lowever, that a state of war still ex
sts and that it* was congress' intent to
brovide wartime prohibition until the
peace treaty was ratified.
The arguments which will be con-1
Jluded tomorrow, were in appeals j
wrought to the supreme court from
?enthcky where the wartime prohibition
act was declared uuconstitu:ional
nad from New York where fedjral
court decrees sustained both the
var time and the enforcement acts
md dismissed injunction proceedings
sought to enable Dryfuss,. Blum and
jompany to remove whiskey from
bond, and Jacob Rupert, a brewer, to
manufacture beer contfining more
than one-half of 1 per cent, alcohol.
md capital united to keep them down.
The low pay of women was "a special
grievance.
The tendency to increase the number
of apprentices and to hire unskilled
labor for the better paying positions
was another cause of complaint.
This and the employment of negroes
led to violent protest, bloodshed and
murder. Longshoremen particularly
took offense to this invasion. Along
the docks of Chicago, Detroit, Cleveland,
Buffalo, Albany, New York,
Brooklyn and Boston negro strikebreakers
brought on fierce riots in
A hich many of both races were killed.
Labor wa/exasperated also by the
attempts of employees to increase the
already enormous inflow of cheap la-1
bor through immigration. The growing
use of labor saving machinery
which supplanted many men embittered
the industrial strife. Many
strikes were waged and lost on this
account. The quality of labor deteriorated,
long hours coused physical
demoralization, idleness and
crime. At public meetings the ooun- ]
ry wras declared to be drifting to ruin.
Many localities were placed under
martial law. Military commandersforbade
strikes and enforced their
orders by arrests.
The Reading railroad tied up by'
striking engineers, was seized by the
government and run by the military
power of the United States; the striking
longshoremen in New York stood j
idle while transports were loaded by
deserters under a strong guard of solliers.
Some of the laboring men joined
the army, some went to farms in
the West, others roved about seeking
work and a fraction remained in industrial
centers and formed unions.
Labor unions were not new. They
had existed before 1837, but were not
CLAIMS MEXICO ,
WANTS TROUBLE
SEEKING TO AFFRONT UNITED
STATES.
ARRESTED AMERICAN.
Asserts Information Is Now In Hands
Of Foreign Relations Committee
of Senate.
El Paso, Texas, Nov. 22.?The positive
assertion that information is in
the hands of the foreign relations
committee of the United States senate
to the effect that the Carranza government
is deliberately seeking to affront
the United States in connection
with the kidnapping and subsequent#
arrest of William 0. Jenkins,
American consular agent at Puebla,
.Mexico, auu me smiuiiaiieuiis yruiuligation
of the oil properties nationalzation
decree, was made tonight by a
member of the substitute Committee
who has arrived here to investigate
international conditions.
Direct Defiance.
The committee member declared
that formal request for the withdrawal
of the oil decree had been
forwarded to Mexico City, in addition
to the previous notification to the
.Mexican government that the United
States regards the nationalization order
as' one amounting to virtual
confiscation. It was also pointed out
that the Carranza decree, putting into
effect the oil manifesto, was issued
in the midst of negotiations between
the American government and the
Mexican government over the .kidnapping
and subsequent arrest of
Consul Jenkins. This action, the .
committee member, who stated that
for obvious reasons his name could
not be divulged, before the formal
opening of the investigation, construed
as direct defiance to the wishes
of the United States government. He
forecast that recognition of the Carranza
government would be withdrawn
unless the two recent demands
of the United States government were
complied with very soon.
Wants Money Back.
Douglas, Ariz., Nov. 22.?Balked
by the United States in its efforts to
get ammunition from Europe, Mexico
is trying to get its money back, ac
cording to a Mexican City dispatch i
-eceived by Oxientacion, a Hermosillo, '
Sonora, newspaper.
"It has been officially announced,"
says the article, "that Gen. Candido
Aguilar, son-in-law of President Carranza,
who has been on a mission in
Europe, has cancelled the contracts
already made with several of the governments
of the Old World that had
agreed to sell to Mexico arms and artillery,
but which has not completed
the agreement.
"Gen Aguilar has requested that at
the least these nations return the
money they have received, amounting
to many millions of pesoes."
NEW HOME FOR PAPER.
I^ess and Standard Putting Up Brick
Building.
Walterboro, Nov. 20.?Work began
this morning on the new buildings
for the First National Bank and The
Press and Standard, D. C. L. Hiers,
contractor having been awarded the
contract. These buildings will be i
quite an addition to the court house
square, and will furnish larger and
better quarters for these institutions.
They will be of brick, and are to be
two stories, the upper floor being arranged
as offices.
numerous or strong.
With the rising prices and dropping
wages the formation 'of new labor
unions was the watchword of the labor
leaders. In big industrial cities
like New York and Philadelphia they
multiplied rapidly. From these, often
embracing only a single shop have
grown the national unions of the
pr.esent day. The new societies did
not go into politics, but formulated
the complaint and demands of labor
as to wages and hours of work. Their
slogan was:
"Eight hours for work, eight hours
for rest, eight hours for social recreation."
Strikes kept up, dui wun less violence.
Whole trades rarely stayed out
till every employer capitulated. The
methods of the strikes were the same
as today. Capital began to make
concessions and gradually a better
feeling held sway, but it was a long
time before the country settled down
to normal conditions.
\
/ S.
RENEWAL TREATY
FIGHT NEXT MONTH
ENEMIES PREDICT LONG STRUGGLE.
FRIENDS MAKE MOVE.
Democrats May Ask President Wilson
To Feel Out Other Powers.
White House is Mum.
Washington, Nov. 20.?Avenues of
speculation leading many ways were
opened up today when officials and
diplomats turned over in their minds
the possible results at home and
abroad that are to follow termination
of the special session of congress last
night without senate ratification of
the peace treaty.
The thoughts of the treaty's friends
- _ I
in the senate centered on accomplishing
some compromise for a ratification
in the session beginning December 1,
and to that end steps are understood
to have been taken to ask that President
Wilson ascertain from the other
powers what reservations they w'ould!
accept. !
Wliite House Silent.
x I
At the White House silence was
maintained .and callers got the impression
that for the present the administration
was willing to await
quietly the outcome of compromise
efforts among senators. It was not
revealed whether the president would
permit that policy to stand in the way
of undertaking the diplomatic exchanges
suggested. '
Everywhere the senate's action was
accepted as meaning at least a long
delay in fatification, and officials
thought the formal establishment of
a state of peace between Germany and
the powers that have ratified would
proceed now without waiting further
for the decision of the United States.
The chief result, it was agreed, would
be commercial arid financial.
War Legislation.
Chief among the matters of domestic
concern affected by the senate's
delay is war-time prohibition, which
took a new issue on life with the
postponement of a legal status of
peace. In the same class is various
other w^r legislation, and although
the Republican leaders in congress
will seek to end the war formally by
a resolution, constitutional objections
to that method are likely, in the
opinion of some officials, to tie up the
effort for some time in the courts.
Another line on which speculation
turned was the possible effect of the
senate show down on domestic politics.
Although both parties have disclaimed
any desire to put the treaty
into politics, the chances of keeping
nut 1 Q9fi palniilatinns. were ad
It UUt ui X */ ~ V y
mitted on all sides to have been reduced
by the bitter clashes in debate
last night.
Democrats Optimistic.
The stubborn struggle which featured
the final hours of the special
senate session was generally declared
to have made harder the compromise
for which the Democratic leaders today
earnestly set to work. They were
optimistic, however, that in the opening
days of the new session, if not
before, they could reach some agreement
with the Republican group of
mild reservationists.
Democratic Leader Hitchcock and
Senator Underwood, Democrat, of
Alabama, who took a conspicious part
in the administration's fight for ratification,
called at the White House
today and although they did not see
President Wilson, are understood to
have left for him their estimates of
the possibilities of a compromise.
Eighty Senators Favor Ratification.
Afterward Senator Hitchcock issued
a statement pointing out that
oitrh+v conatnrs in all voted VCSter
day for ratification in some form and
expressed a belief that the sixty-four
necessary to ratify would get together
ultimately.
Tonight the Democratic leader had
drawn up a new set of, compromise
reservations which he did not make
public but which are understood to
propose principally a modification of
the preamble requirement in the foreign
relations committee draft which
would require the other powers to accept
affirmatively all the senate's
qualifications.
No Let Ujxln Fight.
Everything indicated that the administration
had no intention of letting
the treaty fight lapse, even during
the interval before December 1,
and that there was no thought of
abandoning the treaty and negotiating
a new one. The general opinion
seemed to be that the president, in
order to get the treaty into an ad
PUBLISHERS FACE
FAMINE IN PAPER
S. C. NEWSPAPER MEN* DISCUSS
SHORTAGE.
WILL RAISE RATES.
Adopt Resolutions Favoring Increase
In Advertising Prices.?Few
Attend Meeting.
Columbia, Nov. 22.?Resolutions
recommending that all news paper
consumed in South Carolina be procured
through one central buying
agent, that'advertising rates be increased
appreciably and that consumption
of news paper be curtailed
in every way possiDie were adopted
at a meeting of South Carolina newspaper
publishers held at the Jefferson
hotel yesterday. A committee of
three was appointed to hold a conference
with a paper buying concern
to see if any arrangements couldi be
made whereby it could supply the
publishers of the State with print
paper.
The meeting was called by\A. B.
Jordan, Dillon, president of the South
Carolina Press association, and was
ifitended to be of special benefit to
those papers whose stocks of print
paper are running low. The shortage
of flat print paper is generally
recognized as being serious and as
threatening the very existence of
many of the smaller papers of the
State, and this meeting was held to
consider plans for meeting the situation.
The. meeting Was attended by only
a few publishers and practically all
of those present said that they had
paper on hand sufficient to supply
f hfim fnr o f^n? mnnf V?c TVio nnhb'oh
iv* cl tv n iuvuvuo* x iiv pu k/i on- i
ers who are known to have stocks
sufficient for only a few more issues
for some reason did not put in an
appearance.
President Jordan called the meeting
to order about 2:30 o'clock and
briefly outlined the facts of the situation,
saying that jobbing houses
have withdrawn quotations and that
even now print paper is difficult to(
secure at any price. The advance of
winter, the coal strike and the scarcity
of labor will all tend to aggravate
conditions he said.
Various suggestions were made.
Ed. DeCamp, of Gaffney, said that
there were three avenues of escape.
One was to have congress break up
the news paper trust, another to operate
a paper making plant and the
third to quit the business.
Necessity for increasing advertising
rates was also discussed at the
meeting, and it was generally agreed
that some advance must be made.
After considerable discussion it
was decided to see if some plan could
not be arranged by which every publisher
in the State would agree to
take so many tons of paper per year,
and that all of this paper be bought
through some paper broker in South
Carolina. A committee of three was
appointed to investigate this matter.
A resolution was also adopted recommending
that all publishers fix
their adveretising rates on the following
scale: 20 cents per,inch for
the first thousand of circulation; 12J
cents additional (or 32\ cents) for
the second thousand and 7 \ cents additional
for the third thousand.
While it was recognized that this
Increase was considerable, it was considered
necessary in order to keep
the papers living.
The meeting adjourned after the
adoption of the resolutions.
Hampton Postoflfice Robbed.
Hampton, Nov. 24.?The postoffice,
Jocated on the first floor of the Guardian
.building, was forcibly entered
some time during last night by unknown
parties, the safe blown open,
and in addition * to the cash and
stamps in it, a registered package
from the Federal Reserve Bank at
Richmond to the Bank of Hampton,
containing1 $5,300 in Victory bonds,
was taken. No clue to the robbers
has been obtained.
vantageous preliminary position
again, probably would withdraw it
and then submit it again in the opening
days of the new session.
It was pointed out that under such
a procedure it would come back before
the senate without the compelling
cloture restriction which
brought debate to an end yesterday.
In many quarters it was thought
doubtful whether the cloture rule, invoked
in this instance for the first
time, could again command the necessary
two-thirds.
<
\
PRICE OF FLOUR
WILL BE LOWER
RUMORS OF SCARCITY DECLARED
GROUNDLESS. /
SALESMEN TO BLAME.
United States Grain Corporation Says
Supply Will Be Available in
Three Weeks. '
\
New York, Nov. 19.?To prov.? that
rumors of scarcity of flour and advancing
prices are baseless, the Unitd
States grain corporation announced
today that it would enable consumers
to buy the best flour at lower prices.
Pure straight flour, made of the
finest wheat, will be sold by the corporation
to the retail trade in 12
quarter and 24 i pound packages. It
will be available in about three weeks
and the price to the consumer will be
about 75 cents for the smaller package.
Mr* Barnes said that the grain
corporation's action "puts the solution
of one phase of the cost of living
probably up to the consumer by
making it possible for the purchaser
of flour to decide for himself wheth- .
er he will continue to pay fancy prices
for such brands or buy at a lower
price pure straight flour made from
the finest wheat."
Rumors, possibly inspired by overzealous
flour salesmen, he said, had
been current in the market from time
to time of an impending flour short- \
age and the possibility that the use
of substitutes would be resumed. He
declared there was no authority in
the present food regulations for restoring
y?a.r flour.
While certain grades of flour are
scarce, owing to the short crop of
spring wheat the total wheat crop is
918,000,000 bushels this year against
917,000,000 last year, according to
Mr. Barnes.
Production of flour for the season '
"" * W'r."
ending November 7 amounted to 52,433,000
barrels against 43,174,000
last year, he said. Exports have been
about the same as last year. "
"The facts are," fie said, ''that
stocks of flour are very large and production
very large. Therefore the
wheat director has determined to
place in the hands of the retail trade
in therlarge cities particularly, a supply
of flour from the immense stocks
of the grain corporation at nominal
prices."
^ f J
GOT RICH WHILE ON TRIAL.
?
But Fortune Won't Save Texas Judge
From Prison.
?.
Graham, Texas.?E. W. Fry, former
county judge of Young county and
former member of the legislature, was
arrested about three years ago and
convicted of the charge of forgery,
committed while he was county judge.
He was sentenced to two years in the
penitentiary and appealed.
Pending action on this appeal, Fry,
out on bond, engaged in t oil opera
tions. He began business with practically
no capital, but has piled up an
enormous fortune.
Now, the news comes from Austin
that the court of criminal appeals has
affirmed the sentence of the lower
ccurt and has refused to grant a rehearing
of the case. There is nothing
now to prevent Fry being taken to the
penitentiary, except executive clemency.
Application for Fry s pardon
has been filed. Protests against the
pardon have been made, however, by
a delegation headed by W. F. Simpson,
county judge; C. F. Marshall, of
Graham, and P. A. Martin,- of Wichita
Falls.
m hi ?
RETURN OF BODIES URGED.
)
State Department Instructs Embassy
to Make Strong Representations.
Washington, Nov. 22.?The American
embassy at Paris has been instructed
by the state department to
make the strongest representations
possible to the French government for
the removal of bodies of American,
soldiers now buried in France. The
hope was expressed that an understanding
would be reached to enable
the war department to undertake as
speedily as possible the return of bodies
to the United States, where it is ' ^
desired by relatives.
Requests have been maio ror me
return of 40,000 of the 65,\)00 bodies
of American dead buried in France
The French government has been
told that its continued refusal would
have an "unfavorable impression"
upon the American peop'.e.
i sgl
. Js
Jill
, ..i-xOh