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he watchman and outljron. ROTTER WATCHMAN, Established A^rll, 18*0. "Be Just and Fear not?Let all the ends Thou Aims't at he thy Country's, Thy God's and Truth's." THE TRUE SOUTHRON, Established Juue, 18*?. Consolidated Aur. 3,1881. SUMTER, S. C., SATURDAY, DECEMBER 20, 1913. Vol. XXXVII. No. 34. FOR GOVERNMENT OWNERSHIP. pontmam l ie ?;i:\?:it.\i. iii km - km mom raraRAL tklc? RKMI AM? Tl I.lit.It Vl'll ?I itvu In Hin Annual llc|N?rt Mr Kays FOgft* office I ?ep.u t m. m Huh Surplus for Flrwl Time since \HK.i?i nt leises former Methods or UokonJng Sur? plus? Pointout Work Done und N?< .is of l>c|Mirtnicnt. Washington. I >? < . 17.?Government ownership of both telegraphs und tele? phones Im urged by Postmaster (Jen ?ral Albert S. Hurleson, in his annual, report made public today. This fol? lows reeent conferences mi tho sub? ject between the postmaster general and President Wilson and reports] thut the president wa? al out to make federal ownership of the two utilities an administration policy. Mr. Hurle? son points to the successful inaucura tion ami extension of thi parcel post system aa a guarantee trat the post office department is capable of handl? ing further country-wide business of great magnitude und importance. Another prominent feature of the postmaster's report is h s assertion that there is a surplus in his de? partment for the year ended June SO. 1*13 estimated at $2.841,906.78. and his argument that this is the first reul surplus since 1883. N He startn his lengthy report with a detailed attack upon previous methods of figuring t ie surplus. These, he says, simply showed the difference between receipts and ex? penditures and did not take into ac? count either amounts paid for debts Incurred in previous fiscal years, or debts Incurred und unpaid in the fiscal year reported. The assumption that these two errors would talance each other, he says, was unfounded and ejiuseo i,,. i.,i appeararce of a bet? ter condition than the actual one br cauee of the increased amount of bug In aas done ?ach successive year. Jn rega.-u fco taking over Um tele 4 HHP* '94- teleo*<sw? aystsrssat ise> l*tt?tew.n nays'In part: "A atudy of tho constitulonal pur poaes of the postal establishment leada to the conviction that the post office department should have control over all means of the communication of intelligence. The first telegraph line In this country was maintained and operated as a part of the postal ser? vice, and it is to be regretted that ? on greaa saw fit to relinquish this facility to private enterprise. The mono? polists nature of the telegraph busi? ness makes it of vital importune |g the peopp. that it he conducted by un? selfish interests, and this can he ac < ouiphshci only through government ownership. ' The act of July 24. 1866. provid? ing for the government Oj quisitlon ot the telegraph lines upon payment of an appraised valuation and the uct of 1003 ilreeting the l ostmastcr Gener? al to report to congress the probable cost of connecting a telegraph and telephone system with the postal ser? vice by some feasible plan are evi? dences of the policy of this govern? ment ultimately to acquire and oper? ate these electrical means of com? munication as postal futilities, as is done bv ,,|| th,. pf ncipal nations, the I'nited States alone >? o epted. "The successful operation of tin parcel post has demonstrated the ca? pe tty of tin- governn eat lo oonducl the put.I,, utilities wl ich fall prob ab? ly within the postal provision of the I uistitution. "Every argument In favor of the government ownership of telegraph lines may bi ad- aOSd With e<iual log? ic and force in favor of tin- govern* ment ownership ot tel. phono Ihm ^ It haa been competently decided 'hat ? telephone message ami a telegram art tho same within the meaning oi the laws governing the telegraph set vice and therefore it is believed that th.- statute enabimg the fovernmenl to acquire, upon payment Of an ap pi Used valuunn. the telegraph lines of the country will ? nable the govern? ment to acquire the telephonic net? work of the . ountry." The POeSlpU for the year w- r? $266.* i tttfla.it, as laefeaat al avei 8 per cent over the , , dmg year, as compared with a corresponding ln creuee of I SOf Seal r? ported I twelvemonth a.m. The larger in crrnm> he attributes to the parcel post ayatem gtsftod .lanuarv 1. lilt, |fi pralaea the pared post work of the poetofp. e See la ring thai aboul 300, 00?,000 pieces were hamlled dm in : the first six months of Operation. "Parcel post reaches everywhere, Whereas private expresses extend th. ii operations only In | rofUnble territory/1 ho any* 'Twenty millions of rural residents now haVt house-to-house delivery and OOlleCtlOS of parcels, a service formerly to be bad only IS eitle? und to* us." WILL COST A BILLION. EXPERT* ESTIMATE OO0T OF taking of TELEGRAPH AND TELEPHONE links. CfeagMMMM lewis of Maryland un j Authority on the Subject Says Gov-, eminent Dot's Not Need Telegraph LH?os as Telephone Lines Can UO I M il for Both, Washington, Dee 18.?Government OS Porta today estimated that the cost of taking over the telegraph and tel? ephone lines as recommended by Post? master General in his annual report would be over a billion dollars. A parly OOUOttfl may DO held to e,et the exact views of lhe president and 0 majority of the party leaders. Congressman Lewis of Maryland says he believes the government should acquire only the telephone wires, saying the government does not ic ed telegraph lines because the tele plu no wiles could be usd for both telephone anil teelegraph, as is being done now. The estimates placed the cost of the telephone lines at nine hundred million dollars. The tele? graph lines would cost two hundred million more. Mr. Hurleson goes into the matter of the railroads complained of unjasi treatment regarding amounts paid for handling mail matter in some detail. He arc.ues that the railroads have re? ceived large benefits from the govern no nts, Stale and National; that they ar%? in law post mads, that they are performing a governmental function In carrying mail, that the government is not carrying on the postoffice busi? ness for profit, that the carriage of tho mails by the railroads contributes to their prosperity In other lines and that for. all these reasons, railroads should carry mails for less than they charge like commercial business. lie attacks the second (lass mail privilege, saying: "The mailings of newspapers and periodicals as seeond-olass matter at ?tie* e00Ta>a,?'OJr*M^li-ti>te KfW trfre in the county of publication during the fiscal year 1913 were greater than d^urlng in' previous year, and for the llrst time In the history of the postal ser? vice exceeded a billion pounds. Al? though se< ond-clasH matter consti? tuted approximately II per cent of the agSjn ..ate weight of the domestic revenue-producing mail, it produced Only 1 II pOf cent of the postage de? rived from such mail." Me declares that until rates on S00Ond?Claai matter arc adjusted "no serious Consideration can bO given to plans for re\ising and reducing rates on first < lass mail matter." Taking up the question of aerial niul service, the postmaster reported 54 instances where pieces were car? ried by air routes and adds it is b0? lieved that there are sections where aerial means of transportation may advantageously be installed, in tho 111! estimates $60,.? for aerial ex? perimentation has hem included. Mr. BurlOSOn urges that the postal savings system be extended, lie says the number of depositors <>n June 80 was :;;;i,i?nt; and their deposits were 111,111,171, but he adds that a con? servative estimate indicates more money has been refused by th? sys? tem than has been accepted. For this rSOSOn he asks the abolition < f the rule limiting deposits of any one month t<> 1100 and t?dal deposits to 1100, He urges that unlimited de? posits he allowed, but interest grant ed only on 11,000 or less. He says that practically all the monsy de? posited comes from persons who are afraid to use- even savings hanks. It Is money which otherwise would be h? ?ared? The postmastoi defends the frank lag privilege, declaring that the abuses ars Inconsiderable, lie says the free transportation of official mail is not the only service rendered by the department "f which no account is kept, Instancing the inspection sys t' in During the fiscal year the in? spectors Investigated 1,171 suspected swindling schemes, arreotod HO per? sons ami Obtained ''"l convictions. The operations of those convicted are estimated to have cost the public 114,000.00, He addl that in the last two yeaii report* d more than i. nun persons have been arrested foi mail swindles, ilu ir operations rep* resenting a loss <>f $121,000,000 to the public. Mr Hurleson makes these reconv mendatlons f?>r legislation beside* those mentioned above: That ihe postoffice depnrtment hi Riven exclusive jurisdiction over lhe Meli? lion ol the sites for public bnihl lo i.e used wholly for postoflV i ptirp< ? an l mint authority with tin i retary ol lhe treasury in the selec? tion of Sites lot federal buildings used lolntly hy ihe postal and other branch i s of i he i.os 11 one ni service. _I_ ( ALLS OX HUERTA TO DELIVER MEXICO CITY. Message Delivered at J louse of Min? ister of War Ulaiiquctt?Federals Admit That Supply of Ammunition is Amazingly Low?Soldiers Soiling Ammunition to Hebels, Who are Entrencbod Near city. Mexico City, Dec. 18.?Gen. Zapata. the Rebel leader, early this morning demanded the: surrender of the City of Mexico. A courier delivered the demand under the cover of darkness at the hont? of Gen. Blanciuet, the j war minister. Without waiting lor a reply the messenger hastened away. 1 The demand will be ignored. The war department today admit? ted that the supply of ammunition is I very small. The Hebels are firmly intrenched at several points near the city. Vast quantities Of ammunition have been wasted by drunken Federals who were sent out to light the Heb? els. It is reported that garrison sol? diers are selling ammunition to the l revolutionists. The financial stress continues. The desperate efforts of the bankers to I stem the tide has thus far been wlth ) out avail. A million and a half dol i ars have been withdrawn from the hanks during the last three days. - USE HANK NOTES AS MONEY. That Is Plan for Averting Financial Crisis Now Thcatonetl In Mexico. Mexico City, Dec. 17.?A presiden? tial decree making the State bank notes legal tender through the re? public, a guaranteed fund to be sub? scribed by the State banks and de , posited in the national bank, and finally, a government guarantee of the hank notes, is the programme decided I upon by a conrmlttce of five bankers, representing the National, the Bank lot Good on, and Mexico, and two "? t Uv*e~4?ll?*e> concern*; wWflU a^-' ternoon met with the acting head of the finance department. No difficulty is expected in having President Huerta issue the decree, the bankers deeming this the only meaiu of maintaining in circulation a suf? ficient amount of the medium of ex? change. j The management of the central hank today exhauted the reserve deposit funds of only three more State banks by adroit de lay in paying and by refusal to accept more than 2d per cent, of the bills offered for redemp? tion, Hong before the regular hour cd Opening, a dOUhls line of holders of notes stretched a block from the doors and when the bank this afternoon c losed those originally half way down the line had not reached the paying teller's window. Although the central bark's dif? ficulties do not concern directly any ether bank, yet an inevitable reflec? tion was manifested today, particular? ly in the case of the Bank of Lon? don and Mexico where there was a heavy withdrawal cd' deposits. HAS NARROW ESCAPE. Greenville Ollicer Paints While Riding a Motorcycle. Greenville, Dec. 17.?Patrolman Meyfleld of the police department's motorcycle squad suffered a fainting ' spell while riding on Buncombe street this morning, and recognizing that he was on the verge of a lapse of con? sciousness, he shut off his power, the machine ran wild for a few moments and then clashed into the curb, doing little damage save to the machine. The patrolman was bruised about the face and hands, hut suffered no other in? juries. To amend existing law in order to allow $2,000 indemnity for accidental death of any ollicer or employe of the postal service or for death within one ,\ear as the result cd' Injuries sus? tained in tho service in the line of duty, etc. The elimination of surety bonds now required of postal officers und employees ami the substitution of a guarantee fund established and main? tained by assessments. To permit the postmaster general to transfer clerks from pontofflccs to the bi t and second classes to the railway mail service at salaries higher than the entrance solar) in the railway m til service, To extend the provisions of exist' inc. law SO as to provide substitutes f' i railway postal clerks who are absenl with pay on nee i ?o sick? ness, the expense ol employing such HUbstttUtC to be hol lie h\ the ffOV ernmenl instead of hj the clerk. To authorise the iHsuance nl postal money orders payable at nny money i rder ofllce. ?-,, HOUSE COMMITTEE DISMISSES ALLEGATIONS BROUGHT BY MAYOR AGAINST WHA LEY, i What Other Steps, it' Any, Ate Left lor Charleston Executive Washing? ton Can Not See?What Tost Say* Washington, Dec. 10.?"So far as this committee is concerned the charges which were Hied by Mayor John P. Grace of Charleston against Representative Richard S. Whaley have, by resolution of the commit? tee, been dismissed, and the house will be asked to withdraw from its records the petition filed by Mr. Grace last September." Thus puts an end to the matter, so far as this committee is concerned, the vote of the committee standing 7 to 2 in favor of this action. The ?even members who voted this way were: Representatives Post, Steph? ens, Crisp, McClellan, Elder, Krench and (.'handler. The two against ii were Representatives Borchers and Freer." These were words used by Repre? sentative Post, chairman of the house committee of elections, which for Bome time past has been making a preliminary investigation of the I charges bled by Mr. Grace against Mr. Whaley. i The charges were died by Mr. Grace I last spring. The barns was the allega? tion that Mr. Whaley, through friends j or personally, had spent $G0,000 1 to secure the Democratic nomination. I It was further alleged that Mr. Wha [ ?ey had perjured himself in making out his expense account for the pri? mary. Mr. Grace asked for an inves? tigation of the charges with a view to declaring Mr. Whaley's seat vacant I in the event that he was found to have transgressed. The committee ac? corded Mr. Grace a hearing that, if he could, he might make out a case wbich would justify a full investiga affidavits were presented by both sides shd Mr. Grace, in addition, put up a number of witnesses. Representative Post's statement, so far as known here now, puts an end to this matter for all time, unless there is some other way by which Mr. Grace can get the matter up, and so far as seen hure now, there appears to be none. The facts in this matter have al? ready la-en threshed over dozens of times in the newspapers of South Car? olina. Therefore! it Is unnecessary again to review what has already been said on many occasions. As already forecast in this corre? spondence, it became evident some time ago that Mr. Grace was going to lost* his case. This fact became more apparent each time he came to Washington and appeared before the committee and each time he submit? ted new affidavits. He was unable to produce either witnesses or affidavits of such weight or importance that they would have the desired effect on the committee. The first witnesses Mr. Grace brought to Washington made a very unfavorable impression on the com mitee. The two he had here yester? day. CoSgroVS and Bresnahan, th? first a young lawyer in the office of Logan & Grace, and the latter a gar? bage collector working under ..H'. Grace's administration, made a pool showing. The affidavits in the main were in? definite and many of the affidavits as shown by Mr. Whaley, were un? worthy of belief. The point, how? ever, at which Mr. Grace apparently broke down was in yesterday's pro? ceedings when in- testified that he had spent 115,000 to secure' his elec? tion as mayor of Charleston. That seemed to convince the com? mit tee that his demand for Mr. Whaley's Investigation should no longer be entertained and those who followed the case appear clearly to he of the opinion that it had reached the turning point. When asked alter the decision of the committee today whether he had any statement to make regarding the matter, Mr. Whaley replied that he had none at this time. The committee expressed no official opinion other than as above quoted. WARSHIPS ARE Pit AIL. Pour of Tlietn Put out of Business ,,v Atlantic storm. Washington, Dec. is.?Several of Ihe Warships ot the Atlantic licit were severely injured in the recent storm encountered while crossing the Atlantic. The Wyoming. Arkansas, It ah ami Klorldn have to be over? hauled before resuming active duty. Tin* Heel was returning from the Mediterranean cruli e. MOST VALUABLE IN HISTORY OF THE UNITED STATES. Com and Cotton Worth More Than Ever Before?Oats Come Next?in CrenM of $200,0?0,000 Over Last Year. Washington, Dec. 15.?With the most valuable crops of corn and cot? ton ever produced and the second most valuable oat crop, the value of the nation's 14 principal farm crops this year aggregates the enormous total of $4,940,301,000, the depart? ment of agriculture announced today, in its Anal estimates of acreage, pro? duction and value. This is an incr of $182,958,000 over the value o same crop last year, and of e> - 77 2,000 over those of 1011, be ? >n the prices paid to farmers on ? m her 1. * The acreage of these * ' Is equivalent to a farm one-s ^ h the size of continental United s. The exact area planted to the *J . crops, which is more than 0 5 j? cent of the total of all crops a "* firas 299, 433,000 acres, an incrc of almost 5,000,000 acres over last year's area and of more than 2,000,000 over the 1911 areu. More than one-third of the tctal acreage was planted to corn. For the crops as a whole the aver? age production per acre was valued at about $16.50. The corn crop averaged $15.90 per acre; cotton, $22.19; sugar beets $59.64; whe;.t, $12.14; eats, $11.44; sweet potatoes, $69.60; rice, $26.69; potatoes. $62.10; tobacco, $100.39; rye, $12.84. These It crops are only a portion of the production of the soil which ap? proximates $6,000,000,000 in value each year. The total value of the animal products of the farm is osti 1 mated at about $3,O0O,OOO,0uO an? nually. j "The production of crops in the United .SU.tea in 1913 was materially 4*jjow the -average?*'t trm .mcvfmtry agriculture, David F. Houston, an ! nounces, "the yield per acre of all crops combined being smaller than in any year of the past decade, with the exception of 1911. This shortage was caused by excessive heat during the summer months, in an important portion of the agricultural district of the United States, and particularly in Kansas, Oklahoma, Missouri and ad? jacent Stats. "Inasmuch as crop production of (912 was unusually large, a greater proportion than usual has been car? ried into the present crop year, which should mitigate .somewhat the effects of the shortage of this year's crops. "The corn crop, the most valuable farm product of this country, is smaller thin any crop since 1903. Wheat production is the largest ever recorded i:i this country. The crop w as practh ally matured before tho drought became effective. The oat crop is the third largest of our his? tory. There has been a steady expan? sion of the area of this crop. The hay crop is smaller than the large t rop of 1912. Lather liberal rains In the late summer and fall have pro? duced good pastures. The cotton crop will perhaps rank fourth or third ir. size. "The acreage devoted to these five crops (corn, wheat, oats, hay and cotton), comprises about 90 per cent, of the area in all crops, and there? fore has a predominating effect upon the general average condition of all crops. Nearly Lill the minor crops wa re materially smaller this year than in 1912 and the per acre yields below their average. "To the producers tho lessened crop production this year is largely com? pensated b> the increased prices re ceived for their produce; for, although the total cr >p production is approxi? mately 12 per cent smaller than last year's production, the average level of prices is higher than last year." NO NOTE IV\ssi:i>. American Embassy Dentecs the Re? port that Note Was Transmitted to He. 11U. Mexico Ci v, Dec. IS.?The consti? tutionalists renewed their attack on Mazatlan today. Sixty Federals were killed in tie earl) fighting near Mazatlan. the fab of which is ex? pected hourly. The American embassy emphat? ically denies having transmitted ans note to Eluertn as reported In United States this morning. Smallpox on llatUcsltlp. Havana, bee. is Five new cases u small pox were found aboard the buttleship Ohio today. The crow ire n. t allowed to go ashore until he epidemic 's over. PLACE: AT BEAUFORT DOXAT I) BY DR. C C BROWN' or HR ST BAPTIST CHURCH. Largo House au I Land Provdcd?A Place of Best POT Ministers Wh ? lor Any ROW Are out of Work? Will Be in Charge of Aged Min? isters' Board. Mr. Barlow Wal-li. Chairman. At the recent Baptist Convention in Bennettsville, Dr. C. C. Brown, pas? tor of the First Baptist Church in this city, offered to provide a hone at Beaufort for Baptist ministers who were out of work, providing that the Baptlr onvention would endow it sulii' utly to run it so as to take euro of nose Baptist ministers who took advantage of the home, while they were out of employment The offer of Dr. Brown was accepted and the prop? erly will he turned over to the Aged . Ministers' Board? who will iruike all of the necessary arrangements, as j soon cs the $50,000 endow ntnt is raised. I 0 1 The property which Dr. Brown of i j fered for this purpose consists of a large fifteen room house, surrounded I by a two acre tract of land. It is .situated in the city of Beaufort on the Beaufort Rivet* the site* Jeing a beautiful one. At high tide the wa? ter comes up to the stone wall, which surrounds the lot,while at low tide the sandslope lies for a distance of seven? ty-live or a hundred yards down to tho water. The place was secured by j Dr. Brown seven or eight years ago at a cost of $9,500 and has been used ' by him since then as a summer home, besides the house tract there is a tract of ten acres near the National Cemetery, valued at $1,000, which is included in the donation. DraBrown, in making his offer to the Baptist Convention, stat d the ob? ject of providing this home for i Baptist ministem. It w^toje t. iid&U? to ^akfcAL JM$x't?l nriffiV when by reaon of age, infirmity, or ? ??iherwi.se, young or old, can go when they are out of work. Here they might remain until they could find a place which is suitable tor them. Any one might claim help here, when i he needed it. j The home will be under the direc j tion of the Aged Ministers' Board, of which Mr. Bartow Walsh of this city is chairman. The other members of the board are, D. W. Cuttino, E. H. Rhame, W. M. Graham, R K. Wilder and T. R. Hinson, all of this city. This board will make all arrange? ments concerning the management of , the home. The Baptists State Convention s en? dowment will amount tc $50,000. Half of this sum has already been raised and the other $25,000 will be raised in the near future by Dr. Brown and the other members of the board. During the past year the Aged Ministers' Board has aided sixty min . isters, about six thousand dollars be? ing used in this work. By the use of the home this aid can be extended to an even greater number than hereto? fore. Dr. Brown was askec. concerning the removal of the families of the \ ministers to the hone at Beaufort, and he stated that the ministers might also remove their families there, if they found it necessary to do so. PAY DEARLY FOR SILLINESS. Army n?U| Navy Officers Who Made Asses of Tlii?nisclves To Be? Repri? manded. Washington, Dec. IS.?Army and navy officers who participated in the annual Wallow of tho Military order of Carabao last Thursday night will be reprimanded t^r ridiculing the Secretary of Statte and the peace pol icj of the amlnlstn tion. The secre? tary of navy and secretary Of war, af? ter conference, have madt such for? mal recommendation to the presi? dent. It is understood no courtmar ti.ils will be ordered. The Carabao order will probably be discontinued. COMPLIES WITH WIFE'S RE? QUEST. Please Lots Wifehcaior Go Free, on Wife* Appeal. Columbia, Dec. 18.?Oov. Blesse today paroled Pratt A Williams DM condition that he leave the state. The defendani eras yesterday convicted af assault and battery before a local magistrate and sentenced to thirty days or $100. Williams had attacked his Wife, and the petition said he was under t he influence of whiskey. His wife today appealed to the governor !,, let the man out on condition ihat hi- have the State.