The watchman and southron. (Sumter, S.C.) 1881-1930, December 19, 1914, Image 3
TO TRY MORAL SUASION UPON
UNRULY MEXICANS.
t.en. Scott Goes to Border to Hptc
Last Attempt to Reason With Fac
tiou Before Taking l.a>t Drastk*
Step. May tore oa lYonalsc* to DLs
eontliiuo tiling Into Anierkmi Ter
Waah ngton. Dec. H.?Brig. Ge.i.
Hugh I? Scott, chief oC stuff of the
United States army, left tonight foi
Naco, Aria., to endeavor to use hh
persona) influence with the warrlnp.
factions across the border to stop
firing Irto American territory. Lieut
CoL Robert E. L. Michie accompa
gkled him.
Shoul I this final effort faj) and no
heed be paid to the threat of the
American government communicated
to both Provisional President Gutler
res snd Oen. Carransa. that force
would be used If their subordinates
did not cease firing into the United
States, it Is generally understood that
s> defensive Are will be begun by
American troops.
Oen. Scott will not supersede Qen.
Bliss In cenmand at Naco. but will
set In s diplomatic capacity.
Oeorge C. Carothers, American
state department representative with
Qen. Villa, arrived at El Paso today.
Administration officials learned
through unofficial advices that Qov.
Maytorei a commander of the Villa
troops besieging Nsco. had announced
he would discontinue firing Into Amer?
ican territory.
The Washington government had
been notified that the orders of Gutler
res to his commsnder had been dis?
patched. It had warned both fac?
tions tha unless the firing ceased
American artillery would shell the
Mexican .n ops out of their positions.
Provision il President Gutierrez has
assured the United States government
that all the executions which have
occurred it ths capita* were the re
eult of "the commlslons of actual
or Inn es."
It was learned today that the United
Btate* had pointed out to the Gutler
res government the horror which the
civilised world felt toward these ex?
ecutions. American consular repre?
sentatives, moreover, were Instructed
to Indicate that the American govern?
ment could not but view with dis?
favor a continuation of such inci
WUJL FOREGO SEARCH RIGHTS.
?TtajUail Osiers Facilities for shlp
sassst of Cotton to European Coun?
tries.
Waehington, Dec. 15.?Sir Cecil
Spring-Rico, the British ambassador,
advised the State department today
that his government was willing to
forego ths exercise of ' he right of
search of vessels from American ports'
If the ahlp mssters would satisfy Brit
nh consuls a*, ports of departure as to
Uie neutral nature of their cargoes.
The ambassador and Secretary Bryan
discussed the subject at length. There
Is no authority to require an Ameri?
can ship captain to apply o a foreign
consul In this country f< r permission
to take away cargo, but the state de?
partment has listened favorably to
suggestions that vexatious Interference
with commerce might be greatly re?
duced by the adoption of the arrange?
ment.
After the ambasador ? conference
with Secretary Bryan he was referred
to Cone Johnston, the state depart?
ment solicit..r. to discus* some of the
details of the plan.
The department received a noto
from the French government, saying
France was prepared to give the
same sssursnccs ss given by Great
Britain regarding the non-contraband
character of American cotton. Gr? a'
Britain, through Sir Kdward Grey,
made ths positive declaration that
cotton was not contraband and c.iMc
grams today from |hs American em?
bassy In London said cotton would not
l?c stopped on the high seas.
INFATUATED WITH MOTHER-! N
LAW.
Tim Whitman Sln>t ami Killed by
Chsrlc* Jolnwni.
Milton. Flo Dsc. 16 Tim NVbi
man was shot and kille? last night by
his brother-l;i Ion. Charles Johnson,
aged JO. at the home of Johnson's
mot, sr It is x.u.l that Whitman Wal
ai Infatuated with his mother-ln-luw
that he deserted his y ning wife.
Johnson was placed in jail.
Krom reports rsSilVSd ll SeefSS that
Mumter countv farin*?is saVt derided
to live at home next tear, They at*
planting much wheat ft ad oils and
many are preparing to plum more
?oin and rates gears baas sad ?.?t?
while report* hMUrato thai leas < ill
v. Ill be plant? ?I tbnn at ass, lima In
aWJfgf years.
The stoics base the holbl i\ up|.i
snes snd inoO people ne gOttlnS.
Christmas spirit In spNe >' I he It
ressant talk of haid Ihne?*
PAYMENT OP DKBls.
Consumer Holds the Key to the sit
UUllOO.
To the Kditor of The Sumter Item.
"tioods Sold for Cash Only, After
January 1."
1 wonder how the consumers of the
State of South Carolina would like to
nee this sign o?*er the doors of most
of the retail stores in the State? I
I wonder if the average consumer
realizes that 90 to 95 cents out of
every dollar he owes the groceryman,
the dry goods man or the hardware
man is due in turn from him to those
who supply him with goods, own the
store he occupies, or help him to con
? luct the business?
I wonder how a farmer would feel
toward a merchant, if he were to sell
him his cotton and then the mer?
chant wero to refuse to pay him no
that the land and home of the farmer
would be sold to pay debts that he had
expected to pay with the money from
his cotton? He would feel he had
been very badly treated. Is this any
worse than the farmer or consumer
treats the merchant when he refuses,
or fails, to pay debts he owes for
goods he purchased and used; es?
pecially when, as is often the case,
such failures, by a few farmers or
iconsumers, results in store and often
other property of the merchant being
sold by the courts to pay debts the
merchant could easily have paid with
the money he expected, and should
have received, from the consumer
who owed him for goods they had
received and used?
I We often hear the assertion that
farmers can not afford to borrow
, money on their cotton to pay their
debts, that the interest costs too
much. Can the merchant any more
afford to borrow money at banks to
pay his debts, which he must do, if
he can not collect on the accounts
due him?
Business in the South is "dead?
locked," and the consumer holds the
key to the situation.
If consumers were to pay their ob?
ligations to the retailer, or even a con?
siderable part of it, the financial strain
would be relieved, and. business grad?
ually return to normal. If farmers
would sell part of cotton or borrow
money on it, after storing it in public
wo rehouses, and pay part at least of
'their obligatons, or even give mer?
chant notes, secured p ~>perly by
warehouse receipts if necessary, for
30. 60 or 90 days, it would greatly
relieve the merchant and would be
appreciated.
Retail merchants of the South will
be compelled to greatly restrict their
credit sales for next year, probably
less than half as much goods will be
sold on credit in 1915 as in 1914.
The farmer who expects a lino of
credit in 1915 would do well to make
arrangements to satisfy his obligations
for 1914.
it would be impossible for most
merchants to accept cotton at 10 cents
per pound on account, as Is often de?
manded, because ma*iy have accounts
due them which amount to several
times the capital Invested, and the
difference between 10 cents and mar?
ket price today on the cotton they
would have to take on accounts, would
more than euwal their profits on sales
and in many cases their entire capi?
tal invested. To illustrate, suppose a
merchant has a capital of $5,000 and
his credit sales have been say, $30,000
which ts not an unusual proportion.
Suppcse he took cotton at 10 cents
per pound. To hold this cotton, with
s fftosj of an advance, is impossible,
that is to hold all of it. To sell at
present market price, around 7 cents,
would bring $21,000 net cash. If
credit sales were $30,000 probably
cost of goods and expenses of doing
business were about 10 per cent, less,
or $27,001). Very few merchants make
more than 10 per cent, net profit on
sales. Thus the merchant with obli?
gatons of $27,000, actually has re?
ceived only $21,000 net ca.m from his
accounts, or $h.000 le?s than he has
paid out or obligated to pay. If he
were to sell his stock of goods at ac?
tual cost and turn every dollar over
to his creditors he could not pay out.
Since the cotton pool of $ 13."),000,000
hns been about perfected and the new
icxerxe bank system has been estab?
lished, there is loss excuse for not
storing cotton and borrowing on it
to liquidate obligations.
I do not believe that consumers
realise the situation in which retail
mere hunts nave been pieced by their
Indifference to their obligations, but ii
some of them find themselves needing
eupptieU In *?>e early part of next year,
with* * * i either cash or credit, they
Will have no one to blame bo' them?
selves.
T do not believe that the farmer
who pays his debts, or makes an ear?
nest effort to do so, or who plays fair
with the more haul and shows | will
Ingness to do what is right need have
any f'?nr.
W. A. Kanorr.
Florence.
Money i* scarce and the outlook \*
not sj blight as it has been in other
>'???? rs. bot Ihr people of Sumter ConII<
t. kari much to bo thankful for.
We Offer Our Entire Stock of
CLOTHING
AT
OFF
?v *A
S
OFF
4,1
Men's e Boys' Suits, Overcoats and Extra Pants
ALL INCLUDED
Look These Prices Over:
SUITS AND OVERCOATS THAT SELL FOR
$25.01) NOW
$22.50 NOW
$20.00 NOW
$18.00 NOW
$15 00 NOW
$12.00 NOW
$10.00 NOW
$ 7.50 NOW
?
$16.67
1500
13.34
12.00
10.00
8.00
6.67
5.09
$6.50 NOW
$5.00 NOW
$4.00 NOW
$3.50 NOW
$3.00 NOW
BOYS' $1.50 PANTS
BOYS* $1.00 PANTS
BOYS' 50c PANTS
$4.33
3.33
2.67
2.33
2.01
1.00
.67
.33
iW These are sacrifice prices, and we will charge
, nothing to anyone?CASH ONLY.
Sumter Clothing Co.
KEEPING DOWN TURKEY PRICES.
Women of Eastern City Find a Way.
How to buy turkeys when the
prices in tho stores n? \ to 80 i d, AO
cents a pound, is a question that'
many housewives are not able to an?
swer. One of these economical wo?
men was heard to say recently, "We
had but one turkey last Winter, as
the price was so high."
For many people there is nothing,
which can take the place of a turkey,
particularly at Thanksgiving time, and
the children feel that something ^
lacking from the dinner tnhle if an?
other meat is substituted for it. When
turkeys sold at from 12 to 1ft Qents a
pound, the meat was not looked Upon
as too expensive for the average fam?
ily to have on the table frequently,
but toda) Ihose who have more Ihnn
one or two turkeys In u season tire
the exception
As Thanksgiving day approaches
and the prices of turkeys begin in
soar, mlicit t:tlk is heard about Ihe
scarcity of turkeys, how bard Ihej are
to raise and the possibility of the laid
becoming extinct, but a trip into Ihe
country often reveals a illffereni
How to meet ami t m ?; 11 the high I ? I i ? '
?.f turkeys is uflen subject of <!r
russlon ntnoiiK housekeepers, bul ii
Was for a budj of women in an eastern
city to take definite action and secure
their turkeys at a price that made it
possible for most of them t<? have this
popular American bird on their
Thanksgiving table.
Tneir first plan alter banding to?
gether was to search the country ror
a radius of 80 miles to discover if
there really was a scarcity of turkeys
and to learn what the farmers re?
ceived for them. They according!)
went about in their automobiles
searching among the farmers for
these birds, with Ihe result thai I hey
found hundreds and hundreds of
them and abundant evidence that
there- was no likelihood of the turkey:
becoming extinct nt present.
It was also discovered I hat I If
formers were obliged to sell them al
about 16 rents a pound or not at alt,
with the result thai the w< men de
elded to hold a sale lurkoys where
they would be their own saleswomen.
Turkeys were sohl :it !U n als .1 pound,
and Ihe farmers, being ? \? n 1 s?i ian
deal, wont home bappj with I heir
pockets lull of no 11 y, iMher things,
such as choice apples, clover honey,
roasting pi;;-, broilers, duel s, pears,
potatoes, cheese, bull? r, eg-ts pump?
kins and tnuny other eatables won
sold at good prices thai were .1
pi ise mid Joy 1 o many.
Through lllls successful sale lie
foundation was laid for a public mar?
ket which was opened in June and
has it is said, been very successful.
COWFEAS TO FOLLOW CORN.
Farmers soouhi Prepare to Sow
(?rain Stubble to Coupons Next Sea?
son.
state Demonstration Agent w. YY.
Long, of Clemson College, who is now
engaged In making a tour of the State
as a final course In the grain cam?
paign the extension division of Clem?
son college has conducted this au?
tumn, is eager for South Carolins
farmers to realise Ihe value of their
cow pen h at this time and to save all
the cow peas they can get l heir hands
on, The reason for this is thai, in or?
der to gel the greatest benefits from
sowing1 thell" lands i<? grain this win?
ter, farmers should sow tin- gram
stubble to row peas next year. I/and
Sown io oals or wheat this autumn
and t<> cow pens next year will be in
a greatly improved condition a year
! 11' n i how.
Clemsou'h whr.it propaganda wan
ver> netlve throughout Kovemhci
whirh is (he host month to sow wheat
in South Carolina, in many parts of
Ihe Slate it may be sown up to De?
cember Ifi with good results. Mr.
I ? states iiiut all indications arc
that South Carolina will have more
la ml sewn to oats and wheat this yeaV
than ever before in the history of the
State, Roth crops are expected to
bring record prices next spring. k
COTTON FOR RUSSIA.
_
British Steamship Carries 6,500 Hale*
by Way of Panama (anal.
Galveston, Texas. Dec. 14.?TU*
Britlotl steamship Indrakuala sailed
today via the Panama canal wit^t
6.600 bales of cotton for Vladivostok
and 4,000 bales for Kobe and ToksP
ha ma. This is the first shipment Of
cotton from here for a Russian Pa?
cific port.
SHIP PURCHASE BIIX.
Kennte Voted Today to Report PHI
raxorably.
Washington, l>ec. 16.?The senate
commerce committee today voted fa
\.>iahi\ to report the ship purchase
I ill.
riilmntuni to Mexican* sent Toeing.
Nuco. a rix., ivc it den. IHIss'j
cltim.itium that Mexican dimg en?
dangering the lives of Americans
across the border must cease was
sent to (Jen. Maytorens, Villa's com?
mander, today.