Historical Newspapers of South Carolina

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e man and BXJmmm fkATCHMAlf, EntablUbed April, 1840. ^Be Fr? not-?Dec All tbo ende Thon Consolidated Auk. ?,1881. Agpt t bo thy Oountry*ft, Taj God'e mmm TrnttV*.' THE TRUE SOUTHRON, SUMTER. 8. C WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 8 1917. VoLXLIV. No. 60. mum in mmi Aim-I>HAFT DKPRKDATION8 OON TUtVm Olf RAILROADS. A Msnaset of Railroad Bridges Burnett Baad* Operwt Ijr Separated Sections, Oklahoma City. Aug. 4.?Reporte re ssietd by railroads Indicate that dep? redations sttrlbated to draft reststera ceatlniMd last eight. The bridge of the Missouri. Oklahoma and Oulf RaUrosd at Calvin, eighty miles south #1 Mn*kojr?s was burned and another stf the MUseurt, Kansas and Texaa bs K a saw a and Maudo was also burned. The latter bridge la twenty miles from ths first. From Franols. Oklahoma. com*e a roport that Mis? souri, Kansas a id Tssas bridges at Tyrola wore burned lust night. The sheriffs erf at least four counties and n hundred men are searching for sev? er*! bands. The disturbed area is roughly one ens hundred miles long by ninety wide. The topography le rugged. Only en istIsssts oan be mads of the num? ber of rioters, but thess run from nvs to fifteen hundred. The section tneludee a large mixt ure of tenant whites, negroes, half-breeds and In? dians. Ths friction between land? less sad Unants In thin section re? sults* In a federal investigation in 1111. FEDERAL TROOI*S SENT. Drastic liters to Be Used In Okla Washlngton. Aug. 4.?The proposi? tion that ftderal troops may be sent to qaell ths anti-draft demonstrations waa discussed at this morning's con? ference und a probsbls decision will be reached within twenty-four hours. Officials believe It Is hardly likely that they will bo sent until It becomes apparent that .he civil authorities are nswbls t?> oops with ths situation. It S) the intention of ths government to ifusskly and sevsrely with the afsVf OHANOK SYSTEM. tfejr be Examined at Norfolk, Washt igton, Aug. t.?Great Britain has snggeeted that the examination ef neutral ships bot nd from ports south of Now York to Europe be transferred from Halifax to No dk. Vs.. in order to relieve the congested conditions In the Canadian port. Ths slats department has referred question to various other depart intsrested and will not be able to sse< h a decision until it has heard from th< m. The treasury has been ssktd If Its customs examination could be carried out thers: the pootoffice department has ?>een asked about the dellvsry of the malls and the shipping board shout any agreement it may hsve entered into as to neutral ship? ping. The British have long been anxlou* to relieve ths congestion at Halifax. At the time ths examination of ship? ping was transferred lsrgely from British ports to Halifax It was stated that another British port lo the south, possibly In ths Bahamas would be selected for ths examinetion of ships from Oulf ports. Since America's en trance Into ths war. however. Nor folk ha* become the most deslrablo port for this southern examination. This would, of course, necessitate the erection of considerable American examination machinery along lines absolutely untried by this govern? ment. ,'ust what would be done with the mails is uncertain. BOY SCOUTS CAMP. Th* Ann aal Otting of Hoys at raw ley's Island. HecrsUiy Btrrhsrd and a party of thlrty-ons hoys loft this morning for s ten day's outing at Parley's Island. They sxpert. to reach camp this after? noon. Mr H. J. Harby Is cooperating with ths rump by giving the use of two cottages for the campers while i they are on the island. Following Is a list .?f those goinv H. L Birchurd. Stout muster; An ?l?y Hurst, assistant scout matter; Henry Edmund?, Hubert ?stren, Aus He Beck. Ambrose lioethsm. Bert In Lorms, Deauussure Edmund*, Joh'i Hlandlng. Harry Birchurd. Jack Wrlaht. Norman Jennings, Lloyd Coth rsn. Johnle Sandel. DuPre Unarm Charles Hu\nsworth. John Hayns worth. Walter Rowland. Leslie Dennl ston, Robert Kdmunds. Iceland Kd munds, Osorgs lUek. Ibnrv MrUiurlti. I>arby White. Stanley Weinberg. Ju? lius Pitt?. R. H rhlmi. JtBJIfl Con. y. Harry Ityttenhrrg. II m.1,1 DoUsfSSS, Franklin .larknon, fltenil lllrchnrd. > Allen llarvln. John Ciadford. < hb-l cook. Jim Hti.tur. nssistant cook. S ON PRACTICE HIKE. YOU NO OFFICERS FROM FORT OH LET HORPE ON EIGHT DAY MARCH. Hie Wtnd-up of Tlie Training Oaiup 1m a Strenuous Undertaking. Camp Warden McLean, Fort Ogle? thorpe, Ga., Aug. ti?Yesterday saw the final elimination of men from the training camp, about two hundred and twenty-fivo receiving tho dis? charges, and all who remained will re? ceive commissions, unless some un? usual occurrence takes place to Injure their standing in the camp botwee.* now and the end of the camp. Ev? ery one of the men from Sumter, city and county, are still sticking to the camp, which moans that they wilt get commissions, unless they show them? selves physically or otherwiso unfit for exercising the duties of an officer while on the 9-day practice march, which begins at 6.3 0 tomorrow morn? ing. Tho marches will be very short ones, and the only difficulty to be en? countered is tho intense heat, for the weather now is about as hot as It ever gets to be In Sumter. The past few nights even have been very warm, a circumstance which has not been the case heretofore. Strict orders have > been given for the conduct of the march, violations of which will result In summary dismissal. The most Im? portant of these is the prohibition of water along the way for drinking purposes, as there is fear of its being contaminated, and the measure is necessary to protect the health of tho men. Water will be furnished by the quartermaster department. An Incident of interest to Sumter and Lee county people is the attach? ing of Mr. Cecil D. Brearley, a son of Mr. and Mrs. A. A. Brearley or St. Charles, to the Y. M. C. A. forco in Chlckamauga park. There are army Y. M. C. A. buildings for each regi? ment, and a host of Y. M. C. A. men are doing a great deal of good and appreciated work amoug tho soldiers. Rev. John D. Olllesple. who is well known in Sumter. paid the camp a visit today. He is now in charge of a church at Hlnggold. Ga. TWO PRISONERS ESCAPE. White Men Gain Freedom From Penitentiary. Columbia, Aug. 3.?Two white pris? oners, Harry Faubert. Lexington, and W. P. Ritts, Charleston, escaped from the State penitentiary last night at 9.30 o'clock, making their way out of a window of the hospital and scaling the wall. Ritts has a sentence against him of one year for adultery. Fau? bert was a long termer, but the nature of tho crime of which he was con? victed could not be learned last night The two men started up Blandlng Street from the penitentiary toward Main street after their escape, and whon last seen were going up the hill toward the city jail still attired in stripes. Penitentiary guards began a search of the neighborhood, but up to a late hour last rht had not caught the fugitives. WOMAN KILLER HANGED. Fisher Brooks Executed at Mobile, Alabama. Mobile. Aug. 3.?Fisher Brooks was hanged here today for tho murder of Julia May Hess, whom he killed in a taxlcab. The body was found in a creek near tho city with the throat cut. Robbery was tho motive. Albert Sanders, a negro, Is under sentence to die for the same crime. WHOLE COST OF DRAFT. Wushington. Aug. 3.?The cost of drafting America's first great Na? tional Army?from registration to en? rollment?was placed by Secretary Baker today at $8,6tf0,480 In his esti? mates to congress. This amount includes all overhead expenses of registration, examination und sei c.'on. It is based on regis? tration of ;??,ooo,ooo, examination ef approximately f?,000,000 and enroll? ment of 1.187.000. "On a tentative estimate that the generous system of exemptions and discharges will result m a necessity for examining four registrants to produce one soldier," said Secretary Haker. "it Is apparent that the system sages' be OS pa his of examining fi.OOu, ?#i during the year. "Kor this task the organization In? cludes a personnel of more than 18, g#i person*." Vieanii via Amsterdam. Aug. 3.? Th A III 11 " Hungarian troops have entered Cnetnsnita^ the capital of Bukowina, BEGINNING TOJE?R. TKtTON OFFICERS TAKEf PRIS? ONERS IN FLANDERS DRIVE TALK FREELY OF CONDITIONS. tier many Short on Men?Entire Class of 1918 in the Field und Parts of 1919 Claas on >nt. British Headquarters in France and Belgium, Aug. 3.?(By Associated Press.)?German officers captured In the battle in Flanders have discussed quite freely both the military and po? litical situation as it affects the father? land. Germany's loss in man-power they admit to be serious. The interesting information has been volunteered by these prisoners that the entire class of 1918 recruits now Is in the field in Its entirety, and, what is more significant, it is said small ele? ments of the 1919 class were on the battle front. The whole trend of the statement made by these captive officen? is that they are beginning to fear they may lose the war. More depressing than anything else is tho fear that there may bs another winter campaign. Peace without annexation or indemnity is endorsed by all the officers who hsve discussed the question, but most of them have indicated that they fa? vor the annexation of Eastern Bel? gium and a part of the coast of Flan? ders, if such a thing possibly could be I done. The men are highly intelligent. An officer who has made a study of eco? nomic matters said the war already wus costing the fatherland ten billion marks annually in interest churges. He appeared to be deeply impressed by the gravity of tho situation. Almost without exception the Ger? man officers still maintain that Ger? many is innocent of causing the war and say there is "all manner of docu? mentary evidence to prove it." Discussing the present battle, the German officers say that the Britsh gas shell bombardment on the two nights preceding the opening of the infantry charge was most effective and that the Germnas suffered heavi? ly. The Guard Fusiliers were heavy gassed Sunday and Monday nights. Sunday night they were still in their supporting positions, but the follow? ing night, preceding the battle, they were in the process of carrying out a relief movement. The men wore gas helmets, but tho gas clouds from the British penetrated the helmets and large numbers of the troops were ov? ercome. A German division which was being held in support on the back line cross? ing the Ypres-Menin road also suffer? ed severely. So disastrous was tho effect of the gas at this point that at least one battalion which was being rushed up to the relief of the men in the front lines never reached its ob? jective. It is the ironj of fate that it was in this section of the front that the Germans early In the war for the first time in history inaugurated use of gas shells. NAVY MEN NO POISON SQUAD. McGowan Forbids Testing Doubtful Foods on Them. , Washington, Aug. 2.?Navy men are no "poison squad," says Paymaster General McGowan, chief of the navy's Bureau of Supohcs and Accounts, in an order ins.. ,ng on rigid inspection of food purchases. "It is therefore di? rected," ho said, "that every effort to try on the navy any experiments or tests of any food products whatever shall be promptly suppressed. It should be constantly borne in mind that doubtful food is bad food and will be treated as such." WILL PUNISH AGITATORS. Government Will Hunt Down Anti Draft Agitators at All Costs. Washington. Aug. 4.?Persons re? sisting the draft law. whether in Ok? lahoma, or elsewhere, will be sought out. run down and brought before the proper authorities, no matter at what cost, the department of justice offi? cials announced today. Provost Mar? shall General Orowder and Assistant Attorney General Fltts conferred at length as to the steps to be taken to chock ths anti-draft agitators in North Carolina, GSOrgtSi Oklahoma and Oth? er localities. TWO BILLION TAX. War Tax Bill Ready to lb Reported. Washington. Aug. 8.? The war lax bill carrying innre than two billion dollars has been virutailv completed and win be reported to the ssnats to? morrow or Monday. FAVORS WELL-TO-DO. KITCHIN DECLARES SENATE COM? MITTEE HAS WRITTEN INTOL? ERABLE INEQUALITIES IN TILE BILL. Re Says Burden Has Been Shifted From Big Concerns to Smull Men. Washington, Aug. 3.?Chairman j Kitchin, of the house ways and means j committee, declared in a statement tonight that intolerable inequalities in j favor of the more prosperous have i been written into the war tax bill by: the senate finance committee. , In rewriting the ways and means committee's measure, said Mr. Kitchin, the senators have taken an enormous load of taxation from the big busi? ness concerns and placed it upon the business man and others having mod? est incomes; have stricken out by wholesale the house proposals for toxes on luxuries, submitting levies on necessities; have eliminated income tax schedules that would have taken needed millions from the Incomes of the rich; and have added a grossly inequitable excess profits section which is impossible of administration. The statement of the house leader; generally was accepted as a warning that should the finance committee amendments prevail in the senate, they will encounter a stubborn resist? ance once the measure gets to con? ference. Among Mr. Kitchln's criticism are that the finance committee struck out the Lenroot amendment increasing surtaxes on incomes of $40,000 to $1 000,000, thus relieving large in? comes of taxation totalling $66,000,000 annually; repealed the munition man? ufacturers' tax, relieving munitions makers of more than $25,000,000 a year; exempted all corporations from taxation dividends received from oth? er corporations, relieving the big cor? porations of more than $50,000,000 taxes a year, and eliminated the ad? ditional houne tax on the transfer of 'estates, relieving big estates and in? heritances of $6,000,000 the first . year and $38,000,000 or more yearly ' thereafter. The finance committee struck out entirely, said Mr. Kitchin, many mil? lions of dollars of taxes which the house had imposed on the manufac? ture and sale of automobiles, tires, cigars, musical instruments and nu? merous other luxuries, and shifted over $100,000,000 to the owners of automobiles and to necessities like su? gar, coffee, tea and cocoa. The finance committee reduced taxes on cigarettes, chewing and smok? ing tobacco and snuff about $15,000, 000, he pointed out, and put that amount on coffee, tea and cooca. The senate plan to tax war excess profits on the basis of the Increase shown In any corporation's profits over the average of a pre-war period of three years?the years 1911, 1911. and 1913?is declared by Mr. Kitchin to be manifestly unjust, making an un? due discrimination in favor of the for? tunate persons or corporations who were highly prosperous during the pre-war period. On that basis, he said, a corpora? tion of $10,000,000 capital making $1,500,000 during tho pre-war years and the same now would pay no ex? cess profits tax. while a farmer worth $20,000, making $1,200 during the pre-war years and now making $6, 000, will pay over $1,800 taxes. "There are hundreds of corpora? tions whose annual profits each reach into the hundreds of thousands and millions,' said Mr. Kitchin, "that will pay not a cent of excess profits under the finance committee's amendments because being highly prosperous dur? ing the pre-war years they are mak? ing the same profits now and there? fore have no excess. Under the fin? ance committee amendments as to excess profits and incomes, the Unit? ed States Steel Corporation, with a billion and a-half capital, making I $270,000,000 annual profits, will not I pay a cent of tax either on incomes i or excess profits, while the little farm? er worth less than $20.000. making a j profit of $6.000 will pay $2,071." I Mr. Kitchin cited senate committee i amendments which he said would im i pose excess profits taxes on farmers, merchants, butchers and blacksmiths, but would exempt lawyers, doctors land others including employes and agents, receiving fixed amounts for their services, The classification "em? ployes and agents." he said, should In? clude "Officers of corporations like Clary, of the lTnlted states steel Cor? poration; Schwab of the Bethlehem Steel Corporation; Morgan, of ,f, p. Morgan <<? Co., ami Duponi ?>f the powder company. The excess profits t:i\ entirely un? workable, Mr. Kitchin charges, I e eause it requires "in ninety-nine cases OUt Of a hundred a physical valuation ANOTHER CABINET CRISIS. | I RUSSIAN MINISTRY QUITS AGAIN BUT RECONSIDERS. Premier Kerensky Will Make Another Attempt to Save The Russians from i Traitors and Anarclilsts. Petrograd, Aug. 3.?Premier and | War Minister Kerensky and all the j other members of his cabinet except Vice Premier Nekrazoff resigned to- j night. With the exception of M. J Terestchcnko, the foreign minister, they withdrew their resignations. The action of Premier Kerensky and his fellow cabinet members came about as the result of accusations against M. Tchernoff, the minister of agriculture, and a complete break? down of the negotiations to bring the Constitutional Democrats into the cabinet. M. Tchernoff was accused of having been connected with the German general staff. A last attempt will be made to re? construct the ministry under Premier Kerensky with the chief new members being exclusively from the Socialist and Radical parties. The government accepted the res? ignation, at the same time express? ing the conviction that M. Tchernoff will succeed in rehabilitating him? self. Vice Premie; Nekrasoff inform? ed the Associated Press that some of the documents supposed to incrimi? nate M. Tchernoff already had been : examined. He considers the charges against the minister of agriculture as not being very grave, but the cabinet was obliged to accept the resignation provisionally. M. Tchernoff has been one of the central figures in the present cabinet troubles in Russia. Negotiations for the reconstruction of the cabinet have been in progress for several weeks. One of the conditions raised by the Constitutional Democrats, whose presence in the cabinet was desired, was that M. Tchernoff should resign. ! M. Tchernoff was appointed minister I of agriculture last May. BURNED IN MINE. ratal Coal Mine Accident in Ken? tucky. Clay, Ky., Aug. 4 n explosion in the mine of the Wes. Kentuc' y Coal occurred here today. It entombed two hundred men. Thirty, mostly negroes, were rescued. Many were badly burned. Smoke is coming from the mine. POPE ORANGES ATTITUDE. He Regrets (tcrmnn Treatment of Belgians. Rome, Aug. 4.?It is stated in Vat? ican circles that the pope's impartial attitude towards official Germany is undergoing a change. The pope is reported greatly to regret the depor? tation of Belgians. of all the assets of each taxable indi? vidual, partnership or corporation," not only in the year when the tax is collected, but. for each of the three years of the pre-war period. Such a stupendous task, it is declared, would take months to perform and as map? ped out by the senate amendments would lead to endless confusion, j Many big business concerns which j for years have been at the feet of j congress praying for favoritism at last i have had their prayers granted by i the tinance committee, the house lead? er declared. The senate provision exempting from income taxation all corporation dividends received from corporations repeatedly has been sought, he says, by concerns like United States Steel, Bethlehem Ettal, American Tobacco Company and the Duponts. United States Steel alone, he calculated, will benefit by the committee's action in this respect to the extent of $10, 800,000. Relief prayed for since 191 :\ by the railroads was granted by the senators, Mr. Kltehln declared, when they pro? vided that the roads need not pay di? rect to the government a tax on the income from their bonds. A plea by the United Cigar Stores Company for favoritism, denied I. the ways and means committee. \>as granted by the senate committee, Mr. Kltehln Charged, In adjusting exemp? tions under the tobacco tax. Under senate provision, he declares, a tobac? co dealer with a capital of one or two thousand dollars and barely making his living, will get an exemption only on 100 pounds of tobacco, 500 cigars and 1,(K?0 cigarettes, while the United company, with $30,ooo,oon. capltnl, will have exemptions totalling lon.ooo pounds of tobacco, KflO.ouo cigars and 1,000,000 cigarettes. EXEMPTION NOT EASY. GOVERNMENT SAYS POSTAL* EM PI X) YES ARE NOT EXEMPT. Official Construction of Law Will DIs api>oint Many Who Expected to Es? cape "Service on Claim of Dependent Families. Washington, Aug. 3.?A ruling- Is? sued today by the postofflce depart? ment sho' that department officials will make few requests for the ex? emption of postal employees from military service. Postmasters are in? structed not to ask for exemption for carriers or laborers or for clerks in second class offices below the $1,000 grade, clerks in first class offices below the $1,100 grade or any above thesd ! grades unless they are qualified dls i tributers of mail. The ruling is the first formal action by an executive department in com? pliance with President Wilson's order directing that department officials ln I dicatc exemptions and th.U the re , quirement of indispensability be rig? idly enforced. As generally construct? ed the postal ruling shows the purpose J of the administration to put the gov iernment department foremost in I freeing valuable employees for war service. The entire mail carrier force, num? bering thousands of men, of whom a ' considerable percentage are within the draft age limits, is excluded from ex 1 emption unless for physical reasons or 'because of dependent families. Every portion of the country is reached by the ruling as even the rural carriers J are included. The department's ruling i in regard to the clerks leaves railway I mail clerks within the exemption 1 classes, as they arc highly specialized I distributors. Provost Marshal General Crowder took steps today to reduce the num? ber of exemptions because of depend? ent families. Instructions were sent to the governors of all States pointing out that the minimum pay of soldiers is now $30 a month and that local boards must consider whether a man's dependents could not be sup rorted on that amount. The telegram follows: "Please call attention of local boards to the fact that a soldier's pay is not less than $30 a month and that all clothing, subsistence, medical treat? ment and housing are furnished him. Under the law he may allot any por? tion of his pay to a dependent. Many soldiers receiving $30 a month are easily able to allot $25 monthly to the support of dependents. In case of death in line of duty *he govern? ment will pay to the beneficiary des? ignated by the soldier six months' pay. "Section 4 of the selective service I ! act provides that those in a status , with respect to persons dependent up? on them for support which renders their exclusion or discharge advisable may be discharged, but it does not re I quire that they shall be discharged , in all such cases. js? "The discretion of local boardsWs J invoked by this provision and such boards may well take the facts recited j above into consideration in deciding I Claims? for discharge due to depend I ency with a view to determining ! whether as a matter of fact the per |son claiming such discharge will not j be In as good or better position to support his dependents after selection I for military service than he was be j fore, if such is the case, of course, the discharge should not be granted." Government officials generally are ; beginning to take up the individual ! questions that arise where govern? ment employees are called for ser? vice. Secretary Daniels said today that knotty problems were arising in the navy department as to what in? dividuals in the clerical department, navy daughtsmen or skilled workers at the navy yards are absolutely indis? pensable. General Crowder has suggested to the governors that each assemble tho full mmbership of all district boards in his State for a general conference to insure uniform proceedings regard? ing appeals. The governors were ask? ed also to appoint an official in each local district to file appeals. County attorneys were surgosted. ONLY COMPLETE VICTORY. Premier Lloyd George Says He Does Not Trust German?. London, Aug. ?.???Our victory must he so com plots that our national lib? erty shall never again be challenged," said Premier Lloyd George in a speech t lay. He said he did not trust German peace talk. Neither the kaiser nor his chancellor had yet said they would be satisfied with German soil. Tiny stammer over the word restoration In their peace talk, ho, said.