Historical Newspapers of South Carolina

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WER KnmCH ?ATI" II MAN. F^tSb Consolidated Aug.a, Ii BELIEF FROM BITING GOLD. W&ATUEK BllUAl PREDICTS RIS1NU TEMI'EHATl HE. Miami Rrpon* Know? New Orleans Temperature Lowcet in II in lory of CHy?Twenty-six Ik-low in Ton Washington. Dae 30.?Prospects of I ratiof from the bitter cold wave that hao awept over the South in the past 24 bourn, extending into Florida and briefIng the oddest weather In the' history of New Orleans. II degreou above aero, was held out tonight by weather bureau. The forecast for vir? tual I v every Southern State was fo; ?lowly rising temperature at least b' Tuesrlay. For Monday, however, con tinued cold waa forecasted. The blankst of cold air which ?wept out of the West brought record low temperaturee to New York and New England and little hores of re? lief were held out until possibly Wed? nesday. As far South as points In the mountains near Bristol. Va.-Tenn.. unolMclal temperaturee of 26 below aero waa reported and from far down the Florida peninsula Miami report ad eaow. Coincident with the movement of the cold area towarda the Atlantic the waathar west of the Mississippi moderated to an extent where normal temperatures for this season now are being registered. The lowest temperature recorded throughout the country today waa ut Northneld. Vt., where the mercuty dropped to 21 below. Saesr la forecast for the northern MJoejesippi valley and Lake regions Monday and for the Middle Atlantic 8tat*e and New England Tueaday. Higher temperaturee will accompany the uaow. GARDEN TRUCK DEAD. December Records for Cold Broken In New Orkane. Sim Orleans. Deo. SO.?All cold weather record a for December In ihis ally were broken today whan the weather bureau thermometer regis? tered If deer ?es above sero at 1 a. m 04 T3*gPWibai 30; TWVthe tempers tare waa 10 above. The lowest tem? perature ever recorded hare was on February II, llll, when the reading waa seven above A bright sun caused a gradual rise to :?2 above at 3 o'clock this after neon. Virtually all farm and gar? den truck In ths Immediate New Or? leans territory was believed killed last night. IN SOITIIERN TEXAS. ( <?.d Kille Vegetable* in Rio Grnndc Valley. Mission. Texaa, Dec. 30.?Freezing weather laat night which extended ever the entire lower Rio Grande val? ley, killed virtually all tender vege tat?lea especially tomatoea. beans, cucumbers &nd lettuce, and damaged tht cabbage crop fully ib per cent., according to reports from all the af? fected area received here today. FREEZE IN FLORIDA. Ttsfrmo meter Gore to Twenty-tw3 In Jacksonville. /s< ksonvllle. Fla.. Dec. 30.?At o'clock tonight the 30 degree mur exended to the central Florida line Today thla city experienced ita cold eat weather In many years, the low? temperature being 22, while the hlghast during the day waa 32. The coldest weather In the State outaid? of Jacksonville waa at Gainesville where a temperature of 24 degree* was registered. The weather so far has not been severe enough to damage th* citrus crop. Zero In Raleigh. Raleigh. N 11. Dec. 10?The, se? vere cold wave throughout North Carolina brought the thermometer down to sero here today, establishing a rew December record for Raleigh. COLDBflT ON RECORD. In n*minr? Temperature Makes Htwnrtf Descent to Fourteen Ih low Earl> gwnday. Boat on. Dec. 10. -The coldest weather since the government he? ge i keeping om>--il temperature teed tn*s 47 year* ago gripped New IBng? lemd todsy. In this <ity the mercur sank to its lowest official mark. 14 de greea below sero. at S/glaeJl in tb< morning Th* lowest offielal record previously was made Janu.m :t. lilt, with a reading of 13 degr?>p< t... lew sero. Throughout svw England the auffering nmong the poor was ggnts. I actl April, 1840. "Be tmm u ?81. SU THE 1918 TU ASSESSMENT. i ixsi"rvctions from tax com? mission to auditors por? tal all taxable prop? erty. ( luui-man Jones Shows the Great In? justice of Inequalities Now Existing Columbia. Dec. 28.?Instructions WIN Issued today by the South Car? olina tax commission to tho auditors of the sevoral counties of the State ul the chairmen of the boards of as? sessors throughout South Carolina to i assess 50 per centum of the real val-' no of all the taxable property In Voath Carolina in 1918. Tho instruc? tion* were the result of the confer ? oe held i the Ifta eoinnalaaionen -*? v ith the auditors and urn assessors (Of the variuuj jounties, wlio were in e ssion h. re la M n. at mul Unlay dis tsstag the various phtm of tho tax situation in this State. Adopt ng the recommendation ot vernor Manning, mado in thr .ourse of his speech before the tax I officials last night, the commlsaio. also decided to memorialize tho leg? islature to fix ii "flexible levy" in tho i next appropriation bill. Should the f / assessment of 60 per centum rais more money than appropriated for the needs of the State by the next general assembly, then the officer designated by the legislature can re? duce but not Increase the levy, if be "flexible levy" recommendation is adopted. John p Derham, a member of the tax commission, today urged upon the county auditors and tax assessors of b > State to "do their bit" by en? deavoring to secure a true and honest valuation of the taxable property of the State and thereby make the plan instructed by the commission a success. Out of the various discus? sions entered into was gleaned the fact that there was nothing like ah equality of assessment throughout the State, particularly on real estate; and that thousands of acres are not re turned at all. Some plan of equalization was ask? ed for by Auditors W. y. Smith, of Anderson; J. 8. McKenzie, of Flor* ence, and Lt. N. Rtcharrtaon, of An? derson, for their respective counties, In speeches depicting the tax prob? lems they had to confront. Describing the relation of the coun? ty kudltor to the tax commission, E. p. Wilson, secretary of tho commis? sion, asked for the cooperation of the opunty officials. Various phases of the law bearing on the tax commission and the act creating that body were dealt with by W. H. Townsend, an attorney of the Columbia bar, who assisted the office of the attorney general in litigation against the tax commission. That South Carolina should not fall Into the condition of Kentucky, where so much trouble has been experienced in tax matters. Mr. Townsend urged the adoption of some uniform plan of equalization for this State. Junlus T. Liles, of Orange-burg, chairman of the ways an/1 means committee of the house, urged upon the county auditors and nssessors present here today to devise some method of equalization to lift the "tax burden." as It Is so frequently called. He pledged his support as a member of the ge neral assembly to anythln | 'which could be done to remedy con? ditions in South Carolina. Various other members of the con? ference expressed themselves on the tax situation and the consensus of I opinion seemed to be that the method instructed by the tax commission was the most feasible that could he de vised at this time. The gathering be foro adjourning this afternoon pledg 'ed its cooperation In the carrying out of the Instructions. i ______ MANY MINERS KILLED. (?as Explode* in Pennsylvania Mine With Fatal Effects. Scranton. Dec. 31.?Many minors are reported killed by a gas explosion in the T'nderwood mine of the Penn? sylvania Coal Co.. near Troop, six I miles from here. Company officials i nre silent and information is vague. At noon 17 bodies of the dead, and jeome alive, are reported taken from the mine. ARTILLERY ACTIONS IN FRANCE. Pntrol Encounter* on Many Sections of the French Front. Purls, Dec. 91.?Artillery OOtlOlM oootirrod last night to the northwest of Rheims., the war office reports l itrol cneounters are reported north west of Chemin-des-Dumes, on th? Alsne front, und near Hezonvaux on I II he \ ? rdon front. I id Fear not?Lot all the ends Thou Am MTER, S. Om WEDWES] REPUBLIC IN RUSSIA. DECREE TO ilE ISSUED FROM < MINSK DECLARING INDEPEND? ENCE OF STATE. llun Proposals Astonish?Plun to O* - i eupy StruUglc Points Causes Con-1 sternation at Bolshevikl Head? quarters. London, Dec. 28.?Tho establish- | nont of a republic in White Russia j has been announced, according to i Petrograd advices today. A RadA,1 or legislative body of the territory, has been assembled at Minsk, a: which place a decree will be issurvl pu claiming the independence of the State. fhi Pttroirad correspondence, ii tho Times describes the eftect upon the Bolshevikl authorities of the ru morod proposal of the German and Austrian delegates to the Brest-Ll tovsk conference that in a certain contingency various strategic points in Russian territory should be oc? cupied by the central powers. Ac? cording to the rumors it has been proposed by the representatives of Germany and Austria that pending the resumption of the negotiations Russia should mediate between the central powers and the entente al? lies with a view to bringing about a general peace. Should the attempt fail, tho occupation of the sever strategic points by the central power w?.s proposed so that pressure mig be brought upon the entente. Th proposal, says the correspondent, caused consternation at the Smolny' Institute, the Bolshcvikl headquar? ters. Dr. von Kuchlmann, the German foreign secretary, is reported as hav? ing replied to the Russian complaint regarding the refusal of passports to .German minority Socialists by stating that he did not see any hindrance to peace in preventing communication between the Russian and German So? cialists. Reports of fighting and other gen oral activities in interior Russia con? tinue numerous, but they are so con? tradictory that it la Impossible to got at the truth of the situation. For iii^ stance, both the Bolshevikl and the {'Ukrainians claim a complete victory at Bielgorod, where it Is stated that the detachment of Gen. Korniloffe forces numbered 6,000 men. Tho Morning Post's correspondent quotes from the newspapers the re? ports of the finance commissioner on j the financial conditions of Russia, in which it is stated that all sources of the State's income have been abso? lutely cut off. It shows the railroads entirely oc - cupied with moving troops and mem* ) eis of the Red Guard, who travel free, there being, therefore, no re? ceipts from passenger traftic. The correspondent says the only resource of tho State is the printing of pAporj , money and that the government is I hopelessly bankrupt. A field headquarters communica? tion issued after a long internal men? tions only the western and northwest? ern fronts. It Ignores the northern front, but Indicates that there is still a Russian front In existence alohg^ two-thirds of the length of the Rus-, siun lines. The semi-official Russian News Agency reports a general meeting of representatives of the Petrograd gar? rison to examine tho internal situa? tion. Leon Trotrky, the Bolshevikl foreign minister, is quoted as declar? ing to the assemblage in an address that if peace it not concluded the front ought to be maintained intact i and the Petrograd garrison ought to participate In holding it. JEWS SLAIN BY TURKS. Thirty Executed by Army Surrendering Jerusalem. New York, Dec. 27?Thirty Jewish j mon and women were executed by the Turkish army that surendored Jeru Shietn to Gen. Allenby December 10. according to an announcement her? | today by the provisional executive; committee of general Zionist affairs. Included in the number massacred were some of the most prominent j residents of the Holy City and its su i burbs, it was stated. A father and sister of Aaron Aron - i sohn. head of the Palestine Agricul? tural Experiment Station, which ir subsidized by tho United States de? partment of agriculture were auionjfl the victims of the atrocity, according to the announcement. The retreat of the Turks through Gnlileo drove 12,000 Jewish 4UrvrV?r* northward where they nr ? in dirt noodi The committee has undenikeu to furnish a minimum of $30.00"j monthly for their relief, it wuj It&teln / A j ta't fit be titty Country's, my i*?j<1'b ai [)AY, JAKUABY 2 191 C0HDITI0?S 111 RUSSIA. hief AMERICAN railroad commissioner keaoiies tokyo. Sevens Declare** That Allies Should Lend Most Friendly Help at This Time. Tokyo, Thursday, Dec. 27.?John F. ; elevens, chief American railway com- j aiissioner to Russia, arrived at Xa^a ftgkl on December 19 from Vladivos? tok. He has taken all the accommo? dations of an entire hotel in Nagasaki for the 320 members of his staff. In a statement to the Associated Press- Mr. Stevens said he fully ex? pects soon to return to Russia u prcsicutc the proposed work of as Blstlng in the reorganisation of Rus? sian rail communications. He denied the report that he was returning to America. The commission is composed of many of America's best railway en? gineers. Mr. Stevens said: "The demand of America by the European war front is important but tho Russian situation is trebly im? portant as it involves the return of 1,TOO,000 German and Austrian ef? fectives. "Russia at present presents a com? pletely chaotic condition, permeated by the most clever German propa? ganda in every way and everywhere among all classes of the people. Nev? ertheless, I believe the better judg? ment of the mass of the people will be asserted and Germany will not succeed in forcing a separate peace. Such a peace can not be concluded if the allies promptly give their help and suggestions. "The Maximalists now in control are much stronger than generally credited. In any future reorganiza? tion or attempt at a stable govern? ment, the Maximalists must be con? sidered and handled rightly. "Tho chaos is most evident in the manufactories and railway shops where the workmen's and soldiers' delegates Eye in absolute control. Thoy work or not as they please and every where may bo seen workmen loafing. Women are doing much of the work In the shops and even acting a brakemen. Where one woman Is working, 500 mein are loafing. "A hundred thousand soldiers are crowding the stations attempting the management of the trains and sup? porting themselves on a small dally allowance to which they add by thievery and smuggling. "The railways and all other Indus tries are operating at only 30 per cent ot their power. Food is plentiful, but Is not being distributed. "At Vladivostok the supplies of all kinds are carefully guarded. The port authorities have erected large ware? houses and there is not much deter? ioration in the supplies. The Rolshe vlki are In possession and the sol? diers maintain order, but laborers are uneasy at the prospect that the continuation of the good condition? is unoertain. "Siberia Is not so Igttich disturbed ah Russia and It Is the ?Lple's desire to support any governm^Mlippcarini; be stable. The unt?J?kdy lr. Russia rests in the vast p^^W.der ance of the 130,000,000 p<STns in the peasant class. If Germany is al? lowed to finance and advise them, the situation is lost." Mr. Stevens said that everywhere he found the people well disposed to? ward America. Even when soldiers stopped his special car and entered it they apologized and withdrew on learning that the passengers were Americans. The American influenc is strong, possibly stronger than th.t* of the other allies, and Mr. Stevens said that it should now be diverted to the utmost, but the application of physical force In any degree is not advisable. In conclusion, Mr. Stevens said: "Not for a moment should the Mi lies relax their sympathy and help, but on tho contrary, should quad? ruple their efforts. The b.-st senti? ment in Russia Is with us. We should earnestly beg the allies not to punish the Russian people, who love their country, nor to abandon their, to the Germans. "We are going back and will stay there as long as we can be of any assistance to the Russian people." AMERICAN RANKERS RELEASED Petrograd Rolshoviki Liberate Rank? ers Arrested Wednesday. Washington. Dec. 29.? B. R. Stev? ens, manager of Petrograd branch i>f tpe National City Rank of New York and his assistant, Mr. link, have been released, American Ambas? sador Francis reported today. BO TratiS'*'' T?U? TRUE. 8. THE PACKENS TRUST. | BUTCHERS TELL TRADE COM- I MISSION HOW SMALL DEAL? ERS HAVE BEEN RUN OUT. 1 Hearing Hehl In Boston Productive of Much Information?Packers Alleg? ed to 1h? in Complete Control of the Rendering Business. Ii Boston, Dec. 28.?Squeezing of i small dealers out of competition by | the Alleged grasp of the big packers upon the meat rendering, soap and fertiliser industries of the country i were depicted by witnesses today be? fore the Federal Trade Commission which has transferred its hearing into th i meat industry nnd its relation to the high cost of living temporarily to this city. Farncil J. Honey, special counsel for the commission, said the packers controlled the rendering business from its collection of butchers' waste to the manufacture of valuable dye-pro? ducts. By their methods of gaining control of meat scraps, fat and bones, he added, the commission sought to j show that the man who bought at steak or a roast paid an unnecessarily i * high price for his dinner. Witnesses engaged in the ^rendering business, asserted the packers, stifle 1 competition for the collection of waste products by bidding up prices beyond the reach of the independent dealer, by resorting to tbe scheme of , giving short weight for refuse by giv ?ing bonuses to retailers to break con? tracts with competing rendering firms, j by fomenting agitation against the erecting of new competing rendering j plants and by dividing territory ! among themselves by "gentlemen's agreements," in which the trade of a man opening a new butcher shop was sold to the highest bidder, J transactions in which the new butch? er had nothing to say. In New Eng I land, it was testified, rendering com | panies which were trust-controlled \ maintained a fund to pay bonuses for the trade of retailers at points where independent rendering companies ;ied to compete. I Not only the rendering business, I but even the corner store trade in meats was sought by the packers, witnesses declared. Large markets were established in strategic positions in various large cities where packers; j named the price at wheh meats could be sold at retail, according to testi j mony. Thus. Mr. Henry pointed out, the packers controlled the entire field of the country's meat business. At! the j Washington hearing it was brought i out. ho said, that they controlled the Stock yards and the extensive termi? nal facilities in Chicago. Many of the witnesses heard today ; gave their version of being driven out ! of business by what they termed the "trust" or of getting into the combine in order to live. Two of the witnesses enlivened the session by voicing their defiance to the packers. John Glenni. of North Andover, a man of the rugged type, stated that he had refused an offer of $250,000 for his plant which, according to hi.v own estimate, was worth not more than $35.000. This offer was made, he said, when the "trust" tried to put him out of business. They resorted first to the usual methods, he sz.ld, of bidding up prices for war materials, by hiring away his men and by "leasing" away his customers by the bonus system. * "Finally," he said, "a representa? tive of the combine came to me and said very emphatically he was sorry, but if I persisted in being stubborn it would be necessary to put me out of business." "And you persisted," asked Mr. H( ney. "I went into their territory after their business." Glenni replied. "Even at the prices they boosted up. I was able to make a living. I did much of the work myself and knew what my men were doing." I "But do you mean to say." inter? posed Commissioner Victor Murdoek, who presided, "that you refused the difference between $35,000 and $250-, 000 for the sake of a fight?" "I was out to earn a living." said Mr. Glenni. "And if it is necessary to fight for it I will light. I built up my business with my own hands and 1 won't have it bought away from me by any such methods as that. What I get I'll earn and 1 won't live on easy money." Glenni said he was willing to fore? go profits during the war as his meth? od of "doing his bit." When Mr. Glenni stepped down . from the stand he was warmly \ thanked by Mr. Honey and other , BOCTHRON, rmti?rtH Ja a. VoLXLV. No. 40. TEH BANDITS KILLi ). "NITED STATES SOLDI El S SLA MEXICAN RAIDERS rroops Return From E\ped ion into Mexico in I'm suit of 1'esperate Raiders. Marfa, Texas, Dec. 27.?A'ter put ^uing the Mexican bandits who raided the Brite ranch and store Christmas morning: for a distance of t??n miles, into the mountains of Mexico, American cavalry troops recrossed lhe Rio Grande to American territory at noon today, and made a complete report to Col. George T. I.anghorne o: the expedition across the border. The American cavalryn ea killed ten members of the bandit:, wodnd ed 20 and scattered the remainder in the mountains south of the iine. They brought, back 25 horses which had been so hard ridden that t y had to be abandoned. In addition to ten bandl'?i knewa to have been killed it is believed that ar? many more were killed i> the pur? suit and their bodies burie: by their companions. Three cir'lians were ki ed in the raid, once soldier and o e civilian wounded. The civilian we.nded was T. T. Neill, who was shot while de? fending; his family. The s Idler was Private John Kelly, who was shot during the running fight n Mej between the cavalry and b, ndjjgp After a careful check of the nun ber of Mexican bandits' killed by American troops and rar chers fol? lowing the Brite ranch raid, it was officially announced tonigh . that 18 bandits had been killed by actual, count. How many more t rawled off in the desert under growti to die of ' their wounds can not be ascertained. (The number of wounded ;s impossi? ble to estimate as they were carried aWay or hidden in the rim rock country. An estimate of the stock taken from the Brite store fixed its value at $7,500. Rumors that Germans in Mexico were responsible for Brite ranch and store raid and Fitzgerald store raid Christmas day were refuted tonight by Col. George T. Langh orne, dis? trict commander, who ordered an tu* vestigation of the political aspects Of the raid. It Is believed here the German rumor originated in the niyds of 10 I cal men and is not subs' .ntiated\ by A facts. NEW KING FOR RUMANIA. Reported That King Ferdinand Has Abdicated In Favor of Crown Prince. Petrograd, Friday, Dec 28.?There are persistent rumors current here that King Ferdinand of Rumania, has abdicated in favor of Crawn Prince Charles. Disturbed conditions in Rumania have been reported for the past few days. Ferdinand, a member of the Hohenzollern family, succeeded his uncle in 1914. Two of his brothers are generals in the German armies. The crown prince was br i In 1893. STATE BANKS RESOURCES. Resources Greater Than at Any Time in Their History, Says statement. Columbia. Dec. 27.?A > latement of the condition of the 329 State banks and branches in South Carolina at the ciose of business Novemb er 20 shows total resources of more th; n $112,000, 000, the largest ever ki own in the history of the State, ; ccording to figures given out today I y the State bank examiner. O. K. LaHoque. Re? sources have increased approximately $30,000.000 during the ye\r; $18,000, ?00 of this increase came V etween Sep? tember 11 and November 20. A strik? ing feature of the statement is the fact that, though the total resources increased $18,000,000 .the loans de? creased $1,000,000 from September 11 to November 20. members of the trade commission's party. The other so-called "r.ust-bucker'j to appear at the hearing was E. McCaffrey, who conduced with hi? brother the What Che? 1 Cheniict Company of PawtUOkef R. L I told of meeting stiff opposition i] getting waste products and of refu:| Ing Offers t<> sell his business. "I tol tl em," he said la describing his meet in r. with an official of the combine at which efforts were made to buy him out, "that they did not 'iave money nough to make me sell >ut. It was my business and T Intel led to hold pn to it. I was told at that meetii hat they did not like the shape c