Historical Newspapers of South Carolina

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LAW TO SUPPRESS VICE. PROPERTY OWNERS HELD RE MPONHIRLE IN ABATEMENT LAW. New Injunction and Abatement Law tVanscrt by Last lANT>lature Strikes ?t Roots of (VniuiuTflallMV Vice. Commercialised prostitution re? quires property to conduct lUi busi? ness. Criminal law punishes the in? dividual offender only?and the bus Ineaa continues. Hut the injunction and abatement law. passed by the general assembly of South Carolina at tta recent session and signed by Uov. Manning on February 19th. strikes at the very roots of commer? cialised vice by holding the owner of the property responsible for the uses to which his property is put, and penalises him for permitting it to be used for prostitution. Although houses of prostitution have long been considered nuisances uader our laws, no permanently ef? fective method of suppresslr g them has been in force until the enact? ment of the injunction and ahatemen* law. A disorderly reso-t might be raided and its Inmates brought be? fore the police court; but the busi? ness of prostitution went on In the house the next night Just the same and the owner of the premises con? tinued to receive swollen rentals from the profits of the vicious business. Perhaps?hut not likely?he was Ignorant of where the profits came from. As long as the rents came in regularly, he took them In and salted no questions. He didn't need to know; It made no difference to him. Hut the new law makes It a mat? ter of vital Importance to the prop afty owner to know whether or not his premises are being used for im? moral purposes. He is made respon? sible for prostitution on his premises and Is severely punished If he fall? to accept hin responsibility. The fact that he dm** if know Is no excuse; 11 Is his business to know. "Whosoevet shall . . . own . . . any building erection or place used for the pur? pose of lewdness. assignation or pros? titution in the State of South Caro? lina Is guilty of a nuisance." Not onl> must the property owner select hit tenants with care, but under the law he Is responsible for the use which they make of his property. With equal directness the new law strikes at that second stronghold ol commercialised prostitution, the tol? erance or negligence of public offi? cial*. It Is no longer necessary tc wait for ths lax official to act. The private clttsen can act himself. Hitherto the cltisen has been un? able to apply for an injunction against a disorderly house unless his own property was being Injured by the operation of the resort. Unless he could prove that he had suffered special damages as an Individual In addition to the general damages which he suffered In common with every other cltisen In the community, hs had no right to enjoin the con? tinuance of ths nuisance. And often It eras ho easy matter to prove this additional Injury to his own property, furthermore, there was the heavy cost of Instituting legal proceedings, with the delays, evasions snd other time-killing devices possible under ths criminal laws. The result was that no ready means of re-lrcas ex? isted In cities where the official* were not disposed to act. But ths Injunction snd abatement law sweeps sway these difficulties. Any private cltisen. as well as a pub? lic official, may tnstltuto abatement proceedings against a house of pros? titution without having to prove In? dividual property damage to himself. Upon proof of the existence of a nutaanc*?*nd the general reputation ef the place It declared competent as evidence?a permanent Injunction Im Issued sgalnat Its continuance, the fixtures and furniture are removed from the building and sold, and the premises are closed for one year un? less ths owner gives bond to insure ths lawful uss of his property In the future. Thus the Injunction and abatement law has an educational value in thai It places the responsibility upon th< owner of the property, fa stntim whero the law has been In operation for some time it hux b?<?n found that property owners begin to help rath. , than to hinder the elimination of prostitution. They feel the working* of a new conscience; they take u ,,. w and lively Interest In th<> character of their tenanta From obst i BjQttosista of law enforcement, they become active allies of the law enforcing of? ficials. Trench Orand Headquarters. Mon? day, Feb. 25.?Trench raids along the French front have laereased In In? tensity during the past month o such an extent that they have become in same Instances real battles in which tSousands of men have be?*n ?- imaged and hundreds of prisoners takm. The jirtiiiery in throwing unheard of quam titles of shell* MAKING OF FLYERS AIRMEN TURNED OUT IN STARTL? ING NUMBERS FROM AVIA? TION FIELDS OF TEXAS. Seven Station? in State?From Tliesc Gamps'Only 38 Men Had Boen Kill? ed up to February* Dallas, Texas, Feb. 21.?The Amer? ican youth has a natural aptitude for flying. It was revealed and is being developed in seven aviation training stations in Texas and during the win? ter Myers have been turned out from them with a proficiency and in num? bers that have fully satislled the American officers and have proved al? most startling to instructors from the Allied armies who are here to give the Americans the advantage of their expedience and knowledge. There are six American and one British aviation stations in the State. The Ameriean camps are at Fort Worth, San Antonio, Houston, Waco, Dallas and Wichita Falls. At Fort Worth, the Royal Flying Corps, a (.imp of young Canadians trained by British officers, aro In dally compe? tition with the Americans in an ad? joining camp. A goodly number of young Americans also are enlisted with the Canadians and are receiving their training under the direction of British officers. A regard for military secrecy pro ! hibits relating the total number of students who have taken to the air here this winter. It reaches a figure that gives great comfort to the mill , tary men who know, and compared with the total advancement made by the men, the number of accidents re? ported has been surprisingly small, I it Is stated. The death of Vernon Castle, while flying at the British camp at Fort Worth on February 15, and the death , of James G. Ringland, of Dover, Eng? land, at the same camp February 23, I together with the death today of Ca . det Franklin Fairchlld, of Pelham, N. I Y., at the American camp there, brought the total killed in airplane accidents to February 23 to forty sevon. The British flyers at Fort , Worth have lost far more than anyol , the American camps. The high fa i tallty record among the British, it ii ? said, is the direct result of the more strenuous system of practice and drill , which they use. Thlrty-thre* death? , have occurred at the two camps at Fort Worth, while Houston, next in the list, has had seven. , "They kill more at Fort Worth be , cause they fly more," is the way a young aviator officer explained the great difference in the mortality lists. The British theory is that the men should receive early Instructions In all the difficult work they will have to do in actual service, while the Amer? ican trainers spend a larger part of their time in drilling the fundamentals of flying. The young Canadians go into the air early for flights that are forbidden in the camps under United States control. They are taught the spirals, the dives and the loops that aro a part of actual war flying and so it is that If their mortality list seems out of proportion to those in the other camps, the British Officers are not displeased with the accom? plishments of the men under them. The San Antonio station has had three fata lit wh. Dallas and WOCO one each, and Wichita Falls two. Waco and Wichita Falls had perfect records until the week ending Februry 2. when at Waco a pilot was killed in a collision with another machine in midair, and a cadet at Wichita Falls lost his life when his machine fell. Several of the killed have been civ? ilians or mechanics. In the early days of the American camp at Fort Worth a mechanic was struck by a propeller when the engine back-fired There was a similar accident only recently when a college student examining an air? plane which had landed on the camp? us of the Texas Christian University, go too near the propeller. Ho was struck on the bead and killed almost Instantly At Denton, Texas, recently an aviator from Fort Worth stopped In a flight and was persuaded into tak? ing a civilian as a passenger. The airplane had hardly cleared the ground when trouble came. The plane crashed, killing the civilian and in? juring the aviator. An aviator from Kllington Field. Houston, recently ran out of gasoline a short distance from Day City and Itelephoned for fuel. An automobile I mechanic who brought the gasoline persuaded the pilot to take him for n fide, and ;ui am bient resulted, the plum. f.,||,Mkr When only a few bun dred feel in the air, The mechanic was killed and the aviator injured. | The la* Antonio field is said to he 'hl 1 In Tex m Balloon observa? tion is taught thee ir, addition to h> Ink'. The students *TC mostly men froffl the signal corps. This city soon will have two fields, Love Field, the camp no* established,! and a larger one already under con? struction at the state f:iil .rounds, which have been loaned the govern-I ment for training purposes. This ifll] TALKING OF PEACE. VON HEKTLING BAYS PEACE CAN UK DISCUSSED ON WILSON PLAN. tier man Chancellor Says He Funda? mentally Agrees With Principles | Uitd Down by President, With Oi?y One Reservation. Amsterdam, Feb. 25.?Speaking be? fore the reichstag today the Imperial German chancellor, Count von Hert ling, made this declaration: "I can fundamentally agree with I the four principles, which in Presl-j dent Wilson's view must be applied in a mutual exchange of views, and thus declare with President Wilson that a general peace can be discussed on such a basis. "Only one reserve need be made in this connectiop: These principles must not only be proposed by the president of tho United States, but must also be actually be recognized by all States and peoples." "But this goal has not been reach? ed. There is still no court of arbitra? tion established by all the nations for the prservation of peace in the name of justice. When President Wilson in? cidentally says that the German chan? cellor is speaking to the tribuanl of the entire world, I must decline this tribunal as prejudiced, joyfully as 1 would greet it, if an impartial court of arbitration existed and glad as I would coperate to release such ideals. "Unfortunately, however, there is no trace of similar statements of the leading powers of the entente. Eng? land's war aims are still thoroughly imperialistic and she wants to impose on the world a peace according to England^s good pleasure. "When England talks about the peoples' right of self-determination, she does not think of applying the principle to Ireland, Egypt and India. "It *has been repeatedly said that we do not contemplate retaining Bel? gium, but that we must be safeguard? ed from the danger of a country with which we desire after the war to live in peace and friendship, becoming the object of jumping off ground of ene? my machinations. If, however, the proposal came from the opposing side, for example, from the government In Havre, we should not adopt an antagonistic attitude, even though the discussion at first might only he un? binding. "Meanwhile, I really admit Presi? dent Wilson's message of February 11, constitutes perhaps a small step to? ward a mutual approachment." JAPANESE MOVE IN SIBERIA. Harbin, Wednesday, Feb. 20 (By tho Associated Press).?The Japanese, according to reliable authority intend to take action in Siberia at an early date and there are evidences that the Japanese have long been preparing to carry out this movement. The situation in Siberia is consider? ed extremely grave, owing to the in? ability of the Cossacks' general, Semenoff, head of the anti-Bolshevik movement in that vast territory, to secure allied support for which he has appealed to the Japanese. General BomenofTl movement is of flcially recognized and " a general committee has been formed at Har? bin which will act as a. general staff divided into three departments? fin? ancial, military and administrative. Two thousand Geilnaus have beer armed and are drilling at Irkutsk, capital of the government of Irkutsk, in eastern Siberia. Speaking of the justly famous Spartan spirit, a Massachusetts wo? man sent her son back to the army after he had escaped from a guard? house.?Birmingham Age-Herald. be named Camp Dick In honor of the first and only aviator killed at Love Field. It will be used chiefly as a preparatory school for ground train? ing. There is a rigid ban against visitors at all camps. At Love Field a visitor caught wdth a camera was held un? til all the negatives were developed end showed that nothing of a pro I hlbited nature had been pictured. An unexpected effect of the fre? quent presence in the air of the flying machines has been the ahmst total disappearance of birds from the neighborhoods of the camps. Wild drives, which have heretofore been common, flying in flocks in Northern Texas, are never seen within miles of the camp, and in their northward spring riights the game birds, the ducks and geese are eonspietious by their absence from the skies, about ? Fori Worth in particular. Tim boys in the British camp have, made much progress during the Warm winter. SO different from the snows <>f the Canadian winter, and a e in the air almost constantly. Searcely a passenger train enters j Port Worth but it is welcomed by an n rplane or so. sad flights to the city from Ihe camp, forty miles nway. fop social purposes are made every NOT TO FIX PRICES. HOOVER SAYS THE FOOD AD? MINISTRATION IS NOT A PRICE-FIXING BODY. Administrator Tells Why Government Had to Take Charge of Wheat and Sugar. Washington, Feb. 25.?General! price-fixing on agricultural products is not a part of the policy of the food administration and will not be at? tempted, Food Administrator Iloovei said tonight in a statement designed to reassure farmers apprehensive that the government might set maximum prices on what they have to sell. "There appears to be a great deal of misinformation circulated amongs: jthe agricultural communities as t< the policy and e?opc of the food ad? ministration with relation to price fixing," said Mr. Hoover. "I wish to say at once and emphatically that the food administration is not a price fixing body except with regard to cer tain commodities which are todaj dominated by wholly abnormal over? seas commercial relations, and th? surrounding factors with regard tf which are such as to promote great dangers both against the farmin; community and at the some time the consuming community. "The two commodities under regu? lation are sugar and wheat. With th? further exception of cases in which it has intervened purely as a friendl} intermediary between organized pro ducers and consumers the food ad ministration has no authority and n< desire to fix prices on the products o agriculture. "In wheat we are faced with a dn gle purchasing agency whose propor tionate purchases to the whole wer? such as to dominate the price. An;, relationship with this agency by ou officials in limiting their operation thus becomes absolute price-flxinj. and it becomes a question as to wheth er it would be done openly and frank ly with our producing community 01 done secretly at the will of govern ment officials. i "In the matter of sugar it has beet common business prudence to joll With the allies in a definite contrac v/lth the Cuban authorities as ti price rather than leave it to fluctua tions which would arise from shor supplies and irregular shipping facili t'CP. "The food administration has beet actively engaged in the elimination o' profiteering and speculation in th< distributing trades by regulating th< profits on a pre-war basis. "A still greater duty has been thr maintenance of an even course oi food distribution in these times o greatest dislocation." NEGRO SOLDIERS IN RIOT. Twenty-six In Guardhouse at Cami Pike. Little Kock, Feb. 26.?Twenty-si> negro soldiers of the 512th cngineei service battalion are in the guan house at Camp pike awaiting court martial as a result of a riot in a mes< hall at the camp today. A White mm j commissioned officer suffered a pain j ful, but not serious scalp wound. News Notes from llngood. a district Sunday school conven? tion met at Bethesda Church yester? day, Sunday, February 21th, witl representatives from Dalsell, Horob McLeod'l and Pisgah. Addresses were made by J. C. Dunbar, T. E. Derrick our county superintendent of educa? tion, Dr. Haynsworth; Mrs. Bdmondi and C. M. Hurst. The next meeting will do with Horob, the 5th Sabbath of March, at 3 P. M. Mr. Sam Shirer was elected secre? tary and Miss Dell McLeod treasurer. Mrs. T. It. Moody is away i!> Washington on a visit to her chilren there. Mrs. H. C. BettlOa, who has beer quite sick improves but slowly. Measles and whooping cough are still In our community. Quite a number of our young men have been called to the camps. Some one remarked "This war Is taking the flower of our country." Quick as a flash came, "and is ridding us of a lot of trash, too." A neighbor says that some women he housed for their labor receive so much from their husbands in camp that they are quite independent. One hears of men who arc making a great speck out of the war at the expense of others. Folks will show their patriotism. Bome of our country people tried to K?'t rich this Winter soiling wood to the shivering townsfolks. it wus a regular hold-up game, and they worked it for all they could get out of it. Oats have heen hard hit flgaln this Winten and wheat is just ordinary. A lot of farm work has been done. Mr. S. W. Allen is putting up a neal dwelling on his farm near \V. J, Spencer. Ha go od. Rembert, Peb, 85, PACKERS ON INSIDE. KNEW THAT HOOVER WAS TO BE APPOINTED. HcnC| Makes Charge?Special Coun? sel For Trade Coimnissioii Reads Letten Into Record of Inquiry. Chicago, Feb. 25.?That Chicago packers had advanced information on the appointment of Herbert C. Hoover as food administrator and that they used their influence in Washington to obtain places for em? ployees and "friends" on the food ad? ministration was charged today before Joseph (Edwards, chairman of the federal trade commission, in the gov? ernment's investigation of tho packing Industry. To substantiate the charges, Fran ds J. Heney, special counse": for the commission, read into the records a collection of private letters to and from Louis F. Swift, head of Swift & Company, Arthur Meeker of Armour & Company, Thomas E. Wilson ol Wilson &. Company and other bin >ackers. The letters were secured in the raid on the correspondence Ales >f the packers directed by Mr. Heney. Mr. Heney said that the letters >roved that the packers knew of the ippointment of Mr. Hoover before the >ublic did; that they had "inside" in? formation that Joseph P. Cotton, a New York attorney, would be ap ?ointed head of the meat and live lock section of the food administra ion bureau even before official Wash? ington was advised of it, and that hey had confidential information of he attitude of the food administra ion before it was announced to the >ublic and acted accordingly. The packers were informed, accord ng to the letter, of Hoover's appoint nent four days before theVannounce nent was made public. The packers nformation was contained in a let? ter from Thomas F. Logan ot Wash ngton, on May IS. The letter writ .en to Louis F. Swift conveying th<. nformation that Hoover would be ap >ointed read in part: "Complete control of the distribu tion of food supplies will be turnei >ver to Herbert C. Hoover in a fev days. This will be done directly hi president Wilson, although Secretary Houston, who has been opposing th< nove, is not yet aware that the presi lent has asked Mr. Hoover to g< head. Hoover was with the presiden several hours last night and the pres dent approved all his plans. Hoove was preparing to quit Washingtot '.vhen the president told him to g( ihead on his own lines." Thomas E. Wilson of Wilson * ?'ompany, sent a confidential telegran over the private wire of Wilson & Company, to V. D. Shipwort'n, vic< president of the company, on Octobe 9 that Cotton would be appointed The message was sent from Nev York. "I had luncheon with him today, was a line in Wilson's telegram. WILSON SIGNS ORDER. Water IN?wer Dam First Step it Groat Development at M?sch Shoals. Washington, Feb. 2."?.?Presiden Wilson late today signed an order an thorising the construction of a watei pOWer dam at Muscle Shoals, Ala. ai part of the $60,000,000 project for a government plant there for the fixa? tion of atmospheric nitrogen for use in the manufacture of munitions and fertilizer. The dam site has been off ere 1 to the government without cost by the Alabama Power Company, which also has agreed to transfer an option on about 75 per cent, ef the land which would be affected by the overflow from the dams. Announcement that the government would spend approximately $60,000, [000 at Muscle Shoals, which is on the Tennessee River, was made Sunday but details of the projects were with? held. RAIDER SANK MANY SHIPS. German Auxiliary Cruiser Wolf Gets Hack Home With Rich Rooty and 100 Prisoners. 1 Sellin, via London. Feb. 26.?An Official communication issued today says: "The auxiliary cruiser Wolf has re turned home after fifteen months in the Atlantic, Indian and Pacific oceana, "The Kaiser has telegraphed bis Welcome to the commander and con? ferred tin- order Pour Le Merlte, to? gether with a number of Iron ?rosscs on the officers and crew." The Wolf was bommanded -v Frigate Capt. N< rger and inflicted the greatest damage upon the enemy's shipping by the destruction of cargo space ami cargo, she brought home more than 400 members of crews sunken ships of various nationality i especially numerous colored and white British soldiers, besides several guns captured from armored stem - ers and great quantities of valuable raw materials 1 RUSSIA'S CASE IS HOPELESS. lexixe says iivns have knees ox shays' < in:sT and THEY can'T move. P^rjgBS Peace as Respite and Says; When Proletariat of World Assist Then Will Itussta Renew Fight. Petrograd, Feb. 24.?"Their kneos are on our chest and our position is hopeless," declared Nikolai Lenine, the Bolsheviki premier, in the eourss of his long speech to the central ex? ecutive committee of the All-Russian Council of Workmen's and Soldiers' Delegates, in which he urged the ac? ceptance of the German-Austro peace terms, however oppressive and un? fortunate they may appear. "This peace must be accepted as a respite," he continued, "enabling us to prepare a decisive resistance to the Pourgeoise and imperialists. The proletariat of the whole world will come to ur aid. Then we shall re? new the fight." M. Martoff contended that the pro? posed peace meant the end of Russia I so far as her political independence was concerned and that the day after ! the signing of the peace the toldlers* and workmen's government would be In bondage to Germany. M. Zinovieff, supporting Lenine, in? sisted that the sovereign authority was too firmly established throughout 1 the country to perish. It is announced by the Bolshevikl . that their troops have entered Rostov on-the-Don and that fighting is pro ! ceeding in the streets. Leon Trotzky, Bolshevik! foreign l minister, will not go to Brest-Litovsk to sign the new peace terms, nor will ? any of the other members of the Rus ? sian delegation which conducted the ? earlier negotiations there, with tho 1 exception of M. Karakhan, secretary ? of the former delegation. The Work ? men's and Soldiers' Delegates today ? close for the new delegation m. ? Zinovieff, president of the Petrograd - council of Workmen's and Soldiers* Delegates; M. Aleyxieff, acting com - missioner of agriculture, and m. I Sokolkohoff. This delegation, ac T companied bj^ naval and military r?jp f resentatives, will leave tonight for f Brest-Litovsk. - volunteers defend petro j grad. - Bolshevik Statement Announces For r mation of Regiments and End of i Irresolution. > Petrograd, Feb. 23.?Formation of an army of volunteers to defend_J*f~ I trograd has been begup'^n'eTBohsnc^k i telegraph agency anrfounces. 'i "The crisis of irresolution in the e spirit of the population is definitely r at an end," the statement says. "Th" !. wave of panic has changed to a pas v sionate desire to defend socialist Pe? trograd by all means and to ward oft ? attacks against it. The appeal of ths council of commissaries, beginning 'the socialist fatherland is in dan? ger,' has caused an outburst of enthus? iasm among the masses, v "Enrollment of large numbers of 5 volunteers has begun. In a few days there will be under arms not less t than aO.OOO fighters, without count . inp soldiers who desire to fight. Spe? cial regiments are being formed, con 5 sisting of Socialist Nationals from L Ksthonia. Ix?ftish and Mussulman . regiments in Petrograd. These So . cialist regiments will be called reg I iments of defense of the Socialist fath? erland. Many women are expressing , their desire to be armed and lend their aid to fighters marching against , the Germans and supporters of Gen. Kaledlnea "It is the same in the towns of Kiev, Moscow and Pskoff." REDUCE BREWING ESTABLISH? MENTS. German Government Orders Consoli? dation of Breweries. Amsterdam, Jan. 31 (Correspond? ence)?The German government has issued an official decree providing for the "consolidation" of the brewing industry. Breweries, selected on the principle of highest odieiency, are to take over the production of others that are to be shut down, and are to pay the latter monetary compensa? tion. The breweries naturally complain of this measure, calling attention to the fact that more than three bil? lion marks of German capital is in vested in this industry, which thus outranks even the chemical industry, iron smelting or coal mining. The number of breweries in Germany is more than 12,000, closely connected with which are ISO.OSi hotels and restaurants, which employ 800,00-? persons. Paris. Feb. 27? After a heavy bombardment Gernui troops m the Champagne region last night at? tempted to recapture the positions re? cently taken by the French at Butte ? hi Mcsnil. Today's olhcial report Say* the Germans wen- halted by the French lire.