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T&K SUMTES \VATCHMAN, figtab^ Consolidated Aur. 2, u GERMAN FIENDS | FOUND GUILTYj B?rger and Four Socialists Con- j victed in Judge Lnadis' Court. G?ILTY OF CONSPIRACY AND ESPIONAGE! : I "They Were Leaders of Organi-' zation to Defeat Draft Law and to Hamper War Prepara tions. Chicago, Jan. 8.?All of the five So- j C&list leaders tried for conspiracy to j Violate the espionage law were found j SuUty by the jury late this after- j soon in federal court, ."/the defendants found guilty are: ^ngreesrnan-elect Victor L. Berger. trt^blisher of the Milwaukee Leader: Adolph Germer, secretary of the Na tional Socialist party: William F. JSruze, editor of the Young Social ist; Irwin St. John Tucker, writer afcd spealcer; J. Louis Engdahl, editor Of The American Socialist. 'tThe defendants were charged with conspiracy to violate the espionage J?w by delivering speeches and cir culating published articles with the ^?ful intent to cause insubordination, disloyalty and refusal of duty among die naval and military forces of the United States and with interfering with the* recruiting service and the en forcement of the selective draft law. The convicted men face prison terms! at from one to 20 years, a fine of! from $1 to $10,000, or both, at dis- | Cretion of Judge K. M. Landis, the; trial,judge, who will fix punishment; later, I . Attorneys for the defendants im-j mediately presented a motion for a new trial. Judge Landis fixed Januar?-! 23. as the date when he will hear arguments on this motion. The nv?? ^fondants were taken in custody in tbe- court room, but a few minutes later. released on their tld bonds of 800. each. Seymour Stedman. caiei' counsel for the defendants, de clared that the case will be appealed l^'-flj^ 'United States court if neces sary ' t? keep his clients out of pris on. {k/rhe jury deliberated five hours and 8^. minutes before agreeing on Its ver .f$f?JL ? Unusual precautions were taken ltfVthe government to prevent any .OTl?lSroak in the court room, agents 6t;the department of Justice searching ?prery man who entered the room to listen to the reading of the verdict. ^;Tbe jury halted in its labors for flfy* minutes at 11.45 o'clock out of ? iespect to the memory of Theodorej ?dosevejt. Out in the corridor the de- \ fondants, their lawyers and friends j were ordered by the bailiffs to re- I move their hats while the city paid J H? respects to the former president! "With the exception of Berger. who | Jtfcpeared nervous, the defendants Iis-1 tended to the reading of the verdict j without a sign of emotion. j V Victor L Berger said :"The verdict j i$ a surprise to me. I was certain that; the jury would acquit us on the case; made put by the government. I am j no more guilty of this charge than the j judge on the bench. I have been a j citizen of this country and stood for i the principles for which I have been 1 tried for 37 years. Now, if I am to be j persecuted for them I shall accept my, fate like a man." 1 Adolph Germer said: ''The verdict eame as a shock to me because I felt all along that we would be set free.! We are not discouraged, however, and will keep the flag of Socialism flying." "The Other defendants declined to make statements. Hospitals in Siberia -? Japanese Military Authorities Organize Charity for Rus sians. _ ! Tokio. Dec. 20 (Correspondence)? A semi-official report says that the Japanese military authorities in Si beria have established for the purpose Of rendering medical assistance to the Russian patients, charity hospitals in dependent of military' hospitals prop er, ?t nine centers of population in Siberia including Vladivostok. Fr^e medical aid thus given the Russians has proved highly satisfactory and many Russians; men and women, young and aged, are gathering at thfese hospitals. Some patients came from a distance of more than 200 versts. GERMANY MAKES FIRST PAY MENT. Ten Million Marks Paid Toward Ex pense of American Army. Coblenz, Monday. Jan. 6.?By tb? Associated Press.?Ten million marks arrived here from Berlin today by special train, the sum being the first payment by the German government of the 25,000,0001 marks due in Jan ary for the expenses of the American army of occupation. The arrival of today's shipment makes a total of 84.000,000 marks which has been turned over to the American authorities for the current expenses of the occupying forces. Paris, Jan. 9.?Lord Robert Cecil Will succeed the Barl of Rending as British ambassador to the United States, according to a London dis patch to the newspaper Echo ue Par ?&ed April, 1860. ?*Be Just ax 381. SI GOOD ROADS ! MEETING HELDj Legislature Will Be Asked to Increase License Tax on Automobiles. BOND ISSUE PLAN IS ABANDONED FOR PRESENT; Proposed Tax Would Produce Annual ? und of Two Million: for Highway Improvement. -. Columbia, Jan. 9.?Following an all I day conference with the State high way commission, a program 'of legis-. lation to be asked at the approaching session of the general assembly was agreed upon last night by the State ?Good Roads campaign committee. The program does not call for the j passage at the approaching session of the general assembly of an en- j abling act for a bond issue, but asks j for legislation looking to the passage ' of such an act at the 1920 session. I A change in the present highway { commission so as to include one from I each congressional district, '?.o be ap- ? pointed by the governor and the | three .senior professors of civil engl- i neering at the University of South ; Carolina, the Citadel and Clemson College will be asked. This commis sion, under the proposed new legisla- j tion, would be given the right to j appoint and fix the compensation of its engineers and employees, and the j power to lay out, construct, regulate 1 and maintain a system of State high ways, connecting every county seat.' such highways to be so constructed | and surfaced as to take care of the traffic which may be developed upon them. This commission would also be in-! structed to investigate the cost of j construction of such a system of highways and to report to the next session of the legislature what State i bonds would be necessary therefor, and the estimated annual license tax ? necessary for the retirement thereof, after providing for proper mainten ance of the said highway. The legislature will also be asked j to pass such acts as will enable the. counties of the State to issue bonds during 19?9 and thereafter for the! construction of highways within their I county lines. Provision would also \ be made for the return to any ccun- j ty, which constructs any portion of j a State highway system as laid out ] by the commission, under its supervis- ; ion. the cost of said highways; or. j in the event of a provision being made J whereby counties contribute in any way to the construction of the high way system, such portion of thfs cost as such county would in that event be entitled to... The legislature will be asked to raise the annual license tax, beginning with 1920 on motor vehicles to $1 per! horse power for automobiles and mo torcycles and $2 per horse power fori motor trucks and the license for deal- i ers to $C0 for each make of car han-j died, and to fix the license of trailers at $10. R. G. Rhett of Charleston . was elected chairman for the central cam- j paign committee. John T. Stevens of j Kershaw was e^cted vice chairman, and Frank E. Brodnax of Columbia. I secretary and treasurer. W. Fred Tjightsey. State senator-elect from j Kampton county, has been chosen as' the representative on the committee! from the Second congressional district! and Victor M. Montgomery of Spar-j tanburg has been named representa tive on the committee from the! Fourth district in the place of J. W. I Norwood of Greenville, who was up- j able to serve because of the pressure | of business. Other members of the j conrmittee are Mr. Rhett from the i First district: James X. Pearman of j Anderson, from the Third district; i John T. Stevens of Kershaw, from the ] Fifth; D. W. Alderman, Jr.. of Flor ence, from the Sixth and Frank E. Brodnax of Columbia from the j Seventh. All of the members of the i committee were present yesterday ex- ; cept Mr. Montgomery. Major R. G.j Thomas was the only member of the, State highway commission absent. The central campaign committee decided that inasmuch as no bond is sue could be ratified until November, j 1920. the best course would be to first: definitely map out a system of high ways and have as much of the sys tem as is practicable taken over and , maintained in good condition. The highway commission will be expected to visit each county and hold hear- j ings at which the people will be giv- i en an opportunity to discuss in detail the system as it applies to each coun ty. A number of interested citizens were present at the conference yoster" day besides the members of the two commissions. ?. P. M ils. L. M. Slattery. C. W Cofield and F. M. Burnett came down from Greenville. ' R. E. Gr?bel of Anderson and R. A. Wilson of Rock Hill. "The need of a system of State highways in South Carolina connect ing all of its county seats, under the care of a State highway commission, j has become apparent to every one. The cost of constructing and prop erly surfacing such a highway system mounts into many millions of dollars: but the average saving to each auto mobile owner per annum in gasoline, repaii-s, wear and tear is many times j greater than would be necessary to re tire an issue of bonds sufficient to eon d Few* not?Let ftfl the ends Thon AI: JMTER, S. 0., SAT?RI hundreds killed in Berlin narr Government Temporarily Mas ter of Situation and Troops Massed Outside City. GEN. HINDENBURG SAID TO HAVE ARRIVED Report Which Lacks Detail Comes by Way of Copenhag en to Exchange Telegraph Co. London, Jan. 8.?Several hundred were killed in the street fighting in Berlin, according to a Copenhagen dispatch to The Exchange Telegraph Cmpany, which says that no details have been received, but the govern ment seems to be at least provisional ly master of the situation. The government is reported to have massed troops outside of Berlin on Tuesday and are ready to enter the city. Gen. von Hindenburg is reported to have arrived at Berlin. struct and permanently surface such highways. "There are now over 55,000\ regis tered cars in South Carolina, There were only 37.000 in 1917 and 19,000 in 1916. It may safely be assumed that in the next three years this number will reach 100,000. An aver age license tax of $20 per car?or $2, 000,000?will be more than sufficient to retire an isue of $25,000,000 4 1-2 per cent, bonds in 20 years. The av erage license tax at present is about $6. "Under our constitution no State bonds can be issued unless ratified by a two-thirds vote of the qualified voters, voting at a general State election. The first opportunity of ob taining such a vote* would be in No vember, 1920. In the meantime the system of highways should be defi nitely m.apped out and as much of the system as practicable taken over and maintained in good condition. The counties should at the same time be given, an opportunity to raise funds by bond- issues and have such portion of the highway as may lie withir their limits built under the supervis ion of the highway commission with the knowledge that these funds in whole or in part will be returned' tc them out of any State highway bonds which may be issued. Inasmuch as nc bond issue may be ratified until No vember, 1920, the commission dur ing the present year should determine upon the system of highways to be constructed and estimate the cost thereof. Furthermore, before reach ing its conclusion the commission should'visit each county and hold hearings at which the people will be given an opportunity to discuss in de tail the -system as it applies to that county. ,'The system of highways adopted by the commission, together with the estimated cost., should be reported to the next session of the legislature with the view of determining what issue of bonds will be required for their construction. Several bills are now pending in congress providing federal aid ior road building in the several States. The bill which seems most likely to be enacted provides over $1,^2,000 per year for South Carolina for five years. In addition to this there is now under the present federal aid act about $1,000,000 for expenditure during the n?xt three years. "We, therefore, the undersigned owners of automobiles registered in South Carolina, hereby petition the legislature: "First, to change the present high way commission so as to include one from each congressional district, to be appointed by the governor, and the three senior profesors of civil engi neering at Clemson Agricultural and Mechanical College, the University of South Carolina and the Citadel; and to give such commission the power to appoint a.nd fix the compensation of its engineers and employees and the power to lay out, construct, regulate and maintain a system of State high ways connecting every county seat in South Carolina; such highways to be so constructed and surfaced as to take care of the traffic which may be de veloped upon them. "Second, to instruct the State highway commission to investigate the cost of the construction of such a system of highways and to report to the next session of the legislature what State bonds would be necessary therefor and the estimated annual li cense tax necesary for the retire ment thereof, after providing for proper maintenance of the said high way. "Third, to pass such acts as would enable the counties of the State to issue bonds during 1519 and there after for the construction of high ways within their county lines. "Fourth, to raise the annual license tax. beginning with 1920, on motor vehicles to SI per horse power for au tomobiles and motorcycles and ? per horse power for motor trucks and the license for dealers to $50 for each make of car handled, end to fix the license of "railers at $10. all of which shall he turned over to the State highway commission for the construc tion of bridges on the proposed high way system and for the construction and surfacing of such portions of Slate highway as may he practical)!"' in conjunction with any federal uid mit at be thy Country'*. Thy God's * )AY, JANUARY 11, 1911 TO HE HANDS j OF PRESIDENT; i - i j Reported That Commerce Com mission Would Hold Rail roads Longer. - ! ! TO GIVE CONGRESS TIME TO FRAME THIS LAW i j ; (Legislation to Prevent Presi j I dent Turning Roads Back i I Soon to Be Introduced. Washington, Jan. 8.?Legislation to prevent President "Wilson from turn ing railroads back to private manage ment in the immediate future will be introduced in congress soon, it was said 'today, after Interstate Com j merce Commissioner Clark had told j the senate interstate commerce com i mittee that most members of the j commission believed the president, I should be deprived of this power. Senator Cummins of Iowa declared a resolution taking from the presi dent authority to return the railroads at will would be presented to con ? gress shortly, as a means of insuring that congress will have time to con sider suitable railroad legislation be fore lines are returned to private management. This might be accom plished by amending the railroad eon trol act. Interstate Commerce Commission ers McChord and Wolley dissent from the opinion expressed by Commission er Clark in regard to depriving the president of his discretionary author ity. it was stated. In the course of his testimony today Mr. Clark also ex i pressed the opinion that private rail ? road operation is more efficient and ; 1 economincal *han government man ; agement. A statement by Commissioner Mc ? Chord, placed in the record today. Isought to defend the commission against charges that its refusal to ? ? approve adequate rates had been [ i mainly responsible for decline of the s I railways' credit in recent years. The ?! statement included tables showing :jthat between 1891 and 1917 railroads ;j operating income had tripled i amounting in 1917 to $1,069,000,000 ? while average income per mile of lint ijhad increased from $2,056, to $4,632 i ; Dividends on dividend-yielding stoch >;had increased from 5.35 per cent, tc s j 6.78 per cent and the ratio of in > j come to cost from 3.77 to 5.27 pei I cent. ?j "Considered from the viewpoint ol ! I dividend payments, net income tc ! j asserted cost, or surnlus accumula : j tions, the railroads were never in sc ? < prosperous a condition," Commis ijsioner McChord said. [j Three More States Dry Maine, Tennessee and Idaho ;j Ratify Federal Amendment . ?Total of Twenty-two. ,i _ Chicago. Jan. 8.?While representa tives of the distillers of the country ' i were organizing here today for a ': finish fight against anti-liquor legis :; lation before the highest court in the ;!land, the States of Maine, Tennessee ' and Idaho joined the movement for i national prohibition by ratifying the : proposed constitutional amendment. Twenty-two states have now ratified ' j the amendment, Thirty-six States are required. In addition to final action in the three States named the Illinois and ;West Virginia senates also voted for ratification. j Wisconsin. Minnesota. Iowa. Mis souri and other Western States' legis latures are soon to act on the amend ment. -. ? - Relax the Blockade Action to Be Taken to Permit Shipment of Food to Cen tral Europe. Paris. Jan. 9.?Representatives of the allied nations here intend to give immediate consideration to the ques tion of mitigating the severity of the blockade of the central powers, ac cording to indications today. This ac tion is intended to permit the passing in food suppi.es to th* Czecho-Slovaks, Poland, and sections of Russia and other territory which it is desired to be reached. LEFT ARMS IX) BOLSHEVIKI. L Paris, Jan. 8.?Kavas.?At the last meeting of the armistice commission, . Marshal Foch called attention to the actions of the Germans who. he said, while evacuating Poland and the Bal tic provinces, left, their arms with the Bolsheviki. thus violating the condi tions of the armistice. Marshal Foch added that Germany would be held accountable for the damage done bv the Bolsheviki thus armed. which may be provided for roads in the State. "Fifth, to provide for the return to any county, which constructs any por tion of tIio State highway system a* laid out by the commission, under its supervision, the cost of said high ? ways; or. in the event of a provision being made whereby counties con tribute in any way to the construction of th<- highway system, such portion 'of this cost as such county would in 'that event b? entitled to." 4 THE TK?t J._ FAMINE STRICKEN NATIONS ABROAD Hoover Makes Eestimate X>f Food Supplies Need at Once. ALL CENTRAL EUROPE , ON SHORT RATIONS In Some Countries the People Have Bread But Are All Suf fering for Fats and Milk. Washington, Jan. 7.?At least 1, 400,000 ions of foodstu:s, costing ap :pro-imately $350,000,000 delivered, i will be needed to carry through until j the next harvest the populations of i the districts investigated by the j American staff of the commission on j European relief. This estimate was j sent by Herbert Hoover today to the ['"food administration in a cablegram j reviewing the conditions as found in 1 Central Europe and the Balkan States. The surveys made by the American eomrmssion. Mr. Hoover said, disclos ed that meats, fats and milk are so short in many regions that the health of the people is very much timpaired, mortality among children is appalling and there is a constant menace through the threatened spread of j Bolshevism, especially in the cities, j The conditions in the various dis jtricts were summarized by Mr. Hoo Jver in his cablegram as follows: j Finland: The food is practically ex ' hausted in the cities. While many of {the peasants have some bread, other ! sections are mixing large amounts of i straw. They are exhausted of fats, j meats and sugar, and need help to ! prevent renewed rise of Bolshevism. I Baltic States: The food may last I one or two months on a much reduced scale. I Serbia: The town bread ration is i down to three ounces daily in the (North. In the South the. British are j furnishing food to the civil popula I tion. We are trying to get food ir (from the Adriatic. j Jugo-SIavia: The bread-ration ir many towns is three or four ounces All classes are short of fats, milk anc meat. Vienna: Except for supplies fur nished by tr Italians and Swiss, theii present bread ration of sfec etwees pe: i day would disappear. Ther? is m?cl illness from the shortage of fats, th< ration being one and one-naif bUncei per week. There is no coffee, sugai ? or eggs and practically no meat. [ Tyrol: The people are being fed b: (Swiss charity. r- Poland: The peasants probablj (have enough to get through. The j. mortality in cities, principally among children, is appalling for lack of fats milk, i.ieat and bread. The situation ir j bread will be worse in two months, j Roumania?The bread supply foi j the entire people is estimated to last ! another 30 days. They are short oi [fast and milk. The last harvest was j 60 per cent, a failure. Bulgaria?The harvest was also a j failure here. There are supplies avail j able for probably two or three months. Armenia is already starving. I Czecho-Slovakia?There Is large j suffering on account of lack of fats ! and milk. They have bread for two j or three months and sugar for six j months. Small Cotton Crop ! Eleven Million Two Hundred Thousand Running Bales I . Production of Country. ! Washington, Jan. 8.?Final statis jtics of the American cotton crop of 11917, announced today by the census i bureau, placed production at 11,248, ,;242 running bales, equivalent to 11, 302,375 bales of 500 pounds each, gross weight, and worth $1.532,690, :000 to the growers. Production of 'cotton seed amounted to 5,040,000 |tons worth $333,550.000. For the j "cotton year," ended July 31, 1918. 'consumption amounted to G.58G.4S9 bales, exclusive of linters; exports amounted to' 4.2S8.420 bales; net in ports, 317.3SI bales; stocks on hand 'at beginning of the year, 3.450,188 hales. For the entire world the production of lint cotton destined for factory use [was 17.410,000 and:the mill consump tion 17.701,000 bales of 500 pounds net weight. Massachusetts still retains its su premacy in cotton manufacturing, the report announced, with a mill con sumption during the cotton year of 1,493,113 bales, including linters. Next in order were North Carolina, with 1.ISP.314 bales"; South Carolina, with 892.632 hales, and Georgia, with 889,390 bales The mill consumption of these four States alone represents nearly three-fifths of the total for the country. Since 1912 the annual con sumption of cotton in the cotton growing States has amounted to more than half the total for the United States. The proportion for 1918 was 57 per cent. New Orleans. Jan. 9.?At a meet ing of the directors of the New Or leans Railway and Light Company, it was decided to ask for a federal re ceivership for the company. "Ab normal operating expenses :ind exces sive nwards of the war labor board" in the matter of adjustment of sal aries are among the reasons assigned an* ihid ; SOETKRON. EnUWMd Jona, >*?? Vol. XLVII. No. 43. LA F0LLE1TE AT HIS OLD TRICKS . ? \ Pro-German Senator ViUifles American Government and Praises Bolsheviki. DEMANDS WITHDRAWAL OF TROOPS FROM RUSSIA Asserts That the Bolsheviki Government Represents Rus sian People and is not Pro? j German. I -- I Washington, Jan. T.?Senator La [Pollette cf Wisconsin, Republican,' ! speaking today in the senate,, con I demned the sending of American ! troops to Russia and denied that the I soviet government of Russia is pro ; German. He said a mass of inform** tion with documents attesting the re liability of the Bolsheviki ? had been brought out of Russia last spring and repeated efforts to bring them to the ; American government have been without success. "I do not know hew other senators feel," Senator La Follette declared, "but I would be false to the people in my State if I did not exhaust every means in my power to ascertain defi nitely and ultimately what right there is that hundreds of men from Wisconsin have been sent upon and continued on such an enterprise." Senator Swanson, Democrat of Vir ginia, a member of the foreign rela* tions committee, interrupted Senator La Follette and said that from In formation in his possession, allied ' troops, including about 2,600 Ameri-_ ! cans, were sent to Russia to protect supplies and prevent Germany from establishing a submarine base in the vicinity of Archangel. Senator La Follette said that while this might explain the sending of troops into Russia, he had informa tion in his possession which denied that, the Russian . soviet government was pro-German. "I think the proof is overwhelm ing." he continued. ->"If it ever is per i mitted to come before the American I people that the soviet government ex l erted itself to enlist the sympathies and support of the United States gbv ? ernment to the end that it might be ? i strong enough to resist the German ? j government.",,. \ U. . An official statement fronflhe ad i! ministration as to the right and ?Tea* 5 i son for the presence of American* ? j troops in Russia was demanded by Senator La Follette, who declared that ' J whether the American government ! approves or disapproves of Bblshe ' \-ik rule that fact establishes no right j for hostility with Russian forces with ' I but a declaration of war. j "Whatever comes to the American j people through censored channels of j the press regarding the soviet govern j ment." Senator La Follette said, ! "ought to be subjected to careful j study and reflection before being tak ! en as stating the whole truth. ? 'The great organized wealth of all ' the established governments of the world fear above all things on earth the principles attempted to be estab lished by the soviet government it is not expected that there shall /e j permitted to reach the ears of the jmasses of the world, so lon? as the news channels are censored, anything approaching the truth as to that gov ernment or what is taking place there ; today . . . The war is ended and j there can be no pretext that the ! troops of the United States are oper jating in fighting Germany or fighting I anybody else but the Russian people. I There has been no ground presented : upon which a declaration of war j could be predicated. But battles 'are being fought. American blood is ! being spilled, Russians are being kill | ed on Russian soil. Apparently from j the press, desperate fighting is. going j on continually." I Senator La Follette said the iaf - ; mation given regarding the Bolshevik ; government by Edgar Sisson of the committee on public information was covered "by the slime of foxification, with fraud and forgery plainly mani ! fest." Senator Kirby of Arkansas, Demo j erat, declared the allies, troops in. \ Russia were "hopelessly outnumber | ed" and that they either should be re j inforced or withdrawn. A similar opinion was expressed by Senator Kenyon of Iowa. Republican, j who said he had made repeated ef forts to obtain information from the i war department regarding the troops in Russia but without success because I 'the cables are too congested with important matters, including 'descrip tions of women's dresses,' and in con nection with the president's visit abroad." * Senator Hitchcock of Nebraska, chairman of the senate foreign rela tions committee, had planned to dis ci:^ the Russian situation in the sen ate today but was prevented by the rush of other business and plans to speak Thursday. Short Cotton Crop Only Ten and Three Quarter Million Bales Ginned. Ginned. Washington. Jan. 9.?The total amouul <>f cotton sinned prior to Jan uary fast amounted to 10,761,000 run ning bales, including 35,200 Sea Is land, ihe census bureau announced today.