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^4^<^rI)etemiriedvCbtton Hold ;;':^^/,'M?yCT^t'^er^Launched t Is Being Pushed. ?5fH? WHOLE STATE IS TO BE ORGANIZED Carolina Cotton Associa ?on Has C^eneflSeadiquarters ^Columbia. V j; ;^i4(Bj. Hwrold C. Booker)-. ^^^t4?>Sa, Feb. 21.-~Probably the s-^ndaj. j?etermined cotton ' holding ^Two^ej^est ever launched in any - ::^aie' has been launched in South ^^^^Una by;the South Carolina Cot ^^tt'f'-\-Aesoeiation. an organization t?hich is the ' outgrowth of a . mass '^?tin^ of farmers from every see ^ttpfc-ei-.the state, held in Columbia * last^eek. " The association will- work Xn conjunction with similar associa ?;*/ppB*~ln\ other States and in addition ' "to .a. determined, campaign to reduce cotton^ acreage will , also stress upon - -?ie- iaitaers of theState the absolute ?' necessity, of their holding their cotton ';'&&!& their ' 1918 .crop, until the price ri?A resehed a^nurUnium of 35 cents. -5 X; .Sfeottowe* Wa-namaker of St. Matthews is president of the associa tion" and J.. Kutledge McG>heef of Co lumbia, Is secretaryl Other members "of the_ committee.are. CoL J. H. Claf 'fey, of Orangeburg; B.tF. Mc3ueod, " of. eharle^on;. Thomas -G. McLeod, ? i& i*e; 'T:"'J. '&itt, of McCormick; 'W. ? iong, of. Clerasoh College; John Mftekey, of/ Kershaw and R. M. ^ixsou^.of. BarnwelL. Gov. Robert . X.? Cooper-' is vex*ofBcio chairman. The : association ' has opened offices in the "JinJon National Bank building. :iV The S^thern - Cotton Congress in 77enr Odeaos /on February 18 agreed to a plan-of -a-reduction in acreage of 1-3 per cfc'nt. For the success of ^Vsbujh. in; keeping with the wealth >rti^^*'??Rng in upon other sections ?^the ?niied tlSfrtoep, it Is declared by tire *8o?i^ Ckr??na . association to be '^fairst? ^That the/.acreage given to :C?t6n;vbe' reduced, .by one-third. ^?l?^r%t^e..^raoi^--'of com ^e^?ja?: JT? tj'e. ^reduced par 4where ;ther;farmer has ; to :m^neylto\'gei:it. ? . . v rd:V.Tliat ;the.rfanners keep: on holding; their cotton .until. the spin f^Jrae^ out cir "^l^Aletters^torthe^ %rmers calling ^t^m-v.to'^3it less ."cotton this Jr. '^d?.epcl?^ig.a'pledge for them ?tQgn - agreeing J to .; do. so. * "The .J^^xis :?pyruinl. a> position which r^ghV be called-; 'cotton poor,' " says ?Gie %rculiar: ^"Tfcat'is to. say, it has ^^g^fstocks of cotton on hand cost ly considerably more than present markret values to ...produce and for ir|4/efa^ there is seemingly no de . r?and except at these sacrifice prices. Although there are sound fundamen tal r^usons why cotton should .not be as' low as the present market quo talons yet in order to be on the safe jjj&e it. is good policy,not to raise the l^n&l; cjrpp of cotton in 1919?then tfe .world Will be sure to take the cniton it can get and pay the South erh, farmer a'. remunerative price for raising-it// ? - T?e ..circular declared that if, in 2919, .every fanner will cut his nor Taal cotton acreage by one-third he will 'get more money for his crop awi" get .paid at least the cost price fdir any 1918 cotton he might have pni. hand, which is now quoted below the cost of production. & ^strong appeal .is made to the ta-'rmsrs to hold the cotton they now . hqp*jon hand. "Every well posted cotton man knows that cotton costs nirore to produce . than the present r?ajrket quotations.** says the circu lar. Some authorities state that the 1?18/cotton crop would be cheap at S5 cents. However; this may be. the holders of spot cotton should hold their cotton until the demand for it Will enable them to" get back at least tbfe greater portion of the production cost. England has just lifted the embargo on cotton, . France and Italy are expected t? do so. The ocean freight rates have fast been reduced arid- the'export, demand will develop iBtojfediately. it is expected that the peace _ treaty ? will be signed soon?as e?ttrtBB the first part of March. This behrlsg the case the central European rva^tidns will be in the market for larger supplies of cotton. American stocks' will be the only available sottfee: of-supply. Cotton will never . again jgo;^down to its old levels." . .Secretary McGhee declared today that the farmers of the association arp awakening to the fact that they have the remedy for the situation in their own hands. That remedy is to hold" th*e eolton already made and < plant less this spring. Mr. McGhee said.the-association had learned that' $li,0d0,000 had been raised to keep! the price of cotton down. "But itj will fail,*' he said "because the farm- j ers^of the South are becoming arous- j ed as never before in history and they j are* determined to fight , this thing | to a finish." .'iiDelegates returning fr?m the gre*t cotton conference in New Orleans re port that there is the greatest de gree., of interest being manifested inj the'fight to hold down the acreags! gto^n-.to cotton. The South Caro lina plan has been adopted in general for the entire South, and other States wiU organize down to the remotest *ebool;district. The State central headquarters ofj tne South Carolina- Cotton Associa tion -has ^finished a draft of a skele ton*'organization for each county. Bellowing is the personnel of the Committees in Sumter, Lee and Clar endon counties: Sumfer county?I*. D. Jennings, R. X. Manning, C. G. Rowland, J. H. fiBaynsworth, R. S. Churchill, Hubert BATHE CRY OF SOUTH TO-DAY Hold Cotton Until Fair Priee is i. .Obtained?Reduce the Acre | age, Use Less Fertilizer. CAMPAIGN TO AROUSE I FARMERS TO DANGERS South Carolina Cotton Associa tion is Perfecting Organiza tion in Every Section of the State. Columbia; Feb. 22J? Reports from over the State- indicate that "Pledge Reduction Day," -officially announced for February 28 by Governor Cooper, will be very generally observed by the. cotton farmers of South Carolina. At the headquarters of the South Carolina Cotton Association in the Union National bank building here today, it was stated by Secretary J. Rutledge-McGhee that the movement in South Carolina for a reduction in acreage and for holding the cotton on hand until the spinners began to cry for it was undoubtedly gaining in mo mentum daily. .? February 28 is the date set for holding of Pledge Reduction rallies in every county , seat town in the State. On this- day each county is expected to form organizations down to the school districts and precincts. ? The organization plan will not be dis jjj similar from that used in the Liberty t Loan campaigns. Each farmer is to j be asked for a contribution of ten i cents to the fund being used to put i over the campaign. j A proclamation has been issued by Governor Cooper urging the im portance of the movement and ask . ing for a general observance of Pledge Reduction Day. Committees . have been appointed for each county i and they are expected to get to work ? immediately. < Letters have been written to the Federal Reserve bank at Richmond j by J. Sk?ttowe Wannamaker, active I head of the State central committee. ! in regard to the . movement and he . has received in reply letters from ; that institution vouchsafing its sup ' port. He has also written to Secre - tary of agriculture Houston and oth > ers. ? : ? ii "The battle cry of the.South today ;is" *co'mmerciar: freedom," declared 'iMr.' Wannamaker in a statement to day. "Every phase of business life ; in the South today realizes.as never ? before in the past the importance for the proper development of the south ;? for commercial freedom, and that A .the war will probably affect the d South greater than any other section i; of -America.' Labor conditions of i * *the south before the war were the *' most poorly paid with the possible exception of the-Chinese coolie sys ?: tern, it being impossible for the . farmer to pay anything like reason able w??ges as his margin of profit in cotton prices was so extremely small, .,; if there was profit,., unless he wished ?', to commit' commercial suicide. To i day instead of there being a surplus ? of agricultural labor, there is a great .Vscarcity of agricultural labor on the ? farms. Same is being feit very acute . ly today, farmers will be forced to i plantv crops' which do hot require the amount of labor which cotton re ? quires. The campaign on today for j. the reduction in cotton acreage and i n increase in food crops means far j more to the south than it would ap pear at a glance. It means that the south will live at home; it means that the rivets that bind the shack 'es of commercial slavery are being loosened. The success of this move ment means .commercial freedom to ! the south, jind it means changes in every phase of human life, and it means a blessing not only to the south, but to the entire country. Ev ery phase of life of America is af fected directly or indirectly. The success of this movement means the development of natural resources and great business institutions and enter prises will be developed in the south. It means untold prosperity and im . provement throughout the entire south, and it-means in like manner that these blessings will affect every section of the country. It means that the south is awaking: from- its slumbers." "Great stakes are at i6sue," con tinued Mr. Wannamaker "Success -means commercial freedom. Or com imercial freedom means blessings loo numerous to mention. Every phase of life in the south will receive untold benefits if we succeed." Speakers are to be supplied each county organization for the meeting scheduled to take place next Friday, and in each school district there will be subsidiary meetings held subse quent to the big county meeting to be held Friday the 28th. Paris. Feb. 22.?Methods of deal ing with complaints against a stale for failing to observe provisions of the international labor conference to which it is party were reconsidered by the commission of international labor 1- rislation at yesterday's meeting. ! G. Osteen, Sumter; A. W. Aycock, \ IWedgefield; E. W. Dabbs. Mayeaville. I Lee. County?W. A. Stuckey, chair man; If. W. Woodward, W. T. Mc jLeod, Dr. R. O. McCutcheon, J. T. Munnerlyn. Henry Gatlin, Dr. Chas. Pate, H. S. Cunningham, Bishopville; A. A. Brearley, Edwin Wilson, W. S. Wheeler, St. Charles; W. W. Player.! Elliott; Alston Thomas. Julius! Rhame, Lynchburg; E. Alexander.) W. J. Josey, W. B. Moore, J. C. i Ileriott. J. A. Dick. J. P. Wilson, Os wego; W. J. DuBose, Lamar, R. F.j D.; Arthur Moseley, Camden, R. F.! D.; Eugene Cooper, Mayesville. j Clarendon county?Charit on Du- j Rant, chairman; Archie Ilarron. E. > J. Browne, J. K. Breedin, J. L Ap pell, Manning; C. M. Davis, Summer ton. GOOD ROADS THE BIG ISSUE Eyes of Whole State Focussed on The General As sembly. WILL THEY LEAVE STATE IN MUD. In the Campaign Last Summer Every Office Seeker Promised Better Highways; Now Comes The Test. Columbia, Feb. 22.?The oyes of the whole State are focussed on the general assembly of South Carolina now to see whether or not it will pass legislation during the coming week providing for the construction of permanent highways in the State. Every section of the commonwealth is interested and the developments of the last week of the session are await ed with interest and anxiety. This week has seen the hopes of the people along this line dashed to i pieces only to be revived by later de velopments. Tuesday night the house of representatives killed, the legisla tion before it providing ' for perma nent highways. The margin was nar row?on the test vote there was a majority of only one against the good roads legislation. As the evening wore on the opponents gained some 1 ground. The second test vote show ed them with four in the majority. "The bill was finally killed by a mar gin of. jabout ten votes. Wednesday morning the people' of the State were shocked to read in their newspapers that there was ev ery probability that the present ses sion of the general assembly would come to a close with absolutely no legislation passed looking to the con struction of a permanent highway system in South Carolina. For months the topic of. good roads had been discussed all over the State. The peo ple had expected that the legislature was certainly going to do something to give them relief. Members of the house picked up a Columbia paper that mofning and saw interviews in it from leading men of all sections of the State urging that something be done. They saw that unless the State did something at this session it would lose over $1, 000.ODO federal aid. The fact began to dawn, on them that something had to be done. The result of it all is that legisla tion will likely be passed during the coming week. Sentiment in the sen ate is overwhelmingly in favor of the ? legislation. Senator Clifton of Sum ,L ter declares that he would be in fa vor'staying here a month if necessary 1 in .order'to pass this legislation. On ' the floor of the senate Thursday night and again Friday morning he ? declared that it would be a disgrace and a calamity if the present ses sion should close with no steps tak en for good roads construction. Ther.e is a bill before the senate that originated in the house and that provides for the increase of the mem bership of the highway commission j from five members to ten. It is planned by the senators to take this bill and so amend it as to provide a fund for the -construction of perma nent highways. Just what form the amendment will take ? ..-mains to be seen. It is likely tha there will be a special tax on automobiles of" about 5n cents the horsepov errand a levy of one or two mills. The sentiment voicid by Senator Clifton that something must be done is typical of the senate. That body is agreed almost as one man that some step must be taken. The house membership seems also to realize now something will have' to be done. ."I would hate'to have to go home .and face., my people and tell them that nothing had been done at this session' to Tift the State out of the mud," said one member today. Governor Cooper expects to go be fore a joint session of the two houses next week and urge that something, be done. The governor is alive to the fact that a terrible blow will have been dealt the progress of the State if the session adjourns with no I action taken. He is going to urge j upon the members that they agree upon some plan that will ? give the State a .system of permanent high ways and that will keep the State from losmg its share of the federal aid. Adjournment of the general as sembly sine die next week depends largely upon the good roads meas- j ures. If legislation is rushed through both houses providing for ?permanent highways adjournment may be reach ed. If the house blocks such legis lation the senate is expected to insist that it be passed and will probably decline to adjourn until something is done for the relief of the people. The house has taken no action whatever as yet on the joint resolu tion providing for a constitutional convention. The resolution has a fa vorable report from the judiciary committee but for some reason has never been taken up on the floor of the house. j The senate passed the bill urged by ! Governor Cooper providing for the the institution of the budget system in this State. This bill provides that several weeks before the general as sembly meets each year the governor; of the State, the chairman of the' ways and means committee of thej bouse and the chairman of the; finance committee of the senate shall get together, hold hearings and ar-! range the appropriation bill so that it can bo introduced in the general assembly the first week of the session. Senator ??aney of Chesterfield made a determined light on the bill in the senate but only five members oppos ed the bill with him and it went to third, reading by a tremendous ma jority. Th'?re is, however, an unfavorable report on a similar measure in the Hole Bored Through Four Foot Brick Wall of Office Vault. MORE THAN $20,000 SECURED County Treasurer Found Mon ey Scattered All Over Floor of Office. Columbia, Fob. 24.?Robbers bor j r.d a hole through the four foot j wall of the vault, in the office of the ! -cunty treasurer of [lichland county ; ometime last night or Saturday night and got not less than $?0,000 in cash. Tho county ' treasurer thinks that possibly a larger sum was gotten. The money was done up in packages Of $50.00. Bills were scattered all over the floor when the treasurer entered the office this morning and .discovered the robbery. Entrance was effected into the vault by a wagon axle, which was used as a battering ram. There is no clue to the guilty parties. Archangel, Wednesday, Feb. 19.? Additional British troops, after a long march over frozen wastes, have ar* rived on the Archangel front to rein force the allied troops opposing the Bolsheviki. Do your full duty by holding the War Savings Stamps after you buy them. The government receives no benefit if you immediately demand redemption. Buy all you can. Keep what you buy. # house. When Governor Cooper makes his plea for good roads to the joint session of the general assembly . he may also put in a plea for the adop tion of the budget system of finances. A. K. Sanders of Sumter was yes terady re-elected superintendent of the State penitentiary without oppo sition. Mr. Sanders is concluding his first term and has made a splendid official. ? He was elected two years ago to succeed Capt. D. J. Griffith, who declined to stand for re-election. It seems that the general assem bly has at last awakened to the ne cessity of paying public officials more. Arrangements have been made at this session to pay practically ev erybody connected with the State government larger salaries and now the senate has gone on record as fa voring paying the county auditors SO per cent more than they have been getting. BUILDING MATERIALS Lime, brick, cement, framing-, lumber, siding, shingles, composition roofing, flooring, ceiling, plaster, wall-board, mouldings, dressed boards, fire brick, fire clay, valley tin, ridge roll and everything else necessary for any building. If we haven't got it. we will get it for you. Ask us about the building business. We will be glad to advise you. When Yon Think of Building, Think of Vs. PHONES 10 & 631 SUMTER, S. C. Greeted With Cheers by Great! Crowd When He Landed on Pier. PARADE THROUGH STREET COTINUOUS OVATION I ' ._ ! I I Home Coming of America's i Greatest Statesman Stirs I Even Boston to Enthusiasm. Boston. Feb: 2 !.?President Wilson] I was the guest of Boston today, j ! Thousands from all parts of - New j 1 England arriv< d this morning to | swell the throngs on the streets j ] through which it was arranged hej j would pass on tho way from the pier j *o tho hotel. The transport George i Washington dropped anchor in the ; harbor shortly after dark last night, i The president is expected to speak at j 2.30 p. m.. leaving for Washington j two hours later. i Boston, Feb. 24.?President Wil son landed at 11.42 this morning, j Ho w?s greeted with cheers from I the throng as he stopped ashore. ; The reception at the pier was in j formal and as soon as he landed he > started on tho drive across the city I to his hotel. The president stood in .'the car during the entire parade, ac knowledging the continuous demon [str?tions. He retired to his room for a brief rest before luncheon. j London, Feb. 24.?The Amir of lAfghanistan was murdered February ' 20th, it was announced here today. PEACE OUTLOOK MOREHOPEF?L Talk of an Early Peace Becom ing General in Peace Con- - ference Circles. \ TREATY EXPECTED BE FORE MIDDLE OF MAY Reported That Whole Atmos phere Around Conference Has Changed During Last Few Days. v Paris, Sunday, Feb. 23.?The at mosphere around the peace confer ence has changed within the last few days. The deliberation and caution which mark the proceedings of the important commissions has givem way. ?and talk of early peace has be come general. French Foreign Minister Pichon talking to the correspondents today referred to the- fact that President Wilson thought when he left that peace might be reached by the mid dle of May, but he added that it is now regarded as possible sooner/ Chile Wants Prohibition Radical Party Petitions Govern ment to Follow Example of United States. Santiago, Chile, Feb. 22.?The rad ical party has petitioned the govern ment to f o I low? th^~oys^pto*of^Jthji_ United States and prohibit the con sumption of alcoholic beverages in Chile. JUST ARRIVED All well broke, acclimated and ready to work. Also have on hand nice lot of Mules, ranging in sizes from eight fifty to twelve hundred pounds. Full stock Hackney Buggies and Wagons, Harness, Lap Robes, Etc. The Famous John Deere and Syracuse Plows, Culti vators, Harrows, Corn and Cotton Planters. If in need of any of above see us. Prices and terms right. Booth-Boyle Live Stock Company Sumter, South Carolina