Historical Newspapers of South Carolina

Below is the OCR text representation for this newspapers page. It is also available as plain text as well as XML.

Money for Railways Government Representatives and Executives of Compa nies Make Plans to Obtain Funds. Washington, March 11.?Railroad executives and government repre sentatives today laid the foundation fror the machinery through which funds of banks and the war finance corporation will be made available to railroads during the next few months in lieu of the funds which congress ? failed to provide. After a conference between a num ber of leading railway corporation - officers and officials of the war finance corporation and railroad administra tion, a special finance committee of seven, headed by Howard Elliott, president of the Northern Pacific, was created by the railroad executives to cooperate with government agencies as "a clearing house for financial ar rangements. Other members of the committee are:. Albert H. Harris, vice president of the New York Central; Robert S. Lovett, president of the Union Pa cific; .'Samuel Rea, president of the Pennsylvania; Henry Ruhl ender, president of the Frisco; Henry Walter, .. chairman of the Atlantic Coast Line, ...and Daniel Willard, president of the Baltimore nad Ohio. Alfred P*. Thorn will be counsel of the special finance committee and George ""^1." Shriver, vice president of .? "the . "'-Baltimore & Ohio, will be in Charge of the accounts. E. G. Buck land, president of the New Haven, will be secretary. Swager Sherley of Louisville, who has just retired after serving 16 years in the house of representatives re cently as chairman of the house ap propriations committee, was appoint ed by Director General Hines as di rector of the railroad adminstra tion's dvision of finance, succeeding John Skeiton Williams, resigned. On ? Mr. Sherley, who will take office April 15, will fall more of the work of Ad ministering the financial plans yet to be developed. . An important feature of the finan cial mechanics of the arrangements to be made is the issuance by the rail road administration of government warrants to railroads for the amounts due them on settlements of last year't accounts and other debts. These war rants, virtually certificates of indebt edness, would not be cashd until con gress appropriates funds at the nex session but would serve as collateral for loans. The loans would be ar ranged by each railroad company in dividuaUy with its bankers, or in sp? cjal cases with the war finance corpor ation. The railway executives' spe cial committee together with the rail road administraiton's financial agen cies would fiacilitate the negotiation and distribution of these loans. Com panies whose financial strength was . not great might be helped by the rail road administration which will get some funds through repayments by ' railroads of advances already made it) them. It Was announced that the special finance committee is not to have power to commit any individual com pany without its ssaent." These plans were outlined today by Director General Hines and the rail way executives but it was emphasized fhat final plans are to be made. Rail road administration and war finance corporation officials will confer to morrow with Secretary Glass, and Thursday Mr. Hines will discuss the financial situation with railroal car and locomotive builders.and with tne executives' committee. Although no bankers participated directly in the conferences today, they will be consulted informally by the executives and railroad administra tion officials. A number of prominent bankers were here during the day to confer privately with railroad heads. It appears probable that the war finance corporation will try to limit its loans to railroad corporations with ample credit, without reference to the government warrants as a collat eral, and every effort will be made by the government agencies to encour age bankers to take-up most of the loans required. At the same time th< railroad administration will try to establish a large degree of unform ity in interest rates. This will be facilitated by the potential resources of the war finance corporation. Secretary Glass at the conference tomorro v is expected to emphasize the*desire of the treasury to keep rail road securities off the market until after the Victory Lberty Loan, which probably will close May 10. This can be done through negotiating short term bank loans. Huns Start Conspiracy Germans and Hungarians Plot to Overthrow Czecho-Slovak Government. Paris, March 11 (By the Associated Press).?The council of the &.eat powers heard today a statement pre sented by Dr. Benes of the Czecho slovak delegation on the widespread conspiracy alleged to exist against th?* new state on three sides?Germany. Austro-Germany and Hungary. Ac cording to documents found on a Ger man courier arrested at Prague, an extensive plot is being formd to ex cite a revolution and furnish arms and ammunition to those seeking to overturn the new government. The council regards the represen tations as serious and is taking meas ures to investigate and give adquati security. The council today also discussed the serious internal conditions in Poland, which subject will be contin ued tomorrow when Poland's frontier in Germany will probably be deter mined. The indications are that Po land will secure a sea outlet north ward to the Baltic, and the tendonev is to include Danzig in the Polish cor- j ridor- across Prussia. Basel, March 12.?The Frankfort Au?iger reports a general strike inj the mining district of Beuthen, SiV-j sia. It is reported that twenty thou-! sand workmen are idle. I City Council Meeting, License Taxes Discussed, Those Issued on Minimum Basis Subject to Readjust ments. At a regular meeting of City Coun-! ?eil. held Tuesday evening Mayor Jennings and Councilmen Booth and I McCallum were present. Minutes of February 24th and 25t'a and of March 4th were read and ap proved. : A letter from the Dixie .ElectWc &| Plumbing Company concerni-?^ U-. I censes on their plumbing and elec *.-ieal dealers business was rea?. Council decided to accept payment of the minimum licenses on these busi nesses, with the understanding that an adjustment must be made at the end cf the year on the basis of amount bf business done during the year. The clerk was instructio notify Mr. Forshee of the Dixie Elec tric & Plumbing Company of this ac tion. It was also decided that all li censes issued to new concerns on minimum basis would be subject to readjustment at the end of the year on basis of business done during the year. Police report for the month of February 'was submitted by Acting Chief Owens, as follows: Number of arrests; 39; cash fines. $881.00'; days in cash, $24.00; total $905.00. A request from Mrs. Hatthi James for extension of sewer line on Coun cil Street, south of Dingle was read. Also an estimate of cost of sa7ne.' Council decided to postpone action. Mr. R. E. Wilder, chief of Fire Department appeared and made re quest of council for increase in sal ary of Joe James, driver, from $12 per week to $15 per week. Council granted this request Mr. Wilder also spoke in his own behalf concerning remuneration re ceived by him as Fire Chief. After some discussion council decided to in crease his salary to $25 per month beginning February 1st. The clerk was authorized to issue annual licenses to ice cream carts at a charge of $7.50; this charge to ap ply to a year or a part of a year.. Council instructed the clerk to ad vertise for bids for lease of the opera house for the year beginning May 1st 1919, same to be acted on at the meeting of March 25th. Right was reserved to reject any or all bids. The extension of sewer line recom mended by Councilman McCallum to dwelling at Pumping Station occupied by the superintendent of Pumping Station was authorized and ordered put in. Sealed bids for black manure in city stables located in rear of opera house'were opened and read. Award of this manure was made to Messrs. Goldberg & Moses on basis of their bid of $4.85 per ton. THE INTELLECUTAL QUESTION IN FRANCE. Great Loss of Professional Men and Students by the War. Paris, Feb. 15?That French intel lectual classes have paid in lives to a fearful extent in the war was disclosed .in the casualty returns now being analyzed according to profes sions, is stated in the Paris journal Intransigeant. The records show that 6,227 Frenchmen prominently en gaged in educational pursuits have been killed on the battlefield. Paris alone, the paper adds, has. lost 3,378 students of different uni versities and colleges, besides 350 journalists and men of letters. The figures for provincial France are not yet available, but they are said to be very large. Since August 2, 1914. most of France's great educational institu tions have been practically closed down, only a few elderly professors and a limited number of younger men, physically unfit for military ser vice, remaining to keep the lamp of knowledge burning. To repopulate universities and col leges without delay, is, ir. the view of the authorities, imperative in France is to remain in the forefront of Intel lectual life. M. Lafferre. Minister of Public Instruction, promises special facilities for students ''as soon as they are demobilized." but the mechinery by which men are returned to civil ian life is working very slowly. L'Eclair, another Paris daily pa per, in editorial demands quicker methods. It says that French culture is in danger of losing its leading posi tion if the process of putting the teaching elements back into their pro per spheres of activity is not at oncej accerlated. High cost of living, and j the very human desire on the part of demobilized professional men to se cure the best possible livelihood, it says, is rapidly leading to an acute crisis in the teaching world. Th?' pa per advocates a scheme by which the still mobilized professors and stu dents should be enabled to resume their lectures and studies at once at the universities and colleges of Lille. Nancy. Strasburg and other centers of learning in the northern and north eastern parts of France and in Alsace Lorraine, if they cannot be sent back to their homes. Jap College. Troubles. I Tokio, Feb. 5 (Correspondence) ? I For a year the Doshisha University at ! Kioto, founded by Joseph Neeshima jand in parr financed by the American i Board of Commissioners for Foreign j Missions has passed an unhappy (year marked by disagreement among (trustees and students over the presi dent. Dr. Harada. The latter is well known in America. The troubles of the universty are constantly in thf press. The last report is that Pro fessor Nitobe of the Tokio Imperia' University is to take the presidency on his return f*--<m America and France. Laurens. March 12.?"Guilty of manslaughter." was the verdict giver last night in the case of the State against Robert Burdett charged with the killing of D. D. Stoddard in Jul.\ 1917. Notice of intention to ask fo? a new tri:il wjts entered by counse for th2 defense. RAILWAY CLERKS STRIKE Winchell Says Move of Men Is Illegal Under Their Union Rules. Atlanta, March 12.?Both sides to the controversy arising out of the walkout yesterday of some 1,200 clerks on the Nashvile, Chattanooga and St. Louis Railway remained firm tonight in their determination not to give in. B. L. Winchell, re gional director, issued a statement today saying the Washington offices of the clerks' brotherhood "state that the Nashville, Chattanooga & St. Louis strike is illegal because the men failed to use the good offices of board No. 3" in an effort to settle their grievance against A. P. Ottarson, fed eral auditor of the road. *T urge them to return at once to their old .places as far as now possible," the statement added. The clerks walked out yesterdey because of Mr. Win chell's refusal to discbarge Ottarson whom clerks urged was discriminat ing against them and tonight E. M McGhee, local chairman of clerks' brotherhood, said the men would re main out until Ottarson was removed. He said the clerks had no charge to I make against the adjustment board j but that they had to act quickly as I Ottarson was "making great inroads'" I against the union and would have "crippled" it while the board was ad justing the matter. Mr. McGhee also denied that the Washington brotherhood officials were not supporting the strike and asserted that the men would remain out not only until the auditor was re moved, but until they were assured that they would not lose their pay while out and would not lose seniority rights. The tie up of the Nashville, Chatta nooga & St. Louis was virtually com plete here today. Train callers re fused to announce the passenger trains, clerks refused to sell tickets for them and baggage men declined to handle baggage of passengers ar riving or leaving. Officials of the road took over these duties as best they could. Freight traffic of the road was tied up and employees ol other roads, it was said, declined tc handle freight originally routed on it but diverted to other lines. Unior leaders intimated that clerks on oth er roads .throughout the Southeast might go out in support of the Nashville, Chattanooga & St. Louh clerks if the issue appeared to gc against them. The:,' said clerks ol other roads entering' Atlanta alreadj had* formally pledged support. Mr. Winchell said: "The Washing ton officers of the clerks' union state that the Nashville. Chattanooga & St Louis strike is illegal because ' th< men failed to use the good offices ol board No. 3, which the presidem: ol the clerks' brotherhood joined with the director general of railroads ir establishing for the purpose of hear ing just such grievances, and com plaints. The board in question i: therefore the official machinery o! the brotherhood as well as of th< railroad administration. "I am sure a majority of the em ployees who left the Nashville. Chat tanooga & St. Louis service do noi understand these facts and I urge them to return at once to their olfl places so far as now possible and al low the adjudication of any griev ances which they may feel they havr in a prescribed and orderly man ner." Chattanooga. March 12.?Local freight offices of the Nashville, Chat tanooga & St. Louis Railroad con tinued the embargo on all shipments asrain today, there being no chamre ir the strike situation here. President J. H. Capehart of the loeal railway clerks' union, issued a statement con cerning: the grievances of the strik ers, charging that Federal Auditor Ottarson had discriminated against members of the organization and dis couraged collective bargaining, at tempting to obtain individual con tracts with the men. Local union officials declared the strike will spread throughout the entire South east and that clerks on the Big Four system are preparing to walk out. I Saving Waste Paper, j j Washington, Mar. 8?Waste paper, j saved by public school children in [ Cleveland, is being turned into books for soldiers, according to information ; given by the Public Librarian of that ; city to the American Forestry Asso ciation here today. The school children, it was stated, take old magazines and newspapers to school once a week where they are baled and sold to the highest bidder. "Save a bale of paper" is the slogan. Tne zeal of the children has been stimulated by the starting of compe tition to see which school can collect the most paper. After the soldiers' li baries have been equipped, the plan is to purchase books for the libraries of Cleveland and continue the good work. "This is a fine paper saving ?cheme," says the American Forestry Association. "It is an easy and con venient method of collecting it and has the added value of teaching the children the value of conservation. The use of old paper helps to save Dur forests and it saves coal for every >ound of paper represents from one o three pounds of coal used in its manufacture It is hoped that many other cities will adopt the Cleveland plan "Save a bale of paper." A Revolutionary Cannon. Camden, x. j.. March 7.?a can non from the flagship of Lord Howe'.* British licet was presented to the Camden County Historical Society at ?xercises held at the public library The vessel, the Augusta, was sunk in 1777 while attacking Fort Mifflin, on he Pennsylvania side of the IVla vare river, and Fort Mercer, oppo ite on the New Jersey side. Its hull lies on the beach at Gloucester. N j., near Fort Mercer. The cannon is mounted on a carriage made from ' rib of the Augusta. The demand for houses, apart ments and rooms for lisrht h?usek??-) ing increases instead of falling off. A Hint To Lodge. \ Bolshevik ism Encouraged by Men in High Position. Philadelphia, March 12.?Bolshe vism in this country is encouraged by a "flippant attitude" toward law and those placed in authority, ac cording to Judge John M. Patterson, of the Philadelphia Court of Com mon Pleas, in an address here recent ly. "The Bolshevik movement has found root here because thoughtless remarks are made about the men we have selected or appointed to pub lic offices. If these people don't like the president of the United States, or if they cannot show him the re spect to which his position entitles him, let them move on." continued Judge Patterson. "Although I am a Republican," said the judge, "I heartily approve of many of the things which President Wilson is trying to do for the coun try. He was elected by the sovereign people and should be suported by all loyal Americans during his term of office. Of course, we have a right to discuss matters affecting our wel fare, but that does not mean that we should attack those who differ with us." "If those who came here because they could not tolerate conditions in their own country find that our ways ire not to their liking, let them re turn whence they came. Our public officials should be respected until they prove corrupt and then there is a lawful way of removing them." LOCUST YEAR. Swarms of the 17-year ? } Also, the 13-year Locusts Predicted in May and June. Washington, March 8.?Great swarms of the 17-year locust wiil infest the United States in late May and early June this year, which is ex ? pected by scientists to be one of the ; worst "locust years" on record. Ex . perts of the department of agriculture ? however, see nothing alarming in the ? prospect. Once regarded superstitiously as a ; harbinger of disaster, the periodica ! cicada, popularly known as the 17 > year locust because it comes at long , intervals, is seen now to be no more i than an ordinary non-poisonous in ? sect pest, which can do little dam t age if proper precautions are taken. > The chief injury inflicted by the insect 5 consists almost wholly in chiseling > grooves in the branches of trees foi T depositing eggs. Young fruit trees r sometimes are killed but the damage generally seems greater than it actual - ly is, according to the entomologists ? and popular alarm is out 'of propor . tion to the real danger. ? Suggested precautionary measure: f are: r Defer putting out young fruit trees l until next year; postpone budding l operations; do no pruning this spring When the insects begin coming out - hand pick them from young trees o: ; spray thm with pyrethrum powder f kerosene emulsions, or a solution o: > carbolic acid or acetic acid. Later, when the insects are read] - to begin laying, spray young fruit tree? - with whitewash. t The department of agriculture ha* i kept close check for many years of all I the broods of locusts and can fore - cast accurately when and where th< - pests will appear. Large regions wil' ; be affected this year where one brood . appeared 17 years ago and in other re gions which suffered 13 years ago. the States including Alabama, District ! of Columbia, Delaware, Georgia, Illi nois, indiana, Iowa. Kentucky, Mary land, Massachusetts, Michigan, New ; Jersey, New York, North Carolina, Ohio, Pennsylvania, South Carolina, Tennessee, Vermont, Virginia, West Virginia and Wisconsin. Belief that the 1919 brood will be exceptionally large is based on the fact that the 17-year brood coming out. this year is brood 10, perhaps the largest of the 17-year brood, and that brood 18 of the 13-year family comes out at the same time. The 3*ear 1868 was the greatest locust year in history, when brood 19, the largest of the 13 year family, appeared in conjunction with brood 10 of the 17-year family. There will be three regons of great est occurrence of brood 10. one cov ering New Jersey, Maryland and east ern Pennsylvania; another covering all of Indiana, the greater part of Ohio and southern Michigan; and a third covering western North Caro lina, eastern Tennessee and northern Georgia. While brood 10 will affect 20 States, brood 18 will appeal' in only five States?Alabama, Georgia, North Carolina, South Carolina and Tenn essee, and only limited areas in those States. C. L. Marlatt, chairman of the Fed eral horticultural Board, who has per fected the information on the cicada, calls the insect the most interesting in the world, because of the spectacular; swarms in which it appears, its queer recurrence at long intervals and the portentous significance frequently at tached to it. Every locust year has been a year of fear and dread, ever in civilized times. Some people have j fancied that they could detect in th cry of the insect a resemblance to 11 name of the Egyptian monarch, Bha raoh. who persecuted the Israelites. Superstition attached also to the shape of the filmy bars on the cicada's wings, which seemed to form the let ter "W," interpreted as a forecast of war. "Sine*- this outbreak will come just at the conclusion of the greatest war." Mr. Marlett. said, "and when even the magination of the rural prophet c-ould hardly conjure up the likelihood of another one, some new explanation will apparently have to be found." Pittsburgh. March 12.?Soldiers md sailors who passed through Pitts burgh during the first twenty-one lays of February, drank on an av erage of 1.000 gallons of coffee a day, iccording to a report just issued by the canteen service of the Red Cross, fn the time stated. 3.1,491 soldiers md sailors entered the city. The re Mort shows that in that time. 311, 24<i sandwiches. 21,000 gallons of ?oftee. more than 7,500 doughnuts and jther articles were distributed to the righting men. Champ Clark Speaks Speaker of House of Represen tatives Make Address at Olar. Olar, March 10.?"I want to see the American soldiers in Europe brought .lome and brought home right away." declared Champ Clark, speaker of the last house of representatives,, in an address delivered here tonight be fore hundreds of people, many of whom came miles over almost im passable, roads to hear him. Governor Cooper was to have in troduced Mr Clark, but due to a de railed car in Denmark, his train was delayed and he did not reach Olar un til Mr. Clark had begun his speech. Mr. Clark was introduced by F C. Cnitty. "I have an abiding confidence in the ability of our American people," said Governor Cooper, whose address followed that of Mr. Clark. "However we are now confronted with a seri ous situation in the United States" he added. Governor Cooper then made a few remarks urging the reduction of cotton acreage and a cut in the use of fertilizer. Reverting to the American soldiers, Mr. Clark said "we had 2,500,000 sol diers in Europe and we have got to furnish employment to these soldiers, j We have got to increase our foreign trade. Seme prophets predict that the Bolshevists are going to take this country. Don't you believe it? Bolshe vism is not going to take root in America. We have got too much sense and too much conservatism. Mr. Clark declared shutting off Germany from our raw material was cutting off our own nose. "However, I believe in punishing Germany," he added. "We came out of this war with a great fleet," continued Mr. Clark, "but we have got to find some one to buy the goods we have in the ships." In 'this connection he .advocated the teaching of Spanish in every school, college and business institution m, America. In speaking of America's reason for entering the war, Mr. Clark empha sized that no nation will long survive or has any right to survive that will not protect all. "I say all of its citi zens, whoever they may be, on land or on sea. That's what got the United States into the war?protecting her citizens." Mr. Clark asked the blessing of the Almighty on the American commis sioners now at the. peace congress in Paris, declaring that ,they carried a great load upon their shoulders, be cause they are trying to safely ar range the future of all mankind. At the close of Mr. Clark's address Governor Cooper arose and introduc ed himself. In concluding his remarks Governor Cooper urged that the peo ple again indorse Uncle Sam's note bj subscribing to the "Victory Loan." "1 hope you will show our returning sol diers that we are still behind them.' During his- stay in Olar. Mr Clark was guest of Dr. and Mrs. .L A. Hartzog. Mr. Clark goes to Hollj Hill to deliver an address Tuesdaj night. Fi-ona there he goes to Pensa cola, Fla., and then will visit his daughter, Mrs. James W. Thompson, in New Orleans. May Tunnel Channel British Government Considers Big Project. London, March 10?The prospee* of a tunnel under the English channel to France is being considered by the gov ernment among its projects for after the war. Andrew Bonar Law, govern ment spokesman, in making this an nouncement in the house of commons today said he was discussing the mat ter with Premier Lloyd George as a means of finding employment for dis charged soldiers. Washington, March 12.?Manufac turers of news print paper and pub lishers have been asked to appear be fore the federal trade commission on March 21st to discuss the proposed reopening of the news print prices question. New Naval Programme Experience of War May Result in Complete Change of Washington, March 10.?Possibility* that the whole battle cruiser program of the navy, involving an expenditure of nearly $500^000,000 will be aban doned in favor of a new type of cruis er battleship was indicated today by an announcement that Secretary Dan iels had ordered suspension of work; on the six 35 knot cruisers already au thorized until a decision as to the fu ture type of capital ships could he reached. There is a wide difference of opin ion among American naval offiers as to whether the slow battleship and the fast cruiser should hot -give way in the future to a ship combining^ "the power of the one and nearly the speed of the other and because of this* fact congressional committees' have deferred action on six additional era sers until a full report on new types can be made by the department. It is to gather information for this report that Secretary Daniels and his three chief technical advisers.-will ? sail Saturday for Europe. TheytwiU j be met overseas by Admiral Benson, j chief of operations, and Vice Admiral j Sims and upon their return some j weeks before congress meets, in extrav j session, probably in the early sum i mer, a general conference will be held j at which a majority opinion of ex j perienced officers will be worked out as to what types of capital ships should be built Sixteen Fields Will Be Retained ! Washington, March 12.?Decision I of the war department to maintain 16 flying fields, and three balloon ' fields as a part of the permanent military establishment was ann?une-. cd today by Acting Secretary CroweU. The department also has practically : decided, Mr. Crowell said, to store for I possible future use, the hundreds of elementary and advanced training planes used during the war. Secretary Crowell said department experts do not believe the training: machines will deteriorate, if carefully stored, even after a period of years, nor do they believe that any decided Improvement will be made in these, types which would necessitate their being discarded. The flying and bal loon fields to be retained have not yet been selected, but it was explain ed that ,the actual training of aviators': for the army would be held at only ' two fields, the other plans being held ' intact as a reserve. Sites now leased i by *he .rovernment will be purchas ed and equipment on hand retain-^ r ed. The fields have not been definitely ) decided upon but the assistant secre tary said two would be near New ? port News, three on the Pacific coast, * one near New York, three in Texas, T two in Florida, one In Mississippi, one r on the Great Lakes and one each in Georgia and Oklahomal 5 The 16th field probably will be ' Gerstner Field, La. Fields which are to be retained and which are now leased wil be purchased bjr the gov ernment, Mr Crowell said. Actual in struction in flying, however, will be ? conducted at only two fields as pre- . viously announced. The others wiU be held in reserve. Mai. Peek, commander of Emer son Field, Camp Jackson, who has been a frequent visitor to Sumter In recent months, paid a farewell visit Wednesday to say good-bye to Mr. C. T. Mason and other friends. Em erson Field will be abandoned as a j training station in the near future j and Maj. Peek will be transferred jto Fayetteville, N. C. j Sumter people gave many thou sands for carrying on Y. M. C A. work for the benefit of the soldier boj*s overseas and in the training camps. They can and should give the few thousands required to carry on the same sort of work for the bene fit of the boys at home. Plans. The National Bank of South Carolina of Sumter CAPITAL.$ 300,000.00 SURPLUS ._.175.?OO.OO RESOURCES -.2,000,000.00 A bank big enough, strong enough, and liberal enough to take care oi the legitimate needs of all its custo mers. O.G. ROWLAND, F E. HI NN ANT, 4? President Cashier, J t ZU BANK and! you can BANK t The First National Bank SUMTER, S. C.