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^aJMis?sed Wednesday and Saturday ?BY? OSTjEEK publishing company sumtek, s. c. j? Terms: ~ ?' $1.50 per annum?in advance. Advertisements. One Square first insertion ..$1.06 Every subsequent insertion.50 Contracts for three months, or longer will be made at reduced rates. All communications' which sub serve private interests will be charged for as advertisements. Obituaries and tributes of respect jrill be charged for. ;The Snmter Watchman was found ed in IS50 and the True Southron m |g6S. The Watchman and Southron now has the combined circulation and influence of both of the old papers, and is manifestly the best advertising medium in Sumter. Mexico declares to the world that she?? does not recognize the Monroe 3>octrine, but the time may come again, as it did in 1867. when the Mexicans will be crying for the pro tection of this same doctrine. * * ? j ...The statement of President Wan namaker of the Cotton Association that he has discovered that there are men in South Carolina and other Southern /States -'actively engaged fighting the movement of the farmers 'and other loyal citizens to create an Organization that- will be able to fihance and market the cotton crop without dictation by outside interests causes no surprise in well informed circles. There are men in the South TOio. have always bitterly antagoniz ed any.and every effort of the farmers to obtain a fair price for cotton. The independence of the cotton farmers is'the last thing that "those who grow rich bV manipulating the cotton market desire. When it is impos sible to force the sale of cotton at any price that the speculators may see fit to offer a whole lot of idle rich will have to get down to real hard work. .?? . , - V. THE ITA TJ AX CLAIMS. With two of the five big powers represented at Paris most Americans ' have lost patience lately, because they Showed so little of the spirit which has" been supposed to animate the allies in this war, and which Ameri cans .have hoped to see prevail in the .peace settlement. Those nations are^Japan and'Italy. And of the two Italy has probably been the more ir ritating, because from her more was expected. . The case has been well put by a ;>innt . article in the New Republic. Commenting on the recent statement made by the Italian embassy that Italy was on the verge of revolution asja result of a fuel and food famine, the writer says: . "This being the case, this having been the case for months, what have w? heaid from the Italian govern ment? fhat she wants coal and food; that she wants to start her industries? 2?bt at ill. Fiume and Dalmatia, Dalmath and Fiume, naval bases, "strategic crests, the Adriatic as an Italian ake, the frightful danger to Italy fr>m the non-existent Jugo slav nary, rocks and inlets, and mountain villages and fishing ports, and eveything but the truth. "Waei Italy's friends have said to her statesmen that economic life could net be revived by strangling the trade of Central Europe, they ? would n*t listen. Faced with an im minent revolution at home they have actually threatened twice to emit the Conference at Paris because they could nol plant their flag on the gates of other people's territory. They have tasted" sympathy; they have stirred up no eni of irritation; they have put Italy in :he worst possible light be fore the florid. "Who pays? The common people of Italy. The peasants and the workmen They starve. They are unassistel because the Italian officials under th? influence of special money ed group and intoxicated with the notion of being a ruling power have ' 'Consistenty sabotaged the peace ne gotiations raised a hue and cry over side issue* and left unargued the real needs of 2taly." ' This is drastic, but as every well informed American must recognize, it is deserved. Italy has endangered * the worlds peace by insisting on the technical lulfillment of a secret treaty made eary in the war offering her not only Trent and Trieste but also Fiume aid the Dalmatian coast. That was ; desperate proffer made by Britain aid France at a desperate time. Anerica had not entered the war. The purposes of the Allies had not becomi fixed. The moral and po litical issue were not yet clear. The world trused and admired Italy be cause she professed only to be de fending theright and seeking to bring her own "uireemed" people back into the- nationa fold. The war inally boiled down to two or three siaples issues of right and wrong, chief among them being the right of evfy people to "self-deter mination." rhe war was won. New nations werecrcated, with their needs and rights. Italy having won Trent and Trieste, hsisted on her pound of flesh. She iiust have Fiume, though she has pleny of seaports without it,' and it is tit only decent seaport available for*the new democracy of Jugoslavia, ;nd the population is mostly Zlzvi<\ ?he zsust have the, I whole Dalmatian coast, thereby shut j ting off Greater Serbia from the sea, though she does not need it for pro I tection, and the teritory is not Ital ian. And her infatuated statesmen for those immoral and unnecessary ! demands would wreck the peace set i tlement Italy will have i < yield. A govern ; ment so insane must be hit on the j head with a club; and either the other Allies or the Italian people must I swing the club, for the good of Italy herself no less than the rest of the world. t GOD'S \~ENGEANCE. When the Ruler of the Universe said, "Vengeance is mine. I will surely repay," it was not an idle or figurative speech. He meant exactly what He said. We fuss and fret, and make our fu tile finite plans for revenge or pun ishment; but while we are planning,} Divine Justice goes quietly along, and all at once we see Divine fulfillment. There has been a feeling, fairly widespread, that Germany escaped too easily because the actual fighting was not carried onto German soil. But now the Austrians and Hungar ians are doing to one another what common justice seemed to indicate that Allied armies should do. They are doing it thoroughly, too?murder ing high and low, fighting, burning houses an? towns, laying waste or neglecting fields they should be till ing. And the terror is creeping into Germany. All this without aggression on the part of the Allied armies, and with out the loss of life which must have occurred within our ranks had we carried out the vengeance ourselves. In Turkey, top, brigandage is spread ing. Villages already lie waste, and the cities and the men in authority in them all are menaced. It is the stern fulfillment of the pledge from which there is no escape. And while it sometimes seems as if God's justice moved far too slowly for man's impatient desire, it moves so surely and with ^uch fitness that it puts all mortal efforts to shame. WAR NOW AGAINST DISEASE. Wars are generally followed by epi demics of some sort or other. The United States health authorities are determined that there shall be no such experience in this case if they can possibly help it. They have un dertaken a big campaign for the pre vention of all communicable diseases, through the co-operation of federal, State and local authorities. They are appealing to every com munity, large or small, through the mayors, health officers, chambers of commerce, Red Cross and other agen cies, urging them to see that certain fundamental: things are done to check contagion and infection. First there is to be an inventory taken of existing diseases of the preventable type?and it should be remembered that virtual ly all of the communicable diseases are preventable through proper care. Then every community will be expect ed to set about eradicating its own plagues. Special- attention will be given to three fundamental things?the water supply, the milk supply and the pub lic schools. The water must be made free from the bacteria that cause typhoid, dysentery and other water borne diseases. Purity of milk sources and cleanliness in its handling must be assured. The schools must have adequate medical supervision to dis cover communicable diseases and prevent their spread. Such common evils as house-flies] and mosquitoes must be fought, and.! as nearly as may be, exterminated. And any live body of men in any city will find plenty of "work to do along other lines contributing to the same end. It is as valuable a task as can be imagined, and should be undertaker, promptly, backed by whatever funds are necessary. CHANGED ADDRESSES, The government War Risk Insur ance Bureau has announced that it has in its possession $16,000,000 worth of returned checks. This rather large sum of money was sent out to regu lar allottees. Hundreds of thousands of checks have come back since De cember 31, 1917, marked "unknown" or "unclaimed." The Red Cross has taken over 36, 000 of these checks and has started on a campaign to find the allottees. The task is large, however, and is increasing at an average rate of over 1,900 newly returned checks per day. Some of this may be due to mis takes made in the offices of the Bu reau; some of it to lack of imagina-J tion on the part of postal clerks and carriers. But by far the most trou ble is caused by the failure of the people themselves to notify the War Risk Bureau of changed addresses. Whether this failure is due to ig norance or carelessness makes no dif j ference in the confusion caused and ! the hardihm worked. Tho^e Ic;t checks are still payable as soon as the people can be located. People due to receive such allotments who have missed them should let the War Risk Bureau know promptly their cor rect addresses. Also, people moving from one part of a city to another or from one section of the country to another, should always notify lo cal postoffice of their change of ad-; dress. That action does away with considerable loss of time and confus ion in the postoffice and insures the j prompt forwarding of misaddressed mail. ' ! HONEST ADS. The Merchants' and Manufacturers" J Association of Phoneix, Ariz., was back of a bill recently passed by the State legislature. The measure, much like an earlier California law, is di rected against false or misleading statements in advertising. Its appli cation is not restricted to dishonestly advertised merchanise. It is intended also to check the shady work of brok ers and salesmen with mine stocks, oil wells and other property of pure-/ ly speculative value. Misstatements concerning the value, ownership, or extent of such property will be con sidered misdemeanors and punished as such. While the charge and the pen alty are light, the law represents an other step in the forward movement for honesty in advertising. Merchants and manufacturers are learning that honesty pays best In the long run, both in regard to quality of the goods sold and in the advertising done f?r them. Dishonest advertising is not only bad for a particular business, but it also tends to break down con fidence in all advertising. That is why the foresighted, honest merchant is just as anxious to keep up the lev el of honesty as is the buying pub lic. WHAT BOOZE MONEY WILL BUY We talk of war loans in billions, of public improvements costing hundreds of millions, but very few people except those who have been studying the matter realize the immense sum'which willbe set free for other purposes by the enactment of prohibition. One man who has made a study of dry financial possibilities in the city of Cleveland is authority for the stunning news that thirsty Clcveland ers pour $22,000,000 down their throats annually. This does not rep resent the money invested in build ings or breweries, but just that pass ed over the bars for drinks. This sum ,if invested for public ser vice, says the lightning calculator, would Pay all the expenses of city govern ment for two years: Pay the salaries of all the teachers for five years; Repave the entire city and leave a fat balance in the bank; Pay the expenses of the City Hos pital for seventy-eight years; Light the streets for fifty years; or Keep the parks in fine condition for 110 years. These are only a few of the useful and constructive things which could be done with all this money, every cent of which when spent for liquor does its little quota of harm. The cities where prohibition has been in force for some time report that constructive things are really be ing done. Taxes are being reduced gradually. Bank deposits are increas ing. Expenses for public institutions made necessary by the evil effect of drink are growing lobs. Of course the Peace Conference J has been a long time about it. But how many of its critics could write in less time a 75.000 word treaty to the satisfaction of a score of nations, when all the while "stones were clat tering on the roof and wild men screaming through the keyhole?" * * * Benevolent assimilation seems to be pretty hard on the Koreans. A RENEGADE ALLY. The American people did not go to war to enable Italy to grab Fiume and Dalmatia. The Italians themselves did not go to war for that purpose, though lately they seem to have for gotten that fact. If. in the "sacred egoism" of a victory which is greater j than they expected, and which we j helped them win, they make demands! that violate the principles we have} fought for, there is nothing for the j United States to do but bid Italy a regretful good-by. What has become of all the fine professions with which Italy entered and waged the war? Americans were with her heart and soul when she fought to free her "unredeemed" peo ple from a foreign yoke and make herself safe from future menace. We gave Italy our friendship and moral! support. We lent her vast sums of money. Wc sent her food, arms and soldiers. And then she undertook to belie and betray, in the peace settle ment, the fundamental principles of the allied cause to which she her self had subscribed. Having won her owa "Irredenta," COTTON AND FERTILIZER HURI If you have cotton to sell, see us, it will pay you. If you have fertilizer or fertilizer materials to buy it will pay you to see us before you buy, Cash or approved collateral. 9 West Liberty Street she proposes to create an "Unredeem ed Jugoslavia" by taking the Jugoslav seaport of Fiume and the whole Dal matian coast, thus not only absorbing forcibly a large Slav population but shutting Jugoslavia from the sea. To all this Italy has neither moral nor legal right. Even 1 the Pact of London did not pledge her Fiume and all Dalmatia. They are not predomi nantly Italian. She does not need them for commercial or military purposes. The Allies cannot let her have them without undermining the basis of the peace settlement on I which they have labored for so many months or without piling up trouble that will keep the peace of Europe permanently unsettled. If Italy wants to go, then, there can j be but one answer?Let her go! She] can make herself a pariah among the I powers if she chooses. But Italy had j better weigh carefully the conse-! i quences of such rash and dishonor-1 able action. Buy Victory Bonds?Why? (W- F. Stevenson, Member of Con-1 gress.) South Carolina should subscribe and j take her quota of Victory Bonds For economic reasons: (a) Because the investment is safe j and the income as good as ordinary j investments after taxes are paid. (b) Because to do so means a sav. j ing by our people and this is a spirit j badly needing cultivation in South Carolina. (c) And because the holder of' United States bonds is always able to j command money on his bonds if he ! needs it. He has a standing in the j financial world second to none. _ i For patriotic reasos: j (a) Because our government needs j the money and South Carolina has al large interest in our government ysl at present constituted, and in the lan- \ guage of Holy Writ should "Show J her faith by her works." (b) Because our boys are still inj Europe and their pay, support and | return expenses must be met from the i proceeds of this loan, and we want toj do our part in this good work. .j (c) Because there are thousands I of maimed soldiers and more thou- i sands of dependants of those who! have perished whose support is guar-j anteed by the government and it is compelled to get this money to pay allotments, allowances compensation J and insurance, as provided by law. or j Jet these wards 'of the nation suiter. If you can help to do this and still | get a good investment for yourself? ] why not do it? Finally, as a business proposition: 1 I If the bonds are not sold, taxes; must be imposed in order to raise the i money, and a bond is a much better I investment than a tax receipt, i - I Great Cotton Meeting j - j Farmers and Business Men to j Meet in New Orleans Next j Month j Columbia, April 25.?A statement j issued yesterday afternoon by the j South Carolina Cotton Association says i that the South Carolina delegation to I the Southern cotton convention to be j [held at* New Orleans on May 14, 15 j ? and 16 will leave Columbia on the af ! ternoon of May 12. The delegates! i from South Carolina are expected to J I go in a body. They will arrive in! ; New Orleans on the night of May 13. j The delegation from South Carolina ! will be composed of Governor Cooper, j Lieutenant Governor Lilcs of Orange j burg. Commissioner of Agriculture B* j Harris, J. H. Claffy of Orangeburg, J. j Sk otto we Wannamaker of St. Mat I thews, T. P. Cothran of Greenville, Vy. L. Gray of Laurens, W. W. Long of j Ciemson College, B. F. McLeod of j Charleston, 'John T. Mackey of Cam den, Paul Sanders of Ritter, William j Gifford of Gifford, R. G. Ithett of I Charleston, L. D. Jennings of Sumter, j Ira B. Dunlap of Rock Hill, Douglas! Mclntyre of Marion, T. G. McLeod of j Bishopville, H. E. Montgomery of! Kingstree, B. H. Moss of Orangeburg, j A. M Benbow of Bamberg and C. E. Summers of Newberry. It is expected that all of the members of the dele-1 gation will attend. The first day of the convention atj New Orleans, says the statement is- j sued by the South Carolina association j yesterday, will be devoted to receiving j reports as to the progress of the j [campaign in every section of the belt on cotton acreage reduction and the ! : holding of cotton for. remunerative j : i')rices. The second day of the convention I will be. given over to the or,*: miza I tion and discussion cf plans for put ting into operation of the Foreign i ! Marketing. Exporting and Financing Corporation. The third day will be given over: to the organization of a plan for j properly banking and financing the j cotton business and various allied in- j terests of the South, and a complete j and thorough organization of the cot- ' ton associations in every State in the i cotton belt It is planned, says the j statement, to have enc complete cot ton association for the entire belt,! each State to have an organization; which is to be a member of this par ent organization. "The farmers, merchants, bankers and business men arc continuing to j stand together" says the statement, j "Desperate efforts have*been made to: separate their ranks, hut all of them have proved unavailing. Our ranks present a solid front. A complete victory is absolutely certain. "During the last few days we have received bulletins from every State in the cotton belt. All of them are of a most encouraging nature. The presi dent of the Louisiana organization ? reports that the reduction of cotton acreage in that State totals 32 per cent. All of the oher States report a heavy reduction. Texas, the biggest. State in the cotton belt, is assured/ of a reduction of over 30 per cent." An important meeting of the cen tral committee of the South Carolina, association' has been called for next Tuesday afternoon. All of the mem bers are expected to be present. The committee will review the. progress that is being made in the, campaign . to have the banks of the State in crease their capital stock. Letters are being .received daily at the office. of the cotton association, it was said yesterday, indicating that the request for the increased capital stock will be. complied with very generally. Sergt. Wm. M. Reynolds of th;S city who served for a year on the Mexican ? border with the Charleston Light Dragoons and afterwards in Flanders, and France with the Thirtieth Divis- ' ion did not return with his division. He is at present attending law lec tures at the Inns of Court in London. He was among those who applied for ? a course in one of the English Uni versities and was so fortunate as to... be assigned to his first choice?the. law course at the Inns of Court, where he has access to the libraries in the British Museum nearby and to. the sessions of parliament and the British courts. He expects to return to America the last of July. Mr. R. O. Alexander, the cotton buyer from Charlotte, is in town this week. Up to. yesterday afternoon he has bought between 200 and 300 bales of cotton from Mr. J. M. Hearon and Mr. S. L. Austin. He expects to be> a regular cotton buyer here next fall and has rented a room already from... Mrs. Lila Aman, but will not come here before September 1.?Bishopville Vindicator. BEESWAX WANTED?Any quantity large or small. Am paying best cash price. See me if you have any. N. G. Osteen. Hour Kodak Finishing All rolls developed 10c; packs 20c up; prints 2 l-2c-4c-oc; enlarging 35c up. Specialists?we do nothing but kodak finishing- All work guar anteed to please. Eastman Kodaks, Films, Supplies. Columbia Photo Finishing Co., ! i 11 Taylor Street. Columbia. S. C. TORAGE EAT Y DEFINITELY GUARANTEED against ruinous sulphation---the known cause of ninety per cent of all Battery troubles! Come in and read the Eveready Storage Battery Guar antee?A year and a-half ?and we're here to make it good. Think It Over! Drive around to see us. WJ^t tW?ME) Recharging 8 volts ?Seventy-five cents* C (F f'W^W Recharging 12 Volts?Ninety Cents, , ?ifWMM We repair all standard makes of Batteries. 1220 HAMPTON AVE. Columbia, S. C. 107 SOUTH HARVIN ST. Sumier, 5. C.