Historical Newspapers of South Carolina

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Pnhikhed Wednesday and Saturday ?? ?BY? OSTEEN PTJBDISHEVG COMPANY SUM33EK, S. a Terms: 11.50 per umnm?in advance. ? Advertisements. One Square first insertion .. ..$1.00 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 ??1 be charged for. The Smnter Watchman was found Jk?4& 1850 and the True Southron in J.S01L The Watchman and Southron sow has the combined circulation and iafiuence of both cf the old papers, snd is manifestly the "Best advertising medium in Sumter._i THE RECORD IN HUMANITY. ! Critics of the League of Nations ? may question the wisdom of states- \ men-favoring it here and abroad. Itj xis readily admitted, however, thati their numbers are great It seems j quite likely, as one writer remarks, that never before in human history j have so many public men united in behalf of any undertaking as are now 'united, the world over, ki favor of an international league. Many of them are not over-enthusi astic about iL But they favor it be cause they see no alternative, no sub stitute that gives promise of accom plishing what they think it is justj possible that the League itself may; accomplish. And they are moved more than anything else perhaps, byj the widespread popular sentiment for j *tfee League. Of that sentiment there can hardly j be nruch doubt any longer in the minct of a careful inquirer. Thej masses of people everywhere seem to want a League of Nations because they believe there is some hope in this venture, and little hope in anything They are not very critical about it. They do not split hairs and weigh , words. They are willing, it seems, j tq take the present draft?with reser vations or without them?almost in blind faith, iwith the idea of giving it a trial and seeing whether it will not j work?knowing that if it will not work they can discard it, but believing thatj with the proper spirit of optimism and co-operation the governments of the. nations can make it work. FRIENDS OF FEPEBATJZATION. An inquiry into the influences fa voring federal ownership of the rail ways brings out some serious facts. It appears that the principal classes j ^supporting the plan are the labor un ions and their supposedly inveterate foes, the capitalists. Most of the hold ers of railroad stocks ana bonds are said to* be Just about as eager for the Plumb program as are the railroad brotherhoods and allied unions. The -motive of the security holders is evident enough. Their investment has been so uncertain the last few years, that they would welcome gov ernment ownership as a guarantee of interest and dividends. The returns might not be so large as is possible under private ownership, Wut (they would be regular and sure ? Against these classes are ranged the business classes engaged in man ufactures and commerce, a large pro portion of the professional classes and most of the farmetrs. Altogether the opponents of federal ownership at present appear to be greatly in the majority. IF TEACHERS ORGANIZE. j Dean James Russell of Teachers College. Columbia University, believes that the day has come when public school tetachers should organize, and that in such organization may be much benefit to the teachers them selves and to the public. The establishment of high profes sional standards, of an ethical code, is to be desired, he thinks, but he says also: "An organizaiion of teachers, na tionwide and properly authoritative, must be founded on principles that will be universally recognized as valid, and its conduct must be above re proach. No selfish motive can be al lowed to interfere with the realiza tion of its ideals. "The individual teacher will find in spiration and renewed courage in the consciousness of marching shoulder to shoulder with his fellows in a mighty army recruited to fight the battles of civilization and democracy." Dean Russell suggests a set of prin ciples which such an organization might fairly adopt. Every member should be 100 per cent. American. There should be no discrimination against any sex, grade or school. There should be equal pay for equal work and a living wage always. The teacher should teach his pupils the fundamental facts of American life, and help them to make wise choice in their affiliations, but he must not proselyte, or conduct propaganda for anv cause on which citizens are di Tided, and he must have a decent re spect for the opinions of others. To an organization founded on s\ich principles no one could have any ob jection. It would work to the advant age of teachers, pupils and public. THE REST PERIOD. The National Industrial Conference Board reports that "rest periods" are really more restful than most people suppose. They say, "reducing the number of hours worked per day does not appear so efficacious1 in avoiding the diminution of working capacity as introducing a ten or fifteen-minute pause during the middle of the fore noon." Of course this is true within limits. Brief rest periods could not overcome the ill effects of intense effort put forth over an unduly prolonged pe riod. Nor could a fifteen-minute rest period in the forenoon completely compensate for {working through an abnormally long day. On the whole, however it is true that a brief rest taken in time gives just the necessary strength to relieve the strain of the working day. This is particularly true of monotonous pro cesses. Whether the rest period is used simply for a few minutes of quiet thought, or whether'it is spent in exercise, in chatting with fellow workers, in eating a light lunch of a sandwich, a glass of milk or a piece of milk chocolate, it has its effect in re laxing the strain on muscles or eyes. It sends the worker back to his task remarkably refreshed and enables him to finish the day wholesomely tired in sthead of wholly exhausted, i This is a fact which some wise housekeepers have discovered for themselves and which teachers have used effectively in a two or three min ? ute relaxation in the school room. Brain ?workers need it as well as phys ical laborers. Employees need not fear the introduction of the rest pe riod, for it is not intended as a sub stitute for a working day of sane length. Employers in general wtli find it not an-upsetter of routine, but an actual increaser of outpur. Replying to a statement made by Mr. Gompers to the effect that prohi bition would cause serious unrest and discontent among the laboring class, the Minneapolis Morning Tribune in a recent issue said: "We are not trou bled by Mr. Gompers apprehension as to discontent. Discontent of a dan gerous kind is not likely to persist among men ' uninfluenced by intoxi cating liquors and aided by its inac cessibility to accumulate savings and at the same time provide more com forts for themselves and their fami lies. Sobriety and thrift do not breed discontentment of the wrong kind." WHAT THE POOR DON'T EAT. Many a housewife, appalled at the inroads made even on a comfortable income by the cost of foodstuffs, has remarked, "I wonder how those who are really poor manage to get along, and what they live on?" An investigation, made in Now York, said to represent a fairly typi cal cross'section of the city, furnishes an illuminating, though negative, an swer to the question. The investiga tors have reported on the kind of food eaten by a little more than 2,000 families, half of whom have incomes of less than $900 a year and three fourths of whom have less than $1, 200. It was found that 807 families, or more than one-third of all. did not eat any meat whatever. In 882 families, or about 40 per cent., there were no eggs eaten. There were 615 families that used < no butter and 143 that used no sugar.! In one family out of every seven there was no milk. The results on the health of the working members of the families and on the development of the children may readily be imagined. Most au thorities agree that some meat is es sential for the normal growth of a child, and still more essential arej milk .eggs and butter. This limited diet is serious enough in the summer, and still more serious in the winter, or in time of sickness. The director of the New York health bureau believes that the ravages of I influenza would have been far less severe, if so many thousands of peo ple had not had to deny themselves the kind of food they needed. It is a bad outlook for next winter unless the authorities now concentrat ing on the food problem can do some thing to remedy the situation. A TREATY REFERENDUM. The Farmers' National Council, rep resenting the leading farm organiza tions of the United States, has asked for a national referendum on the ques tion of ratifying the peace treaty and the League of Nations covenant It recognizes that a referendum vote could have no < fi? t status or binding effect, but believes that it would serve a valuable purpose in registering the will of the nation and guiding action of the Senate. It therefore nsks Con gTess to provide for such a vote, to j be held "not earlier than the middle of October, so as to give full oppor tunity for opponents and proponents of the covenant and treaty to present their arguments." There is an unquestionable merit in the idea of a referendum. Many newspapers and public men have been advocating it for months. It would probably be the most satisfactory way to settle the controversy. It would amount to a national campaign oul this vital issue, and the Senate pre sumably would accept the popular ver diet. It will be questioned seriously, how- J ever, whether the country can afford to wait so long. If the referendum '?were not held until the middle of Oc tober, final action would be defer-.-ed j until November. Meanwhile Ameri-1 can business would continue to mark time, politics would continue to inter- j fere with the orderly organization of j our national life, and Europe, awaic ing the American verdict, might driCt dangerously near to chaos. Surely it is possible to find out the nation's views without such delay. Most of the large groups of citizens have already spoken. It is known pretty well how the majority of busi ness men, professional nicn and re ligious organizations feel about the matter. The farmers are the only big class whose attitude is still undeter mined. Could not the farmers hold a ref erendum of their own? The debate aroused by the forthcoming tour of the President will surely provide enough information for the purpose. The farmers ought to be able to make up their minds in less than two months. HUNTING FOR A SCAPEGOAT Note:?The following article was written by Wm. C. Edgar, editor of The Northwestern Miller, and appear ed in its issue of August 6, 1919. It is a fair and truthful statement of the reasons why flour costs the consumer its present price, and as such is com mended to the fair-minded editors of the United States in the hope that they will make the facts herein known to their readers. The Northwestern Miller. The price of flour with wheat at two dollars and twenty-six cents a bushel could easily have been figured out by any school boy who had mastered the multiplication table, when the wheat guaranty bill was passed. Assuredly any Washington official who cared to take his pencil in hand might have accomplished the same task. It was no mystery, yet, after pass ing the bill, fixing the price and pro viding by another act for administer 'ing its provisions, Washington authori ties suddenly awake to the fact that the price of a barrel of flour is mon strously high and propose to make somebody suffer for it. Salaried men not belonging to unions and unable to strike for increased wages, professors, clergymen and clerks, men and women of fixed and j limited incomes, all such rear-.d what! would be the price of flour, but when \ the wheat guaranty bill was being con sidered they were ignored; the farmer must be encouraged to raise a great crop of wheat, and money was the only inducement that would reach him. When the representatives of power- j ful railway unions protested against the high cost of living and demanded that, having themselves received the maim urn pay they could expect, it should be lowered, it was an entirely I different matter. Something must bei done about it immediately and there fore Washington is aroused and ready ? to take drastic action. The first thing to do is to find a j scapegoat, and flour, being pre-emi- i nent among the daily needs, although ! infinitesimal in the sum of the indi- j vidual's annual expenditure, one bar- j rel sufficing to supply him for an en- j tire year, which even at presen^ prices ( represents the magnificent outlay of i less than four cents a day, is selected j for the sacrifice. The farmer, who receives two do]- I lars and twenty-six cents for a bushel { of wheat, is. of course, ignored. No j one in Washington would dare accuse him of profiteering, but the miller and I the banker are not exempt, and upon 1 them must fall the brunt of the first savage onslaught. Here are the figures based on Min-} neapolis: $2.26 cost of a bushel of wheat 4 1-2 number of bushels to bar - rel of flour_ $11.37 1.75 deduction for feed produo - ed from wheat at $2.26 a bushel 9.62 cost of barrel of flour at j mill in bulk .60 cost, of package .69 freight to New York .75 jobbers margin for hand- j , Hng ' 1.25 retailer's charge for selling! - and delivery $12.91 cost to consumer. In the face of this it is proposed j that the government buy flour from millers at ei^ht dollars a barrel, j which, it is alleged, will give them "a ! fair profit." deduct two dollars, and (sell it to the consumer at six dollars! ! a, barrel. Another brilliant proposal is that 'the jrovrnmont buy wheat from thei i farmer at $2.2*3 a bushel, stand a !<>ss ! j on it of $1 a bushel, and sell it to the ; (miller at $1.20. Assuming that it : would take 600.000,000 bushels of] j wheat to supply the people of the United Stages with flour for a year, this would mean a loss to the gov-j eminent of $600.000.000, and would i result in flour to the consumer on the j I following basis: ! $l.2fi < ost of a bushel of wheat 4 1-2 number of bushels to a bar-' - rel of flour $"..67 cost of wheat in barrel of flour COTTON AND FERTILIZER MERCHANTS If you have cotton to sell, sec 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 1.20 manufacturing and sol I inr cost $6.78 1.11 deduction for feed pro duced from Vvheat at $1.26 a bushel 5.76 cost of barrel of flour at m\ll in bulk .60 .69 cost of package freight to New York jobbers margin for hand ling 1.25 retailer's charge for sell ing and delivery cost to the consumer. $9.05 Even at this, representing an enor mous loss to the government, flour would still be some distance from six dollars a barrel ana the dear old much-to-be-desirod-politically five-1 cent loaf of bread. i The cost of living is no chimera, it j is a real thing, and cannot be over- j come by the pursuit of chimeras. It I is the legitimate result of the war. and j inflation. Congress cannot reduce it j by legislation, and higher wages will j only increase it. Government own- \ ership. meaning higher taxation, will j certainly not reduce it. It can only ; be overcome by thrift, individual econ- j omy, judicious expenditure for things ! actually needed, and lessened taxa- j tion. Finding a scapegoat may be ' an \ amusing and diverting eporience, but j it will avail nothing. Bricks cannot j be made without straw, and millers j cannot make cheap flour out of dear ! wheat, nor can bakers produce cheap bread from expensive flour made from high-priced wheat, by hish priced labor, using ingredients that have doubled and bio'" in value since 1914. It cannot be done. Government may seize and operate all the elevators, mills, bakeries and retail stores in the' United States, substitute politicians for business men. and professors and theorists for practical operators, and still, with wheat at $2.26 a bushel, it cannot be done. It is a human impos sibility. Only a miracle can accom plish it, and Congress lacks the di vinity that makes miracles possible. I I Flour and men who make it are j now under fire. Fortunately, they are j abundantly able to prove alibi. With ; some seven thousand mills in fierce j competition, there are no trusts .com (binations or gentleman's agreements j in this trade, and there is no power j on earth strong enough to compel a man to sell his product at less than it costs him to make it. Give the millers cheap wheat and they will produce cheap Hour; that is all there i* to it. The Baptist Campaign. Greenville, Aug. 12.? (Special)? Large sectional mass meetings of Bap_ lists of South Carolina are to lie held, in October and November in at least live cities, to be addressed by such fa mous Baptists as Dr. George W. Tru ett. ol' Dallas. Texas, and Mr. m. IL Wolf, a layman member of the South ern Baptist Convention Campaign Commission, in the interest of the Baptist 75 Million Campaign to be held November 30 to December 7. In making announcement of these plans today at State Campaign Head quarters. Publicity Director Thomas J. Watts stated that, in addition to these sectional mass meetings, many I local gatherings are to be held and addressed by Four-Minute Men. Be jtween 2.500 and 5.000 laymen' of the ! State. Rev. Watts stated, will be ap ! pointed as Four-Minute Men tr ">eak ! on many and various occasion.. ... be 1 half of the drive. South Carolina's quota in the campaign is five and a half millions. London, Aug. 14.?The British press generally approves Viscount Grey's acceptance of the post as temporary ambassador to the United States. FOR CONGRESS i hereby announce myself a candi date for Congress to succeed a. f. Lever, resigned; and i pledge myself ! to abide the result of the Democratic j primary. George bfll ttmmerman. Cotton Market I LOCAD. P. G. BOWMAN, Cotton Bn/er. (Corrected Daily at 12 o'clock Noon). Good Middling 31 1-2. Strict Middling. 31. Middling 30 1-2. Strict Low Middling 28 1-2. NEW YORK COTTON MA B.KFT. res'tdry? Open High Low ?e Close Oct. ...31.15 31.40 30.44 3v.?? 31.3.2 Dec. ...31.17 31.50 30.65 30.65 31.45 Men. .. 31.08 31.50 30.55 30.55 ZlM, "Chas. Fairchild & Co." .' NEW ORLEANS. I Jan. ...30.60 30.93 30.17 30.17 30.93. I Mch. A30.72 30.94 30.20 30.23 31.00] Oct. .. .30.80 31.00 30.35 8=0.35 31.0.2 Dec. ...30.54 30.97 30.20 30.20 30.9*5 Frank H. Barrett. . Cologne Aug. 14.?A munition dump e.Viplodvd here today killing fourteen, workers, and . injuring many. I- ??if s i MTLK COWS FOR S.VLE?Having sold my farm, I am offering my en- ? tire herd of dairy cows for sale, either as a hbrd or as individuals. This is an unusual opportunity to I get high grade, big producing cows, that have been proven satisfactory '' in every particular. Also dairy equipment for sale. C. P. Osteen^ !? Sumter, S. C. j-:-. j BEEHIVES AND SUPPLIES?I have ' j lately received a few Georgia made hives and frames?8 and 10 frame ^ I size. Also on hand sections and foundation for comb honey. N. G. ! Osteen. 320 W. Hampton Ave. i-? j BEESWAX WANTED?Any quantity * [ large or small. Am paying best j cash price. See me if you have ?nnv. N. G. Osteen. ED. V. PRICE & CO. Largest Custom Tailors H the World. We Are Offering the Service of Ed. V. Price For the Fall of 1919 bhrbsbi The sample swatches have just arrived. You will agree with us when you see them, that they are the best patterns that have been shown for several seasons. And the quality and tailoring of an Ed V. Price suit is always of the very best. We would appreciate an op portunity to show you the great line of tailoring. D. J. CHANDLER CLOTHING CO.