The watchman and southron. (Sumter, S.C.) 1881-1930, September 24, 1919, Image 1

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8FHK SUMTXR WATCHMAN, Eetab i Consolidated Aug. 2,1 STEEL STRIKE IS IN EFFECT Thousands of .'Workmen Obey Orders of Union Leaders to Walk Out x OFFICERS SAY PLANTS WILL BE RUN, HOWEVER Order Being Maintained By Patrols of Police and Mm Guards Pittsburgh, Sept.. 21.?Clashes be tween Pennsylvania State police and crowds bent on holding labor mass meetings in the Pittsburgh district to day ushered in the strike in the ' iron and steel industry. The most serious disturbance occurred at North Clairtor., 20 miles from Pittsburgh . late in the afternoon, ' where the State troopers , charged a crowd of union men holding a mass meeting and broke it up. Re sistance wa's offered and it is charged by union leaders that the mounted .policemen used their clubs vigorous ly and injured a number in the crowd. About a dozen men were arres:ed. * The meeting was broken up at the ^request of the local authorities. According to eye witnesses the meeting was. proceeding quietly when the. State police broke it up- The crowd scattered and some ran up a railroad embankment and threw stones and other .missiles at the troopers. During1 the melee, sever al in the crowd were struck on the head by the policemen, it was said. The crowd soon scattered and' as far . as can: be learned no one was serious ly injured. During the melee tn? .horse of one; of the troopers suffer ed ?. broken leg.' It is alleged tha* several shots were fired by some one in/'the crowd. "William ZL Foster, secretary of the rational committee for organizing iron .and stt^jp workers, tonight said that ^r^Si^8*s protest would be lodged {With the- State government' against what.,,: he termed a "murderous at tack upon law abiding people." Some of the Wast furnaces of the ^^r^iegfe^ Steel \*mh9miy'-^^?foi&edi " .;{T6ere4was a slight disturbance at I^^Keespbrt, where union organizers attempted to hold a mass meeting in defiance of the proclamation of May or George Dysle forbiding public gatherings. More than 2.500 steel Workers and sympathizers were gath ered near the southern i;mits of the **Uy when a souad of McKeesport po lice dispersed them, driving the crow Into Glassport, an adjoining borough ' When the crowd again began to is semble in Glassport the local poliet appeared and ordered the meeting dis persed. The crowd refused to move and < dfetiichment of State police appearec and with drawn clubs broke up tb meeting. No one was injured. Twr aliens were arrested for refusing x< fcbey the order of the police to "mov< vn." After dispersing the Glassoori meeting the State police returned tc McKeesport and patrolled the streets. Crowds were dispersed without dif ficulty. All preparations had been complet ed by Mayor Lysle tonight for putting down disorder in McKeesport. All day . long men were being sworn in a> special officers. Members of the Mc Keesport chamber o;! commerce were sworn in as special police. More thar. 2,500 civilian policemen are now available for duty. About 3,000 em ployees of plants at McKeesport have j been made deputy sheriffs to protect j company property, it was stated. Th? i steel plants in and about McKeesport employ approximately 18,000 work men. All plants in the McKeesport dis trict are under heavy guard .tonight Search lights have been installed anc" j command all entrances to the com pany's property. Quiet reigned throughout the day at Duquesne, Homestead and East Duquesne. There was no attempt j made by the steel m^n to hold meet : ings and there was no congregating ! on the streets. ..The steel plants at Homestead an< j Duquesne are prepared to protect their property. Special barbed win fences have been constructed about exposed property and searchlights h&Ve been installed. Deputy sheriff afe patrolling the company property. Although the call of the union? made the strike effective tomorrow morning, reports showed that steel companies in the Pittsburgh district at least, have already felt the effect of the summons. The skeleton Sun day shifts in many plants were no' as complete as under normal eonditior and union leaders said that a large number of men had decided not tc report tonight. Sunday was a day of expectancy ir \irtually all the iron and steel mill communities in the district. Active unionists were busy canvassing men in their communities to get an idea of the extent of the walkout and in the afternoon mass meetings were held in many places in last efforts to per suade men to join the strike. Steel Workers Hear O'fktrqmffbSt Chicago, Sept. 21.?While union meeting were in progress today all over the Chicago steel district with Readers making-Anal appeals to the kfced April, 18*0. "Be Just a 881. SUM HARDING BACKS j COTTON FIGHT Voices His Hearty Approval of American Association in ^ Their Undertakings EXPORTS NOW PROBLEM UP FOR CONSIDERATION Committees Appointed to Ad vance Formation of Export Financing Corporation Columbia, Sept. 21.?Following a conference in Atlanta between W. P. G. Harding, governor of the federal | reserve bank system, and J. Skottowe! Wannamaker, president of the Amer- : ican Cotton Association, special com mittees have been appointed by the American Cotton Association to push forward the organization of the ex port financing corporation with all possible speed, according to an an nouncement made at the offices of the American Cotton Association in this city. Mr. Wannamaker has issued a call to the president of every bankers' as sociation in the cotton belt urging that special conferences of the bank ers of each State be held at the ear liest possible' date for the purpose of discussing the aims, object and pur poses of the American Cotton Asso ciation and to arrange means by which said bankers can be of the ut most assistance in financing the cot ton crop of the South and to help maintain the 'minimum price rec ommended at the convention held by the American Cotton Association at New Orleans recently. Mr. Wannamaker said that the bankers can be of the greatest as sistance by fixing a maximum loan .?alue per pound when secured by fed 3ral, State or bonded warehouse re ceipts, and that they could be of fur her assistance in the -organization of the export corporation. He said their assistance would be needed also in the fullest practicable exploitation of the new export facilities provided in the Edge bill and other recent legislation. Governor Harding, in. Atlanta^ lent his . very hearty, ^endorsements to - the work of the American Cotton Asso ciation, saying: "I cannot emphasize too strongly my approval of the great work which has been accomplished by the Ameri can Cotton Association. I heartily commend the wonderful service it is rendering. I most strongly urge'the importance of locally owned and con trolled warehouses in every county in the cotton belt. A tremendous amount of work has been done by the Amer ican Cotton Association for the pur pose of emphasizing the vital import ance of the erection of these ware houses and of their control and ownership by the farmers, merchants, bankers and business men of the South. I am more and more con- j vineel that if the South desires to j obtain a fair price for cotton it j should put itself in iv?siiion to finance the marketng of it both at home and] abroad. Our people have for years j been accustomed to financing the; growing, crop, and of recent yeaxsA they haVe learned ho*v to hoM their! cotton after it has been ginned and j baled, over a period of temporary dis-j tress. They ought to go one step fur-j ther and finance it until it gets into I the hands of the spinners." President Wannamaker said yester- i day that telegrams and letters were being received from all over the cot ton belt indicating that the South is solidly behind the American Cotton Association. Warehouse corporations' are being formed all over the belt, i he said. Several of these are located in South Carolina In South Carolina it was stated tha*: the campaign was progressing most; satisfactorily. State Manager B. F. McLeod spent the latter part of last j week in the Peidmont section and re-j ports that practically everybody who is solicited is joining the association in that section. PROPOSED TREATY IS CONSTITUTIONAL Washington Sept. 22.?The senate judiciary committee has decided the proposed treaty guaranteeing imme diate assistance of this country to France in the event of an unprovok ed German attack was constitutional. men to obey the strike call tomorrow morning and thereafter stay away from the steel nulls, John Fitzpatrick. national chairman of the committee for organizing steel workers, issued a statement asserting that E. Ff. Gary, head of the United States Steel corporation, had refused to lis ten to President Wilson, who advised a conference with union chiefs. "The whole thing simmers down to the question: 'Is E. H. Gary bigger than the chief executive of this coun try?' " said Mr. Fitzpatrick. Birmingham. Sept. 21.?On the eve of the steel strike conflicting state ments are being given out by officials and employees, the former claiming that they will be only slightly ham pered by the strike and that the plants will be operated as usual, while union officials claim that the plants will be badly crippled and probably forced to close down. od Fear not?-Det all the ends Thon Ah [TEE, S. C, SWEDNED STEEL PLANTS ARE OPTIMISTIC1 Reports From Pittsburg and Other Cities' Claim That All Furnaces Are Going GUARDS AROUND PLANTS j TO PREVENT TROUBLE I _ I Mill Representatives Claim That) Most of the Strikers Are of j Foreign Birth -, Pittsburgh, Sept. 22.?Represents- j tives of the , Carnegie Steel Com pany declared that all plants in and about Pittsburgh got away in gdod shape this morning despite the union strike orders and claim that all fur naces were going and declared prac tically all the striking workers were of foreign birth. William C. Foster, secretary of the National Committee for organizing the iron and steel j workers declared he was surprised j at the showing made and predicted) that many of the mills would be fore- I ed to close down within a few days when the full force of the strike would, be felt. No disorders was re ported in this city or vicinity. Early reports from Chicago, Cleveland and Youngstown districts indicated the mills there were operating. Police and company guards were stationed about^ all the plants to prevent trou-1 ble. i Pittsburgh, Sept. 22.?-The steel .j strike went into effect today and early' indications were that thousands would obey the union leaders' orders to w_lk out, although steel mill officials main-' tained that their p'ants would ' con tinue to operate. City police and mill guards patrolled the streets. BOLL WEEVIL IN BEAUFORT Only Two Bales of Cotton to Twenty Acres ?? <From^the "Beaufort CazetteTr""~^ The statement recently made Dy a large farmer in Beaufort County that "he had twenty acres of cotton, all growing fine, but .that he would do well if he harvested two bales from the twenty acres, where he had form erly made a bale to the acre, on ac count of the ravages of the lx)ll wee vil this year,'* gives everyone a clear insight into the exact situation which the cotton farmers in Beaufort County are facing. All which goes to prove that we are facing a new era. We must have some permanent substitute for the former money crop, cotton, or else the farmers will have to stop farming, except those who plant truck exclu j sively. and as everyone knows, truck I can be planted successfully on the larger places, or rather by men who have a substantial financial backing to tide them over the seasons when they I do not realize good profits on their truck. It. is for the. small colored farmer j of Beaufort County, that the boll I weevil has r?ng in the final curtain I on their time honored money crop. I Only a small percentage of them are j acquainted with the cultivation of ; any money producing crop save cotton 'and the 1910 census reports there are 20.000 negroes living in the county. I and it is safe to say that 75 per cent \ of these have made their living, since the days of the phosphate mines on i their small cotton patches scattered j over the mainland and numerous is I lands along the coast, j This brings us up to the permanent j industry which will handle the hogs |and cattle that the small farmer, both i white and colored can raise in almost j unlimited quantities on Beaufort soil, I and a local packing plant, which i4 j now in the making, so to speak, will I solve the problem. The latest re | ports from the meetings which are ! now being held daily over the four 1 adjoining counties give promise c! ' success to the undertaking and it I should have the moral and financia*. j backing of every Beaufort County j business man. CZECHOSLOVAK TROOPS TO GO Supreme Council Has Decided to Transport Fifty Thousand, Paris, Sept. 22.?The supreme council has decided to transport fifty thousand Czecho-Slovak troops from Siberia to their homes. They have I decided also that Teschen district take a plebiscite within three months to decide whether the region should ? rro to Poland or Czecho-Slovak. MORE TIME GIVEN _ Borne. Sept. 22.?General Babo luis' ultimatum to D' Annunzio giving him forty-eighht hours : leave Fiume ha'-: b*?"n extended forty eight hours according to advices rc : ceived here. Despite the blockade of j Fiume a number of volunteers have joined D'Annunizo's forces. i mn net at be thy Country's*, lay ttod't ? AY, SEPTEMBER 24. 1 TEXTILE WORKERS ARE ARRESTED Twenty-seven Are Arrested in r Connection With Last Mon \ day's Disorders TROUBLE AT WISCASSETT j MILLS WHEN 2 ARE SHOTj Face Charges of Inciting to Riot and Interference With An I Officer -> \ Albcmarle, Sept. 21.?Twenty-seven union textile workers were arrested in connection with the disorders at j the Wiscassett Mills last Monday in [ which two persons were shot. They i were placed on trial on charges of | inciting to riot and interfering with an officer in the performance of his duty. PINEWOOD BANK CHECKS UP SHORT Statement Issued By State Bank Examiner Columbia. Sept. 20.?An apparent shortage' of % 4,918.59 hjis been "found in the Bank of Pinewood, Sumter county, by the State bank examiner's office. C. P. Huff, who was found :Jdead in his room at the Palace Hotel, "fan Francisco". Cal., on September 31. under rather mysterious circum stances, was the cashier of the Bank "?Jf Pinewood. Relative to the shortage, James H. Craig, State r bank examiner,, gave 'out the following statement: "Numerous inquiries have come to me relative, to the condition of the Sank of Pinewood, following the death of its, cashier. C. P. Huff, who Was. found dead in his room at the Palace Hotel, R*ui Francisco, Cal., on September li. -: "In order to answer all inquiries aill,' as well as to set at rest any doubts that m"H5>?*:-C7:ist locally. JJpwwi ^Jjfcmffo*_ **>f=* to- inform those ..con cerned in a'public way. "Learning of the, delayed' absence of the cashier, unexplained, a repre senttaive of the State bank examin er's office was sent to make an ex amination. He reported several ir regularities, enough to justify an im mediate audit. In compliance with the suggestion, the services of a com petent accountant were secured and the audit made. The accountant .re ports a total shortage of"'$4,9fSs<69, of which amount $3,150 were liberty bonds pledged as collateral that had been extracted and in some way dis posed of. The remaining items were j small, severally. The former cashier jwas under a surety bond of $5,000, which will more than cover the short age. The loss ascertained, is not suf ficient to impair the capital of the bank. The bank is perfectly solvent and the public will not lose a dollar. ? on account of the apparent shortage/' PLAN TO NATION ALIZE COAL MINES I Miners Would Have Government Purchase Private Mines Cleveland. Ohio, Sept. 20.?The con vention of the United Mine Workers of America today developed its plan for the nationalization of coal mines, which includes purchase by the fed eral government of all private mines at their actual value as determined by federal appraisers and operation by the federal government, with equal miner representation upon' the bodies administering the industry and liximr wages and conditions of employment. Nationalization of coal mines in Can ada is also proposed. The miners of fer right of way to nationalization of railroads. provided the railroad brotherhoods pledge themselves to continue the tight with equal vigor for the nationalization of mines. Ac tion was taken by a unanimous vote. The convention further adopted res olutions demanding legislation to take from the United Slates Supreme Court the power to declare unconsti tutional laws passed by the elective congress; calling upon President "Wilson to remove Postmaster General Burleson as the "uncharitable, harsh and malignant" opponent of labor? and asking a new trial or full pardon for Thomas j. Mooney and Warren K. Billings, the repeal of the Espionage Act and amnesty for political pris oners. It refused, however, to call r.s proposed a general strike and stoppage of u.11 production until all political and industrial prisoners are released and in tts resolution on the Espionage Act declared that many of fenders had been justly convicted for interference with the prosecution of the war and that it had no desire to condone such offenses. D'ANNUNZIO BE GINS OFFENSIVE - V, Paris, Sept. 22.?Troops under f?' Annunzio have begun to extend their! zone of occupation into Jugo-Slai territory, according to the Jugo-Slai delegation here which claims tha D'Annunzio's men have advanced sev. on miles, occupying Uisniak. JUt T__-_'?.a IHK TR CK L919. GERMANS PLAN ANOTHER WAR Conditions in Central Europe Are So Developing As to Give Huns Opportunity MINISTER MORGENTHAU FORESEES TROUBLE New Nations Are Quarreling Over Territory Instead of Or ganizing Stable Governments i ? - Paris, Sept. 19 (Py the Associated .Press).?"Germany came through this -war a perfect dynamo of strength. Her human military power is practically as great as ever and her 65,000,000 people have been schooled and har dened by trials. They have learned economy and self denial. "The nation has been compressed into a concentrated mass, which is surcharged with energy and moving with centripetal force, while Ger many's neighbors are spreading them selves out thin, and quarreling and moving with centrifugal force." | . Thus spoke Henry Morgenthau, who headed the United States inves tigation commission in Poland, in discussing today his observations in Central Europe. '\And what will be the result," Mr. Morgenthau asked. Replying to his own question he continued, "If disin tegration keeps up among Germany's ?neighbors, there can be but one result. I doubt whether Germany fully ap preciates her own strength. As she sits, calmly watching the dickering going on between the new states, which arc losing sight of great prin ciples and fighting over little strips of territory, she must take grim satis faction in the battle her enemies are waging in her behalf, and a.Germany encouraged by such disorder among weak and struggling states, undoubt edly wili resort to arms within a few years and regain her lost territory. "What will' prevent the military clique from regaining control in Ger many if Europe continues to offer such tempting prizes to various nat . * ionalitib^L ? Suokra, %itu_tJan-W?ll- wot encourage Germany , to regain her trade by peaceful means and to pay indemnities. "It will not satisfy the militarists of Germany to return to the factories if their war worn neighbors weaken themselves further and deliberately offer themselves a^ prey to the Prus sian spirit. '?What is to encourage the demo crats in Germany who are trying t.c get away from miiltarism? Europe rapidly is driving on toward a situa tion which eventually must result in a coalition between Russia and Ger many and the absolute destruction of many of the newly created powers unless steps be taken to prevent it. "Opinion is strong that the league of nations is the only means for pre venting such a disaster. And it must come soon and have the loyal support of both great and small powers. Greece. Italy Jugo Slavia, Czecho slovakia. Poland and other European countries which have been fought over and are in a sadly weakened condi- i tion need the support of some or-1 ganization which will afford them the j proper tribunal for their disputes and assist them in winning their publics i j away from the idea that war is the ; j only means of getting justice. "It is impossible to create barrier! I states against Bolshevism and mili- j jtarism. and if these new states con-J j tinue their quarrels and weaken j themselves they can not resist any [enemy, much less a great untouched I ] power like Germany." CAR SHORTAGE j } BECOMES SERIOUS j Mr. Hines Says 900 New Cars Are Delivered to Roads Each Work Day Washington, Sept. 21.?Warning of I a. se.ous car shortage unless every j effort is made to expedite the move- ' j ment of the equipment was given to- j j day by Director General Hines. j Calling on shippers to continue the j cooperation which made them so "pa- j j trictically helpful" during the war, j I Mr. Hines said that despite the deliv- j i ery of more than 900 new cars to the! J railroads rach working day. reviving) I business was making demands which could not be met without obtaining! j the greatest possible utility from the I (existing limited facilities. Prominent: j in the causes making for transporta [tion shortage he mentioned unusually: I heavy grain and coal movements and j iconstruction of public highways in alii ! parts of the country. I "Receivers of freight can assist by: j prompt unloading of cars and notice; I thereof to the carrier, by ordering! : Toods in quantities representing the' : full safe carrying capacity of cars and d:sregarding trade units, by or-i Bering from the nearest available; ] source, and by pooling orders so as to j ? secure full carload. i "With a strong: effort on the rail-' jro:?d administration and the shippers; 'and receivers of freight it is hoped, j'hat. durfntr the period of abnormally! I heavy rtaffic with which we are nowi * confronted the nation's transportation! Breeds may be met with reasonable I I satisfaction to all parties." ' SOPTHBUN, ?%i?bU'JM4 Jam, i j? VoLXLIX. No. 12. civil service row continues Congress Takes a Hand in the Wrangle Between Commis sioners and Burleson POSTOFFICE DEPART MENT DENIES CHARGES First Assistant Postmaster Gen eral Koons Presents-Emphatic Defense of Burleson Washington, Sept. 19.?Charges of Charles M. Galloway of South Caro lina, former member of the civil ser vice commission, that Postmaster Gen eral Burleson was "debauching" the civil service system by undue inter ference in the selection of postmasters together with insinuations by Her man W. Craven of Seattle, Wash., another former commission member, of alleged irregularities in civil ser vice examinations were vehemently denied today by witneses before the senate postoffice subcommittee consid ering contested postmaster nomina tions. The charges of both former com missioners brought spirited replied from J. K. Koons, first assistant post- - master general, and Martin A. Mor rison, president of the civil service commission, who asserted that neith er Mr. Burleson nor any other post office department official had attempt ed, to exert any influence over the commission's action in the certifica tion of postmasters or that politics in any way controlled the .commission. Mr. Craven, who appeared before the committee in connection with . a test over a postmastership at More head City, N. C., declared the coin-, mission's examinations in some in stances, were a "sham." In making" the assertion he said he- intended It fcr the,members of the commi3siot)? and asked that it not be' placed in the record. "I object to that statement and It won't be borne dutcby the facts/* de clared Mr. Koons jumping to" his feet. A similar .denial was made by ??res-: ident STorrison to' 'jv^lx? -?raVsefn an-~;; swere.d that what he said did not ap? p'y to postmaster examinations ior offices paying' less than $2,400. an nually and added: "I don't say it does apply to all cases above that amount, but exami nations can be made a fake whenever the postmaster general wants them to be." - Mr. Craven, when pressed for the reason for his recent resignation, said it was at the president's request and^' it was due to the fact that "he would not be subservient to the postoffice department." / Assistant Postmaster General Koons told the committee that both Craven and Galloway, after their res ignations had been demanded, came to Mr. Burleson and asked that he urge the president to withdraw his re quests. In reply Mr. Burleson told them, he said, that he could do noth ing for them as lie had no connection with the matter. Assistant Postmaster General Koons as well as Mr. Morrison and James G. Tagen, assistant chief ex aminer for the commission, denied that there had been any irregularities In the commission's action in chang ing the percentage by which R. T. Wade, Democrat, and a newspaper man. was given the appointment as postmaster at Morehead City over Cleveland "Willis, Republican, and said a reexamination, had shown a mistake was made in the first test. TO SAVE POTATOES Laurens Warehouse Will Have , Capacity of 5,000 Bushels Laurens, Sept. 21.?Special: Work on the sweet potato storage warehouse for I^aurens is in progress. A cofti pany with H. Terry as president and R. E. Babb, secretary and treasurer, was formed some weeks ago for the purpose of handling the surplus po tato crop in the county. The building which is located on a lot at the de pot and which was donated to the company's use by the railroad authori ties, will have a capacit: 5,000 bushels. It is being const: ced ac cording to specifications furnished by the Clemson College agricultrual ex tension department. ADVERTISING MEN MEET Convention of Advertising Clubs of the World New Orleans. Sept. 22.?The fif teenth convention of the Associated Advertising Clubs of the world open ed here today. Cooperation between the manage ments and workers in industries will eventually bring about an increased production needed now. according to (jompers. In a paper read before the Ad Clubs he defended high wages which, he claimed, would bring im proved methods, and progressive ma chine production, and said the settle ment of peace terms is necessary be fore the world can resume an order ly process. He urged a promp* rati fication of the peace treaty.