Historical Newspapers of South Carolina

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THE SEMTER WATCHMAN, Establii Consolidated Aug. 2,1 MERCHANTS 'MUST REPORT Tax Commission Has Summon ed Merchants Who Failed to Make Proper Re V turns Columbia, May 7?The summonsing of merchants, in order to get correct returns for taxation, will be started Jby the State Tax Commission during .the coming week, according to an nouncement made'by members of the commission today. The ;commission will "begin at home/' stib-poenaing JSrst of all a number of Columbia mer chants who have failed to f urnish the commission with the datfc necessary to the making of proper Assessments There are more than half a? hundred merchants of Columbia, s?ine of them prominent, who have faile^ to furn ish the commission with die informa tion sought and these are to be Sub poenaed during the next week. They will be required to appear before the commission with the?\ho?ks and rec ords! After the Columbia merchants are heard the commission Will summons other merchants from various parts of the State. In practically every county there are merchants who have failed to comply with the commission's re quest for. information regarding the value of stocks and goods and other . jspperty. The law allows the com j??||Egpn full authority in getting such data "from taxpayers, with a view to eovaftzation *?f assessments. REBELS GAIN IN MEXICO Important Towns In Northern Part of Country Going ! Over to Revolution EJ Paso, May 8?From various parts Of Mexico reports of revolutionary | Sains continued to arrive todays Mat- j amoros and Piedras Negras are tot-] taring; Camargo has fallen and Nuevo . Iiaredo is menaced, according revolu- j tioiilst gains reported. WILL N0MI- ! NATE DEBS; Socialist Party Holding Conven tion In New York New .York, May 8?The presidential $&mpaign of the Socialist party of America opened with two hundred del egates. .. It is. expected that Eugene Bebs will be nominated. Morris Hiilquit, temporary chair man of the Socialist convention, at tacked President Wilson's adminis tration and predicted that the Social ists would poll more than 2,000,000 "votes in the coming election. S. C. INCOME TAXES Increase -In Tax Payers an< Amount of Taxes Columbia, May " 8?Income tas<es paid in South Carolina this, year will probably far excee'd $20,Ov^vW.- paid by more than 25.0?Q persons. The of fice of the internal .revenue collector states that the Hntmber of incomes will exceed the2 number for the last year, and for last year the number to taled 25,024, the total tax.'paid be ing $1S,660,000. Income returns were made for the present year, ending June 30. before &arch 15, and these returns are n< being checked by the government. Therd will be a large increase in the total number of returns, when the count is completed. When income returns are made to the collector they are sent to Washing ton. After being .checked- there they fare returned to the agent in charge of the income^ tax department, and his field agent checks every return by the books of the person or corporation making the returns. This department headed by H. C. Parrott, of Columbia, is now working on returns for the last three years, not counting! the returns made the first part of this year. In checking income returns the governjjjrent finds many errors, where -corporations or individuals have not paici the full amount of tax due, and in some cases where they have paid too much. Mr. Parrott states that his agents have just sent in one report oh an income tax return, showing that jthe amount of tax paid was $200,000 short of what it should have been. Another payer was found to have paid $63.000 too much. These discrepan cies are due to the difficulty of mak ing the correct return. In one case only have the income tax agents found a taxpayer who did not want to give them access to his books for the check of his return. JThis was a man who was also being investigated by secret service agents on a charge of profiteering. The income tax department in South Carolina employs nine field agents at present for checking re turns. This force is to be increased by twenty-five men at an early date, but even then it will be years before all of the returns already made have been checked. ] t i Philadelphia. May 7?William G. Thompson, a wealthy lawyer, was at tacked by a burglar in his hotel apart ment but made so strong an appeal foe his life that the desperado spared him. Thompson was badly wounded with z blackjack. \ med April, 1850. "Be Just L88L !& C. DEVELOP 1 MENT BOARD ? Important Conference Held In Columbia to Organize State t I Columbia, May 8?Important action I was taken Monday at a conference in jthis city toward immediate action on {the plans of the South Carolina Dev elopment Board for a State-wide cam jpaign for memberships and resources. jThe meeting, which was held in the j.new headquarters of the organization, :was attended by Governor Robert A.. 'Cooper, Clement S. Ucker, of Balti ignore, executive vice president of the Southern Settlement and Development Organization; Jesse M. Jones, of Nor folk, development agent of the Sea board Airline Railway; G. A. Card well, of Wilmington, N. C, industrial agent of the Atlantic Coast Dine rail road; J. C. Williams, of Washington, j manager of the development of the ; Southern Railway and V. L. Collier, jof Augusta, Ga., agricultural agent of jthe Charleston & Western Carolina ! railroad. For the purposes of the campaign it was decided to create 10 temporary district headquarters. These will be located at. Greenville. Spartanburg, Greenwood, Columbia, ? Orangeburg, 'Charleston, Florence, Darlington, ISumter and Rock Hill. At each of J these cities wil be located a represen tative of the development board, who will set up a local campaign organiza.-.j tion to thoroughly cover the counties within his territory. The campaign proper will open on Monday, May 24, and continue to Sat urday, June 5. Between these dates every eligible person in the State will be given opportunity to become a member of the development board. It is believed the result will be not less than 5,000 individuals when the drive closes. George-'R. Wheeler, manager of the board, made a report at the meeting Monday on the progress already made j in the campaign plans, saying that I there was every indicatiori of success. j Emphasis was placed on the care with I which t?e organization is being dev eloped and the fact that scores of the State's leading citizens, are joining in' "the movement because' they see in it so. much of promise for the immediate l future. ! ;Mr. Ucke> said he had just come, frpm meetings in Georgia and Florida where plans are'under way for State development along lines similar to. those adopted in South Carolina,' and he told of like movements-in several other States. He congratulated South i Carolina on being the pioneer in this jsort of agricultural, commercial, in j dustrial and civic co-ordination. He ? predicted that the movement would I be given such an impetus in South Carolina as to spread it'air-over the I South and so add greatly to the fame jof the Palmetto State for progressive ] action. ? Governor Cooper cxpresed deep in itercst in the plans of the develop | ment board, as a result of a careful ! inquiry into its program and organiza tion. The Governor has written the j following letter tov President Neils i Christensen: j "The Sonth Carolina Development [Board has a tremendous field; in fact, fan almost limitless one for sen-ice. By ! gathering information and dissemin iating it: by acting as a clearing house ;-f?r the exchange of ideas and experi i ences; and in other ways the develop ment board can give great impetus l to., the development, of actual and po r tctatiaJ.' industries. i "The time is- at hand when South j Carolina must diversify agricultural ractrvrties,^ and must make use of the 'varied natural resources. Our eco 'nomic life has been somewhat hap j hazard. A* continua ice of this policy 'will surely bring grief to the State. ; "I welcome the development board ! as an agency for the happiness of j South Carolina, and as one equipped ! to stimulate various lines of endeavor j which, once under way, will result in i a larger' number of home owners, a fairer distribution of wealth, and. in general, a . more smiling?State." Several committees were authoriz ed to proceed at once with various portions of the campaign plan. The I details of these will be worked out 1 rapidly. The meeting also adopted plans for a State-wide method of giv ? ing the pepole authentic knowledge of what the South Carolina Development Board is and what its aims and pur poses are. TIME LIMIT ~ FOR TURKEY Ambassadors Allow Them One Month In Which to Con sider Treaty Paris, May 8?The council of am bassadors has decided to give Turkey y month to consider the peace treaty which will be presented Thursday. SOUTHERN METH ODISTS WELCOMED DesMoines, May 8?Southern Meth odist fraternal delegates will be ac corded a reception by the Northern Methodists tonight. MORGANTHAU" WILL ACCEPT New York. May 8?Henry Morgan than, who has been nominated for ! ambassador to Mexico, today denied ! the reports that he. would decline to ' accept if confirmed by the Senate. and Fear Not?Let all the ends Thou 1 SUMTES, S. C, WEDN 1 Resolved by the meeting of the ? United Confederate Veterans, South Carolina Division, that we extened our hearty thanks to the people of Sum ter, especially to the ladies of Dick Anderson Chapter, U. D. C; to Dick Anderson Camp, U. D. C; to the Chamber of Commerce and to various committees who so elegantly entertain-; ed and fed us; to the owners-of auto mobiles who did hot let us waik; to the railroads for reduced rates and to the Court, of Common Pleas, Judge M. !l. Smith presiding, which we under THE COST OF LIVING t - i Railroad Brotherhoods Present Statistics Showing What a Family Requires Washington, May S?A minimum of $2,500 a year-is necessary to support a family of five, according to W. Jett Laurk, the Railroad Brotherhoods' economic expert, testifying before the? Railway Labor Board, and presenting the demand for the establishment of a minimum wqge throughout the in-, dustry- The fundamental cause of in dustrial unrest, he said, has been high prices and profiteering by organized capital, middle men and retailers. STRIKE IN BROOKLYN ' _______ Unions Ask Electric Company to Take Stand Against New Unions New York, May 8?The possibility of a strike on the Brooklyn trolleys' and electric subways loomed up with the publication of a letter from the employees' union demanding that the ! company prohibit employees from j joining rival unions. I v: , - - . FEES OF OFFICIALS New Law Requires County Offi cers to Aecount for AH Fees and Costs j Columbia. May 7?Hereafter the j public generally will have opportunity ! to know exactly how much money j each county officer collects in fees, j under an act of the recent legislature, i which became law when Governor j Cooper this week fixed his signature I to *the act. The act. requires that all j county officers shall keep in their of fices, for public inspection, an open record of all costs, fees and salary re ceived. This is the act which caused j such a heated debate during the clos I ing days of the 1920 general assembly. ; The act specifies that at the close j of the fiscal year, each county officer 'shall, when requested to do so by tho (State Senator of the county or. by a (majority of the House members from i the county, transmit a copy of his ac ; count of fees, costs and salary, to the I county supervisor or county commis i sioners. with a copy to each member i of the county's delegation in the gen ; oral assembly. These statements are I to be filed by the 10th of January of ; each year. The county supervisor is j required to keep a record of all such ! accounts submitted 'to him. There is a penalty attached to this ! act, of not less than $50 or more than 1 $200, or imprisonment of from two I to six months, for each violation. ! COUNTRY PRESS i IN DIRE STRAITS Small Newspapers Face Grave Danger Washington. May 7?The picture of .the country press, which includes tho j little four page paper from back home fighting with its back to the wall an! almost ready to go under bo .\i :..;e of the print paper shortage, was present led to a senate investigating eomeih : tee today by Cortland Smith, of New ; York, president of the American Tress Association. Along with his picture of the troubles of the country editor, M*\ Smith made the direct charge that the print paper market had been cornered and that the print paper interests had conspired to regulate production so that prices might continue to mount. In the face of this situation ho frank ly told the committee there was little hope for the .small town papers, and that unless: quick relief was provided half of them would be wiped out of existence. While other witnesses had charged that the market had been cornered, Mr. Smith, whose association largely supplies the country press, was the first to allege a conspiracy to regulate output and prices. The long extended hearings were interrupted so that the committee might confer behind closed doors with Assistant Attorney General Ames, who was asked to recommend some way out of the troubles. John A. Penton. of Cleveland. Ohio, who testified before the committee, presented the proposals today to Post master General Burleson and the fed eral trade commission for doubling the postal rate on class publications weighing more than a pound, and lim iting daily papers to 24 pago.s with 4S on Sunday. Ums't at be thy Country's, Thy God's i ESDAY, ?AY 12, 1920 of Thanks stand adjourned that we might meet in the splendid court house; to the Boy Scouts?in fact our hearts are overflowing in thanks to all the good people of Sumter for kindly and af fectionate attention. I We trust that God will forever bless the City of Sumter. ?f -Transmitted by order of the con vention. D. CARDWELL. Adjt. General. f'W.. A. CLARK. Major General Com man d ing. STUDY OF TAX QUESTION legislative Committee to Hold Two ?ay Session In Cd- - lttinbia Columbia, -May 7?A two-day study jjfcf the legislation committee which is makhrg a study Of the taxation ma chinery of the State is to be held early in June, for the main purpose of study ing, the question of the initial assess ment by county tax machinery, ac cording to a statement made Friday by Senator Christensen, who is a vis itor in Columbia. ' Following the meeting in June the [Special committee will look into other phases of the tax question, with a vieyv to introducing legislation next tycar which will reform the taxation system in South Carolina. ; This special legislative committee is composed of Senator Marion, of Chester; Senator Chrir^nsen, of Beau fort: Senator Laney. of Chesterfield; J Representatives Lidc. Marion; Buck f inghara, Aiken, and J. B. Atkinson, of Sparta nburg. / I This committee is studying tax laws of Other States, with the aim of get ting the bestv points from other States and these may be incorporated in new laws to be enacted next year. JAMES BRANDING BEST DECLAIMER Sumter Boy Wins at Presbyte rian College J^Clinton, May '7?James Blanding, representing the- Sumter High School, won the seventh annual declaimers' High School contest here tonight un der the auspices oi* Presbyterian Col lege of. South Carolina. The second best declamation was made by Jack Davis, of Clinton High School, and third by Louis Tolcson, of Caffney. The subjects in''order were. "A Patriot and a Traitor;", "There is to Be No Regret," and "Lasca." There were 30 schools entered in the preliminaries and from these 15 were selected to go into the finals to night. The contest, which is always one of excellence, was exceptionally good tonight. The judges were C. T. Squires and A. C. Tood, of Daurens, the Rev. Edward Long, D. C. Heustiss and Prof. M. G. Wroodworth of Clin ton. Declaimers tonight in the finals, other than, the Winners, were: Roger McFerrin, Greenwood; Wade Shank lin. Woodruff; White Hawkins. Simp sonville; W. J. Hailc, Union; Donald 'Russell, Chester; Arlington Ragsdale, Bclton; Archie Shirley. Honea Path; Sidney Ellison. Walahalla; Frank Mc Millan, Westminster; Broadus Boyd. Greenville; Moffat Thackston, Hastoc school; Roy Hall, Batesburg. There was no announcement of rank beyond third place, the names above not being given in the order that they fin ished. SOUTH CAROLINA RIFLEMEN Two Teams Will Be Selected for National Rifle Meet Columbia, May 7?Preliminary com j petitions for the selection of the two rifle teams which will represent South Carolina at the National rifle meet at Camp Perry, Ohio, July 30 to Aug ust 28. will be hold during the. next two months, at a date to be selected in accordance with the wishes of the entrants, according to an announce ment made by Adjutant General W. W. Moore today. One of the teams will be from the South Carolina Na tional Guard and the other from the colleges with R. O. T. C Clemson, Citadel, Carolina, Wofford, Presbyteri an College, Bailey and Carlisie. * A number of applications have al ready been received by the Adjutant ! General and he will arrange the dates for the preliminary shoots after he has heard from all the entrants. He states that he will be glad to receive other applications, with indications as to I convenient datefe for the preliminaries, j The expenses of the preliminaries will I be borne by the contestants; the ex i penscs of the trip to Camp Perry and the national match wil be borne by the War Department. The National Guard preliminary contest will probably be held during the summer encampment which will Uikely be held at Mount Pleasant. Charleston. The matches include indi vidual and team shooting with rfle and also pistol. PRINCE TO VISIT JAPAN . Honolulu. May S.?The Prince of Wales is <xpected to visit Japan next year, according to Nippu Jiji. i_d Truth's." THE TRUE SA im SUGAR PLEDGES ARE SIGNED i. Ohio Workmen Agree Not to! Use Sugar in Coffee Until Price Drops I East Palestine, May 8?Five hun dred workers have signed an agree ment not to use sugar in their coffee until the price drops. HUNTSUED : FOR DIVORCE Wife of Member of Railroad La I. bor Board Asks for Her Freedom j Cincinnati, May 8?Henry T. Hunt, a member of the Railroad Labor] Board, and former mayor of Cincin nati, is being sued for divorce by Mrs. ' HaydocK Hunt. ' 1 I VIRGINIA VET I ERAN DEAD Col. Thomas talcott Who Was Member of General Lee's Staff Dies at Rich ? mond Richmond. May. 8?Col. Thomas Mann Randolph Talcott, aged 82, one of the last survivors of General Lee's personal staff and one of the best known citizens of Richmond, died last night after a brief illness.' The fun eral will be held Saturday, and the burial will be in Hollywood cemetery. Major Giles Buskner Cook, the last surviving member of Gen. Lee's staff at Appomattox, is still residing at Matthews Court House, Virginia, aged eighty-two. POLES CAP TURE KIEV Bolsheviki Admit that Their Forces Have Been Driven Out of City London. May S?Polish and Ukran ian troops .captured Kiev Thursday, a "Moscow official wireless reports. AIR TRIP TO ENGLAND King and Queen of Belgium Fly Across Channel to Attend Wedding j London, May 8?The king and queen of Belgium flew to England to day in an airplane to attend the wad ding Tuesday of the daughter of Enrl Curzon. I SUMTER PRAISED I BY VETERAN J _ Lee County Confederate En joyed Reunion Week Mr. Editor:? Sumter succeeded in giving the old soldiers the best reunion we have ever had. Everything was done and pro vided for our comfort and pleasure i lhat could have been done. And, we old fellows enjoyed every moment of ' the time, and appreciate your effort j '.o give us old veterans one more good j ime. In behalf of the veterans I j thank everyone and each one, for i vour generous hospitality and the kind treatment we received from your hands. Your town has certainly improved i in every respect, and now ranks among j 'he largest and most beautiful cities of the State. I was impressed with the personal appearance of the old soldiers, and I their gentlemanly behavior. They were ! all neatly dressed and clean. It is 'easy 1o assign a reason for this im S provement in our reunions, and I ! trust the time shall never return when ? the vi e drink habit shall ever be prac j ticed in our fair land. ! Our town will net allow Sumter to : outstrip her too far\n the way of im provements. Considering the disad vantages with which we have to con tend, we are progressing finely, and our rewn is growing rapidly. Mrs. Eugenia Sluckey was buried here last Monday. She had been in feeble health for sometime. The Chautauqua will entertain in town next week. j The U. D. C. will celebrate Memor-I ial Day next Monday. 10th inst. The; ladies will provide dinner for the old ! veterans, also for young veterans of j the late war. Judge Mendel Smith will make the address for the occa-1 sion. ! Mr. Willie Stuckey, who was unfor tunate in getting his leg broken three weeks ago, is again able to get about; with the aid of crutches. ; Bshopville, May 7. BIGGEST VINEGAR PLANT BURNED Holly. N. Y.. May 8?The eider and vinegar plant of the Buffv-Mott Com pany, said to.be the largest vinegar plant in the world, was destroyed by. lire today. The loss was $200,000, I DTJTHROX, Established June 1, 1866. Vol. L. No. 26. JOHNSON AT TACKS HOOVER Scramble for Republican Nomi nation Becoming Some what Bitter Washington, May 8?Senator John son, of California, has replied to Her bert Hoover's statement asking the senator's position on the League of Nations. He declared that the League covenant presented to the Senate by President Wilson, which Hoover ad vocated last year, neither promotes nor reduces armament. He said Hoover*s advocacy of the League last yea.* nev er mentioned reservations. With his j candidacy came his change cf. heart, und for the first time we fiml-hlm. as a candidate, although never before, favoring reservations, said Johnson. ? ) THOUSANDS AT GREAT RACE Seventy-Five Thousand Sports?? men Gathered at -Church Downs for Derby Louisville, May 8?With twenty-two entrants the Kentucky derby for $3<T, 000 and added money, is expected to be the greatest open race ever run. Seventy-five thousand people are ex- . pected'to witness it. \ ., BRYAN FIGHT ING UNDERWOOD Meddlesome Nebrask?n Winds Up Speaking Tour In State of Alabama Birmingham, Ala., May S?Wm.. J. , Bryan has concluded his speaking, tour of Alabama opposing the ri-\ election of Senator Underwood and ";,he candidacy of former Governor O'Neal and endorsing Representative, Heflin and C. B. Muskgrove and leaves , tonight for Florida. EXODUS TO PALESTINE ? -V Four Million Jews-Wffi Be Gradually v Settled in Ancient Home of the' ' " Race. ; ?-? ? L; ? New York, May 6^Ar*angements folNne gradual immigration.--of 000 Jews to Palestine, ?oll?\viiigjyr?.''' 3an Remo sessions of the Peace C&&? > 'erence which: gave Great, Britain t?e mandate over that country for the"es tablishment of 8j Jewish natiOn^J home land; will be discussed at an ?ex traordinary conference of the. Zionftt.. Organization of America here next Sunday and Monday. The conference,* which- will be at tended by 1,700 delegates from the United States and Canada, will, be ...it is said, "the mofet important ind his toric gathering of-Jews ever held in America." Under the leadership, of Justice Brandeis of the United St?teV I Supreme Court and United States Judge Julian W. Mack, the orgartiziir ti'on is expected to take immediate ac tion toward the reestablishment of tiie Jewish people in the Near East after 2,000 years of exile, thus7 bringing to pasd the realization of the movement begun 23 years ago by Dr. Theordor Herzl, father of political Zionism. In calling this extraordinary conr vention, which necessitated the post ponement of the regular annual meet ing, which had been scheduled for At Jlantic City beginning May 30. the^na> i ;:ionaI executive sa id: I "The historic action taken at iSan j Remo on April 24, which gave reeog ! nition to the age-long aspirations of J the Jewish people opens up the im mediate opportunity to them to con- - i quer through work and organization j that place for themselves in the world* j of civilization which has been their j hope for 20 centuries, a place where j Jewish ideals shall be free and where j Jewish spirit shall be free to express* j itself in accordance with its traditions j of social justice and righteousness, j These principles, it is said, will gov ern the new Jewish home-land. "Po ? litical and civil equality, irrespective . j of race, sex or faithNof all inhabitants; i equality of opportunity which, with ? due regard to existing rights, shall i tend to establish the ownership and I control of the land, of all natural re j sources and of all public utilities-in : the whoie people: application of the I co-operative principle so far as feasi j ble in the organization of all agricui j turai. industrial, commercial and- fl I nancial undertakings and the estab j lishment of a fiscal policy which will j protect the people from the evils of : land speculation and from every other j form of financial oppression." Although millions of Jews, particu j larly from Eastern Europe are said to J be prepared to leave at a moment's' notice, the Zionists say that "no mad ; rush of immigrants will be permitted ; to flood Palestine." but that a well [regulated, carefully, scientific immi-.' gration of perhaps 50.000 annually will be undertaken, in order to insure the proper economic and cultural de velopment of the country." In addition to formulating .'the pol icy of American Zionists at the world Zionist Conference to be held at Carls bad, Czecho-Slovakia. beginning July 4. the convention here will take up thus Palestine reconstruction pro gram. f This will include the reclama tion of swamp and waste land, irriga tion, modernizing of Palestine cities. V sanitation, the building of a harbor at Haifa and the establishment Of cloth ing and shoe factories, oil and soap plants and other industrial and com mercial enterprises.