The watchman and southron. (Sumter, S.C.) 1881-1930, May 18, 1921, Image 3
j
Mr. Jennings Re
plies to Mr. Dabbs
Plain Spoken and Somewhat
Caustic Discusion of the Road
Bond Issue
-
Editor The Daily Item:
I notice in your issue of the 9th
inst, a communication by Mr. E. W.
Dabbs, making .comments on the
meeting held on Thursday afternoon.
May 5th.
Mr. Dabbs says he had hoped that I
the meeting would present some con
structive plan on which everyone
could agree. Knowing Mr. Dabbs'
disposition to oppose practicaly ev
erything, I am confident that no hu
man mind could have devised any
- plan upon which we all could have
figreed if Mr. Dabbs were a part of
the audience.
Mr. Dabbs states that he was dis
appointed because out of it all no plan
"was offered except that presented by
me. This, at least, 1 take as a com
pliment, to be at least able to present
come feasible plan at the meeting
v.'hereby something could be done,
even though Mr. Dabbs thinks the
method of bringing it up was un
tactful,N which he terms an effort to
.. browbeat nay fellow members of the
, Hard Surface Road Commission.
When the Legislature passed the
Act authorizing the people to vote
upon the question of selling bonds
to build hard surfaced roads and at
the same time created the Commis
sion to build these roads in case the
people authorized the issuing of the
?bonds, the Legislature never intend
ed that the Commission was to decide
the question of whether it was wise
or unwise to build hard surfaced
roads, but that question was left to
' tie people to. determine, and they
did determine this question by three
and a(half to one to build the roads.
It was only left to the Commission
to handle the money in a proper
manner and see that the roads were
properly built and that we got value
received for the money.
If I ? employ a contractor to erect
a house for me, I do not transfer to
him the advisabilty of building the
house;^ that question I determine for
myself, but I only employ him to
build the house which I had deter
mined to build. Just so in the case
of the hard surfaced roads. The
people,, by their vote determined to
build these roads and simply ap
pointed the Commission, through
their representatives, to build the
roads-^not to say whether it was wise
or unwise to build the roads; this was
never transferred to the Commission,
and, I assume, never will be under a
Democratic government.
It was not my purpose to browbeat
the Commission in the slightest de
gree, but I panted the Commission to
know the sentiment of the people as
far as possible in reference to going
ahead and having these roads con
structed. It was not my fault that
the resolution was not taken up be
fore some of the people who attend
ed the meeting had left. I had to
wait until the Chairman permitted
me to bring up the resolution.
Mr. Dabbs also states that if I
were really sincere in wanting an ex
pression of the people why did I re
fuse his sugestion of a referendum
when the County Court it> voted on.
We have already had a referendum
on this question and the people have
decided the issue by three and a
half to one; and even though it were
within my province to have this re
ference made, I would deem it unnec
essary to do so, and especially to
gratify the wishes of a would-be ob
structionist of every progressive plan
that is proposed.
Mr. Dabbs says we air want good
roads, but the difference between Mr.
Dabbs and myself, as I see it, is he
wants good roads and I want good
roads, but he seems to es pect to get
th-'m without expending any mov.*ey
ard I am willing to go ahead and ex
pend money in order to get the
roads, as to my mind this is the only
way to get them, as I do not ex
pect them to be presented to us by
some one else or handed down some
nbj.ht from heaven.
Mr. Dabb3 further states he is sure
the Commission would give more
weight to a referendum vote than
to the expression of a few citizens
who were largely influenced by the
pleadings of myself and Mr. Reiser.
The Commission has already had
an expression of the people on this
question, and Mr. Belsar and myself
made the same kind or* plea before
the people before the bonds were
voted upon, and we convinced them
we could build these roads without
a c< nt of cost and in addition to that
accumulate a large fund out of the
use ess and unnecessary expenditures
of money in keeping up automobiles,
truckes, wagons, buggies and all kinds
of vehicles, and in the excessive use
of gasoline over the abominable
roads we now have, and ail the county
wou'd have to do in order to do this
would be simply to use its credit in
selling bonds; and whenever the peo- j
pie get the real facts and proper in- j
formation their vote will always be
like it was in the meeting on last
Thursday, of course, we do not ex
pect to convince Mr. Dabbs of the
wisdom of this proposition because
this is in line of progress and pro
gress is usually what an obstruction
ist always opposes. I understand that
Mr. Dabbs originally was opposed to
the bond issue and became converted
to the proposition very shortly before
the election was held, but I am sorry
to see that it now appears Mr. Dabbs
has fallen from grace and has re
turned to his original way of thinking
about this bond issue.
Mr. Dabijs furtner states: "But I
am sure I voice the sentiment of ma
jority of the voters of Sumter coun
ty when 1 say that In any matter of
business and sound public policy I
will take every time without question
the united judgment et Messrs. J. P.
Boctn, G. A. i/'mmon, I. M. Truluck. j
J. F. Bland, Stanyarno Burrows, E. j
E. Retnbert. S. A. Marvin, and J. B.
Britten in preference t<> that of Mr. |
J? D: Jennings'. Having been voted i
down by his cwh Commission it was;
in exceedingly bad taste for him to |
tise the occasion of a meeting called j
for other purposes to try and create |
sentiment that would enable him to ,
override his colleagues.'* \
jhe question-of whether we should i
build hard surface roads or not was
not left with the Commission to de
termine, but that was left with the
sovereign people of the county to de
cide, and they did so in unmistakable
temib.
Mr. Dabbs further states: "When
Mr. Jennings wants to carry his poin.
he never considers the consequences,
in his zeal to whip his colleagues to
his way of thinking he was willing to
kill all the good of tire meeting up
to the time he took the floor.
"He made a million dollars of bor- 1
rowed money overshadow every sug
gestion of self help and better sys
tem of farming and marketing thai
had gone before."
I admit the meeting was a good
meeting, even though no definiU
steps were taken for any immediau
relief, but good results are hound tt
follow from the getting together ot
the leading citizens of the county an<
discussing cooperation and variou
things of interest to the people; bu
I cannot conceive how bringing uj
one of the most important questions
that is, good roads, at a meeting o:
this kind would destroy any othe:
good which had been done, but to m>
mind the question brought up wa:
very pertinent at a meeting of thb
kind, and judging from the way thos<
who were there endorsed the resolu
tion they thought me same way.
The argument of Mr. Dabbs agains
building good roads at this time i
the same kind of argument that ha
been used for the past 25 to 30 yea*,
and is hampering the good roads, bu
I am now satisfied that the peopl?
now reaHze the mistakes that have
been made and are now ready anc
willing and desirious of getting out
of the old roads and keeping abreast
of the people of other states. Thk
is what I consider self-help?goim
ahead and doing something?but it i
not . the kind of self-help Mr. Dabbs
refers to. The kind he refers to, a
far as I am able to see, has* neve;
gotten us anywhere.
Mr. Dabbs also refers to the Priva
teer road and the Turbeville Shor
Cut, and he states they can be buil
without adding to the tax burden o
the county. I would like to knov
how any road that can bo ca.lled i
road can be built without cost, but i
Mr. Dabbs' opposition to buildin,
hard surface roads had any weight j
then I would be sorry that all of thes>
hard surface roads did not run eithc
on the edge, through or around Mi |
Dabbs* plantations in order that h I
might withdraw his opposition, bu. '
as I am confident that his oppositior j
in reference to this read matter wil
not be felt any more than the weigh: j
of a boat only sufficiently large to car
ry a canary bird on bosom of th'
Pacific ocean would be felt by thesi
mighty waters. |
There is a great difference be
tween discussing a system of road:
that would benefit the entire count> j
and in discussing a short cut roac
in Mr. Dabbs' neighborhood, or th i
short cut road in the Privateer neigh
borhood, because these two short cut
roads would benefit practically onl>
those within the neighborhood anc
not the entire county, whereas th? j
hard surface roads is a matter foi j
the whole county. Don't understane j
rue to oppose these two short cm
roads, because I made a motion at
some meeting that was held that th< j
County Board build these roads, ai
I believe this to be to some exten- <
along the line of progress, but 1 die
not think the Board could buik
them without any cost. Mr. Dabbs ha:
not suggested in his communication
how this can be done.
Mr. Dabbs aiso refers to numbei
of taxpayers who do not own auto- j
mobiles er trueks. I assume they own
some kind of vehicles, or at least a
great majority of them do, and they
would use the roads with whatevei
kind of vehicles they had, and would
save in proportion to those who own
automobiles and trucks, and thos?.
who do not own anything of this
kind J am satisfied do not pay any
axes and would not be affected se
:ar as taxes are eoncerned. but would
ikev.ibe ;--et the benefit of the roads
even though they^did nothing but
walk over them, because it would bt
much more pleasant to walk over
hard sarface reads than it would be
o' walk over a sand bed or mud hole.
Mr. D&bbs states when these bonds
were voted cotton was bringing from
41c to $1.10 a pound, and now* it is
worth 5c to 15c Yes. and, if Mr.
Dabbs would investigate he would
find the material out of which these
roads will be constructed and also the
abor is about proportionately lower
now than it was at the time cotton
was lie to $1.10 a pound as cotton
is today, and we can build the roads
much cheaper now than we could
have then. Therefore, the same fi
nancial principle obtains.
Mr. Dabbs also speaks about the
burdensome taxes. Well, if this
should dominate the minds of a ma
jority of the people we would never
have any of the modern conveniences,
because we cannot have them with
out money; we cannot have public
modern conveniences without paying
taxes, but in this instance of good
roads any one who will stop and think
and investigate will find out we can
have these roads without a dollars
cost an dsave at least the cost ae.a!n.
How this can he done has been so
often discussed before the people that
it is useless to mention it here except
to say that what we will save on the
wear and tear of our automobiles,
trucks and vehicles, the time in tak-j
ing our produce to market and things
of this kind, which will not only pay
the entire cost of the roads but with- j
in the same period of time we will j
save in addition to this more than the I
cost again, and certainly a majority
of the people of Sumter county would i
not refuse to have a system of 123
miles of hard surface roads when they!
can fret them without a cent of cost
and the only thing that is necessary j
is for the county t<? use its credit toi
obtain the money with which 10 em-j
Struct them, and I am sorry Mr. Dabbs]
is not willing even to accept the roads !
as a .uift and in addition thereto a;
??onus <>f ;;t least the cost of the roads.
I see Mr. Dabs a'so takes a left- I
handed sling a? the new county court'
rreposition. J expected Mr. Dabbs *o;
be opposed to the county court be-;
rnuso. 'his is a progressive idea. When
a case is now brought, by reason of]
the congested condition of our dock-,
ets. it is from two to three years be- !
fore ft can be reached. The Circuit!
! Court has in attendance 36 jurors at;
i cost of $3.00 a day each, whereas
he county court will only have IS
lurors at the same cost. Therefore,
?ach day the county court is in ses
sion trying cases thafthe Circuit court
would have to try there wili be a
?aving between the cost of keeping
he jurors at the county court and at
the Circuit court of $4S.OO per day.
This saving will go a long way to
wards paying the cost of the county
court. However. this cpjestion of
'ounty court will later be discussed
before the people, and I feel confi
lent when they understand the ques
ion that Mr. Dabbs will again be
lopelessly in the minority in refer
nce to this progressive matter; at
east, I hope so.
Mr. Dabbs says: "But I am sure 1
o.'ce the sentiment of a majority of
he voters of Sumter County when J
ay that in any matter of business and
ound public policy I would take every
j ime without question the united judg
nent of Messrs. J. P. Booth. G. A
jcmmon. I. M. Truluck. J. F. Bland,
3. Rembcrt, S. A. Harvin, Stan
arne Burrows and J. B. Britton in
^reference to that of Mr. L. D. Jen
lings."
The Legislature passed an act at
ts session of 1916, which Act was ap
>roved by the Governor Feb. 17, 1916.
authorizing the building of a new
ounty jail for Sumtci county, and
uthcri'/ing and directing the county
upervisor and county commissioners
or Sumter county to borrow on the
redit of Sumter county, to be rrpaid
"rom the funds to be raised by tax
avy, the sum of twenty-five thousand
dollars, as the same should be need
d to meet the payments which should
^ecome due to the archtccts and con
tractors constructing the said new
ail, or in such manner as they should
nd most advantageous, the same to
e borrowed at a rate of interest as
>w as possible and not to exceed 5
)er cent. The same Act created a
building commission for said Jail,
'onsisting of the supervisor and
lessrs. C. G. Rowland. J. P. Booth
;nd J. F. Glenn. Shortly after the
assage of said act Mr. Glenn was
aken sick and has not been able since
o be an active member of said com
mission, and more than two years
?.go the lecislature practically abolish
ed the office of supervisor, and I un
terstand no new members have been
idded to said commission. There
ore, the building of the jail for ail
uactieal purposes is in charge of
Messrs. J. P. Booth and C. G. Row
.and.
After the passage of said act, on
March 7, 1916, the county board call
ed for bids for this $25,000. and among
.he bidders was the National Bank of
Sumter, and their bid, addressed to
:he Sumter county board of commis
ioners. was as follows:
"Referring to your circular pro
)osal of March 3. 1916. we beg to ad
vise we will make the loan of $25,
000. bearing interest payable annual
ly as follows:
(1) $25.000 payable in four years,
or (2)
$5,<>00 payable in one year;
55.00 0 payable in two years:
$7.000 payable in three years;
?8,000 payable in four years.
In either case we will make the
ate of interest 4 3-4 percent . and in
iddition thereto will pay a premium
;f $40. In either case also we will,
f successful in this bid, expect to re
eive the proceeds of the loan on de
posit, to be checked out as needed for
.he purpose for which the loan is
made, and on this deposit we will pay
1 per cent on quarterly balances as
oer your circular letter above refer
red to.
B. Manning, Cashier.
* * #
"We win agree to loan $25.000 to
he county for thirty days dated to
day, at 3 1-2 per c?nt interest. B.
Manning, cashier."
On March 7, 1916 525,000 was bor
rowed from the National Bank of
Sumter tor 30 days at a rato of 3 1-2
<>er cent interest, and subsequently
the county borrow on-the notes of the
"ounty the $25,000, the notes to run.
1. 2. 3. and 4 years and paid a rate of
i 3-4 per cent interest. All of these
notes have been paid by a tax levy.
That National Bank of Sumter re
ceived this money on deposit, as I am
informed by the then Clerk of the
Board, and was to pay 4 per cent in
terest for the same, and the mony was
to remain in said bank until it was
1 used for the purpose of building a new
jail. The money is still there on de
rposit and new jail #:as never been
started, and the county has borrowed
money sinee that time and has bor
rowed this year more than the $25,
000 and has paid from 7 to 3 per cent
interest, yet this money has been in
the bank on deposit at 4 per cent,
when the money the people pay by
way of taxes to pay these notes was
worth at least 8 per cent to them, and
it has been on deposit in the bank for
more than six years at a loss to the
people of $1J!00 per year, the dif
frence in 4 per cent interest and S per
cent interest, aggregating SCO00, not
to consider if this $1.000 had beer, paid
?annually that it would be worth ?S0
j a year. As a. matter of fact. Hie
j people have lost around $65.'>o by way
of interest, yet the first step has not
j been taken to build the new jail.
But of course, this is :h',- kind of
public policy that Mr. Dabbs ap
proves and endorses.
This money was borrowed in March
1916. before we went into the war,
I and before prices had gone up so
I lvgh. yet they did n<>t start the ."ail.
Building material has son? down this
year to almost half what r: was last
year, yet the jail has aot boon started,
although the Grand Jury at almost
every term of court sine? 19 iG has
recommended the building of a new
jail and getting rhe prisoners out of
the present Unsanitary pail, yet noth
ing has been done. But this is the
kind of public policy and judgment
Mr. Dabbs thinks so much of.
When will the new jail he built
and bow long will the topic's mcney;
remain in the National back of Sum
ter at 4 per cent interest when the
county is borrowing money and pay
ins from 7 to 8 per cent, which the
people have to repay by payrn*: raxes
w hen there has already been collected-:
[ from the people this $25,000 in taxes.
and still the money is on deposit and
we have no new jail. Mr. Dabbs may
agree with Mr. Booth's public policies
in ma'.ers of this kind, but I certainly
do not. and I do not believe major
ity of the people do. The Commis
sion should have notified the County
board of commissioners that they did
not intend to build the jail before the
county went ahead and borrowed this
?25,000, but after the money was bor
rowed and people were assessed to
repay it. then the jail shouid either
have been built or the county should
have had the benefit of this money
and not have to borrow $25,000 in its;
place and pay from 7 to 8 per cent in
terest and the same remain in a pri
vate bank at only 1 per cent interest.
Of course, the bank could lend this
money out and got S per cent, but
the people of the county have lost
within six years around $G500 by
reason of the difference in the rate of j
interest. But Mr. Dabbs says he is
sure he voices the sentiment of a ma
jority of the people of Sumtcr coun
ty when he says in a matter of busi
ness and. sound public policy they
would every time take without ques
tion the judgment of Mr. Booth.
Mr. Dabbs further states he con
gratulates Mr. Booth and Mr. Harvin
for standing up for their position in
the face of the audience that was
against them. 1 wonder if Mir. Dabbs
would congratuate Mr. Booth on the
I handling of the jail proposition;?
money in bank only bearing one half
the interest that money is worth, no
new jail and the unfortunate prisoners
still kept in the old jail which has
been condemned by the Grand Jury
at almost every term of court.
I also notice another communica
tion in your last night's paper from
Mr. Dabbs in reference to the Garn
er's Ferry Bridge. It seems as if
Mr. Dabbs feels that he has been ap
pointed as a special agent by Provi
dence to regulate the universe, but I
feel satisfied a majority of the people
think he is mistaken in thinking that
he has been so appointed.
L. D. JENNINGS. '
South Carolina Interscholastic Rec
oixls.
(University Weekly News).
The effort is being made to revise
and correct the South Carolina Inter
scholastic Track records. The appar
ent records are given below. Anyone
who has further or more accurate in
formation is asked to communicate
promptly with the extension de
partment.
100 yard dash?Thomas of Lib
erty; Mann of Six-Mile; D.
Stackhouse of Clio; Seahorn
of Pickens; and Chandler of
Sumter.10 2-5
220-yard dash?W. M. Huestess,
Clio; Earle Laurey, Porter
Military Academy; Chandler
of Sumter. 23
120-yard dash, low hurdles?Mil
! ler. Greenville.15 2-5
440-yard da3h ? Chandler of
Sumter. 54 4-5
Half-mile ? DeLorme, Sumter
.2 min. 11 3-5
Running Broad Jump?Wade
Stackhouse, Clio; Carl Crane,
Liberty. 21.1
Running High Jump?McQueen,
Clio.6 ft. 1 3-S
Pole Vault?Wm. Poole, Green
ville; Seaborn, Pickens .. 10 ft. 9
Shot Put?Odell of Pickens 42 ft. 1
Discus throw?Arthur Hall, of
Pendleton.153 ft. 4
Methodist Bodies to Meet iu Columbia
Columbia. May 13.?Dates for the
two Methodist conferences in South
Carolian are being announced today
to the Methodists of the state thraugh
the Southern Christian Adovcate.
published in Columbia. The "Up
per" South Carolina Conference will
be- held at Lancaster, November 2.
The South Carolina Conference,
known as the "lower'' conference, will
be held at St. Geor.r.e on November
30. These dates have just been an
nounced by the College of Bishops.
Bishop U. V. Darlington has been
returned to South Carolina for his
fourth year of service. He has also
been named by the College of Bish
ops, at its recent meeting to be as
| sociated with other bishops in the
j superintendence' of the Methodist
j church's work in Europe.
Lee County Taxes Well Paid Up
(Bishopville Vindicator)
In the May 1st report of County
Treasurer Perrin! his report shows
that $69,020.75 has been paid over to
the state as the state's part of the
taxes paid in this county for 1920. The
total amount due the state, accord
ing to this report, was $74,135.65.
Thi3 would indicate that the taxes in
Lee county are paid up to about 94
per cent and it is estimated that
with taxes paid since this report was
aiade that not over five per cent of the
taxes of this county are unpaid.
Peach Crop to be Short
Atlanta. May 1-2?Georgia's peach
j crop this year will be about H5 per
cent of a full crop, according to fig
i tires announced today by the crop re
j porting service, a combination of the
'United States bureau of crop statis
tics and the Georgia Department of
Agriculture based on conditions on
I May 1.
j Campaigns Increase the Use of Milk.
Following a milk-utilization cam
i paign held in Spokane. Wash., in
which specialists of the United States
Department of Agriculture coopera
ted with State and local authorities, a
I survey was made which disclosed the
j fact that as a result of the campaign
j 6.00" people had increased their con
j sumption of milk. During the cam
paign it was found that 2.800 school
children in Spokane drank no milk,
but that during the campaign 2.100
started to drink it daily The special
ists of the department have coopera
ted with the State extension forces
in conducting milk utilization cam
paigns in a number of cities, nil of
which have resulted in an increase in
the consumption of milk. Campaigns!
are never conducted in a town un
less the supply of milk is known to
be absolutely clean and there is a
sufficient quantity to take care of in
creased consumption.
THE BERGDOLL GOLD
Congressional Committee Ob
tains Little Information
About Draft Dodger
Washington. May 13.?Not one dol
lar of the $105,000 in gold obtained
from the treasury was put in a pot
for burial in the mountains. Mrs.
lEmma C. Bergdoll of Philadelphia
testified today before a house com
mittee invest gating the escape of
G rover Cleveland Bergdoll, her
slacker son.
Again p'cking up the trail of the
treasure the committee found and
then lost it. f<>r .Mrs. Bergdoll frank
ly dec'ared that she had buried it
somewhere around Philadelphia, that
nobody else knew the spot, and that
it was just where she placed it near
ly two years ago. The draft dodger's
mother was positive in the statement
that she never took it to Hagers
town. Md., where it was supposed to
be. Bergdoll was released from pris
on under a military guard to at
tempt the recovery of this gold
cache.
Intending to clear up some of the
kinks in the testimony the investi
gators got into others, one of which j
concerned the woman's declaration
that Lieut. Bruce Campbell, who had
taken part by direction of the mil
itary authorities in the court mar
tial of Bergdoll. had suggested that
former Judge John W. Wescott of
New Jersey be kept in the back
ground as one of the defense law
yers. At the same time she testi
fied, however, she did not regard
the judge as one of Grover's coun
sel, who. with doctors and others,
had cost, her upwards of $30,000 since
his escape.
Answering an appeal for help.
Mrs. Bergdoll declared that less than
a week ago she had sent Grover
!who is in Germany. $10,000.
'"What is Grover's intention about
staying in Germany?" Judge John H.
Sherburne, counsel for the commit
tee, asked, and Mrs. Bergdoll's eyes
sparkled:
"As soon as .the armistice is signed
he is coming home." and the laugh
ter infuriated her.
In giving a detailed account of
two trips to Washington for the gold
and returning with it to Philadelphia
while James E. Romig. a former po
lice magistrate, drove the car, Mrs.
Bergdoil denied that she was act
ing for her son. that she had seen
any lawyers at Washington, or that
she intended burying it in Maryland.
"It was mine, to do with as I
pleased," she said. "Nobody,can find
it, and Grover didn't get any of it?
not a nickel."
The woman's testimony was not
particularly enlightening to the com
mittee, except on the point that the
gold withdrawal was not for her son's
account.
Washington, May 13.?James E.
Rcmig. confidential adviser of the
Eergdoll family in Philadelphia, and
awaiting sentence or conviction there
of having aided Grover Cleveland
Bergdoll to escape the draft, sub
mitted to cross examination before
the house estigating committee
without raising any question as to
his legal rights.
"Ask what you want to know." he
told John H. Sherburne, counsel for
the committee, but the examination
which followed failed to carry the
trail of the $105,000 in gold Romig
procured from the treasury for Berg
doll beyond the kitchen of the Berg
doll home. Romig insisted that he
knew nothing of Bergdoll's story,
that it had been buried in the moun
tains of Maryland, the plea for a
chance to recover it having obtained
the draft evader's release under
guard. .
Mr. W. W. Hearon Died Sunday.
I The sudden death of Mr. W. W.
j Hearon early last Sunday morning
came as a distinct shock to his fam
ily and friends. He had been in ap
parently good health and was on the
streets until Saturday afternoon, and
the friends who talked to him that
day recalled the fact that he seemed
unusually well and In excellent spirits.
He was taken suddenly ill about
midnight and died within a very short
time.
Mr. Hearon leaves a large family
to mourn his death and numbers of
friends throughout the state who will
be grieved at this sad news.
Tae funeral services were held at
the home of his son, R. L Hearon,
at 11:30 o'clock, Monday morning
and was conducted by Rev. W. JT.
Dibble of Bethlehem Methodist
church, of which T.*r. Hearon was a
member. Mr. Dibble was assisted
in the services by Rev. R. S. Foun
tain', of the Baptist church.
After the services his body was tak
en to Bethlehem cemetery where it
was laid to rest.
The Moral tributes were many and
beautiful and attested the high re
gard and. deep respect in which Mr.
Hearon was. held by all who knew
him and also the sincere sympathy
friends felt for the bereaved family.
He is survived by the following
children: Mrs. C. C. Beck. Jr., of
Sumter; Miss Gladys Hearon, of
Florence; Mrs. W. P. Scott, of For
eston. Mrs, W. W. Keys, of Cristobal,
Canal Zone; Mrs. H. H. Parrott. Miss
Mabel Hearon and R. L. Hearon of
Bishopville; A. G. Hearon of Golds
boro. N. C. and W. G. Hearon cf
Marshville. N. C.?Bishopville Leader
and Vindicator.
Weight of a crowd.
Interesting experiments were made
some time ago at Harvard university
which seen' to demonstrate that engi
neers usually under estimate the max
imum loading caused by dense crowds
on bridges, floors and platforms. Forty
men averaging 163 pounds in weight
placed in a box six feet square caused
an average pressure of 1Sl pounds
to the square foot on the floor.
An engineer has estimated the
weight per square foot of the densest
crowds on the New York elevated rail
ways at only 4"> pounds but since the]
Harvard experiments the opinion has!
been expressed that the maximumj
loading on the elevated cars and plat
forms may be nearer IS I than 45
pounds. This applies to other close
packed crowds.?New Yoork- Herald.
REGULATING J
COMMERZ
The Section of tine U. S. G?ns?
tution that Has Been Produel
tive of Most Litigation m
Washington, May 13?The old slxA
iom ihat "Commerce is the Life-blood1
of a Nation" could be amended to
read?"and of its courts," according;
to attorneys of many years experience
before the United States Supreme
Court.
Inquiry of a number of experts on
constitutional law as to the section
which has been productive of most*
litigation, brought the unanimous re
sponse: ' Section ii, paragraph 3."
This section, one of the shortest in
the immortal document, declares that
Congress shall have the power to
"regulate Commerce with foreign na
tions and between the several states."
[ From that brief clause, has arisen
! all the rate cas?s, those involving
j public utilities, the Interstate Com
jmerce Commission, child labor, Fed
eral Employers' Liability Act, the lot
tery laws, the White Slave Act and,
more recently, the numerous prohibi
tion statutes preceding' the amend
ment itself.
Chief Justice Marshall asserted in
a judicial opinion that "commerce"
must be interpreted to mean "inter
course" and. lawyers say his wide in
terpretation was the progenitor* of.
the whole family of legal battles
turning upon the commence section.
"Washington showed his foresight
cdness immediately after the Revolu
tionary War," said one constitutional
law expert recently, "and placed hia
finger on the most glaring weakness
of the Articles of Confederation, when
he called the 'Annapolis Convention*
to discuss commerce between Mary
! land, Virginia and Delaware." This
convention, forerunner of that held in
Philadelphia shortly afterward
agreed that no restriction of any.sort
should be placed o?\ the commerce of
the three states.
Realizing that the agreement was
worthless unless supported by the ad
joining states. Washington, and. his
conferees determined, it is said, to
make the question of commerce*, a.
feature of the Philadelphia meeting.
It is the contention of some author
ities that the section written into-the
Constitution was the outcome of ado
liberae effort to take away all regu
latory powers over commerce from.,
the states. Others maintain ihat the
school of thought headed by Ham
ilton and Marshah was decisively
beaten in this endeavor as in several
others fostered to establish a strong
central government and that congres
sional regulation of commerce was
intended to cover only the movements
of goods over the state lines without,
hindrance of tolls and tariffs. ?.
Be that as it may. under . recent
decisions of the Supreme Court,
"commerce" has been interpreted to
cover not only the movement of gdods
but of men and women?as in . the
White Slave Act. In the Peterson
case, the court held that a man hand
ling bolts intended for use in a bridge
over which Washington-New York
trains passed must be considered, to
be "engaged in interstate commerce."
Within the last few weeks, no less
than a dozen cases involving in some
way the commerce section, have been
docketed in the Supreme Court. The
Wisconsin and New York Rates Case
will determine whether the Inter
state Commerce Commission has the
right to fix purely intra-state rail
road rates. A case from Texas will
decide whether the Commission can
authorize the abandonment of a rail
road's lines. Other suits turn upon
obscure points in the Federal Em
ployer's Liability Act
Why the British Aristocracy Sur
vives.
Ei itish aristocracy is said to be
shocked because the grandson of the
Duke of Buckingham, himself the
?bearer of an independent title, is .'to
marry the daughter -of a village
blacksmith. However, the aristocracy
probably will bear up, for it is well
aware that the thing which distin- '
guishc3 it from all other aristocra
cies, and to which it chiefly owes its
strength and permanence, is the faof
that it is replenished in the man
ner here revealed.
It is the only aristocracy in Eu
rope that is thus replenished, and it
is the only one?speaking largely? .
that has endured. t
Lord Chesterfield, who was of its
I finest flower, thoug.. chiefly remem
! bered today as a resdy letter writer,
j was a Stanhope, and proud enough of
it as we know. But among the por
traits of the Standhopes in his hall
he hung the pictures of an old man
and an old woman, and under them
he wrote "Adam Stanhope" and "Eve
Standhope."
He was wiser than that French
aristocrat who said that God would
think twice before condemning., a
man of his quality. . ? % .
The British aristocracy . of birth
i perished in the war of York and Lan- 1
caster, and the aristocracy that suc
ceeded it?which is the one we.know
today?is increasingly an aristocracy
of worth?at least of success. Its
roots are of middle class origin. It
is constantly re-enforced from that
class. The roster of the house of
lords is largely the roster of British
business and industry, fortified by
j solid additions from the big prize
I winners in the learned professions
'and from the realm of letters.
This process began early enough to
save the British aristocracy front the
fate that overtook that of Fiance. It
! was going on as far back to the time
when Louis XV refused to invite the
I French men of letters to his table.
! When Mme. Pompadour tried to
1 found a salon at Versailles the king
made the only successful fight he
ever put up against that high-handed
lady. The French aristocracy would
have nothing to do with brains and
nothing to do with* business. The
result was that when the deluge
came brains and business were ar
rayed on the other side. If they had
been given a stake in the state, as
happened in Engl- d, they might
have saved that ore tr that went to
the guillotine, or even more ignobly
passed from French history as emi
gres crouching hidden under loa.ds
of straw.?Kansas City Star* ?
I