Historical Newspapers of South Carolina

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State Tax Con ference Called Lading Business Men Asked t?lieet in Columbia Next Wednesday Columbia, Bee. 9.?Leading busi nea* mea in South Carolina of all classes and members of the ways and means committee of the house of. representatives and of the fi najice4<J<mimittee of the senate are being, asked to meet here Decem beV: 14 to discuss the tax problems and see if some means of revising th> present antiquated laws can not be devised. * ..." The. x?H for the meeting was ' ' mailed out yesterday by a commit- : tee-of nine of the most prominent ' citizens in .the state. "There is an j urgent'demand* for a revision off ??r tax law3 so .that each individual j will -be required to bear his part \ of the tax burden." says the com- j m.itte.e -in its.- call for the meeting, i ii?ore than 200 leading business; mfea.and: women arc being asked to ! attend in addition to the members of -4h? two finance committees of ! the /general assembly. The call is signed by-Di JR. Coker. J. W. Gaston, | Hr C Harrley. V'. I. Johns. H. G. j Kaminer. August Kohn. R. I. Man- j nmgv.B.- F. McLeod and J. D. Pro- j ;. troy The letter being sent out is as J fallows: c . *'Beeause of economic conditions brought about b* the world war! tl^e^tax situation in our state is j acute.: Our tax system is anti- ! 4u?ted ai>d bears unequally on the taxpayers and is causing much dis- : content. i "There is an urgent demand for i a revision of our tax laws so that i eaeh individual "will be required to i bear.'his part of the tax burden. : Xh?t there is a solution, wo feel \ ?sure; so we are asking you together ; with ?'othcr.-citizens of South Caro lina to meet in Columbia on Wed nesday, December 14, 11 a. m., in ; the ttbrary at the State House, :o consider what might be done to ; face this ??.>ue. It seems to us that we' can come to no sure solution ? r-t- this problem until such citizens j as yourself gather and take coun- j sei on iL * <rVPe have no intention of const?- j * tttting ourse'ves spokesmen of the! people, we are but asking a num- ; * her. of thoughtful citizens to meet! aim" talk over,with us this urgent! i?sue." * - T?akes His Escape - Tom daughter Took Control of Arkansas Penitentiary .little Rock, Dec. 9. ? Tom Slaughter, the notorious bandit,; '? wj*e/is under death sentence for; killing a prison farm guard, es- \ caped.-. with six others; from the ' 'p^ftfcitentiary. Slaughter controlled j tlte prison yard for five hours pre- ? ceding his; escape, and offered free- : ? -def^ to alL J "Six-.Phillips county negroes whe ? a^i'wder death sentence for con- ; . section with the uprising in 1919! refused to escape. With a pistol! ? -smuggled to him, Slaughter out- \ '. witted the guards, imprisoned the \ '?' ..warden, his wife, son and two ? daughters in the death-cell. He j escapsed in the automobile, of the j .. warden's wife. Passing through j ?entpn he exchanged shots with l tb> city, marshal. ; Mexicans Se&e American Boat Fine Paid and Crew Robbed, According to Report ? ? :v - ' Washington. Dec. 7.?The Amer ican .fishing boat "Mabel." of Los Angeles, was seized early this ^eek about five miles off the Mexi- | can 'coast by a vessel of the Mexi- ' can patrol and another of Ameii-fll can,registry, but manned by Mexi-'i c*a soldiers, the st*-te department f Was advised today by American . Consul "Burdette, at Ensenda, Mexi- ; COir ' : . The "Mabel" was subsequently' released after a fine had been paid. j "the amount of which is not known, j Consul Burdette added That thrc qf-.the crew had b^en heitl by the jVfexicans pending the payment of an additional fine. The state de partment ^announced it had made representation- to the Obregoii jjovernment at Mexico City on the . case. The Olga. D.. '.he vessel of Amer ican registry, the message said, fir ed with machine guns on tV,< : "ifabel" before ?t was seized and the crew were then roughly trea*. d and robbed by the'men of the Oiga, D.*\and the "Tec?ie." *>f the Me>.- ; ican . patrol. The Americans were charged with carrying contraband arms and munitions, although this j was later changed to a charge of illegal fishing. The cargo of '.he "Mabel." it :s said, consisted of f?v h iced fish. Valued at $3.00^. and according ro a telegram from Capt. Jacob lWn- I stern to the owners, was b und ! for San Pedro. Cal?t Dr. Fisk says dying naturally is impossible. Doc must have an auto. Boost and the world boosts with you; kick and the world kicks ut you. A Sing Sing guard, unarmed, cap tured seven escaping prisoners. Saven of them?"Good guard!" ? ? ? Germany is starting cafeterias and all hope? is lost. If a girl's face is her fortune there's billions in a drug store. Looks like a ten-year naval hol iday Most short skirts have something to go up in thvr air about. i Educational Meet ing Held Friday Splendid Address by Dr. S. H. . Edmunds and Paper by Mrs. Stuckey Heard In harmony with action which is being taken all over our country in the observance of American Edu cation Week. December 4th to the K'th. under the auspices of the National Education Association and of ;he American Legion, a meeting was called toy County Superin tendent of Education J. H. Hnyn ; worth and was held at noon Friday in the auditorium of th? Oirls' High school. The meeting was opened by a short devotional service by Dr. J W. Daniel and this followed by a musical selection "The Star" sung by Mrs. Lester, Mis. Stuckey ac companying. Dr. S. H. Edmunds, in his usual excellent manner, delivered a most instructive and enlightening address His subject was "Educa tion, the greatest investment for Communly. State and Nation." Many .educational problems of Nat ional importance were very lucidly brought to discussion. A very stricking o.uotation used by Dr. Ed munds was: "A* education is the safest investment: pays the highest interest; is the most readily con verted into cash: never depreciates in value: never suffers from taxa tion: is never in danger from thieves; never ends in a law suit: is a gain for all eternity." Around this theme and the sub ject of true Americanism were cen tered the main points of the ad dress. Following this address an excep tionally fine paper was read by Mrs. H. M. Stuckey, chairman of the State Federation of the Women's Music Club. Her paper was enti tled "The Golden Hour." and ha? to deal with the establishing of a musical hour daily in the schools of the country. Dr. Haynsworth read resolutions which were adopted at the educa tional meeting held in Spartan burg which were (1) to create and appoint a commission to conduct a j thorough educational survey of the1 entire state; (2) to present to the j people, proposed amendment to the : chapter on education in the state constitution which will clear the j way for educational progress, and (3) to introduce such tax reform! measures as will enable the state j to make the public school system i what it ought to be in every respect. It was moved and carried that | these resolutions receive the reo ommendation and the endorse- j ment of this meeting at this time, i Dr. Edmunds made a motion i that no new organization he formed j for the furtherance of this move- j ment but that instead of forming j a new organization that the trus tees' association* be asked to assume j all duties rhat would devolve upon J any similarly formed organization, j This motion was seconded and car ried. Mr. R. E. Evans moved that the address by Dr. Edmunds and the paper by Mrs. Stuckey be publish ed in at least two of the papers of the county. This motion was also \ seconded and carried. The paper, | which received the endorsement of; the meeting will be published in a I subsequent issue of The Item. Trade Week in Bamberg Successful Venture Proves of r Present and Future Benefit ! Bamberg, Dec. 6.?The people of Bamberg county, aided by ex tension service workers, held at Bamberg. Nov. 28 to Dec. 2. what was known as Exchange Week, during which many things were done in the way of giving assist anoe in finding markets for sur plus farm products, things that j proved to be of present relief and will lead to future benefit. The idea j of having a trade week was plan ned by the business then of Bam berg, aided by County Agent J. D. j Brandon, and F. L. Harkey, agent in marketing. Clemson College, to ! get farmers and business men to- j gether for the exchange and sale j of products, and the success of the venture shows the way for others to follow. A large exhibit hall was used for the display oi farm products, j which became a sort of local fair, and in front of this hail was the marketing committee's booth, i where the marketing committee, with the guidance of Messrs. liar- j key and Brandon, received samples 7t products, offers and quotations | front buyers, and made sales or contracts between sellers and buy ers. Pet ans. hay. peas, corn, sweet potatoes, syrup, ete.. were listed with the c ommittee, and many sales were made and many inquiries for samples and prices were answered from buyers in other markets, or ders from such samples to be fill- ; ed later as received. Orders were received for 30 cars of peavine hay and for various quantities of such hings as pecans, syrup, potatoes, and bids w< re received for two cars of hogs. Perhaps the feature of the great future benefit was the "education al*' work done by the agent in mar keting and the county agent in con ducting demonstrations and giving istructions in the packing, grading and handling of products t<? make them more readily marketable In this way farmers learned more about packing and handling sweet potatf?es, grading pecans, uniform canning and labeling syrup, etc., so that their products v?->i] be in great er demand and bring bettei* prices. "America for Americans" is fine; "Americans for America" finer. A telephone pole never hii^ an ;)uto except in self-defense.?To ledo "Blade. ? ? o To the proposal to put the dry laws up to a referendum the wel e"ho is "end em.'*?Newark News. ! Opposition To Secret Treaties \ i Compromise on Chinese Ques tion Practically Concluded - ."Washington, Dec. S.?Striking at the heart of secr^.. treaties affect ing China the Far Eastern commit tee of the Washington conference today adopted a compromise reso lution providing that no treaties or other forms of understandings should be entered into by the pow ers between themselves which would impair the resolution adopt ed by the conference. The resolution is in effect a mod ification of China's proposal in point Xo. 3; of the ten points pre sented at the beginning of the con ference under which no treaty or agreement would be entered into by the powers "directly affecting China, or the general peace in these regions" without previously noti fying China and giving her an op portunity to participate. The resolution, presented by Sir Auckland Geddes, to meet princi pally objections of the Japanese delegates, and Arthur J. Balfour for Great Britain, provides that it is the intention of the nine pow ers represented "not to enter into any treaty, agreement, arrange ment, or understanding, either with one or another, individually or collectively with any power or powers which would infringe or im peir the principles which have be^n declared by the resolution adopted November 21 by this com mittee (the Root resolution)." Other developments of the day affecting the Far East were further discussions by the Japanese and; Chinese delegates of minor ques tions relating to public properties in the Kiaochow leasehold in Shan tung and an- announcement by Mr. Hanihara that he would notify the Far East committee tomorrow the date on w'nieh Japan would be ready to withdraw postoffices from China. The entire session off the Far Eastern committee was devoted to consideration of China's third point of her "bill of rights." Dr. Welling ton Koo, for China, and heads of virtually all the other delegations participated in the discussion, which developed considerable ob jection to accepting the Chinese proposal that China be consulted and allowed to participate in fu ture treaties affecting her. On behalf of the United States Secretary Hughes made a state ment to the committee in which he "observed that there might be : treaties affecting China not ad verse to China, but it could be said j that there would be no secret ! agreements," and suggested em bodying in a resolution the princi ples underlying the Chinese pro posal and an expression of inten tion to do nothing in derogation of the Root resolution. ? ? i State Teachers' Association j - Annual Meeting to Be Heldj in Columbia March 16-18 j _ Rock Hill. Dee. X.?Prepara- J tions are going forward for the | annual meeting of the State ! Teachers' Association of South j Carolina to be held in Columbia, j March 3?;. 17. IS. 1922. Each de-1 partment president is working on > his or her program and expects to ; have a tentative program arrang- j ed by December 17th, at which i time all department presidents arc.' asked to he present at a meeting j to be held in Flinn Hall. 9:30 a. m. The department programs have come to be one of the most helpful and inspiring parts of the meeting of the Association. It will be of interest to know ! that a new department to be known ! as the Department of Teachers of j Music, will hold a meeting this | year and will apply for admission, j Dr. *H. D, Guelich of Winthrop! College is arranging the program I for this meeting. Already, the association has the | promise of United States Commis sioner of Education, John J. Ti gert, to be present at the meeting. Educators in South Carolina will give him a royal welcome to South' Carolina upon his first visit here. Dr. Thomas Alexander, head ofj the department of Elementary Ed- j ucation of Peabody College, has ac cepted an invitation to be on the' program of several of the depart- \ ment meetings. - Things To Learn. Learn to laugh; a good laugh is better than medicine. Learn how to tell a story: a good story, well told, is as welcome as a sunbeam in a sick-room. Learn to keep your own troubles to yourself: the world is too busy to care for your ills and sorrows. Learn to hide your aches and j pains under pleasant smiles: no ; one cares to hear whether you have : headaches, earaches, or rheuma- ; tism. Lafh to meet your friends with a smile: a good-humored man cr' woman -s always welcome, but the dyspeptic is not wanted anywhere. Above all, give pleasure; lose no e ha nee of giving pieAsure. Von will pass through this world but once. Any good thing, therefore, that yen can do, or Jiny kindness that you can show to any human being, you had letter do it how; do not defer <>r neglect it. For you will n<>t pass this way a^ain. That great silence we ln-nr is prices dropping. -?o ?? ?? M?..:; evening g< was s?-? ra next to nothing. ? ? ? - Price makers are not doing much Christmas chopping early. ? Be thankful that you are not prosperity who has been sifting I around the corner for nine months.. Improve The Farm Kitchen Ultimatum Issued by Farm ers' Wives, Who Want Labor-Saving Devices Stories from day to day from the South, the West and New Em gland tell the same message?the women of the farms are up in arms against conditions in the farm- ! houses and particularly in the I kitchens, where they are forced to I labor many hours a day. In Nebraska, says a special dis patch to New York, the women ! have issued an ultimatum to their husbands of what they want and i must have in their kitchens. Some j of their needs are as follows: A power washing machine fori every tractor bought for the farm. | A bath tub in the house for ev- j ery binder on the farm. Running water in the kitchen for j every riding plough on the fields. I A kerosene cookstove for every j auto truck. j A tireless cooker for every new ! mowing machine. A share in the income from the farm. flow demonstration agents and agricultural colleges have carried j the message of labor saving devices to the woman on the farm and : have shown her she is entitled to a j share in the income from the farm l to fix up her home and make it easier to run and more livable A farm survey of Nebraska, j made under the direction of the j government, shows that: Only 17 i per cent, of the farmhouses are | lighted by electricity or gas. the j remainder using lamps: only 15 per cent, have bath tubs: 94 per cent, use outside toilets; only 10 per; cent, of farm women have regular i helpers, and her working time in , summer is thirteen hours and five j minutes, and in winter ten hours j and twenty-two minutes. One worker among the farm*wo men states: "The Woman's Dec- j laration of Independence is putting ; new life into the Nebraska farm j women. A new era is opening for them. With the kitchen equipped j with equivalent machinery to, that i out in the barn, the Nebraska farm j woman is making her lite worth ; while instead of drudging along in the deadly monotony of other j days."... ? ? ? Hold Up Car is Charge Two Men Arrested by York! Officers; Now in Jail York. Dec. 9?Charged with hold- i ing up the occupants of an auto- | mobile on the public highway, im- ; personating an otficer and carrying i a pistol, J. B. Perry, 23, who gives j his address as Columbia, and L. E. j Odum, 26, who givus his address as j Lancaster, were arrested by Sheriff Fred Quinn, Deputy Sheriff Tom | Quinn and Policeman Seph Ury, of ; Yorkville. on <he Powell's ferry j road at a point near the town wa- j ter station, about 7 o'clock last j night, and lodged in the county jail. Occupants of the car, they! arc alleged to have held up on the ! Rock Hill road at the Miller place, a short distance below Newport, were R. D. Alexander. Jr., Paul Neil, the Misses Margaret Marsha-Il and Louise Barron and Mrs. C.=?rl t H. Hart and Mrs. John I. xlarron ? of Yorkville. They were en route j to Rock Hill to see Dr. John I. j Barron, who is a patient in the Fen- j nell Infirmary there. Their car was being driven by young Alexander. 1 Gun Runner Captured Mexico City, Dec. 10.?The Amer ican fishing sch?ner Mabel which is held by Mexican authorities at Ensenada. is described in the for eign office statement as a carrier on contraband arms. Federal Farm Loans j - Anderson, Dec. 9.?County Treas- j urer Griffin said today that there j has been a total paid out from his ofPce since October 15 in nat ional farm loan funds of ?225.100. These claim's were approved by the | farm loan board of Columbia. In | addition to these loans additional ? loans have been approved for An derson county which total approxi mately $200.0C<). ? Q Q Georgia Bank Robbed Cray. Ca.. Dec D*??Robber* last j night took two thousand dollars in stamps and money orders and j eighty-live hundred in commercial j paper from the Bank of (.Irav. -~~ ENGAGEMENT AN NOUNCED BY CABLE j New York. Dec. 10.?Former Governor Burton Harrison of Phil ippines who i* now in Spain, has cabled friends here announcing the engagement of his daughter. Vir- ! ginia. to Christian dross, of Chica go. Thev will be married at Al gericas, Spain, next year. London. Dec. 9.?Sir Arthur Pea- j son. the former publicist, was i drowned last night' after falling in j his bath. -? ? ? Richmond. Ya.. J>??<?. !?.? Dr. j Wilmer Amos Hadley w:is electro-' cuted today for murdering his wife. ! -? ? m> - After the ceremony some women j find they have been hugging de lusions. -?? All the king's horses and all the king's men c an't get peace in Ire- j hind avoir;. Honesty is the best policy for everyone eis?*. J Many of our future convicts are J driving autos. A St. Louis man finds talking bees. Wo saw a spelling bee once. Public Meeting At Court House Candidates For Election To Senate and House of Repre sentatives Heard _ i A public meeting was held at noon Saturday at court house fOi the purpose of hearing the candi dates offering themselves in the general assembly which will be! held on December 20th, to fill the \ vacancies: in the senate caused by the death of Senator John K. Clif ton, and in the House of Represen tatives caused by the resignation of Hon. D. D. Moise. A fairly large ! and representative crowd of men | with a few ladies attended the meeting. Just after the opening of ijjae meeting a motion was made at rne insistance of Colonel J. J. Dar gan that the entire audience ad- 1 journ to the exterior of the Court j House where was in readiness a j camera arranged for the purpose of I taking a picture of the attendants at the meeting. Colonel Dargan related that it would be a picture at which they could point with pride in years to come, stating that they had been advoeators of the platform of a defendant's attorney. , The motion was seconded and car ried. Quite a number of persons were absent from the court room : auditorium for a short time while i this picture was made. At their re- J turn to the auditorium the meet- j ing was again called to order by j acting chairmen John B. Duffie, j who stated the object of the meet- ; mg. The candidates for the House of i Representatives were first heard ' from J. B. Britton being the first ! speaker. Mr. Britton said that he had no special platform to present j but pledged himself to meet the is- j sues as they came before him. He j stated that if he was fortunate I enough to he elected that he would j make the people electing him feel [ as if they had chosen the right j man. j The next speaker. Mr. E. W. | Dabbs, Jr.. stated that he had no i special law to advocate and tha' he j thought that as much service could | be derived from the opposition of j unwise and harmful bills at times j as for the advancing of some new ; bills. He expressed himself in fav- j or of a revision of our school system j but stated that the matter would | have to be placed in the hands of j educators capable of handling it. He was in favor of good roads and of the present road bond issue. He said that he felt that this permanent Roads Commission represented the j best judgment of the county. He j favored a reform in the present tax system, stating that real es- \ t?te and certain other classes or visible property bore the brunt of all taxation whereas there was oth er taxable property which could be just as justly taxed. Said that the j matter was worthy of very careful study. H^e stated finally that he was for a close spirit of co-opera tion among all of the citizens of Sumter county. The last candidate for the house j to speak was Mr. Edgar Skinner. ' ?His talk was short, he only stat- ? ing that he would appreciate the support of the voters and that he j promised to meet all state issues j squarely as they came up. -. j The first candidate for the elec- i tion to the senate was Colonel J. J. I Dargan. Colonel Dargan opened \ his speech with the assertion that it' was not for the honor of the office ! that he had given himself as a can- J didate but that he felt it absolutely essential that he go to the senate j in order that he might carry this measure which was of such vital ! importance. He stated that he had | always lived an independent life J and that if the people appreciated j him it was very gratifying but that! if they did not like him that he, j of course, was sorry, but that it ! would not influence him in any! manner. He stated that he was; in his 74th year and would not ? have announced himself as a can- \ didate were it not for the brevity of; the unexpired term. He stated { that he was giving himself for the j service of the people although his | time for service was now limited. I said that he did not feel that j he could serve any better than a j younger man would he able to do but that his measure was of a most j pressing nature. His main plat- ! form is the introduction of a bill into the senate for the provision of | a defendants' lawyer. This lawyer is to be paid by the state. The ? measure will provide that a lawyer { may receive money from no other outside source than from the state.,! Colonel Dargan gave a number of! instances of happenings that have! taken place in the court room at ! rhe time that he was acting solici- < tor. He stated that lie resigned i this office just as soon as he realiz- \ ed the unfairness of. the whole or- I der of things. He stated that he j has long advocated this measure j and said that he had abundant i proofs on hand and that he would ' like to prove that he had the in? ! dorsement of a number of promi- j nent persons in this and in other states. lie stated that the system was working v. itii perfect satisfac-j tion in Los Angeles, Cal., and that it would werk perfectly here. j <"oi Dargan spoke with all earn estness and zeal and with the satis- ' faction that he is justifiably in the right. He stated that the lawyers Were as ;i elass a line set of m< \ but that they were fundamentally in the wrong. Col. Dargan said thai he was only asking for the chance to bring this matter before ihe people. Time was called on the speaker and he immediately return ed to his seat. The next speaker was Mr. J. K. McElveen. who stated his platform as being for lower taxes, educa tion and employment of the job less. He humorously recited the . instance of his appearing before the) delegation* in Columbia for the! purpose of seeing if anything could be done toward the reduction of the j)resent hif,*h taxes. He gave their answer at the time as being that it was impossible for anything to be done. He pledged himself to keep up the high standards of] the representatives of the county i if he were elected. The last speaker was Mr. D. D. Moisc. He stated that he had ap peared before the voters of Sumter county on four successive occasions and on each occasion they had seen lit to elect him to the portion for which he had1 offered himself. He stated his opposition to the allow- ; ing the portion of people wanting to go back into Clarendon county to go back, stating that they were < only a small portion and that this! county had been placed at a big expense and trouble to vote that section into the county. He stated j that he was in favor of the lowest | taxation 'possible for the proper j functioning*of our state govern- j nient. Said that he had always fa vored a tax levy when it was to be used for educational purposes. As to the matter of the defendant's j attorney, he expressed himself as j opposed on the ground that it was j not practicable and not needed here, at this time. He stated for ; the benefit of the voters that ac- j cording to the latest ruling of the j supreme court, that all voters who had paid their taxes six months: prior to any election were qualified to cast their ballot, providing they, of course, had met- all other re- ; quirements. This would place the j time at the 20th day of last June, j 1920. Mr. Moise stated that ail I who hail held this office were ad- j mirable and very capable men and ; that if elected he would strive to i do ali within his power to keep up this high standard for Sumter coun ty' _____ Where Your Money Goes How Seal Funds Will Be Spent Next Year For a state secretary and tu- ; berculosis nurse who will help to J hold free clinics in unorganized I counties to find patients before it is j too late to help them. To assist counties and local asso- j ciations to employ nurses. To help build county sanatoria. I To get the facts of tuberculosis conditions in our state before the people. To finance the children's hea/th work. To help the State Board of Health secure more sanitorlum beds and | save the lives of those who are I awaiting their chance for treat ment. Buy Christmas Seal Stamps. ? ? ? First Roads Selected for Hard Sur- j ^K-ing. The roads leading out of Sum ter for Mayesville. Bishopville, Pine wood, Camden and Manning have been selected, as the roads of the County upon which the work 1 of hard surfacing will be first com menced. These roads are to be' \ a part of the proposed State High way system of South Carolina. Bids for the building of these roads will j be received by the Permanent Roads Commission from contrac tors on the 10th of January, 1921. Contracts for the building of the j nine principal bridges on these | roads has already been placed and is to be submitted before the State Highway Commission for approval. The new bridges will be as follows: Two bridges on'fhe Manning road; two bridges at White's Mill on the | Bishopville road;- a bridge over Long Branch and one over Green Swamp on the Statesburg road; a bridge over Big Rafting creek and over Little Rafting creek on the Camden road and all the bridges I in Rocky Bluff and Scapo Swamp. Work on these bridges is expected | to be started at an early date. ? ?.? When the new canning factory j gets in operation it will be a case ! of "Make what you can and can j what you make." And while they are at it they ought to 'can' a lot of this 'sour grapes' tall- that is going around and pickle all the 'glooms' in brine and can them too. There is no doubt the canning factory will be a big asset to Sumter and the first big step toward prosperity. The men who actually do things, beside talk, should be given a lot of credit in these times. The slo gan of the Windy City for a num- j her, of years was. "I can"?and Chicago demonstrated the fact to the world that almost /anything could be accomplished if you had the will do it. It might be a good one for Sumter to copy now, both figuratively and literally. ? ? ?? There should be as little delay as possible in organizing some sort of marketing agency to take care of all the country produce, eggs, poul- , try. etc., that the farmers of Sum ter and adjoining counties offer for | sale. There was a man in town yesterday who said he could find no market for a dozen fat hens that he was offering at a reasonable price. This is not a fairy story? the man had the hens and the I price he asked was no more than j they were worth. Sumter needs marketing facilities to take care of Other products besides cotton and tobacco. The majority of the mercantile failures in the cotton states during the pass two years have been due directl> to the inability of farmers to pay their debts "because 1 haven't sold my cot torn" The mer chants have had. rforce. to wait on the farmers wno refused to sell his cotton at the market price, but the creditors of trie merchants re fused to wait and it was the bankruptcy court for them. Tlu- Metropolitan Life Insurance Co.. of New York has purchased as an investment $100.000 worth of the recent issue of Sumter county ?"> 1-2 per cent road bonds. ("'bristmas falls on Sunday this year and there will be no holiday for some people, unless it is decided to give Monday after Christmas :is a holidav. Be thankful you are not Tom Edison who doesn't sleep much. A man with a noisj hat usually talks through if. France Will Ac cept Alliance Quadruple Agreement For j Pacific Received With Favor Paris, per. 9. ? France's ac ceptancc of the quadruple agree ment for the Pacific i.~ regarded as certain in official circles. "Hi-Y" Banquet j Boys and Girls of Clubs Join in Delightful Feed Friday evening at S o'clock one of the most splendid bodies of young boys and girls ever gathered to- ! srether on similar occasion, met at the V. M. C. A. and enjoyed one of the finest of the many fine banquets that have been held in the good old "gymn" during recent years. The boys and girls were all mem bers of the two "HiY" clubs of ihe city, one a bu v and the other the girls' "HiY" ciub. The member- | ship of these clubs is derived from the student body of the Sumter 1 High schools, and the purpose of i the clubs is for a religious social life of these young people. The boys' club has been organized for; three years and has continued to , thrive and grow during that extent of time. The girls' club was only formed during last summer and is: in its first year. The meeting place j of the club is at the Y. M. 'J. A. and ; the time. Sunday afternoon. The | boys and girls are then given the ? chance of hearing religious talks on those occasions from good j speakers invited to address them. The banquet of last night 'wasi a gift from the two losing teams, j one a boys' team and the other Na girls' team, in a contest put on by i the clubs for a certain length of j time. Attendance counted a> point and talks by the individuals count ed ten points. The entire member- | ship of the clubs was divided j among eight teams, each with its; own captain. At the banquet tables, which j were abundantly supplied by a number of the mothers of the boys and girls with delightful food galore, were seated about two ! hundred persons, including the in vited guests of the boys and girls who were the directors of the Y. M. C. A., the ministers of the city, j i the city manager and a number of J ladies assisting in the serving of the S j tables. It may truly be said that ; j everyone present enjoyed to the fullest extent every minute of the ; ; time spent at this most inspiration- , ; al feast of the boys and girls. Many j : popular rags and snappy airs were i executed by the High School Or- j ; chestra. better known as the; "Gamecock Five," whose person- j nel are Messrs. Skinner, Bruner. j Foxworth, Bultman and Lyons. From time to time various cheers. ! rahs and hi's were given by the ' boys and girls in various groups and j then by the entire ensemble of all; the boys and the girls. This was I the manner in which these young men and ladies chose to express J their thanks and appreciation" of the good things granted them and i as an expression of their enjoy- j ment and delight. At the conclu- i sion of the last course of the din ner short speeches were heard from the boys and the girls represei ting; some particular phase. The speak ers were announced by the toast- j master for the occasion, Mr. Fran cis Kirk. The first speaker was Mr. Henry Ligon. whose task it was to extend the thanks to the losing teams for the supper. Mr. Henry ! Ligon had the honor of captaincy ; of the winning team. Miss Helen China, represented the losing teams ! and made a reply to Mr. Ligon's short talk. The next speakers were Miss Daisy China and Mr. Don Blanding whose subjects were the remembrance of the poor of our community at this Christmas time. They stated that the "HiY" ? clubs were to have a room at the Y. M. C. A. and that they were go ing to make their offerings of cloth ing and money to help those of our community who are less fortunate than ourselves to spend a merry j Christmas. The next speaker was ; Miss Annalieze Walsh, who spoke ! upon the subject of the influence of I the "HiY" club upon the young ; peoples' social life. Miss Walsh ? made a most commendatory talk. : Mr. Baynard Pitts followed Miss ; Walsh and spoke upon the same i given subject. An opportunity was given Dr. S. 11. Edmunds, president ; of the board of directors of the Y. M. C. A. to make a few remarks and he told the boys and the girls that the meeting had indeed been an inspiration*to him. By request. City Manager. Mr. S. O'Quinn, made a few remarks, stating that the banquet was truly an "eye opener" to him. He said that he knew of the existence of these (dubs but said that he had no idea that the work being done by them was as spl< ndid as he then realized it to be. The delightful evening came to a close after a number of announcements were made by .Mr. Cuttino M> Knight and after explaining to those present unfamiliar with it. the point system that had been used by the clubs in their con tests. Great credit is due to everyone having the slightest connection with the preparations or with any , part of the arrangements for tins most excellent and enjoyable feast for the young folk. Muscle Worth More Than Brains "Bo" McMillan Offered More; as Coach Than Greatest Scholar Ever Received Dallas. Dec. ?A contract, be-; lieved to be the highest ever offer-; ,.,1 :1 coach, of thirty-five thousand dollars for five years, has been sent to "BoM McMillin. of the Center College football stir by the [Uni versity of Dallas Athletic council. The Pacific: Maneuver, Ground of Fleets and Diplomats. Washington. De e. 2.?"If the Pa eifi<- were merely a great ocean de void of islands or with as few bits of land as those in the North At lantic, probably there would be no 'Pacific problem;' " says a bulletin from the Washington. D. C.. head quarters of the National Geographic Society in connection with the con ference called by President Hard ing for the discussion of the limi tation of armaments and Far East ern ouestrns. "In other words." continues the bulletin, "each island might be visualized not inappro priately as the dot under a vast, hazy question mark. To split hairs, it is not SO mu?-h 'the problem of the Pacific* that is bothering the world, as the problem of its is lands. vIf modern fleets had to be oper ated 6,000 miles from home with out fuel bases, or If cables had to span such distances under water without relay stations, offensive na val warfare and telegraphic com munication over wires would be practically impossible. The great powers of the world woke up to this fact -in earnest about a gen eration ago and began taking over island bases and stations in the Pacific that had previously seemed of little more significance than stages for exotic dances and can nibal feasts. Before this, islands and the lands bordering the world's greatest ocean had been acquired chiefly with the idea of exploiting their products, and only the larger areas were considered important. With the realization of the valu able parts that naval bases and re lay stations might play in the fu ture, there developed a keen inter est in even the tiniest rocks and coral rings. U. S. Bas Big -Stake" in Pacific. "As landlords of the domains that bound the vast bowl of the Pacific now sit three great vitally interested powers ? the United States, Great Britain and Japan. In addition there are four nations hardly less interested?China, Rus sia, Holland and France. Among ?.hose countries whose interests are by no means negligible are Mexico, Chile and the other west coast Latin American states. Spain and Germany, once interested at least * to the extent that France is now interested, have passed from the Pacific: but in passing each has ac centuated the problems of "the . United States. "What may be called the 'stakes' of the various countries whose lands hem .in the Pacific vary^ greatly on a basis of their coast lines. Leaving minor convolutions of the coasts out of consideration in every" case, the United States leads in miles of frontage on the Pacific with more than 4.000 miles, counting both the sweep of the Aleutian Islands and the part of Alaska above them. The Philip- * pines add a direct frontage" of about 1,000 miles more on the oth er side of the great ocean. Russian Coast Line Important. "Asiatic Russia is second with approximately 3,500 miles from Behring Strait to Chosen (Korea), counting the coast line of the sea of Okhotsk, comparable in size to our own Gulf of Mexico. "Across the southwestern corner of the Pacific. British territory stretches from Dutch New Guinea to Ne\y Zealand, a distance of about 3,500 miles, but with a break of over 1.000 miles between Australia and New Zealand. In a " way, however. Australia may fair ly be considered entirely a Pacific land, giving Great Britain by far the greatest coast line. The con- . tincnt has for protection a coast line of approximately $.000 miles, easily reached by fleets from the Pacific, and it matters little from naval point of view thar half the water that bathes this loi^g shore line is called the Indian Ocean. Canada adds approximately 500 miles t-o British Pacific coast lines. "The islands that constitute Ja pan stretch along Asia from near the tip of Kamchatka to the southern point of Taiwan (For mosa), and thus have a frontage on the Pacific of about 2.700 mi'es. The coast line of Japan is much greater, however, due to the wes tern frontage on the Sea of Okhotsk, the Sea of Japan, j.nd the Yellow and Eastern Seas. Philippines Screen Asiatic Lands. "Screened by the Philippines ami the British possessions in northern Borneo, the Dutch pos sessions have a direct frontage on the Pacific of only about 1,000 miles: but their total coast line, 1 counting that on the Indian Ocean, is many times that figure. China's coast line. too. is screened, by Ja pan. It amounts to about 2,000 ? miles. French Indo China, be hind the Philippines, has a coast line of about 1,000 miles on the China Sea. "On the eastern side of the Pa . . Mexico has a coast line of more than 2.000 miles, while that of Chile is more than 2,50<!* miles. The aggregate Pacific coast line-of j the remaining Latin American countries amounts to abort 3.500 miles. "But it is the small scattered is- ? lands controlled by these bordering nations that constitute the crux of the "Pacific problem.' Practical ly all the islands in the Pacific proper are under the control of Great Britain, France, the United States, and Japan. All of the French and most of the British holdings are situated south of the equator, leaving the United States and .lapan in close competition above that line. Guam is practi- . caily surrounded by newly acquired Japanese islands, formerly owned * by Germany: and Japanese lands *kirt the Philippines on three sides. The United States is not a large holder of Pacific islands, but $ it owns the group which is by far the mos; important strategically? Hawaii." If only the grocer would feel con;, nt when we "roT>ogn:zc" our debt to hint. -Rochester Times