Historical Newspapers of South Carolina

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CAMPAIGN PARTY HEARD ATJ?MTER Intense Heat Takes "Pep" Out of Meet ing?Many Candi dates Consider the I ~ Campaign Waste of I - Time and Money (W. J. Carmack. in ?\ews and Courier). Sumter, July 17. ? Patiently braving sweltering heat, with per spiration streaked faces and wear ing sodden shirts, fully S00 voters here today, many of them from Clarendon and Lee counties, lis tened to the drone of gubernatorial and- state candidates for office as they pleaded for the suffrage of the people. - If any "pep** had been engender dered of the candidates from the week' of rest most of it had per colated through their pores due to the excessive heat, although their speeches were fair, but differed lit tle-from those things they have said on other "stumps." The crowd, though super-heated, was rather generous with its applause, partic ularly to Thomas G. McLeod, George K. Laney and Cole L. Blease. candidates for governor, and Mrs. "Wallace and Mrs.Drake, candidates for state superintendent of education. ' The meeting was first staged in front of the court house, but the heat of the sun's rays caused it to be moved to the rear of "the struc ture, when a slight rain began to fail. It was then taken into the court room which was soon packed to^ suffocation. Many of the candidates would like the campaign to be dissolved, as the3r think that, because of the lethargy of the average voter, the itinerary is merely a waste of time a*nd money and they would do bet ter by making indej>endent excur sions into various parts of the state. However, no. official action on this matter has been taken by the party as a whole, the probabil ity being that a majority would oppose such a movement. John T. Duncan of Columbia, the first peaker for governor, said that Blease had referred to Thomas G. McLeod and George K. Laney as his friends and he* had not seen where any of them -had repudiated the. governor. * s /Tf Blease was to commend me," he stated, "I would get down on my knees and pray 'Oh,. Lord, what have I done?'" He made his usual plea for a %; state-owned system of water pow :' ers, claiming that they would be "such an asset to South Carolina i that in a few years the people would be free of taxes. He concluded with an attack on the American Products Imports and Exports Corporation) of which former Governor B. % planning is president, for the payment of ex tortionate salaf ies, sas he declared. Senator George . X. ?Laney of Chesterfield made his ? first speech of _ any kind to a Sumter audience, he-stated. He paid high tribute to the late John H. Clifton, senator from Sumter, whom he described as one of the most brilliant minds .Jhe-siate had possessed. He reit erated his former assertions that he had been the consistent friend of the. farmer and had always stood for all forms of education in South Carolina. He asked the farmer if the agriculturists' are going to stand by Laney as Laney had stood by the farmer. All he asked, he averred was a square deal from the farmer, which he knew he woyld receive. ' He wanted to know If the people were-honest in their assertion that they wanted economic relief by lower taxation.' telling them that he .had been a consistent and bel ligerent foe of large appropria tions. He stressed the need of tax reforms made, through which de creased cost of government to the people could be obtained, emphati cally claiming that the last gen eral assembly had made a good be ginning in this direction by the substitution of indirect methods of taxation to relieve the burden from tangible. property. But," he con tinued", this is only a beginning. Claiming that the policy so bene ficially, inaugurated by the last legislature is continued and if elected, governor he would en deavor to see that it is extended. The Chesterfield senator said that before many years he was satis fied that tangible property would bear no burden of taxation. He scouted the assertion that indirect taxation was but taking "money out of one pocket and putting it into another pocket." He stated that 75 per cent, of the payers of the new gasoline tax did not pay any property tax. He said that it behooved all good citizens to put their shoulders to the wheel and to make every ef fort for the enforcement of the laws. If elected, he concluded, he would not only see to the impar tial enforcement of laws but he would be the governor of all the people, recognizing neither friend nor foe in the dispensing of justice. . With a well applied joke Thos. G. McLeod of Bishopville told his audience here today that he was very sanguine of success. The Bishopvilte man made a strong plea with the people of the state to enroll, telling them it is the duty of every citizen of the etate to exercise his suffrage, oth erwise he would be h derelict in his obligation to his government. He himself, he declared, had never since he was l*i years of age miss ed a stump meeting or failed to KOte in a primary or general elec tion. He graphically <bscrib^.l present f conditions, due to the back-wash j I of the war, and cautioned the peo- j j pie tha" they should not think in j ; terms of 1514, or further back,! I but should view governmental as I well as economic conditions from the viewpoint of today. He empha sized that conditions in 1914 when! appropriations were comparatively low as being entirely dissimilar;' from conditions as they prevail to- j day. He is satisfied, he declared, that the people neither have the j desire or will they permit their ed- j ucational institutions to slide back > j int othe scale which prevailed sev- j i eral years ago. They are poor, he j declared, but they are perfectly willing to make the sacrifice nec- I essary to keep them up to stand-! iard of efficiency. "Expenses in government must] j be cut," he averred? "but these j j reductions must not be made at the sacrifice of efficiency in the j departments and institutions." He declared that he would do j ; everything in his power to curtail j extravagance and see that a man I gave a full man's work for a j j man's pay, but he emphasized that i economy must begin at home, re- S citing that of all the tax money! ^paid by Sumter county, 69 per cent} I of it is used by the county and \ ! the other 31 per cent, goes for the I maintenance of the state govern i ment. I Mr. McLeod told of his work j for the public school system of Sumter and Lee county, and gave high praise to Dr. D. B. Johnson, president of Winthrop College, as the greatest benefactor South Car olina has had in twenty years, I because of the immense total of bequests the distinguished educa' tor has brought from without the state for his institution. Declaring the enforcement of the laws is the most vital issue before the people of the state, the speaker concluded by saying the crime wave will not be dam med until the verdicts of the jury and the sentences of the court are upheld by the executive and by others. . Declaring that the last general assembly had enacted into statute laws many of the things which he had recommended in his messages , when governor. Cole L. Blease, of Columbia, charged that he was in deed, glad to see that the tax com mission had at last recognized that he was in the race for Chief exe cutive. He said that the commis sion had directed the auditor of Barnwell county not to increase the assessment of lands ordered for that county and likewise hearings had been ordered on inflated as sessments in other counties. He reiterated his attack on the conf mission as being an usurpation of the prerogatives of the comptroller general. He made his usual at tack on the budget commission and other what he termed "useless offices" and scathingly attacked the legislative committee on consoli dation and economy because of the expense entailed by the employ ment of their experts. Mr. Blease declared that he was j in favor of adequate appropria-j tion for the public schools, of bet ter paid school teachers and more. thoroughly equipped school build-! ings. He said that some of the I school teachers of the state, pretty ? though they are. merely work for] a livelihood until some fellow comes along and asks them to mar ry them. What he wants to see j is a large body of consecrated! teachers who have the. physical, j moral and mental welfare of the j children of the state at heart. He \ declared that if any part of the j education structure had to suffer! it should be the institutions ofj higher learning: that the com mon schools were the only educa- | tional medium for the vast major ity of the maids and youths; they should be the ones protected first, last and all the time. The speaker declared that the proposed indirect method of taxa-i tion is farsighted in that it doesn't j increase the burden, but merely j transferred it to the consumer. The j only method of reducing taxation.; in his opinion, is the curtailment J of extravagances and the abolish- i ment of many useless Offices. In J this connection he declared that! the 7 1-2 mills levy carried by this year's appropriation bill was not enough to raise the necessary reve nue to carry on the state govern ment, and that it would have to be found through an increased mileage next year, an "off" elec tion year. The levy was placed j at its present figtire. he said, to fool the people. Making his usual charges re-! ferring to his warning given in | 1914 that if certain men were j elected to office, "including one: ; from Sumter" (evidently referring; ftp former Governor Manning), the; state would be bankrupt. Mr. j 1 Blease said his prediction bad i , come true. He charged that there j had been more crime committed j in South Carolina in the last eight years than in any other state I : in the union because of the laxity j in which the laws had been en- ? jforced. He concluded by making no j j apology for his pardon record, and j said that he had made no prom-, j ise as to how he would exercise j 'executive clemency if he was elect-j ; ed governor. ? J. J. Cantey, of Summerton. I i made his first appearance with the i campaign party today and stated] I that he would appear frequently to; let the people know his views. He: said that it was needless for him to ! make the campaign, anyway, for if j ! his printed platform, which he Characterized as being superior to i any so far printed, had been read j I by the people his election is a fore gone conclusion. He declared that j it is u Magna Charta of tew en-. forcemen* and progressive ideas inj government. t "The newspapers and others, T i understand." said the speaker. ' have selected one of my oppon ents to defeat Cole Blease. They !cannot do it: th?' people are not go j ing to submit t?? such dictation. The day is p;ist when a bunch of [state politicians can ni*iet in secret: at Columbia and tarn one of their favorites down the throats of the j people or the state." j He declared that he would be [elected governor of th^ slat*- and that would spell the finish of! demagogism in South Carolina. The candidates for minor state offices vaiied little from the meth od of presentation and the frag rancy of their ideas prevailing through the previous three weeks Candidates at Kingstrce. Kingstree. July ? 17.?All four congressional candidates for the Sixth district and the two candi dates for the office of solicitor of the Third circuit met here today and spoke before a good audience in the courthouse. The first speak er was John G. Dinkins. of Man ning, candidate for solicitor, fol lowed by Frank A. McLeod. of Sumter, incumbent. Each of these gentlemen made a strong appeal to the voters and were liberally applauded. DARLINGTON MAN IS SHOT TO DEATH Lee Sanford Killed by Paul C. Council on Public Square Darlington. July 17?Lee San ford was shot and almost/instantly killed by Paul C. Council on the public square yesterday afternoon about 4:30 o'clock. Four shots were fired, three in rapid succes sion and another was fired into Sanford's neck as he tried to walk away. The first shot is the one that caused Sanfpr?'s death, as it took effect in the heart. The next two shots went wild, one.go ing through the plate, .glass win dow of the People's Bank and the ether being imbedded in the wood work. The fourth and l&st shot: entered the fleshy part of the j shoulder. A .38 caliber revolver j was used. From the accounts of the killing it seems that Council drove up to j the drug store in front of where I Sanford was sitting, in a car, to make a purchase. Sanford asked j Council if he was feeling ill. and j Council replied "that it was no business of his," and used some j curse words. Sanford took offense j at- what was said and went over to Council, and there were more words passed that led to blows. Council, it is alleged, then pulled his pistol and fired. Sanford hit Council a terrific blow in the face before the gun was brought into play. He begged Council not to shoot, but to no avail, it is re ported. Pete Council is proprietor of a plumbing shop and has lived here I for several .years. Lee Sanford j was a skilled mechanic, and was! employed by the Jmperi?l Tobacco Company. The men had always been friends and no previous hard feeling was known to exist between them. Both" men have a lot of friends here and are v?eH known. Sanford is survived by a widow and two daughters, the oldest being a graduate of this year's high school j class. Council did not resist arrest and j was placed in the county jail by! Policeman Bryant. He told friends j from the jail that he was sorry for what had happened, but it could hot be helped. The coroner's jury j brought out . a verdict that "Lee Sanford came to his death from | gun shot wounds at the hands of j Paul C. Council." There was a large crowd oh the street when the killing took place, I but it happened so quickly that j there were only a few eyewitnesses. [ ALEXANDER D. KENNEDY Prominent Camden CitizenI Clainted by Death Camden, July 16.?Alexander j Dalton Kennedy, one of Camden's! best citizens and an ardent* Con- j federate veteran, died here today at 1:30 o'clock, after a lingering ill ness. Mi. Kennedy was for many years one of the most prominent merchants of Camden, but had re cently retired, and was devoting his time of late to his large farm ing interests. He was three times mayor of Camden and prominent in building and loan circles. Mr. Kennedy was member of the 7th South Carolina Cavalry. in the War Between the States and was a visi-1 tor at the last reunion at Darling- 1 ton. He came of one of the first families of th!g county, being a son of the late Anthony M. Ken nedy and Sarah Doby Kennedy. He was seventy-five years of age and was twice married, first to Miss Mattie Bissell and second to Miss Bessie Bissell, both of Alabama. To the first union five children were born, all of whom survive him. Mr. Kennedy was a brother of the late General John D. Ken nedy, former consul general to China. The funeral services will be held from Grace Church. Camden. at 6 o'clock Monday afternoon. Bishop Finlay of Columbia, will conduct the services. MASS MEETING Candidates For Councilman of City of Sumter To Address Voters At request of citizens I hereby call a mass meeting of the citizens of Sumter to be held in the Court House Monday night. July 24th at S:3u o'clock f-">r the purpose "f hearing the candidates for th<* of fice of Councilman discuss the is sues before the public. J. W. McKiever, Chairman City Democratic Organ ization. Edcus-Lambe. Beautiful in all its appointments whs the mawiage of Mrs. Thelma }'.. Edens 11? Mr. Dwight Wilson Lam be, which was solemnized on Wednesday evening. July 19, at o'clock at the home of Mrs. E. W. Vogel, of? W.iLiberty St. Son says the reason he likes bol? bed hair is because h?? doesn't have to search the car every morning to g**1 the hairpins out or rh~ ion CANDIDATES SPEAK AT j BISHOPVILLE I Largest Crowd of the Campaign Thus Far Hear Candidates For Minor Offices Hand Out Personal | ities ! - ! Bishopvil'e. July 18.?The largest I ' crowd to hear candidates for state J ! offices this summer attended the j meeting in Bishopville today. There j was a o.uarter of an acre of voters, i [possibly between 1.000 and 1,200, I and all remained until the candi- j dates for governor had beefe, beard. This is the home of Thos. ' j G. McLeod, candidate for governor, j and an enthusiastic welcome was extended him. One basket of flow- j ers after another was brought to j - the rostrum for .him until he sat j down in a veritable floral display, i The meeting was further enliven- i j ed today by a more general in- { dulgence in personalities. George [ I Wightman of Saluda county again j today read statements from citi- J [ zens of Saluda telling of efforts of 1 ; D. L. Smith, an emplo\ree of the of i fice of commissioner of agriculture, ! to gather certain data relative to Mr. Wightman in Saluda county. B. j Harris, incumbent and offering for ; re-election, retaliated by reading! I excerpts from a letter said to have j been written by G. W. Langford, j \ former supervisor of Saluda coun-; jty, in which Mr. Langford is alleg- | ; ed to have said that the "only oc- i jcupation" he knew Mr. Wightman! i to have was that of state senator j from his county and "going around j getting up photographs to be en- { larged." There has been consider- j able argument between Mr. Harris J \ and Mr. Wightman as to whether Mr. Wightman is a "real dirt farYn I er." ' . , Replying to the charges concern- i ling the political activities of Mr. j Smith Mr. Harris said. "I told my j men not to meddle in politics. I ' can't keep them from talking when ! they are out on the road." Sam M. Wolfe, attorney general j and candidate for reelection, ad-'} ministered a fairly good sized dose i of ether to one of his opponents I when he told the voters today that! D. M. Winter, also candidate for J the office, was charging that the present attorney general was lax in his views on law enforcement and at the same time Mr. Winter him-{ self was violating the criminal laws i S of the state by riding over South j I Carolina on a railroad pass while j i a member of the general assembly, j Mr. Wolfe pointed out that Mr. ; i Winter is a member of the lower j I house of the general assembly from [Berkeley county and said" he was I also a railroad attorney. The law | provides a penalty of $500 or aj term of six months in prison to { ride on a pass while a member of j the general assembly. Mr. Wolfe i j said he had the number of the j I pass being used and also the word j I of reliable men as to its use. George K. Laney was the fifrf. of j the candidates for governor to be } heard today. Mr. Laney said he j would like to see a man of the I people from the people and for the i people elected chief executive. "You I need him there in this hour of j trial," the Chesterfield senator said. 1 I "and if you listen to political: (prejudice you may not get him." ; I He reviewed his-fight for the pub-j i lie schools through the 20 years j he has been in the general as-j j sembly. He was present at the cor- J j'nerstone laying of Winthrop col-I I lege, Mr. Laney 'said, adding, | "and I have been standing there ! ever since." He had never oppos- ! ed an appropriation for that school, he said. Mr. Laney took occasion to de fend the iast general assembly in its efforts to reduce taxes by provid ing other sources for five mills of the 12 voted. Some one has said that this was for political purposes, Mr. Laney said. Those men who thus sought to reduce the state j levy, Mr. Laney said, were aS hon j orable set of men as ever came I together in South Carolina, j The warm welcome given to Mr. i McLeod was most pleasing to the Lee county candidate and he spoke ' with zest and enthusiasm, being often interrupted by applause. Cole L. Blease said he was glad to see that his opponents were not i afraid of the lash of the little of- j j fice holders who had been follow- j ; ing the campaign putting out! i propaganda against extravagance ; jand were rejoicing him in his plea j ; that "useless offices" should be cut! ?out. Whenever the voters heard any one criticising the speaker just ask him, Mr. Blease said, what j j public joh he held or some of his I relatives held. He knew a lot of ? men who were sucking the public j pap who brought nothing in for the j state, he said. He was the only I governor who ever put the prun j ing knife to the general appi'opria j tion bill, he said, as others were "afraid. He did it every year of i the four years he was governor, he f s;ikl. During that time. Mr. Blease i said. h?> was "the" governor and j wore no man's collar. j In < losing the former governor j s:*iri his hat would be hanging in I the governor's office n?^xt January, i John T. Duncan thought, however. ! there might be some mistake jjs to the hat. He knew a man. Mr. ? Duncan said, who went all the way , to Washington a few years :<go to ; pick out his seat in the United ! States senate and that man had j not been allowed to sit in that seat yet. He referred t<? the fact that Kinase was seeking a third term. \\ hi'-'n. he thought, the people of the ?t?te were not foolish enough : to give him. adding '"why he's ? beaten and he knows it. He car ried only three counties four years ago." Mr. Duncan s;iid h*- did ! not know a single thing Blease J had done while in the governor's {?office that he would brag about, n?>r did he know of a single office in which the former governor had re duced the expenses. Mr. Duncan said the Republi cans were spending $50,000 in this campaign to split the Democratic party. The meeting tomorrow will be in Darlington, while Thursday the candidates will be heard at Ben nettsville. LEE COUNTY CAMPAIGN Three Candidates Out For! State Senate" Bishopv'lle. July 19. ? County politics which have been warming up for some time reached a boiling point at 12 o'clock today when the entry list closed. The candidates j who oualified to fill the various of fices by signing their pledge's and paying their assessments were as! follows: For State Senate?W. P. Baskin, incumbent: R. M. Cooper. Dr. J. B. Lane.' Messrs. Cooper and Lane are former representatives from this county. For the House of Representa tives ? Claud S. Chewning, of Spring Hill: H. C. Jennings and L. A. Moore, of Bishopville; J. C. Gathing, of Stoke's Bridge, and D. D. Grant, of Cypress. For County Treasurer?T. C. Per rin. incumbent, is being opposed j by R. M. Smith, of Stoke's Bridge, j For County Auditoir?H. H. Pate, j incumbent, is unopposed., For Magistiate at Bishopville? ft. "W. Carnes, incumbent, is being opposed by J. O. Du Rant and W. R. DuBose. Magistrate at Cypress?L. R. j Parnell. incumbent, is being oppos-j ed by Fleetwood L. Stucky, of I Alcot. and Claude Thomas of Cy- I press. Magistrates at Stokes' Bridge? ! J. T. Smith and W; L.' Gauthour. j Magistrates K. E. Wells, of St. ! Charles; J. D. Munn, Lucknow; M. j L.- Keels. Lynchburg; J. E. Chewn- I ing. Sonia; R. D. Hancock, Spring ! Hill have no poposition. . The county campaign will open ; up at Lynehburg tomorrow. There i will be only one meeting each I week, which will be held on Th?rs- j day, July 27 at St. Charles: August j 3 at Lucknow: August 10 at Ionia; August 17 at Bishopville. REPORT ON j COTTON CROP; Improvement in Condition Figures Noted in South Carolina Washington, July 19.?An un usually good week for cotton was j reported by the weather bureau to j day in its crop and weather re- ( view for the week ending yester- j day. The weather was favorable ; for cotton in nearly all sections of i the belt, it was said. ' The temperature averaged near j normal in all districts with general light to moderate showers east of the Mississippi river and mostly ? light rainfall to the westward ex- | cept for moderate to heavy rains ? in Central and- Eastern Oklahoma," ? the review added. "Very good progress of the crop was reported from the Carolinas, "j Texas, Arkansas and Louisiana, j and also in Texas except the. late planted which was mostly poor. The crop made excellent growth j in Oklahoma, where it was bloom- I ing and fruiting nicely in most j sections. Progress was poor to j fair is Mississippi and generally fair in Alabama and Georgia. Some shedding was reported from South ern Texas, but in general the crop was fruiting fairly well in that State. Improvement Noted. "Cotton was in very good con dition in North Carolina except in the eastern portion where it was still showing the effect of previous wet weather. Improvement in the condition of the crop was noted in South Carolina and Georgia with bolls forming nicely in the latter State. "Condition was generally fair in Alabama, except that it was poor in some southeastren sections: the plants were generally small but fruiting. Its condition was gen erally fair in Oklahoma'and ranged from fair to excellent in Southern and Western Texas and generally fair elsewhere in that State. "While temperatures were mod erate in Oklahoma and Arkansas, sunshine .was somewhat deficient and there was considerably cloudy weather which increased weevil ac tivity, but damage was somewhat kept in cfieck by dry weather. The weevils were appearing in increas ing numbers in the more north-. eastern portions of the belt and contmueu "numerous in the central and southeastern portions. with muci damage in somel ocalities." Sweet Potatoes. "Sweet potatoes made good to excellent growth in the Southern States under favorable weather conditions, and sugar cane con tinued good growth in the lower Mississippi Valley, but some fields were abandoned to grass. Peanuts were doing well in Florida. but continued in poor condition in Vir ginia. "Tobacco was generally fine in Kentucky and much was topped, but there was some complaint of rust locally. The late crop was growing well in Kentucky, except in the northern Burley district \herc rain was needed. It was somewhat too wet in parts of Ten nessee for the hf.rt growth of this crop. Curing continued in South Carolina." A new company. The Sumter Package Co., has been organized in the <-ity. which has been re cently opened at No. .6 W. Liberty St. Mr. A. L. Jackson is the man ager, who whs formerly president ;md manager of the Jackson Co. They will handle staple groceries and feeds. ! S??mHimes we think our weather man is foolish with the heat. EFFORTS TO END STRIKE BROKEN OFF Roads Refuse to Dis place New" Employ* j ees and Grant Sen iority Rights to Re- | turning Strikers Chicago, July 19?Failure of all efforts' to bring about the settle ment of the country-wide strike of the railway shopmen : was an- j nounced tonight in a statement is sued by Ben. W. Hooper, chairman | of the United States Railway La bor Board. "As there does not seem to be any probability of reconciling the antipodal views of the carriers and the men. on the question at issue, the labor board and none. of its members are now engaged in any further efforts along thai line," the statement said. At the same time, the statement pointed out that virtual agree ment had been , reached between the rail heads and the strike lead ers on all five of the points . in dispute except that of the return to the strikers of their seniority rights ?a question which was not origin ally in dispute between the roads and their men. \ Railroad executives through the western presidents' committee on public relations of the Association j of Railway Executives issued a \ statement tonight corroborating I Chairman Hooper's' statement that no further peace conferences are being, held* and that the seniority; issue, was the principal stumbling block: . I "There are now no conferences in progress Ipoking to a settlement of the shop crafts' strike," the ex ecutives' statement said. "Chair man Hooper of the labor board has held informal conferences with some railway executives' but these have had no results and are now at an end. 4 ' "Since the strike 'was called the so-called question. of ? 'seniority rights' has arisen and has now be come one of importance." Chairman Hooper's statement said a. conference was held* last Saturday between B. M. Jewell,' head of the shopmen; A. O. Whar ton, labor member of board and Mr. Hooper and heads of the sev en striking organizations' when Mr. Jewell indicated he would be will ing to s?bmit to his committee an agreed program if the carriers con curred in it. The program, Mr. Hooper's stater ment said, was as follows: ''First: That the carriers which had arbitrarily changed the wages and working conditions of the em ployes represented by said seven organizations, by means of the Contract system in violation of the railroad labor board's decisions, should withdraw from this prac tice. This applied to only a few roads, ?s the others had heretofore announced, their willingness to can cel such contracts. "Second: That the authority granted by the Transportation Act to the carriers and their employes to set up an adjustment, board or boards be exercised-by the estab lishment of a national adjustment board for the hearing of all dis putes except those affecting wages. "Third: That the employes in volved in the strike proceed in conformity with the Transportation Act in the settlement of the dis puted rules and wages, seeking from the railroad labor board a re hearing of the recent wage de cisions and promptly submitting the seven disputed rules to the ad justment board, with the statutory right of appeal to the labor board "Fourth: ' The carriers to with draw or dismiss all law suits grow 1 ing out of the strike. ? "Fifth: All men now on strike, those laid off, furloughed or on leave of absence to be returned to work and their former positions, with seniority, ani other rights un impaired. "As a method for securing a con ference fully representing the car riers and the, employes concerned, it was contemplated that the rail road labor board should call a hearing for that purpose." Mr. Hooper said he had submit ted the proposition to several rail nay executives with the agreement that if a tentative agreement could be reached it was to be submitted to o*:her executives. Mr. Hooper said he understood the- program had been laid before a larg* number of executives. "My investigation of the attitude of the carriers has convinced me" his statement said "that no serious obstacle is to bp. found in any of the items above numerated except the .fifth.'* Only sixteen of the 201 Class 1 roads had entered into the con tracting out of shop work and most of them lurve not discontinued it, his statement continued. *nd added that "the great majority of the carriers would be pleased to see that the few remaining hoads withdrew from it." The carriers raised no objection to reopening the wage decision and the dispute regarding seven pro tested rules, he said, and declared "that the foregoing disposition of contracts, wages and rules would remove from conflict all three of the questions upon which strike votes were taken." Regarding adjustment boards. Mr. Hooper said, many roads aiv willing to have regional boards, some, .ire willing to have a na tional adjustment board and some favored boards on each individual road. "An agreement of some sort could doubtless be reached upon th?* matter," he said. "At present." the statement ?on tiuued. "there "is no possibility of :in agreement on the reinstatement of the striking employes with all tights restored." The carriers contended, he said, that when the m*u struck, the car j Railroads and Unions Have Settled Down to Make the Strike a Test of Strength Chicago. Illinois, July 20. ? With immediate prospects for i peace in the railway strike gone, j f the strikers and railroads today I j settled down to a test of strength. I f Reports today indicated a gradual extension of the curtailment of! transportation, some of which how ever, is due to the coal strike. WILL BRING THE ROADS TO THEIR KNEES Leader Jewell of the Striking j Shopmen Says Railroads Will Surrender Within Two Weeks Chicago. July^20?B. ?? Jewell,; leader of the shopmen's strike, pre- j dieted today that the railroads will! capituate and settle the strike with in two weeks. '"The strike is be coming more effective daily", he said, "and the roads will yield, as soon as we bring them to their j knees." The ; railroad executive's statement of the seniority question were charactized by Jewell as cam ouflage designed to conceal the real j ; issue from the national adjustment j j board. The executive board of the | j striking unions will "meet this af [ ternooh to, consider the reply to the statement of the railroad offi cials last night. 82ND RESERVE DIVISION Assignment of Officers An nounced From Headquar ters Columbia. July 20.?The head- j quarters in Columbia of the 82nd i division of the arm}- announces the | assignment of a number of officers! of the . division to units throughout j I the state. Captain Crawford M. Earlei of! Columbia^, and Lieut. Geo. w. M.I Taylor, of Edgefield, chaplain, are! assigned to the division head quarters. Lieut. John E. Edens, of 'Columbia, is assigned to di vision headquarters company. Lieut. "Fred Mayfield, of Columbia, is as-j signed to the military police com- j panjvLieut.- E. >P, J?sey. of Laraar. is assigned to division service com- j panyi' j -To the 327th infantry regiment' the following officers are assigned: j Lieut. Col. L. C. McFadden, of j Rock Hill, and Capt. Robert Cart-I cart, of Anderson, to the regimental,' headquarters, at Anderson; Capt. j B. A. Vandiver, of Anderson, to the j howitzer company, at Anderson;! j Lieut. Oscar L. Keith. Columbia, to I the battalion headquarters. Colum-j bia: Lieut. Col. Benj. R. T. Tod3, of Barsdale. to the second battal ion headquarters, Spartanburg, and j Lieut. H. M. Kinsey. of Walterboro, j to Co. "M" at Walterboro. To the 157th field artillery bri-j gadc headquarters, Columbia, Ma- i jor Fitz Wil'iam Woodrow. Co- j lumbia, and Capt. McDavid Hor-j ton, of Columbia, are assigned. ! To the 320th field artillery, head quarters, Columbia. Lieut. Col. I Irvine Belser and LieUt. Walter R. \ Wnilden, both of Columbia, are assigned. < To the first battalion, 320th field artillery*. Major A. A. Manning, j of Spartanburg. is assigned: and to Battery "B" of the same outfit, j Anderson. Robert E. Pennell, of Anderson, is assigned. Lieut. William F. R. Johnson of j Marion, is transferred from thej 82nd division headquarters to thej 307th engineer regiment, combat, i at Jacksonville, Fla. Lieut. Wilton P. Home, of Lanes, j is transferred from Co. "M" at; Walterboro. to Co. "L," at Suniter, I of the 327th infantry. Within 60 days the greatly dis- j cussed abattoir will be completed. j at least the contract calls fori such, j It will be located on* an ideal spot, j which borders on the city limits. I at Green Swamp. It is reported that material is already on the grounds and work will begin im mediately. A great asset this will be to Sumter. ? ? m I Those who judged .men by their J clothes are all lead now. They were fooiish to jjudge hootch by the label. ] riers owed to themselves and the { public the duty of continuing: the ! operation of the trains for the transportation of freight, passen j gers and mails. In doing this, Mr. j Hooper said, the carriers endeav I ored tc replace the men who quit I the service and asserted that they j promised efficient men permanent j employment and fair treatment af | tor the strike ?"s over and cannot j recede from these obligations. ; 'They also state.*' Mr. Hooper con tinued, "that to give the returning strikers preference over the men now employed would merely en courage the recurrence of strikes." The carriers, he said, have prom isued to employ men who have been out on strike if they have not been guilty of breaches of peace and the destruction of property, but refused to give them seniority over those who have remained at work. "Personally." the, statement said, "I had hoped that some agreement might be reached that would re sult in the resumption of work by men now on strike. This ques tion is not before the labor board at this time, but iv one between the carriers and the employes." REDUCTION OF REPARATIONS CONSIDERED Drift is Steadily To ward Remission of Indemnity Demand ed q?* Germany ? America and Eng land will Bear Bur j den ' ' i _ Paris, July 17.?The reduction of ithe German indemnity to 50,00?,- . j 000.000 gold marks from the pres j ent total of 132,000,000,000 and th$ i cancellation of the French debt to 5 i England is the' basis of a solution fof the reparations question now I being - seriously discussed by j French and British officials. ^ j Although the scheme has" not [yet officially reached the repara tions commission, members of the [ latter have discussed the details, jc [ is expected the proposed plan w51W [be one of the chief subjects Of dts | cussion ,in the forthcoming meet ing of Premiers Poincare and Lloyd. George. The suggested solution has the [hearty support ?f British officials, [who have been urging its accept | ?nce upon the French officials, it is announced. The latter, so the' Associated Press has been rehably [informed, are looking with more fand, niore favor upon the plan, [provided it carries^ with it. a clean; cut. pledge of? assistance in time-of j attack and assures France the il* jlotment;. wholly or in part, bf I England's. 22 per cent, share of tl? total indemnity. It is believed that j England / is ready to concede yir tually all these demands if full ac ceptance on the part of the French j government is obtained. p The British decided to push the plan when it was definitely deter mined, that the United States^ was i not in a mood to discuss canceTla^ tion of the allied debts, it was, Ilearned today. Supporters of the schenie hope^ America will fellow the lead after she has had the chance to observe the good whicK may result, from even apirtf?' writing off of the war debts. ? . British officials have informed, the French that under their , ptah it is thought the -mark would be stabilized, business confidence re stored and Germany, with a jc? lectible indemnity, would be bo\md to find means of paying. The -proposai has strong advo cates in the reparations commls* sion, it is announced in these cir cles today. "It is expected in that .quarter that jt would have th^ un official support of the AJmeriean government Advocates further point out that jts adbptipn. would improve the effect, of calling, to gether 'the committee of interna tional bankers, who would pr?b? ably arrange, a loan, in itself', large I enough to insure reparation pay ments for several years under th3 I revised figures. The -plafc would call for a mor? I torium for the remainder of this - year's cash paymentt vthe Ass?ci;. ated Fress learns, experts. taking j the /View' that Germany wouJ? S probably be-able to balance her. ? budget by January, provided she [is relieved of payments until that [time. The ^acceptance of the pro I posed adjustment by France, ad vocates explain; would have the- ef j feet of placing all the allies, in i eluding Great Britain and- the Unit ed States, firmly behind France, in the collection of the reparations account. -? ?? m* ? Retail Merchants5 Association Local Organization to "flare Banquet, August 4th The executive committee of th*, Sumter Retail Merchants' Asso ciation met Wednesday afternoon, I and after taking up various sub jects, it was decided to give - a banquet at the Claremont -Hotel, Friday. August 4th, at 8: SO. Mr. L. H. Wannamaker. Jr.. of j Columbia, executive secretary Of : the South Carolina Retail Mer- . \ I chants' Association will be the prin ! clpal feature of the evening. Ev i ery retail merchant of Sumter I should attend this banquet, and ; learn something about the benefit ; that can be derived from mutual j association and collective ?ctivi i ties in modern merchandising. ' The following are the cham pion hustlers among the^ retail trade i of Sumter, who have been assigned j to do the city work of the big ; blow out: Big "Bill" W. B. Burns; ; Jr., Frank Chandler. H. W. McCal ! lum, Julian Levy. G. C. Cooper and I J. Z. Hear on. They are fully eni ? powered to call upon all the sm&U fry for assistance in case of emer ! gency on account of the expecta i tion of Mr. Walstead in Sumte? j on that occasion. The chief of po i lice is cordially requested to wear ? smoked "glasses and instruct his ! subordinates to have their ear* nlled with absorbent cotton, in or ; der that they may absorb every thing without injury to their sen : sibilities. Every retail merchant in Sumter will receive a ? call from one or ; more of the abox-e mentioned hus ; tiers to stretch forth his mighty grabbers in the innermost recesses, of his metal.,containers and bring forth the necessary^ qualifications j for a seat round the table on the date and hour set forth. It is hoped that the committee will receive a i cordial welcome from those j whom . duty calls upon them to ? visit. - - ? ? ? A normal man, as we understand i it. i^- one who thinks central is ; holding out on him in pure pe^ *. j versify when she says the line ; busy.