The Alamance gleaner V0L. LIV. GRAHAM, N, C., THtJRSBAY MAY 24, 1928. ' NO. 16. 1 I DOINGS OF THE WEEK ~~1 NEWS REVIEW OF CURRENTEVENTS Signing of Flood Control Bill Stimulates the Mis- ' sissippi Valley. ' By EDWARD W. PICKARD pEOPLE of the lower Mississippi * valley threw rfp their hats and cheered when the news was flashed over the country that President Cool Idge had signed the flood control bill and made It part of the law at the land. Throughout the region especial ly affected there were happy celebra tions,' and New Orleans particularly rejoiced, calling the day the greatest since the end of the Civil war. That city, relieved of fear of annual floods, will go ahead with plans to' take her place among the big cities of the coun try and her industrial and real estate , men already are out after new busi ness. In lesser degree the whole vai ley-up to the mouth of the Missouri river is similarly stimulated, and the railways running through the area are expecting steadily increasing busi ness. Under the provisions of the act a boqrd of three is to make recommenda tions to the President in connection with the adjustment of engineering differences between the Jadwln plan and the Mississippi river commission plan for flood control. Major General Jadwin, chief army engineer, and the president of the river commission are" two members of this board, and Mr. Coolldge selected Carleton W. Sturte yant of New York as the third mem ber. Mr. Sturtevant is slxty-fOnr years of age and was recommended by mem bers of the American Society of Civil Engineers. He graduated as a civil engineer from the University of Mls rourl In 1884. In his early years, Mr. Sturtevant had charge of survey work as a government engineer on the Mississippi as a private engineer. He was employed on the Panama canal and had charge of engineering work in South America and in Mexico. The bill centers authority in the hands of the President and the army engineers. Actual construction work will be handIM by tbe present Missis sippi river commission under the di rection of the secretary of war and the supervision of the chief of engi neers. ' An appropriation of about $25, 000,000 will be required for the' first year. The act authorises a total ex penditure of $325,000,000. hut the Pres ident and General Jadwln believe.the actual outlay during the next ten or twelve years will be at least $500,000, 000. Mr. Coolidge's fears that a land scandal would arise were allayed by a provision that the government shall ac quire flowage rights only on such land as is not now subject to overflow. TWO'more big pieces ef legislation were put up ^o the President when the senate adopted the conference re ports on the fafm relief and merchant marine bills. That the former, known as the McNary-Haugen measure, was certain to be vetoed b.v Mr. Coolidge was generally admitted, and Its sup porters were not sure they could mus ter enough votes to pass- It over the veto. The report on the merchant ma rine bill was accepted only after a filibuster conducted by radical sena tors who attacked It as a sfilp sub sidy meisure In disguise, the postal subvention and constructlob loan fea tures especially being denounced. Nine Republicans nod eleven Democrats voted In the negative. Though a ma jority of the house rules committee are. against the Roulder Dam bll(, the ex tremely active lobby boosting that treasure forced'the committee to put It up to tbe house and a special rule whs granted permitting Its tonsldera # tlon with eight hours 6f debate. This may prevent the planned adjournment of congress at the end-of this week, but It Is'unlikely that the filibuster against tbe bill, announced by Senator Ashurst can be broken down. NOTHING happened last week to Change the prediction of the Hoover and Smith boosters that their respective candidates would have virtual walkaways In tbe Republican and Democratic national conventions. Indeed, these predictions were Strength ened, for Hoover gained 21 and per haps 29 delegates in New Jersey and 14 In Alabama, lyid Smith garnered 44, from New Jersey, Vermont and Hon tana. South Carolina Democrats In conven tion elected 18 delegates to Houston unlnstructtd but directed to vote for a dry nominee and a dry platform. The anti-Smith faction lost In the attempt to Instruot the delegates to vote against Smith "or other candidates of similar views,". Th'e Ne? Jork governor, according to his supporters, already fe ashured of 603% votes on the first ballot at Houston, or within 30 of the necessary two-thirds. Ills opponents dispute 79% of these votes, but there are few bold enough to dispute the claim that Smith Is certain of qomlnatlon and that the convention will be only a Democratic love feast. Reports reached the sen ate committee on campaign expendi tures that the governor's campaign was being financed by contractors who had held fat contracts from the New York state or city gdvernments; but these wer^ denied by W. F. Kenny, one of the contractors In question who has con tributed $70,000 to the Smith fund. He said he had done, In eleven years, not more than $243,000 of tyislness with the city and he added he was ready to add to his contribution to the limit of his ability to pay.' Other substantial contributors made similar pledges. Hoover's certainty of nomination Is more ((perl to dlscuqslpn and Is espe cially disputed by Lowden and his fol lowers. The Hooverltes claim 382 In structed and favorable votes and a probable total of 467 on first ballot, add give 226 to Lowden. But the Lowden figures are: Hpover 329%; Lowden, 258%; uncertain, 317. Secretary of the Treasury Mellon, addressing the Pennsylvania delega tion, created a sensation by giving Hoover as his choice for the nomina tion provided President Cooltdge could not be persuaded to run again. "Hoover seems to come closest to the standards we have set for this high office," he said, but at the same time be urged the delegates to remain un committed to any candidate until they reached Kansas Cltpeaqd could de termine In caucus what course was best for the party and the country. To reporters Mr. Mellon said afterwards: "It Is not certain that Mr. Coolldge will not c3hsent to the" use of his name. The Pesldent may be a candi date." In which opinion he agrees with Charles D. Hilles of New York and other Easterners. It was raid in Philadelphia that Mr. ffellon's declara tion concerning Hoover was prompted by the knowledge that William Vare, local Republican boss, was ready to come out In favor of the secretary of commerce. 'And this Vare did shortly after the Mellon statement. Lowden and Dawes partisans still insist that some of the 79 Pennsylvania delegates will be against Hoover. 1 . CHIANG KAt-SHEK, leader or the Chinese Nationalists, rejected Mar shal Chang's proposed trace In the civil war for the purpose ot uniting against Japanese aggression, and both the Southerners and their allies, the forces tif 'Genergl Feng, renamed their movement do Peking. Chang prepared for the withdrawal of his troops and himself to Manchuria but Feng inter cepted him at Machang where there was heavy fighting. Earl/ capture of both Peking and Tiefltsin was fore seen, and both American and British forces In that region were made ready to protect their nationals. - The Jap anese. in full possession of Tslnan and the zone along the Railway, decided to send troops to Maaehurta tf necessary to prevent disturbances there. The American force In north China totals 4,400, most of whom are at Tientsin. PREMIER BRATLANO of Rumania defies his enemies, and has told parliament that his cabinet haa no in tention of resigning fr heeding other of the demtnds of the peasants. Julia Maniu, leader of the peasants, says they will now boycott the government completely find If that ijoesnt have effect they will' resort tb attire re sistance in nop payment of taxes. Carol, former crown prince of Ru mania. driven out of England, took refuge In Bejgiom. where be was told he might "remdtn so long as he be haved himself. Friends have teased far Carol and Ms companion. Magda .4 , Lupescu, the magnificent Chateau d'Ardennes, near DInant n H. OUSTAV 8TRESEMANN, tori elgn minister of Germany, lay al most at the point of death most of last week, but at latest reports his condi tion showed a little Improvement His Illness created great anxiety In Ger many and bis political enemies, the Nationalists, took advantage of It to push their candidates In the general election set for Sunday. SECRETARY OF STATE KEL L'OGG'8 anti-war treaty plan was warmly Indorsed by the British house of lords when It unanimously adopted Lord Reading's resolution call lng on the government for "prompt, favorable consideration it these pro posals." Premier Brae* of Australia , has given the proposals his hearty ap proval, and Japan's reply Is expected to be an acceptance of the principles enunciated. It Is reported In Paris that Ur. Kellogg will be given this year's Nobel peace prize by the Nor wegian parliament for his work in for warding world peace. The award will not be made until November. REDS from sixteen countries, Includ ing the United States, attended a Communist convention at Cassel, Germany, held under the auspices of the Third International and presided over by a nephew of Ityltoff, assistant Russian commissar of foreign affairs. The discussion was mainly concerning means-of extending Communist activity In the armies and navies of "capital istic" nations and was extraordinarily frank. Progress In this work In the navies of England. France and Amer lea was reported, but Moscow dele gates were told the prospects of revo lutlons In Europe were discouraging, especially since the failure In Vienna last year. Announcement is,made by the Falrchlld Aerial Camera corpora tion that It haa built for the army air corpe an aerial camera with a range of eight miles, designed to photograph areas as large as four square miles Picture taking at heights of 30,000 feet or more will be possible by devices which Include an electrical heating System to prevent the shutter from freezing at temperatures as low as 00 degrees below zero. The machine has complete automatic control and opera tion, {Deluding a device to record the time tne picture was taken, the alti tude. the time of each exposure and other useful data. FASCISM'S new electoral law was passed bj the Italian senate. It re forms the chamber of deputies and abolishes democratic'popular suffrage. The new chamber will be made up from a single list of 400 Mussolini picked men, whom the people will ap prove or reject In a special "yes" or "no" plebiscite. No opposition list Is 1 to be presented. UNCLE SAM la going Into th? busi ness of manufacturing and dispos ing of fixed nitrates and electric pow er, If the Morln resolution adopted by the house Is accepted by the senate In lieu of a simitar resolution by Norris already adopted by the upper house and becomes law. The measure, re lating to Muscle Shoals, may be vetoed by the President. In addition to set ting up a $10,000,000 corporation for the operation of the obsolete nitrate plants, and the disposal of power, the bill authorizes expenditure of sufficient funds to complete dam No. 2. Estimates on the authorized Improvements run as high as $40,000, 000. This will be In addition to the $140,000,000 which the government has already spent on the Muscle Shoals project GUILTY on two charges of Im prudent and unmlnlsterlal con diet and suspended permanently from oxerdslng the functions of a bishop was the verdict of the Methodist Epls copal ecclesiastical court In the oh of Bishop Anton Bast of Copenhagen, tried during the general conference In Kansas City. The court continued the* Danish bishop In his membership and ministry and recommended provision for his support until the next meeting of his conference. The charges against Bishop Bast Involved misuse of charity funds. . $ ; ~ / Reclaimed Land Mad? to Yield Big Crop* Hand embraced in federal reclama lon projects, considered practically f valueless 22 years ago, produced crops ism year with a (roes ralue of flSS, ,97210, the highest amount realised from this acreage atooe the war peak , If lua.* r , Itepoits and snrteys by the Depart ment of the Interior show that the. vtloe of stops grown daring the leal ten yean en )iaad Irrigated treat i . - - t*.' ;* .? - 4 ... . , /? * . . work* ^constructed by the bureau of reclamation amounts to mofarthan 11. 000,000,000. la 1900, when the money returns upon Irrigated land first began com ing In. the total crop raise was $M4, 000. Lastjrear cotton alone grown on the projectb was valued at $10,700,727. Alfalfa led all crops on the project 1 last year from the standpoint of acre age, being grown on 4S8.6T5 acres, or 81 per cent at,the total croflgt trams of 1,481888 aaaaa This crag was fat lowed by wheat, 188871 acres repre ? ?? ? ?-? a ' ? , . 1 \->.l a . .- *1 .-AT' ? JSt- %i \ teJ. w? ? - ? ?ratine 13.3 per cent of the total acre age, and cotton, 178375 acres which accounted for 12.5' per cent. No other crop occupied a* much aa 5 per cent of the cropped acreage. The bumper year on the reclama tion projects was 1919. I*ast year's figures crowd the returns registered at that time rery closely. The crop ralue In 1919 was S152.978.400. This waa followed by a decline during the deflation period to S83.flCrt.8B0 In 1922 alter Which valuee rose steadily to 8181384.780 in 1925. ^ FLANDERS MEMORIAL ? The American Memorial to the eol dlora who fall In Flandara. Thla wIN ba aractad In the Flandara American cemetery, near Waereghem, Belgium, aa part of the work of the American commleeion. True Spirit of j Memorial Day^jl 1 j Memorial day, which waa originally j dedicated to the memory of the sol- t dlers of the Union army In the Civil ] war, without whose services and sao- ] rlflce we should, as far as one can see, ^ have had no Union, has broadened , out In truth It Is not a war, but a , peace day, and ought to be so regard- | ed. For It testifies to the spiritual, , as well as the material gains won for , us by the brave men who had laid , down their lives for the nation. While | for many years the day has been ob served rather as a holiday than a . holy day?the present customs being nothing new except perhaps as they have been exaggerated?there bave al ways been large numbers of our peo ple, as there are today, who keep tbe day, In thought at least, as there are still those who fittingly observe It It Is not likely that the people will ever forget what they owe to the brave men who fought their wars. The important thing Is that they should capture something of the spirit that animated them, and show the same devotion to the country, tbe same re gard for Its honor and welfare. Wo ueed an army of peace, need It sorely, composed of men' and women who will count nothing dear If only they may do something to make righteousness prevail In our national life?righteous ness and true freedom. The suggestion has been made that Memorial day he observed on the last Sunday In May. Thus It would be possible to empharlze the religious sig nificance of the day. We only suggest that, If this Is done, the day following be retained as a holiday. It has been for so long observed as such that It would he a pity to deprive the people of It But whatever Is or Is not done In this way, our people should endeav or to draw some Inspiration from the sacrifices that others have made, and vow that a country which has cost so much In blood shall he kept clean and true.?Indianapolis News. Viriting Graves of Brave Men They% Led The American lads lying beneath, the crosaea in France received their meaanre of commemoration In the ob servance of Memorial day last year. General Perahlng, tbelr commander, Marahal Foch. Ambaaaador Herrlck, high officials of the French govern ment and representatives of the American, French and British vet erana' aocletlea Joined In honoring the hero dead. . A special service was held In the American cathedral In Paris and sim ilar ceremonies In -the American churches In other cities and towns. The French Joined with the Amer icana In decking with flower* all the American war cemeteries. Photograph show* Harabal Foch and General Pershing Inspecting grares of American heme* la the cemetery at 8arcane*. Love's Tribute Tt jwm tmm wbm ^mK vary tpOi fa ?rrea. flooay trafafag caap In immtmIm Iruigeay. To jroa who twl over mm aa4 mkm aur* ' > ? I III MM ^ m 1 ?? t ? ? ?! SM ? Ma ???i? MM wnaeg w turn arw eltorod or tmOU. To yoo lode who Mil enhaieHoee and a amoloeo fravo fa tfco ooeoa eal loaded sw may fa Froaoo. To tbeee who ore otJQ euffoHag froae woaade tad yoo, ekell ehock aad dfaoaoo. To theoe who died. Our proyoro, our lovo aad oar faoro. Memorials Call Living to Duty Tbli Is the season when God's acre, o use a name favored by the Pilgrim rathers, Is at Its loveliest. Nature Is tlnd to even the meanest and most teglected burying place, carpeting the mnken grave with the softest green ind glorifying the crumbling bead itone with clinging vine and fragrant >losaom. This Is the season when the vell-kept cemeteries are bowers of >eanty, and the Gracelands, the Green roods, the Woodmeres, of the great :ltleA are visited by musing multl- * :udes who do not forget to remember. All over this land of ours are pa riots' graves. The heroes of Ave wars rest In the soli of the country lor which they died. Linked together Inseparably Is the youngest who died In the World war with the oldest who rave his all In the War of the Bevo-"' lutlon. Roses and lUles; fuchsias and lilacs; flsgs and Insignia; songs of thrush and cardinal; bugles sounding taps; tbtn wavering line of the veter ans of the Grand Army of the Repub lic; strong, sturdy and youthful veter ans of th# last great conflict?what memories Memorial day brings, bow costly Is a nation's achievements In brain and brawn and blood I It Is a good and wise thing to muse amid the monuments and memorials where sleep those who loved the na tion well enough to defend Its prin ciples nnd die for the preservation of Its Integrity. A journey to Mount Vernon just to stand five minutes be fore the tomb of Washington Is worth all that It costs In time, money, even to those who live clear across the country. A pilgrimage to Springfield to dream by the hillside where the dust of Lincoln rests amidst the prairies that he loved and In the old town where his children used to play. Is an education for the heart What lessons at the patriot's grave for those of us who live?lessons of loyalty, sac rifice, and high service 1 Yean Hat)4 Thinned Ranlu of Grand Army The rank* ot the 0. A. R. marcher* on Memorial day are growing pitiably thin. But the old uniform make* the grizzled wearer throw back hi* *houl LMt Of the Poet. dera; rheumatlam la temporarily for gotten, paley Ignored; there la a mar tial atep; the throba of the drum, the nerre-tightening, muacle-tautea Ing notea of the Ante and life; the thinning ranka march on to the final reating place of the comradea. An other Memorial dag la here and we atop to honor the men who made the new United 8tatea; who took the broken plecea of an empire and put them together again. The Aftermath W* IB a* I'W a Mm were. Yet eg Oe W wee e eee. AM lee we leeeA eei yeeee. Where tneetewM heee. they aeee .el iwii, Oe rllhii et the nt> #nl I hn a/kma n /?H ?H ? (rraptria oj ?? ninoni umirwu?? Society. Washington. D. C7) VOLCANIC eruptions and eartb quakes, which for ages mun believed to be tbe work of ma lignant demons or wrathful tods, are gradually yielding tbe secrets >f their causes and processes to selen itic Investigators. It Is In an effort o extend still further science's abll ty to understand these forces of na ;ure, aqd even to forecast tbeir ap jearances, that tbe National Geo rraphlc society Is sending an expedl Jon this spring and summer to study ntenatvely tbe conditions In one of be world's greatest volcanic regions, the smoking vents of the Alaskan peninsula and tbe Aleutian Islands. The studies will be conducted by Dr. Thomas A. Jaggar, who has lived For many years In an observatory on the brink of the crater of KUauea, itudylng that mighty volcano's moods is shown In tbe waxing and waning if Its pits of molten lata. How It las already been possible with present knowledge to prophesy a volcanic eruption and so to save thousands of lives. Is seen In tbe circumstances sur rounding the eruption of SakuraJIma, Japan, In ldlA This greatest eruption In the an nals of the Island empire resulted In the loss of only SS lives and some millions of dollars In property. Scien tific Investigation Is, In large measure, to be credited with the relstlvely few casualties, for It was through the prediction of the Imminence of the Saknrajlma outbreak that the Inhabi tants of a populous district were en abled to flee from the wrath about to comq. It was through a study of premoni tory earthquakes lu their relation to volcanic outbreaks that the Sakura jlma eruption waa definitely predict ed; cooTersely, It is hoped that, in time, through exhaustive study of vol canic activities, earthquakes may be predicted with accuracy. The phe nomena of the Sakurajlma eruption, therefore, are proving of transcendent Importance to the scientific world, and the measures which were taken to safeguard life at that time are being eagerly studied anew. The volcano of 8akurajlma, shaped much like Vesuvius, rises to a height of 8.M0 feet, directly opposite the city of Kagoshlma, In Kagoshima bay?a tongue of water extending some ho miles Into the southern end of Kyu shu, the most southerly of the four main Islands of the Japanese achlpela go. Growths of young pine trees mark the course of old lava flows from the two main craters of the summit. Warning of Sakurajlma Outbreak. Prior to the eruption of 1914,18 vil lages, with an aggregate population of 22,000 Industrious farmers and fisher folk, nestled on tip shores of this small volcanic Island, which nearly filled the bay between Kagoshlma and the Osumt promontory. The channel between the volcano and the dty was barely two and one-half miles wide, with a depth of from nineteen to seventy fathoms, while that on the Osuml side was only one-third of a mile wide, with an average depth of mbra than fifty fathoms Kagoshlma, the thriving capital dty of the prov ince, with a population of 70,000, la the center of Satsnma pottery manu facture and of a fertile tanning re gion, producing tobacco, dtrus fruit, and sugar cane. Men of science had long known what lay In store for Kagoshlma. Ex perience had taught observers that when "swarms" of earthquakes begin In the vicinity of an active volcano, the "underground dragon" la writhing and preparing to make trouble. - In 1800 and 1910 two writers pub lished wantage that 8aknrajlma was likely to erapt explosively after vio lent prmnoBitoiy earthquakes. RatataIL"durtag ink at Kagoshlma had beaoxannsoaUy light, as had bees the cseegty years andjweitay yean , uaviug liccii luuuncu ujr cvua? uvu