MARION PROGRESS
A WEEKLY NEWSPAPER DEVOTED TO THE BEST INTEREST OF THE PEOPLE OF MARION AND McDOWELL COUNTY
ESTABLISHED 1896
MARION, N. C., THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 12, 1929
VOL. XXXIV—NO. 10
MARION STRIKE
IS CALLED OFF
Workers Retitm to 'Work at
Marion Mill As Agreement
Is Reached; Recall Troops.
With the strikes at the Clinchfreld
Manufacturing company and the
Marion Manufacturing company
settled, workers at the two mills
were returning to work Wednesday
and the Asheville and Morganton
units of the national guard, on duty
in Marion for several weeks, were
preparing to leave Marion during
the afternoon. The Lincolnton and
Statesville troops will remain in
Marion for a few days longer.
The strikers Saturday night rati
fied terms of settlement drawn up
Monday, and the two strikes were
officially declared at an end.
While the strikers failed to secure
all of their demands, strike head
quarters Wednesday morning de
clared that the settlement was by no
means a defeat for the workers.
Terms of Settlement
The strikers had demanded a 55
hour week, no decrease in wages,
which would have meant about a 10
percent increase in the rate of pay;
reinstatement of the discharged
workers; recognition of the union;
and no discrimination against union
workers.
Under terms of the agreement the
mills will operate on a 55-hour week
but at the same rate of pay. The
strikers failed to secure their de
mand for reinstatement of discharg
ed workers or for recognition of the
union, but the mill managements
agreed to recognize “grievance”
committees of workers, and agreed
not to discriminate against workers
because of their membership in the
union. At the end of six weeks the
mill management may submit the
question of returning to the 60-hour
week to a vote of the employes.
Since the Clinchfield mill has
been operating a day shift for some
time, and the Marion Manufacturing
company resumed day operation
Tuesday, most of the strikers who
are re-employed will be taken on
the night shift at the latter mill and
used to fill vacancies in the Clinch
field mill, Judge N. A. Townsend,
Governor Gardner’s executive coun
sel, explained Wednesday. The
Clinchfield mill will not resume
night work, at least for the present.
Townsend Pleased
Judge Townsend, who has been
here seeking to bring about an
amicable settlement of the strikes
for the past several weeks, express
ed pleasure Wednesday that they
were ended, and declared that any
bitterness, engendered by the con
troversy, appeared to have disap
peared, and that there were no indi
cations of further trouble.
The Statesville and Lincolnton
troops will remain on guard for the
next several days, however, as a
precautionary measure. Judge Town
send expects to remain in Marion
until Thursday. Major Eugene P.
Coston, of Asheville, in command of
the troops at Marion , will remain
here until the last .troops leave, he
said. That, he explained, probably
will be the last of this week of the
first part of next week.
The strike leaders Wednesday
gave a large share of the credit for
the settlement of the strike to L. L.
Jenkins, Buncombe county treasur
er and Asheville banker, who is in
terested in a number of textile mills.
He pledged his word, they said, to
use his influence to see that the
terms of the settlement are faithful
ly carried out, and this, the strikers
appeared to feel, was an assurance
that the controversy would not
break out again.
Mr. Jenkins took part in the con
ference in Asheville Monday at
which settlement terms were out
lined.
Unionization work will continue
Tiere, it was intimated by labor lead
ers, and the union will keep a per-
rajanent business manager for the
union on duty here.
The first strike in Marion nearly
two months ago, when about 650 of
the 900 employes of the Marion
Manufacturing company walked out.
The mill remained closed until Tues
day.
On August 15 the Asheville and
Morganton national guard units
were ordered to Marion, when
Jtrouble occurred as the Clinchfield
mill attempted to open, after having
been closed for three weeks. The
troops, however, remained in Mar
ion, a mile from the mill, until riot
ing occurred on August 30th, when
an out-of-town family moved to the
mill village to start work in the mill.
Judge Townsend then ordered the
Asheville and Morganton troops to
the mill village, and called out two
■J^ore national guard units, those
from Statesville and Lincolnton.
The troops have been on duty at the
mill villages since that time.
Judge Townsend Tuesday night
issued the following statement out
lining the terms on which the strikes
were settled:
“The strike at the Maiyon Manu
facturing Company and Clinchfield
Manufacturing Company mills is
settled. The basis of settlement is
that each one of the mills will oper
ate on 55-hour per week schedule
and that the pay per hour and per
piecework shall remain like at pres
ent. The management of either mill
may submit to its employes at the
end of six weeks from Monday,
September 9, the question of wheth
er its employes want to remain on
a schedule of 55 hours or go back to
the 60-hour schedule, the present
basis of pay.
“The respective managements
agree that the mills shall show no
discrimination against the employes
simply because they belong to the
union.
“Mr. B. M. Hart, of the Clinch
field, and Mr. R. W. Baldwin, of the
Marion, agree that any man or wom
an in their employ can see them on
anything involving conditions or
character of employment.”
MEMORIAL SERVICE
FOR D.E. HUDGINS
McDowell Court Pays Tribute
to Memory of Noted Lawyer
—Sons Admitted to the Bar.
HRS. JONAS HEADS
P.T ASSOCIATION
FARMERS VISIT CHEESE
PLANT IN ASHE COUNTY
Officers Elected And Impor
tant Undertakings Discuss
ed at Meeting Monday.
PRESBYTERIAN WOMEN
MEET AT SILOAM CHURCH
The Woman’s Auxiliary of the
Concord Presbytery held its semi
annual meeting at Siloam Church
near Greenlee on Tuesday, Sept.
10th. The conference began at 10 a.
m. and adjourned at four o’clock in
the afternoon.
Mrs. W. H. Greenlee of the hos
tess church, in a few fitting words
welcomed the visitors. Mrs. Janie
Reid of Old Fort and Mrs. Frank
Gwin of Salisbury presided over the
meetings. Prominent visiting women
who spoke during the day were Mrs.
W. B. Ramsey, president of Mitchell
College, Statesville; Mrs. Edgar Yo
der of Hickory and Miss Carrie Rob
erts of Salisbury.
Siloam is an old church which
was organized more than a hundred
years ago. The late Judge Avery
thought and so stated that prior to
1800 it was called Pleasant Gardens
and was organized as early as 1777.
It was then perhaps, “a church with
out a habitation.” He said, “The
first Presbyterian minister who ever
made his home in old Burke reported
to the Synod in 1777 as the pastor
at two points, Quaker Meadows and
Pleasant Gardens.” If indeed Siloam
is the continuation of the old Pleas
ant Gardens organization it is the
oldest Presbyterian church in West
ern North Carolina west of Morgan
ton.
A perusal of the session record
reveals amusifig and surprising in
formation about the activities of the
old church. It was vigilent of the be
havior of its members, searching and
determined in its investigations of
their misdeeds and would sometimes
strike their names from the books
for such offences or combinations of
offences as slandering a fellow mem
ber, telling falsehoods, wilfully ab
senting themselves from church^ and
church ordinances, and selling ard
ent spirits on the Sabbath.
The church session seemed to
serve as a sort of community court
and to be surprisingly successful in
checking waywardness, settling dif
ficulties between members and keep
ing the general peace of the commu
nity.
On the roll of members and the
list of those baptized are names of
men and women who have been and
are influential citizens in our fair
state and elsewhere, names of physi
cians, judges, teachers, ministers,
and missionaries. The name of one
colored person is found on the
church roll, “Fanny, a colored
woman.”
An impressive service was held at
the court house Monday when the
afternoon session of McDowell Su
perior Court was given to a memori
al service for the late D. E. Hudgins
prominent lawyer of Marion who
died last July. For more than 30
years Mr. Hudgins was very active
in the professional, business, civic,
educational and church life of Mar
ion and McDowell county.
Fitting resolutions prepared by a
special committee of the Marion bar
composed of J. W. Winbome, G. F.
Washburn and J. W. Pless, Jr., were
read by Mr. Winborne, chairman of
the committee. Members of the Mar
ion bar and visiting attorneys from
adjoining counties made addresses,
speaking of Mr. Hudgins’ life and
work, and high place in the town,
county and entire state. The highest
tributes were paid to his memory
and many incidents of his life re
cited, and his great influence and
powers reviewed by his associates
and those who knew him well, in
the practice of law, as well as in
business and in other relations. A
large crowd attended the service;
with Judge J. E. Webb and Colonel
J. L. C. Bird, one of Marion’s veter
an attorneys and a life-long friend
of Mr. Hudgins, presiding.
At the conclusion of the memorial
services in honor of Mr. Hudgins his
two sons. Carter and D. E. Hudgins,
Jr., were presented to the court and
sworn in as members of the Marion
bar. Carter Hudgins, the elder of
the two sons, was presented by E.
F. Watson, who had been Mr. Hud
gins’ law partner for more than 30
years. D. E. Hudgins, Jr., was pre
sented to the court by J. Will Pless,
Jr., who commented upon the fact
that 10 years ago it was his pleasure
to have been presented to the court,
the same Judge presiding, by the
late Mr. Hudgins, who outlined for
him such high ideals and standards,
professional and ethical, that he
wondered if he should ever be able
to live up to them. D. E. Hudgrins,
Jr., made an unusual record in col
lege, having been chosen as presi
dent of his class, later chosen presi
dent of the student body, and hav
ing been successful in winning the
Rhodes scholarship to Oxford Uni
versity, England.
Last Monday afternoon at 3:30
the Parent-Teacher Association held
its first meeting for the current
year in the high school auditorium.
Seventy-six parents were present,
which marks the largest attendance
for the association during the past
several years.
Immediately >after the singing of
“America” prayer was offered by
Rev. T. L. Klutz, Mr. F. R. Richard
son, the new superintendent, then
stated the purpose of the meeting,
and after introducing the teachers,
officers of the association were elec
ted.
Mrs. J. F. Jonas was given the
president’s post, while Mrs. R. J.
Noyes was selected to serve as vice-
president. Mrs. Jessie Morgan, high
school librarian, was elected secreta
ry and treasurer.
After the election of officers busi
ness was discussed. 'The primary
purpose of the association is to
bring contact of both parent and
teacher in such an environment the
children of the community can be
given every possible advantage. The
association placed as its specific ob
jectives for the year two important
undertakings: beautification of the
school grounds was suggested as the
primary objective with a thrift pro
gramme presenting itself for second
consideration.
In order that the suggested plans
might be carried out, “Ways and
Means” had to be considered. One
solution was that the association be
divided into “Circles”, letting each
circle be responsible for methods
and devices.
The general suggestions for rais
ing money were:
(1) Home talent plays. A suitable
date for an entertainment could be
marked on the calendar for each
circle.
(2) Benefit bridge parties. A par
ty of this kind has been known to
have netted $75.00.
(3) By asking each member of
the circle or at least all men for
$1.00. A certain association last
year raised $250 in this way. To sell
the tags on the streets after a great
deal of publicity would be effective.
(4) Rummage sales.
(5) Old style oyster and ice cream
suppers.
HUNTING SEASON
Sweet clover and alfalfa produced
well in Burke county this season.
One man with 17 acres of sweet clo
ver said he had harvested a wonder
ful yield.
HOUCK-EASLEY
The following clipping from the
Berea Sentinel, Berea, Ky., will be
of interest in Marion, the former
home of the bride:
The wedding of Miss Rosa Houck
and Mr. Durell Easley was solemn
ized Saturday morning August third
at seven o’clock, on Mrs. Helen
Cock’s lawn, on Jackson street.
The attendants were Miss Ruth
Woods, maid of honor, and Mr. Lew
is Hart, best man. Dr. Weidler per
formed the ceremony.
The bride wore a lovely dress of
pink crepe. The maid of honor was
dressed in pale green georgette
crepe.
Mr. Howard Tilson, accompanied
at the piano by Mrs. Lewis Hart,
sang “At Dawning” and “Until”.
Mrs. Hart played the Lohengrin
wedding march. During the cere
mony, “’Tis Thy Wedding Morning”
was played softly.
Immediately after the ceremony
a simple breakfast was served to the
gfiests. Mrs. Easley was graduated
from Berea in 1924. She was dieti
tian at the College Hospital for two
years, and has been assistant at the
boarding hall for three years. Her
services to the college will be great
ly missed. Her efficiency in her work
will make it hard to fill her place.
Mr. Easley is a graduate of the
University of Illinois and will teach
in the Berea High School the coming
year.
After an extended honeymoon
Mr. and Mrs. Easley will be at home
to their friends on Jackson street
September 1st.
(Among the guests at the wed
ding was John Houck, Jr., brother
of Mrs. Easley.)
Next Monday and Tuesday at the
Marion Theatre, AL JOLSON in
“THE SINGING FOOL”.
TWENTY MEN OUT FOR
FOOTBALL THIS
YEAR
The football prospect at Marion
high school put on a gloomy face
several days ago and since that time
the atmosphere has deepened. With
only four letter men back to form
the framework, coaches Hawn and
Beam are up against a tough propo
sition.
The loss of valuable men by grad
uation produced a problem for the
coaching staff, but that is not the
only thing that is troubling the men
tors; men who should be in school
have not returned. Keith Kanipe,
star guard of last season, is in Tex
as; Frank Moore, another guard,
has given up football; Alfred Mc
Call, lineman, has enrolled with
Charlotte high school. It is also
known that John Bowditch, center,
will not return to school this year.
About twenty men are out for
the squad, and despite handicaps,
are working hard. Kelly Gilkey,
tackle, has been elected captain of
the ’29 eleven and should prove a
worthy pilot. A light, fast team is
the vision of the coaches atfpresent;
what is lacking in heft is hoped to
be overcome by speed. A heavy
schedule is being arranged which
will be announced later.
Among those showing up well for
the past few days are: Captain Gil
key, Smith, Ma^burn, Clay, Ouzts,
Rabb, Roper, Hennessee, Williams,
Holcombe, Martin, Finley, Ledbet
ter, and others.
A SPECIAL Picture at Marion
Theatre next Monday and Tuesday.
AL JOLSON in “THE SINGING
FOOL”.
Everybody knows the song “Son
ny Boy”. Hear AL JOLSON sing it
to little DAVEY LEE in “THE
SINGING FOOL”, at Marion Thea
tre next Monday or Tuesday.
Farmers of Jackson county sold
three cars of Irish potatoes recently
at $1.10 a bushel delivered at the
car door.
On Friday of the past week sever
al thousand people gathered at
West Jefferson, in Ashe County, to
attend the second annual farmers’
picnic and to hear agricultural lead
ers addresses on this occasion. Rep
resentatives from McDowell, as well
as many of the other nearby coun
ties, attended and report a wonder
ful meeting..
Nicholas Simons, vice-president of
the Kraft Phenix Cheese Corpora'
tion, made an address which was en
thusiastically received. He told
something of the ideals of his cor
poration, and the rapid development
of the dairy interest in Wisconsin,
and cited three towns in that state
as an example of what dairying can
do for the prosperity of a communi
ty. He said that Wisconsin was the
greatest dairy state in the Union,
yet it had nothing like the advanta
ges of this and other sections in this
part of the state for dairying, and
he felt that no section anywhere sur
passes this immediate section in its
natural advantages for dairying. He
did not see any reason why this
state should not rank with or ahead
of Wisconsin if the people will take
advantages of their opportunities.
Mr. Simons stated that his corpo
ration had set aside a fund for fu
ture development of their plant at
West Jefferson and that the first unit
of a modern cheese plant would be
erected at an early date. When this
unit is completed, not only will
cheese be manufactured, but every
other by product of dairy business.
It was also stated that it was
planned to make the West Jefferson
plant a “mother plant”, and as the
dairy interest developed, to estab
lish branch plants where the condi
tions would justify such locations.
A little more than a year ago
through the united effort of business
men and farmers, with the co-opera
tion of the Dairy Extension Special
ist of the State College and County
Agent Turner, a cheese factory be
gan operation in an old garage
building in West Jefferson. The
Kraft Cheeee Company had guaran
teed to take over the plant when 6
000 pounds of milk a day was avail
able. On the first day of operation,
July 23rd, 1928, only 1,126 pounds
of milk was received for which the
farmers received $25.90. On June
10th, 1929, not quite 11 months af
terwards, the farmers sold 19,557
pounds of milk for which they re
ceived $410.69.
This shows briefly what has hap
pened in that section. About 500 pa
trons are selling milk to the cheese
plant. Milk is bought on the butter-
fat basis, at about 50c per pound
butter-fat. Milk routes are radiating
in all directions from West Jeffer
son. The farmers are buying pure
bred and high grade dairy cattle,
planting more grasses and legumes,
remodeling old barns, building milk
ing sheds, and everjnvhere there is
an air of “prosperity”. Mr. G. C.
Conley of Marion said that he had
never seen so much grass, haystacks,
cattle, so prosperous looking farm
ers and as fine farming section as he
saw at West Jefferson.
When will McDowell County have
a cheese plant, or some kind of a
dairy manufacturing plant? Just as
soon as the farmers throughout the
county “get together”, get busy and
produce the necessary milk. Just
handful of farmers cannot produce
enough milk to operate a cheese
plant, but if a large number of far
mers throughout the county will
produce only some surplus milk, the
peration of cream routes will be
profitable, and milk checks will find
their way into many farm homes.
Miles out from West Jefferson it
was a common thing to see five gal
lon milk cans sitting at the farm
gates, no uncommon thing to pass a
milk truck gathering milk, and in
West Jefferson several large trucks
were seen loaded down with milk.
McDowell County farmers will have
to have such a vision of things in
this county. As long as each farmer
tries to sell his surplus milk as
“country butter” on the local mar
kets, there is not much hopes of a
cheese factory, or any other kind of
a dairy product manufacturing
plant in this county. Let’s get the
old fields and little rich coves clear
ed and sown in grasses and clovers,
a few acres of the best land put into
pasture, and everybody producing
milk to sell, with a truck gathering
the milk throughout the county
OPENS NEXT WEEK
Season for Squirrels Sept. 15
Marks Beginning of Fall
Hunting Season in the State*
Raleigh, Sept. 9.—First tinges of
crispness in the atmosphere, pre
saging the arrival of fall, are turn
ing the thoughts of the outdoor en
thusiast toward a trip afield with
gun and dog.
Only a few days remain before
the first of the major seasons for
hunting opens. This season, the hun
ter finds a number of changes for
the regulation of his sport and in
the interest of increased opportuni
ties for its enjoyment.
Licenses for the coming season
have already been placed in the
hands of selling agents over the
state, and many sportsmen are pre
paring for the opening of the season
by purchasing their hunting permits
In comparison with six classifica
tions of licenses sold last year, there
will be 16 for the coming season.
The general assembly of 1929 direc
ted that all persons engaged in
trapping should pay a fee for that
privilege. The general assembly al
so provided for combination hunt
ing and fishing license and a combi
nation hunting and trapping permit.
A special fur-dealer’s law added
four classifications of licenses while
hunting guides were also brought
under the regulation of the state
and must take out a permit to en
gage in this occupation.
Anticipating the demands for the
various types of licenses, the depart
ment of conservation and develop
ment increased by more than one-
third the number of blanks and but
tons for sporting privileges this
year. The total number of licenses
available this year for distribution
is 312,000 in comparison with about
200,000 last year.
Seasons this year have been chan
ged by the legislature to allow the
opening of all before Thanksgiving.
Squirrel shooting, starting in the
western part of the state on Septem
ber 15, is the first to open, and in
the east it comes one month later,
October 15. Deer and bear are the
next species of gdme that may be
lawfully taken this fall, the season
opening on these animals being Oc
tober 1. November 20, the hunting
season will be launched in full sway
with quail, turkey, rabbit and dove
being legal bags.
Game wardens over the state
have been cautioned by State Ward
en C. H. England to enforce strictly
the season regulations, and as a re
sult many prosecutions have been
conducted. Authorities have also in
structed the wardens to check close
ly this season to see that hunters
taking the field have purchased their
licenses.
MAN, CRAZED BY BLOW,
CAUSES EXCITEMENT
Running amuck with a shot gun
in East Marion mill village, Jim
Owens, employee of the Marion
Mill and opponent of the union,
created considerable excitement in
the village Saturday evening, be
fore he was arrested by members of
Sheriff Adkins’ force.
Owens, who lives near the strike
headquarters, went to the union
center, it is stated, to insist upon the
strikers making less noise. When he
appeared there, Owens charges,
West Fowler, one of the strikers,
suddenly struck him with a broad
axe. Owens then went to his home
and secured a shot gun and ran the
villagers into their homes. Three
shots were fired, one bullet taking
effect in the leg on an eight year
old son of Theo. Jenkins. The child’s
wound was not considered serious.
Both men were jailed on charges
of assault with a deadly weapox.
with intent to kill.
DIRECTORS MEETING
There will be an important meet
ing of the directors of the Marion
Chamber of Commerce at the Cham
ber of Commerce office in the court
house Thursday evening at eight o’
clock. A full attendance is desired.
Everybody has heard about the
AL JOLSON pictures. “THE SING-
Then it won’t be long before we will j ING FOOL” will be shown at Marion
have some kind of a dairy product j Theatre next Monday and Tuesday,
manufacturing plant in this county, j Regular prices.