| LIVE TOPICS |
-SOMF OF THt THINGS NORTH ?
' CAROLINA EDITORS V
j TALK ABOUT j
* 01I
Rockingham Post: We are neg
lectful of an important matter, an
Cixy matter to remedy. It U the
matter of "sign board*" at all road
crossing*. They are needed?badly
ii ?ded, not ?o n.uch for us at home,
but for the traveller!. We munt be
uJndful and eonside'ate of strangers.
Fayettvvllle Observer: Mr. John
Huie Informs us that he saw a calf,
about three weeks old, with five
feet, one of the hind 1< gs having
two p"rf?'tly formed feet. The
two feet on this hind leg are equal
ly well developed. This freak of
nature is the property of Miss Kate
Knight, who resides In upper Har
nett.
o . ?
New liern Sun: A newspaper edl
Vor has been nominated for Governor
mc the Republican ticket In Ohio
this fall. In Minnesota the Democrat
ic nominee is a newspaper editor,
?and in New Jersey the Democrats
have nominated the President of
Princeton I'niversity to head . their
ticket, which goes to show that a
fnau does not necessarily have to be
? lawyer to fill an executive of
fice.
ft ? " ? B
Charity and Children. Tlif Or
phanage truck farm has never con
tributed so many or such valuable I
products as this year. Our vegetables
t>ave been abundant all through the
season. Sliced tomatoes, Irish po
tatoes, beans, peas and cabbage of
on:' own raising, have cut down the
Krocery bills and furnished the chil
dren fresh and wholesome diet. The
ipllk supply has also greatly In
creased. The e departments are
under the care of Mr. It. F. Crutch- j
field who with his force of stout
boya, made good use of themselves. j
Wilmington Star: When a fellow
Is riding on a good road such an
elevated feeling comes over him (
he will catch himself whistling mer- j
jrlly or imitating the musical notes
ol Caruso. Howevt r. If he Is on
a bad road and engages In a strug- ^
;le to get through raudholes and has
ills anatomy slung right and left
and bounced up and down by ruts
and one thing and another, he'll
?surely fall from grace and get as
soreheaded and grouchy as an anar- j
chlst. lluildlng good roads helps
out the up-life movement and In
culcates civic righteousness.
o
Ch-wcnvllle Keflector: Pitt county
has held biiother voting primary and
The Retleotoi Is frank to say that
It does not like the kind of primaries
that have been held lure, and be
lieves that man) people of the coun
ty art "f the same opinion. There
int.re debauching of voters Sat
urday than has ever before been In
any eelction in the county. Whiskey
was disrtlbuted freely and It- was
disgraceful, to say the least of It. 1
We do not know and cannot say who
was responsible for It, but be the
guilty ones whom they may. It should
be condemned. The obtaining of (
votes by such means was a violation ,
of law and decency.
MxnAvllle Our-Home: A resolu- |
Uon WW passed at the superlnten- !
dents' meeting at Chapel Hill re
cently dealing with the establishment
of at least one school In each eoun- \
rty of the State in which practical agri
wilture is to be taught. The Un
ion county branch of the Fanners'
Union has taken a decided step to
wards making sure that the law re- j
gardlng the teaching of elementary
agriculture in the public schools be
? carried out. It's Just as necassary j
that agriculture be taught boys who
are going to become farmers as i
that those -who are going to prac- j
tlce law take special courses In that {
line and we rejoice to see these move
ments towards preparing the boys (
and girls for practical and success
ful farm lives. ...
o
Gaston ia Gazette: Do you know
what Gastonia's near-beer bill is?
A gentleman who observes pretty
closely most everything that goes on
was figuring a few days ago on this
and discovered that it is in the
neighborhood of $12,000 a year or
>1.000 a month, on a conservative es
timate. Here's the way he arrived
at It. He learned that the near
beer saloons receive an average of at
least 12 barrels of this stuff each
vreek. There are 10 dozen of 120
bottles to the barrel, a total of 1,440
bottles weekly. The retail price, he
stated, is 15 cents per bottle. It
only requires a simple process of
multiplication to ascertain that this
represents an outlay of $11,232 a
year, or practically $1,000 cach month.
Xbese figures are believed to be too
Tow.
The People Are Awaking.
Evidence Is not wanting that the
voter* of Virginia are beginning to
think about the lnlqultieft of the
fee system. Whilst many of them
are doubtless not giving a thought
to this important subject, there can
be no doubt that the day Is not
distant when they will do so. Re
forms are not wrought In a moment.
They are achieved slowly. As It Is
wllh good roads, so It Is with the
fee system. The people are being
aroused to the necessity for these
two great reforms. Hear a voice
from Nottoway:
"You deserve the thai.ks of
the people for your editorials on
I he system. You d-serve the
more thanks because jou must be
aware that you are antagonizing a
very active and Influential class. I
do not assert that all county offi
cials concerned will be offended at
your loyalty to the public good, and
1 hope that some of them will come
out and endorse your views, for
they must see the Justice of your
position. The fee system, ns op
posed to a known reasonable sal
ary, hns no ground to stand on. Ev
ery rational person wants to know
and has a right to know what he
pays for service, and It >s not a
square deal unless he does. There
is no room for argumei W there. Ev
ery tendency to establish an official
class and to waste money on It
should be vigilantly watched and
actively opposed by every good
citizen and by the press. After all.
apathy on the part of the people Is
our great peril nnd theprlme cause of
all of our ills."
In this condensed statement, tills
able opponent of the fee system has
put the case well. There Is no argu
ment for the fee system as against
the salary system. "The apathy of
thf people'' we fear far more than we
do the activity of the office-holders.
Hear a voice from Southampton,
speaking through the esteemed South
ampton Democrat:
"The seeming Indifference In the
recent primary election In our dis
trict of the voters not voting will
naturally cause our politicians and
office-seekers to 'sit up and take
notice.
"What are the causoaT ....
"Another reason Is that many of
our voters have decided?and not
without cause?'that a few rlngsters
will carry things their own way
anyway.'
"Still another reason is that a
clean, honest poor man?be he ev
er so competent?hardly feels In
clined to offer for office and meet
the conditions that are required.
"The time was when the battle
cry was 'vote to down the negro.'
Our people are thinking more than
they are voting, but the time Is
coming when they are going to
vote, and woe be unto the powers
that be.
"Who are these fee officers who
are organizing to get a lease or ex
tension upon their offices? Why the
cry that it Is necessary to give
some officers several terms that they
may equip themselves to perform
the duties of their offices? If all
recognize the danger of our Presi
dents succeeding themselves more
than two consecutive terms, why
should we want a life tenure of office
for our clerks, sheriffs, commission
ers and others? We have just as
good and competent men who would
till the office qf clerk of the court
for a stated salary of say 91,zuu to
$2,000 per annum as are those who
are now filling these positions.
"Without wishing to pose as a
prophet, 1 predict that many of the
aspirants for a seat in the next Leg
islature will have to define their
positions upon the fee system.
"The Rip Van Winkle nap will
not last our voters all of the time,
and when once aroused there Is go
ing to be a mighty awakening In
this country of ours."
You. there is going to be a "mighty
a'vakenlug'' b< tore long. Next sum
liur, we belie*'.', the people are go
ing to exact from the candidates for
the General Assembly a binding and
uiKiuivocal deciaiation as to the
fee system. In the next few years,
the office-holders who are hugging
the feo ays'em are going to have the
fight cf 'i.elr lives, and we much mis
take the temper of the Virginia peo
ple if the office-holders prevail. The
day is coming when a "por man"
will feel "Inclined to offer for of
fice" and will dare to oppose the of
ficeholders who have builded their
own personal political machines. The
day !s coming when our city and
county officers shall receive com
pensation on a salary basis and not
on a fee basis. The day is coming
wh?n the people will rend the veil
of mystery and secrecy that en
shrouds the treasuries of , the of
fico-lioli'irs.
' Ulp Van Winkle" is not yet
cwake, but he is tossing in his
slumber. He has not much longer
to sleep.?Richmond Times-Digpatch.
Cuba leads as an exporter of man
ufactured tobacco.
J GOOD ROADS J
Schools and Roads.
Th>- Wilson Times takes note of
recent investigations that have led
the state department of education
to favor consolidation of rural
schools as much as possible. It
says:
"Some Interesting calculations ar<
being n.ade In the state department
of Kducatlon by Supervisor of Ele
mentary Schools Drogden as to th>'
relative cost of public school educa
tion In the smaller rural schools ami
the larger supervised city schools. It
Is found that In fifteen counties of
the state that have answered In
qulrles ns to this matter there are
forty-three rural schools with only
twelve children each, and It Is found
! that these cost considerably inon
per capita for the schooling than
do the larger city schools per capl
ta. And at the same time the small
er schools have a low grade teas
er, ai a rule. These figures when
they are fully worked out are ex
pected to make a strong showing for
the oconomlc advantage as well at
| that of better Instruction for the
larger consolidated schools. The onlj
' objection to consolidated school ills
t riots Is the facC that a number of
pupils are compelled to walk quite
a distance. This feature seems to
have been overcome In the west by
| omninusses wini go aruunu inrougu
I the country picking ui> the children
and conveying them to school."
The tendency of the times is un
doubtedly making for consolidation
and the school system Is no excep
tion to the rule. Much money is
wasted each year In the duplication
of work unnecessarily in school that
ought to be consolidated. In this
way terms might be lengthened and
school courses made more compre
hensive.
An important factor in this pro
blem is that of transportation?the
nearness of the school to the family.
And the establishment of a system
of good roads will save this prob
lem. With good roads schools that
cannot now be consolidated can be
united much to the benefit of ail
concerned. Better schools and bet
ter roads go hand in hand and In
the long run are dependent one up
on the other.?Klnston Kree-Press.
Our Roads Neglected.
It is a shame and rebuke to the
people of the South that so little
care has been devoted to the de
velopment of their public roaHs. For
generation after generation they
have neglected this most important
adjunct of respectable civilization to
their own immense loss.
The sand-clay road can be built for
about $;"00 the mile, and is most ex
cellent for all ordinary traffic. The
macadamized road can be built for
from $ 1.200 to $2.500 the mile. Many
of the experts regard the sand-clay
road, when properly constructed, as
all that is required. There has been
a very encouraging forward move
ment In quite a number of the coun
ties, but the general scheme of a
State system of highways has not
been worked out as the necessities of
the people and the interests of the
Commonwealth demand.?Richmond
Times-Dispatch.
In the long run it Is the good
roati that Is the cheapest. It stays
In good condition longer; repairs on
It, when necessary, last a long time;
It Is an Investment that pays.?Rich
mond Times-Dispatch.
Benefits of Rural Delivery.
A rural mail carrier, writing to
the Springfield Republican, says he
hears a good d^al about the cost of
rural free delivery, but hears prac
tically nothing about Its profifts. He
admits that it is no easy matter to
figure up the credit side of the
business, but he makes a pretty fair
showing.
The carrier says the number of
pieces of mall matter handled since
his route was established has in
creased from fewer than 3,000 to
more than 6,000 a month. The num
ber of pieces of mail collected is
more than three times what it was
at the beginning of the service. His
route Is twenty-two miles in length
and he delivers twenty-four daily pa
pers where no papers were tak?n
before. They would not be taken
now, he adds. If the route were dis
continued. Farm values, he says,
have been Increased, and "while It
is not "asy to measure in dollars
and cents the Increment In value due
to the service the fact that It ex- j
l&ts makes the farms more marketa- :
ble." He knows that there has been
an Increase In the number of farmers.
Moreover, along his route there are
"a number of young men who have j
reached the ages of discretion and
decision who are remaining on the
farms." He Is confident they would
not be there if present conditions
were identical with those of ten
years ago. That all the credit for |
this is due to rural free delivery he |
doea not claim, but he thinks the i
rural mall route has been "an im
portant factor in the equation."
The benefits of rural delivery are
many and varied. The service, of
course, costs a great deal of money
and there Is no promise that It will
become teifsustalnlng in the imme
diate future. Aside from the ques
tion of postal revenue its establish
ment has been amply justified by
the dally newspaper to localities not
previously reached and is making the
young men content to remain on the
farm. It is making the farms more
valuable and the farmers more in
telligent, and any agency that ac
complishes these things must be
necessarily a valuable aid to the
c ountry's development. The farm is
the foundation stone of prosperity,
and anything that helps the farmer
helps everybody. The Government is
spending a big sum of money on rur
al free delivery, butl t is money well
*pent and the wisdom of the expen
J diture will be more and more appar
i ent as the years go by.?Louisville
Courier Journnl.
Lloyd W. Bowers.
I When the intelligence of the death
! nt Solicitor-General Lloyd Wheaton
Mowers was flashed to the American
people yesterday perhaps there were
few who could recall anything about
him, despite the fact that President
Taft announced that it had been his
purpose to have appointed him to
the United States Supreme Court "if
opportunity offered." He was a bril
liant lawyer, but he attended to his
arduous labors, content with the sat
isfaction of duty done rather than
with consplcious place in the public
eye. As Solicitor-General of the
United States, his record has tfeen
rarely equaled. He never lost a
case which he argued.
The most luminous fact in his rec
ord, however, is that he left a lucra
tive law practice in the fullness of
his strength to serve the Govern
ment for what must have teen to
him a very small salary. When he
was offered the solicitor-generalship
by President Taft, he was general
counsel of the Chicago and North
western Railway, recognized as one
of the 6,best lawyers in the Nation.
During his sixteen years' service as
general counsel, no charge, technical
or otherwise, was made against his
road. Yet he relinquished material
consideration "at great personal sac
rifice," as President Taft said, and
gave his fine legal mind to the use
of his country. Worn with the cares
and duties of his high office, he end
ed his life as a patriotic public ser
vant.
Fighting alone, single-handed, he
caught the attention of the whole
country last March when he defend
ed the constitutionality of the cor
poration tax provisions of the Pavne
Aldrich tariff law before the Supreme
Court. On the other side was a veri- '
table host of the ablest legal talent !
in the country. He was to have ar- I
gaed the Standard Oil and income
tax cases in November and the cor !
poration tax case soon afterward, j
It Is said that his mastery of these
cases was complete. His loss, at
such a time, is doubly lamentable.
In his self-sacrifice, he showed
that he was a true patriot; in his
legal service to the Government, he
was second to none in his day.?
Richmond Times Dispatch.
Not a minute should be lost when
a child shows symptoms of croup.
Chamberlain's Cough Remedy Riven
as soon as the child becomes hoarse,
or even after the croupy cough ap
pears. will prevent the attack. Sold
by Hood Bros.
Mrs. Benham?"Do you remember
that It was a bright moonlight night
when you proposed to me?"
Benham?"The night might have
been bright, but I wasn't."?Pathfin
der.
NATURE'S WARNING.
Smithfield People Must Recognize and
Heed It.
Kidney Ills come quietly?myster-j
lously.
But nature always warns you.
Notice the kidney secretions.
See If the color Is unhealthy?
If there are settlings and sediment.
Passages frequent, scanty, painful.
It's time then to use Doan's Kid
ney Pills.
To ward off Bright's disease or dia
betes.
Doan's have done great work in
this locality.
William W. Cox. 232 Oak St.. C.olds
boro, N. C.. says: "I suffered from
dull pains in the small of ray back
and a soreness across my kidneys. I
was scarcely able to straighten when
first arising in the morning and ad
ded to this was a weakness of my
kidneys. The kidney secretions pass
led too frequently and contained sedi
ment. Doan's Kidney Pills corrected
the kidney weakness and disposed of
[the backache.''
For sale by all dealers. Price f.O
[cents. Foster-Milburn Co., Buffalo.
New York, sole agents for the I'ni
ted States.
I Remember the name?Doan's?and
.take no other.
RTwoin
I I When you feel that you fji
I I can hardly drag through |fj
i I your daily wrrk, and are
j J tired, discoi.raged and J|
i-| miserable, '.ake Cardui, I .
i I the woman's tonic.
I . Cardui is prepared for H
f|| the purpose of helping
jjl women to regain their 1^
? strength and health. Lji
Not by doping with B
fil strong drugs, but by the If"
? gentle, tonic action, of i?
| pure vegetable herbs. m
iiGARDUl
The Woman's Tonic
PI Mrs. L. N. Nicholson,
|?| of Shook, Mo., writes: H
"Before I began to take K3
I Cardui, I was unable to H
afc do any work. 1 have Hi
taken 5 bottles and have ^
0 improved very much. I N
fp can do the most of my B
1 housework now.
P "I ca^'t say too mich p*
V for Crr lui, it lias done so Egg
B Yoi ?: ruggis* sells Car- 9
| dui. Get a bottle today,
A survivor of three wars and three
wives wants to marry at the age of
94. Some men never get enough fight
ing.?New York Herald.
Children think not of what is past,
nor what is to come, but enjoy the
present time, which few of us do.?
La Bruyere.
flJRIMITURE!
A1 4 NtW PIACt
I want e\? rybody who trades at Four
Oaks to know that I have moved
Into the new trick store next door
to .\Iassengill Hardware Company and
that 1 keep a full stock of FURNI
TURE such as
BEDSTEADS, MATTRESSES, WASH
STANDS, CHAIRS, BED SPRINGS,
COTS, ETC.
I keep also SUIT CASES, TRUNKS
and RUGS. BED ROOM SUITS a
specialty. I make picture frames. 1
ask your patronage.
W.H.LEE
FOUR OAKS, N.C.
THE JNO. A. McKAY MFG. CO.,
Dunn, N. C.
Machinists, Iron and Brass Foun
ders, Castings of all kinds. We make
the best Swing Saw Machine In tht
world for the price. OLD MACHIN
ERY MADE GOOD AS NEW. Hlgb
grade work guaranteed. Agents foi
the leading makes of Machinery
Good stock of machine supplies al
ways on hand.
Agents for the celebrated Farquhai
Machinery. Agents for the Desmond
Injector and Phillip Steel Split Pul
ley.
Wood's Trade Mark
Farm Seeds
are best qualities
obtainable.
Our NEW FALL CAT
LOG gives the fullest in
formation about all seeds
for FALL SOWING.
Grasses and Clovers,
Vetches, Alfalfa,
Crimson Clover,
i Seed Wheat, Oats,
Rye, Barley, etc.
Catalogue mailed free on re
quest. Write for it and prices of
any seeds required. ,
T. W. WOOD & SONS,
Seedsmen, Richmond, Va.
A. M. NOBLE
Attorney-at-Law
Sinithfield. N. C.
Money To Looq
W. J. JACOBS
ARCHITECT and BUILDER
Contractor of Wood Brlek and
Concrete Building*. Nice Residen
ce* a Specialty.
Selrr.a , - - N. C.
J. R. WILLIAMS
Attorney-at-Law
Real Estate Bought and Sold
Clayton, N. C.
Dr. W. B. Johnson,
Dentist
CP STAIRS IN SANDERS' NEW
BUILDING
SMITHFIELD, N. C.
Dr. Paul Fitzgerald
DENTIST
Offce OveriBa.nk
Selma, : : N. C*
S. S. HOLT
ATTORNEY-A T-L AW
Smithfield.N.C.
Will Practice Wherever
Services Are Desired.
Four Oaks Lumber
Company
Contractors and Builders
Do you want a house built, or do
you use building material? It so
give us your work. We manufacture
and sell Rough and Dressed lumber.
Shingles, Brackets, Porch Trimmings
and turned work. Heavy Turning a
Specialty. Come and see our Mater
ial.
Four Oaks
Lumber Co.
DO YOU WANT
A MACHINE?
If you want the best
Sewing Machine buy the
IMPROVED NEW HOME
If you want needles for the
machine you have send 30
cents in postage stamps for
one dozen of. them. By buy
ing a dozen at a time you
get assorted sizes.
For Sale by
J. M. BEATY.
SMITHFIELD, N. C.
I ALWAYS |
I PLEASED I
^ That's the Verdict
Of Those Who
J^j Patronize Jp
| Our Grocery 1
Our stock is complete
Our Clerks Courteous
Our Prices Are Low ||
I Let Us Please |
| You, Too |
I =_=_ I
||S. C. Tumage |
i