MR. POU MAKES GREAT SPEECH.
Raleigh Lawyer and Former Smith
field Citizen Heard Here Sunday on
the War Situation. Makes Masterly
Appeal t? the People to Stand by
the Ssklitrs \>h? Go to Answer
Their Country's Call. Col. John F.
Bruton of Wilson Makes Strong Ap
peal f?r Red Cross Work. Six Hun
dred Dollars Raised.
Last Sunday afternoon a goodly
crowd of Smithfield people and a few
from the surrounding community sat
in the Methodist church here and lis
tened to one of the greatest addresses
ever heard in the town. The speaker
was a former citizen of Smithfield,
Hon. James H. Pou, of Raleigh. He
spoke on the war situation as it now
appears, compared the German and
French people and made a strong ap
peal to the People of Johnston County
to stand by the young men who may
soon be called to the colors to serve
their country on the battlefields oi
France and Belgium.
Mr. Pou began by calling attention
to that day in September, 1914, when
the Crown Prince of Germany mar
shaled the greatest army ever seen up
to that time, getting ready to strike
the blow that he thought and also the
Kaiser thought would give the French
capital into his hands on the morrow
At the same time the Kaiser himselJ
had another great army ready to take
the city of Nancy, the Pittsburg oi
France. But their plans went wrong
Something happened. The greal
French army turned these great ar
mies back and the Battle of the Marne
was fought. And since that day the
German army has all the time beer
near enough Paris for the residents
of that city to hear the booming oi
the great guns when the air was right
Following this Mr. Pou reviewee
German history and philosophy ant
showed what a subtle change in theii
thinking had been brought about sinc<
the present Emperor came to the
throne in 1888. Then with the Gcrmar
character and the German governmenl
he compared the French people, theii
character and their aspirations. Ane
for more than an hour and a half the
speaker held the audience under the
spell of his matchless oratory, his con
vincing facts and his irresistible logic
The history of the fight for civiliza
tion was unrolled as a scroll before
his auditors and America's part ir
the great world catastrophe was pict
ured in graphic language. We did nol
want to get into the war. We tried tc
stay out. But the call came so insist
ent that we had to enter and now wc
are planning to fight for the liberty oi
the world, for a perpetual peace, for i
time when there can be no more greal
wars. The speaker showed his greal
confidence in the ultimate victory oi
America and the Allies, and while h<
feared that many mistakes would b<
made and disasters come to us, he was
sure that we must win in the end.
He told of the call for the registra
tion and how nearly ten million mer
answered to their country's call. Ther
came the Liberty Loan asking for twe
billion dollars. It was given and s
thousand million more offered. Anc
now comes the call for the Red Cross
when the American people are gladlj
giving a hundred million more. Ameri
ca is in the war which is a people's
war. America is asking nothing foi
herself, not a foot of territory, not a
dollar of indemnity, but she is fight
ing for her rights and for the rights
of every other people who want to en
joy individual liberty.
Then came the great appeal to stand
by the President and the Administra
tion in the conduct of the war. He
said no doubt many mistakes would be
made. That we are not accustomed tc
war and that we might have to suffer
disasters before victory came. He urg
ed the people not to criticise but tc
stand by the government and help
rather than hinder.
Mr. Pou next spoke of Johnston
County's part in the war. He said that
the first call for troops would take
about 225 young men from this
county. They would go away to fight
their country's battles, leaving behind
them life insurance policies, homes
perhaps partly paid for, and loved
ones who soon might be dependent up
on them. He said that if the people of
Johnston County allowed a single life
insurance policy of a soldier to lapse
because the holder was at war, if they
allowed a single home of a soldier to
be sold under mortgage, or for their
property to be sold for taxes, or al
lowed a single dependent to suffer,
that the Johnston people are not the
folks he thought they were. He said
that a committee of defense had been
formed in Wake County and that they
are not going to let the family of a
single soldier who goes nobly to the
front to fight for his country suffer.
The appeal was great and every one
present saw his duty in the situation
more clearly than before. There is a
duty for every one who stays at home
just as great and just as important,
if not as dangerous, as is the duty
of those who will be called to fight in
the army.
Following Mr. Pou's great address,
Col. John F. Bruton, of Wilson, was
introduced and made a short but
strong appeal for the Red Cross work.
He showed how the young man who
' might be suffering on the battlefield
? might in his moments of fever and de
r lirium call for his mother as he did
L when a little child. He said that it
was our duty to see that some hand
was there to minister every time a
call came, and that is the great pur
pose and mission of the Red Cross. It
. is not a part of the Government and
is not supported by the Government.
It is the people's part. It is God's call
' to every one to be ready to aid where
1 there is suffering in times of war.
At the close of Col. Bruton's re
' marks, Mr. T. R. Hood stepped for
ward and asked for subscriptions for
the Red Cross work. The hour was get
' ting late and quite a number of the
' people had had to leave for one rea
son or another, but a most liberal re
' sponse was forthcoming and the re
sult was that $600 was subscribed in
' five minutes.
t Judge F. II. Brooks presided over
the meeting and introduced the speak
' ers. Rev. H. F. Brinson led in prayer
and several soul-stirring hymns were
1 sung. It was a great meeting and one
' that will bear much fruit even in the
years to come. The people were
j brought face to face with their duty
as they had not seen it before. The
young men here in our midst who had
r already offered themselves for service
felt better over it and others will vol
" unteer before the call comes to go into
1 their country's service.
^ The Red Cross Class here will con
It
j tinue the work of getting subscrip
tions to the fund for a few days and
it is believed that at least fifteen hun
dred dollars will be raised from this
town and community.
PERSHING'S ANCESTORS
WERE GOOD ALSATIANS
t Gen. Pershing will not be in an en
} tirely strange country when he sets
to work to drive the Germans out
, of Alsace, for 168 years ago his fore
I? father, Frederick Pershing, was a
( good Alsatian. There is a road en
t tering the villr.ge of Beauman still
t called Pershing road.
^ Frederick Pershing and his broth
, er John landed at Baltimore on Oc
, tober 2, 1749. Family records show
, these two brothers lived on a farm
where Greensburg now stands.
John Pershing was one of the nine
( ty-four patriots who took the oath
of "fidelity and allegiance" to form
( a regiment which was the nucleus of
t Col. Proctor's Westmoreland provin
I cials, and carried the standard of the
. rattlesnake.
r Gen. Pershing is the fifth in line.
His father and grandfather were
, born in Maryland. In 1855 the Gener
. al's father went West and settled in
t Laclede, Mo., where the General was
born. ? Exchange.
Weather Summary for Cotton States.
New Orleans, La., June 25. ? Dur
ing the last two days temperatures
have been near normal along the
coasts, and day temperatures from
four to eight degrees above normal
in interior except temperatures slight
ly below normal Monday in north
western portion of cotton region.
Moderate to heavy rains Sunday in
central and southern Oklahoma, and
locally in Arkansas and northern
Texas, and a few eastern districts.
Light to moderate local showers were
reported Monday west of Mississippi
river, in Georgia, and Carolinas, and
a few localities elsewhere.
Heavy rains Monday, Georgia, Bain
bridge 1.36; Mississippi, Hernando
1.08; Texas, Austin 2.18, Coricana
1.08. Sunday, Arkansas, Dardanclle
1.54, Texarkara 1.90; Oklahoma, Ard
more 1.48, Fauls Valley 1.08; Texts,
Henrietta 1.24.
William de Morgan began his lit
erary career at the age of sixty-six.
HOW TO HELP WIN THE W AR.
(
North Carolina Food Conservation 1
Commission Thinks Graham Flour
Instead White Flour and the Great
Amount Thus Saved, If Sent to the
Allies. Would lie Equal to Aumuni
tions of W ar.
Raleigh, June 23. ? If the people of
North Carolina would use graham
flour containing 85 per cent of the
wheat grain instead of the white flour
in common use, and would use corn 1
muffins or other corn products for i
breakfast in the place of wheat prod- 1
ucts, they would save thereby 0,000,- s
000 bushels of wheat per annum, the i
equivalent of 1,300,000 barrels of
flour, which would provide the bread }
ration of 500,000 soldiers for a similar
period. If the entire Nation should fol
low this course more than 200,000,000 1
bushels of wheat would thereby be re- 1
leased for export to Uncle Sam's Al- '
lies, where it would do more good in
all probability than its value invested !
in ammunition.
The figures for the United States
are estimates made by Assistant Sec
retary of Agriculture Carl Vrooman
and the New York Produce Exchange.
The figures representing North Caro
lina's part are estimates made by
John Paul Lucas, executive secretary
of the State Food Conservation Com
mission.
With a view of releasing for the ar
mies and the needy civilian population
of our Allies at least a part of the
wheat consumed in the State Secreta
ry Lucas has addressed an earnest ap
peal to the approximately 200 roller
and grist mills in the State. Members
of the Food Conservation Commission
believe that the millers, the merchants
and the people of North Carolina are
willing to put into effect the sugges
tion for the substitutes of graham
flour and corn products to some ex
tent for white flour. In fact many
are already following this policy.
RED CROSS FUND CAN'T LAST.!
Chairman Says Six Months Will End
$100,000,000. Total Not Reached.
Today is "Pershing Dp/". General
Cables Message From France to
American People.
Washington, June 24. ? New de
mands on the American Red Cross,
disclosed today by Eliot Wadsworth,
acting chairman, shows that $100,
000,000 fund, $18,000,000 of which re
mains to be subscribed in the final
campaign round up tomorrow, may
not last longer than six months.
For this reason Red Cross officials
are hoping earnestly that the fund
will be largely oversubscribed in the
final hours.
Special collections in thousands of
Sunday schools and churches today
are believed to have raised fbout
$2,000,000.
Tomorrow is "Pershing Day."
This message to the American peo
ple, cabled from France by Maj. Gen.
Pershing, was made public by Red
Cross headquarters tonight:
"Americans can show their colors
in no better way than by subscribing
generously to the Red Cross."
Speaker Clark in an address at a
Red Cross rally today put the same
thought this way:
"Those who can't fight can pay."
From sun up tomorrow to midnight
committees in virtually every city,
town and village in the United States
are expected to work strenuously for
the fund.
Tomorrow night the campaign will
close officially but a few citics expect
to continue the work most of the
week.
It wao announced by the Red Cross
today that a corps of physicians and
nurses will be sent shortly to Ruma
nia to fight disease which has de
veloped among the thoucands of war
fugitives crowded into that portion of
the country still held against the
Central Powers' armies.
Chairman Wadeworth disclosed al
so that the committee in charge of
Red Cross in France recently cabled
that every cent of the $100,000,000
mercy fund could be spent to good
advantage in France immediately and
urging that as large a proportion of
the sum as possible be allotted to the
French war zone.
Ambassador Boris A. Bakhmetieff,
head of the Russian mission to the
United States, and Baron Moncheur,
head of the Belgian mission, also
were speakers at the meeting ad
dressed by Speaker Clark.
JVEIt 500.000 WITHIN 3 MONTHS i
rhis Number Enlisted in U. S. War i
Service of Army and Navy and 1
Each Part is Strengthened. Regu
lar Army Nearing 250,000 Mark,
National tiuard Contains Half That
Number. Big Effort This Week. 40,
000 Men at Training Camps and
Selective Draft Army Will be Ready
Soon. This Week Recruiting Week.
More than half a million men have
volunteered in the American army
ind navy during the period of less
than three months that has elapsed
since war was declared to exist, says
i Washington dispatch of the 24th.
The army, navy and national guard
represented an aggregate strength of
little more than 300,000 men when
the war resolution was adopted. To
day between 700,000 and 800,000 are
enrolled in the various branches of
the lighting services and the great
majority of them are armed, equipped
and under training. They will be
joined at the end of the summer by
nearly a million men selected for the
new national army from the millions
registered for war duty June 5.
The regular army totalled a little
more than 100,000 men three months
ago; it is nearing the 250,000 mark
today and war department officials,
backed by the press of the country,
are bending every effort to bring it
up to 300,000 during the present week.
The national guard, 150,000 strong
when war came, numbers nearly 2G0,
000 today according to the best esti
mates available. Of that number
nearly 75,000 actually are under arms,
guarding against German plotters
and doing the job in a thorough and
soldierly way as shown by the trivial
damage the plotters have been able
to inflict.
The marine corps, whose slogan of
"first to fight" has been respected
by the government in attaching a
seasoned regiment of sea soldiers to
Major General Pershing's expedition
ary force to France, has been raised
from 17,000 to nearly 30,000 men.
The regular bluejacket force of the
navy, the men behind the big guns
and who already are trying their
metal against the enemy off the Irish
coast under Vice-Admiral Sims, or
upon armed freighters, has been rais
ed from less than 00,000 to 120,000.
The boys of the country have throng
ed to the navy in such numbers that
recruit stations could not be built fast
enough to accommodate them.
An entirely new force of railway
engineers for duty in France to han
dle railway problems behind the fight
ing lines, also has been created. Re
cruiting figures are not available, but
it is known that some of the regi
ments are at full strength and ready
to go. Probably 12,000 Men have
joined these regiments.
Forty thousand picked men are un
ier strenuous training at the officers'
training camps insuring good junior
officers for the national army. Other
thousands are doing their share at
the medical corps and engineer corps'
training camps and still others are
with the naval coast defense reserve
keeping the Atlantic coast free from
the submarine menacc and insuring
a clear road for the endless stream
af cargo carriers which are taking
thousands of tons of American war
supplies and food to the French, Bel
gian, British and Italians.
The immediate need, administration
officials believe, is to bring the regu
lar army up to its full strength
without delay. These are the first
ine troops, the men who will be the
first Americans to face the German
losts. They will be the bone and sinew
>f General Pershing's army.
President Wilson has designated the
present week as recruiting week for
;he regulars. Secretary Baker has
sought the aid of all newspapers to
he end that 70,000 men shall be en
rolled before June 30.
Recruiting officers throughout the
:ountry have been instructed to advise
with newspapers in their section to
?vork out ways of stimulating interest.
The government has found the press
;ager to aid in making the nation
?eady for war. With the papers of
;ach locality taking up the campaign
'or recruits as a local matter, the fili
ng up of the ranks on schedule time
s regarded as assured.
Brigadier General McCain, adjutant
general of the army, pointed out
)gain today that under the selective
Irmy bill every man v. ho volunteers
n the regulars now from any State
means one man less that State will be
required to furnish in the national
army. A careful record of th? State
listribution of recruits is being kept.
General McCain also directs atten
tion to the fact that after the second
series of officers' training camps has
closed, the only road to promotion
will b? from the existing forces. Men
in th? regular regiments will have
equal if not better chances for secur
ing commissions than men in the na
tions guard or the national army.
They will be of longer experience and
will be first sent to France.
The war department had no figures
as to the results of the first day of
recruiting week yesterday. They will
not come in until tomorrow.
EXEMPTION HOARDS CHOSEN.
Johnston County to Have Two Boards
With John \\ . Sanders, ('. M. Wil
son and Dr. Thel Hooks on Number
1, and N. E. Ward, H. L. Skinner
and l)r. G. D. Vick on Number 2.
The members of the Exemption
Boards for the several counties of the
State were notified of their appoint
ments yesterday. The nominations
were by Governor Bickett and the ap
pointments ir.,.dc by President Wilson.
Those appointed are urged to accept
service, so that there will be no de
lay in carrying on the work of the
War Department. Provost Marshal
Crowder wants the organization com
pleted throughout the nation within
two weeks.
Johnston County has two Exemp
tion Boards as follows:
Number 1 ? John W. Sanders, Four
Oaks; C. M. Wilson, Wilson's Mills,
and Dr. Thel Hooks, Smithfield.
Number 2 ? N. E. Ward, Selma;
Hugh L. Skinner, Smithfield, and Dr,
G. D. Vick, Selma.
The provost marshal in a letter to
Governor Bickett commends this
State heartily for its splendid work
in registration. He says:
"The necessity for completing the
further execution of the selective ser
vice law within the next two weeks
as an outside time limit is a nationa
war necessity of the most urgent kind
The completion of national organiza
tion depends absolutely on the com
plete organization of each State and
the whole nation must wnit on the
slowest State. The splendid showing
made by your State in preparing foi
the registration demonstrates what
can be done in speeding up organiza
tion to an unprecedented degree and
it is believed that the experience
there gained will enable us to organ
ize even more promptly for the se
lection. The great work that is to be
done after organization is complete
will require so much time for its
mere mechanical execution that an
urgent appeal for expedition in or
ganization must be made now."
AMERICAN FLIERS IN FRANCE
FIGHT NINE BATTLES A WEEK
The following appeared in Sunday's
New York Times:
Grand Headquarters of the French
Army in France, Friday, June 22. ?
The intensity of the airmen's activi
ties on the French front is indicated
in the week's record of the American
Lafayette squadron from June 10 to
16. Fifty-four of their airplanes pa
trolled over the German lines and
fought nine air battles, of which Ad
jutant Raoul Lufbery, Edwin Parsons,
and Sergeant Robert Soubiran each
fought two, and Stephen Bigelow, Ser
geant Walter Lowell and Thomas
Hewitt cach fought one.
Adjutant Lufbery brought down
one of his opponents, winning his
tenth victory, while two other Ger
man machines were severely damaged.
Lufbery is mentioned in a late army
order as "a marvelous fighting pilot,
who is a living example of audacity,
coolness and devotion to his squad
ron."
Ten Complete Steel Ships.
Washington, June 25. ? Contracts
for ten complete steel merchant ships,
four complete wooden vessels and 2C
>vooden ship hulls were announced
today by Major General Goethals,
manager of the shipping beard's
Emergency Fleet Corporation. Deliv
eries will be made in 1918.
Press Convention.
The annual convention of the North
Carolina Press Association will meet
tonight in Morehead City for a thre<
days' session.
HOUSE VOTES FOR FOOD BILL.
Gives President Broad Authority. Ap
propriates $152,000,000 Fsr Its En
forcement and Administration.
Amendments Forbid Use of Food
stuffs in Manufacture of Intoxi
cants. Other Provisions.
Tho administration food controll
bill, giving the President broad au
thority to control the distribution of
food, feed and fuel for war purposes
and appropriating $152, 500, #00 for it3
enforcement and administration, was
passed by the House late Saturday
night, after far-reaching prohibition
provisions had been written into it,
says a Washington dispatch.
The vote was 365 to 5; Representa
tives McLcmore, Slayden and Young
of Tex: s, Democrats, and Meeker of
Missouri and Ward of New York, Re
publicans, voting in the negative.
The probition provisions adopted
would prohibit the use of food
stuffs for the manufacture of alcohol
ic beverages and would give the Presi
dent authority to take over for war
purposes all liquor now on hand. They
were put into the measure during the
evening in committe of the whole
and when the bill came up in the
House proper the anti-prohibition fac
tion did not demand that they be vot
ed on again.
The bill now goes to the Senate
where it probably will be substituted
this week for a similar measure al
ready under consideration. Leaders
hope to get the measure to confer
ence by July 1st.
Few important changes were made
by the House outside the prohibition
section. The control powers of tho
President were limited to articles spe
cifically mentioned in the bill instead
of giving him blanket authority; vol
untary rids in control work were made
subject to the p?nal provision; all per
sons in the food administration except
those serving without compensation
, were placed under civil service; and
the President was required to maka an
annual report on the operation of the
; bill.
Wheat Market.
I The Chicago wheat market closed
? yesterday with a drop of two to four
; cents per bushel.
GOVERNMENT NEEDS LEATHER.
Enormous Requirements Will Tax Ca
pacity of Tanneries, and Various
Lines Affected.
1 The opinion prevails in trade circles
' that the enormous requirements of the
i Government will tax the capacity of
i most of the tanneries making heavy
leather, and, besides the immense
quantities of shoes now under contract
for the army and navy, huge supplies
of strap, bag, belt, harness and sad
dlery leather are about to be conserv
ed for military use. The Council of
i National Defense estimated at a re
cent meeting with tanners in Wash
[ ington that outside of shoe leather,
. government contracts during the next
six months would require 4,348,000
sides of harness, saddle, collar, strap
and bag, etc., leather. The immensity
i of this business can perhaps be better
appreciated by the fact that it will
take the hides of 2,174,000 cattle to
supply this quantity of tanned leather.
The above quantity of sides is divided
as follows: 1,512,000 sides of russet
harness leather, 14,000 sides of 3 %
, ounce substance strap leather, 700,000
sides of 5%-ounce strap, 612,000 sides
of 6 to 7-ounce strap, 116,000 boarded
sides, 136,000 black backs of 9% to
10-ouncc, 230,000 sides of 5-ounce bag
leather, 130,000 sides of latigo leather,
360,000 sides of black harness, 300,000
sides of (horse) collar leather, 62,000
black harness backs of 7 to 8-ounce,
and 116,000 black harness backs of 10
to 11-ounce substance.
The Leather Equipment Committee
at Washington, which is attending to
this branch of the Government's busi
ness, has arranged with large Chicago
1 packers to supply the hides necessary
? for the3c requirements, and the maxi
1 mum prices that have been set for
1 native steers and native cows of No. 1
. selection are 30c. for December to
i March take-off, 31c. for April, 32c. for
May and 33c. for June, July and Au
gust salting. The hides arranged for
will not be released to cover leather
options already made by tanners, but
will apply only on additional commit
i ments. The hides will also be released
i by the packers only on an order ap
s proved by the Leather Equipment
Committee. ? Dun's Review.