North Carolina Newspapers

¥ f ' Weather Cloudy Today; Showers Sunday. Average Circulation 8,000 FOUNDED A. D. 1867—VOL. CX—No. 134. WILMINGTON, N. C„ SATURpAY MORNING, JANUARY 27,1023. v —. a '■ 1 -T--- ■-================= OLDEST DAILY IN THE STATE. GERMANY IS DECLARED IN ABSOLUTE DEFAULT IN REPARATION PAYMENTS; HALF BILLION MARK I. ARE DEMANDED This Enormous Payment in Gold Must Be Made at the End of the Present Month, Says Commission. GERMAN OCCUPIED SECTION IS QUIET I\o Untoward Demonstrations Are Reported But Bitterness Toward French is As Appar ent As On Previous Days; Numerous Arrests of Persons Taking Part in Thursday’s Disorders Are Made; Duessel dorf Resembles Besieged City With the Cafes Closed at 10 O'clock Last Night. (By The Associated Press) litriiiany now is in absolute default on all her reparations obligations aii.t ,viii be afforded no assistance in tno n.uure of a morotorium to gain lie' financial feet, according to a decision of the reparations commission. Also at tue end of the present month the G^ man government is to be called upon forthwith to pay to the allies the sum of a half billion sold marks on her de layed reparations account. Inside the occupied area of Germarv comparative tranquility prevailed Fri day so far as untoward demonstrations were concerned, but nevertheless the bitterness against the French was as apparent as on previous days. Numer ous arrests of persons concerned in Thursday’s disorders were made and others are likely to follow todav be cause of me recalcitrancy of various Herman officials in carrying out orders given them by the occupation officials.. * Duesseldorf bears somewhat of tT:e spirit of a besieged city with- French troops patroltiig the streets in place of Herman police, who have left their posts. Cafes, hotels and places of amusement were closed at 10 o clock Frirtav nieht by order of the French officials. Throughout the entire Ruhr region the “number of men on strike in the coal mines and other industries Is plow:y hut surely augment\nz- The railroad are virtually idle and traffic on the river has all but ceased, tile only boats plying being:., manned by the! French. '• Large contingents of French troops' are being brought into the^ Ruhr for the purpose of meeting any eventuality that may arise. PARIS. Jan. 26.— (By The Associated Press).—Tne possibility of the repara tions commission becoming a medium for compromise in the present difficul ties hetween France and Germany vir tually ended this afterhoon so far as the future is concerned. Bv deciding that it would be futile to discuss the question of a moratorium with condi tions as they are in the Ruhr, and de claring Oermany in general default of all her reparation obligations to France and Belgium the commission has placed, itself outside of the problem for some time to come. The decision haa the effect of pro viding for future defaults by Germany in rcparati.ns deliveries, either in cash or kind, and saves the commission the trouble of declaring a new default every tim'c one occurs. The memorandum prepared by the American unofficial representative, Ro land W. Boyden. about which there has been so much discussion, now becomes, in effect, buried, since it was only to see the light of day when and if the French moratorium plan came up for consideration. It was also pointed out in repara tion circles today that there is no in vention now. and there never has been, to press it for consideration. Mr. Boy den attended today’s session but did not address the meeting and the chair man did not request him, as he has done on previous occasions, to make known his views. ■'ir jonn rsraaDury, tne Brittsn cte’ acr»ed with the French repre sentative. Louis Barthou, that the present -vas not the time for discus sion of a moratorium, but he abstained, from voting because he could not agree that Uermany was entirely to blame tor the '■eneral default on all her rep aration obligations. flie anticipated France-British dis oiiilf liver the interpretation of para - rape i s , 0f annex 2, of the peace treaty did not come up today, but. Sir •tnhn Bradbury made the reservation that this afternoon’s action must not he construed as an interpretation of. '!l s portion of the treaty. The British disagree • with the Brench. who assert this paragraph jus ttfies action such as the French have ’•ihen in the Ruhr independent of ’iteat Rritian. There is a possibility that a league of nations may be called °n to interpret the meaning of this provision of the treaty. HCESSELD’ORF, Jan. 26.—Quiet pre vailed throughout the Ruhr today. There was no recurrence of Thursday’s clashes, but the temper of the popu ial'°n was more openly defiant in the Prevalent, depressing atmosphere ;Of hate. New forces of troops came into, I'uesseldorf today, to meet any.event uality that may arise here Or In any • ther part of the Ruhr. The . streets r,f Duesseldorf are under military Board, due to the absence of the Ger niiln police. .'• ■ • The miners throughout the Ruhr con 'inui: gradually, to throw down their licks and workmen in other Industries also are leaving tHeir Jobs: ’ ’Smokeless chimneys are now everywhere in evl llfnce throughout the ' once prosperous 'alley of the. Ruhr, .Locomotives,. cpld a"d silent, are stalled in shoRS or, at stations; many pitheads from which formerly thousands of tons :of coal daily were handled, show no sl&na of activity. .... .. V, ,, !• ■ ,<]]", The next move In this great battle fContinued on Fags Two.J . Good Roads A Measure Pas Reading in EDUCATOR SEES NO CHANCETO ENFORCE PROHIBITION LAW Head of Columbia University Expresses Opinion to Ohio Bar*1 Association. COMPARES AMENDMENT WITH THE FIFTEENTH COLUMBUS, O., Jan. 26.—(By Asso ciated Press.|)—There is no likelihood that the eighteenth amendment ever can be Inforced, "no matter at what expenditure of money or of effort,” Dr. Nicholas Murray. Butler^vpresident of Columbia university, declared in an address today at the annual mid-win ter meeting of the Ohio State Bar as sociation. He linked the prohibition amendment with the fifteenth addition to the constitution of the United States, which was proclaimed in 1870 and ! granted th6 negro suffrage as "two im portant and law-made Influences which now are making, and seem likely long to make for lawlessness in American life.” The subject of his address was “Law and Lawlessness.” He asserted that “methods of zcarist Russia and of the Spanish inquisition” are being used to enforce one provision of law, and said there are a “dozen verboten signs in the United States to every one that Russia can show.” “In form and in fact,” he said, "and Judged by all the usual tests and stand ards, these two amendments are part of the organic law, and with all the rights and authority which attach thereto. Nevertheless, they are not obeyed by largenumbers of'highly in telligent and morally sensitive people, and there is no likelihood that -they ever can be enforced, no matter at what expenditure of money or of ef fort, or at what %ast of infringement or. of neglect of other equally valid provisions of the same constitution." After pointing out the “negro votes in those states where he voted when the fifteenth amendment was passed,” the speaker asserted every attempt to enforce the fourteenth and fifteenth amendments has been denounced as a force bill.' “Oddly enough," he con tinued, “it has been denounced by those very senators and representatives who ■will go to any lengths to enforce the provisions of the eighteenth amend ment. “The practical question is not -whether the colored man should vote in the southern states, but whether the American people frankly will face the problem presented by the nullification throughout a large part of the land of a most important provision of the con stitution of the United States. “The situation with regard to the eighteenth amendment is even worse, because the revolt against it' Is not confined to men and women of intelli genc and moral sensitiveness in one section alone, but is nation-wide. It will not do to attempt to silence these persons by a buzz or catch phases an! formulas. These men and women dis sent entirely from the grounds upon which the case for the eightenth is founded, and they regard its .provis ions and those of the statutes based upon it is a forcible. Immoral and ty ranical invasion of their private lives and personal conduct. “No one is familiar with the practi cal workings of our political system would expect either the fifteenth or the eighteenth amendment to be re pealed within measurable time. So far as one sees, therefore, we are shut up to the alternative of their attempted enforcement by soldiers and police #nd special agents and detectives and spies, or to their abrogation <?ver a great part of the land by local Initiative and com mon consent. Either alternative is hu miliating and degrading.” IN THE LEGISLATURE (By the Auoclated Preen.) The fifteen million dollar good roads hill went to the senate after having passed its third reading in the house t>v a vote of 85 to 9. -Tliree amend, ments were submitted, one was with drawn, a substitute for the other two were sent forward, and all were voted down. J R. W. H. Stone, president of the state farmers union addressed the house fi nance committee on the curbing of government expenditures toward the end of lower taxation. He urged salary cuts, staff reduction and general clean up measures. Both houses put through a strenu ous session in ^yhich the calendars were practically cleared of all pend ing legislation of Importance. The Dillard tax blll'jvith amend ments adding Washington and Anson counties to Cherokee got through the house to exempt criminals who plead guilty from paying Jury tax. Representative • Broughton. ■ of Wake, Introduced a resolution calling for a legislative 'investigation ' 6f ‘ ’the state tuberculosis sanitarium at Raleigh. GREENWOOD WITHOUT LIGHTS/ -GREENWOOD. S. C., Jan. 26;— -Greenwood was still without power and light today and telephone .service was still crippled, as a result of Wednesday’s sleet storm. ppropriation ses Its Third House 85 to 9 i* - Proponents Succeed in Fighting Down the Proposed Amend ments of Opposition Forces. MEASURE NOW GOES TO UPPER BRANCH Raggert Anti-Klan Bill Sustains Another Setback; Goes To Senate Committee. Morning Star Bureau. 312 Tucker Building. By BROCK BARKLEY'. RALEIGH, . Jan. 26.—House opposi tion to the administration’s $15,000,000 road bill dwindled Friday to nine and Cowles, of Wilkes, and Coffey, of Wa tauga, casting their votes with the majoritj, repudiated the minority lead ership of Owen, of Sampson. The bill passed third reading by 85 to 9. Quickel, of Lincoln, led the opposi tion in a speech challenging the right | of the majority to pass on to succeed ing generations the duty of this hour. He had offered an amendment provid ing a„ new distribution "in those coun ties of the state which have not, here tofore, teceived their pro rata part of road funds expended by the state high way commission." In debating the main issue he said that shortly there will be approximately $100,000,000 in bonds for this progressive and construc tice work, but we pass it all on.” Mr. Burgwyn, of Northampton, asked for an additional $1,000,000 for the first district and Mr. Coward, of JaSkson, sought to provide a $3,000,000 equaliz ing fund for counties and districts geographically ill adapted to the pres ent pro rata on the basis of popula tion. All amendments were overwhel mingly voted down. Mr. Coward sup ported the bill, but Messrs. Quickel and Burgwyn remained .w#th the minority. The house reconsidered the state wide game bUi-by.reAalBng-'themed;* vfre from the unfavorable calendar' and sending it back for a new committee hearing. Representative Pharr asked this for visiting delegations which had no opportunity to hear the arguments Thursday. The light for the Baggett anti-klan bill sustained another relapse today when Senators Everett, Wilson and Woodson got through a resolution for the appointment of a special commit tee to consider all measures aimed at the regulation of secret societies. The result was that the Baggett bill was shoved into this committee and the special order for its consideration on the senate floor today went bv the board. Three bills are now before the gen eral assembly that would regulate, In some form, secret organizations and the assumption in legislative circles Is that each of these is a direct blow at the Ku KluxGClan. Besides the Bag gett bill in the senate, the house has the Mlllikin bill requiring all secret and fraternal organizations to register their membership with the secretary of state and the Everett bill, which would restrict the sphere of political influence of secret orders to their own memberships. . Evidently sensing further attempts at legislation and the possibility of much time and effort devoted in debate on the anti-klan bills and the hooded order, the senate pushed through the resolution for the committee to investi gate all the bills introduced affecting secret organizations!, “and make such recommendations as it may think just and ^proper.” Lieutenant Governor , Cooper named as the committee sena tors Varser, chairman; Armfleld, Hicks, Johnson, of Duplin, and Baggett. The text of the resolution is as follows: . “Whereas, there is pending before this body a number of bills to regulate secret societies, and, ‘whereas, there is a demand by the public for a clear statement of the law and such provis ion as are necessary to protect peo’ple, and, ‘whereas, it i^ the desire of this body to meet such demand and make such provision as will best protect the (Continued on Page Two.) POSITION OF COTTON UNUSUALLY STRONG, REPORT DISCLOSES Supply So Limited That Present Consumption Can Not Be Maintained. PRESENT INDICATIONS FOR LARGER ACREAGE There Also Appears a Determin ed Effort to Combat The Boll Weevil. WASHINGTON, Jan. 26.—(By Tne Associated Press),—The statistical po sition of cotton Js unusually strong the department of agriculture an nounces in a review of the cott' 11 growing industry for 1922. “The worm supply Is so limited," says the review,” |hat it seems unlike ly that the rate pf consumption pre vailing during the last live months of 1922 can continue. If it does, supplies by the end of the season will have come dangerously near the irreducible minimum, and it should be borne in mind that the 1923 crop will not be available to spinners in any apprecia ble volume until well into September. "However, the financial and econom ical conditions in Europe are very un settled and should not be overlodked in considering the 1923 cotton markets, as American needs European markets for its raw cotton, and to a lesser de gree for its cotton goods. "At present there seems to be some Inclination among cotton producers to increase the cotton acreage during 1923 and to put forth special efforts in com bating the boll weevils and other In sect pests. No doubt the relatively 1 high price of cotton will stimulate such efforts. The feeling seems to be more cotton fir clothes and less for the bell weevil. The beginning of the new year found the cotton growers In the United States in a much stronger financial position [than they were at the. beginning of 1922. At that time a large portion of i their debts contracted during the de flation period of 1920 and 1921 were still unliquidated. The very small crop of 1921. when the production dropped far below that of any year of the last two (Jecades, resulted in somewhat higher prices during the heavy market ing period of that year, but this brought a measure' of relief to those producers who had. succeeded in rais ing fair sized crops. J "Because of the small production cf 1921. the alarming Speed of boll weevil devastation and ttU^apldly ■Increasing. | rate' of,v'c^ffshgShfSh Of eSttoh by the world’s cotton mills, particularly those of the United States, it was realized that ah ftferease in acreage and pro duction in the United States for 1922 was desirable. "This was particularly true of the world’s needs for cotton goods were to j be supplied and if the supremacy of the United States in the world’s cotton production, was hot to be seriously I threatened. Higher prices for cotton and prospects for a market favorable to producers for a crop having a lower cost of production than that of 1921, were the chief stimulating factors to wards increased acreage and better cultivation. "The initial acreage was increased considerably, and It was reported that more land would have been devoted to 1 cotton at the beginning of the planting season had It not been for the unfa vorable planting weather. The con tinuation of rains was also in large measure responsible for the abandon ment later of a large area originally planned to be devoted to cotton. “The crops of both 1921 and 1922, though small, were of relatively high grade cotton, due prinaipallv to the fa vorable weather during picking and the absence of killing frost until late in the year. J "In previous years when , the bo'l weevil menace was less threatening open fall weather meant a large top crop, which during some years added greatly to the production. But one of the interesting, and at the same time alarming, features of the crops of the past two years was the almost com- j plete lack of top crops except in a few isolated areas. The dearth of low grade cotton and relative abundance of the higher grades, together with the depletion of stocks of low grade cotton produced in former seasons, are re flected in the steady narrowing of the difference between prices of middling and other grades in the various pia? kets/during the year.” The department’s review also con tained a resume of the cotton produc tion and consumption during the past several years. Florida Executive to Grant Extradition of Dr. Peacock TALLAHASSEE, Fla., Jan. 26.—Gov ernor Hardee today acted favorably on the application of the North Carolina governor for the . extradition of Dr. J. W. Peacock, who several months ago escaped from the insane depart ment of' the North Carolina penl,t<Sn* tiary, and recently was declared sane at Arcadia, Fla. Governor Hardee's decision . was made known following the receipt 6f an opinion from Attorney Buford. At^ torney’s for Peacock' and the North Carolina governor appeared before the attorney general Tuesday. ■ The attorney general’s opinion was to the effect that there was a crim inal offense charged against Peacock In that he had broken prison,in .North Carolina* and.-that, as . the , identity of Peacock was hot questioned, the gov ernor had authority to grant extradi ** A 'SeriouB question exists, however, the opinion held, as to whether a man corftfped in an , insane asylum, ev’en though^that institution be a depart ment of prison.-'can be considered as a person in prison within the purview of the statute Invoked ill Peacock's case. The, opinion stated, however, that questions of "technical rights are more •properly addressed to the courts for judiciary determination than to the chief executive in the exercise of his authority." The papers were sent to the secre tary of state’s office. They had not been delivered to any representative from North Carolina late tonight.' Dr. Peacock’s present whereabouts are not known here, although he is understood'to be near Lakeland, PJa. No move; has been made here to ef fect his arrest. LAKELAND, Fla., Jan. 26.—Dr. J. W. Peacock,' whom Governor Hardee, at Tallahassee, today decided to allow to be extradited *to North Carolina, has .been visiting here virtually. ever since he was declared sane recently at Ar cadia, Fla; However, lie has-not' been seen since last Saturday night and'hls attorneys said , tonight yiey- did not know where he. is. . . .. : His counsel stated, however, that ef forts to extradite him-would-be fought on the ground that .the "charge of escaping from prison in North Carolina was 'unjust.' They did not indicate what steps they will take. . HERBERT E. DALLAS The trial of Dallna lor the murder, July 18, Inst, In expected to termi nate this morning frith the ordering ot a mistrial alter the jury has tailed to reach ( verdict. , Mistrial in Dallas Murder Case Seems Certain; Jury Stands Deadlocked 7 to 5 Judge Devin Will Discharge Panel at 8:30 This Morn ing Unless Verdict Is Reached. UNDURSTOOD MAJOR1TY ■' FAVORS an acquittal Agrttment By Hour Fixed Is Considered Highly Improb able By Counsel. A mistrial will be ordered in the Dallas murder case at 8:30 this morn ing, unless the jury, which has deliber ated over the evidence for 19 hours, returns a last mlntue verdict, which is considered improbable. Hopelessly deadlocked, the jury re tired at 10:30 last night, while instruc tions were given to the counsel of op posing sides to appear in court at 8:30 this morning. It is understood that the jury stands seven for acquittal and five for con viction. Judge W. A. Devin, presiding at this term of court, informed The Star at 10 o’clock last night that he would discharge the jury this mornfng unless a verdict has been reached at the con vening of court today. Resuming its deliberations at 8:30 yesterday, after seven hours on the night previous had failed to bring an agreement, the jury filed into court at 10 o’clock yesterday- morning and an nounced to the court that it was unable to agree. ' According to the foreman, L. B. Smith, the jury was divided into three factions, standing seven, three and two, with practically no hope of an agree ment in sight. - Judge Devin, after stressing the im portance of a verdict being reached, ordered the jury to resume its consid eration of the case, but the deadlock was apparently as hopeless at 10:30 last night as it was 12" hours earlier. Following the refusal of the court to accept the plea of no agreement, sev eral of the jurors engaged in a hunger controversy, the disagreement over luncheon delaying the mid-day meal until nearly 4 o’clock, when the entire body was ordered by Sheriff George C. Jackson to repair to a restaurant. Dallas sat Jin the court room until the jury was finally returned, his iron nerve that has stayed with him throughout the six 'days' of the trial, remaining with him to the last. Mrs. Dallas, however, left the court room at noon. „ . _ , , "Mrs. Southwell, widow of the slain engineer," did not appear1 in court dur ine at.he day. „ _ In event a mistrial is ordered Dallas will face trial at the next term of crim lngli court, which convenes here in JIftrch. The Dallas case is one of the most sensational in Wilmington crime an nals since the mysterious killing of Neal "Walton near Bellevue cemetery in the spring of 1917.’ „ . Southwell an engineer was killed by Dallas in the open concourse of the union’ station on the afternoon of_ July 18, as he stgrtect to leave the railroad premises after conflicting his regular run from Fayetteville to Wilmington. Only, three men actually saw the Shooting. One was Police •Lieut. A. L. iKelly who arrested Dallas, another was Chauncey B. Holleman, star wit ness for the state, who at that time was a special policeman for the rail road, and the third was Capt. Heyward Clark, veteran conductor,1 who viewed the tragedy frorti a distance. . Southwell died in the James Walker Memorial hospital shortly before 6 o’,dock on the' following morning, never regaining consciousness, after the operation that was performed in a desperate effort to save his life. -The .88 calibre bullet that caused the ^Continued on Page Two.) A4 f-—--———I Body of Young Man Found on Railroad | - 'ItfV'tri* edf a^ocit tli« lh e»4 tie body of an unidentified man nfta found by the aide of the Atlantic Coast Line railroad a mile north of Rose Hill yesterday morning, ac cording: to Information reaching; lo cal railway officials. The man apparently was 18 or 29 years old, the report received here stated. It being; added further that there were no marks or papers of Identification except the tatooed let ter* WS. L.” on one arm. The body had not been Identified last nlgrht, according to reports reaching; Wil mington. The bruises about the head and the position of the body by the side of the railroad grave rise to the opinion that the man was hit by a train during the night. The body is In the custody of the coroner of Duplin county and every effort Will be made to identify It. V______J Farmers’ Uniori Head Wants Salaries of State Employes Cut RALEIGH, Jan. 26.—Urging the in stallation of a statewide checking sys tem whereby a measure could be made of the cost of state and local govern ment, and pleading for reduction , in salaries and clerical forces with the end of relieving taxation in . view, R. W. H. Stone, president of the North Carolina farmers’ union, today address ed a sitting of the house committee on finance. '• Mr. Stone referred to the report of W. N. Everett, secretary of state, in which he quoted Mr. Everett as saying that the state had put more than two million dollars in-the treasury above the cost of government, and said that the recommendations of the budget committee which call for the expendi ture of more money for the coming year should be reduced, that the money should be saved, and further effohts made toward econdmy of administra tion. Reduction of state salaries by 10 per cent, he said, would aid in attain ing the end he urged, together with cutting down appropriations to the state institutions. To this he suggest ed that a number of employes could be dispensed with. The legislature could, appoint, and should appoint a commis sion, he said, to determine what clerks and officers are necessary for the state government. Referring to the taxation he said he understood that the re-valuation-act was to be revived, and he deplored such action, he said, inasmuch as taxa tion of land was a local question for each county to decide. Furniture Exposition Comes to. Close Today HIGH POINT, Jan. 26.—The mid winter show of the Southern Furniture exposition will close here tomorrow after having had what is said to be a record -show in point of attendance and orders placed. t Although Official figures , are not kvtftlable,' It Is stated that sales will approximate 15,000,000 and orders have been placed during the two weeks’ ses sion which will ..keep furniture plants here and elsewhere (n the south busy of at least a year; BARUCH RECOMMENDS THE ACCEPTANCE OF FORD SHOALS OFFER Suggestion is Made in a# Commu nication Addressed to Gray Silver. \ __ PROPOSAL ATTACKED NORRIS, OF NEBRASKA The Senator Also Says Mr. Sil ver is Trying to Deceive American Farmer. WASHINGTON, Jan. 26.—Recommen dation of acceptance of Henry Ford’s offer fOr Afuscle Shoals made today by Bernard M. Baruch,, war time chairman of the war industries board, in 'a let ter to Gray Silver, Washington repre sentative of the farm bureau federa tion, brought forth a formal statement late today .from Senator Norris, Re publican, Nebraska, one of the senate group opposing acceptance of the Ford offer. At the same time there was made public a statement by1 Mr. Silver whioh contended that acceptance of the Ford offer would make possible a reduction by three-fourths in the price of nitrogen used as fertilizer. I Senator Norris attacked the state ment of Mr. Silver that congress by ap proving acceptance of .the Ford offer could reduce the price of nitrogen used as fertilizer by three-fourths, saying: "Mi*. Silver is trying to deceive the American farmer by injecting into the Ford offer something that is not there. The Ford offer makes no such guaran tee and offers np such promise and Mr. Silver knows that the implication he is trying to draw from Mr. Ford’s of fer is absolutely untrue.” The Nebraska senator further de bu me -aiiioi ica.il ittrm uurtsttu mu' eratlon, “bolsters up his misrepresen tation by quoting from the report of an engineer employed by Mr. Baruch to investigate the Muscle Shoals prop osition,” and after quoting the portion of the engineer’s report dealing with the liability of Mr. Ford said: “Those of us who have opposed the acceptance of Mr. Ford’s offer in the past have often been severely criticiz ed and denounced because we said Ford was not personally liable except to the extent that he agreed to form a cor poration .with ten million dollars cap ital. But now comes Mr. Silver him self and from his own engineer it is admitted that Ford has not personal liability.” .. . The statement issued by Senator Nor ris in part is ah follows: "Ip prior representations that Mr. Silver'lias ci‘reurate*ra*ong the far mers of America, he has laid stress on what he claims, to be a personal guaranty; of Mr. : Ford, binding the Ford estate, and his heirs to carry out the provisions of his offer in reference to the manufacture of nitrogen from the air, and yet, in his very statement of today, where he attempts to back up his own testimony by the report of Mr. Baruch’s engineer, it will be noted that this engineer says: “ ‘You will note in Mr. Ford's offer. tha.tthe liability behind his proposi tion is probably limited to his ten mil lion dollar company. His personal guarantee does not seem to extend fur ther than this nop does he commit his heirs and assigns beyond this. There is protection in the case the contract is violated, but this protection will ev idently be limited to the assets of the corporation. “ ‘It has been loudly proclaimed that the Ford adherents that Mr. Ford’s wealth consists of many hundreds of millions of dollars was bound up by his offer to make good in the manu facture of fertilizer. But now comes Mr. Silver himself, and from his own evidence of his engineer, it is admit ted that Ford has no personal llabili ity. The report of this engineer also - states that the Ford offer Is redicu lous as to its price to be paid for this valuable national asset.' ” '“Mr. Oliver, representing the Ford corporation instead of the farmers who are supposed to pay him, has been in strumental in holding up the work of the government on the dam at Muscle Shoals, simply because the Ford peo ple have demanded it, with the result that the cost of the dam to the tax payers of America will bp greatly in creased. It was through the influence of such men as Mr. Silver that the Ford people succeeded in keeping the gov ernment from working on the dam during the last seasbn when the wa ter was low and when the most effi cient work could have been accom plished. Their influence was sufficient to induce congress to suspend opera tion until the -first of October. "Congreas will soon have an oppor tunity to vote upon a proposition to utilize nitrate .plant No. 1 at Muscle Shoals for the purpose of making ex periments on a large scare with a view to reducing the cost of fertilizer to the farmer. We Will see whether Mr. Sil ver represents the farmers in that con test which Is soon to come, or whether he continues to obey the Ford mag nates.” DAY IN> WASHINGTON Secretary Denby at a house hearing recommended establishment of a naval base at Alameda, Calif. Action on the Hobinson resolution which would'authorize American rep resentation on the reparations commis sion was Indefinitely postponed by the senate foreign relations committee. President Harding was declared at the white house to have every confi dence that there will be an agreement with "the British government for re funding •its’ war* debt to the United States. Acceptance fit Mrs. John B. Hender son's offer to the government of a $500,000 residence for use as a home for . the vice president was proposed in, a bill Introduced by Chairman War ren, of the senate appropriation com mittee. Bernard M. Baruch, war-time chair man of the war industries board, in a report to the American Farm Bureau federation, advised acceptance by the government-of Henry Fdrd’s otter tor Muscle Shoals, provided no better prop is received and Ford agrees to produce at least 40,000’tons of iritro »<su tor fertilizer annually. /■ ;• . . V. >