North Carolina Newspapers

. v ynpv-'- 14,..,. ,':' V 4: t V ' : liW.r i - Advertising Rates on Request. DEVOTED TO THE INTERESTS OF BOONE, AND WATAUGA COUNTY. i ,- ,k $l,00PerYetr ; J VOL XXXIII. BOONE, WATAUGA COUNTY, N. C. THURSDAY FEBRUARY 2, 1922 . 11 11 1 WILSON FOUNDED NEW ORDER. R41eigh News and Observer. tair-minded Republicans and 'Republican newspapers ate ad mitting Woodrow. Congressman D: Fess, chairman of the Repub lican congressional committee, in-a 8peech at Columbus, Ohio, recently, 'discussed the arma ment conference. After words of .praise for President Harding and Secretary Hughes, he said: jr'Aa a republican and Chairman of tiie national Republican con gressionaj committee, I w i s h 'hero and now also wish, to give Ufylt- oo. President Wilson , for his, part in molding the senti .tuent of this country and the ityrld m favor of such a consum mation." .. The remark by Congressman Fess was the occasion of one of the finest editorial, tributes to former President Wilson that has appeared. And it was in the St. Louis Globe-Democrat, a staunch Republican sheet. In the course of a lengthy article the St. Louis paper says: ; "In his personal participation In the war, which preced nation al participation, the persistant purpose of Wilson was the estab lishment of a new order of politi cal relations in the world, found ed: upon American principles and idas. He claimed no more than to interpret and to voice the spir it of America, as it has revealed itself, clean and pure, in every time of stress. When he address-' ect the Senate in January, , 1917, on conditions of 'peace, three months before the declaration of wirh he said: ; 'Perhaps I am the only person in high authority -aqiongst ail the people of , the world ,whQ is at liberty to speak and hold nothing back. I am speaking as an individual, and "yet I am speaking also of course, as; tho responsible head of a great government, and I feel con . fident that I have said what the people of the United States want me-to say.' In that address he laid down the principles of peace and -of .future conduct between nations, which a year later were embodied in the 'four teen points' which became the foundation ol the terms of the term of the ar mistice, and these same princi pies after another year had pass ed, he took .to Paris, ready to sacrifice everything else, but ad amant as to their adoption. t. "History, we think, will mark that speech of January, 1917, as the beginning of a new epoch in hUman relations. It was true, as he said then, .that he was the only person in high authority at liberty to speak, but it was an act of extraordinary courage for him to speak as he did, and only man of surpassing vision could have ventured, 'in the midst oi hate and blood and distraction, to point out to Europe and to the world of the future the path it must take to enduring peace; Tho belligerent nations were am ated at his audacity, ; but man kind heard and took on new hope. And the pafrn to which he pointed tna so persistently ana eloquent ly defined, is the jone on which the world is finding its feet to day. It is not moving altogether in the manner he 'desired. His country, partly through his own mistakes of leadership and part ly through the violence of, parti san opposition, failed him in that, But the spirit which he created and the ideals which he fostered lie imperishable things, a n d tiiey are triumphantly working d ay for the achieyemen of his factories. In one way or another toey are prevailing not Only here $u t .everywhere. America' is ,w itaining 9 6$ta . eirrying on It is maintaining ppirituttl leadership he estab o tha Parents and Pbysicfans of Wi- taugt County. - I have received a letter from the State Boar of Health telling me that in 1922 a very accurate record will be kept on the repor ting of contageous diseases. The accuracy of reporting one coun- y'will be compared with that of another. Especially interesting will be a comparison of the re porting in counties with whole time and part-time county health officers. Let me say that reports are to be made by parents and teachers when cases are known to them. f your doctor fails to report, the householder should remind him of it and ask me to get a rec ord of the case from him. Don't forget to report every case. LJecause your house has a placard on ic does not excuse you froA reporting,, other cases as the law requires. A large number of cases were not reported last year. The State Board of Health does not desire to prosecute people, but the law is going to be enforced more strictly this year than formerly Yours very truly, J. W. JONES, M. D., Quarantine Officer. COUNTY COMMISSIONER'S ATTENDANCE FOR 1921. I, E. M. Harmon, Register of Deeds for Watauga county, here by certify that the following is a true and correct as the same ap wars on the records of my office up to Nov. 30, 1921: - G. W. liobbins 7 day at per day S21.00. G. W. Robbins 22 days at 4 per day,.... .,$88.00. Traveled 216 miles at DC, per mile $10.80.... C. Miller. 7 days at $3 per day $21.00. J. C. Miller 7 days at $4... $88.00, Traveled 192 miles at 5c. per mile.. $9.60. H. Holler 5 days at $3 per day $15 00. H. Holler 23 days at $4 per day ..$92.00, Traveled 70 miles at 5c. per mile $3 50. This Jan. 3,1921. - E. M.HARMON. Register of Deeds. NOTICE OF PUBLICATION. "orth Carolina, Watauga Coun ty. Mary Grogan vs. Cicero Grogan. The defendant above named will take notice that an action enti tied as above has been commenc ed in the Superior Court of Wa tauga county to obtain a divorce: and the said defendant will fur thertake notice that he is requir ed to either appear before the Jlerk of the Superior Court, in compliance to the. statute made and provided, before or at term time in Watauga county, which term will be held on the last .vlonday in March, (the 27th day thereof) at the court house o said county, in Boone, N. C, and answer or demuT'to the com plaint in said action,' or the plain tiff Will apply to the court for the relief demanded . in said com plaint. This the 25th day of Jan uary, 1922. 1 . - , A: W. SMITH, , Clerk Superior- Court Watauga County. lished, All honor is due to Har ding and Hughes for the work they ape accomplishing; We need not depreciate them in the least by giving due credit to Wilson But as time softens the bitter ness and the bias of partisan pas sion and prejudice, the greatness of Woodrow Wilson s work for us and for all humanity is be coming more clear, and more it demands that acknowledge ment to which Mr. Fess has just ly given voice. Crippled by the wounds incurred- in his battle for "peace on earth, good will to; ward men," Woodrow Wilson is no lopger seen nor heard, buthis silence persistently speaks, and there is growing up a better un derstandlng of his purposes and bis accomplishments that is giv ing him a unique and enviable iuK uiiu i uuiuo uu 3uvmu place in the estimation of America bQ.C8A8ath.b0iiledr.f.',-.--i Some Aspects of the Farmers' Problems By BERNARD (Reprinted from The whole rural world la In a fer ment of unrest, and there Is an un paralleled volume and intensity of de termined, If not angry, protest, and an ominous swarming of occupational con ferences, Interest groupings, politic, movements and propaganda. Such a turmoil cannot but arrest our atten tion. Indeed, It demands our careful study and examination. It Is not like ly that six million aloof and ruggedly Independent men have come together and banded themselves Into active onions, societies; farm bureaus, and so forth, for no sufficient cause. Investigation of the subject conclu sively proves that, while there Is much overstatement of grievances and nits- conception of remedies, the farmers are right In complaining of wrongs long endured, and right in noiaing mat It Is feasible to relieve their ills with benefit to the rest of the community. This being the case of an Industry that contributes, In the raw material form alone, about one-third of the na tional annual wealth production and Is the means of livelihood of about 40 per cent of the population, It is ob vious that the subject Is one of grave concern. Not only do the farmers make up one-half of the nation, but the well-being of the other half de pends upon them. So long as we have nations, a wise polltcial economy will aim at a large degree of national self-sufficiency and self-containment Rome fell when the food supply was too far removed from the belly. Like her, we shall destroy our own agriculture and extend our sources of food distantly and precari ously, If we do not see to It that our fanners are well and fairly paid for their services, The 4arm gives the nation men as well as food. Cities derive their vitality and are forevet renewed from the country, but an im poverished countryside exports Intelli gence and retains finlntelllgence. Only the lower grades of mentality and character will remain on, or seek, the farm, unless agriculture Is capable of being pursued with contentment anil adequate compensation. Hence, to em bitter and Impoverish the farmer Is to dry up and contaminate the vital sources of the nation. The war showed convincingly how dependent the nation Is on the full productivity of the farms. Despite herculean efforts, agricultural produc tion kept' only a few weeks or months ahead of consumption, and that only by Increasing the acreage of certain staple crops at the cost of reducing that of others. We ought not to for get that lesson when we ponder on the farmer's problems. Thep nre truly common prqbleras, and there should be no attempt to deal with them as If they were purely selfish demands of clear-cut group, antagonistic to the rest of the community, ltuther should we consider agriculture In the light of broad national policy, Just s we consider oil, coal, steel, dye stuffs, and so forth, as sinews of na tional strength. 0r growing popula tion and a higher standurd of living demand Increasing fopd supplies, and more wool, cotton, hides, and the rest With the disappearance of free or cheap fertile land, additional acreage and Increased yields can come only from costly effort This we need not expect from an Impoverished or un happy rural population. It will not do to take a narrow view "f the rural discontent, or to appraise It from the standpoint of yesterday. This Is peculiarly an age of flux and change and new deals. Because a hlng always has been so no longer means , that It Is righteous, or always shall be so. More, perhaps, than ever before, there la a widespread feeling that all human relations can be Im proved by taking thought and that It Is not becoming for the reasoning ani mal to leave his destiny largely to Aanee and natural Incidence. Prudent and orderly adjustment of production and distribution In accord aace with consumption is recognised a wise management in every buslnes but that of farming. Yet I venture to say, there Is no other industry 1 which.- It is so Important to .the pub lic to the city-dweller that produc tion should be sure, steady, and In creasing, and that distribution should bo In proportion to the need.- The un organised farmers naturally act blind-" ly and .Impulsively and,' .In conse quence, aurfelt and. dearth, accompa nled by disconcerting, price-variations harass the consumer. One year pota toes rot w mo neias oecause oi exews production,-and there is scarcity ol tho things ,tat ha?e been displaced toes rot In the fields because of etceu M. BARUCH Atlantic Monthly) to make way for the expansion of the potato acreage; next year the punish ed farmers mass their fields on some other crdp, and potatoes enter , th rlass of luxuries; and so on. Agriculture Is the greatest and fan damentally the most Important of our American industries. The cities are but the branches of the tree of na tional life, the roots of which go deep ty Into the land. We all flourish or decline with the farmer. So, when wt of the cities read of the present unl versal distress of the farmer!, of I slump of six billion dollars in the farm value of their crops In a single year, of their inability to meet mortgages or to pay current bills, and how, seeking relief from their tils, they are plan ning to form pools, Inaugurate farm ers' . strikes, and demand legislation abolishing grain exchanges, private cattle-markets, and the like, we ought not hastily to brand them as economic heretics and highwaymen, and hurl at them the charge of being seekers of special privilege. Rather we should ask If their trouble is not ours, and Bee what, cart be done to Improve the iituatlon. Purely from' self-interest, tf for no higher motive, we should ielp them. All of us want to get back permanently to "normalcy;" but Is It reasonable to hope for that condition unless our greatest and most basic In dustry can be put on a sound and solid permanent foundation) The farmers are not entitled to special privileges; but are they not right In demanding that they be placed on an equal foot lng with the buyers of their products and with other Industries? n Let us, then, consider some of the farmer's grievances, and see how far hey are real. In doing so, we should remember that while there have been, and still are, Instances of purposeful abuse, the subject should not be ap proached w.lth any general Imputation to exlktlng distributive agencies of de liberately intentional oppression, but rather with the conception that the marketing of farm products has not been modernized. ' .10 ancient evil, and a persistent one, Is the undergradlng of farm prod ucts, with the result that what the farmers sell as of one quality Is re- o'.l as of a higher. That this soit of chicanery should persist on any lm fJOftGut scale In these days of bust ness Integrity would seem almost In credible, but there Is much evidence that U does so persist Even ns I write the newspapers announce the suspension of several firms from the New York Produce Exchange for ex porting to Germany as'No. 2 wheat a whole shipload of grossly Inferior wheat mixed with onts, chaff and the like. Another evil . Is that of Inaccurate weighing of farm products, which, It Is charged, Is sometimes a matter of Ilstionest Intention and sometimes of protective policy on the part of the local buyer, who fears that he may 'weigh out" more than he "weighs In." A greater grievance Is that at pres ent the field faraaer has little or no control over the time and conditions of marketing his products, with the result that he is often underpaid for his products and usually overcharged for marketing service. The differ ence between what the farmer re ceives and what the consumer pays often exceeds all possibility of Justi fication. To cite a single Illustration, last year, according to figures 'attest ed by the railways and the growers, Georgia watermelon-raisers received on the average 7.5 cents for a melop, the railroads got 12.7 cents for caiTy Ing It to Baltimore and the consumer paid one dollar, leaving 7U.8 cents for the service of marketing and Its rinks, as against 20.2 cents for growing and transporting. The hard annals of farm-life are replete with such com mentaries on the crudeness of pres ent practices.' . Nature prescribes that the fanner's "goods' must be finished within two or three months of the yean, while financial and storage -limitations gen erally compel him to sell them at the same time. As a rule, other Industries art In a continuous process of finish ing goods for the markets they dis tribute as they produce, and they can curtail production without too. great, Injury to themselves or the commu nity; but If the farmer restricts his output, It Is with disastrous conse- flMnces, both to himsrft and to the eonjjminitjr. -U ... w . : . output, It Is with disastrous conse- The average farmer If busy with production for the major part, of the year, and has nothing to sell.- The bulk of his output comes on the mar-' ket at once. Because of lack of stor age facilities and of financial support the farmer cannot carry bis goods through the year and dispose of them M they are currently needed. In the great majority of cases, farmers have to entrust storage la warehouses and elevators and the financial currying of their products to others. -Farm products ore generally mar keted at a time when there Is a con gestion of both transportation and finance when cars and money are scai !. The outcome, In mary tn stances, Is that the farmers, not only sell under pressure, and therefore at disadvantage, but are compelled to take further reductions In net returns, la order to meet the charges for ae tervice of storing, transporting, fiuanc Ing, and ultimate marketing which charges they claim, are often exces five, bear heavily on both consumer flBd producer, and are under the cou trel of those performing the' services ft If true that they are relieved of tlft risks of a changing market by MDJng at once ; but they ate quite will ing to take the unfavorable chance, If the favorable one also la theirs and they can retain for themselves a part of the service charges that are unl form, In good years and bad, with high prices and low. While, In the muln, tie farmer must sell, regardless of ninrir.ct conditions, at the time of the maturity of crops, he cannot suspend production In to to. He must go on producing If he If to go on living, and If the world- Is to exist Themost he can do Is to curtail pro duction a little or alter Its form, and that because he Is In the dark us to the probable demand for bis goods- may be only to Jump from the frying pan Into the fire, taking the consumer with him. Even the do'ry farmers, whose out put Is not seasonal, complain that. the) find themselves at a disadvantage In the marketing of their productions, especially raw milk, because of the high costs of distribution, which they must ultimately bear. Ill Now that the farmers are stirring, thinking, and uniting as never before to eradicate these Inequalities, they are subjected. to stern economic lec tures, and are met with the accusation that they are demanding, and are the recipients of, special privileges. Let us see what privileges the government has conferred on the farmers. Much has been made of Section 6 of the Clayton Anti-Trust Act, which pur ported to permit them to combine with immunity, under certain conditions. Admitting that, nominally, this ex emptlon was in the nature of a special privilege, though I think It was so In sppenmnce rather than In fact, we find that the courts have nullified It by Judicial interpretation. Why should not the farmers be permitted to ac complish by co-operntlve methods what other businesses are already doing by co-opera tlon In the form of Incorpora tlon? If It be proper for men to form, by fusion of existing corporations or otherwise, a corporation that controls the entire production of a commodity, or a large part of It. why is It not proper for a group of farmers to unite for the marketing of their common products, either In one 'or In several selling agencies? Why should It be right for n hundred thousand corporate shareholders to direct 25 or 30 or 40 ner cent of an Industry, and wrong for a hundred thousand co-operative farmers to control a no larger propor tion of the wheat crop, or cotton, or any other product? The Department of Agriculture often spoken of as a upeelul concession to the farmers, but In Ha commercial results. It Is of as much benefit to thf buyers and consumers of agricultural products as to the producers, or even more. I do not suppose that anyone opposes' the benefits that the farmers derive from the educational and re search work of the department, or the help that It gives them In working out Improved cultural methods nn pnu tices. In developing better yielding va rletles tlimugh breeding and selection In Introditclng new varieties from re mote parts of the world and adapting them to our cllmnte ami economic con dition, end In devising practical meas ures for the elimination or control of rtariLerous and destructive anlmnl and -plnnt diseases, Insect pests, and the like. All these tnings inunue-juy ieou to stimulate and enlarge production, and their general beneficial effects- are obvious. It Is complained that, whereas the law restricts Federal Reserve banks to three months' time for commercial paper, the fanner is allowed six months on his utes. This is not a special privilege, but merely such a recognition of bnsinesa conditions. a makes It possible for country banks to do business with country people. The crop farmer has Only ono turn over a year, while the merchant and manufacturer have many. "Incidental ly, I note that the Federal Ite8rvo Hoard haa Just authorized the Fed eral Reserve banks to discount export paper for a period ui six mom us, i - th busl- lnforra. t0 " 0 $ : ' rr. ,VT The Farm 'Loon banks are pointed ' to as an Instance of apodal govon ment favor for farmers. Are they not rather the outcome of laodablo efforts to equalize rural and urban condi tions? And about all the. government does there Is to help set op an ad ministrative organisation and lead llttfe credit at tbe start Eventually he farmers will provide all tho capi tal and carry all the liabilities them selves. . It l true tnat rann uwn bonds are tax exempt ; but so are bonds of municipal light and tractloo plants, and new bousing Is to bo ex empt from taxation, In New lork, for ten years. On the other hand, the fanner reofla of Dlans for municipal boosing proj ects that run into me oiiiions, or nnn dreds of millions annually spent en the merchant marine; be reads that, the railways are being favored with Increased rates and virtual guaranties of earnings by the government, with the result to him of an 'ncreased toll on all that he sells and all that ho buys. He hears of many manifesta tions of governmental concern for par ticular Industries and Interests. Ret elling the. railways from Insolvency' la - undoubtedly for the benefit of tho country as a whole, but what cm bo of more general benefit than encour agement ot ample production of tho principal necessaries of Ufa and their even flow from contented producers to satisfied con turners? While It may be conceded that special governmental aid may bo nec essary In the general Interest, wo must all agree that It Is difficult to see why nirrl culture and the production and dis tribution of form products are not ac corded the same opportunities mat are provided for other businesses; espe dally a: the enjoyment by the farmer of such opportunities would appear to ; ho even more contributory to the fen- j eral good than In the case of other 1 Industries. Tbe spirit of America democracy Is unalterably opposed, alike to enacted special, privilege and to the special privilege of unequal op portunity that arises automatically from the failure to correct glaring econonVo Inequalities. I am opposed to the. Injection ot government Into business, but I do believe that It Is an essential function of democratic gov-, ernment to equalise opportunity so -far as It la within Its power to do so. whether by- the repeal of archaic statutes or the enactment ot modem ones. If the anti-trust laws keep tho farmers from endeavoring scientifically to Integrate their Industry while other Industries find s way to meet modern conditions without violating such stat utes, then It would seem reasonable to find a way for tho farmers' to moot them under the same conditions. Tho law should operate equally In fact. Re pairing the economic structure on ono side Is no injustice to tho other side, which is In good repair. We have traveled a long way from the old conception of government as merely a defensive and policing agency; and regulative, corrective, or equalis ing legislation, which apparently If of a special nature, Is often of tho most general beneficial consequences. Even the First Congress passed a tariff act that was avowedly for the protectloa of manufacturers; but a protectlvt tariff alu'uys has been defended as a means of promoting the general goo4 through a particular approach; and the statute books are filled wltb acta for the benefit of shipping, commercft and labor. IV Now, what s the farmer v asklngl Without trying to catalogue the re medial measures that hats beea sug gested in his behalf, the principal pro nosals that bear directly on tho Im provement of his distributing and mar ketlng relations way be summarised. ss folfows: I'lrst; storage warehouses for cot ton, wool, and tobacco, and elevatora for eraln. of sufficient capacity to meet the maximum demand on them at tho peak of the .marketing period. Tho fanner thinks that either private capi tal must furnish these facilities, or tho state must erect and own the eleva tors and warehouses. ; Second: weighing and grading of agricultural products, and certification thereof, to be don by Impartial and disinterested public Inspectors (this Is already accomplished to some extent by the federal licensing ot weighers and. graders), to eliminate underpay Ing, overcharging, and unfair grading, and to facilitate the utilization of tbo stored products as the basis of credit Third : a certainty of credit sufficient to enable the marketing of products In an orderly manner. j Fourth : the Department of Agricul ture should collect, tabulate, summa rlr.e, and regularly and frequently pOh llsh and distribute to the farmers, full Information from all the markets .of the world, so that they shall bo as well Informed of their selling position as buyers now are of their buying posi tion. - Fifth : freedom to integrate tho last ness of agriculture by means ot solidated selling agencies, co-ordinating and co-operating In such way as to put the farmer on an equal foottag with the large buyers ot his pretexts, and with commercial relations ta oOr ' ' ' Industries. , - - '. When a business requires jcoOlt-" ! .(finUnued ca iesido p- v