aroMa me VOLUME XXXIII. NUMBER 44 HENDERSONVILLE, NORTH CAROLINA FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 7, 1919. FIVE CENTS COPY. LINCOLN MID ROOSEVELT Sunday, February 9, is set apart as Roosevelt Memorial Day.; On that day Congress will hold memorial ser vices ; and Grosvernor B. Clarkson, director of the Council of National Defense, has requested that fitting observance of the occasion be held on that day in every State, county, com munity and municipality throughout the Nation. " ..Wednesday, February 12, will be Lincoln's Birthday. There will, of course, be wide-spread observance of that occasion. As these two events occur be tween the dates of this issue and the next issue of The Times, we are tak ing the opportunity of devoting con siderable space , to Abraham Lincoln and Theodore Roosevelt, two of the greatest Presidents and greatest men in our Nation's history. HENDERSONVILLE HOSPITAL ASSOCIATION The annual meeting of the Hender sonville Hospital Association was held at the home of xMrs. O. V. F. Blythe, January 23, when annual re ports were made, and officers for the ensuing year were elected. Mrs. A. M. Trenholm was unani mously re-elected President and Mrs. C. J. Valley, Vice President. Trus tees as provided by the by-laws of the association, heretofore omitted, were elected as follows: Drs. Dixon, Drafts and Kirk, Miss Ella McClain and the President, Mrs. Trenholm. Mrs. C. S; Fullbright, Treasurer, and Mrs. 0. V. F. Blythe, Secretary, hold over for another year by virtue of a former election. In absence of Dr. Howe, chief of staff, the superintendent made report for him, showing as follows: Patients treated during the year 1918, 209; number of patient days for the year, 2,589; deaths at the hospital during the year, 12; the average cost for patient, per .day, 42.23. The records show that 'the roll of memberships has nearly doubled dur ing the past yearr-and that the -io.- terest in the hospital work has been very good, considering the great amount of Red Cross and other war- relief work done by the people of Hendersonville. Several valuable donations have been made during the year. Notable among them, were $125.00 donated by Mrs. Holt to replenish the hos pital linen, and $1,000.00 donated by Miss Emily Holt for a charity fund. There were other very gener ous donations, thankfully received and applied to the purposes most needed; and it is the earnest hope of the association, that still other generously disposed people may from time to time, make donations. They greatly help toward making the hos pital self-sustaining, and yet have means to do much charity work. The Hospital and Hospital Associa tion are well supported by all the doctors of Hendersonville, and there by have been furnished facilities for hospital treatment and care, to many who could not otherwise have had same. A very great need has been supplied, and a very great public ser vice has been rendered; and the assistance, the support, and the hearty co-operation of all generously disposed people is earnestly solicited. Mrs. A.M. Trenholm, President. Mrs. 0. V. F. Blythe, Secretary. WAR SAVINGS CERTIFICATES That war savings certificates are payable only to the first owners and that stamps are not to be offered or accepted in trade, is a recent notice given by Secretary Glass of the Treasury Department. In pursuance of this notice, post masters have been directed by the postoffice department not to cash war savings certificates on which the names of the owners have not been entered or have been erased or changed except in case of death or disability. Postmasters have been further instructed not to pay war savings certificates presented by per sons" or firms known to be buying or publicly offering , to buy war savings stamps fronl the owners, unless posi tive evidence is submitted that . the certificates were originally issued to "--the person or firms presenting them . for payment This is in keeping with the law that makes war savings stamps non-transferable. The Treasury Department calls the attention of the -public to the law that provides for the" redemption of war savings certificates on giving a ten days' written notice at the post-office.-. This provides against . any loss that "may be met in trading war savings stamps and, furthermore, avoids a violation of the law. . FERTILIZER MEETING CALLED ' The farmers who are interested in buying 16 per "cent acid are asked to meet at the court house next Sat . urdar: February 8, at 11 o'clock. By . taking car load lota we can get re duced prices, it is urged tnatiraers be placed as soon as possible. ' . . FRANK FLEMING, - T, i' -1 " ' County Agent. LEGISLATURE The following laws have, been en acted by the Legislature during the past few days: To authorize Buncombe county to refund certain bonded indebtedness. I Kepeal law relative to cotton : weigher at Shelby. Amend Kevisal as to counter claims. Permit State banks with capital of f 100,000 or more to loan 10 per (such experience as we have had of cent of capital and surplus to one; the thing, as it works (or fails to Amend Revisal so as to prevent a lapse of devises. Amend chapter 264 of public laws 1 91 7 relative to establishment of homes for fallen women. To provide for rural policemen in Rutherford county. To amend section 1,657 of the Re visal in reference to alimony . Amend law relative to salary of Nash county officials. . To authorize Wilson commission ers to buy cotton-weighing scales, Amend Revisal and permit sales of ! mortgaged personal property under execution against mortgagor. To compensate owners for cattle killed on account tuberculosis or horses and mules killed because of glanders. To require Assistant Attorney General to compare monthly the war rants of auditor with laws under which they purport to have been drawn. Amend law relative to salaries Orange county officials. Amend law 1917 so as to allow Person county to issue bonds and build roads. Amend law fixing time for termi nation of leasses in Chatham county.. To amend chapter 84 public laws 1919 relating to better enforcement of game laws. Authorize trial of criminal cases at February term of Franklin county court. Provide for collection of taxes in Gates county. Authorize town of Marion to is sue bonds. Amend charter of Round Hill Academy. Regulate squirrel hunting in Dur ham county. Protect opossums in Union county. Submit to voters of Perquimans county the question of stock law. Authorize Wilson commissioners to build newourt housetf" -- Authorize corporation, commission ers to fix standard for gas. To provide better drainage of wet lands in Henderson county. The bill to provide a marshal to enforce prohibition laws, has been defeated. The dog law bill by Ray of Macon, has passed the House. The Stevens dog law bill is pend ing in the Senate. REPUBLICAN CONVENTION A State Convention of the Repub lican party of North Carolina is hereby called to meet at Greensboro, N. C, on February 15, 1919, at 10 o clock p. m. Each county chairman is hereby re quested to call a county convention for the purpose of electing delegates to this State Convention. The purpose of the meeting is to take such action, as the convention deems wise toward securing from the present Legislature the enactment of a fair and just election law; for the re-organization of the party in the State; and for the transaction of such other business as may properly come before the convention. Hon. Will H. Hays, chairman of the Republican National Executive Com mittee, and other prominent speak ers will be present to address the convention. FRANK A. LINNEY, Chairman Republican State Execu tive Committee. Charlotte, N. C, January 13, 1919. REPRESENTATIVE JACKSON HONORED Representative Brownlow Jackson has been appointed chairman of the internal improvements committee of the lower branch of the State Legis lature. This is the. first instance where a Republican has been appoint ed to the chairmanship of an im portant committee of the North Caro lina Legislature in many years. The oeoole of Henderson county, without regard to politics, will be glad to learn that speaker urummitt nas dis regarded precedent and honored their representative by placing him. at the head of an important committee of the House. In speaking of the appointment, the Raleigh News and Observer, says: "Speaker Brummitt seconded the House precedent creating a special committee on suffrage when he. ap pointed to head the internal improve ments committee, from which the suf frage chairman resigned, a Republi can. Representative Jackson, of Henderson, , is the first Republican to be assigned to a chairmanship in sev eral sessions, and his appointment is a new thing for a Democratic speaker to do.'? . gvg. .-! .-- t " .,' , . ';. It U just as well that Russia quit the war before the final finish. Other wise President Wilson would have bad to journey all the way to Moscow.' v ' ' ' GOVERNMENT V OWNERSHIP We hear a good deal of talk, from time to 'me about government ownership of public utilities. In theory, government ownership may be admirable. In practice, it may Possibly work in some counties. But, work) in this country, is utterly un favorable. Let us get down to actual facts. We have, and have long had, govern ment ownership and operation of the postoffice. We have recently had government operation of railroads, telegraphs and telephones. What has been the result? 1. The postoffice. A number of years ago, when the service was both cheaper and better than it is now, some of the ablest business men in the country said that, under private management, the postoffice could be better operated than it was then and at a lower cost. They had facts and figures to prove their contention, and, if we remember correctly, some of these men actually offered to put up the money to take the thing over under a guarantee. Since then the cost to the public has been increased and the service has deteriorated. The way the thing has been working recently is well described in "The Weekly," a paper edited -by Col, George - Harvey, (the man who was primarily responsible for making Woodrow Wilson President) : ihe worst mail service ever known in the history of the country, hands over, at tidewater here, such letters as survive its manipulations, to the most incompetent War Depart ment on record. Apparently when the letters reach the other side they are dumped in heaps, baled up and shipped back home to be returned to the writers. The Assistant Post master General was quoted in Con gress the other day as saying that eight or ten carloads of such- mall matter-bad just been received here from France." We all know that letters, papers and other mail matter, sent from one point to another written in this coun try, take considerably longer to get delivered than formerly. Sometimes such mail is not delivered at all. For instance : A package of mail, sent by H. J. Conden, 122 S. Michigan ave nue, Chicago, and addressed to Dr. G. G. Cottam, Sioux Falls, South Dakota, was returned, by the post office department, to the writer, with the following explanation: Returned to Writer. No such office in State named. Mr. Burleson's department ap parently unaware that there is any such place as Sioux Falls in South Dakota. 2. The railroads. When the Uni ted States government took over the control and operation of the rail roads, there were great expectations of good results. The man who was put in charge was regarded as the ablest business man in the cabinet. He was given a free hand to work out combinations and economies. Ham pering legislation, which had worried the railroads in the past, was brushed aside. The director ereneral was given plenary powers to run things according to the most approved standards of efficiency. All laws and positions of laws inconsistent there with were automatically canceled. The savings from uniform manage ment have been considerable. The service has been cut down to the point where it is almost no service at all; it is rotten. Rates have been increased between 25 and 40 per cent. But, in spite of savings, in spite of increased charges for poorer service, the taxpayers of the coun try have to make good every year a deficit running into hundreds' of mil lions of dollars. The following, from the New York Evening Sun, gives some idea of what is going on: The letter of the director-general of railroads to the secretary , of the Treasury sets forth the new sum that the government expects to need in furtherance of its efforts at operat ing the roads. Mr. Hines demands a new appropriation of $750,000,000. The money Mr. Hines requires will do additional to the $500,000,000 pro vided in the railroad bill of last March. The new money is to include $196,000,000 or so of actual insuffi ciency in the 1918 net earnings, as applied to covering: the sums truaran teed the lines. It will include a yet larger sum. $286,000,000. to cover equipment ordered in 1918, but not yet delivered and pot yet provided for financially, it will include third and still larger sum,' which Mr. Hines labels simply t "Additions and THIS COUNTY STANDS FIRST Henderson county leads the whole Stafce in the average yield of corn per j acre on demonstration areas, Uu average is 75 bushels. Buncombe Conies second, with 70 bushels. The figures for 24 leading counties are. given elsewhere in our columns, t i- Well prepared and deenlv nloucherl land means more and better crops. Prepare your land well before planting.?- If costs less to keep well than to get Well. t- . betterments, including equipment." He hopes that the 1919 income of the roads will provide something $150, 000,000 as he trusts against these outlays; but of this he expresses no certainty. Throughout, the letter speaks of $750,000,000 as a minimum require ment. Even if the roads should go back, to private operation at the earliest moment, the director-gen eral ; finds the whole sum would be needed. Whether he will require morjB in case the roads continue un der government operation during 191?, he does not say. A glance over these cullings from Mr. .Hine's report placed in the or der ye have selected, will probably show, without commentary on our part, why Mr. McAdoo wishes to drop ihe federal railroad operation scheme and to remove -himself from the posi tion of responsibility. The roads are eating their heads off. Over and above the dividends and interest guaranteed by the rentals, they have already during 1918 cost the govern ment such a sum as would have paid in the year 1913 all the railroads' interest payments, all their dividend payments, all their betterments charged to income, all their deficits! In December, 1917, S. W. Brook hart of Iowa appeared before the Newlands joint Congressional com mittee and advocated government ownership of railroads, estimating thai $400,000,000 a year would be ?v$ 18!W?rnmeat operation. fxhe following month Director Gen eral McAdoo gave his views on the subject. He pointed out that the government was getting the railroads cheap. He said: "We are taking the railroads over under a guarantee of $100,000,000 less than they earned in the last fiscal year of the period (on which the compensation was based), and in addition to that ex cess profits taxes are to be paid out of that guaranteed income." He ex pressed the hope that government ownership would show a surplu. . Mr. McAdoo started with a $100, 000,000 margin. He, increased the rates to an extent which added $600, 000,000 to the income in six months. He cut down the quality of the ser vice. Yet the increased cost of the service, such as it was, wiped out the $100,000,000 margin, wiped out the $600,000,000 extra revenue derived from increased rates, and left a deficit for the year of some hundreds of millions. In other words, McAdoo's estimate was wrong i to the extent of a billion dollars per annum. 3. Telephones and Telegraphs. We hate to say anything at all on this point. It is difficult to speak on this subject without using unseemly language. Since the government took over those public utilities, they have ceased to be public utilities; they have become a public nuisance. The price has increased, the service has gone to smash. In many in stances telegrams have been slower than slow freight. The telephone service would be a farce if it were not a tragedy. And now there is an entirely new and highly complex schedule of charges, imposed without warrant of law and in defiance of law. Several States have already taken steps to have Burleson enjoined from put ting his new schedule into effect. The autocratic manner in which Burleson has acted is already making him desperately unpopular. One city, wnose teiepnone rates were ar bitrarily increased, ventured to ask for an explanation. The reply was that, if any protest were made, there would be a still 'greater increase. That kind of Prussian despotism does not go well in the United States. If a cabinet minister acts like an under study of Wiliam Hohenzollern, the voters will have something to say on the subject The United States is the richest country In the world. But it is not rich enough to afford McAdoodle or Burlesonlan operation of public utilit'-i ,v 't j ! . : J. v. NEWS NOTES A wage bonus of $240 has been voted by the House for nearly all government employes who receive $2,500 or less salarv for the vear beginning next July. This wage bonus, double that of the current "seal year, will cost the government approximately $14,000,000. ; IMPOSED TO IMMIGRATION Legislation prohibiting general im migration for a period of four years following the signing of the peace treaty has been approved by the House Immigration committee. The bill as now drafted would per mit an alien resident to bring his wife and childen, except boys over 18 years old, into the United States. Tourists would not be barred from entry for temporary stay. ARGENTINA TO DEPORT BOL SHEVIKI a ourteen hundred prisoners charged with Bolsheviki activities await deportation at Buenos Ayres, Argentina, according to reports. The majority of them are Russian Jews. WAR INSURANCE COSTLY The war has cost the government approximately $900,000,000 in death and disability claims carried by sol diers, sailors and marines. Against this sum the War Risk Insurance bureau has collected $200,000,000 in premiums. Death and permanent disability claims, which pay the same under the law, aggregate about 85,000. Death claims represent between 60,000 and 65,000 of the total. Col. Henry D. Lindsley, chief of the bureau, has recommended that changes be made in the law which would include in the list of benefi ciaries all. blood relatives to and in cluding first cousins. THREE THOUSAND AMERICAN SOLDIERS LOST ARM OR LEG Two soldiers out of every thousand who fought in the American army overseas lost an arm or a leg. Lieut. Col. Strong, of the army medical corps, told the House Military Affairs committee that 3,000 of the total combat force of 1,500,000 men were so maimed, and that 1,100 had been returned borne and were being fitted with artificial limbs in military hos pitals. An appropriation of $7,000, 000 to purchase artificial limbs, as well as serums and vaccines was asked for by the medical corps. BETTER EXPRESS SERVICE The American Railway Express company, through the 135,000 men and women employed in the express business, will begin on February 10, a nation-wide campaign to improve the nation's express service. The purpose is to interest the shippers and the public generally in the gov ernment's organized plan to raise the standards of packing, wrapping, and ma.Hr.g express shipments with the view to minimizing the waste time, effort and money that result from packages being lost or damaged through lax methods of preparing them for sending forward. Between July 1 and November 30, 1918, "no marks" bureaus of the American Railway Express company received 127,859 shipments which the company had been unable to deliver because of lack of identification marks of either shippers or consig nees, indicating the reason for the slogan of the better service campaign which will be "Start Express Ship ments Right." FAILED TO BRIBE JUDGE Because he enclosed a $10 bill in a note to Judge Webb, of New Hav en, Conn., asking for a light sentence and another chance to make good, Moses Kemp, charged with stealing $22 and a gold watch, has again been arraigned. In addition to receiving a severe reprimand for attempted bribery, Kemp was sentenced to not less than one year and not more than two years in the. Connecticut State prison. FUEL ADMINISTRATION The State Fuel Administrator has received the following notice: "By order entered today all Na tional, State and local regulations with respect to coal, both anthracite and bituminous, as well as to coke, charcoal and wood produced, sold, shipped, distributed or used after January 31 are suspended except that until further order all Tidewater shipments must go through the Tide water Coal Exchange. All contracts are subject to the recent contract order of January 17 and the prohibi tion of shipment of coal for recon signment is continued. No new orders or regulations shall be. issued by State or local administrators after today unless the same have first been submitted to and approved by Wash ington. Schroeder." A United States Labor Department official says everybody is waiting to buy goods "when they come down." The makers of the goods say they will "come down" when labor and material are cheaper. . Labor says it cant get cheaper until the cost of living descends. - Will - somebody please open the bung hole some where t, , . 1 , . SOME OF THE THINGS NEEDED It is a good thing, in muncipal as well as other affairs, to cut your coat according to your cloth. Hen dersonville very urgently needs a number of things. It simply must have them as soon as it can pay for them. Every citizen of Henderson ville ought to consider the situation carefully, judge which of the needs are most desperately urgent, and then ask himself what ways and means can be devised to procure as many as possible of these. In the present financial condition of the city, many things that are desirable, and some that would seem to necessary, will have to be postponed. We must do the best we can. Among the most urgent needs are the following: An increased water supply. Half way measures will mean money thrown away. To do the work once for all, and make a permanent job (which will be the cheapest in the long run) will cost about $150,000. An additional school building. We ought to have it now. We shall have to have it soon. A reasonable esti mate is $25,000. Main street and 7th avenue need a new top-coating. If the work is not done soon, the money previously spent on those thoroughfares will be largely wasted. Can the work be done for $20,000? Water and sewer lines must be ex tended. This means $10,000. There is urgent need of culverts and permanent bridges to replace the temporary wooden structures. Also some sidewalk work must be done. There goes $15,000. We have mentioned only the most urgently necessary things. They foot up to $220,000. Where is the money to come from? Bonds, of course. But, our bond ed indebtedness is $298,000, of which $19,000 of the principal falls due this year, in addition to 6 per cent interest on the whole amount. From which it would appear that we must cut out all" luxuries, and postpone some things that would ordinarily be classed as necessaries. How about it, Mr. Taxpayer? MORE ABOUT NEW JUDGESHIP The bill to authorize the appoint ment of an assistant judge in federal districts where judges who have reached the age of retirement, but who, because they are still able to perform their duties, have not re tired, has been passed by Congress and will become a law as soon as signed by President Wilson, to whom it has been sent for his signature. The announcement has been made, whether official or not we do not know, that as soon as the President returns from . Europe some man will be appointed assistant federal judge in this district. Of course, we all know that there was no need in this district for such a law, and that there is no necessity for the appoint ment of another judge, except to give some "deserving" Democrat a job with munificent salary, because Judge James E. Boyd is in good trim physically and vigorous of mind, not withstanding he has reached the age when he could retire upon full pay. Judge Boyd, however, is not the sort of man who wants to draw pay with out working for it as long as he is able to work, and when he gets so diasbled that he cannot work, we have no doubt that he will retire voluntarily. Hence we say there was no need at all for a law providing for another federal judge in this district. However, a judge will be appoint ed, and the woods are full of candi dates. Greensboro has at least three candidates, Charlotte as many, Ashe ville several, and other towns in the district are furnishing one or more applicants, and Congressman Yates Webb is said to be in a receptive mood. But as yet Hendersonville has not put forth a candidate, which it strikes us she should do in order to keep herself as big as she is and properly on the map. Col. W. A. Smith, president of the Henderson ville Bar Association, would measure well up in ability with a. number of lawyers who have announced them selves candidates for the place. J. E. Shipman, present Solicitor, would fill this new judgeship admirably. McD. Ray, who has fought, bled and almost died for the cause of Demo cracy in this part of the State for twenty years or more, might, it seems to us, be considered as among the many "deserving" Democrats when it. comes to making an appointment to fill the newly created office. And there are others here. Therefore, why not the local Bar Asociation get' together and put lorth the name oi one of its members as a candidate for the new judgeship? The oppor tunity is here. Hendersonville nas a federal building. All she lacks now' is a federal judge, and we have a chance to try to get him. '' It seems to us that the local association might do the city a good turn riht now. r TnMTTY TTTT HT1