v
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VOLUME XXXIV.
WILSON AS A MOSES EN .
THE EYES OF FRENCH PEOPLE
An Unusual Study of the President's
Character Compares Him With the
Lawgiver, . Oom Paul and Crom
well. "
Ot the many comments and studies
on the character Presirdetn Wilson
is playing in the world drama at
Paris, the following taken from the
Paris Figaro is one of the most re
markable. The translation is giv
en in the Living Age as follows:
President Wilson comes; they an
nounce tidings of him in the tone
that people once used in saying,
' Truth is on the way." "In a few
days he will be on this continent," I
was about to say, he will descend
upon earth. For we are accustomed
to see him appear in the clouds of
heaven, from whichhe talks to hu
manity and this gives a touch of diz
ziness to certain spirits that are oth
erwise stable.
We must never forget that if the
words of Wilson are children of the
mountain top, his action takes place
upon the earth and clasps the earth
closely. His thought forms itself in
the highest skies even as a kind of
nebulous star; it seems to detach it
self regretfully; suddenly we behold
it condense and burst upon the world
of mankind, striking at the precise
point in which action is necessary.
Finally, this disturbing meteror dis
tributing incontestable benefits,
spreads itself over the land.
In the days preceding the Presi
dent's reelection we were still trou
bled by his pacificism, by his coun
sels concerning the purposes of the
war, and by his homilies on peace
without victory, when of a sudden,
in the name of those very principles
he thrust the United States into the
pitiless war against the enemies of
civilization. He alone seemed capa
ble of convincing the Great Democr
acy that her moral and material wel
fare compelled her intervention.
Those absolute powers, centered in
his person, in whom vibrated the
whole soul of his people carried a
way by their enthusiasm for the holy
places of civilization translated
themselves into action in a most
practical spirit -with a conception
of the ensemble and a sense of detail
which left no doubt as to the power
of so well-ordered to find the most
skillful of statesmen in this bibical
prophet whose sacred madness had
sometimes so disturbed us. It was
clear that he possessed a genius for
the handling of men and affairs as
great in scope as the genius of those
"shepherds of peoples of ancient tim
es, when a judge ruled over the
tribes of Israel."
One can almost say of him what
used to be said of God, that his ways
are dark. For it is from heaven it
self that he seeks inspiration.
Great initiative, such as Moses, must
of necessity possess a secondary per
sonality which is that of a consum
mate politician. When his head dis
appeared in the clouds of Sinai his
people regarded him as a humanita
rian dreamer, and danced about the
golden calf, which must have been
a kind of protest against primitive
meatless days.
The analogy is a curious one, but
we do not make it to authorize a pre
mature identification of Moses and
Wilson. Let us leave his impertin
ence to the gossips of the streets and
salons, who are going about insin
uating that the great American stat
esman at hand to give laws to the
universe. It goes without saying
that this irreverent suggestion has
not its source in us and has no cred
it here. This fact, too, explains zeal
shown in certain quarters to repre
sent the fourteen points like a kind
of idol before which all perfoce must
bow the head.
Mr. Wilson's intimates and friends
have certainly never presented the
fourteen points in any such light;
they have never insisted on them as
articles of faith.
They are "propositions" in the
sense which his theme has in philoso
phy, still more in the theological
sonse of the word that is, proposi
tions offered for discussion and not
dogmas. It has been said, with hu
mor, that we are dealing with the
fourteen pints and not the Ten Com
mandments. PLANNING AN ARMY OF
ABOUT 500,000 MEN
House Military Committee Decides
Basis For Determining Army Pay
Year Beginning July 1.
Washington, Feb. 2. An -army of
500,000 men was unanimously de
cided on by the Houser Military com
mittee as the basis for determining
the appropriation for army pay for
t&e year beginning . next July.
PUBLISHED SEMZrWEEKLYTOWN.
CASUALTIES GIVEN OF AMERI
CAN TROOPS ON WEST FRONT
Grand Total of Major Casualties An
nounced is 56,592, Including
Killed, Died of Wounds, Missing,
Prisoners. Thirtieth Had Total
of 1,772 and Eighty-First Euffer
ed Loss of 370.
Official tables of the major bat
tles casualties of the American forc
es in France, made public by Gen
eral March, chief-of-staff, show that
approximately 10,000 men remain
wholly unaccounted for nearly three
months after the .ending of hostili
ties. The deaths, missing and known
prisoners are tabulated up to Janu
ary 10, for each of the thirty com
batant divisions of General Persh
ing's army. The total is 56,592 of
whom 17,434 are classified as miss
ing or captured. An appended state
ment shows that only twenty-nine
American military prisoners were be
lieved to be still in Germany on Jan
uary 8, and that 4,800 prisoners had
been checked up as returned and 118
died in captivity.
The total for all divisions exclu
sive o fthe two regiments of Marines
in the Second "Army, follows:"
Killed in action 27,762
Died of wounds .......... 11,396
Missing in action 14,649
Grand total 56,592
Thirtieth Division, Tennessee,
North Carolina, South Carolina and
District of Columbia troops:
No.
117
118
119
120
113
114
115
113
114
115
105'
105
Total.
. 388
. 328
. 453
. 475
Machine Gun.
12
28
16
6
15
9
' Artillery.
Trench Mortar.
Engineers.
Totals . . . . 1,772
Eighty-first division, South Caroli
na, North Carolina, and Florida
troops:
Infantry.
321
322
323
324
, .. 74
102
: 34
68
, 5
5
13
59
. 2
Machine Gun.
316
317
318
316
317
318
306
Artillery.
Trench Mortar
Engineers.
306
. 6
370
Total
BRIGHT JEWELS OF THOUGHT
a TWHoiitfiil Hour At the
Oxford
A. -Mr -
Methodist Church.
It was th pleasure of the Public
Ledger Sunday night to hear Rev. R.
C. Craven for the first time since he
came to the Oxford Methodist church
and we thoroughly enjoyed his ser-
- t- a -f fh mi frh t fall
mon. ungut jcwcw v-0 -
fast and thick from his lips
As for
instance ne saia uidi ery of accumulated stocks or cheap
a spur to greatness, and he relatea 1qw gdrade cotton on exchange in set
numerous instances of men who ac- tlement of contracts calling for high
- - i -. 1, V. n 1 i crVl t nf fl l
n uired Knowieuge uy .
pine-knot on the hearth of a cabin
home. , .
The congregation is very much in
love with Br. Craven, and the church
attendance is usually large. Mrs. K.
L Street, who presides at the organ,
is also receiving many hearty con
gratulations, f '
Mr Craven's idea seems to be to
make' the jsacred hours at his church
one long to be remembered. . .
Like his predecessor, Dr. Willis,
Mr Craven will work hand in hand
with the ministers and all good peo
nle irrespective of denomination, for
Se -building of. God's Kingdom
among us.
ITCH BREAKS OUT AT
A THE PEACE MEETING
It Is Like "Seven Years Itch," But
None of American Delegation
Have It.
, (Paris Special.)
The newest irritation to varise at
the peace conference ;
French call "gale" and . what is
known r elsewhere as - the French
-?tch" It is an annoying,' but not
a dangerous, ailment of the skin,
and is something like the ('seven
year's itch," which is indigenous m
almost every country, tder r local
names. So far, none ot the Ameri
can delegation have it. '-
OX
V " UltLJJE COUNTY SOLDIER
HAD AN EXCITING EXPERIEN
Claude W. Allen Was Captured Ej?y
The Crown Prince's Army.
. Last March Claude W. Alien, soi
of Justice G. W. Allen, of Creedmoor,
qualified in the medical department
of the army and sailed away to
France. His services were in great
demand and he was sent immediately
to the first line trenches to render
first aid to the dying and wounded.
He was serving immediately in
front of the Crown Prince's army,
composed of the picked soldiers of
the German empire. f
All went well with Sergt. Allen
up to last summer, when things be--gan
to get lively in his vicinity. Hi
was in the grand rush north of Ver-i
dun on the afternoon of a bright Oc
tober day, and while following In the
wake of the advancing army, adminf
istering to the wounded, a barrage
of smoke enveloped him, rendering
it as dark as mid-night. While thus
engaged, the smoke cleared, and on
looking to the left he saw. sixteen
German soldiers advancing on him
with drawn guns. They were no't so
hideous as Sergt. Allen had expected
to see. The first question they put
to him was:
"Ate you a Tommy?"
"No, I am an American," answer
ed Sergt Allen.
"American, is it," said a German
lieutenant, glancing at the dial on
his wrist, "let -us be going in this
direction."
In relating the incident, Sergt. Al
len said that there was no harsh
treatment on the part of his captors
during the two hours that he was in
captivity.
They joked with hims and offered to
share their rations, and in return for
their courtesies, Sergt. Allen dress
ed a wound on the arm of one of his
captors, and while he was thus en
gaged, a detachment of the Thirtieth
Division swung-tothe left and came
upon them. ' .
Sergt. Allen was not scared in the
least until it was all over; then he
had forebodings as to what might
have happened should he have land
ed in a German prison.
But his. captors had been ,kind to
him, and now it was his turn to show
them the American spirit, and he ac
cordingly told the detachment to
take them to the rear and give them
the same treatment that they had ac
corded him.
The distinguished service cross
may not be awarded to Sergt. Allen,
but he enjoys the rare distinction of
having been captured by the enemy,
and in turn captured his captors two
hours later. It was immediately af
ter the4 above incident that he got on
overdose of gas and was sent to a
base hospital.
40 CENT COTTON PREDICTED
Plan To Wage Campaign To Hold
Staple For Better Price
Under Way.
Washington, Feb. 3. The plan of
waging a campaign thru the South
to urge reduction in cotton acreage
and retention by growers of all their
cotton .until a price of 35 cents a
pound is reached will be discussed
this week at a meeting of members
of the two houses of Congress from
cotton States.
The advisability of amending the
cotton futures act to prevent deliv-
er price and higher graded cotton
also will be discussed at the meet
ing. Mr. Heflin said the demand for
American cotton is 6,000,000 bales
greater than the supply and that just
as soon as peace terms are signed the
price will advance to forty cents a
pound.
AMERICA GAINS IF WILSON
WTNS PRESENT FIGHT
Wants Australia Mandatory for All
Pacific Islands.
(Paris Special.)
President Wilson is urging with
great tenacity the view that the
whole of the Pacific Islands, those
north arid, south of the equator,
should be entrusted to Australia as
the mandatory of the league of na
tions, 'President Wilson, if he gains
the point, will establish a precedent
for the settlement of other and more
difficult matters involving territor
ial interests, and America incidental
ly will -also gain materially by thus
rendering impossible the menace
there might be to the Philippines and
Panama by reason of Japanese occu
pation of the Marshall , and Caroline
islands. . ,
The aground hog has said that
there muH be a bad spell of weather
See the ad of Rose 5, 10 and . 25
cerit store in this paper :. v
-ftTH CAROLINA TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 4 1919 . i j
" , - : '-' , :
Y . OFFER BRILLIANT OPPORTUNITIES-AIL HOME PRINT.
5 - 1 ; . i w 1 1 .ii-.I... i -
e ' f JNIIMKKK 111
THE TONGUES OF THE TOWN
POLITICIANS ARE WAGGING
The Town Election Will Be Held
i m , j"?11' 5th I
Notwithstanding the fact that the-.
municipal election is over three j
months' off the policitians are al-'
ready beginning to discuss town af-
fairs and plan for the coming elec-:
tion. .
It is understood that Mayor Mit-
chell can succeed himself if he cares
to hold the office. The present
Board of Commissioners, as, a whole
has also rendered valuable service.
but, perhaps, say the policitians, the '
board could be ' strengthened by on the streets, the telephone bell be
dropping one or two of the members an to jingle; a dozen or more far
and by taking on new board. mers called' af the'office to inquire
i Some of 'the citizens are anxious about the wonderful cowhand now
to pay honor to another and Mayor we have on our desk a pile of let
Mitchell mav also have oDDosition i ters and postal cards two inches
is he decides to run. i
In this connection we have heard ' tb good-natured mob the best we
the names of Lt. B. S. Royster, Jr., ' could and complacently pointed them
and Lt. James A. Taylor mentioned. to tne original copy and told them
Both of them are with the American 'i i that they must see our West Oxford
Expeditionary Forces.? Having seen correspondent for full particulars re
much of the world they are highly garding the cow.
qualified to serve. Some of the callers at the Public
Candidates for commissioner - are Ledger office offered to pay $1,000
expected to be hard to 'find. This cash for the cow if she could perforin
is one job that the average man what the correspondent had claimed
cares very little about, but there is for her ladyship. Of course, the fig
enough interest even at his time ures are twisted to some extent
to cause one to expect a warm but ."how much, we do not know but it
good-natured political contest over ! is apparent that three pounds of de
the town offices during the coming licious butter cannot be extracted
weeks. j from one gallon of milk. Our cor-
i respondent, who, by the way is one
GRANVILLE COUNTY MAY of the best men in West Oxford or
J GET AID FOR ROADS the entire county, will be glad to
' . j tell the readers of the Public Led-
Two and One-Half Million Dollars ger the exact figures.
I Annually For Ten Years. . . ! In the rush of getting yout the
J Senator Scales, of Guilford, and newspaper mistakes will occur in the
Senator Stevens of Buncombe, have . best regulated offices. The mistakes
drafted a bill designed to create a are usually of the head and not of
large fund to be used for road work the heart. In our last issue we stat
throughout the state. i ed in cold type that:
Briefly, this bill would levy a tax '.
of $1 per horsepower on all automo
biles and trucks, thus providing an
immense sum to be used in road con
struction and maintenance. The plan
is to provide approximately $2,5 00, -
000 annually for a period of 10 years
this amount to match a similar ap-
"propriation provided by the federal
gWernment iir -abill whieh-Gongressislocated in Goldsboro. ' The- editor
is expected soon to enact. The re- of the Public" Ledger superintended
mainder of funds needed aftid not pro that splendid institution for more
vided by the auto tax wjbuld be ob-' than four years and we certainly
tained from the general State fund if ought to know where it is located,
available; if not, by state bond issue. ; Capt. White attended the meeting of
In this way the state would pro-, the Old Folks' HoMr, which is lo
vide approximately $50,000,000. a ' cated in Fayetteville.
10-pear period, to be supplemented
by a like amount of federal aid, mak
ing a total of $100,000,1)00, the .mon
ey to be used in development of high
ways linking all the county seats in
the commonwealth.
)iwe
AN
INITIATIVE VIEW
OF PRESIDENT WTLSON
Little Children Post Themselves
Along the Boulevards and
Watch For Him.
(Paris Special.)
President Wilson's grave respon
sibilities in Paris have so absorbed
his attention he has not yet been
able to get his bearings so as easily
to find his way about when he goes
walking, as he still does, without
giving notice. As when in. Washing
ton, the President is frequently on
his way up one of the boulevards be
fore half the secret service men are
aware he has left this Paris v white
house. He always walks at a brisk
pace, and generally gets a good start
on his personal guards.-
The President is almost always
recognized by little French children,
who are usually liis reliance when he
loses his way. They post themselves
as sentinels along the route frequent
ed by the President, salute him as
he passes and some times trot along
side him, soliciting a little attention.
Mr. Wilson's French is good enough
to enable him to explain where he
wants to go, and he rewards with a I
smile and a handshake, the proua
boy or girl who puts him on the right
road. , , -
CAPT. JAMES I. STEG ALL
OAS RETURNED TO OXFORD
Has Accepted Position At the Post
office.
Capt. James I. Stegall was reliev
ed from military duty at a Southern
cantonment last week. He returned
from France last fall and was getting
a regiment of soldiers in, shape Tor
over seas duty when the armistice
was signed. - , . ,
Capt.Stegall could have remained
in the army, but when the war was
over he preferred to return, to civil
life -He has accepted his old posi
tion at the postoffice and-entered up
on his duties this ; morning. His
many friends are glad to see his
pleasant face at the delivery window.
Rlapwhere in this paper Landis
& Easton announce the arrival of
wraps arid spring coat suits. : '
MISTAKES WILL HAPPEN
IN BEST REGULATED KAMHJES
Some of the Errors Are Very Amus-
While Others Are of a
. .
A Grievous Nature,
Among the West Oxford , notes
Published in the last issue of the
Iublio Ledger was the following
item:
Mrs. S. H. Kearney has a
cow that gives 3 pounds of but
ter for each gallon of milk she
gives.
i -
As soon as the Public Ledger, car-
Wing the above announcement was
thick. We held our ground against
Capt. W. H. White this week
attended the meeting in Ral
eigh of the board of directors
of the Odd Fellows' Home,
which is located in Fayette
ville. Everybody in North 'Carolina
knows that there is only one Odd
Fellows' Home in the State and that
NORTH CAROLINA DOGS HAITB
BEEN BOSS TOO LONG
The Legislature Now Has the Upper
Hold On Col, Dog.
( Debate exhaustive and exhausting
I Kir Vi o TTnusA nf a StntAwirtp frtfr law
fathered by that best friend of the
baa-baas, Frank Ray, of Macon,
gave spice and weariness to the
legislative body last week. Several
amendments to except various coun
ties were voted down and it early
became apparent that a State law
was coming. Hardly a dissenting
vote was heard against the measure
on its second reading.
Senator Currin, pf Granville, has
said in his heart that Old Col.
Dog' should have a friend, but never
theless a firm boss, one that will
rule with a rod of iron.
PERSHING DENIES THAT
U. S. TROOPS HAVE BEEN
GUILTY OF MANY CRIMES
He Recommends a Full Refutation
Of tho Charges.
y (Washington Special.)
General Pershing in an official
telegram to Secretary Baker charac
terized the sensational reports of as
saults and burglaries having been
committed in Paris by American! sol
diers as "gross exaggerations." Crim
es committed by American soldiers,
he said, were almost negligible con
sidering the large number of men
and he recommends a full refuta
tion of the charges be-put strongly
before the American" public
Since the conclusion of the armis
tice, the report added, Paris has of
fered attraction to men mischieveo
ously and criminally inclined and
this has resulted in minor disturb
ances, but the American military po
lioe organization is excellent and dis
orders are kept at a minimum.
TO CARE FOR WHEAT CROP
The Government Is Behind the Wheat
V Growers.
An administration bill appropria
tiuf Sl.250,000,000 to . enable , thf
Goyerdaient to cany out the guar
antee to 'the farmer pf a price of
$2.20 a bushel for the 1919 wheal
crop has, been transmitted to thf
. chairman of the Senate and . Housf
( agriculture committee by the . food
administration. -
I ' - I I II !
SPEAKER BRUMMITT SPONSORS
GOVERNOR BICKETT'S PLAN
Introduces Bill to Better Conditions
of Defectives.
Another of the Governor's special
recommendations to the General As
sembly in his biennial message ' took
form Saturday when Speaker Brum
mitt himself introduced a bill to im
prove the moral, mental or physical
conditions of inmates of penal or
charitable institutions. It would
partly translate into law the Chief
Executive's declaration that "every
child has a natural right to a fair
start."
Speaker Brummitt is very popular
with both houses. ' .
He Stands on the right side of ev
ery good bill so far' introduced, and
it will be seen at the end of the ses
sion that his popularity covers the
whole state like a blanket. He spent
Sunday in Oxford and we are glad
to note that he is, enjoying
of health.
e best
GROUND HOG'S VISITATION.
Condemned the County Board of
Commissioners for Negligence
The ground hogs in all parts of
Granville county made their appear
ance last Sunday at noon, and upon
seeing their shadows adopted the fol
lowing preamble and resolution:
Whereas, The Board of Commis
sioners of Granville are golating over
the excellent condition of the roads
of the county, making the people be
lieve that they have accomplished
much in the up-keep of the roads;
whrerein the elements alone for the
past winter are entirely responsible
for the fair condition of the roads,
and not the commissioners; therefore
be it
Resolved, That a taste of real weath
er, something like that of last win
ter, be visited upon the people of the
entire county so that the commis
sioners may be brought to a sense
of duty. !
The underground wire was used in
transmitting all communacations,
and when7 the chief official ground
hog at Oxford heard the report from
the local, committee of grouid hogs,
he dismissed " them with thanks and
communicated with the Supreme
Ground Hog at Chicago, requesting
him to give the people of this section
hail Columbia for the next six weeks
and rub it in.
THE WAR REVENUE BILL
IS ABOUT COMPLETE
House Military Committee Provides
For Maintenance of 106,000
Officers and Men.
(Washington Special.)
An appropriation of $3,000,000 to
maintaining the National Guard at
a strength of 106,000 officers and
men during the next fiscal year was
"tentatively aproved today by the
House Military Affairs Committee.
The rider to the bill 'providing for
extra pay to men in military service
on discharge was compromised by
the agreement to pay $50 to discharg
ed soldiers and nurses and $200 to
officers.
PENCIL AND TABLET.
Take Down the Names of Flowers
For Spring Planting.
There will be a short business
meeting cf the Woman's Club in the
Oxford Library Wednesday afternoon
at 3 o'clock. At 3:30 the meeting will
heturned over to the Garden and
Forestry Department. The ladies are
requested to bring pencils and paper
to take down the names of the flow
ers for spring planting.
GERMANY EXPECTS TO RESUME
TRADE WITH AMERICA AT ONCE
Wants To Exchange .Patent For
' FooditufT'
(Berlin Special.)
Schneddekopf ( directoV general of
the potash syndicate arid formely
controller of. the syndicate. s inter
est in America told the correspon
dent that as a condition of the Ar
mistice between Germany and the
Allies, the ormer was likely, to
make a shipment of 60,000 tons of
potash soon. This potash he said,
would be sent to America in return
for a shipment of foodstuffs.
Signs of Spring.
Spring is just around the corner,
judging from the voice of the crick
et; robins have been heard caroling
their springtime songs; the blue
birds have made their presence and
weather .sharps are , predicting a
finish of winter, weather. A lover of
nature at Knap of Reeds has sent the
'Public 'Ledger. ;a' cutting, of - alder:
bushes showing the first growth of
1919 in the: timber - line. Tiny
branches, tipped with small, but. full
formed leaves are growing from the
parent stem. ,