The COMMONWEALTH
j Published Tuesdays and Fridays
Telephone Number 6.
C. F. CARROLL, Editor & Proprietor.
filtered at the Postofflce at Scot
luud Neck, N. C, as second-class mat
ter under Act jf Congress, March 3,
1879.
SuDsc-iptf- -rice:
One Year $1.50
fcjix Months .73
Three Months .50
(Payable Strictly in Advance)
Tuesday, August 22, 1916.
MARTIN WANTS STOCK-LAW
Wc learn from reliable sources that
the citizens of this end of Martin
county are preparing to protest against
the re-building of the old fence along
the Halifax and Edgecombe lines. The
parties of our information are among
the county's best farmers and their
watch-word is "progress." They want
their county to have stock-law as Hali
fax and Edgecombe have, and have
plans well-laid for a better system of
public roads. We understand that
there is a government cattle quarantine
over Martin county at the present time,
and the report as we hear it is that the
quarantine will not be lifted any time
Boon. It seems to us that if the com
missioners of Martin would grant an
election for the purpose of ascertaining
the sentiment on stock-law, they would
find out just how progressive the citi
zens are. The money now expended in
building and maintaining fences should
be going toward goods roads, a tiling
in which Martin is sadly lacking. Hal
ifax has too few of this great need.
"We hope to see our sister county abol
ish the old law of permitting stock to
run at large, and it will not be a great
while before the Texas cattle tick will
be a thing of the past. Modern meth
ods are the making of any eountv.
THE TOWN GOSSIP.
(With Apologies to Carl Gocrch.)
Yesterday afternoon
While I was sitting
In my office
Trying to think.
Of a good subjeet
On which, to write
An editorial,
Or a story of interest;
My mind commenced to ramble
And I thought of Carl Goerch
Of Washington, N. C,
Who is a good fellow,
And who holds a job
As editor of a paper.
And I took a notion
To try to pull off
Some of his stuff
To help fill up
This space of mine.
So I begun
To write this junk
And I think
Its pretty good,
For the first trial.
But I am going
To tell just what
I started out to say:
I believe in advertising
So I chalked off a sign
On my bulletin board
Which sits at the front
Of the Commonwealth office
Whieh in substance
Was an earnest pica
To the good people
To send us the news
And I watched that sign
For an hour or two
And not less than
A hundred people
Read every word of it
And I am more convinced
Than ever
That it pays
To advertise.
I thank you.
SALAMAGUNDI
Changed Hands.
A New York man tried to carry on
an argument with his wife, but as soon
N as he started she took the subject away
from him and carried it on herself.
Lucky "13!"
Thirteen days by the count since the
ex-King of the stampeded Moose gave
forth a single war cry. Another in
stance of where silence is golden.
News and Observer.
How 'Bout it, Herb?
Herbert Kaufman says that those
people who know nothing always want
to talk about it. Herbert ought to
know, as he does a lot of it himself.
Tarboro Southerner.
No, Never!
History says George Washington nev
er told a lie, but even if he ever did so,
it would be scandulous for history to
mention it. History itself has never
claimed that it never told a lie.
He'll Change his mind.
It will be hard on Mr. Hughe i to
have to live in this country for the
next four years if ha does not happen
to be made president, considering what
he thinks of the present administration.
; Capable of Covering.
A young woman went in bathing and
afterwards couldn't find her clothes.
Perhaps, some blamed old sandcrab was
sitting on them and she couldn't see
them, speaking after the manner of the
brevity in dress these days. Wilming
ton Dispatch.
' Ignorance Beneficial.
Perhaps is is well that that mer
chant commander mistook the Deutsch
land for a sailing vessel. If ho had
realized that she was a submarine he
might have hurt himself getting away.
Greensboro News.
; This is Not Pair.
Whether some editors arc hard to
Buit or not, there are those who are
against Wilson for some things he has
done, are opposed to Hughes because he
talks too much and says nothing, can't
stpnd for Sulzer because he is a joke
on hismelf, and don't like Ilanly be
cause he is for national prohibition.
Wilmington Star.
V "What Do You Know?"
How many times have you been
asked that identical question by the
editor of this paper? Too many times
to rbmembcr, perhaps.
Now let us suggest that vou change
the accepted order of procedure for
one that would be a vast improve
ment. Instead of waiting for -us to ask you,
suppose you just take the iniative and
tell us, or write us, or phone us what
you know in the nature of news.
That little piece of information you
have revolving around in your cranium
may not be of great importance to you,
but to others it may be of vital inter
est may even be of considerable value.
Every piece of news you read in this
paper we have received from some
source or other. The efforts of these
people make the paper of greater in
terest and value to you.
Not suppose you reciprocate and do
as much for them. Tell us what you
know. Roanoke Rapids Herald.
The Proposed Constitutional Amend
ments.
So little has been said about the pro
posed constitutional amendments that
we suspect a large proportion of the
citizens of the State had forgotten
that the electorate is to adopt or re
ject four amendments to the consti
tution of North Carolina at the general
election next November. There are
four of these proposed amendments and
they were submitted to the vote of the
people by the Legislature of 1915. The
large number of people throughout the
State who for years have realized the
necessity for some changes in the fun
damental law of the commonwealth
will be gratified to note that a special
campaign is to be waged between now
and the November election to inform
the people of the proposed amend
ments, why they are necessary and
what will be the effect of their adop
tion. It is proposed that if these amend
ments fail of adoption it will not be
through default, as was the case large
ly when ten amendments were sub
mitted to the voters in 1913. It is
proposed that the people shall be in
formed of the four amendments so that
they will take interest enough to vote
on them and to vote intelligently on
the merits of each amendment propos
ed. In addition to indifference, there
were two notable causes that contrib
uted to the defeat of the amendments
proposed in 1913. One was the fact
that so many amendments were sub
mitted at once. The result was lack of
concentration of effort and focus of
attention upon any one. The other was
the fact that one of the amendments
proposed a radical change in our sys
tem of revenue and taxation, and the
people are decidedly "from Missouri"
when it comes to "tampering" with
the fundamental law regulating taxes.
The amendments to be voted on this
year start out with the two distinct
advantages of being only four in num
ber and not involving the matter of
taxation. Therefore, if a campaign of
tensive enough to thoroughly inform
the electorate as to the necessity for
and the effects of these amendments,
there would seem to be a good chance
for their adoption.
The four amendments are virtually
the same as those submitted by the
Legislature of 1913 as numbers three,
for, eight and nine. One of them is
designed to prevent delays in trials
by providing emergency judges. The
apparent necessity for this provision
has been forcibly brought home to a
number of counties in the Stat3 this
year by the continued illness of judge
Cooke and the death of Judge Peebles.
In some counties the dockets have been
piled up, numbers of terms of court
have been missed and trials of numer
ous cases have necessarily been long
delayed to the inconvenience, expense,
annoyance, and injustice of parties to
the suits, while those charged with
crime have been denied prompt trials
of their cases. With this proposed
amendment to the constitution in effect,
the Governor might have commissioned
an able lawyer or even a former judge
to go to these counties, hold the term3
of court on scheduled time, clear up
the dockets and dispose of numerous
cases to the great advantage of liti
gants and all those involved in the
cases on the dockets.
The other three amendments are de
signed to relieve the General Assembly
of great masses of "chicken feed" leg
islation that is very trivial in its na
ture from the standpoint of the State
at large and yet takes up the great
majority of the time of the sessions of
the Legislature and of the individual
members, who are biennially loaded
down with this class of legislation to
such an extent as to make it impossi
ble for them to give proper and nec
essary study, time and thought to the
consideration of larger matters of
State-wide application, interest and
concern, resulting often in the turning
out of ' ' half baked ' ' legislation that af
fects all the people of the State. Under
the present system it is a fact that
the great majority of the members of
the legislature spend most of their
time and give most of their thought to
looking after those inumerablc "little
bills" that are of no interest or con
cern to anybody outside of their own
counties. When a few individual mem
bers of large calibre put forward a
measure of great importance to tho
whole State, it is with great difficulty
that they ever succeed in getting the
members generally to give the subject
thoughtful consideration, not that
the members are indifferent, but
that their time is so completely filled
looking after the "little bills" from
home.
The three amendments proposed to
remedy this situation are those (1) re
stricting local, private and special leg
islation, (2) preventing special charters
to towns, cities and incorporated vil
lages. All this class of legislation
would be shifted to local authorities in
the respective counties, which ought
not to be opposed by those who are
consistent and constant advocates of
"local government."
It is a fact that the individual coun
ties hold their respective representa
tives in the Legislature responsible for
all the local legislation affecting their
counties, or communities within their
counties. It is not infrequent that one
hears such expressions as "our repre
sentative in the last Legislature pass
ed" such and such a bill. In almost 9i'
cases out of 100 the Legistature does-
what the individual representative
wants done respecting matters that af
fect only his own county and for all
practical purposes the bills of this class
are passed by the individual represen
tatives. Therefore, it would seem that
the individual counties would not se
riously object to having their boards
of commissioners or some other elec
tive body of their own citizens pass
upon these local matters instead of
sending a man to Raleigh to do the
I same thing, but calling into play the
i whole vast machinery of the entire
General Assembly, with the consequent
expense to the State, to pass thousands
of bills solely upon the request of in
j dividual members without regard to
j the merits of the measure. Wilming-
ton Star. .
POLAND DOES NOT
SUFFER FOR FOOD
Warsaw, Aug. 21. Crops arc es
pecially excellent in Poland and there
is apparently plenty of food, although
the poor complain that they have not
tasted meat for a year.
After a year of German occupation,
the city is gay and busy, although the
factories are all closed. The Germans
are building an eight million dollar
highway system around this section to
faciliate the marketing of crops.
WILSON PLEADS WITH R. R.
HEADS TO ACCEPT PLAN
(Continued from Page 1.)
ity are interferred with. The lives and
fortunes of 100,000,000, men, women
and little ones many of whom may
die depend upon what may be done
in this room. I appeal to you as one
American citizen to another to avert
this disaster."
THE PRESIDENT SPEAKS
The President has virtually com
manded the railroads to - accept the
principle of the eight-hour day. He has
taken this stand after going over the
whole problem, first with the managers
and then with the men. He has had a
more thorough insight into the whole
situation than any other outsider pos
sibly could. Considering these things
the public is likely to conclude that he
knows what he is talking about, and
inat the principle of the eight-hour daj
is the thing.
Under these circumstances, there is
Dut one thing for the railroads to do
obey. The President is the representa
tive of the people, and what he says the
people will back up. They are in no
mood for trifling. They do not intend
to be ruined by a general strike, and
the sooner the parties to the dispute
understand the people's mood, the bet
ter for all concerned.
The railroads will be justified in ap
pealing to the government for permis
sion to raise rates if they can show
that the cost of following the Presi
dent's advice is greater than their
present revenues will stand. The prin
ciple of the eight hour day is here to
stay. If the railroad terminals are so
arranged that the principle cannot be
put into effect, the terminals must be
changed. That is another charge that
will have to be put upon the people
We can stand an increase in transpor
tation rates, if we must; the point is,
we cannot stand a general strike. That
must be averted at any cost.
It must be said for the men that
they appear to be willing to go half
way to do that. In the interest of
peace they have yielded their conten
tion for time and a half, and, if the
eight-hour principle is adopted, stand
ready to arbitrate the rest of the dif
ferences. They have never wanted a
strike merely for the fun of it; in par
ticular the southern members have
looked upon the possibility of such a
catastrophe with unconcealed anxiety.
In the present status of affairs if a
strike is precipitated the blame will lie
at the door of the companies; and it
will not be a light matter.
The American public is not willing to
inflict any injustice on anybody. But
neither does it intend to be trampled
ground. The President, has indicated a
into the mud of an Industrial battle
way to avoid that. It will be a peril
ous thing for the railroads to reject his
advice. Greensboro News.
NOTICE.
By virtue of the power vested in me
by degree of the Court in that Special
Proceeding, pending in the Superior
Court at Halifax County, North Caro
lina, and entitled "R. G. Allsbrook,
Adm'r of Allen Mabry, Jr., deceased,
against Lizzie Mabry Knight and Mag
gie Lee Mabry, the last two being in- '
fants, without guardian of Allen Ma
bry, Jr., deceased." I will on the 2nd
day of September, 1916, sell for cash
at public auction to the highest bidder
in the town of Hobgood, N. C, in front
of the Bank of Hobgood, at 11 o 'clock,
a. m., the following described real es
tate, lying and being in Halifax Coun
ty, North Carolina, to wit:
Beginning at a stake on the Hob
good Tarboro Road; thence along said
road S. 40y, W., 4 78-100 chains to a
stake on said road (This stake lies S.
60 W., from a large elm in Allen Ma
bry 's yard); thence S. 18 W., 52.25
chains to a gum in the Downing line;
thence along said line, N. 45 E., 7.91
chains to the dividing line; thence
along said line N. 18 W., 46.96 chains,
S. 71 W., 1.40 chains N. 37 W., 4.50
chains, to the beginning, containing
thirty six acres, being the same land
alloted to Allen Mabry, Jr., in the
judgment in that action entitled Allen
Mabry, Jr., by his general guardian,
Hugh Johnson, vs. Allen Mabry, Sr.,
said judgment being- docketed in the
office of the Clerk of the Superior Court
at Halifax County, North Carolina, in
Judgment Docket No. 10 on page 211.
This the 31st day of July, 1916.
STUART SMITH, Commissioner.
FOXES ARE BAD.
Mr. Rufus Cherry was in town Sat
urday and remarked to the writer that
yfoxes were playing havoc with his
chickens. "You know," said Mr.
Cherry, "I found at least half a dozen
grown fowls buried in the cotton patch
near the house which were put there
by foxes." Mr. Cherry is under the
impression that there is a regular ken
nel of rcynards near his home
k A
It Always Helps
says Mrs. Sylvania Woods, of Clifton Mills, Ky., in
writing of her experience with Cardui, the woman's
tonic. She says further: "Before I began to use
Cardui, my back and head would hurt so bad, I
thought the pain would kill me. I was hardly able
to do any of my housework. After taking three bottles
of Cardui, I began to feel like a new woman. I soon
gained 35 pounds, and now, I do all my housework,
as well as run a big water mill.
I wish every suffering woman would give
The Woman's Tonic
a trial. I still use Cardui when I feel a little bad,
and it always does me good."
Headache, backache, side ache, nervousness,
tired, worn-out feelings, etc., are sure signs of woman
ly trouble. Signs that you need Cardui, the woman's
tonic. You cannot make a mistake in trying Cardui
for your trouble. It has been helping weak, ailing
women for more than fifty years.
Get a Bottle Today!
s
1
THpiiiiimimmnimm!tt!ttttmttimmi!nmti'tttnimi)tum
ananas
The Oftener the Better
Some of our friends in another
town say their customers must or
der all of their groceries at one
time, as they do not care to make
so many trips to the same house
in one day.
It
v
THIS DOES NOT AND NEVER
HAS APPLIED TO MY STORE,
FOR I REALIZE FULLY THAT
IT IS NEXT TO IMPOSSIBLE
TO THINK OF EVERY LITTLE
THING AT ONCE. SO LET THE
ORDERS COME, SMALL AND
LARGE, AND THE OFTENER
THE BETTER YOU PLEASE
ME.
Your patronage is ALWAYS
appreciated.
Qee Vaughan
Both Phones 174 Both Phones
QUALITY CLEANLINESS SERVICE
Largest Eetail Fancy Grocery Business in Halifax County.
uuwu:uuim:t:nnimMiiiiiinj:mm
nM8nmuuwmuttmtm:
;:;iii;
The Wondrous
No Work Freezer
j ' ' ' j
No Turning
No Cranking
No Bother
No Worry
"THE
BEST WAY TO COOK"
"TS the New Perfection way. It's a
J- cool way, a clean way! It costs
less than any other and cooks better."
The New Perfection Oil Cook Stove frees
you from working oyer hot coal and
wood ranges. It means gas stove com
fort with kerosene oil. Saves time,
strength and money.
The long blue chimney gives a perfect
draft and the proper heat distribution.
It assures a clean, even flame and lasting
satisfaction.
Fuel costonly 2 cents a meal for 6
people. More than 2,000,000 users
prove the popularity of the New
Perfection.
New Perfections are made in many
styles and sizes.
Consult your dealer who can supply you
with the size best suited to your needs.
Look for The Long Blue Chimney
Use Aladdin Security Oil to obtain the
and Lamps8 m StOVCS' Heaters
STANDARD OIL COMPANY
(New Jersey)
w.. D.c. ALORE ar. n. c.
RihH V. U- ' ".rl..!., W.
uuriesion, S. U.
ITS THE LONG
Fmo7Dfl L. T WHOES
vlw xv viccuu emu ices
to suit the most fastidous taste
Size 1 Quart $3.00
Size 2 Quart $3,50
Try one and dispense with
the old way.
SCOTLAND NEC
FURNITURE
COMPANY
S BLUE CHIMNEV I
MICHEL1N UNIVERSAL TREADS
- and RED TUBES fe
wnolligh-priced! Just compari Awe
pnee. mtb thowyouhare been pfr
Tub, hang 4n a
eurae A..-- r.
nunc
An m hu J . r.
Uir cowvj pcrfc&tv.
UNIVERSAL TREAD CASINOS
mn urn
Inch .Q.D. Q D
33 jlgjO 71355"
11 2Sf 2S.6S 4.2S
2S.tS 2S.9S 5.00
J! 27.5 27.95 5.38
344 33.00 33.00 TsT
H 34.75 34.75 5.0
" 3S.70 35.70 6.90
1!M:(50 0,30
Sx5 40.50 40.50 TsT
31 41.00 j 41.00 JS
.-- mi vcaa ciinci
w31x4. pHct $22.25.
micnelin Red Tubes r.;n lu i cuon-trei types.
JOSEY HARDWARE COMPANY
SCOTLAND NECK, NORTH CAROLINA.
YOU HAVE NO IDEA HOW MUCH YOU WILL BE BENE
FITTED BY USING THIS SPACE CONSISTENTLY