SATURDAY IN LEGISLATURE.
Revenue Bill Has Passed Both
Houses. Special Tax Placed on
Concerns That Use Coupons and
Tradinp Checks. Bill Intntduced by
Barnes and Sanders Relative to Pay
of Johnston County Commissioners.
We are giving the gist of the work
of the Legislature for the Saturday
session as reported by the regular
correspondent of the Wilmington Star
and published in that paper Sunday.
Except for concurrence on the part
of the House in some very minor
amendments made to it by the Senate,
the revenue bill that is to be the basis
of the revenue of the State for the
next two years, is now ready for en
rollment for ratification. The final
reading was given it in the Senate
in the afternoon.
The amendment of most interest
was the injection of a clause to fix a
privilege tax on concerns that use
coupons and trading stamps, the bill
even applying to those merchants
who use coupon checks on their cash
registers. It will exact a tax of $5 in
towns of 2,500 inhabitants and an ad
ditional $5 for every 1,000 inhabitants
in addition. This would make the tax
on a merchant in Raleigh, for in
stance, something like $100.
In the House there was favorable
report for the Grier bill to regulate
the hours of work for women and
minors in mercantile and other estab
lishments, including laundries and ho
tels and cafes. It is a bill that it is
?1 HT 1_ ' ? *
uiiuv.isi.uuu cue iviercnarus /\ssocia
tion of the State has lined up against.
It would, among other things, prohib
it women and girls from working ex
cept the hours of 6 A. M. and 6. P.
M.
The Senate set the House bill for
the inspection of steam boilers as a
special order for Monday morning. It
was introduced by Speaker Murphy
in the House and passed that body
by a safe majority. The office of
boiler inspector will be created under
the supervision of the Department of
Labor.
New bills were introduced in the
House as follows:
Barnes and Sanders ? Fix the pay
of Johnston County Commissioners.
Noland ? Construct the Asheville
Murphy Scenic Highway.
Scott, of Pender ? Regulate the
counting of ballots in primaries and
elections.
Breeca (by request) ? Provide for
uniform weighing and grading of
cotton; Regulate the licenses for cot
ton seed buyers; Regulate the habits
and speed of fur bearing animals of
Cumberland County.
Stubbs ? Provide for special emer
gency judges.
Holding ? Provide for the adoption
of high school text books in Caroli
nn
Beasley ? Abolish corporal punish
ment of prisoners.
Bills passed final reading as fol
lows:
Amend the act regulating the pro
cess of levying taxes for bonds; Bonds
for Dunn; Amend the law as to the
work of the Geological Survey; Regu
late the duties of students who are
training in" medical and surgical in
stitutions. This bill was by Represen
tative Breece and bears especially on
training nurses in hospitals. He had
investigated conditions in 52 hospitals
in the State and found a vast amount
of overwork with work hours rang
ing from 8 to 22.
He had found that the hospitals at
Wilmington have the best record for
humane regulations as to the work
imposed on the nurses.
His bill limits the regular hours of
service to 12 and, in special cases,
would permit 16 hours work with half
that much time for sleep, subject to
call. The bill passed without opposi
tion.
The Speaker laid before the House
the Page bill for Moore County to
, elect its county board of education.
Mr. Page moved to table as other
legislation had superceded this.
Mr. Doughton called up the similar
bills for Catawba, Caswell, Lee, Un
ion and Vance Counties and had them
all tabled at the same tiume.
The bill passed, without opposition,
to abolish the State Board of Chari
ties and create in its stead the State
Board of Charities and Public Wel
fare, with very much enlarged powers
and scope of work.
Men have a right to bet if they
choose, but they should choose right
before they make the bet.
FOR FARM LOAN ASSOCIATION.
___
Let Us Take Advantage of Our New
Opportunity. Do You Realize the
Benefits of the Rural Credit Sys
tem?
(By Tho8. H. Atkinson.)
Every farmer in Johnston County,
and for that matter in all our State,
should certainly recognize and take
advantage of the great opportunities
and benefits of the new Rural Credits
Law which the present Administra
tion has enacted for the farmers of
the country. Let us co-operate in
this and reap the big advantages it
will give us. Whether a farmer in
dividually feels that he particularly
needs it or not, he should hs^ve the
good home-community spirit of help
fulness, and it is really up to each
one of us to co-operate in this great
system, which on such favorable
terms places money at the disposal
of farmers for the better carrying
out of farm enterprises. (See article
in Saturday Evening Post, by G.
Herbert Quick, January 27, 1917.)
Under the terms of the Rural Cred
its Act money can be secured on
long time, low interest, and small
payments. To enable us to get this
advantage it is necessary for each
community to organize an "associa
tion." This does not involve any obli
gation or expense; it is simply the
first step, so that if you or your
neighbors want to take advantage of
this you are in shape to do so. There
are twelve Rural Credit banks locat
J i. J _? ii? - -i ? - * i i_i S ' ? ??-*? ?
tu au ainerent points tnrougnout ine
,-ountry. It takes ten or more men to
form one of the Associations above
referred to, and each Association of
this kind deals with the Rural Cred
it bank for its territory. The one for
our section and county is located at
Columbia, S. C. You can secure
further details in regard to the sys
tem by addressing the undersigned,
Selma, N. C., R. F. D. No. 1, or
Farm Loan Commission, Washington,
1). C.
Now, having been offered this won
derful opportunity, we certainly ought
to show our appreciation to the Ad
ministration by organizing an Associ
ation in Oneals township; for in this
way we can at any rate help our
neighbors, and any one of us may
want to borrow sometime. Some of
the townships in Johnston County
have already organized, and in most
of the States the farmers are organ
izing rapidly.
By taking advantage of this "easy
money" it becomes possible for every
man with ability to buy land; or, if
he already has land, he can "improve
it and work it to its fulITS^acity, be
cause this gives him ready cash to
buy stock and fence implements, to
build houses, pay off old mortgages,
or buy more land.
Furthermore, it behooves the busi
ness man and every good citizen to
advocate the formation of these As
sociations of farmers, and to spread
the good news of this Rural Credits
system to those farmers who may
not be entirely familiar with it or
alive to its benefits ? for it has a re
bounding influence in every line of
business. It will stimulate the rural
communities to a considerable de
gree, and make it possible for them to
get bigger profits; and at the same
time the merchant, the lawyer, and
everybody else prospers through the
general prosperity that is brought to
the rural population. And so every
one, in town or country, should be a
"booster" for this good proposition,
and give counsel to the farmers along
the right line to get ready to take ad
vantage of this great opportunity.
If one of these Associations is once
organized, whether the members should
actually borrow any money or not,
they will reap an accumulative bene
fit by simply being an organization
recognized by the Government. They
will be put in touch with the Depart
ment of Agriculture and the State
Agricultural College, and receive val
uable bulletins on diversified farming,
better methods of making farm prod
ucts, etc. The Association will thus
be a constant source of information
and help to its members. It will en
able the Government to reach the
people with reports on all the good
things they have discovered through
the diligent work of their trained
men for many years past.
And the Association not only gives
the benefit of all this without any ex
pense, but it brings the men of the
township together in social inter
course. There should be at least onp
of these Associations in every town
FINAL INAUGURATION PLANS. !
President \\ ill Take Oath Privately
on Sunday. Vice President Will Be
Formally inaugurated Next. Opin
ion of Chief Justice Marshall Cited.
Details of the inaugural plans
which have been indefinite because
March 4th falls on Sunday, began
clearing: up Friday with the official
announcement that President Wilson
had called the customary special ses
sion of the new Senate March 5. A
plan to abandon it had been consider
ed. The session will include the usual
ceremonies of inaugurating the Vice
President.
It seems to have been decided that
President Wilson will take an oath of
office privately in the White House
March 4th, but it has not been an
nounced whether he will take it again
at the public ceremony March 5th.
It is being suggested that the Presi
dent make the public ceremony mere
ly the occasion for delivering his
inaugural address. It is certain that
Vice President Marshall will take his
oath in the formal way at the special
Senate session March 5, but it has
not been determined whether he will
take it before.
The State Department ruled that
if the President decided not to take
the oath until Monday, there would
be no interim period in which the
country would be without a Presi
dent, and published an opinion by
Chief Justice Marshall in 1821 to cov
cx a siiiiiiui ^uuatiuii which tun
L'mnted President Monroe.
The controversy over what part
women shall take in the ceremonies
shows signs of quieting, Mrs. James
H. Boggs, of the Woman's Wilson's
Union, who announced Friday night,
"the withdrawal of all women" from
the inaugural parade because of a
difficulty with Chairman Harper, of
the inaugural committee, over a State
float demonstration, said she had no
further statement to make, and Mr.
Harper indicated that he considered
the incident closed. The chairman
said he had assurances that many
women's organizations would be in
line.
WHEAT REVERSES ITS COURSE.
Main Trend of Opinions Upward,
Though Early Gains Are Not
Fully Held.
Instead of continuing their down
ward course, as some people expected,
the wheat options displayed rallying
tendencies and ended the week higher
on the average. Sentiment among
speculative interests was less pessi
mistic at the outset and scarcity of
offerings was an early feature, with
May shorts covering quite actively.
This delivery at Chicago crossed $1.80
and widened the differences in com
parison with the later positions,
which showed some hesitancy. Yet
July went above $1.52% and Sep
tember to $1.40%, a more optimistic
view of the shipping situation and
reports of improved export bids
largely explaining the betterment in
the markets. Not all of the gain was
held, however, abatement of demand
and scattered liquidation prior to the
holiday causing a reactionary tenden
cy. Obstacles in overseaes transpor
tation still act as a check on export
business, and it is clear that the trade
continues nervous regaiding interna
tional possibilities. Meanwhile, it is
observ jd that receipts at western
points run much below last year's,
and the movement thus far this sea
son is over 100,000,000 bushels smal
ler. Latest visible supply figures dis
closed a reduction of about 1,000,000
bushels, but this was less than half
the decrease in the same period of
1916. ? Dun's Review.
The glass-sand production of the
United States for the last fiscal year
amounted to 1,884,044 tons, with a
value of $1,606,640.
ship, and the men of Oneals township
could not do better than to make a
move in this direction at once ? and
the s?oner the better. Those who are
interested ? as we trust many are ?
will find blanks at Atkinson's Mill for
them to sign and thus show their in
tention to take advantage of this op
portunity. The blanks have been left
at the Mill because it is a community
interest and easily accessible to any <
one in the township. We ought to get
enough signers very soon to put us
where we can form our Association.
Selma, R. F. D. No. 1. ?
SELMA HAS AWFUL TRAGEDY.
Everett Eason Shot Harry Cook Sat
urday Night, Cook Died Early Sun
day Morning in a Wilson Hospital.
Eason Gave Himself Up and Is
Now in Smithfield Jail.
On Saturday night about 7:30
o'clock, in Selma, on a street corner
near the Central Telephone Office,
Everett Eason shot and killed Harry
Cook, a son of James H. Cook. The
shooting was done with a new Win
chester shot gun. Jhe whole load took
pffect in his right thigh and severed
some of the main arteries of the leg.
Physicians did what they could for
him and later sent him to the Wilson
Sanitorium where he died Sunday
morning at three o'clock. Eason sur
rendered himself and was brought to
Smithfield and placed in jail. Cook was
a married man only nineteen years
old and lived on the farm of Mr. N.
EL Ward.
Another Account.
Our Selma correspondent sends us
the following account of the tragic
affair, after narrating some of the
work of Old Booze in Selma that day:
The trouble began about three
o'clock, when, in a fist fight between
two young men, there was a black
eye and a busted nose, besides va
rious other bruises. Then about five
o'clock another fight in which bruises
were galore.
Then about 7:30, one white man,
Everett F.ason. shot. Harrv Cook, silso
white. No one seems to know the
cause of the shooting. Eason and
Cook were standing on the northwest
corner of Railroad and Raiford streets
where they met, Cook coming from a
visit to his wife in Smithfield, where
she was visiting a sister. Eason, go
ing to his home at the Ethel Cotton
Mills, with a new automatic single
barrel gun in his hand. No one can
tell what their conversation was
about. It is said that a colored man
passed them a few minutes before
the gun fired, with a small sack on
his shoulder, when Eason cursed him.
The colored man made no reply. Dr.
Noble, who was passing about thirty
feet from them, turned to look at
them just as the gun fired and saw
the flash, and heard Cook say "You
have shot me," then saw Cook fall,
saw some one help him up, when he
started north calling for a doctor. Dr.
Noble followed him and when he fell
saw at once that he was badly hurt.
He then put his hand into the wound
catching the artery, and holding it,
stopped the flow of blood. Dr. Mayer
berg and Dr. Vick were at his side in
a few minutes, Dr. Mayerberg cutting
his clothes and Dr. Vick going for a
tourniquette. Dr. Noble held the ar
tery till the tourniquette could be
applied. The man was then taken to
Dr. Noble's office where it was de
cided to take him to Wilson for treat*
ment as there was no place to treat
him in Selma. Dr. Noble and a Mr.
Moore went with him. When he ar
rived in Wilson he was taken to the
Moore-Herring Hospital where it was
found that the femoral artery and
vein were shot in two. After ligating
the artery and vein he was well cared
for, but the end came about 2:30
Sunday morning. The body was
brought to Selma Sunday on No. 89
and taken to the country for burial.
This injury shows the need for a
hospital here. We do not know that
there would have been any others re
sult, but he would have had attention
at least two and a half hours earlier.
There was one and a half inches
of the femoral artery shot away, and
but for the prompt action of the doc
tors in stopping the blood, Mr. Cook
would not have lived two mintes from
the time he was shot.
Mr. Harry Cook is a son of Mr.
James Cook, and Mr. Everett Eason
a son of Mr. Lloyd Eason. After
shooting Mr. Cook, Eason ran off,
but soon returned, giving up the gun
to the parties who sold it to him and
giving himself up to Mayor R. E.
Richardson, who after a preliminary
examination, sent Mr. Eason to Smith
field jail where he is now. A prelimin
ary hearing will be h?ul on Wednesday,
February 28, 1917.
Death Iu Oneals.
Mrs. Nettie Moore, widow of Mr,
Uriah Moore, and a daughter of Mr.
H. F. Glover, died at her home in
Oneals township last Thursday. She
leaves seven children.
Avoid temptation, through fear you
may not withstand it.
LOST IN SERIES OF TORNADOES.
Much Damage Done in Mississippi,
Alabama and Georgia. Numerous
Cabins and Small Dwellings Are
Swept Away.
Seven persons are reported killed
and more than a hundred injured in
a series of tornadoes that swept por
tions of Alabama, Georgia and Mis
sisippi Friday.
The most serious loss of life oc
curred in middle Alabama, where
eleven of the deaths occurred. Hollins,
Midway, Stewartsville and Whitsett
were swept, seven persons being
killed and more than a hundred in
jured in the Hollins-Midway-Stew
artsville section, while at Whitsett
four negroes were killed in the de
struction of their cabins. In addition
much timber was blown down and
several residences were damaged
Two negroes were killed at Litho
nia, Ga., when the twisting wind
struck that place and at least sixty
small dwellings were demolished.
Six children were injured in a
storm at Georgetown, Miss., two of
them seriously, when a school build
ing v as blown down.
Small tornadoes also struck near
Wetumpka, Ala., and Hurtsboro, Ala.,
causing minor property damage.
IU11U.\ at HHjHKK levels.
Advances Outnumber and Outrange
Declines. Aggressive Specula
tion Still Absent.
Not all of the cotton options du
plicated -the high levels of the pre
vious week, but the list ended about
20 points net higher on this crop and
:50 points on the next. Again, the up
ward movement was most conspicuous
at the outset, when prices advanced
$2 a bale on the average in sympathy
with Liverpool's rise, and subsequent
gains carried May to 1(5.44 cents,
Juiy to 16.50 cents and October to
16.09 cents, while middling uplands
once more touched 16.30 cents. Scar
city of contracts, both herd and across
the Atlantic, was an early feature
and the market was easily lifted, with
offerings light and some shorts cover
ing. Holders were encouraged by bull
ish spot advices from the South, and
the strength of the local situation
was emphasized by a demand for the
actual staple from New England spin
ners. Yet there were frequent periods
of reaction when profits were taken,
and speculators still seem wary of
following the long side aggressively
while foreign uncertainties continue.
Some interests enthused because the
week's export movement proved
larger than expected, but others point
out that much of the cotton represents
purchases made some time ago and
does not indicate the volume of cur
rent foreign buying.
It is still a little early for new
crop prospects to be a prominent mar
ket influence, yet many people are
following weather conditions in the
South with close attention. Thus far,
the reports have not made particu
larly cheerful reading, except for
some speculators, as there as com
plaints of insufficient moisture in Tex
as and too much of it elsewhere, with
farm w&rk hindered. If a handicap in
some ways, however, wet weather has
its compensations, for it tends to put
the soil in good shape to withstand
possible drought in mid-summer, and
conservative men do not begin to cal
culate the probable size of a crop un
til some time after it is planted. ?
Dun's Review.
Submarines Torpedo Eleven Vessels.
Including the seven Dutch vessels
torpedoed in the English Channel by
German U-boats, 11 steamers are
known to have felt the frightfulness
of the German under-sea warfare,
from Saturday's reports. At least four
British vessels were sunk, while three
of the Dutch vessels torpedoed were
sunk and the others badly disabled.
The tonnage of the Dutch vessels
destroyed approximated 40,0?f), while
the British were given as totalling
24,292 tons. This brings the tonnage
since February 1 up to 354.445, and
the number of vessels destroyed has
now reached 163, counting only three
Dutch vessels sunk of the seven tor
pedoed.
This is the second largest day's
work of destruction accomplished
by the Teutonic submersibles since
the under-sea campaign was renewed.
I _
Have order, system, regularity, lib
erality and promptness.
FRIDAY TOTALLED 13 SHU'S.
Including French Steamer Athos, the
Aggregate Tonnage as Reported
Was 25,456. Review of the War
News.
German submarines continue to
sink entente ships. The total tonnage
sunk as reported Friday was 25,456.
This includes the French steamer
Athos, of 12,000 tons, which was sent
to the bottom in the Mediterruiean
while* carrying troops to France and
under guard of warships. One Amer
ican, Robert A. Haden, a missionary
in China, lost his life in the torpedo
ing of the Athos, from which 1,450
persons were saved. All the 13 ves
sels reported sunk were of entente x
registry, except one Norwegian and
several of unestablished identity.
There has been no activity of im
portance on the battlefields of Eu
rope. In the Somme and Ancre sec
tors, additional small gains of ground
by British troops are recorded by
London. The repulse of German raids
in the vicinity of Armentieres also
is reported. Artillery bombardments
continue as usual along the remain
der of the western front.
In Galicia the Germans and Rus
sians have been engaged in isolated
fighting at Zlochoff. Berlin records
the destruction of four mine shafts
and the capture of 250 prisoners.
Petrograd says the attackers were
driven back to their positions after
breaking through the Russian lines.
A battle for the possession of San
naiyat, northeast of Kut-el-Amara on
the Tigris, is in progress. British
... C- 1 - 1 1
nuupa wi'it- suuces^iui in uie open
ing engagement, London reports, but
fighting is being hampered by high
water in the Tigris.
PROPOSES FORCE OF 4,000,000.
Army General Staff Universal Mil
itary Service Bill is Submitted to
House. Wide Publicity Suggested.
Washington, Feb. 23. ? The army
general staff universal military ser
vice bill was transmitted to the House
military committee today by Secreta
ry Baker without a definite expres
sion by the administration, either on
the general subject or the specific pro
posal.
The secretary suggested that wide
publicity be given the staff plan "to
the end that both Congress and the
War Department can, in any subse
quent consideration given to the sub
ject, have the benefit of an enlighten
ed, thoughtful public opinion upon the
needs and wishes of the country."
In round numbers, the staff plan
would supply a trained force of 4,
000,000 men, with one year of inten
sive military instruction. It is esti
mated by the War College that ap
proximately 500,000 boys in their
nineteenth year would be available
for train, g annually.
They would, under the plan, be lia
ble to call to the colors until 32 years
of age and then would pass into the
unorganized reserve until 45 years of
n crp.
The bill's purpose is to constitute
a first reserve of 1,500,000, ready to
respond instantly to a call to arms. A
second reserve of equal size, but only
partially equipped, would require
some time to take the field. Eventu
ally, there would be 1,000,000 addi
tional men ready to fill in gaps at
the front.
In addition, there would be a regu
lar armV of 24,400 officers and 285,
88G enlisted men. Of these 97,000
would form the oversea forces and
29,000 the frontier forces, the remain
der composing the permanent train
ing personnq.1, which could take care
of the instruction of reserve recruits
annually. If the proportion of avail
able men for training was greater
than estimated, the permanent train
ing force would have to be propor
tionately increased.
In Sunday School 66 Years.
If there are still any who believe
the old saw that "the good die
young," we invite their especial at
tention to Hon. William M. Paxton of
Platte, Missouri, wuc holds the
world's record for Sunday-school at
tendance. For sixty-six y?ara Mr.
Paxton has not missed a Sunday, his
total being, according to our corres
pondent, 3444 consecutive appearan
ces. Those readers who would rather
die young than attend Sunday school
3444 times are welcome to their
choice: every man to his taste.-7
Every Week.