She
tnitljfM *> Hefalii
VOLUME 37.
SMITHF1ELD, N. C., TUESDAY, MARCH 1<>, 1918.
Number 23
GOVERNOR BICKETT
MAKES GREAT SPEECH
TEN MEMBERS OF LIMIT
CLUB ARE ENROLLED.
Great Crowd of Johnston County
Farmers and Business Men
Heard Great Patriotic Address
In Smith field Saturday. Gov
ernor Bickett Introduced By
Supt. Moser, of Selma. Chair
man Ragsdale of County War
Savings Committee Presided
At Meeting Held in Center
Brick Warehouse.
One of the greatest patriotic ad
dresses ever heard in Smithfield was
delivered here Saturday by North
Carolina's most eloquent Governor,
Thomas Walter Bickett. The Governor
came to Smithfield under the auspices
of the War Savings Committee, Mr.
T. S. Ragsdale, Chairman. Knowing
that there would be no building in
Smithfield large enough to accom
modate the crowds that would be
here, except the tobacco warehouses,
Mr. Ragsdale secured the Center Brick
Warehouse through the courtesy of
Messrs. Pool & Lassiter. The Smith
field Chamber of Commerce took the
matter up and had a speaker's stand
built and secured some lumber and ar
ranged seats for about 1,500 people.
The ladies of the Woman's Club deco
rated the stand and building with the
National colors.
The crowd that heard the Governor
was estimated at two thousand people.
They were here from every section of
the county. The several towns of the
county were not so largely represent
ed, but quite a number <?f the towns
people were here showing their great
interest in the War Savings Stamps.
The teachers from many of the public
schools were here and a large number
of ladies from the several sections of
the county graced the occasion v/ith
their presence.
The meeting was called to order a
few minutes after eleven o'clock by
Chairman Ragsdale who presided. The
crowd stoood and Rev. A. S. Anderson
of the Presbyterian church of Smith
field, led in prayer. Mr. Ragsdale
then gave something of the plans of
the War Savings Campaign, how he
was asked to serve as chairman, and
how he pledged to Col. Fries and the
State meeting held in Raleigh that
Johnston would do her part in the
great cause. He told of the wealth of
the county, in cotton, tobacco and
other crops, and said that Johnston
county was eminently able to raise ev
ery dollar of the loan of $910,000 the
Government was asking for through
the War Savings Stamp plan. He
gave the people a hearty welcome to
tho meeting and thanked the business
men of Smithfield for closing their
doors from eleven until one o'clock
for the patriotic meeting. Closing his
short talk, Mr. Ragsdale presented
Supt. Moser, of the Selma Schools,
who introduced Governor Bickett.
Supt. Moser, who is a good speaker
himself, made an eloquent *alk, ex
plaining the War Savings Stamps and
told what the schools and school
children of the county are doing
in this cause, but said that the school
children could not do it all. In a
very few words he made a strong ap
peal for the Government and urged the
people to wake up, and then present
ed Governor Bickett as the great
Governor of the Great State of North
Carolina.
Governor Bickett began by speak
ing of the seriousness of the situa
tion in the world today and reminded
his great audience that this was a time
when everybody should pull together,
that there should be no snarling among
ourselves over petty matters when the
future of the civilization of the world
was at stake. He said that this was
no time* to quarrel over partisan
politics, that we were now crossing
over the river and that if we had any
differences we should not fuss over
them in mid-stream but wait until we
crossed over to settle them.
The Governor warmed up as he
went along telling about how we tried
to keep out of the war as long as we
could, but there came a time when we
had to fight. He reminded us of the
debt we owed France for the great
help she gave us in the Revolutionary
War. Common gratitude demanded
that we should go to the rescue of our
sister republic when the Hun was at
her throat. But more than that we
had to fight for our own life, that had
we not entered the war when we did,
Germany would have conquered France
and England and then would have
turned to America.
The Governor told us about the in
trigues of Germany, how she tried to
get Mexico to join in with her. And
when the hour came she was to strike
and strike us hard. We are in the
fight to a finish and there is no turn
ing back. The Governor told o f his
visit to the Camps and how he found
that the boys were being fed well and
well taken care of. Another fine point
made was that the boys are learning
to obey orders and not to ask the
reason why. He even suggested that
such a course of procedure would be
beneficial to us back home.
But it is useless to try to give a
synopsis of this great speech. Every
person we have talked with who heard
it said it was one of the greatest ever
heard here. Some said it was not
only a great speech but a great
sermon.
Toward the close Governor Biekett
appealed to his auditors to stand by
the Government and buy the War
Savings Stamps. He told us that
these Stamps were absolutely good
and a fine investment. His appeal
was a strong one and many who
heard him were greatly impressed.
When Governor Biekett concluded
Judge Brooks, for the War Savings
Committee, made an appeal for sub
scribers to the Stamps. The first call
was made for the thousand dollar mem
bers and ten men present agreed to
take one thousand dollars each in War
Savings Stamps this year. Others
! took smaller amounts and quite a
nice sum was pledged. Before they
left town many farmers called at the
postoffice and bought Stamps.
The great speech of Governor
Biekett brought the matter to the at
tention of many people in a new light.
They understood the situation better
and showed a greater interest in the
War Savings Plan.
EARL NEVILLE MAINTAINS
INNOCENCE TO THE LAST.
Dies in Chair at State Prison. Saved
From Mob By Governor Bickett.
Raleigh, March 15. ? Declaring his
innonce to the last, Earl Neville
a negro, was executed at the state
prison here this morning, having been
convicted on a charge of criminally
assaulting the wife of a street car
conductor in this city last October.
Neville was tried at a special term
of Wake superior court last October
and on appeal the supreme court ren
dered a decision of no error.
The crime for which Neville paid
the extreme penalty was committed
at the home of the woman on the
outskirts of Raleigh while she was
alone with her two young children.
Neville was arrested and identified as
the man who had attacked her. Soon
after his arrest two unsuccessful at
tempts were made to lynch the negro
and on one of these occasions Gov
ernor Bickett left his bed at a late
hour at night and rushed to Wake
county jail and succeeded in persuad
ing the mob to disperse, promising a
speedy trial.
SOUTHERN FARMERS ARE
WARNED TO RAISE FOOD.
Chief of Agricultural Extension Work
in South Hints Section Might Go
Hungry.
Washington, D. C., March 15. ?
Bradford Kapp, chief of the office of
extension work in the south. United
States department of agriculture, is
sued a warning today to Dixie farm
ers. He urged them to pursue safe
farming and produce the food cf the
south upon the farms of the south.
He asked the co-operation of every pa
triotic man and woman in the south
to see that the mesage, urging the in
crease of southern food production,
is heeded.
"It is folly," he said, "to imperil
our safety, especially when the ex
change value of cotton shows that the
prosperity of the south is not founded
upon cotton alone."
Captain Archibald Roosevelt, son
of Theodore Roosevelt, has been
wounded in action with the Ameri
can forces in France. He was wound
ed by shrapnel slightly in the leg, and
an arm broken but not badly.
What Sculpture is to the block of
marble, that education is to be the
human soul. ? Addison.
RUSSIAN CAPITAL
MOVED TO MOSCOW
GERMAN ARMY RAIDING
RICH RUSSIAN SECTION.
Soviet Congress Adjourns After
Ratifying Peace Treaty With
Central Powers. Japan Un
decided About Siberia. In
creased Fighting on the West
ern Front. American Forces
Near Toul Doing Their Part
to Keep the Enemy Forces
Busy.
With the ratification of the treaty
of peace with Germany the soviet
congress in Moscow has dissolved. But
the Germans have not yet ceased their
inroads into Russia's richest territory
in the south. Nikolnyev, the great
navy yard city northeast of Odessa
and headquarters of the high com
mand of the Russian Black Sea fleet,
is the latest prize that has been wrest
ed from the Russirns. Situated at
the mouth of the Bug river, the cap
ture of the town gives the Germans
a water route of great value through
the richest agricultural country from
Volhynia to the Black Sea.
Up to the last some of the chief
members of the soveit congress op
posed the hard terms of the Germans,
but to no avail. Warning was sound
ed by several of them of a fui'ther
German attack and of the neccessity
for amalgamating for resistance. Be
fore adjournment the congress ap
proved the removal of the capital
from Petrograd to Moscow and late
dispatches say that the evacuation of
Petrograd has been completed.
No change in the situation in Sibe
ria has been noted. As late as Satur
day the Japanese, according to Pre
mier Terauchi, had not decided what
should be done by Japan with regard
to the menace of the Bolsheviki and
the Germ.\n elements who are aiding
them in their rain of terror in Si
beria. While the opposition party in
Japan continues its efforts to prevent
the sending of troops to Siberia, al
most the entire press of the country
favors Japanese intervention.
With the approach of spring each
day witnesses an increase in the fight
ing activity. In every theatre, ex
cept Russia, the infantry and artillery
are hard at work. From the North
Sea to the Swiss frontier no day passes
without numerous "patrol" encounters,
which at times reach the intensity al
most of battles and artillery duels of
violence but little short of the great
exchanges of shells which in the past
year reached the high water mark in
intensity.
Probably the most ambitious of all
the attempts by the belligerents to
pierce an opposing line has been made
by the French troops, over a wide
front in the Verdun sector. The at
tack was delivered after preparatory
artillery fire lasting ten hours, ac
cording to the British war office, but
was checked. That the fighting was
of a sanguinary character is indicat
ed by the statement that the troops
came into hand to hand encounter.
It is claimed by Berlin that at anoth
er point in this region the Germans
penetrated French positions and cap
tured 200 prisoners including the staff"
of one battalion.
At numerous points along the Brit
ish front Field Marshal Hair's men
are under heavy bombardments from
the Germans. Particularly violent
has been the pounding of the shells
along the Btipaume-Cambrai road, in
the Scrape Valley and around Lens.
Only one enemy infantry attack was
attempted.
On the American front near Toul
the Americans are ever on the alert
and frequently open up with their
guns against German positions and
compel the enemy to evacuate the sec
tors under fire. Posts occupied by
snipers and listeners and nests of ma
chine gunners recently have been ef
fectively taken care of by the Ameri
can gunners. The Germans, however,
are not permitting the men from over
seas to do all the shotting, for they
themselves are at times putting the '
Americans under an extraordinarily
heavy artillery fire in which explosive <
shells of large calibre and gas mis- :
siles are used. The Toul sector ap
parently has been picked by the Ger
mans as a va rcrite spot upon which to i
expend their noxious gases, although i
Luneville has not been forgotten by
them in this respect. <
SMITHFIELD CITIZEN
PASSES OVER RIVER
DEATH OF MR. WALTER M.
IVES SUNDAY EVENING.
The End Came After an Illness
of Ten Days. Had lieen a Citi
zen of this Town and Com
munity All His Life. Had
Served as Mayor of the Town
and at the Time of His Death
Was City Clerk and Tax Col
lector. Funeral Yesterday
Afternoon.
Smithfield has again been called
upon to mourn the death of one of its
best citizens, Mr. Walter M. Ives, who
passed away at lvis home on Second
Stieet Sunday evening at six o'clock.
Mr. Ives had been in declining health
f.or about a year and this decline had
been noted more and more for the
past few months. On Friday evening,
March 8, he had a chill. Saturday
he was not feeling at all well, and by
Sunday evening it was seen that he
was a very sick man. lie had a com
plication of diseases and his weakened
condition was against him and he
gradually grew weaker until the end
came Sunday evening.
The funeral was held yesterday
evening from the home and the in
terment made in the City Cemetery in
the presence of a large crowd of sym
pathizing friends and relatives. The
funeral service was conducted by his
pastor, Rev. II. F. Rrinson, assisted by
Rev. S. A. Cotton, of the Methodist
church. Mr. Brinson paid a most
beautiful and fitting tribute to the
deceased, voicing the sentiments of
those who knew Mr. Ives best. The
service was conducted at the grave
with a piayer by Ilev. J. E. Lanier, a
former pastor of the deceased.
After the short service at the home
the remains were conveyed to the
cemetery and laid to rest and the
mound covered with many beautiful
flowers sent as a token of love and
sympathy from many friends. There
were wreaths from the Deacons of the
Baptist church, from the Town Com
msisioners, from the pupils of some
of the grades of Turlington Graded
School and others. The pall-bearers
were F. H. Brooks, N.B. Grantham, S.
C. Turnage, L. T Royall, Polie Gardner
and T. J. Lassiter.
Walter M. Ives was born in the
town of Smithfield in November,
1852, and was thus in his sixty-sixth
year. He was the son of Thomas
Ives and Susan Ives. He had spent
his entire life here and in this com
munity. He has been in business in
some way or another here all his life
since he reached his majority. He has
served the town in different capaci
ties, as mayor, as town commissioner
and was serving as city clerk and tax
collector at the time of his death. In
each of these capacities he gave to the
town his best service. In all his deal
ings with his fellow-man he was
square and honest. He never tried
to be other than he was, a sincere and
upright Christian gentleman, and his
impress on the life of the community
and the county has been felt for good.
Hie was well known with a great many
people of the county who had met him
in their business dealings and all
knew him as a man of upright charac
ter.
The deceased was a faithful member
of the Smithfield Baptist church of
which he had served for many years
as a member of the Board of Deacons.
In his church relations he was ever
true and faithful. He loved the
church and his Lord and was ready
for the summons when it came.
He married Miss Cora McCullers in
his young manhood and to them were
born eight children, six of whom sur
vive ? Mrs. E. O. Edg'.-rton and Mr.
Walter Ives, of Raleigh, and Miss Cora
Belle, John While, Helene and Hettie
Davis who l'ved with their father,
their mother having preceded him to
the grave many years ago. He leaves
an only brother, Mr. John Ives, who
lias been his faithful comrade all these
years. Their great love for each
other has been often remarked upon,
and rfow that the younger brother has
crossed over the river, the tenderest
sympathy of all is with the one left
behind.
He loved his children and to them he
i^ave himself unreservedly. He was
an indulgent father, a good neighbor
rind friend and a man whose pres
ence will be greatly missed.
PATRIOTIC MEETING AT KENLY
Mayor Eaton, of Winston-Salem to
Speak Next Saturday. Patriotic
IMay Given by the School. Pupils
Present Flag to School.
Kenly, March 1*>. ? Friday night, in
the auditorium of the Kenly State
High School, decidedly the most suc
cessful entertainment of the year was
given under the auspices of the Jun
ior Red Cross Society of the school,
which is directed by Mrs. II. P. John
son, the seventh grade teacher. The
program consisted of a licensed patri
otic play called "The Claim Allowed."
Several hundred people were present
to enjoy the program, and more than
sixty of the school children took part in
this play. James Kirby, of the ninth
grade, acted as the hero of the st'?ry.
He was the son of a wealthy. Ameri
can manufacturer who was blind to
the real spirit t f Ami rican patriotism
at the beginning of the war. He volun
teered his services rnd after much
painful effort influenced his father to
see the real glory of fighting for free
dom and liberty. Every character in
the pHy acted his part well, and the
people of the community are proud
of the effort that the school children
are putting forth to arouse the peo
ple of this section to the needs cf the
hour. * The proceds of the play will
be used by the local chapter of the
Red Cros.
A small but enthusiastic delegation
from this community went to Smith
field Saturday morning to hear the
address by the Governor of North
Carolina. They report a most excel
lent meeting. A meeting of similar pur
pose will be held in the auditorium
of the High School next Saturday,
March 23, possibly at eleven o'clock
in the morning. Special music will be
provided, rnd the address of the occa
sion will be delivered by the Honor
able O. B. Eaton, Mayor of the city
of Winston-Salem. It is the purpose
of the local War Savings Committee
to request th" merchants of Kenly to
close their places of business in or
der that everybody may hear the mes
sage to be delivered by Mr. Eaton.
Last Thursday morning, the stud
ents of the eighth grade presented to
the school a beautiful specimen of
"Old Glory," measuring eight by four
and a half feet. The flag will be raised
over the school building and will
there wave until the close of the pres
ent school ywHf.
PASS DAYLIGHT SAVING HILL.
Clocks to be Turned Forward an Hour
Last Sunday in March and Rack
ward Again in October.
Washington, March 15. ? The day
light saving bill, under which the
nation's clocks would be turned for
ward an hour every spring and back
ward again in the fall, was passed to
day by the house. It passed the sen
ate last June, but as the house added
two months to the period involved
further action by the senate will be
necessary before the measure goes
to the President.
Under the senate bill the clocks
would be changed the last Sunday in
April and the last Sunday in Septem
ber. The house made it the last Sun
day in March and the last Sunday in
October.
The vote was 252 to 40.
The plan was adopted last year in
England, France, Germany, Italy,
Norway, Sweden, Denmark and Por
tugal and this year in Australia and
Iceland. The Canadian government is
considering it, but has withheld ac
tion until the United States decided
what to do.
The bill has had the support of
practically all the large industries in
the country, and its proponents have
argued that it will result in a great
saving of fuel and benefit wage-earn
ers in that they will have more time
for recreation during daylight hours.
Col. J. C. L. Harris Dead.
After an active life of three score
years and ten, Col. J. C. L. Harris,
dean of the Raleigh Rar and one of
the leading Republicans of the State,
died at his home in Raleigh, Sunday
morning.
Col. Harris was, durjng his life, one
of the leading attorneys of the capi
tal city. In politics, he was a staunch
Republican. He was one cf the prin
cipal factors in the birth and organ
ization of the Republican party in
North Carolina.
RUSSIA YIELDS TO
CENTRAL EMPIRES
RUSSIAN CONGRESS AT
MOSCOW SIGNS TREATY.
One Faction of Bolshevik Dele
gates Registered Its Disap
proval. President Wilson's
Message Read to the Congress
and Received With Marked
Enthusiasm. Lenine Appealed
to His Followers Saying That
This Action Was the Only
Wiy Pot. :
Russia has bowed to the central
empires. The hard terms of tho
peace treaty submitted by the Ger
mans at Brest-Litovsk have been
agreed to by the all-Kussian con
gress of soviets, in session at Mos
cow, in spite of the opposition of
an important element of the Russian
people.
The result of the vote was forecast
in the announcement from Moscow on
Friday that tho Bolshevik delegates
to the Moscow congress had, at a par
ty caucus, voted in favor of ratifica
tion. There was a faction, however,
that registered its disapproval of the
treaty, but the presence of Nikola Le
nine, the Bolsheviki premier, prob
ably united his followers and enabled
them to roll up a largo majority in
favor of accepting the provisions of
the peace treaty.
The mesage sent by President Wil
son to the congress, in which he ex
pressed his sympathy with the Rus
sian people, was read at the opening
session on Thursday night. It was re
ceived with marked enthusiasm and
a reply eml>odying a resolution of ap
preciation was sent to the American
people.
That there was spirited opposition
to tho ratification of the treaty is evi
denced by reports that trouble broke
out on Friday betwen the Bolshevik;
and social revolutionaries of the left,
who have been representing the coun
cil of peoples' emmissaries.
Social Revolutionary Party to Quit
the Government
Moscow, March 1(5. ? The all-Rus
sian congress of soviets has ratified
the peacc agreement with Germany
by a large majority.
A Bolshevik resolution approving
the acts of the government of the
workmen's and soldiers' delegates and
of the peace delegation and calling
for organization of tho defense of
the country by the creation of a na
tional army of both sexes was passed
after Lenine's restoration of peace
among the warring factions and his
statement that this action was the
only way out, intimating that the
treaty might be broken under chang
ed circumstances.
The opposition, notably the social
revolutionaries of the left made, a
valliant but futile effort to prevent
the acceptance of the treaty, which
was characterized by the minister of
justice as being "anti-revolutionary
and anti-socialistic." He stated that
the socal revolutionary party repud
iated the responsibility f r the accep
tance of the peace treaty, would re
sign from the government and devote
all its power and influence to the or
ganization of armed resistanco to
German imperialism.
President May Speak on the Russian
Situation.
Washington, March 16. ? First inti
mations from official sources that
President Wilson possibly might soon
make a statement bearing on the
Russian debacle came today.
Heretofore statements that the
President was preparing to address
congress on the subject have been
pure guess work. Today brought the
first official intimations that the pres
ident, in his close study of the situa
tion, had gotten to the point where
he was thinking of such a course.
There is no official indication of the
medium the president will rhoose ot
when he will choose it, but it is gener
ally believed that, as usual, he will
direct his statement to the world
through an address to a joint session
of congress. '
Eecretary McAdoo will make a
speaking tour of the South, Middle
West, and East pn behalf of the
Third Liberty Loan beginning in
Philadelphia, April f?. He will be at
Ralegh on April the ninth.