VOLUME 39
SMITHFIELD, N. C., FRIDAY, MARCH 5, 1920.
Number 19.
mcadoo would buy
BRITISH COLONIES
In Payment He Would Give Great
Britain Credit on Her War Debt to
U g._Proposes That U. S. Buy
Bermuda and Jamaica.
Washington, March, 2:—William
Gibbs McAdoo, former secretary of
the treasury, is in town for a little
while presumably to nurse along his
political boom. Having dealt with
matters of taxation, it is natural that
he should be found discussing ways of
reducing taxes. And the most novel
suggestion he makes is that the Unit
ed States shall buy several British
colonies such as the Bermudas, Ja
maica, British Honduras, Barbados,
the Bahamas, Nassau and other is
lands off the Atlantic coast of this
continent. In payment, Mr. McAdoo
declares, the United States should
give Great Britain credit on her war
debt to us. This, he believes, will help
Great Britain and ourselves because
it will tend to stabilize foreign ex
change and mean an earlier settle
ment of the European debt.
It’s hard to estimate what the price
of islands is on the market of inter
national barter but not long ago the
United States purchased the Danish
West Indies for $25,000,000. Of course
the British possessions are much more
valuable than that. The price might
be calculated on the basis of exports
and imports and some of the British
possessions are worth a good deal. Ja
maica, for instance, has plenty of su
gar, though its rum isn’t particularly
useful at this time. On the whole the
United States could find a billion dol
lars worth of value in some of these
islands without much trouble and get
it back in commodities in a short time.
—David Lawrence, in Greensboro
News.
ANOTHER RESERVATION TO
PEACE TREATY RE-ADOPTED
Sixteen Democratic Senators Join the
Republicans on the Monroe Doctrine'
Reservation.•
Two more of the Republican reser
vations to the peace treaty, one of
them affecting the bitterly debated
Monroe doctrine provision, were re
adopted in the senate Tuesday without
change and by greater majorities than
they commanded when originally pre
sented last November, says a Wash
ington dispatch.
The Monroe doctrine reservation,
which senators have been told are
scarcely less objectionable to Presi
dent Wilson than that relating to ar
ticle X, got the support of 16 Dem
ocrats and won by a vote of 58 to 22
after a substitute drafted by the Dem
ocratic leaders had been rejected. The
vote on the Republican proposal was
55 to 34 in November, when only nine
Democrats supported it.
The other reservation acted on as
serts the full jurisdiction of the Unit
ed States over purely domestic ques
tions and was adopted 56 to 25, with
14 Democrats helping to make the ma
jority. In November it got the votes
of only nine Democrats and was
adopted 59 to 36.
RAILROAD LABOR WILL CO
OPERATE WITH RAILROAD ACT.
Washington, March 2.—Definite
steps were taken today toward set
tlement of the railroad wage contro
versy which has been pending since
last August.
Representatives of railroad work
ers, with the exception of one group,
agreed to co-operate with the govern
ment and the railroads in giving a
trial of the new transportation act
with its arbitration clauses, and Pres
ident Wilson, in letter to both the As
sociation of Railway Executives and
heads of the 15 workers’ organizations
requested that they select representa
tives to sit on the bi-partisan wage
board.
Prompt action was urged by the
President in order that the negotia
tions between employer and employe
might not longer be delayed.—Asso
ciated Press.
Mary Piekford Given Divorce.
The famous movie star, Mary Pick
ford, has been granted a divorce from
her husband, Owen Moore, on grounds
of desertion. Mary Piekford has been
°n a ranch in Nevada for sometime,
and expects to make Nevada her per
manent home.
STATE AND GENERAL
NEWS TOLD IN BRIEF
Paragraphs of Interest Gleaned
And Culled From the Daily
And Weekly Papers
There are about 225,000 oil wells
in operation in the United States.
Judge George A. Shuford, for sev
eral years a Superior court Judge of
North Carolina, died at his home in
Asheville Tuesday night, aged 75
years.
Six persons, an aged couple and
four children were burned to death
at St. Fereol, Quebec, Tuesday, when
the house of a farmer was destroyed
by fire.
A seaplane fell and caught fire near
Fort Myers, Florida, Tuesday and the
pilot and two passengers were killed.
The pilot, Capt. R. C. M. Page, had
a distinguished overseas record.
The influenza wiped out one entire
family at Salisbury. The father, J. S.
Cope, died Saturday a week ago, the
mother on last Sunday and the five
year old boy died Tuesday. Neither
knew of the others’ death. -
William Peterson, of Clinton, Samp
son .county, is the winner of $250 in
cash and a bronze medal as third prize
in a contest for the greatest yield of
lint cotton per acre in the South. The
contest was conducted by the Farm
Journal of Philadelphia. The first
prize went to a Georgia man.
Chapel cars, equipped with living
quarters for a minister and his fam
ily and with seating accommodations
for 90 persons, will be built for every
railroad out of Chicago “as money is
available,” according to plans of the
Baptist denomination (North). Sev
en such cars are already operating, it
is said, and as a result of the services
in them 19,000 persons professed con
version.
President Harrison of the Southern
railway announces changes and trans
fers among the officials of that com
pany. H. W. Miller is appointed vice
president in charge of construction,
purchases and real estate, and trans
ferred from Atlanta to Washington.
E. H. Coapman is named vice presi
dent in charge of operations, Wash
ington. He has been Federal manag
er for the Southern.
Arrest and deportation of anar
chists and other radicals is continu
ing, Attorney Caminett, commission
er general of immigration, declares in
his report. During January 2,797
warrants were issued, of which 800
were for normal immigration cases,
including the apprehending of immi
grants who had entered the country
under false declarations. The record
number of warrants was 3,067 in De
cember.
M. W. Hensel, investigating the
possibilities of the maple sugar in
dustry in Watauga and Avery coun
ties, jjjas found on the lands of the
Linvifie Improvement Company, says
the Boone Democrat, at least 60,000
sugar maple trees that will produce a
gallon of maple syrup per tree each
/season. The Democrat figures the
syrup at $4 per gallon. At that price
the financial returns would be enor
mous.
The final report of Provost Marshal
General Crowder to the Secretary of
War, on the operation of the selective
service (draft) system up to July 15,
1919, shows that of 482,463 men reg
istered in North Carolina, 6,133 were
reported as deserters. Of this num
ebr 292 were accounted for as not be
ing deserters. Of the 5,821 remaining
3,754 were apprehended and their
cases disposed of, while 2,067 are now
deserters on the army records of the
Tar Heel State.
Mrs. Sam Ferebee, about 50 years
of age, of Shawboro, Pasquotank
county, died Friday afternoon at 2
o’clock as a result of burns received
just 24 hours earlier. Mrs. Ferebee
was standing in front of an open fire
when her clothing caught and after
trying in vain to smother the flames
she ran out into the yard calling for
help. The fire was extinguished by
buckets of water thrown on her; but
not until she had been so badly burned
as to make recovery impossible.
Wilson town is getting in a state of
preparedness to defy, to a certain ex
tent, coal strikes and at the same time
save thousands of dollars in operating
her public utilities by harnessing
Contentena Creek, three miles out.
Contracts have been let which require
the expenditure of $111,023 for the
construction of a dam, buildings, ma
chinery, transmission lines, etc., as
follows: Dam and buildings, $73,000;
two generators, $19,317; sub-station
and transmission lines, $8,300; tur
bines and governors, $10,400.
DEMOCRATS TO MEET
IN RALEIGH APRIL 8
Precinct Primaries on March 27 and
County Convention to Convene
April 3rd.
The State Democratic executive
committee met in Raleigh Tuesday
night and fixed April 8th as the time
for the Democratic hosts to hold their
State convention. The meeting will
be held in Raleigh.
The press report of the meeting as
published in the Charlotte Observer is
as follows:
The committee did its work in eight
minutes and adjourned on the motion
of Col. A. D. Watts, who gave it no
occasion for discussing the league of
nations, revaluation, Josiah William
Bailey, bull yearlings or Alamance
mules.
Chairman Tom Warren presided and
offered the resolution fixing the dates
and place for county precinct meet
ings, conventions, county, district and
state.
R. B. Rcdwine, of Union, presided
while Chairman Warren read the re
solves and former Secretary J. R. Col
lie officiated in the absence of Henry
Whitehurst.
Mr. Warren emphasized the activi
ty of republicans as spectal reason
for early precinct meetings and con
ventions. Poll taxes must be paid
and the people aroused to qualify for
suffrage, the chairman declared. There
was no discussion.
Fifty-seven of the GO members
were present in person or by proxy,
personal attendance being exception
ally large.
Among prominent candidates were
Abernethy, for Congress in the third;
Brock and Hammer, in the seventh;
Gardner for governor, and Senator W.
B. Cooper, for lieutenant governor.
Solicitor Walter D. Siler, of Chat
ham, was elected member of the
fourth district executive committee
to succeed R. H. Hayes, deceasedyThe
fifth district chose to wait to name
John H. Vernon’s successor.
STATE NEWS.
- The Republicans of the Seventh dis
trict have nominated W. H. Cox as
their candidate for Congress this year.
Engineer Howard will soon begin
the survey of a road between Lenoir
and the Burke county line. There is
much speculation as to the route to
be finally selected.
Walter Beddard, of Fremont, died
at his home ^.here Monday night of
influenza-pneumonia. He was sick
only five days. Mr. Beddard was a
printer and worked in The Herald
print-shop for several months about
twelve years ago.
The county commissioners of Pas
quotank county on Monday voted to
allow $350 each to G. -W. Falls, farm
demonstration agent, and Miss Marcie
Albertson, home demonstration agent,
for automobiles to be used in their
work throughout the county.
The First Baptist church at Bur
lington began Sunday its campaign
for the erection of a new church, by
raising a fund of a little more than
$35,000. This amount will be increas
ed until they get enough to build the
style of church they decide upon.
The United States Destroyer, The
George E. Badger, named in honor of
a former Tar Heel who was Secretary
of the Navy, will be launched tomor
row at Newport News, with Miss
Mary Badger Wilson, of Washington,
D. C., as sponsor. The man for whom
the ship is napied, George E. Badger,
was bom in New Bern in 1795. He
was educated at Yale. He served* as
a member of the General Assembly,
was later a Superior court judge, and
became Secretary of the Navy in
1841. He afterwards served two terms
in the United States Senate. He died
in Raleigh May 11, 1866.
Turpentine Goes Up.
—
Savannah, Ga., March 3.—Spirits
turpentine made a new high record
in the Savannah market today when
it was quoted at $2 a gallon. On the
advance a few weeks earlier the price
went as high as $1.97, from which
there was a quick reaction to $1.81.
Recently the market developed re
newed strength. The extraordinary
advance is attributed to the depletion
of supplies, stocks having been reduc
ed to small proportions at all leading
primary points. Consequently there
is no very considerable quantity that
remains to be sold at the fancy fig
ures.
AN APPEAL FOR THE
SHADE TREES OF TOWN
Cutting of Trees in Smithfield Is Un
der the Supervision of the Shade
Tree Commission.
Mr. Editor:
Please allow me space in your pa
per to call attention to the ordinance
passed by the Town Commissioners
about a year ago, creating a Shade
Tree Commission in the town of
Smithfield. By this ordinance the cut
ting down or trimming of all trees
in the town of Smithfield is placed in
the hands of a Supervisor of the shade
tree commission, of which I am chair
man. This ordinance makes it a mis
demeanor for any one t« cut down or
cut up a shade tree on the streets of
the town of Smithfield without first
obtaining permission from the shade
tree commission. This is intended to
protect the shade trees of our town.
The commission is, of course, anxious
to co-operate with the town in any
way possible in beautifying the town
and in protecting our trees. Any prun
ing or trimming of trees will be grant
ed when done by persons who are fa
miliar with such work, but no trees
can be hackled and cut to pieces like
they have been done in the past in
our town, if we expect to maintain
and build up a system of shade trees
that will beautify our town.
Recently some persons have cut
down very handsome trees without ob
taining permission. Possibly there
has not been as much publicity of this
matter as there should have been, and
therefore prosecution has not been en
tered against these parties, but the
shade tree commission will not tole
rate the wholesale slaughter of trees
without invoking the law and prose
cuting those who cause this to be
done.
We trust that| the mere calling at
tention to this law will be sufficient,
and hereafter those who are desirous
of cutting down trees will take the
matter up with the shade tree com
mission before doing the work.
Smithfield Shade Tree Commission,
F. H. BROOKS, Chairman.
March 4th, 1920.
ENTENTE CHANGING ATTITUDE
Realizes That Germany Ruined Is A
Weak Spot and Menace for All
Europe—May Make Her a Loan.
A noteworthy phase of the meeting
of the peace conference is the changed
attitude toward Germany. In high
diplomatic circles it is asserted that
the conference has come to recognize
that Germany ruined would mean a
weak spot and a dangerous spot in
Europe.
Great Britain, and personally David
Lloyd George, the British premier, are
credited with being the chief forces
in bringing about this policy. The
French peace delegation is described
as moving toward this point of view
reluctantly, although it is moving. It
is asserted that the French are less
immovable than when M. Clemenceau
was at the helm of state. How to set
Germany on her feet is one of the
largest questions the conference is
now considering. It is considered
probable that it will sanction an in
ternational loan to Germany, but thd
question of security is a basic one.—
London dispatch.
Pictures of Soldiers Graves.
Atlanta, Ga., March 3.—Hundreds
of fathers and mothers in the south
east who lost sons in the war will re
ceive in the near future photographs
of the graves where their boys are
buried.
American Red Cross photographers
took photographs of 75,000 different
graves in France that were marked
with the names of the dead. Each
photograph has been carefully check
ed with the war department records
in Washington, and the name and ad
dress of the next of kin obtained. The
Red Cross now has 75,000 envelopes,
each containing a photograph of a
grave, ready to send to the relatives.
Every photograph is enclosed in a
folder setting forth salient facts in
connection with the soldier’s service.
Salem College Receives Appropriation
Among the appropriations to col
leges and universities totalling $1,
675,000 by the General Education
board founded by John D. Rockefeller,
Salem College, at Winston-Salem,
will receive $75,000.
NO SUPERIOR COURT
HELD HERE NEXT WEEK
On Account of the Flu Situation
It is Thought Wise to Call
Off Court.
The court officers and the bar of
the county have decided that owing
to the prevalence of influenza in sev
eral sections of Johnston county that '
it would be inadvisable to hold a term
of the Superior Court here next week 1
and have acted accordingly. The
March term is therefore called off.
In some parts of the county the flu '
is still serious and the gathering of
the people from the various sections
of the county might have a tendency
to further spread the disease. 1
A NATIONAL CRISIS.
Herbert Hoover, practical states
man, viewing the public school situ
ation, speaks of the “heartbreaking
underpayment” of public school teach
ers and calls attention to the fact
that there are 100,000 teaching po
sitions now vacant or else filled by
incompetents. He finds that there
are 120,000 teachers receiving less
than $450 a year. Salary increases
which have been more or less grudg
ingly granted here and there, he finds
have been only from 10 to 25 per cent,
whereas the cost of living has increas
ed from 80 to 85 per cent.
The situation has reached the point
where, in the great national gather
ing of educators now in session at
Cleveland, teachers are proposing the
formation of unions and affiliation
with the American Federation of La
bor and all that this involves, includ
ing strikes and the inevitable further
increase of national unrest.
We have expended billions to make
the world safe for democracy; we
have subscribed hundreds of millions
for relief, and millions more for vari
ous worthy objects, including higher
education, as Dr. J. O. Atkinson points
out in his communication today; but
we have done nothing for the public
school teacher who holds Tomorrow in
her hand. We are paying incredible
wages to laborers of every kind, even
the most unskilled, but the man or
woman who is teaching the children
of America, who through them is
building the future of the republic, is
still facing prospects in life that force
them to abandon their life’s work and
seek a decent living elsewhere. The
result is, as Mr. Hoover points out,
that teaching positions either are va
cant or filled by persons who are not
up to standard.
Everybodyjcnows the situation. We
have given ear to every other call. We
have done nothing as yet to improve
school conditions, and the public
school system right through the coun
try apparently is going to wrack.
We maintain that this is our first,
our most vital need. It should have
claimed our immediate attention. It
is a national crisis—but beyond lip
service, we have rendered little ser
vice in this*regard, while emphasiz
ing every other subject to which it is
possible for a people to give time, at
tention and money. We have as yet
had no “drive” for strengthening the
school system, and however much we
have supported other high and worthy
movements, the fact remains that we
stand guilty and convicted of raising
not a finger to keep the right kind of
teachers in the school rooms of Amer
ica and of giving justice to a class of
workers who have yielded the best
that there is in them to the cause of
education, to their country and to the
lives of thousands of individuals in
trusted to their care.—Greensboro
News.
WELDON MERCHANT DIES
IN RICHMOND HOSPITAL
Weldon, March 3.—H. C. Spiers,
prominent citizen and a well known
merchant of this place, died at a hos
pital in Richmond, Va., on Monday
evening. He had been in failing health
for some time, and was taken to the
hospital for special treatment. The
deceased was an active member of
the Methodist church and for a num
ber of years was secretary ,of the
Sunday school here. He was also a
member of the board of trustees and
a steward in the church. Many mopra
his death. The funeral services were
conducted here by Rev. L. D. Wayman,
assisted by Presiding Elder E. M.
Snipes and several other ministers.—
News and Observer.
The deceased was a brother of Mr.
J. D. Spiers, of this city, to whom the
community extends sympathy.
PALMER’S HAT IS
NOW IN THE RING
First Democratic Candidate to An
nounce—Seeks Approval of Wilson
Administration.
Atlanta, Ga., March 1.—Attorney
General Palmer tonight formally an
lounced his candidacy for the demo
ratic nomination for President in a
telegram to Hiram L. Gardner, sec
retary of the Georgia state democratic
ommittee.
Referring to the petition filed in his
lehalf for the Georgia primaries Mr.
Palmer declared that “if the demo
rats of Georgia see fit to select me
is their choice I sh.,11 receive the hon
.r with deep appreciation,” balding it
:o be highly important that an oppor
tunity be given in the primary “to di
rectly pass upon the record made by
the present administration.”
Vorth Carolina Republican Convention
Wednesday North Carolina Repub
icans held their cpnvention in Greens
boro. A. A. Whitener presided at the
apening session. One thousand two
hundred fifty-three were present,
Buncombe county leading the state
with a representation of 39.
The following state ticket was nam
ad without a dissenting vote:
Governor, John J. Parker, of Mon
roe.
Lieutenant-Governor, I. B. Tucker,
of Whiteville.
Secretary of State, Brownlow Jack
son, of Henderson.
Treasurer, J. J. Jenkins, Siler City.
Auditor, J. Ed Mendenhall, of Ash
boro.
Superintendent of Public Instruc
tion, Mrs. Mary Settle Sharpe, Greens
boro.
Commissioner of Agriculture, A. L.
French, Draper.
Commissioner of Labor and Print
ing, J. F. Barrett, Asheville.
Commissioner of Insurance, G. W.
Staton, Wilson.
Corporation Commissioner, (to be
filled.)
Attorney-General, Herbert F. Sea
well, Carthage.
Supreme Court Justice, T. T. Hicks,
Henderson; J. E. Alexander, Winston
Salem.
Morehead, Linney, Duncan, and
Butler were selected as delegates to
the National Convention, with Dan
Hill, C. R. Pugh, Eugene Holt and J.
D. Parker as alternates.
SEEKING TO BREAK DEADLOCK
Both Republicans and Democrats Join
In Movement, With Gloomy Out
look.
Washington, March 3.—While the
treaty debate dragged on in the sen
ate today without action, the treaty’s
friends began a final determined ef
fort to rescue it from the deadlock
toward which all leaders agree it
again is headed.
Republican and democratic senators
joined in the movement, but they
were only moderately hopeful of suc
cess. Putting collateral issues aside
they addressed their efforts to the re
publican resei’vation to article ten,
long the storm center of the whole
treaty fight which the republican lead
ers have said they cannot modify and
which President Wilson has said he
cannot accept.
Some cqmpromise proponents pro
fessed to sec a possibility that an ac
ceptable modification yet might be
formulated. Others believed that de- ~
spite assurances of democratic lead
ers, enough democrats to put through
the reservation as it stands might yet
be induced to quit the President’s
lead.
Massacre by Turks.
Paris, March 3.—The Greek lega
tion today majle public a telegram
announcing the slaughter of a large
number of Greeks and Armenians by
the Turks in Rodosto, 60 miles north
east of Gallipoli, on the sea of Mar
mora.
Details are lacking, but the tele
gram says the French governor at
Dedeaghatch, a seaport in Thrace, on
the Aegean sea, has left hurriedly for
Enos, the headquarters of the follow’
ers of Mustapha. Kenial Pasha, Turk
ish nationalist leader, who are said to
be terrorizing the inhabitants of that
region.
Enos is a seaport on the Aegean sea
38 miles northwest of Gallipoli.