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VOLUME 39
SMITHFIELD, N. C., FRIDAY, DECEMBER 10, 1920.
VOLUME 95
SECRETARY HOUSTON
GIVES ANU’L REPORT
Says American People Must
Pay Four Billion Dollars
Annually Four Years
Washington, Dec. 8.—Immediate re
vision of the nation’s tax laws on the
basis on an annual levy of four bill
ions of dolars for a period of four
years and including an Increase of 2
per cent in the taxes on incomes up to
$5,000, is urged by Secretary Hous
ton in his annual report sent today to
Congress.
“Revision of taxes should be effect
ed,” Mr. Houston wrote Congress.
“There can and should be a better
distribution of the tax burden. Un
wise taxes should be eliminated. But
any scheme which would after this
fiscal year yield for several years to
come less than four bililons of dollars
would be incompatible with safety and
sound finance. And the country should
face the fact that present taxes even
may not in the future be relied upon
to yield the needed revenue.”
The Secretary of the Treasury said
the excess prohts tax should be re
pealed and must, of course, be re
placed. He said he believed it should
be “replaced in large part by some
form of corporation profits tax.”
Reduction of higher groups of the
income surtaxes accompanied by in
creased in the lower income surtax
rates also is suggested by the secre
tary who asked that Congress ‘consid
er such a general revision, with a re
duction to a maximum rate lower than
that contained in the present law, pro
vid acceptable new taxes of equal yield
can be found.”
The secretary said the plain fact
was that the present rates, which are
as high as 70 per cent could not be
successfully collected and that the
“effective way to tax the rich is to
adopt rates that do not force invest
ment in exempt securities.”
Mr. Houston suggests a number of
sources of revenue which could be
tapped and others which could be re
vised to make up for the loss of reve
nue occasioned by the changes in the
taxes which he recommended.
Repeal of excess profits, taxes, eli
mination of certain of the so-called
luxury taxes, including the levy on so
da fountain and similar beverages and
a readjustment of the rates in the
higher groups of income tax, is pro
posed by the Treasury chief. To meet
the losses brought about by these pro
posed changes, Mr. Houston recom
mends revised and new taxes to yield
about $2,000,000 as follows:
A tax of 20 per cent on corpora
tion profits, distributed or undistri
buted, in addition to application of a
higher surtax rate to yield $690,000,
000.
An additional tax of 6 per cent on
corporation incomes to yield $465,000,
000.
Readjustment .of surtax rates on
incomes to yield an additional $230,
000,000.
Abolishment of the $2,000 exemp
tion allowed corporations on income
to yield 58,000,000.
An increase from the present 4
per cent to 6 per cent in the tax on
incomes of $5,000 or less and from
8 per cent to 12 per cent in the tax
on incomes between $5,000 and $10,
000, the whole estimated to yield
$150,940,000 annually.
A tax of 2 cents a gallon on gasso
line for motor cars and all other pur
poses, to yield 90,000,000.
A federal license tax of 50 cents
per horsepower on the use of motor
cars to yield $1000,000,000.
An additional sales tax on auto
mobiles (other than trucks and wag
ons) and motorcycles and motor car
accessories to yield $100,000,000.
A 10 per cent additional tax on
the theatrical admissions to yield
$70,000,000.
An additional tax of $2 per thou
sand on cigarettes to yield $70,000,
000.
An additional tax of 25 cents per
thousand on cigars to yield $5,000,
000.
An additional tax of 6 cents per
pound on tobacco and snuff to yield
$8,000,000.
An additional tax of 5 per cent on
candy to yield $20,000,000.
An additional tax of 7 per cent on
chewing gum to yield $2,000,000.
An additional tax of 7 per cent on
toilet soap and toilet-soap powders
BILLS FOR RELIEF
FLOOD THE HOUSE
Legislation to Revive War
Finance Corporation—
Relief to Farmers
Washington, Dec. 8.—Proponents of
legislation to revive the War Finance
Corporation and thereby afford relief
to farmers confronted by trailing pri.
ces plan to call up their measure in
the Senate Friday and ask for its im
mediate passage. Senator Gronna,Re
publican of North Dakota, in charge
of the resolution gave this notice to
day in asking that the Senate let th%
matter go over until the later date.
Supporters of the proposed legisla
tion said they had received assurances
that Senate leaders would not oppose
the measure which can be brought be
fore the Senate either by unanimous
consent or by majority vote.
While farm relief legislation was
being temporarily postponed in the
Senate the flood of bills to extend re
lief to the farmers continued in the
House. Among the various measures
was a bill by Representative Strong,
Republican, Kansas, to direct the com
mittee on Banking and Currency to
investigate what legislature would be
necessary to permit the “proper fi
nancing” of farmers and stock raisers.
Take The Herald for 1921
People are now thinking about what
they will do for the next year. One
of the things which should be done is
for every family to get some good
reading matter. A part of this for
every Johnston county family should
be The Smithfield Herald. It should
be subscribed for ahead so that not a
single copy for 1921 will be missed.
The Herald published at the County
Seat, giving town and county, state
and national news should go into ev
ery home. We know times are hard
but Herald only costs two dollars per
year for a twice-a-week paper. We
are planning to make The Herald for
1921 better than ever before. Do not
wait for somebody to ask you to take
it but send a check at once to pay
your subscription for 1921.
Death of L. A. Faircloth
It is with a sad heart that I write
the death of my father, which occured
at his home near Benson, November
17th. Papa was seventy years and
two months old when he died. It was
hard to give him up but God who
doeth all things well, knew best. Ev
ery thing was done for papa by a good
wife, children and kind physician but
his heavenly Father said, “Come” and
he sweetly obeyed.
Papa had never united with any
church but he said before he died
that he was ready to go. That leaves
us with the sweet thought that if
we will live right we can meet papa
again where parting is no more.
We want to thank every one that
was so kind to us during the sickness
and death of papa. May the good
Lord reward them a hundred fold.
Papa leaves a heart broken wife, 8
children, and twelve grandchildren to
mourn his departure.
A dear one from us is gone
A voice. we loved is still
A place is vacant in the home
That never can be filled.
—A daughter, Mrs. Della West.
Cotton Report for Johnston
There were 39,749 bales of cotton
ginned in Johnston county prior to
December 1st, 1920, according to D.
J. Yelvington, reporter for this coun
ty, as compared with 39,224 bales gin
ned to December 1st, 1919.
to yield $4,000,000.
A 10 per cent tax on the sale by
manufacturers, producers or import
ers of perfumes, cosmetics and med
icinal articles in lieu of the present
tax on the consumer to yield $10,
000,000.
An additional 5 per cent tax on
jewelry and precious metals to yield
$25,000,000.
An additional tax of 5 per cent on
musical instruments to yield $13,
000,000.
An additional tax of 5 per cent on
motion picture films to yield 4,000,
000.
PRESIDENT WILSON’S
NOBLE PEACE PRIZE
Formal Announcement Is
Made—Exchange Cuts
Value to $29,100
Formal announcement has been
made that President Wilson will re
ceive the Nobel Peace Prize. The cere
mony will take place today in the
Norwegian Storthing, which awards
the prize.
The New York Times announced in
a Stockholm dispatch, dated Novem
ber 20, that, according to the Swedish
newspapers, President Wilson would
receive the Nobel Peace Prize for 1920
and it had been previously announced
in a dispatch from the same city, Jan
uary 29th, that the Interparliamen
tary Socialist group had decided to
recommend him for the honor to the
Storthing.
He is the third American to receive
this award,the two others being Theo
dore Roosevelt in 1906 and Elihu Root
in 1912. However, since the fund of
$9,000,000 from whose interest the
prizes for achievements in physics,
chemistry, medicine and literature, as
well as peace, are annually drawn, be
came available in 1901, by the terms
of the will of the founder, Alfred S.
Nobel, the Swedish scientist and in
ventor of dynamite, who had died five
years before, two other Americans
have received prizes—Dr. A. Carrel in
medicine, in 1912, and Dr. T. W.
Richards, in chemistry, in 1914.
The Peace Prize is awarded by a
committee of five persons elected by
the Storthing, and like the others, us
ually amounts to about $40,000. Ac
cording to the terms of the Nobel will,
however, the awards must always be
made in kronen, each prize being a
little less than 150,000 kronen. But
the present value of the krone in the
United States is 19.40 cents, so Presi
dent Wilson will receive only $29,100,
and not the $40,200 which the other
Americans received when the value of
the krone here was .268.
BILL IN CONGRESS FOR
HOME FOR VICE PRESIDENT
Senator Elkins, of West Virginia In
troduces Bill for the Purchase
of Home for Vice Pres,
The bill introduced by Senator El
kins, of West Virginia, providing for
the acquisition by the government of
an official home for the Vice President
of the United States deserves the care
ful consideration of Congress. There
is much to be said in favor of the plan.
The bill carries an appropriation of
$350,000 for the purchase or construc
tion of a suitable house to be occupied
by each succeeding Vice President,
just as the White House becomes the
official home of the President upon
his taking the oath of office.
The salary of the Vice President is
$12,000 a year, not an extravagent in
come in these days, to say the least
ident--vb:cmfwyp vbg kqbgkqmm
and if the incumbent of the office hap
pens to be a poor man without a pri
vate income it requires careful man
agement upon his part to make ends
meet. He is not privileged to live his
own life because of his official respon
sibilities. As presiding officer of the
Senate and as the representative of
the President upon many occasions he
has a social duty which cannot be
avoided. To maintain an establish
ment in keeping with his dignity and
responsibilities would require an in
come several times his official salary.
Should the government provide a
well-equipped official home for the
Vice President, it would only relieve
the incumbent of a serious domestic
problem, but it would also extend to
the vice presidential office a recogni
tion of its importance, which of late
years been sadly lacking. The official
who presides over the deliberations of
the Senate wields a great influence
in national affairs. Circumstances may
at any time call him to the highest
office in the government.
These are facts which should not be
overlooked and which have a direct
bearing upon the proposal put forward
by Senator Elkins. A good man is
about to leave the office of Vice Presi
dent and another good man will soon
ocupy it. Both are understood to be
of modest means, dependent princi
pally upon their salaries. Men of this
caliber who accept an office of grave
responsibilities and great potentiali
ties are entitled to more consideration
from the government they serve.—
Washington Post.
CUT THE ACREAGE
OR GET NO CREDIT
Fifty Per Cent Reduction In
1921 Policy of Memphis
Cotton Conference
Merr.phis, Tenn., Dec. 8.—A 50 per
cent cut in cotton production in 1921
and curtailment in the acreage plant
ed in cotton to one-third that of the
total area in cultivation was agreed
upon at the acreage reduction confer
ence here today of southern farmers
and bankers and merchants, and, to
make the plan effective, machinery
was set in motion to restrict wherev
er necessary credits to individual
farmers, merchants, factors or banks
unwilling to agree to the acreage re
duction plan.
The plan, embodied in the report
of the acreage reduction committee,
was adopted by a practically unani
mous vote of the conference late to
day. It includes the formation of an
organization in every township in the
cotton states to secure the support of
the growers and their adherence to
pledges of reduction.
Organization work pledged by the
bankers present, will begin immedi
ately and under the provisions of the
plan will be practically complete by
January 5, next.
The resolutions adopted call on the
banker and credit merchants in the
cotton states “to use their utmost en
deavor to bring about the enforcement
of a cotton acreage refluction by re
fusing to advance any money to any
one interested in farming of any kind
who does not plant enough food and
feed crops for their own use.”
A system of bonded warehouses for
cotton and a classification of cotton
that will be ample to protect it from
weather damage and make it a safe
collateral on which to borrow money
was endorsed.
A system of cooperative marketing
of crops was favored and the work
of the American Cotton Asociation in
effort to stabilize the price of cotton
bring about a reduction of acreage
improve marketing methods and in
the educational campaign for diversi
fication of crops, was approved.—
Charlotte Observer.
ARE YOU READING THE
DAILY AND WEEKLY PAPERS?
*
A Test Given to University Students
in English ('lass. Can You
Answer the Questions?
Chapel Hill, Dec. 8.—A novel news
paper quiz to test whether students
at the University of North Carolina
were keeping up with the daily na
tional and international news was
given in chapel this morning by Prof.
C. A. Hibbard of the English depart
ment-only no written answers were
required and the students were allow
ed to keep their own batting aver
ages.
“But by all means read your home
town newspapers”, said Prof. Hibbard
“It is vital that you know about the
new public fountain at home and that
Si Perkins has a new barn. But in ad
dition read some newspapers that will
give you news of the state, of the
nation, and of the world.”
Prof. Hibbard then asked 10 ques
tions which he said that students who
had been reading newspapers in the
past few days ought to know. The
questions were as follows:
1. Why is Mrs. MacSwiney in
America today?
2. What has aroused the recent in
terest in the Panamal canal toll ques
tion?
3. What was Argentine’s recent ac
tion at Geneva and of what signifi
cance was that action?
4. How did a monkey upset the
government of Greece?
5. What do statistics show to have
been the number of deaths from auto
mobile accidents during the past
year?
6. What question concerning the
southern voter is now being agitated ?
7. Who was Knut Hamsun and what
famous prize has he recently won ?
8 How does the interpretation plac
ed on Article X at Geneva bear on our
lecent election.
9. What step has profession base
ball recently taken to restore its self
respect?
10. Who is in the running for the
South Atlantic football champion
ship?—Greensboro News.
GENERAL AND STATE
NEWS PARAGRAPHS
Happenings Of Interest As
Gathered From Daily
Newspapers
Commissioner Williams of the In
ternal Revenue ruled Tuesday that the
provisions of the National prohibition
act extended to American ships
wherever they might be. Persons on
board an American ship wherever
that ship may be are governed by the
laws of the United States.
A thief entered St. Mary’s Catholic
church in Greenville, S. C., Sunday
after the morning service and stole
the morning collection. The church
burglar alarm system gave the alarm
but the thief made a succesful get
away.
The erection of a $r!00,000 shrine
building in Charlotte, as a home for
Oasis temple, was authorized at the
annual business meeting of the temple
held Tuesday night in the Masonic
temple in Charlotte.
Madame MacSwiney, widow of the
late Lord Mayor of Cork, Ireland, who
died from hunger strike, has arrived
in Now York City. She will visit re
latives at Asheville while in this
country.
It has been proposed in Germany
that labor be conscripted in order to
increase production. This would ap
ply to girls and women as well as
men and boys. Many factories are
closed because the people would not
work and there are 1,000,000 unem
ployed persons now in that country,
according to a dispatch from Berlin.
Restriction has been discontinued
effective December .11 on the importa
tion at Liverpool of American tobac
co in casks for storage. For some
months the amount has been under
allotment.
Distinguished Visitor Here
Smithfield has been honored this
week by the visit of a distinguished
author, Ray Stannard Baker. He is a
former editor of McClures’ Magazine,
one of the originators of the Ameri
can, and was for five years one of
the joint editors of the last named
periodicals. While he was connected
with the American magazine, he spent
sometime in the South studying soc
ial conditions the result of which was
the publication of his book, “The Color
Line.”
A number of Smithfield people will
recall his book, “Seen in Germany”
which formed a part of the course of
the Chautauqua Scientific and Liter
ary circle twelve years or more ago.
Mr. Baker is the author of a number
of books. His latest book fresh from
the press deals with the Peace Con
ference, and is an authority when it
comes to considering that subject. ,
Mr. Baker has spent much time in
travel in the United States and Eu
rope, and in studying economic condi
tions. At present he is engaged in
writing for a newspaper syndicate and
is in the South studying depressed con
ditions existing in the cotton and to
bacco belts. He chose Johnston coun
ty as a typical place to investigate
conditions and for several days this
week he has been visiting certain sec
tions of the county with Supt. Hipps,
County Agent, S. J. Kirby and with
Miss Lucy Lawley, Director of Com
munity Service. Yesterday he visited
the school here and made a talk to
the High school pupils on the subject
of the Peace Conference. He made no
set speech but was exceedingly inter
esting especially in his reference to
President Wilson and the admiration
and trust with which the people
abroad regard him.
Woman Drowns Herself in Well
Mrs. Annie Morgan, wife of C. G.
Morgan, of Duke, killed herself by
drowning in the well at her home
Saturday morning. She had been a
sufferer from pellagra for several
months. Her suffering is believed to
have effected her mind. Postmortem
examination by Coroner Arnold de
termined that she met death by
drowning.
Mrs. Morgan was 34 years old and
the mother of two children—one four
the other one year old. The children'
and her husband survive. The body
was carried to her old home in Rox
boro, where funeral services were con
ducted Sunday afternoon.—Dunn Dis
patch.
U. S. TAKE NO PART
IN LEAGUE PARLEYS
President Wilson Declines
To Send Delegates to
Discuss Disarmament
Washington, Dec. 8.—President
Wilson today declined the invitation of
the League of Nations to send dele
gates to take part in the discussion of
the disarmament commission.
The President informed the League
of Nations council that inasmuch as
the United States was not a member
of the league he did not feel justified
in appointing a commission “to take
even a de facto participation.”
The United States, however, the
President declares, is in sympathy
with any plan for world disarmament.
The reply of the President to the in
vitation of the league council was
transmitted today through the State
Department to Paul Hymans, presi
dent of the council. It follows:
“I have the honor to acknowledge
the receipt of your cablegram of De
cember 1, inviting the government of
the United States to name represen
tatives to sit with the military, naval
and air commissions of the league in
consultative capacity during the dis
cussion by the commission on the re
duction of armaments, the considera
tion of which is to be undertaken by
it forthwith at the request and on be
half of the council.
“The government of the United
States is most sympathetic with any
sincere effort to evolve a constructive
plan for disarmament which is neces
sary for the economic rehabilitation,
peace and stability of the world. The
President of the United States is deep
ly interested in this question and is
most desirous of co-operating to this
end, but as the government of the
United States is not a member of the
league he does not feel justified in ap
pointing a commission to take even a
de facto participation in the delibera
tions of the council or of the commiss
ion acting on behalf of the council in
the execution of provisions in the cov
enant of the League of Nations.”
In Memory of Uncle K. Creech
Life is a fast flowing stream that
moves onward at a rapid pace to
ward the ocean of eternity, but the
soul that trusts Jesus has nothing to
fear for death is only a shining
stream to transport the soul to the
arms of Jesus.
Kirkman Creech was a man who
feared God with all his house. When
about eighteen years of age in a re
vival meeting which was being con
ducted by his father, Rev. Worley
Creech, he gave his heart to God and
joined Bethany Baptist church of
which church he remained a faithful
member until death. He never allowed
anything except sickness to keep him
away from church. He will be missed
by the church as his advice was al
ways sought when any great work
was to be undertaken.
While he was getting ready to at
tend the Thanksgiving service Thanks
giving day, God touched him and
about 4:30 o’clock next morning, Nov
ember 26, the pearly gates opened
wide to welcome him into the celes
tial city.
He was 53 years old. He was the
son of Rev. Worley and Martha
Creech. He was married to Allie
Broadwell the first Sunday in Dec
ember 1890. His wife survives him
together with four sons: Messrs S. C.
Julian, Hobson, and Yates Creech;
three daughters: Mrs. W. T. Dur
ham and Misses Sadie and Ruoy
Creech; three brothers: Messrs Mos
es Creech, Erastus Creech and Carmel
Creech and two sisters: Mrs. Lewis
Liles and Mrs. D. C. Smith.
Rev. W. D. Staneil preached his
funeral, and in a few words told of
the noble life of love and service he
had lived. His body was laid to rest
in the church cemetery at Bethany, on
Saturday, November 27 with honors
of the Masonic and Junior orders of
which he was a member. The mound
was covered with beautiful flowers
which were an emblem of the pure
life he had lived. Sorrowing ones,
he is waiting for you on the other
de.
“He’s boasting that he is master in
, own house.” “Must be a widower
thout children.”—Toronto Tele
gram.