VOLUME 42
SMITHFIELD, N. C., FRIDAY, MARCH 2, 1923
NUMBER 18
FOREIGN STOCK IS
EXEMPT FROM TAX
Action of Senate Takes from
Tax Books More Than
Eighteen Million
RALEIGH, ^eb. 28.—By a vote of
25 to 23 the senate at 5:15 p. m., re
jected the Varser amendment to the
revenue bill, and thereby left in the
bill the amendment adopted by the
house to exempt stocks in foreign
corporation from taxes in the coun
ties, cities and towns of the State.
The adoption of this fiscal policy on
the part of the state means that more
than $18,000,000 in taxable values are
removed from the books, ana that the
state invites people to come in to this
state and make this their legal resi
dence.
Following is the wording of the
section as it now stands in the -rev
enue act:
“Nor shall any individual stock
j holder of any foreign corporation be
required to list or pay taxes on any
share of its capital stock in this
state, and the status of such shares
of stock in foreign corporations,
owned by residents of this state, for
* the purpose of this act is hereby de
clared to be at the place where such
corporation undertakes and carries
on its principal business.”
The vote came after one of the
greatest oratorical exhibits which
has graced the present session and
there were dramatic moments dur
ing the casting of the vote. Dr.
Hodges, of Avery county, Republican
member of the senate, was counted
upon by both sides, and as the roll
was called one heard him vote
aye. there was a hush over the
Hall, and when the vote was cast up,
it officially got out that it was a tie.
Everyone was anxiously watching
Lieutenant Governor Cooper to see
if he would break the tie. Then to
■~the'Yelfef of IF® teTtseffessi-*- itov
Hodges requested that he be recorded
as voting against the Varser amend
ment. And so the tension ended and
the senate decided to adjourn until 8
p. m. to take up further amendments.
While it was known that the vote
would be close, no one anticipated that
it v.-ould be quite so dose, but each
side was claiming a majority. Lieut.
Governor Cooper stated afterwards
that he would have followed the lead
of the New' Hanover senator, Mr.
Bellamy, and have voted against the
amendment. ^
The fight was brilliantly led by
Varser, a law partner of A .W. Mc
Lean, of Lumberton, and a man who
is expected to be in the next gover
nor’s race. He wras equally brilliantly
opposed by Senator W. L. Long, of
Halifax, a recognized power in the
senate.
One of the most effective speeches
made in favor of exemption was that
of Bellamy, of Wilmington, who told
of certain citizens having to leave
Wilmington after inheriting part of
the Flagler estate because of the
taxes in this state.—Greensboro News.
SHRINE CEREMONIAL
AT WASHINGTON, N. C.
WASHINGTON, N. C., Feb. 28.—
Preparations for the big Shrine Cere
monial of Sudan Temple to be held
here on May 17th_next, are going
ahead with the greatest amount of
enthusiasm among the committees in
charge of the work of entertaining
the visitors. In addition to the Cere
monial to be staged in the afternoon,
water events including a special boat
trip for the visiting ladies, will be
one of the attractions. The commit
tee will serve luncheons to the ladies
during the trip and a splendid orches
tra will provide music which will help
to make this feature of the day’s en
tertainment a pleasant event for the
fair sex. Other hoat trips are being
arranged for the Shriners who desire |
to see the beautiful Pamlico River.
In the evening a grand spectacular
display of fireworks will be put on
from large floats anchored in mid i
stream. We are told that this latter \
event will be the best of its kind ever ,
attempted in North Carolina.
Junior Epworth League
The Junior Epworth League will
hold the monthly business meeting ,
Saturday night 7 p. m. Every mem- 1
her is urged to come.
A Seattle milkman was arrested
for not putting enough milk in the
water before delivering it.
I NEGRO DEATH RATE
IS 18.4 PER THOUSAND
I -
j Fifty Per Cent Higher Than White;
Economic Loss and Social
Peril.
The Federal census of 1920 re
ports tha£ the Negro death rate is
18.4 per thousand, as against 12.8
for the whites—just 50 per cent high
| er. Infant mortality averages twice
as high among Negroes as among
whites, and the death rate from tu
j berculosis and typhiod about three
j time's as high. The 'life expectation
| of Negroes is reported as 40 year-;,
| against 54 years for whites, says R.
I B. Eleazer, educational director of
j Commission of Internal Cooperation.
The economic loss involved in
’ these conditions is immense. It is
estimated that in the South more
than 200,000 Negroes are seriously
ill all th^time from preventable cau
ses—neglect, ignorance, unsanitary
conditions. The direct financial loss
entailed runs probably to a hundred
million dollars a year. Of the 225,000
Negro deaths in the South each year,
it is estimated that 100,000 might he
prevented—another clear loss of at
least $100,000,000.
But these conditions entail not on- j
ly a vast economic waste; they con
stitute also a grave social peril. Dis
ease recognizes no segregated area.
It respects no distinctions to wealth j
or class. America^has found it nec- (
essary to quarantine against Asiatic
rats, lest they infect us with bubonic !
plague. Much more is an unsanitary 1
disease center in any community a ‘
focus of infection that menaces every j
part of it.
Add to all this the humanitarian
obligation wjiich demands that we I
do everything in our power to ame- 1
liorate suffering and save life, and
we hjjve an appeal which imperative
ly demands remedial action.
It is such considerations as
4or a«iw yacrs- bnmght- .
gether annually the social and wel
fare agencies of both races in the
observance of Negro Health Week,
the purpose of which is to carry the
message of hygiene to every colored
home and to enlist every community
in a thorough-going campaign of
sanitation. The date set this year
is the week of April 1-7.
In this laudable effort the colored
people should have thei hearty co
operation of every public minded
| citizen, and especially that of all re
ligious and civic groups. It is sug-,
gested that every one who is in- |
I terested communicate with some rep- '
resentative Negro leader in the com- !
munity and'volunteer whatever help j
he can render.—Mews and Observer. I
HOUSE WOULD RELIEVE WATTS
OF HIS BONDED OBLIGATION i
The House of Representatives yes- ;
terday morning voted that by special ;
legislative dispensation, A. D. Watts, ;
recent Commissioner of Revenue,
who resigned in disgrace several j
weeks ago, was relieved of an obli- 1
gation of $5,800 to the State growing j
out of the failure of the Commercial
National Bank in Wilmington, which !
the then commissioner was using as
one of the State depositories.
According to the explanation made !
by Representative E. W. Pharr, of
Mecklenburg, Mr. Watts had on de
posit $5,800 of the State’s funds
which he had not turned over to the
State Treasurer at the time the bank ;
collapsed, and that immediately j
upon the failure of the bank he put ,
up his own check to secure the State I
against loss. The bill proposed that j
the check be returned to him, and
that the State collect from the re
ceivers of the bank.
Motion to place the bill on its im- !
mediate passage precipitated a quar
ter of an hour’s laudation of the for- j
mer commissioner’s business ability
and of his personal integrity, with '
Representatives Bowie. Burgwyn and
Bennett saying that although they
made no apology for his private mo
rality, his public acts were always
above suspicion. The bill was de
scribed as an act of justice to re- j
lieve him and his bondsmen when he
had acted in good faith.—News and !
Observer.
Presbyterian Church.
There will be services both morn
ing1 and night at the Presbyterian
church. The subjects are as follows:
11 a m. “And He said_but God said.”
7:30 p.m. “Peter’s Denial.” Sunday
School at 10 a.m.
CONFERENCE TO BE
HELD AT PISGAH
Begins March 5 and Contin
ues Two Weeks; Good
Speakers on Program
The Baptist denomination through
the Bdard of Missions is conducting
a campaign to coordinate the wort
in the Association, State and South
ern Baptist Convention. An effort
is being made to promote the effi
ciency of all the churches and espe
cially the county churches. In accoiv
with this plan, a two weeks’ confer
ence has b«en scheduled for the Joh.:
ston Association which will be hak
with the church at Pisgah, just four
miles from this city, beginning March
5th. The first weeks’ conference wiF
close on the eighth and the dates for
the second week will be March 12-15
This conference, which is designed
for preachers and laymen, has bee."
carefully planned, some of the best
speakers of the denomination being
on the program. Among those win
will participate in the program arc
A. C. Hamby, superintendent of En
listment and Conservation, County
Church Department, Dr. Zeno Wall
pastor of First Baptist church in
Goldsboro, C. W. Blanchard, of Kins
ton, Prof. J. H. Highsmith of Wake
Forest College and I)r. fthas. E.
Maddry, corresponding secretary
State Baptist Convention, Mrs,
Clarence Johnson, State Superinten
dent of Public Welfare and Dr. W. 3.
Rankin.
Rev. R. L. Cay will be preacher
host, and everybody will receive a
warn1, wcleon e.
Below is the hr°Rram for next
week:
Monday, March 5th.
7:30 p.m.—Sermon or Address by
Dr. Zeno Wall.
9:30 a.m.—Devotional.
-Xk9&~—“A-Sindy -#f -SnryejatS
Why? How?—A. C. Ham
by
1:30 p.m.—“Making Disciples—Pub
lie and Private Methods.’’
—Dr. Zeno Wall.
3:00 p. m.—“Teaching Them to Do
All Things.” Training for
Service.—A. C. Hamby.
7:30 p.m.—“The Situation in China:
The Progress and Pros
pects of Our Missionary
Work.”—Rev. D. W Her
ring.
Wednesday, March 7th
9:30 a.m.—Devotional.
10:00 a.m.—“The Every-Member Can
vass for Finances.”—C. W.
Blanchard.
1:30 p.m.—“The Relation Between
the Pastors and Churches
at Home and the Foriegn
Missionary.”—Rev. D. W.
Herring:.
3:00 p.m.—“Corrective, Constructive,
and Punitive Discipline.”
—C. W. Blanchard.
7:30 p.m.—“Aims of the Executive
Committee for the Johns
ton , Association.”—A. 0.
Moore, Chairman.
Thursday, March 8th.
9:30 a.m.—Devotional.
10:00 a.m.—“Advertising:: Stationery,
Posters, Signs, Beautifying
Grounds. Shelters for
Horses and Cars. Protec
tion in Getting In and
Out.”—A. C. Hamby.
11:00 a.m.—Assigning Work for All
of the Members All of the
Time; Can You Do It?
1:30 p.m.—“The Use of Envelope-'.
One or Two Treasurers.
Monthly Reports of Trea •
urers. Paying Out the
— Money.”—C. W. Banehard.
3:00 p.m.—“Worship in the Home.
Requiring the Children to
Attend Preaching Serv - “
of the Church.”—A. < .
Hamby.
7:30 p.m.—Address — Prof. J. H.
Highsmith.
HARDING’S COURT
PLAN GOES OVER
WASHINGTON, Feb 27.—Post
ponement of action until the next ses
sion of Congress upon President
Harding’s request for authority to
enter the international court set up
by the League of Nations was virtu
ally decided on today by the Senate
foreign relations committee.
It was reiterated at the White
House today that President Harding
will not call a special session of the
Senate to consider the proposal of
American participation in the court.
SCHOOL CHILDREN
FIND GOLD COINS
More Than $2000 in Fruit
Jar Buried in Streets of
Sanford, N. C.
SANFORD, Feb. 28.—Those exca
I vators over in Egypt who recently
discovered the tomb and treasures of
old King Tut-ankh-amen have abso
lutely nothing on a bunch of Sanford
youngsters, who, while on their way
home to get dinner Tuesday noon, dis
covered by the side of the street near
the heart of the city a fruit jar pack
ed full of pure gold, the coin of th->
realm, variously estimated at from
$1,800 to $2,200.
Thus Sanford, without knowing it,
has been enjoying for some time
the distinction of being the only city
perhaps this side the New Jerusalem
\ that had a street literally “paved
' with gold,” at least partially so.
In the treasurer jar, whose top had
been broken off by heavy traffic or
by the street scraper, contained
j coins of all denominations, one dol
lar pieces, two and a half, five, ten
' and twenty dollar pieces. For a
time, as long as they lasted, gold
coins were as free as the pebbles oi
the street, and a dozen or more chil
dren are enriched by the precious
discovery
I It was the keen eye of little Mar
garet Crowder, the 12 year old daugh
ter of R. W. Crowder, telegra oh
operator for the Seaboard here, that
first spied some thing of an unusual
appearance in the gutter along side
Hickory street, just a few feet off
Chatham street, which is one of th ’
j main thoroughfares passing through
the city. Upon investigation, Mar
garet found it was gold coins. It
j was too good to be true. She had
heard about chasing the rainbow an 1
finding at the end of it^ a pot of
gold She had heard fabulous stories
4«itfIg_Jiiidir\g_D_recio.qa_JtrjJ^
ures bid i»i .lie field, under huge
rods, unde." hearthstones, etc., but
right here on the street, in the heart
of a populous city, she is the dis
coverer of a jar of gold that would
have made the eyes of old Croesus
green with envy. In her ecstacy
she did just w-hat any other unso
phisticated girl would have don-1.
She grabbed both hands full of the
i precious treasui’e and ran home with
I it to make known her good for
I tune, leaving the rest to anybody
| who might appropriate it. A dozen
! or more or her school mates who
I were with her, were on the job in
' stantly. Some of them, however, not
J realizing the value of what they had
I found, freely shared it with each
i other and with any casual passer -
I by. It is said one little fellow gave
a twenty dollar gold piece to one
of his companions, not thinking it
was anything but a big penny.
, Two traveling men happened to i>e
I passing by in a car, and noting the
I excitement of the children stopper*
| and began to investigate further.
From the accounts they had gotten,
I glass had been found mixed up with
i the gold pieces. They reasoned that
; the bottom of that jar must be some
where around there. About four or
I five inches from where the loose
coins and the pieces of glass had i
been found they found the lower |
part of the fruit jar, which had in
it, it is alleged $1,800, which the j
two strangers didvided among them- |
selves and passed on. It is not '
definitely known how much the chil- ;
dren got. All the partakers of the
good fortune have become a bit shy,
fearing they may lose their treasures.
But it is reasonably certain that
there was in the neighborhood of
$2,000 of the yellow coin in the jar.
until anout a year ago when a
new street was opened up connect
ing it w:th Hickory avenue, the spot
where the jar was found was under
neath a wagon shelter owned by W.
1. Buchanan. The shelter had to
give way to progress and a street is
there now. The terrific down-pour
cf rain Monday* night washed awav
a great deal of the soil on the side
of the street, thereby revealing the
hidden treasure.
Whether this jar contained the
hard earned savings of a life time
of some poor miser, or whether it
was the ill-gotten loot of some thief,
perhaps m> one will ever know. Sev
eral theorie# have been advanced,
but none of them can be substantiat
ed. Several years ago an old
negro woman, Aunt Phronie Walker,
ran a colored boarding house and
bar near this place. It might have
I
j
I
| FAYETTEVILLE FIVE OPENS
CHAMPIONSHIP HERE TONIGHT
Smithl:>*ld Girls Will Meet Fayette
ville Quint in First* Game of
Series; Prospects Good.
Tonight at eight o’clock the girls
I basketball championship series -f
I Eastern North Carolina will begin
; here when the local bunch of ball
j tossers line up against the Fayette
j ville quint at the Banner Warehouse.
' Little if any is known of the com
parative standing of the two teams
i but if the Fayetteville bunch can
| measure up to the standards of for
mer girls teams from the Cape Fear
metropolis the game will be a hard
fought battle f’»m the start.
The record of the Smithfield girls
so fat is clea" except for the or >
dark blot of ;';:r Raleigh game, the
only defeat of the season, and that
by only two field goals. Starting the
season with it smashing victory of
43-fi over the Kinston girls the teams
hi.: followed itp_ by handing the
1 old boro quintet two reverses the
fir-t 28-10 and the second 23-18. The
Smithfield scoring machine has amas
sed 115 points while the total score
for opponents is 63.
The local five has been coached by
Misses Newell- and Wilson and will
most probably be a serious contender
for honors in its section. The state
is divided * into three divisions—
Western, Central and Eastern, with
Smithfield in the last. Should Smith
field win over Fayetteville it will
play the winner of the Wilson-Kins
ton game.
The eastern conference in meeting
Saturday, February 24, at Wilson
high school was represented by fif
teen. high schools all of whom enter
ed teams in the contest to decide the
state championship of girls’ basket
ball teams. Last year there Were but
eight teams representing this dis
trict, showing an increase of seven
for this year. The series will begin
^Friday night, the schedule being as
nroTTbygRt- --—
Warsaw at Wilmington; Lueama
at Tarboro; Rich Square at Roanoke
Rapids, March 2; . New Bern and
Washington in Vanceboro March 2 or
3; Belhaven at Elizabeth City March
2; Fayetteville at Smithfield March
2; and Wilson at Kinston March 2.
Vanceboro will play the winner of the
New Bern-Washington game during
the middle of the following week.
The second round of the series will 1
involve the winners of the first '
round and a third conference will he i
held to arrange for the final game j
which will ascertain the winner of
this district.
PROMOTION CHEATED I
BY THE DEATH ANGEL
WASHINGTON, Feb. 27.—Promo-!
tion came too late today for Albert ■
W. Pontius, of Minnesota, Consul
General at Mukden, China.
Dispatches from Peking yesterday
announced the death of Mr. Pontius (
after a long illness, and the list of ;
nominations sent to the senate today |
by President Harding contained his j
name for promotion from consul-gen
eral of class four to consul-general of ,
Class three. j
Mr. Pontius had been in the con- i
sular service nearly 20 years and the j
promotion was to have been given in
recognition of his efficient work and
long service. • (
been that she deposited her savings I
in the jar and failed to reveal her
secret to her relatives before her !
death, which occurred some fifteen
years ago. Another theory is that
Ben Gunter, who ran a livery stable
near this spot for several years and
who died suddenly some ten or
twelve years ago, deposited his-earn
ings tn the jar rather than in a
bank, and at the last he did not
have an opportunity of revealing his '
secret. Still others think that the
robbers who looted a Jonesboro
bank several years ago may have
hid their loot here in order not to j
be detected, and that they got away
or died with their secret.
Only one thing about the matter j
is certai 1, and that is the jar was 1
found with a big lot of precious '
gold in it, and that a lot of school
children and two strangers were
made supremely trapti v and miser
able, miserable because they did not
get more of it. The average citi
zen in Sanfoid, since the luck dis- j
covery, is walking with his head
d »■ n-vnrd and with an expectant and
investigating turn of mind A tobac
co tag may prove to be a ten dol
lar gold piece . i
SENATE MUST VOTE
ON WORLD COURT
Senator Lodge Would Delay
Action; Harding May
Appeal to the Country
WASHINGTON, fc'eb. 27.—While
the Senate Committee on Foreign
Relations today laid, the foundation
for preventing action in the present
Congress on President Harding’s rec
ommendation that the United "States
join the League of Nations Court of
Justice, the whole subject to be aired
in the Senate tomorrow afternoon.
What is more important, the Senate
will be obliged to vote on the ques
tion of taking up the President’s pro
posal for consideration. This wi'l af
ford a fair idea of how the Senate
stands.
The occasion for the ainnv V th>
Senate will be a motion b> Senator
King of Utah, a Democrat, that his
resolution of yesterday relating to the
court of justice shall be taken up for
consideration. This resolution pro
vides for the Senate’s sanction of the
protocol establishing the world’s
court with reservations exactly sim
ilar to those suggested by Secretary
Hughes in his letter accompanying
President Harding’s recommendation
that the United States become a full
fledged member of the court. One
reservation expressly provides that
the adherence of this Government
shall not be taken to involve any leg
al relation to the League of Nations
or the assumption by this Govern
ment of any obligation under the
league covenant.
, Senator King served notice today
that he would move tomon nv tea:
bus resolute n be taken up . or consid
eration. As Chai,'nrnn of 1 Foreign
Relations Committee Senate.• Lodge
countered by moving that the resolu
tion be lelected to that committee.
This will be in accordance with the
decision of r.ne committee today to de
until further information on the subl
ject has been obtained. At the saml
time it seemingly places Mr. I.odgM
the Republican floor leader, in tlP
position of going contrary to the
wishes of President Harding, who ask
ed the Senate to give the sanction re
quested, before Congress finally ad
journs next Sunday.
1 he whole proceeding’ following
the President’s recommendation has
produced a complex and interesting
political situation which will be car
ried into public discussions this Sum
mer. Democratic Senators are rath
er elated over the outlook. As they
see it the Republican Senate has de
clined to follow the head of the Repub
lican President, while most of the
Democratic Senators are ready to
stand by him in his effort to bring
the United States into the association
with the International Court of Jus
tice set up by the League of Nations
in the interest of preserving world
peace.
As for the President, there is an
expectation that be, too, will have
something to say about. Senate ob
struction of his policies. Rumors are
in circulation that he intends to tell
the country how thr Senate defeated
his Ship Subsidy bill, not by the
square defeat of an adverse vote but
by taking advantage of the liberal
Senate rules to prevent any vote at
all.
The rumor doeS not stop there. It
credits the President with the inten
tion of r.aking a campaign this Sum
mer in behalf of his world court idea.
While his plan for a visit to Alaska
Las not been drawn, it is known that
he contemplates making the tr’p,
which will necessitate a transconti
nental tour. Some of his friends
have been urging him to make it a
fighting tour with his speeches devot
ed to telling what he has sought to
accomplish and how his failures have
been due to obstruction by certain
Senators.—N. Y. Times.
THRILLING ESCAPE OF
TRAINS PASSENGERS
ORANGE, Mass., Feb. 27.—Pas
senders on a Boston and Maine rail
road train had a thrilli.itc esca ie
from serious injury today when two
of the three coaches jumped the
rails, plunged down a fifteen foot
2mbankment and slid out on the thick
ice of Miller’s River. The ice support
ed the cars and the passengers scram
bled to safety. Four of the train
irew were slightly hurt. Spreading
rails caused the accident, officials
sail