VOLUME 42
SMITHFIELD, N. C., TUESDAY, JULY 10, 1923
NUMBER 55
J. W. BAILEY SAYS
MACHINE DEFUNCT
Makes Comment on Sim
mons* Support of A. W.
McLean for Governor
“The machine did not put me up;
it cannot pull me down,” commented
J W. Bailey, prospective candidate
for the Democratic gubernatorial
nomiration yesterday, in a formal
statement in reference to the dec
laration of Senator F. M. Simmons
here this week that served to give
notice generally that the senator
will support the candidacy of A. W.
McLean, of Lumberton.
Asserting that “the machine” has
named only one governor in twenty
five years and confessing no fears
of its power, Mr. Bailey said that he
has not yet determined definitely
whether or not he will be a candidate
but that his decision will be made
sometime toward the close of the
present year.
“Let the statement by Senator
Simmons that he will support Hon.
A. W. McLean for the Democratic
nomination for governor in 1924 go
for whatever it may be worth. It is
not for me to appraise the force ol
it one way or the other. My position
is unchanged. I would not be fit to
run for governor if my running de
pended upon the support or oppo
sition of any other man or set of
men. I said about a year ago. when
my name first began to be mention
ed in this connection, and have been
saying all along since, and now say,
that some time toward the close of
the present year I shall decide
whether or not to offer for the nomi
nation, and my decision will depend
on whether or not it shall appear at
the time that there is a sufficient
substantial popular demand to jus
tify the labors of such a campaign
as such a candidacy requires. Note
the language: I realize that a candi
dacy founded upon popular support
will require a hard campaign. I
would offer for the nomination only
because it appeared at the time that
our people desired that I do so.
There would be great honor in that,
and none whatever in having the of
fice handed to my by a Boss or a
Machine. And if I could justify the
faith of the voters who called me
to the office, there would be great
honor and satisfaction in that; but if
I could not, there would be neither
honor nor satisfaction. A governor
of North Carolina ought to be free
of obligation save that of his office.
With all due respect, therefore, to
any and all powers, so far as I am
concerned, the people must determine
my course. ‘The machine did not
put me up; it cannot pull me down.
It is by no me^ns so powerful as it
would have men think. It has no
terrors for me, and it should have
terrors for no one. It has named
only one Governor in 25 years, and
he got in by a political fluke. I shall
go confidently into the contest if the
people indicate they desire that I
make the fight for them. On the
other hand, if they do not desire that
I do so, I trust I shall be able to
find it out in time to save them and
myself from a hard campaign that
would cost me in values that are not
to be measured in money much more
than I could get out of it under any
circumstances.
Would >Tot Create Demand
“As to present impressions:
“I may say that I have not sought
to create a demand that I run for the
nomination. I have written less than
fifty letters on the subject to others
than those who have first written
me. I have made some fifty or sixty
speeches—more than half of them at
school commencements—and the oth
ers of a miscellaneous character. I
have sought no invitations to make
public addresses of any sort, but I
have had to decline more than 125. |
The impression I now have is this:
While there is an extensive and in
creasing interest, the people as a
whole are not disposed to become
intensely interested in a campaign
that cannot really beg: - until 1924. j
They are, as are the people through- !
out America, ready to grapple with ,
the bosses and machines and to reas- !
sert this power. What happened in
the Republican camp in America in
1922 will happen in the Democratic
camp in North Carolina in 1924: The
rank and file will arise and assert [
their will. I think they will choose
for themselves their own candidate.
Hand-picked and machine-made can
TWO MILLION DOLLARS
GO OUT TO GROWERS
Checks aggregating more than two
million dollars went out to the thirty
odd thousand members of the North
Carolina Cotton Growers’ Cooperative
Association yesterday from the Ral
eigh headquarters, General Manager
U. B. Blalock announced.
These checks represent the fourth
distribution made to members, bring
ing the total advances up to twenty
two cents a pound, basis middling, and
making a grand total of fifteen mil
lion dollars that has been paid out on
the 135,000 bales of cotton received
by the association during the past
season.
Another advance will probably be
made to the members before a final
settlement of the 1922 crop is made.
The stocks of cotton still held by
the association is very limited, ac
cording to General Manager Blolock,
who states that the manner of order
ly selling has been adhered to through
out the season. The marketing of the
cotton has been a big task, but the
wisdom of selling a year’s crop over
a period of twelve months instead of
dumping it in a three months period
has been abundantly proven, declares
Mr. Blalock.
A definite statement can not yet be
issued as to just how much more as
sociation members are going to re
ceive per bale for their cotton than
non-members, but from the estimates
from reliable sources of the average
price for cotton sold on the outside
it would now seem that association
members will net from $20 to $25
per bale more for their cotton than
non-members.
The North Carolina association led
the entire South, with South Caro
lina a close second, in the number of
bales received from members, Mr.
Blalock stated, and now it is supposed
to put the Old North State at the
head of the list in the "number of
members.
A South-wide drive for new mem
bers was launched July 4 in each of
the 12 State associations that com
prise the American Cotton Growers’
Exchange. The North Carolina asso
ciation expects to hold its own with
the besi. of them, not excepting the
big State of Texas. The campaign
will continue through the summer.
News and Observer.
JAILS ARE INSPECTED
IN 75 N. C. COUNTIES
Average conditions in fifteen coun
ty jails and chaingangs in Eastern
North Carolina just inspected by ag
ents of the State Board of Charities
and Public Welfare show a consider
able improvement over the condition
of thirty counties in which inspec
tions were made ir October, 1922. Re
sults of which were included in the
report of the board to the General
Assembly. In addition to these forty
five counties on which complete rec
ords have been made the agents of
the board, it is announced, have made
less complete inspections in 30 other
counties.
The conditions in the fifteen coun
ties on which reports have just been
made to Mrs. Kate Burr Johnson,
commissioner of public welfare, are
“in general, pretty good,” according
to the investigators, Roy M. Brown
and Wiley B. Sanders. The counties
inspected included Moore, Lee, Hoke,
Robeson, Bladen, Columbus, Bruns
wick, Onslow, New Hanover, Pender,
Carteret, Pamlico, Craven, Greene,
and Duplin.—News & Observer.
didates will not be acceptable. The
machine is badly discredited in
North Carolina. There are some
things we know, and among them is
this: Wc know where Messrs. Watts
Morrison and Simmons stand. There
are, to be sure, some political camp
followers who are really amazed that
I do not at once withdraw since I
am not to have the support of these
three. But these camp followers
know nothing of the history and the
spirit of free men and women in
America. They are what they are
because this spirit is foreign to
them. No one man, no two men, no
three men, no one hundred men, can
appoint a Governor in the State of
North Carolina. Probably 250,000
votes will be cast in the 1924 pri
mary, and at least 240,000 of these
will be cast by men and women who
consider their votes the means of
expressing theiir own respective
wills.”—News and Observer, July S.
LOST BALLOON IS
FOUND IN LAKE
Two Airmen Are Missing;
Hunt So Far Fruitless But
Navy Hopes Still
i Cleveland, 0., July 7.—A balloon
floating in the middle of Lake Erie
has been identified as that flown by
i the missing naval airmen, Lieuten
ants L. T. Roth and T. B. Null, in the
Indianapolis elimination race.
Pilot Shiller, of the seaplane Nina,
who set out from here this morning
returned tonight, reporting that ho
had sighted the basket of the balloon,
the balloon bag and two naval uni
forms afloat in the lake, but saw no
( trace of the missing officers.
| The bag of the balloon was towed
to Port Stanley, Ont., by the Canadi
an tug Frank H. Stanley, of that
port.
Captain J. Y. Cassin of the steam- j
1 er Colonial, of this city, sighted the
. balloon afloat early this morning |
I about twenty-five miles southwest of
: Port Stanley. He circled around it
twice, but found no trace of the naval
officers. The basket of the balloon
if still attached, must have been sub
merged, and the Colonial had no
; equipment for salvaging it.
Later reports, however, indicate
that th etwo naval officers cut loose
the basket, in which they may have
floated for a while, later abandining
' it either to board a passing vessel or
1 to float with their life preservers
^ carried on the flight. Sighting of
the two uniforms in the water would
! seem to lend some support to the
latter theory, or they might have been
extra uniforms carried by the offi
cers.
Washington, July 7.—The balloon
I found partly submerged off Port Stan
ley, Ontario, on Lake Erie, has been
identified as that of Lieutenants L. J.
; Roth and T. B. Null, naval balloon
! ists, in a report tonight to the Navy
i Department from Pilot Shiller, who
flew to the scene from Cleveland.
I The uniforms of both officers were
i found in the wreckage of the big bag
of the half-submerged craft, the re
, port said, and with them was the log.
an extra leather coat and a pair of
gauntlets.
The balloon was partly inflated, but
the basket was missing, indicating,
I in the opinion of naval officers, that
the two men had cut loose and
; abandoned their clothing under stress
Detroit, July 8.—The Aeromarino 1
Airways Company, Inc., flying boat i
Buckeye, carrying newspaper men, re
turned here late today, after a fruit
less 200-mile search over Lake Erie |
for Lieuts. L. J. Roth and T. B. Null, j
, lost when their balloon, the U. S.
' navy A-6698, fell. The flying boat
covered virtually all of that part of ,
, the lake where the bag was found. 1
| and the basket of the balloon might
be.
1 The navy aviation service has not ;
yet given up hope that the two bal- :
! loonists may be found alive, accord- j
ing to Charles F. Reddin, president j
\ of the Airways company. |
i Entries in. the log of the balloon
led to the belief they had cut the
, basket loose and might yet be float
I ing somewhere on the lake, Mr. Red
den said he was advised by the navy
air service. The basket is known to
have been equipped with bouyancy de
vices that would keep it afloat for
some time.
ITALY JOINS NEITHER
ENGLAND NOR FRANCE
Rome, July 8.—Italy joins neither
with England nor France in her atti- j
tude relative to the Ruhr, it is semi- j
officially stated. Italy remains faith
ful to the memorandum which Prem- !
ier Mussolini presented when he at- j
tended the London conference. This
was based on unification of the prob- I
lems of reparations and inter-allied 1
debts and other conditions which have
been adhered to throughout.
With respect to the passive resist- ■
ance of Germany, he Italian govern
men tthinks it should not be insisted 1
upon, as Germany can not defeat :
France by this method.
London and Rome are in agree
ment in intensifying diplomatic ac
tion with the object of bringing about j
an understanding on reparations and
' the occupation of the Ruhr; but have
not reached an accord on inter-allied
debts.
BRIDGERS MEETS
MYSTERIOUS END
Dead From Heavy Blow On
Head on Smithfield Road
Near Shiloh Church
Ranee S. Bridgers, a well known
citizen of the lower end of Wake
County, came to his death in a mys
terious manner Friday afternoon on
the Smithfield road near Shiloh
church. Examination by a physician
showed that he received a heavy blow
on the back of his head and that his
neck was broken. Coroner J. H. Kirk
man was called to the scene and
a jury composed of Messrs. F. M.
Weeks, C. C. Williams, J. E. Jones,
Jesse Wood, Pelno Coats and Hubert
Wood, passed on the evidence submit
ted. Their verdict was that the de
ceased came to his death on the af
ternoon of July 6 about three o’clock
in front of Mr. H. Johnson’s residence
by a blow on the back of the head and
a broken neck by causes unknown to
the jury.
F. P. Holland was riding with the
deceased just previoys to his mys
terious death. After being duly
sworn he told the jury the following
story. He said that at about three
o’clock as he was riding with the de
ceased in an automobile that Bridgers
■wanted to get out in front of Mr.
Johnson’s store. He stopped the car
and he got out. He told him he would
drive on down the road and wou’d
wait for him. hen he did not come,
he said he left the car and walked
back to Mr. Johnson’s house in front
of which he found Bridgers dead. He
stated that he was running the ear
very slowly when Bridgers got out
and that he certainly did not get hurt
in getting out of the automobile.
When asked if anyone passed near
the time of the mysterious event,
Holland stated that after leaving
Bridgers atthe store he met a big
touring car going towards Smith
field.
The only other witness examined
by the coroner was I. G. Hill who
stated that he came along the road
about three o’clock and saw the de
ceased lying in the road in front of
Mr. Hight Johnson’s home. M”.
Johnson's wife and some other la
dies told him that a man was out
there in the road dead. He stated
that the hot of the deceased was six
or seven feet from where he was
lying.
It is said to be the concensus of
opinion of those attending the in
quest that Bridgers was the victim
of foul play. Several years ago
Bridgers shot and killed a man by the
name of Coats .acting, he claimed, in
self-defense, and was convicted of
manslaughter.
The deceased was a man of about
60 years of age, and unmarried. He
had $31 in his pockets when found.
JOHN D. CELEBRATES
HIS 84TH BIRTHDAY
Tarrytown, N. Y., July 8.—John
D. Rockefeller observed his 84th birth
day today by attending church serv
ices and later entertaining a few
friends at dinner. As he left the
church, Mr. Rockefeller was surround
ed by a group of 15 children. He
handed each youngster a nickel.
Mr. Rockefeller was attired in an
overcoat and a muffler and with
brown goggles protecting his eyes, ap
peared in good health. He chatted
smilingly with newspaper men and
photographers. He invited them in
side the church, promising to grant an
interview afterward.
When he emerged he said to the
group of motion picture and news
paper photographers:
“There are so many of you that if
you were not good fellows I’d be
afraid of you.”
Mr. Rockefeller obligingly enacted
a scene in which he gave a nickel to
Robert Irving Hunter, aged 2 ,four
times, but balked when he was asked
to do it again.
Because of the fact that his birth
day fell on Sunday Mr. Rockefeller
did not give the customary band con
cert at his estate at Poeantico Hills.
He rose about 6 o’clock as usual and
enjoyed a short stroll. Then he read
the papers for a while. At 10:45 he
started for church.
The church, a small gray stone
structure, was built through the do
nations of the Rockefeller family and
the townspeople, and was dedicated
last November.
SURGEON SAVES LIFE
WITH POCKET KNIFE j
—
New Orleans, July 7.—A taxicab :
stepped before the doors of Hotel
Dieu (hospital), a young man carried
and old man up the steps of the build
ing in his arms.
“Quick,” the young man shouted,
“He’s choking to death.”
A nurse ran into the hall.
“Put him down there,” she said,
indicating a small room just inside
the door. “He’s dying; it’s only a '
matter of seconds.”
Dr. Joseph Danna. noted New
Orleans surgeon, wearing his hat and
coat, had just finished his work at
the hospital and was leaving at that
moment.. As he passed nearby the
young man recognized him.
“Oh, doctor, can’t you help?” he
asked.
“Certainly,” the doctor replied.
Without a moment’s hesitation—
there was no time to send for instru
ments on the floor above—the sur
geon pulled his penknife from his
pocket and slit the throat of the dy
ing man.
The nurse came back with a tube
which the doctor inserted in the
man’s throat and held the sides of
the incision together with blood
stained fingers. Slowly color return
ed to the cheeks of the man and his I
pulse began to beat freely.
Dr. Danna turned to the son who
had watched the unusual operation
and said: “He’ll live.”
After the organs began to func
tion normally the tube was removed
and the incision stitched.
The operation had taken less than
one minute; longer probably would
have meant death, the surgeon as
I serted.
It was performed upon R. Rouge
lot, a New Orleans dry goods mor
! chant, last Monday, but the details
| were not made public by hospital au
thorities until today. Mr. Rougelot
; complained of strangulation early in
the day. Simple remedies had no
j effect and he was put into an auto
■ mobile by his son and rushed to the
! hospital. Ho became suddenly worse
' and before the institution was reach
ed he had ceased to breathe and his
pulse had stopped, the son said.
; Today he was reported rapidly im
proving.
WASHINGTON (N. C.) BOY
DIES AT FORT BRAGG
i -
Fayetteville, July 7.—Tonight the
! members of the 117th field artillery,
North Carolina national guard, en
! camped at Fort Bragg, mourn the
death of a comrade, William Lewis,
Battery C, whose home was in Wash
ington, N. C.
Private Lewis died in the fort hos
pital at 9 o’clock last night, following
an operation for gangrene, appendi
citis and peritonitis. He enlisted in
Battery C June 30, the day before the
' guardsmen entrained for Fort Bragg.
On the morning of July 5 he began
' complaining of illness to his comrades
and to Capt. John H. Stedman, and
was promptly taken to the hospital
for treatment. Appendicitis develop
ed and he was of necessity operated
upon under acute conditions. He lived
through the operation, performed by
expert surgeons, but the unavoidable
conditions of the case resulted in his
death.
His body was tonight escorted to
Washington by a guard of honor com
posed of his comrades who liked and
loved him.
William Lewis or “Bill” as he was
affectionately called, was the son of
Mr. and Mrs. Nathan Lewis, of Wash
ington. He was 19 years of age.
Miss Muns Takes Special Course
Friends here of Miss Kathleen
Muns will be interested to learn that
she is taking special training as a
nurse in the Orthopoedic Clinic of
West Hampton College, Richmond,
Va. Miss Muns was a student nurse
at the Wilson Sanatorium a hospital
under the management of Dr. E. T.
Dickerson, until Dr. Dickerson closed
his hospital in Wilson preparatory to
opening a larger one at Greenville.
Atler taking the course at Richmond,
Miss Muns expects to report for work
in the Greenville institution about
Sept. L
Mr. RL E. Allen of Bentonville
township was in the city and reported
hail in his section Friday afternoon.
Some of the crops, avoiding to Mr.
Allen, were damaged.
McADOO BOOM TO
BE STARTED SOON
Friends Make Plans at Din
ner at New York; Ford’s
Chances Discussed.
New York, July 7.—Detailed plans
for launching a ‘William G. Mc
Adoo-for-President” boom have been
worked flut at a dinner of a dozen
of his intimate friends here, the
New York Evening Post said today.
Although Mr. McAdoo has not for
mally announced his candidacy, his
supporters were declared to be con
fident his hat would be in the ring.
The diners, meeting recently osten
sibly to honor Samuel B. Amidon,
National Committeemen from Kan
sas, picked Mr. Amidon to handle the
McAdoo campaign, the Evening Post
says.
Confident of Success
The diners discussed the relative
strength of former Governor Cox,
of Ohio, Governor Smith, of New
York; Senator Underwood, John W.
Davis, former Ambassador to Great
Britian, and Henry Ford, concluding
that McAdoo could enter the cam
paign with four hundred delegates
and with many others ready to switch
to him as soon as they had registered
“favorite son” choices.
Mr. Amidon, now on his way t o
Europe, is expected to return in
September, by which time it is said
McAdoo clubs will have been formed
in many states and the campaign be
ready to be brought out into the open.
Among those present at the dinner
were Stuart G. Gibbonel, secretary
of the Wilson campaign committee
in 1912; Bryon R. Newton, collector
of the Port of New York under the
I Wilson regime; Frank Wilson, pub
1 licity director for the Third and
Fourth Liberty loan drives; W. Jud
| son Timmins, insurance broker; David
Hunter Miller, attorney; E. Bright
Wilson, president of the Tennessee
Society, and Oscar Price, motion pic
ture distributor.
Ford’s Chances.
Discussion of Ford’s chances was
said to have occupied a great deal
1 of the diner’s time. The McAdoo
| stragetists concluded that if McAdoo
announced his candidacy soon
: enough he could spike a Ford Demo
cratic boom, although the Detroit
manufacturer probably still would
have to be reckoned with as third
party candidate.
Smith and Underwood, they decid
ed, were not specially dangerous, it
being held that their “wet” trend
was politically unpopular. Cox, the
standard-bearer in the 1920 race,
was believed by the diners to be Mc
Adoo’s most powerful opponent, re
ports reaching them that Kentucky,
Ohio and at least two other Middle
Western states were lining up for
Cox.
Davis, the diners decided, probably
would enter the convention with a
good showing of strength, led by
his native West Virginia contingent,
but most of this strength, it was de
clared, could be swung to McAdoo.
E. S. PARKER HEADS
N. C. BAR ASSOCIATION
Blowing Rock, July 7.—E. S. Park
er, Jr., prominent lawyer of Ala
mance county, was acclaimed presi
dent of the North Carolina Bar asso
ciation just before it adjourned sine
die its 25th annual conference here
this morning.
The association by a close vote in
dorsed the abolition of the rotating
system now applied to Superior court
judges in the state, and then by a
good majority gave its approval to a
resolution limiting the arguments of
attorneys to juries. These two meas
ures will be presented to the general
assembly at its next regular meeting
in an effort to have them eonverted
into law.
With one of the most largely at
tended conventions in the history of
the organization behind them, the
members and their ladies journeyed by
automobiles over the beautiful Yonah
lossee road to Linville, where they
were the guests of the Linville Im
provement company and the Eseeola
Inn. This jaunt across some of Nat
ure’s most enchanting hills proved to
be one of the foremost occasions of
the convention. It was a thrill, a
treat, and not a lawyer entered an
appeal from the decision of the cara
van that this section is one of the
state’s greatest assets.