THE;
OAS
GAZET
IONIA
'mm
PUBIJSI1ED TWICE A WEEK TUESDAYS AND FRIDAYS.
6LNULE COPY 8 CENTS.
Devoted to the Protection of Home and the Interests of the County.
11.50 A YEAR IN ADVANCE.
VOL, XXXII
GASTONIA, N. GL
TUESDAY, MAY 9, 1811;
NO. ST.
COMMENCEMENT EXERCISES.
COMMENDS WEBB.
WANT TRACKS LOWERED.
CELEBRATION TO MORROW.
SUFFERING CONTINUES.
RIFLE CONTEST CLOSES.
JC.
I
1
Graded Schools Clone With A;
priate Program Eight Grad
air. u. u. Mnitn speaks on
"Good CitUennhfp" The ' frixe
. Winners.
With the awarding of certificates
of graduation to three young men
and five young ladies, the awarding
of prizes and the delivery of the
annual address In the auditorium of
the Central graded school last night,
the scholastic year of -the Gastonia
' graded schools came to an end.
When the graduates marched In at
. 8:45 o'clock and took their seats orfl
the stage the auditorium was filled
with 'the parents and friends of the
students and of the school, every
1 available seat in pit and gallery be-
v lng taken.
Following the Invocation by Rev.
W. H. Reddish and a chorus, "Wel
come, Spring," by . forty or fifty
voices, the salutatory was delivered
by Miss Annie Glenn, of the graduat
ing class, who acquitted herself in a
1 most creditable manner.
i -Mr. D. B. Smith, of the Charlotte
bar, was then introduced and deliv
ered the annual literary address, ac
knowledged by all who heard him to
, be a splendid presentation of a sub
ject of vital importance to the old
a and the young. His eubject was
"Good Citizenship" and he dealt
With it in a practical manner. There
are three marks of a good citizen:
First, to preserve the purity of the
ballot; second, to see that there is a
.rigid and Impartial enforcement of
the law; third, to assist in curbing
the onward march of special privi
lege, which is working so much evil
in this country at the present time.
" He elaborated on each of these three
"topics, describing the duties which
devolve upon the citizen who does
: hla duty. The speaker touched on
. some of the evil tendencies of the
times in our country, especially the
rule of the political boss and the
wave of corruption which has lately
manifested Itself In wholesale brib
ery In the law-making bodies of
many sections of the United States.
He deplored the present-day tenden
cy. of business and professional men
to shun Jury duty and thus leave one
of the most Important-duties of clt-
' Izenshlp to the hands of professional
; jurymen and court house hangers
on who have an eye 'single to the
'per diem and are neither qualified
to nor desirous of administering
i justice.
Mr. Smith spoke In an optimistic
' strain. ' Notwithstanding the fact
that our system often falla to re
' suit in giving justice In the courts
- and notwithstanding the political
v rottenness and corruption that stalk
abroad in the land, our system it
. self Is the best there is and there is
sufficient manhood in our country,
when aroused, to bring about a re
formation of these evila.
' The address was heard through
out with Intense interest by both old
and young and if the truths spoken
and the admonitions given are heed
ed by those who heard it will result
In great good. Mr. Smith is a pleas
v lng speaker and Gastonia enjoyed
this, his first visit to us, as a public
speaker.
. ' At the conclusion of the address
Mr. J. W. Timberlake, of the local
bar, presented to Mr. Ernest Her
. man the gold" medal given annually
:.by Gastonia Chapter United Daugh
ters of the Confederacy to the mem
ber of the graduating class writing
. the best essay on some phase of the
' civil war, a different subject being
assigned each year. This year's
subject was "North Carolina's Part
f la the Civil War." Mr. Timberlake,
In awarding the medal, spoke, appre
ciatively of the good work the
. .Daughters are doing in perpetuating
- the memories of the" brave South
erners who fought for Dixie and in
' stimulating in the young people of
the 'present a desire to know . the
facts relating to the -great struggle.
The winner of the medal Is a son of
Rev. and Mrs. George D. Herman.
Immediately after the awarding of
the prize Mr. Herman read his es-
' say, which was a comprehensive and
well-written paper setting forth the
part of the Old North State played
In the great drama of the civil war.
Mr; P. W, Garland,; of the local
. bar, wasthen Introduced and award
ed to Miss Louisa Reid, the gold
. medal' given annually by .the Tor-rence-Marrls
Company, jewelers, for
- the test oral reproduction of a story.
Mr.. Garland told of the Inestimable
' value" of one's being able to tell
what he knew. He was most happy
in his remarks. Miss Reid la.', a
daughter . of Prof., and Mrs.. J. P.
Held. She won this same prize two
I
I
President Alexander of State Farm
ers Union Endorsee Congress
fman' Position on Ileciprodty. .
- Congressman Webb has just re
ceived a letter from Dr. H. Q. Alex
ander, President of the State, Farm
ers' Union, In which he says:
"I. approve of your course in op
posing the reciprocity treaty with
Canada as it was presented to the
House by the President. That
treaty is not fair or just. " It seeks
to lower the cost of living but taxes
the farmer with the reduction, wfh-
out In any way compensating him
for his loss. And I am not sure
that It would even lower the cost of
food products to the consumer. All
articles put on the free list are In
the raw state. No manufactured
products are admitted free. The
farmers and laborers produce the
raw materials. Capital converts It
into the finished product. Capital
Is protected. The man must fight
unaided for his living. The Dollar
is placed above the man. This has
been the policy of our government
in all tariff legislation. It is a
shame and an outrage on a so-called
free people. The masses have tol
erated it just about long enough."
Dr. Alexander Is a farmer, a for
mer member of the State Legisla
ture from Meckjenburg county, and
one of the moBt intelligent and hon
ored citizens of the State.
Concord postoffice has been des
ignated as a postal savings bank,
being one of 36 additional offices so
designated by the Postmaster Gen
eral Sunday.
Oklahoma City has been chosen
as the place for holding the next
General Conference of the Southern
Methodist church in May, 1914.
years ago.
Prof. Jule B. Warren, of Durham,
was next called on to deliver the
superintendent's prize, a $5 gold
piece, given annually for' leadership
in scholarship in the tenth grade.
Mr. Warren was formerly principal
of the Central school but is now on
The Herald at Durham. When he
arose to make his presentation
speech he was greeted with hearty
applause from his friends and form
er pupils. This prize went to Mr.
Ernest Herman.
Other prizes were awarded as fol
lowa, the presentation being made
by Supt. Wray: Torrence-Morris
Co. prize for the best kept room at
the Central school to Miss Eunice
Bryan's room, fifth grade; Torrence
Morris Co. prize for best kept mill
school and grounds to the avon
school, taught by Miss Jane Morris;
Woman's Betterment Association
prize to room having the best record
for punctuality to Miss Carrie
Glenn's room, second grade; decla
mation prize to Mr. Robert McLean;
reader's prize to Miss Margaret La
Far; superintendent's prize to lead
ers In other grades to Miss Pauline
McFadden, seventh grade; Miss Lou
isa Reid, eighth grade; Mr. Ray
mond Ratchford. ninth grade.
In behalf of the city and of the
patrons of the schools, Mayor Pro
Tern J. H. Separk made a short
speech In which he thanked Supt.
Wray and his efficient corps of
teachers for their excellent - work
during the year just closed. ' '
Certificates of graduation were
presented by the superintendent to
the following: Misses" Annie Tof
rence Glenn, Nellie Rose Sloan, Itara
Evelyn Wilson. Susie Rankin and
Lucy Boyce and Messrs. Ernest
Knox Herman, John Edgar B. Mc
Lean and Dana Caldwell. .
Mr. Ernest Herman delivered the
valedictory and the program losed
with the class song.
The marshals were as follows,
viz: Kenneth Lewis, chief; JohnlEl
liott, . Raymond Ratchford,. Mabel
McArver, Helen Jackson, Mapel
Herman, Madelyn Thomson, Raby
I Spencer, Olive Reid.
The class organization - was as
follows, vis: Ernest Herman, presi
dent; Susie Rankin, vice president;
Nellie Rose Sloan, secretary, isdgar
McLean, treasurer. S
CLASS DAY EXESefSES.
' The class day'exerclses took place
at 5 o'clock yesterday afternoon at
the Central school the program be
ing as follows: History, Lucy Boyce;
poem, Nellie Rose Sloan; statistics,
Edgar ' McLean; trophies,. Dana
Caldwell ; prophecy, '-V. Itara Wilson ;
on the grounds ivy poem, Nellie
Rose Sloan; planting of ivy; r by
class; class will, Susie Rank(n; class
song. v," '
Wtt
Present Petition to
Council To-Night ' Asking
t C A N.-W. Railway be;.Re-
nfred to Lower Tracks to Con-
Street Grade and to Es-
Street Grade if There Is
None Also Want Switch Wires
Put
Underground
petition signed by a goodly
number of citizens from all sections
of the city will be presented to the
city council at Us regular monthly
meeting tonight asking that the C.
& N.-W Railway be required to low
er its tracks on Broad street ' and
elsewhere, If necessary, in order
that It may conform to an establish
ed street grade, if there is one, and
if there is no street grade, asking
that the city establish one. The pe
tition aldo asks that the council re
quire the railroad to either remove
entirely or put underground its
switch wires which are a menace to
the life of both people and animals
on South Broad street. It is great
ly desired that action in this man
ter be taken before the Piedmont
Traction 'Company begins to lay its
Franklin avenue tracks.
Following is a copy of the peti
tion: To the Honorable Mayor and Board
of Aldermen of the Town oJT Gas
tonia, North Carolina:
The undersigned petitioners, citi
zens of the town of Gastonia, re
spectfully show:
That there is much disparity be
tween the street grade and the
grade of the road-bed of the Caro
lina & Northwestern Railway at the
cross lng on Marietta street and be
tween Marietta and Third and
Fourth avenues.
That it is greatly to the interests
of the public welfare, both from the
standpoint of usefulness and con
venience, as well as from ornamen
tal considerations, that the railway
crossing conform to the street grade
at said crossings.
And said petitioners would furth
er show that, the said railway has
signal wires above the ground and
along its track on Broad street and
other streets In said town; that, as
petitioners believe and allege, said
wires as now constructed are dan
gerous to the life and well-being of
people and animals and should be
removed or placed under ground.
Therefore petitioners urge and re
quest: 1. That such action as may be
necessary be Immediately taken by
said mayor and board to have said
railway adapt ' Its said road grade
to the established street grade of
the town. If there Is an established
street grade, and if at this time
there is no established street grade,
then the undersigned request that
the necessary action to determine
and establish a atreet grade at said
crossings be at once taken, and af
ter such grades are so determined
and established, that said steps be
taken to have conformity between
the railway and street grade so es
tablished. 1
'Petitioners urge the advisability
of such action prior to the construc
tion of the track of the Piedmont
Traction Company along Franklin
avenue, which petitioners are in
formed is contemplated in the near
future.
2. That said Carolina A North
western Railway be required by aald
mayor and board to change said
signal wires and either remove them
entirely or place the same under
ground in a manner that will not
hazard the safety of people and an
imals. This 8th day of May, 1911.
The Gazette Is requested to
state that every member of the Gas
tonia Chapter United Daughters of
the Confederacy is expected to con
tribute a basket to the dinner to be
served the Confederate veterans of
the county on Memorial Day, next
Wednesday. The chapter will also
gratefully receive baakets or any ed
ibles from housekeepers of the town
who are not members of the chap
ter but who wish to contribute to
this cause. All. are requested to
send their baskets or other articles
to, the Craig ft Wilson . building
Wednesday morning. May . 10th. '
, Dr. Clarence Pickens, a prominent
young dentist . of Weavervllle, was
tried In Buncombe Superior Court
last week on charge of murdering
Jerome and - Futnan Capps last
summer and s-acquitted. His
plea was self-defense. ' .. ''-
Citlzei
Memorial Day to be Fittingly Ob
servedFeature Will be Address
. by Congressman Webb Dlnnet,to
Veterans and Ex-Slaves Exer
cises to Begin at 11 O'clock at
Court House.
Tomorrow will be a day of unusu
al interest to all the Confederate
veterans of Gaston county and to
many others as well. It will be
Memorial Day and the occasion will
be fittingly observed here as usual
with a celebration under the aus
pices of Gastonia Chapter United
Daughters of the Confederacy. The
court room has been secured for the
exercises which will begin at eleven
o'clock, the hour being appointed a
little later than usual because of the
fact that Congressman E. Y. Webb,
who 1b to deliver the principal ad
dress, will not reach here until No.
37 arrives at 10:30.
There are now on the rolls of
William Gamble Camp, Confederate
Veterans, the names of 286 veter
ans and the ladles hope that every
one of these will be present if at all
possible. Special invitations were
sent to each veteran in the county.
A feature of this year's celebra
tion, as previously noted, will be a
dinner to be served to all the male
ex-slaves who went with their mas
ters to the war or who, remaining
behind, did some service for the
Southern cause. It is stated that
there are about 35 of these in the
county and It is hoped that all of
them will be on hand to partake of
the dinner which will be spread for
them.
Following is the program in full:
" Prayer, by Rev. J. J. Kennedy.
Song, "My Country 'Tis of Thee,"
by the choir.
Roll Call.
Song, "Tenting on the Old Camp
Ground," by male quartet, Messrs.
WilBon, Moore, Wetzell and Padgett.
Presentation of Picture of Con
federate Flags to Graded Schools,
by Mrs. S. A. Kindley. '
Unveiling of Picture, by Misses
Ruth Boyce and Nellie Rose Sloan.
Acceptance of Picture, by Prof. J.
S. Wray.
Solo, by Miss Eliza Lindsay.
Introduction of speaker, by Hon.
O. F. Mason.
Address, by Hon. E. Y. Webb.
Presentation of Crosses of Honor,
by Mrs. H. M. Eddleman.
Benediction, by Rev. John Hall.
March to Oakwood Cemetery.
Song, "The Christian's Good
Night."
Decoration of Graves by Children
of the Confederacy.
Prayer and Benediction, by Rev.
Dr. J.,C. Galloway.
Immediately after the exercises
the veterana will go In a body to the
Craig A Wilson building where the
ladies will serve a splendid dinner
as usual. After the veterans have
finished, a dinner will be spread in
the same building for the ex-slaves
of the county as indicated above.
There are only about 35 of these
now living In the county.
School Board Meets.
At a meeting of. the city school
board held Friday night the follow
ing teachers were re-elected: Cen
tral school. Misses Ella Bradley,
Hassle L. Ponder, Eula Glenn, May
Withe'rs, Eunice Bryan, Ethel Jay,
Zoe Porter, Mary Whitesides and
Carrie Glenn; Mill schools, Misses
Jane Morris, Pearl Gallant, Ella
Lewis and Carrie Morris; colored
schools, J. A. Rollins, principal, Co
ra Mauney, Maud Blake and Mamie
L. Rhodes. The following commit
tees Were named: On text books and
course of study, J. P. Reid, D. E.
McConnell; on buildings and
grounds, D. E. McConnell, J. P.
Reid,' S. Settlemyer; on finance and
auditing, S. N. Boyce, T. M. McEn
tire, A. M. Smyre; on purchasing
supplies, D. E. McConnell and S.
Settlemyer. It was decided to elect
a principal for the Central school
and Messrs. S. N. Boyce and B. F. S.
Austin were named as a committee
on applications.
Walking Given 18 Months.
In Buncombe Superior Court Sat
urday Judge Webb sentenced Fleet
Watkins, formerly town constable at
Black Mountain,; to It months in
the State prison for the killing of
John Hill Bunting, of - Wilmington,
at the Gladstone hotel, -Black Moun
tain, August , , 1909. The Jury
found Watkins guilty ofmanalaugh
ter. -Banting was a brother of Dr.
R- 0- Bunting, formerly of Gastonia.
Miss Attie Boetick Writes of Horri
ble Scenes in Famine Stricken, Dis
Jxict cf China and Appeals for
Help for the Sufferers.
The following letter was received
a few days ago by Mrs. C. P. Rob
inson and The Gazette reproduces
It with the hope that all of the readr
era of this paper will read and re
flect. Our people have contributed
generously to the help of these suf
ferers but it seems that there Is
still great need:
Pochow, Anwhei, China,
March 29, 1911.
Dear Friend:
In behalf of the poor famine suf
ferers we thank you most sincerely
for your contribution which has
just been received. Could these who
are receiving help see you I am sure
they would not fall to show you
their deep appreciation for your in
terest in them. But the conditions
are such as to need your continued
interest for the siege is yet a long
one and the needs are great. Even
with the generous help that has
been given we hear that some have
come to such extreme need as to
feed on the flesh of their fellow
creatures who had already fallen
victims to the wolf of hunger.
Wheat bran now sells for what
was ordinarily considered a high
price for good flour. Dry potato
leaves find ready sale and a -dry
hard cake made from the sesame
seed that have all the soil pressed
from them Is now a common article
of food. This is used in common
times to fertilize the land. All the
cooking it has had is the drying in
the sun and many of them eat it
without even warming It in the hot
ashes that really adds to the palata
bleness as well as the healthfulness
of it. Those who eat it find them
selves burning from inward fevers
and so thirsty they cannot endure it
and not being able to buy tea or
boiled water, they drink freely of
cold unboiled water and very often
this results In death. I gave some
of this cake to our dog and he ate
it with apparent relish but would
not touch other food the next day
and was constantly hunting for cold
water to drink. If it affects a dog
this way how must human beings
feel who eat It day after day.
Only this week a little baby boy
was brought to our gate and offered
to me for the petty sum of one hun
dred and fifty cash, not five cents in
gold. The mother had starved to
death and the father was sick and
not expected to live and this man; a
beggar, was carrying this bright lit
tle human being around offering
him for sale as common wares are
dally offered at our gates. Surely
there Is enough In the hands ot
God's children to give these starv
ing ones and to stop such trading as
this. And even the heathen, who
know not the true God, are moved
with compassion at such scenes. The
same day this child was offered for
sale, an old woman past sixty came
to my guest room to see me, and as
I ' met her she held out her poor
swollen hands for me to see and
said, "I can never come to see you J
again," and I felt she was speaking
the truth, for death will soon claim
her'. She said that, out of the fam
ily of eight, three had already starv
to death.
It is all so sad and heart sicken
ing. If we go out into the country
for a short walk, hoping to forget
and put aside such scenes for a while
at least, we are greeted with groups
of dogs and flocks of crows congre
gated together among the graves
and we know all too well that a shal
low. grave haa been scratched open
by the hungry dogs and that the
victim is furnishing food for the
crows and dogs. Most of the poor
dead are just wrapped in matting
and. burled and some who have died
on the streets have not even had a
burial of this kind befqre the dogs
begin to feed on them, and even the
thin coffins that are furnished by
the city authorities for the dead are
so thin as to be eaaily scratched
open by these hungry dogs. . But I
need not write more of these horri
ble scenes, for I am sure I have said
enough .to Insure your sympathy
and help for these needy ones "and
it is only for their sakes that I ask
you- to share on paper sights that
greet us every day. .. .
. ;. Sincerely, . . - .- :'V
ATTIE; T. BOSTICK.
.The Southern Baptist Convention
will meet at Jacksonville, Fla., May
17th. There will be delegates in at
tendance from - every "Southern
State. " ' '. . . ;'v'.:": -:":.
Ashevllle Team Gets Lion's Share ot
Prises R. C Gilbert olGaaton
Guards, Wins Gold Watch Boys
Had a Good Time and Left for
Homes Friday. '
Asheville's rifle team carried off
the lion's share of prizes awarded
Friday afternoon at the conclusion
of the three-days contest held at
Leinster Range here and participat
ed in by teams from the twelve com
panies of the First Infantry and
Companies 4 and 5 of the Coast Ar
tillery. Company K, of Ashevllle,
won the first prize for the highest
score in rifle shooting, $20 in gold.
The second prize, $15 In gold, went
to Co. F, also of Ashevllle. Private
J. H. Brown, of Co. K, Ashevllle,
won the small loving cup given by
the Torrence-Morris Co. given to the
enlisted man making the highest
score in the rifle contest. Private
Brown also won the $5 in gold giv
en to the Individual making the
highest score and also the regiment
al medal for the same thing.
First Lieutenant Charles B. Ross,
of the Fifth Company, Coast Artil
lery Corps, Charlotte, won the lov
ing cup given by the Torrence-Mor-.
ris Co. to the officer making the
highest score in pistol competition,
his record being 166 out of a possi
ble 200. J. H. Koon, of Ashevllle.
came second In this contest with a
record of 156 out of a possible 200.
The third prize, $10 In gold, for
the highest score in the rifle con
test, went to the Fifth Company,
Coast Artillery Corps, Charlotte.
R. C. Gilbert, of Co. B, Gastonia,
won the gold watch given by Mr. G.
H. Marvin, manager of the Coca ,
Cola Bottling Company, to the mem-. - 1
ber of the Gaston Guards making
the highest score In the rifle contest.
Because of the rain Friday morn-
lng there was some delay and for a
while it looked as If it would be lm -possible
to complete the contest.
However, the entire program was
finished by about 4 o'clock in the
afternoon and the teams assembled
in the rooms of the Commercial
Club where Adjutant-General R. L
Leinster awarded the prizes to the
winners with the exception of the
gold watch which waa presented by'
Capt. A. L. Bui winkle, of the Gaston
Guards. Before leaving the club a
rising vote of thanks waa tendered
the Piedmont Telephone & Tele
graph Co. for the free Installation
and use of phones at the camp and
range, to Captain Bulwinkle and hll
assistants for their splendid enter
tainment of the visiting teams, to
the Torrence-Morris Co. and Mr. G.
H. Marvin for the prizes given and, '
to the citizens of the town for the
interest they displayed and th
cordial welcome they extended thej
teams.
The men left for their homes oa
the afternoon trains after .having?
enjoyed a three-days stay at Camp
Holland. WINNERS OF STATE PRIZES.
A dispatch sent out from Raleigh
Saturday gives the following resume
of the winners in the three contests
held last week:
Adjutant-General Leinster am '
nounced today that company B, third
Infantry, Captain W. F. Moody, Ral
eigh, is winner of the Dupont loving;
cup trophy that, was the grand prise)
for the best rifle range score In thej
team contests held the past three
weeks by the regiments at Raleigh.
Goldsboro and Gastonia respectively,
for the third, second and first regl-
ments. The winning score of the
Raleigh team was 1,090. The next
highest was the team of company
L, second regiment, Lumber Bridge.
I, 080; the third, company D, third
Infantry, Goldsboro, 1,071, and the ,
fourth highest company K, first in
fantry, Ashevllle, 1,06$. The Roye
ter gold medal for the highest indi
vidual score in all three shoots was
won by Private J. H. Brown, com
pany K, first regiment, Ashevllle,',
his score being 127 out of a possible
160, the McGhee medal for the see- -ond
highest individual score went to
Corporal Wade, of company D, sec
ond infantry, Goldsboro, his score
being 125. :v. .
A commission composed of duly
appointed representatives from the
Southern Methodist Church, - the
Methodist Episcopal Church and the
Methodist Protestant Church are to
session at Chattanooga. Tenn., this.. :
week to consider important mattars
tearing on the proposed consollda- ,.
tlon -of these three denominations
into one. . ' The principal phase ot
their discussions will be of unifica
tion through re-organisation. . . '