North Carolina Newspapers

The Cleveland Star SHELBY. N. C. MONDAY — WEDNESDAY — FRIDAY SUBSCRIPTION PRICE By Mall, per year--■----STM) By Carrier, per year-—---—-sa 00 THE STAR PUBLISHING COMPANY, INC. t.jnr. B. WEATHERS__.__President and Editor 8. ERNEST HOEY --....__ Secretary and foreman RENN DRUM__ News Editor A. D. JAMES_ Advertising Manager Entered as second class matter January 1. 1905. at the postoffice At Shelby. North Carolina, under the Act of Congress. March 8. 1879. We wish to call your attention to the fact that it is. and has been our custom to charge five cents per line for resolutions of respect, cards of thanks and obituary notices, after one death notice has been published. This will be strictly adherred to. MONDAY, AUGUST 26. 102tT TWINKLES “Man Killed As Car Goes Wild,” informs another news paper headline. Occasionally, no doubt, the wildness can lie attributed to the car. It’s hard to fathom hut nearly every farmer you meet on the street these days says “It’s the best crop I’ve had in 1 don’t know when.” Should be a big Thanksgiving this year, fellows, if the prospects pan out. Once was filling stations were erected upon out-of-the way corners and vacant lots, but now the oil firms are buy ing up and using the most valuable corners. That shows, if you think it over, how America is spending much of that which it spends. *‘N. G. Has Good Cash Balance," reads a headline. Lessee now, isn’t that the same state which, a few months back when legislature was in session, was too bloom ing broke and hard-up to spend any money for sending its children to school for eight months? Violation of the prohibition laws is not the only thing for those who favor improved society to worry about. Twen ty-four per cent of the cases tried in county court Here, ac cording to Recorder Horace Kennedy, have to do with bad checks. Too much, far too much, worthless paper is being tossed about, and you should not become angered, in , such times, when the man you hand your check to wants to ask a few questions first. THIS COUNTY’S COTTON. IN A RECENT issue of The Star, Plumer Wiggins, former Shelby man, now a banker in Robeson county, explains that Mr. Boll Weevil, that disastrous ptfst of the cotton planter, forced Johnston and Robeson counties, once the leading cotton counties in the state, to turn from large cot ton acreage to an acreage divided between cotton, tobacco and other crops. For this reason Cleveland county, the in nuendo is, rose to to be the largest cotton producing county in North Carolina because, the boll weevil has not as yet, thanks be. proved very disastrous here. Mr. Wiggins’ argument has merit and no doubt, as he says, Robeson and Johnston counties would still be leading the state in cotton production had it not been for the pest. But for the sake of the enterprising fanwCrs of this county The Star would explain that there is another side to the view point—Cleveland county farmers were and would have con tinued to be good farmers had the boll weevil never been heard of. Undoubtedly the boll weevil has caused Eastern coun ties to produce far less cotton than they would have under better conditions, but the boll weevil did not cause Cleveland county farmers to make more cotton than ever before. If you get our point—which is that. Cleveland county isn’t leading the state in cotton production today with crops of the same size it turned out five years ago because other counties have dropped off. Cleveland county farmers, taking the county qs a whole, are making more cotton to the acre than the farm ers of any county in the South. In a ten year period the coun ty crop has steadily increased each year, and had the boll weevil never struck the eastern counties many of them would find it hard even now to lead this county. Let us look at some facts supporting that statement: Johnston county, if we remember correctly, had as its highest crop prior to the boll weevil advent somewhere in 70,000 bales. This year, unless something unforeseen turns up, Cleveland county will make a crop of similar size, and it is our belief, if anyone cares to look up the statistics, that Johnston that year had several thousand more acres in cotton than does this county this year. This is for no purpose other than showing that the boll weevil did not make Cleveland county farmers altogether. Not many years back the county would have gasped at a crop of 20,000 bales. Last year the county produced 53,000 bales, and present indications call for another increase this year. There isn't any argument but that the boll weev); has hurt, and hurt bad, the farmers of Eastern Carolina. As a cotton county, and a farming county, this county readily sympathizes with those farmers of the East struck by the pest. Our farmers'here should get their lesson from the mis fortunes visiting the sections already struck by the weevil —that of dividing up the crops, and not putting all the eggs in one basket. It is a poor argument to contend that the boll weevil will never come here. Shutting vour eyes to a danger does not lessen the danger when it arrives “ if ever The farmers of the east, where they have better soil than in the west for cotton and other farrnin. are now turning to to bacco and truck farming. They would have been bet er off had they done so before being forced to it. and so will we. It is known that tobacco farming will never go successfully here, but there are other crofcs which will. ()ur farmers diversify to a creditable extent now, but could, and should*, do so upon a larger scale. PICKED WRONG TIME THIS PAPER, as has been stated before, believes that labor conditions in the South, generally speaking, might l>e im proved somewhat-and is not one of those which holds the viewpoint that labor should not be organized. The laboring Hass, in these days of mergers and centralized organization, has just as much right, or should have, to organize as any other section or class of business and industry. But, after thinking over the fundamentals involved on all sides, it ap pears as if labor organizations blundered by deciding to or ganize the laboring class of the South just when they did, particularly employes of textile mills. There is an old adage, which will still hold water, about striking the anvil when it is hot. There is an opportune time for all moves. The modern, high-pressure salesmen term it the psychological moment. Without doubt the would-be organizers of Southern textile labor did not strike the anvil when it was hot, did not pick the opportune time, and were far from getting in action at the psychological moment. I his is evident because of two things: the present sum mer saw the supply for textile labor exceeding by*far the de mand. and it saw, too, a season when profits upon the part of mill owners was at low ebb. No more inopportune time, it seems to us, could have been selected to advance the claims of labor, just as some of those claims may be. When orders are piling in upon textile mills, orders which mean profits, then there usually is enough work to employ all of those de siring employment in textile plants. At such a time labor organizers, we would think, would not find it hard to or ganize textile wmrkers and see that they receive proper re numeration and convenient and comfortable working condi tions. At such times mill owners must have their labor, and they should be far more disposed to meet their labor halfway in alleviating alleged labor conditions existing. But it is another story when the mill owners have en countered a season in which they find it a difficult task, in deed. to secure enough orders and make enough money to keep the employes they already have on the, payroll at work at the same wage scale that has existed. In fact, we are in formed that the recent season in the textile industry has been such that many of the plants would have fared better financially had they closed down to half-time work, or less. This would have thrown hundreds of workers out of work, end the majority of the mills, particularly in this section, have continued to operate practically full time, some of them losing by so doing. Doesn’t that make it plain that labor interests were inopportune in selecting such a season to ask for better wages and shorter working hours? In the last five years or so, statistics show, that near five million people have moved from the farm in America to the cities and towns. A big percentage of these five mil lions have gone to industrial plants for work, and in the last five years, demand for cotton products, as turned out by texfile plants in the South, has decreased, where, to take care of the added labor coming in, it would have been neces sary for the plants to increase their production and add more workers to their payroll. But industrial plants cannot be expected fo increase production and add new employes when they cannot find a market, for (he product thev are turn ing out before increasing. Neither does it seem‘that it would lie easy to persuade them, in the face of such existing cir cumstances, to boost wages. I here are two sides to any question, and much of the real merit of both sides is usually buried under waves of prop»*a„d» from both side*. This paper hss been criticised l>) both lexhle mill financiers and by some textile workers, a hmited number of the latter, yet it dings t. it, hope to present both sides as best it may. Labor renditions in the k outh must change to a certain extent eventually, but those changes would have, and will, come about sooner had the proper time been awaited to open the* campaign for the t anges desired, and in some cases necessary. NOBODY’S BUSINESS GEE McGEE— (Exclusive in The Star in this Section.) The Tariff, One of our senators Is fighting mighty hard to have a high im port duty or tax put on bananas His idea is to force us Americans to eat food grown by ourselves. In other words—'"Reach lor a sweet potato when you crave a banana." Roasting ears will prob ably take the place of pineapples and when you think you need a cup of coffee, why. how about some home-grown sassafras tea? It’s a good thing that squirrels and pcck erwoods ain’t bad around the capi tol. And there Is also a bunch that wishes to increase the tarfff on sugar several hundred millions of dollars per year so’s the crowd that, grows a few shirt-tails full of this very essential food down in Louisiana and out in Nebraska and Colorado can get two prices for their product. Between 90 and 95 per cent of all the sugar consumed in the United States is imported. And we have been informed that fool killers are not allowed by law to operate within the boundaries of the District or Columbia. What u pity. A politician is a peculiar insect. It is his duty to pull for his con stituents regardless of whom >t hurts. A congressman from the frog ponds'of Minnesota wants the tariff raised 300 per cent on frog legs that might be imported from Mexico, and the man tn Non York who gets drunk enough to eat frogs legs has to come across with some extra com to satisfy the demands of “my deer peepul • About $4,500,000.00 has been ap propriated to fight the fruit fly n Florida. Up to 2 weeks ago, only 6 fruit flies had been caught in the traps designed and used bv the government. His Speech. Ladies, Oentermen and Fellow citisons: I am glad to appear be fore you again and ask for re election to the high office that you good folks give me 4 yr. hence. I have fought for your rights -ml no wool has been pulled over.mv eyes. I am aginst. the tariff on stuff you hafter buy and in favor of it on the stuff you hafter sell I know the needs or my friends I ain’t in favor of no new post office being built nowhere in the United States unless one Just like it can be built in my district No sir ree Lobbyists can’t in fluence me. (Voice from the crowd: Where’d you get that last new Ford?) 1 vote my own mind and according to the dictates of my conscience. (Voice from the crowd. What changed your mind on the Boulder Dam bill?) I am a Democrat from the sole of my head to the top of my feet c Voic> from the crowd: How come you to eat supper with DePriest then’: I am doing my utmost to save the j Arrest One In Hermit Robbery One Of Three Said To Have Rob- , bed Perry Pbilbcck Near Bos- j tic Is Held. Rutherford Sun Dispatch. Bostic.—The arrest of Kenneth j Walker about noon last Saturday by Chief of Police Price, of Forc-t City, Motorcycle Officer Garrett M. Edwards and a rural police offi cer, at the home of his father, is probably the beginning of the end of the case which started Sunday night, March 18, by three masked men entering or breaking into the home of Perry Philbeck, an aged farmer, who, at the time was living alone in his home about six mile3 from here. The arrest of Walker was due to the work of a private de tective who is believed to have been on the case for a long time. It is known that warrants have been is sued for the arrest of the two com panions alleged to have been with Walker. A positive identification was made by Perry Philbeck, who is nearly seventy years old, of the man arrested by the police. After being taken into custody Walker was plac ed in the Forest City police station and it is understood that he was given a very severe grilling by the police. It is alleged that Walker ad mitted having bought a car in South Carolina and also depositing a large sum of money, under an assumed name, in a bank In Gainesville, Ga. There are many other bits of evi dence said to have been gathered by the detective and Officer Edward.-:. History Of Case. It was between 9:30 and 10 p. m„ Sunday night, March 17, when three masked men entered the home ol money of the taxpayers. (Voice from the crowd: Where were you when the cruiser bill passed?) Vote for me. Old Bi'l knows best, I was raised betwrixt the plow-handles. (Voice from the crowd: Yes, that's where you ot ter be now.) I ask for this office only once more. (Voice from the crowd: You won't need it no more. You are already rich). I thank you. The Katy-Did. The katy-did is one of the most famous insects extant, unless. o: course, you consider the tpsitantis yellow jacket, and naturally it is not our intention to consider him. as this article is intended to cov er nothing but the katy-did. Two kaiy-dids went Into the Ark along with all the other “dids” of that period, but at that time there were only 899. species com mon to the katy-did family, but now' thanks to evolution and the sun-back dress, there are 8,756 dif ferent kinds of katy-dids. including those under the chips and beneato the hearth-stones and out in the high-ways and by-ways—and na turally their native heath, up in the trees. The katy-did makes her music by converting her wing into 3 fiddle and making a bow out of her left hind legs, that is—if you want to call that screeching fuss music, and she selects a nice seat on top of a small chunk in the yard—along about time to go to bed, and the farmers who are sit ting around on the front porch can hear her orchestra without pay or effort. '’Some katy-dids are fine for fish bait, but it-is cruel to kill them for such purposes. The “Associa tion for the Prevention of Cruelty and the Amelioration of Sufferin'-, amongst the Orthopterous Bugs of the Universe” insists that if you must have fish bait of this kind just wait till a spider catches the said katy-did and take him away from her. and by so doing—y:.\i will conserve the life on one in sect. The katy-did inhabits all un civilized sections of the world such as Iraq. Chicago, The Soudan, the East Side, Hollywood and Mad agascar. and they also are natives of other sections were chickens and snowbirds are not overly plenti ful. The blacky katy-did is the largest of the species and meas ures in his sock feet 1 inch long by a quarter-inch wide, exclusive of his wing-spread and his w heel base The chief enemy of the katy did world is the heel of man who walks around carelessly and tread3 upon the innocent creatures ffom time to time, and next comes the Jay-bird and the red ant. If a katy-did Is given notice of the approach of danger, one hop puts him where it ain't worth while 10 waste time hunting for him, as he can hide under a log or a stone before the murderer knows whereinthehell he went, or land up In top of a water oak with equal agility. Katy-dids are not protected by the United States as the boll w-e vil Is, and the farm relief boa<d means nothing to them, but they hold an important place in the in sect domain, and will perhaps in crease in number from now on. es poultry raising is on the decllrr where Fords and Chevro’cts can be bought for 25 dollars down • This article applies to crickets a 1 Perry Philbeck, who lived alone about 200 yards from the house ot his brother, D. H Philbeck. Th,* aged farmer, a bachelor, claimed that two of the intruders seized him. threw him bodily to the floor and bound his hands and feet. Then they struck him in the mouth and otherwise maltreated him. He was robbed of nearly all of his lifetime savings, between $400 and $600. a large part of the money being in gold. After the burglars had left the old farmer managed to unloosen his bonds and make his way to his brother's home. Arousing D. H Philbeck he related the story and the police were notified at once. Owing to the bad condition of the roads it was some time before Of - fleer Edwards was able to respond. Footprints to and from the house of Perry Philbeck were found and measured. The robbed man was in a state of shock when seen by a reporter of The Sun on March 18 and the Story of the robbery was published exclusively in The Sun Full details of the burglary will be found in the issue for March 21. Changes Story Slightly. When seen Monday night by a correspondent of The Sun the aged farmer stated that he had identified positively Walker and could identify his two companions. This, he said, he was able to do as he had been able to lift partially the cloth ove his face the night he was robbed, and thus he had seen the three men. He further stated that he had gone to the door, when some one knocked and had opened it. Three masked men entered, he said, and then the rest of his story was the same as first printed. He refused to give any details about the private detective, how long he had employed him. saying he had been instructed not to talk. Neither would D. H. Philbeck or any of his family say anything. • Plays Part Of Hobo. It was believed here, as soon as the burglary had been announced, that the guilty men were residents of the community, but there was no actual proof. The men suspected all come from fine families and much sympathy is being expressed for their parents, brothers and sis ters. The suspicion that it was local men engaged in the robbery was due to the statement that Per ry Philbeck is alleged, to have made, namely that he knew the robbers. The detective played the part of a hobo; with a heavy beard and dressed shabbily he is said to have associated much with negroes and would be driven off by white men and women. Often food was given to him to induce him to leave. Taken To County Jail. After his grilling at Forest Citv. during which the prisoner is al leged to have made many very dam aging admissions, he was brought to the county jail where he is now No further information as to the whereabouts of the two companions of Walker has developed. The po lice express the hope thRt -they will soon be caught, but some people here say while one may be. the oth er will never be apprehended. Death Of Monks. Moscow.—The two weeks' trial has underground monastery ar Vavilov Dol, who were charged with se ducing girls and with murdering a monk for exposing them, The re gional court at Samara has sen tenced six monks to death and sev eral others to terms of imprison ment varying from one to eight years. ROAD NOTICK To Whom It May Concern: The highway commission of No. 8 township respectfully calls atten tion to section 3 of chapter 698. Public Local Laws, session 1915: "Sec. 3 That no landowner, his ser vants. tenants, or agents, shall so ter race, ditch or drain the lands adjac ent to any public road in Cleveland county built or maintained or under the jurisdiction of any highwav commission or road authorities of said county acting under a special act of the legislature as to throw' water upon such public road, or maintain such terraces, ditch. nr drain alr/ady built or hereafter built, but, ditches, drains, and ter races shall be so constructed as to carry the water away from said public road or only to such point on said public road where a culvert or other outlet has been provided: and any person who shall construct or maintain such terrace, ditch, or drain shall be liable in a civil action for damage by the highway com mission or road authorities of the road district or township . where same is constructed or maintained and mr.y be enjoined from rhe con struction or maintenance of same and any person constructing or maintaining such drains, ditches, or terraces, after being notified by the road authorities or highway com mission of the district or township not. to do so. shall be guilty of i misdemeanor, and upon conviction shall be fined not exceding flf .v dollars or imprisoned not e:;ccrd tng thirty days." Our roads are costing more every year to maintain them. The co-op eration of all the people In draining water from rather than into the roads will greatly help in relieving the burden in maintaining- the roads. and relieve the taxpayers generally. Attention is respectfully called to tills condition at this time when roads are suffering g.eatert damage from drainage of walci from fields into roads. Respeetfu’lv, C. C. WARLICK Chairman. J. M. LflWOnn. -Secretary F. I,. WWATHKPS. | Commission No. 8 Township. | YOU CAN CANCEL THE MORTGAGE On your home by use of the Equitable Home Purchase Plan. Easy monthly re payments liquidate the loan in ten years. 6% Simple Interest, no Commission Charges, no Renewal Costs. For complete details see: H. S. WHITE Special Agent EQUITABLE LIFE ASSURANCE SOCIETY Office over Charles Store. Shelby, N. C. Final Tax and Street Assessments Notice We are preparing our list for the advertisement of City Taxes which have not been paid for the year 1928 and prior thereto; also property against which there are pavement assessments not paid. We are forced to do this to meet our obligations. CITY OF SHELBY, S. A. MeMurry, Mayor and Board of Aldermen, SPECIAL RETURN ENGAGEMENT 10c-20c A PARAMOUNT PICTURE A love story which might have happened , in your ow n neighborhood and the thrill ing hazards of aviation combined in a mighty spectacle. Clara Bow & Buddy Rogers at their best. Also Rich Comedy. — MONDAY AND TUESDAY — 10-20c Princess THEATRE 10-20c —-^ 5,000 Homes Receive The Star Every Other Day—Mr. Merchant Get Your Message To The Home Through The Star—You Will Get Results That Will Satisfy. FHE STAR EVERY OTHER OflY 82.58 PER YEAR,