Newspaper Page Text
News
[VOLUME FIFTEEN
VIENNA, GA . THURSDAY. 3une 1st. 1916.
NUMBER 44
[HEWSY LETTER
FROM CANTON, CHINA
FORMER VIENNA BOV WRITES
4 OF CONDITIONS NOW EXIST.
INC IN CHINA
Canton, China, April 25,1916.
flfs. S. Wilmington,
About three yean ago the editor of
I the New* requested me to write for
I him, from time to time, a so-called
“open letter” for publication, relat*
j some of my experiences and de-
ribing some places visited while
{cruising in the Orient. I said that I
[might do so, but so far.have neglect
ful it, so here goes.
These' lines are not intended ' as
I words of wisdom or as examples of
literary excellence. They simply are
written for any possible entertain-
f ment they might afford my people,
hr.although they see me seldom,
ill the readers of the News are my
people.
China of present might be said to
he seething with unrest. This vast
empire of about four hundred million
of people is in a condition of political
■ chaos, rebellion and piracy and brig
andage are replacing rapidly the fee
ble political authority in the'outlying
provinces. China might well be com
pared to Mexico, but still it is a little
different in that the conditions are
more similar to those of Europe in
feudal times. I recently talked with
missionaries who had seen bands
roving about in *he interior armed
with pikes and haibeirds and cut'ing
off heads with, large swords to dec-
crate the city gates.
Most of the trouble seems to have
originated when Yuan Shi Kai, the
present President started to estab
lish a.new imperial dynasty with him
self as the first Emperor. Many
provinces revolted and proclaimed
their independence of Peking, In ad
dition to this the south has always
been hostile to the north and has
frequently rebelled in former, times.
The center of this rebellion • in the
south is now, and has often been be
fore', the city of Canton, where this
is written of which more will be said
later.
Some of our beloved fellow citi
zens will no doubt remark: "What is
all this hot air to me? It seems like
a German ‘gas attack’? What do I
care about China and her rebellions?"
Yet many of those citizens are vitally
y concerned. The ten cent piece you
gave to foreign missions last Sunday
is invested in buildings or other prop
erty which might be burned or de
stroyed any day, and you as a stock
holder, certainly would lose your
dime. Also there are thousands of
missionaries running hospitals, med
ical schools and other sorts of schools
who are more or less in danger. All
of these people are related to some
one at home, and at least one young
woman is from our own community,
and a classmate of mine at the Vienna
High School. Although I have heard
nothing of her in China.
In addition to this our people do
many millions of dollars worth of bus-
1 in ess annually and have large sums
invested in agencies and property
here. Such companies as the Stand,
ard Oil Co., The Singer Sewing Ma
chine Co., The Vacuum Oil Co., va
rious tobacco companies and many
others have thousands of agencies
anibemployces throughout China who
hail from the land of the free and
. the home of the brave.
One might say then “What am I
to d6 to keep all these guys from be
ing boiled in oil or to protect the in
vestment of my dime?”
You are doing it fairly well already
There is a regiment of United States
infantry strung along the railroad
from Peking to the coast so that for-
' iugners can make a quick get away
in case there is a repetition of the
Boxer trouble of 1900. But more im
portant is the fleet of about twenty
- small cruisers and gunboats of the
United States navy which are con
stantly patrolling the rivers and visit
ing the ports along the coast, study-
. ing Real conditions and providing
against any emergency in case the
lives or property of Americans are
threatened. This duty is more exten
sive at present owing to the big war.
HL-e American ships are the only ones
to look out for the whole of China,
where as in times of peace, nesrly all
civilized nations have fleets in these
waters.
One who does not understand the
peculiar characteristics of the Chinese
MAN HURLS KNIFE
AT COLONEL ROOSEVELT
Latov Maa is Amstad While Trying
Tn Eater Celeoel’s Room.
City, May SO.—An open
pocket knife was thrown at Colonel
Roosevelt here today as his motor ear
tamed into Twenty-third street dur
ing a memorial day parade. The knife
struck the rear of the automobile and
was found later in the street.
Colonel Roosevelt was .not told of
the occurrence and the police bad no
report on this matter. No arrests
were expected.
A men who gave the name of Ed
ward McDaniel and said he was from
Tulsa, Olds., wss arrested here this
afternoon, when, according to the po
lice, he tried to force his way into the
Roosevelt suite at the Muelhebech
hotel.
• “I’ve got business with Roosevelt
and I’ve got to see him," he is quoted
as having said.
He was unarmed and is being held
for investigation.
STANDARDIZED STREET DRESS
FOR WOMEN OF THE. COUNTRY
New York.—Standardized street
dress for women wss endorsed by two
thousand women delegates, alternates
end visiting club members of the
thirteenth biennial convention of the
Federation of Women’s Clubs at an
open conference of the home cconom-
< committee f the federation last
week.
The committee is prepared to intro
duce a resolution favoring it at this
week’s session. Gowns for evening
wear are to be excluded from the pro
posed limitations.
REV. DR. J. C. JENKINS
STILL HEADS WESLEYAN
Macon, Ga.—Rev. Dr. J. C. Jen
kins was reelected president of Wes
leyan Female college by the board qf
trustees at a meeting last week.
people will be at a loss to understand
the utter hopeics3noss of trying to
change things in ’China. Non will he
understand why medievalism and an
archy are' rampant in this modern day
in spite of the thousands of foreign
ers who are trying to change the Chi
nese or to make money out of them.
The meat of the whole thing is that
•the masses of the people are utterly
ignorant and the country is over
crowded. The cause for this is lack
c< science which is also ignorance
The reason for this lack of science
is that part of a Chinaman’s nature
which makes him an ultra-conserva
tive or non-progressive. He abso
lutely refuses to learn new things or
to change the old ways until he is
forced to do so by starvation often
not then. The son works'at the same
trade as his fathor and grandfather
did, and uses exactly the same meth
ods as his ancestors did, perhaps a
thousand years ago. The Chinaman
will expend a va3t amount of energy
to get a piece of work done, but he
wont adopt a new scientific method
of doing the thing quickly and easi
ly. It is obvious that a people who
refuse to ’.earn and apply modern
jtience to industry are hopelessly out
of tho race in human progress.
The Chinese are very clever arti
sans and occasionally artists, they are
also slcillcs] in diplomacy and learned
in classic book lore, but the fact that
they arc unscientific and not progres
sive finishes them in this modern
world. The earth is capable of sup
porting the crowded millions, but
science is lacking in agriculture as
well as in other industries jonsequent
ly the struggle for existence is a bitter
one and thousands die of famine and
flood every year. The lot of the liv
ing from our point of view is not bet
ter than the dead. The filth and mis
ery are appaling until one becomes as-
customed to it, and a visitor -to China
never forgets the smells.
Another cause of backwardness is
the curse of “squeeze.” Many writer*
have remarked on the lack of any
definite general religion or belief
bmong the Chinese. It has often oc
curred to me that it must be "squeeze”
Squeeze literally means getting
money out of a man by bringing pres
sure to bear on him and that is often
done, but a free translation also em
braces the system of “Knocking
down” as we call it at home. Every
one steals, knocks down, or squeezes
a certain percentage of all money or
goods which pass through his hands.
The percentage is just ax high as the
kqueezer dares to make it. Squeeze
is indulged in by every individual
fronj th Emperor to the meanest
MUCH INTEREST M
CATTLE CONFERENCE
WHICH IS TO BE HELD IN MOUL
TRIE JUNE 27*23. MUCH GOOD
EXPECTED FROM MEETING.
. That the Statewide Cattle Confer
ence to beh eld at Moultrie, Ga., on
Jnne 27 and 28, 1916, will be one of
the most useful gathering* ever held
in the State, ii the opinion of Mr. J.
Ward Motto, Chairman, Georgia
Branch of the Southern Settlement
and Development Organization, under
whole joint auspice* with the Moul
trie Chamber of Commerce and the
railroad* of the State, the meeting
Is to be held.
Dr. A. M. Soule, State College of
Agriculture, Dr. Peter F. Bahnsen,
Department of State Agriculture,
President H. A. Petty, of the State
Livestock & Dairy Association, Daw
son, Ga., have each tendered his full
co-operation, and the Transportation
companies entering Moultrie, and in
contiguous territory have instructed
their Agricultural Departments to
give all possible aid to those in charge
of this meeting, in order to bring
about its complete success.
- Chairman Mottc states that it will
be the definite policy of the Georgia
Branch of the Southern Settlement
& Development Organization to pro
mote the Livestock industry in Geor
gia in every practical way.
He says: “The fact that Georgia is
a great live stock country is probably
its very best advertising'asset. The
fact that Georgia is a great cotton
state, and a great state for raising
fruits and vegetables although widely
kqown for many years, has not serv
ed to increase our agricultural popu
lation to that point which we believe
we are entitled to reach. We have
•decided, therefore, that in order to
bring about the settlement of idle
lands in Georgia we must use the argu-
ment that heretofore has'not failed
to bring about the development of un
used lands wherever it has been used.
This argument is, the adaptability of
these lands to the successful live stock
raising as the fundamental basis for
diversified farming. As far as Geor
gia is concerned, this is a question
which does not longer admit of discus
sion.”
Mr.-Motto sights another illustra
tion of the advertising value of con
ferences of this character. He has
just been advised by the Chicago of
fice of the Southern Settlement & De
velopment Organization that one of
the leading Western Livestock Jour
nals has tendered a full page of an
early issue to be devoted to livestock
industry in Georgia, and especially
of the territory surrounding Moul
trie, Ga. This offer was suggested
solely by the announcement^ of the
Moultrie Conference on June 27th
and 28th.
A number of prominent men who
will lead the discussions on the va
rious practical topics to be taken up
at this conference have already ac
cepted. Invitations and programs are
now being prepared and will be ready
for distribution within the noxt few
days.
slave. It was so bad in the collec
tion of tho customs that the govern
ment never got any money, so that
now white men are exclusively em
ployed as inspectors in the Chinese
custom service. In addition to this a
powerful leader or bandit will squeeze
a whole city by saying that he has
no money to pay the soldiers, and
that unless they, are paid it will be
impossible for the leader to prevent
them from looting the city. This nat
urally induces the merchant* to come
across with a pretty Urge sum. Last
week after a comic opera battle, I
saw bands of soldiers squeezing the
shopkeepers in the city. The battle
Was merely an excuse. Thirty were
killed.
Owing to this pernicious squeeze
the funds that the government has
left, when the white customs collect
ors get through with it, are stolen by
officUU who are supposed to spend
them on education, public works, the
urmy and the navy, etc. How can
such a people ever get anywhere?
Next week I hope to be able to con
tinue the agony, but in more detail
end, I hope more intelligently.
, GRADY WHITEHEAD.
AUTO THEFT TRUST
IS TRACED SOUTH
COUNTY OFFICIALS ATTEND
CONVENTION IN SAVANNAH
WHITESIDE BROTHERS, FOR
MERLY OF BIRMINGHAM, AR
RESTED IN CHICAGO RAID.
' Chicago,’May 30.—The police to
day pursued their investigation of aa
alleged nation-wide automobile rob
bery trust involving three Whitehead
brothers, two of them now of Chica
go, the third living in Birmingham.
W. E. Relihan, of Chicago, and an
unnamed man.
Captain Morgan Collins of the
Central station, claims to have in his
hands a confession admitting the ex
istence of the trust.
* The confession Captain Collins
said, came from the brothers who
were arrested after a raid by Detect
ives Goggin and Prendergast on a big
warehouse on North Clark street,
north of the river where hundreds of
automobiles stolen in different parts
of the. United States and every avail-
ble form of equipment for changing
the identity of automobiles were
found.
It is said the case involves $160,-
000 worth of stolen automobiles.
The men under arrest are L. A.
Whitehead, No. 3828 Pine Grove ave
nue; R. D. Whitehead, No. 712 East
Fiftieth place; William E. Whitehead,
of Birmingham, Ala., and W. E. Reli
han, who lives st the St. Regis Hotel.
Car thefts amounting to from $160-
000 to $200,000 already have been
discovered, Captain Collins stated,
and autos worth $30,000 already have
been found and are to be restored to
the owners.
“It is the biggest automobile-steal
ing syndicate ever conceived,” said
Captain Collins.. “There is no telling
as to whet amount the thefts may
reach. It may exceed $200,000."
The location of the warehouse, said
tc be file main' headquarters of tho
aUege^ri^r is being kept secret by
"Hie police until' 1 the investigation is
finished.
Three Stolen Autos Seised in Bir
mingham.
Birmingham, May 30.—The seizure
of three automobiles in Birmingham,
which are believed to have been stolen
and disposed of by an organized band
of auto thieves whose center of ope
rations is said to have been Chicago,
was the Birmingham development of
what promise sto be a sensational au
tomobile theft scandal. The seizure
of the machines in Birmingham occur
red simultaneously with the an-est of
A. F. Whitehead in Chicago.
The three machines which have
keen seized in Birmingham were the
property of local parties. All three
of the owners said they bought the
machines from L. A. Whitehead.
The Whiteheads formerly operated
the Standard Home Company, which
i:: now defunct.
LARGER POSTAL SAVINGS
DEPOSITS AT POSTOFFICE
Larger postal savings deposits will
now be accepted at the post office,
this is made possible by amendment
to the Postal Savings Act just approv
ed by President Wilson. A posts!
savings depositor may now have an
account amounting to $1,000 upon
which interest will be paid. Formerly
$500 was the maximum amount he
could have to his credit. This en
largement of postal savings facilities
will be very gratifying to thousands
of depositors who have already reach
ed the old $500 limit and are anxious
to entrust more of their savings to
Uncle Sam. Another feature of the
amendment that will avoid further
embarrassment to the public and to
postal officials is the doing away with
the limit on the amount that could be
accepted from a depositor monthly.
Under the old law only $100 could be
deposited in a calendar month. The
amendment abolishes this restriction.
While the Postal Sayings System has
already proved a signal success as is
shown by the fact that more than
half a million depositors have over
eighty million dollars standing to their
credit, still it has fsllen short of meet
ing the demands of tho public because
of the restrictions which have now
been eliminated. Postmaster General
Burleson and Third Assistant Post
master General Dockery have been
tireless in their efforts to secure a
modification of the limitations and the
new liberalising legislation is parti;
ularly gratifying to them.
Mr. Lester Brings Back Valuable
Watch Offered far Baal Aaglar.
Judge J. C. Slade, county superin.
teadent of roads sod warden reports
a vary delightful trip to Savannah
lost week. He attended the state con
vention Of superintend sate and war-
tins which wss in session there for
two days. County Commissioner J.
D. Lester also attended the conven
tion. Among the features of the eon •
ventlon was a delightful cruise oh the
Atlantic given by the. Florida Metal
Products Co. Fishing was the prinei-
pal amusement of the trip and to add
zest and interest, the company which
was host of the occasion, offered a
handsome $40 gold watch to the an
gler who pulled the firet fish from
the briny deep. That even the fishes
of the sea show favor to Dooly was
evinced by one of the great tribe
promptly taking hold of the Dooly
commissioner’s hook, and the result
was. Mr. Lester was presented the
watch.
BLECKLEY COUNTY WILL
NAME NEXT SENATOR
Senatorial Convention to be Celled et
Cochran After Primary.
Cordele, May 27.—The new county
of Bleckley will name the next Sena
tor from the Fourteenth eenatorial
district, comprising Bleckley, Wilcox,
Crisp, Dooly and Pulaski counties.
This was decided by unanimous rote
of the executive committee here this
morning, after J. B. Peacock,, com
mitteeman from Bleckley, backed by
a strong delegation, had staunchly
championed the cause of the new
county.
N. M. Patton, acting by proxy for
Committeeman J. M. Warren, of Wil
cox, pressed the claims of this county
for the right to name the senator, and
it was here the Bleckley men met
their only opposition.
Committeemen attending the meet
ing were Peacock, of Bleckley, Pat
ten of Wilcox, J. Gordon Jones of
Crisp, J. M. Busbce of Dooly and
Howard E. Coates of Pulaski. Col.
W. V, Harvard of Dooly, who has
served in this capacity for years, was
elected permanent chairman of the
meeting and H. E. Coates was elected
permanently secretary, bs usual.
An issue over the naming of the
sneator hinged on the question of
whether or not Bleckley should take
the place of Dodge, which county
was removed from the Fourteenth un
der the redistricting plan of 1912,
when Bleckley was added to the Four
teenth. Mr. Coates of Pulaski, put
Bleckley in nomination and Mr. Pea
cock, of Bleckley, seconded. Mr. Bus-
bee of Dooly, and Mr. Jones, of
Crisp, spoke in behalf of Bleckley.
Mr. Patten put Wilcox in nomination
but did not receive a second.
The idea of creating a neyv rota
tion plan was opposed unanimously.
Under a resolution offered by Mr. Pat
ten, it was made the ruling of the com
mittee that the rotation of counties
he in the order as before, as follows
Bleckley, Wilcox, Crisp, Dooly and
Pulaski, Patten withdrawing his nomi.
nation on chances of allowing Wilcox
to name the senator two years hence.
Chairman Harvard will call a sena
torial convention at Cochran immedi
ately following the state primary on
Sept. 12th formally tof nominate the
senator-elect from Bleckley. The sen
ator-elect will invite the delegates to
this convention. Mr,- Peacock an
nounced that a barbecue dinner will
then be served for the delegates. .
A BUMPER CROP.
Mr. D. T. Forehand, one of the
most progressive farmers in Dooly,
challenges the wheat growers of the
county to show a more bountiful yield
to the acre than he has produced on
his farm this season. Mr. Forehand
states that on four acres of land with
out the use of fertilizer he has pro
duced 111 bushels. This is an excep-
tionally fine harvest and goes to show
what Dooly soil will do. If any other
planter in the county has surpassed
this, he should not be ashamed to let
it be known.
Banks To Close Saturday,
Due to the fact that Saturday,
June the 3rd, is a legal holiday the
local banks will be closed throughout
the day.
Z.I. Lassiter, of Abbeville, is Dead.
Abbeville.—Z. W. Lassiter died sud
denly of. heart failure at his home
at noon, Thursday 26th. He was
shout 65 years old and is survived
by his wife and several children.
RMLROiOS OPPOSE
EIGHT HOUR DEMANDS
THEY CLAIM THAT IF FREIGHT
IS HANDLED FASTER CON3UM-
ERS WILL HAVE TO PAY.
i
Washington, D. C., May.—The
question of whether the controversy
between the railways of the country
and their employees in train add en
gine service, who are demanding in
creased wages by the establishment of
aa eight-hour basic day and the pay
ment of time and a half for overtime,
may be settled without resort to a
strike which would tie up the trans
portation companies of the entire
country, will be determined in nego--
tiations to begin in New York City
on Thursday, June 1st. The railroads
of the entire country will be repre
sented by a committee of seventeen
General Managers, while a large num
ber of general officers and commit
tee chairmen will be on hand to rep
resent the men.
Concerning the demands of the
Railway Brotherhood in train service,
the Executive committee ofj the South
eastern Railways in a statement is
sued to day, said: “The shippers have
a vital interest in the demands . of
train service employees for the eight-
hour basic day and time and a half
for overtime, this interest being the
increased cost of transportation that
would result should the demands .be
granted.
“Spokesmen for the train service
employees who are demanding in
creased wages are making an insist
ent appeal for the support of shippers
on the ground that if the railways
were required to increase the speed
of their trains, delays in the move
ment of freight, particularly such
heavy commodities as coal and lum
ber, could he eliminated and all
freight handled ns rapidly as such
perishables as live stock, fruit, vege
tables.
“The absurdity of this claim wilt
be at dneo"apparent to any one hav
ing the least acquaintance with ac
tual railway operation for it is well
known that the speed of trains while
nctoally running is not a very’ impor
tant factor in determining the time
required for a long haul of a car of
dead freight, moving over many di
visions, possibly over a number oil
different lines. Thereat delays take
place in yards and at interchange
points or result from accidents or
the need for repairs to equipment
and such delays could not be decreas
ed materially by merely increasing the
speed of trains..
“On single track lines, and only a
few of the main lines of the South
east are'equipped with double track,
an nttempt to move all freight on
perishable schedules would cause se
rious congestion which would retard
the movement of all freight and
would blockade lines with heavy ton
nage.
“On railways equipped with mul
tiple tracks and ample yard facilities
it would be entirely possible, physi
cally, to run all freights at the samo
speed and to deliver coal and lumber
with the same promptness with which
fruit and vegetables are now deliv
ered if the consumer were willing and
able to pay the some freight rates on
these heavy commodities that are paid
for moving perishables and other
freights which are handled in ex
tremely fast trains.
“As a matter of fact, on”amply
equipped roads all freight could be
moved in passenger time if consumers
were willing and able to pay express
iates in place of present freight rates.
“American railways have been able
to pay the highest wages in the world
and charge the lowest freight rates
m the world only by the use of heavy,
power and by moving heavy non-
ferishable freights in long trains. Id
determinings th cost of transporta
tion, the weight of an article, the dis
tance it is to be hauled, and the speed
at which it is to move must ail be con
sidered. If either of those items is
increased the cost of transportation
is increased.
“To carry this subject to a logical
but absurd conclusion, the shipper
need only figure the point to which tho
cost of manufacturing in the United
Slates would soar, should coal for ex
ample be handled in light tonnage
trains at high speed and the same
rates paid for its movement ms are
paid, for example, for the transpor
tation of fruit pod live stock.” jjg