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The Times-Recorder is the ONLY paper
in the Third Congressional District with
Associated Press Service.
THIRTY-NINTH YEAR,
FLAT REJECTION
COMES IN FACE
OFGEHMANOFFER
WASHINGTON, D. C„ Feb. 13.
Indications in official circles here to
day are that the German government’s
proposal to re-affirm the Prussian-
American treaties of 1799 and 1828 will
be rejected by the United States. This
course is believed to be most probable
since the Wilson administration’s flat
rejection of the German proposal to
discuss existing differences between
the two countries without halting the
submarine campaign recently inaugu
rated by Germany.
Swiss Minister Presented Proposal.
WASHINGTON, D. C., Feb. 13.—The
United States has plainly and flatly re
jected any proposition for a discuss
ion at conference over the differences
between the United States and Ger
many, while the* ruthless submarine
warfare is in existence. The offer
come Saturday through the Swiss gov
ernment from the Kaiser.
Statement Given Out.
The state department gave out a
statement as follows:
"In view of the appearance in
the newspapers Feb. 11 of a report
that Germany was initiating nego
tiations with the United States in
regard to the submarine warfare,
the department of state makes the
following statement:
"A suggestion was made orally
to the department of state late
Saturday afternoon by the minis
ter of Switzerland that the Ger
man government is willing to ne
gotiate with the United States,
| provided that the commercial
“ blockade against England would
not be interfered with. At the re
quest of the secretary of state,
.his suggestion was made in writ
ing and presented to him by the
Swiss minister Sunday night.
“The communication is as fol
lows :
" 'Memorandum:
“ ‘The Swiss government has
been requested by the German
government to say that the latter
is now, as before, willing to ne
gotiate, formally or informally,
with the United States, provided
that the commercial blockade
against England will not be brok
en thereby.
Signed) “ ‘l’. RITTER.’
"This memorandum was given im
’'mediate consideration, and the fol
lowing reply was dispatched:
“ ‘My Dear Mr. Minister: I am
quested by the president to say
to you, in acknowledging the
memorandum which you were kind
enough to send to me on the 11th
instant, that the government of
the United States would gladly
discuss with the German govern
ment any questions it might pro
pose for discussion were it to
withdraw its proclamation of the
31st of January, in which, sudden
ly and without previous intimation
of any kind, it canceled the as
surances which it had given this
government on the 4th of May last
but that it does not feel that it
can enter into any discussion with
the German government concern
ing the policy of submarine war
fare against neutrals which it is
now pursuing, unless and until
the German government renews its
assurances of the 4th of May and
acts upon the assurance.
"No other interchange upon this |
subject has taken place between
this government and any other
government or person.”
’ MWI Im;
8) U-BOAT'S SHELL
QUEENSTOWN. Feb. 13.—James
Weygard, one of three American fire-:
men aboard the British steamer Sax-;
onia when that vessel was submarined
last Wednesday and reported as being
injured by shell fire is in a hospital
f
here. , '
BAILIFF COX HAS
LANDED A NEGRO
Bailiff Sherry Cox brought Lukej
Burden, a negro, to the Sumter coun-,
ty jail from Cordele today, the negro
having been arrested on an indict
ment returned in this country charg
ing the carrying of concealed weapons.
Bailiff Cox had been on his trial for
some time, the negro finally being ar
. rested in Cordele.
OR. WHITTLE IS
ELECTEO AS THE
HEALTH OFFICER
’• Dr. C. C. Whittle, of Tift county,
i was elected as county health commis
i sioner today by the county board of
'; health under the terms of the Ellis
r ‘
i public health bill, which recently be
came effective here through the as
sent of two successive grand juries.
Dr. Whittle is a physician of much
experience, graduated from Jefferson
Medical college, and will not be al
lowed to practice generally, all of
his time being given up to his new
duties. The salary was placed at
$ 1,500, with SSOO allowed for travel
ing expenses.
The board organized this morning
with County Commissioner Arthur
flylander, County School Commis
sioner E. J. McMath and Dr. J. Wade
Chambliss forming the board. Dr.
Chambliss was elected chairman, and
Prof. McMath named secretary.
The expenses of the work comes
cut of the county treasury. It has
been generally commended through
out the state, and the law is the pro
duct of Representative R. C. Ellis, of
Tift county, who has worked for sev
eral years on the measure.
The women’s clubs of the state, to
gether with the Georgia Chamber of
Commerce, have taken an active in
terest. A full outline of the work
ar.d its purposes will be carried by
the Times-Recorder at an early date,
as Mr. Ellis, author of the bill, has
consented to furnish this paper with
a statement of its purposes and work
NEW PRESIDENT DE
CHOSEN WEDNESDAY
WASHINGTON, D. C., Feb. 13—The
next president of the United States
will be elected tomorrow.
It probably will be President Wilson.
But no law of the land says so; and,
indeed, if the Intent of the constitu
tion prevailed, the world tonight
would be hanging breathless on the
voice of 531 presidential electors,
whose whose vetes are to be officially
counted tomorrow.
Before the house and senate assem
bled, and in the presence of the nine
robed justices of the United States su
preme court, the official votes, under
Tie seals of the secretaries of state of
the various states, will be opened by
the clerk of the house and counted.
Members of congress from each pol
itical party, will be told off as tellers:
to confirm the count. November 7i
‘old the tale, or at least November 9; j
put the official election comes to-j
norrow.
CONGRESS SEEMS IN NO HURRY
TO BUILD NEW BRIDGES'
WASHINGTON, Feb. 13.—Repre.
scntatives of bridge concerns are wor- :
vied because congress seems in no hur.
ry to authorize construction of several
! million dollars worth of proposed
I bridges across government streams. I
I Among the important bridges, con- ■
i struction of which is held in for other
j
: legislation are:
Railroad bridge across Mississippi at
Bemidji, Minn. Combination bridge
across Mahoning at Low’ellville, Ohio.
Wagon bridge across Red River of
I North between Pork county, Minn ,
(Grand Forks, county. N. Dak. Rail
road bridge reconstructed across Alle.
geheny, N. Y. Wagon bridge across
Red Lake river, Pennington county,
i Minn. Wagon bridge across Cumber
' iwonteomerv county. Tenn.
THE ONLY PAPER PUBLISHED IN AMERICUS AND THIRD CONGRESSIONAL DISTRICT WITH TELEGRAPHIC SERVICE
AMERBSMffiSffIffIIRDER
MEMBER ASSOCIATED PRESS
AMERICUS, GEORGIA. TUESDAY AFTERNOON. FEBRUARY 13. 1917
CHARTER WILL BE
ASKED FOR THE I.
& J. JIAILROAD
A charter for the Americus & At
lantic railroad will be asked from Sec
retary of State Phil Cook within the
next few days. This development came
today through a visit of J. S. Mor
ton, prominent in the promotion of the
proposed new railroad. The attorneys
for the proposed corporation are Wal
lis & Fort, of this city.
The citizens signing the petition for
a charter are J. S. Morton, of Dooly
county; R. N. Berrien, Jr., of Atlanta;
Wash Baker, of Dooly county; Craw
ford Wheatley, Carr S. Glover, W. M.
Jones, Frank Lanier, John Sheffield, J.
E Poole and L. G. Council, all of
Americus. The Americus citizens are
petitioning as individuals.
Americus must raise $27,500 in stock
to secure the new road, which now
I looms bright. It remains for the peo
• pie of this city to speak.
I It is proposed to have the capital
j stock at $150,000.00. The final survey
! is being made between Methvin’s store
I and Americus. The surveying party
j is now on the outskirts of the city.
I Traffic arrangements have been com
■ pleted with the A., B. & A. railway as
! a connection at Byromville. This in
formation was first given in the
Times-Recorder in an exclusive story
from Atlanta.
ordiutTon k it
FIU CHURCH
The ordination services at the Fur
low Lawn Baptist church will beheld
Wednesday evening at which Brother
E. Y. Andrews and Brother Joseph
Perkins will be ordained at deasons.
It will begin at 7:15 o’clock.
The following program has been ar
ranged for the occasion:
The ordination talk will be made by
Rev. Alexis D. Kendrick, of the First
Baptist church.
Ordination prayer by Rev. Robert L.
Bivins.
Ordination charge, by Rev. Lansing
Burrows.
Monday evening of this week, the
Manual class of the B. Y. P. U. met
and decided to have four meetings
each week, these to be on Monday,
Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday
nights. Immediately after the ordina
tion services on Wednesday night, the
Manaual class will meet with Rev.
George F. Brown, pastor of Furlow
Lawn Baptist church, in charge.
NEW YOHK FEELS
HER COLDEST DAY
NEW YORK, Feb. 13.—This is New-
York's coldest day in exactly three
years, and inconveniences incident to
such extreme weather are general.
The official thermometer recorded!
zero temperature at 10 o’clock this
morning, the first time this mark has
been reached since February 13. 1914.
which much suffering was occasioned
by the cold. The weather bureau is
■optimistic, however, predicting fair
and warmer weather Wednesday.
FORMER FLORIDA GUARDSM AN
GUEST OF AMERICUS RELATIVES
J. W. Robinson, cf Dover, passed!
through Americus Tuesday, en route;
home from Laredo, Texas, where he
went as an enlisted man of the Second
Florida Hospital corps. He was given
discharge papers because of physical
disability quite recently, and stopped
it Americus, en route home, to be the (
guest of his cousin, Lieut. John Bragg,;
for a day. Mr. Robinson was in Fk>r-|
ida when President Wilson’s mobiliza
tion of the nation's guardsmen, and
at once enlisted with the nearest com- 1
mand. I'pin his return to Dover, he
v ill resume his former activities, and
hopes soon to be restored to accus
tomt d health again.
444 + + * + 444-4--4 + 4
4 DAILY WEATHER FORECAST ♦
F 4
4 The weather forecast for Amer- ♦
♦ icus and vicinity follows: ♦
♦ Fair and warmer tonight. ♦
4 Wednesday: Partly cloudy and 4-
4 warmer. ♦
4 4
4 “Weather or No”—Success is a 4
♦ matter of placing your punch. +
4- Some put it in the job; others 4-
4- only in the time clock. —Old Man ♦
4 Sage. f
44>4-4-4-4-444444*
LIGHTING COMPANY
ASKS FOB CHARTER
A petition for charter for the Amer
icus Lighting Company was filed with
Clerk of Court H. E. Allen today. It
shows the petitioners as being L. G.
Council. Frank Lanier, J. E. Johnson,
H C. Davis, of this city, and Robert
Steedle, of Philadelphia. The capital
stock requested is $150,000.00, with the
privilege of increasing to $300,000. The
purposes of business are shown to be
operating the gas plant; electric light
plant; a steam heating and water,
plant and also handling fixtures. The
petition is made to the Superior court
through Attorney W. A. Dodson.
The new concern has succeeded the
Americus Public Service Co., the
transfer having been made on Febru
ary Ist.
NEUTRAL MAY ARM
THEIR VESSELS
| WASHINGTON, D. C., Feb. 13.
Among steps considered at the state
department as a result of the exist
ing submarine situation are the pro
posed con conference of neutral na
! tlons and the loaning of guns for the
I arming of American merchantmen
! plying in European waters. That
such steps are under consideration
was disclosed today in the United
States reply to the Mexican proposal
that an embargo be placed on the
shipment of food and war munitions
t-> belligerent governments. The pro
posal was transmitted through the 1
new Mexican ambassador, Senor 80-;
nillo, to whom Secretary Lansing
handed the United States’ reply.
ALBANY #ILL PLAY
HERE OH WEDNESDAY
Albany's Y. M. C. A. basketball team,
' will play the Americus quintet Wed- [
nesday night at 8 o’clock at the local;
Y M. C. A. This is the announcement
o' today, following the failure of the
battle scheduled for last Friday to be
played, because of Albany being unable!
to get away for the game.
A great battle is promised, and both
teams are in fine trim for the game
cf Wednesday night. Albany will bring
up a large delegation. Four pretty
sponsors have been selected for the
batle, with each side being honored
with two young ladies.
JILLA OCCUPIES
BORDER 101 IN
HEIGH OF TROOPS
- --
COLUMBUS, N. M., Feb. 13.— The
occupation of Palomas, Mexico, six
miles south of here and just across!
the international line, by Villa forces
is interpreted today as being a polit-j
ical move rather than one of military!
consequence.
Regular army officers here as well 1
as those attached to the national guard
troops doing duty on the border, do not
fear another incursion of American
troops by VillaJstas, but hold the opin
ion that if Villa forces remain undis
turbed at Palomos, other border towns
will be seized and similarly occupied.
RELIEF FDR THE
BELGIANS TO GO
:TO NEW NEUTRAL
►
> NEW YORK, Feb. 14.—Herbert C.
Hoover, chairman of the American
Commission for Relief in Belgium, de-
[ dared today that no immediate hard
ships will be caused the ten million
persons heretofore fed by the commis.
sion as a result of the withdrawal of
Americans from Belgium, in accord
ance with a recent order of the Ger
man officials there.
With the establishment of the new
‘ German submarine blockade it became
1 impossible to furnish further supplies
1 to distressed Belgians, and after the
• severance of diplomatic relations be-
• tween Washington and Berlin, Gov.-
t Gen. von Bissing ordered the deporta
-1 tion of all Americans in the conquer
-3 eu provinces. The huge stores already
3 collected by the American commission
3 and being administered in the interest
of Belgian civilians will be left be
’; hind, these being sufficient to sustain
5 the remaining dependent inhabitants
t during a brief period.
The commission is now at work on
3 plans having for their object the trans
- 3; fer of the relief work to another neu
’ tral organization, which would work
under supervision of the Germans in
administering American relief contri
butions.
i 1,200 BOOKFO ONI
. BOUT WITH SAFETY
NEW YORK, Feb. 13—About twelve
• hundred passengers have booked pas
-1 sage on the Scandanivian trans-At
lantic liner Frederick VII., which sails
1 tomorrow from this port direct to Co
l penhagen.
1 The vessel has been granted safe
• conduct by the Entente Nations, and.
• an arrangement entered into provides,
■ the ship is to be taken into a Canad-|
1 . ian i>ort for examination of its cargo
• I and papers, instead of proceeding to ,
I Kirkwall, where the British patrol
fleet usually conveys neutral liners.
Among the passengers booked are
former Ambassador von Bernstorff,
who is returning to Germany from
Washington, and the members of his
si ite, together with practically every
foirner Get man consul in the United
States. The presence of these Ger
man officials on board the Frederick
i: VII. and the immunity from submarine
• ■ attacks guaranteed by the Teutons,
II caused numbers of neutrals to take
; passage aboard the liner.
> - -- -- --
i
SIDLEY'S SHOWS BE
HEHL FOB W. 0. W.
I
I Sibley’s Superb Shows will be in
Americus during the week in March
when the state meeting of the Wood
men of the World is held here on
March 13th and 14th. Chairman
Stephen Pace signed the contract with
I the show company today.
| Sibley's shows are said to be clean
and furnish a merry line of amuse
ment, and will doubtless prove an •
added feature for the Woodmen meet-!
ing.
ItOKIO GROWING RAPIDLY
NEW CENSUS SHOWS
a
TOKIO, Feb. 13.—1 n three years To- 1
1 kio's population has grown from 2,-\
050,126 to 2,288,753, according to a
i new’ census report announced today.
! The present population is houses in
1595,897 homes, whereas in 1913 there
! were only 519,735 households.
Besides being one of the reading
population centers of the world, Ja
pan's capital h&s the distinction of
probably covering more ground than
any ether city. There are no apart
! merits. "fiats,’’ or skyscrapers in Japan
i —earthquakes forbid them —so the lit
, tie one and two-story homes must,
; necessarily cover a large area.
DEPUTY SUMMERS TO
GO FOB NEGRO PRISONER
Deputy Sheriff Tom Summers left
this afternoon for Aiken, S. C., to
bring Frank Charleston, a negro, back
to Sumter county, who is charged with
disturbing public worship. It is said
the prisoner after being released on
bond furnished by W. T. Calhoun, left
the state. Several other charges had
been lodged against Charleston.
MOVIE MAN WILL
PUT CIfiCUS AND
CITY IN FILMS
The movie man with his camera is
here.
During today and tomorrow L. J.
Darmour, of the Gaumont Film Co.,
' will take pictures of John Robinson’s
circus in winter quarters for the pur
pose of using the pictures in “Reel
Life,” a feature of the Mutual W’eekly
film. Mr. Darmour went out to the
' fair grounds where the circus is
quartered, and was given free run of
the place by General Agent George
Moyer.
The pictures secured by Mr. Dar
mour for “Reel Life” will advertise
Robinson’s circus in every nook' and
corner of the land, while Americus—
the winter home of the circus, will
follow the film around the earth and
I ba'ok, if it goes that far.
The circus has been a mecca during
the winter months for hundreds of
visitors. The show folks are begin
ning to arrive in preparation for the
* early training to take the road. The
1 circus will make its debut on the road
with Savannah as the first place of
I showing. The mayor and city council
I of that place have rescinded the li-'
cense of SSOO imposed there, in favor'
, o the coming of Robinson’s circus.
From now on there will be a bustle
and hurry of life in Americus with the
show folks. They are painting, over
hauling, arranging new attractions —
everything that goes with the first
weeks before they take the road.
NEGRO FOLLOWS WIFE
TO GOO NORTH
Deter Walker received a telegram;
lust night telling him of the death of ;
Ossie Mitchell, a well known Americus,
negro, which occurred at Hartford, I
Connecticut, Monday evening at 7:30,
o’clock. Mitchell, it is learned, hal
been ill in a hospital at Hartford dur-;
ing some time, death resulting from
pneumonia. He was about 42 years
old.
A sad circumstance In connection
with the death of this former Ameri
cus negro in a distant state is found in
the fact that only a tew months ago
bis wife died at Hartford and was
buried therj, far from home and
friends, who Mitchell and his family
left behind only a few months ago to!
go to work in the bitter climate which
it is believed here hastened the de
mise of both. Surviving Mitchell and
his wife are several young children,
the oldest of these being about twelve!
years of age. and their plight is de-!
scribed as most pitiable. They are be
ing cared for in an institution in Con-!
necticut at present.
Before leaving Americus Ossie Mit-.
chell and his wife ran a small res
taurant on West Lamar street, the for
mer also driving a hack at odd times.
Both were well liked among their i
friends here, and many white people
expressed regret when they detrmin-|
ed accept as true the alluring prom-;
hes of emigration agents and go to
Conncticut. Their experience as here
chroalclH is only one of many to
Southern negroes Who are unable toj
withstand the rigors of the intense
Connecticut <»ld, and, doubtless, will
act as a sufficient deterrent to others
who may contemplate leaving Georgia
a’ this time.
fITV
’^EDITIONS
AMERICANS GLAD
TO ESCAPE FOOD
THIALIHEHEIN
BERNE, Switzerland, Feb. 13.
Although former Ambassador James
W. Gerard continued today to talk of
conditions in Germany until he reports
directly to President Wilson at Wash
ington, Americans accompanying the
embassy staff from Berlin, are con
gratulating themselves upon their es
cape from the German food situation,
which is described as more acute than
at any time since the beginning of the
war.
Meat is so scarce in Berlin at this
time, one of the Americans said to an
Associated Press correspondent, that
thousands of would-be customers keep
in constant touch with the butchers so
as to know quickly when the next
meagre supply will be placed on sale.
Prices charged whenever meat is ob
tainable at all are ridiculously high,
and altogether out of reach of the
poorer class of civilians and disabled
soldiers invalided home from the va
rious war fronts.
While the rich Germans are able to
get along uncomfortably with pork and
mutton selling at from fifty to seventy
cents a pound when available, and
poultry extremely scarce at $1.60 a
pound, the poor are undoubtedly suf
fering keenly from a lack of proper
foodstuffs. All the poorer classes are
able to secure now is bread, turnips
and low-grade marmalade, a diet al
together unsuited to the manual la
bor many of these are required toper
form daily, and physicians at Berlin
say the children are evidently under
nourished.
Condftlnßs in Germany Rad.
ROTTERDAM, Feb. 13.—Two Ameri
cans who arrived here since the break
in diplomatic relations between the
j United States and Germany, after a
' residence of a year in that country,
! had each lost thirty pounds in weight,
: the result of privations endured, and
the scarcity of food, especially meat.
One of the refugees is Theodore Wur
lin, an engineer, whose home is at Ja
maica, New York. He states that Ger
man workmen are heartily tired of the
war and its attendant suffering, but
that they are determined to hold out,
nevertheless. Many Germans now earn
good wages, he said, but are forced to
spend all they earn for food, without
securing sufficient to maintain them
and their families in good health and
full bodily strength.
The other refugee Is a New York
business man, who had been in Frank
fort some time when news of the
break with Washington reached Ger
many. He says food conditions there
a.re extremely bad, and told a harrow
ing story of sufferings endured alike
by Germans and foreigners. The break
in relations, he said, created little ex
citement in Frankfort, where Ameri
cans continue to be well treated by
German authorities.
UNCLE SAM GIVES
GUNS FOR CUBANS
HAVANA, Feb. 17.—1 tis officially
announced here that the United States
has offered to supply the Cuban gov
ernment with five thousand army ri
fles and five million rounds gt ball
cartridges to be used in quelling dis
turbances on the island.
An encounter occurred today be
tween government troops and rebels
in the province of Matanzas, in
which the rebels were defeated.
WHITfSTAfiIS
lEFRIGJEEN SUNK
LONDON, Feb. 13.—Lloyds agency
announces that the White Star liner
Afric of 11,999 tons has been sunk
but gives no details of the loss of the
vessel. Only a part of the crew has
been landed, and the fate of the
ethers is unknown.
The Afric was last reported here as
i leaving Capetown, S. A.. December
3rd, and may have been sunk by the
German raider, which created havoc
with Entente shipping in the South
Atlantic about that time.
NUMBER 38