Newspaper Page Text
ASSOCIATED
PRESS JMEWS
OF THE WORLD
FORTY-SECOND YEAR—NO. 153
WILSON AND LEAGUE ARE LAUDED IN KEYNOTE
V I
DEMOCRATIC CONVENTION GETS UNDER WAY
VALUES RAISED
$516,500, WITH
27TH TO COME
County Equalizers Foot
Up Results So Far
Finished
Taxable values in Sumter coun
ty, exclusive of the 27th district,
which includes the City of Americus,
have been increased approximately
$516,500, as a result of the work
to date of the board of county tax
equalizers.
The work of equalizing tax re
turns for the 27th district was be
gun this afternoon, and with indi
cations that additional large increas
es will be placed unon the digest.
The 27th district, in addition to be
ing one of the largest district in
the cofenty, is by far the richest
much of the farm lands located in
other districts being owned by resi
dents of Americus, who return their
taxes in this district.
A large . number of corporations
which „havC fyegis sows invested in
loans and solvent account as well
as stocks of goods are also located
in Americus, and the returns of all.
of these are to be increased in pro
portion as values throughout the
county have been raised.
Given Instruction*.
When the present board was or
ganized the board of county commis
sioners called them into conference
and the tax equalizers were instruct
ed that in accordance with the in
creased value of all things, and in
view of a demand made by State
Tax Commissioner Fullbright that
taxable values in Sumter county be
raised 40 per cent, and the further
consideration that the county must
have additional funds with which to
meet its expenses, they should raise
values equitably and without favorit
ism to an j amount sufficient to pro
duce revenue necessary for the need
of the state and county, having al
ways in mind the fact that the law
provides that every man shall pay
upon a fair market value of his
properties.
With these instructions in mind,
and with due regard to the necessity
for making all raises equitable and
just.Whe members of the board have
worked very energetically and con
scientiously at the task of revising
tai returns, with the result that half
a Jnillion dollars has already been
added to the taxable values in the
county outside of Americus. The
raises made have been consistent and
in accordance with the raise in real
values, the members of the board as
sert, and they feel that they have
done their duty conscientiously and
insofar as possible, with justice to
all concerned.
District Increases.
Before beginning the work of
equalizing values in the city of
Americus and the 27 th district,
raises made in other districts were
footed up this morning, and these
are as follows:
Approximate
Increase
15th (Leslie) $125,000
Old 16th - 32,000
Old 26th (Plains) 112,000
New 26th (Friendship) .. 35,000
29th (Andersonville) 37,500
28th (Methvin’s Store).... 60,000
Total $516,500
A cursory examination of the re
turns for the..,.27th district already
made by the repeals many
inaccuracies, as the making of
“blanket” which taxpayers
will be asked to straighten out.
“Blanket” returns are those sent
in with one lump sum covering the
whole return, and which fail to de-;
lineate the various properties, secur
ities and valuables owned, as re- ■
quired by law, and whidhjndicate the i
taxpayer has not answered all of the|
questions on the tax return blank in
detail. With such returns before:
them, the tax equalizers are much
hindered in their work, and they feel j
that such returns should not in the:
future be accepted by the tax receiv-!
es, whose duty, they say, is to ex
amine each return submitted and see
that it is made in legal form, and
that each class of property owned is
set forth thereon as to its value for
taxable purposes.
rpo'tij: c _l
By J. W. RAPER,
Creator of “Josh Wise.”
(Copyright, 1920.)
SAN FRANCISCO, June 28.
This part of the U. S. of A. is
full of common
torchlight bear
ers who swore a
quarter of a
cent ur y ago
that they never
would cut their
hair till William
J. Bryan was
y
elected president. When you get
a landscape view of Bryan fr.m
the rear_you wonder if he took
the same oath.
♦ * *
A lot of tftie big boys would
like to run the horse-clippers
through William J.’s locks, but
they can’t find any Delilah to
bold his hands.
♦ ♦ ♦
The terra equirma along the
east shore of the Pacific has been
rattling around for several days,
giving the bosses and their dele
gates the quakes, but Bryan
gives them the shivers.
♦ ♦ *
The bosses feel toward Bryan
just the way the baseball pitch
ers feel toward Babe Ruth.
• • •
There never was a conven
tion at which the gang was so
slow in showing up. Maybe it
was on account of the poor
freight service.
* * * •
This convention is like the Chi
cago affair in one way: A
preacher will open the sessions
with prayer. Both conventions
had to call on outside help.
• * •
But in another way it is dif
ferent: None of the boys at this
convention are carrying cash
registers as they did at Chi
cago.
* ♦ »
Tom Marshall says he doesn’t
want to run. That looks like the
only thing that is unanimous.
» * »
The director of the mint an
nounces he is for Palmer. But
the boys all want to know what
the mint is good for under the
XVlllth amendment.
* * •
There is a lot of speculation
here as to the number of ballots
the delegates will be allow3d to
take. Everybody thinks they
should be allowed to vote at
least twice, out of consideration
for the hotelkeepers.
» » *
One of the first things big
bunches of Tammany men did
when they arrived here was to go
out and look at the Pacific ocean
and then knock it. They’re all
willing to bet it isn’t as big as
the Atlantic.
Blind Man, Firing at
Her Visitors, Kills Wife
• • •
MACON, June 28—C. G. Creason,
blind organgrinder of Macon, yester
day afternoon shot and fatally woun
ded his wife in their little apartment
over Harris’ meat market on Broad
way. The woman died at the Macon
hospital two minutes after she ar
rived there.
Creason fired five shots and then
reloaded his pistol. He said he tried
to kill two white men whom his little
14-year-old child reported to him had
been visiting at his apartment during
his absence and who were in the alley
at the time that he opened fire.
Creason’s wife was in the window
and she received the first bullet
wound in her chest, fired at close
range, and fell from the window to
the pavement, after the second shot
was fired.
Creason took his little son to jail
with him.
T H ETIMESBRECORDER
IgSU PUBLISHED IN THE ~HE AR T OF DIX|E~g?O?
CONVENTION IS
OPENED; GLASS
SEES VICTORY
Expects to be Quick
Choice as Platform
Chairman
SAN FRANCISCO, June 28—Con
i fidence that Senator Glass would
; have more than enough votes to elect
him chairman of the resolutions com
mittee, was asserted today by his
managers. The committee was to meet
soon after adjournment of the con
vention this afternoon and it was
agreed by Glass’ followers and the
supporters of Senator Walsh to set
tle the chairmanship contest quickly.
The delegates and leaders were pre-
I pared for a fight over both platform
and candidates as the convention as
sembled for its opening session.
Today for the first time the entire
convention personnel was here and
the opposing elements taking definite
bearings. The preliminaries of the
opening, as planned, were a bugle
call by a detachment of Marines; pre
senting colors; call to order by J. S.
Kremer, of Montana, vice-chairman
of the national committee; invocation
by Monsignor Ryan, of San Francisco
Diocese; address by Kremer, present
ing Homer Cummings, as the tempo
rary presiding officer and the key
note speech by Cummings.
Hours before the noon hour, fixed
for the opening, ticket holders were
gathering in the spacious building
which for the occasion seats twelve
thousand. The seats of the delegates
were compactly assembled close to
the platform and stretched almost
across the hall. Directly behind were
seats of the alternates and all about
them in almost perfect circles were
places for about ten thousand others.
With the exception of the patriotic
touch at the start the opening prelim
inaries were not unlike those of prior
conventions.
Church Names Board
To Secure New Pastor
A pulpit supply committee was ap-l
pointed Sunday night by the congre- |
gation of the Central Baptist church. I
This committee will select a succes
sor to Rev. George F. Brown, who
recently resigned as pastor of the
church, to resume his theological
studies. The committee is composed
of Dr. E. T. Mathis, chairman; T. C.
Tillman, W. T. Lane, Sr., E. Y.
Andrews and R. L. Maynard.
Rev. Mr. Brown and family, who
have been in Americus during three
and a half years, will go to Fort
Worth, Texas, where he will enter
the Southern Baptist Seminary, and
will spend several years studying for
the degree of Ph. D. He will remain
in Americus, however, until Septem
ber 15, and it is hoped that the com
mittee named last night will have se
lected his successor by that time,
Leslie Negro Suicide;
Accidental Slayer
LESLIE, June 28—A negro, known
as Son Henry, shot himself here Sun
day afternoon while drinking and
died about noon today.
Henry accidentally shot and killed
Bill Harris, another negro, a few
months age.
Tennesse Suffrage
Session To Meet Aug. 9
NASHVILLE, Tenn., June 28—
Reports from the capitol today stated
that the extra session of the legisla
ture which is expected to consider
ratification of the federal suffrage
amendment will be called to meet
August 9.
Forecast for Georgia—Generally
fair weather tonight and Tuesday.
The first half of the week will be
generally fair; showery weather will
prevail the latter half, with normal
temperatures.
AMERICUS, GA., MONDAY AFTERNOON, JUNE 28, 1920.
WET-DRY FIGHT
CROWDING OUT
OTHER ISSUES
Dry Majority in Com
mittee Means Wet Ap
peal to Floor
By GILSON GARDNER,
N. E. A. Staff Correspondent.
SAN FRANCISCO, June 28.—The
platform fight will be the first num
ber on the demo-
GARDNEP
wine. Or it may be Postmaster Gen
eral Burleson.
A careful canvas of the commit
tee on resolutions shows a dry ma
jority.
May Fight on Floor
This insures a majority report
drawn by Wm. J. Bryan endorsing
the prohibition amendment and de
claring for its strict enforcement.
There will also me a minority re
port recommending a change in the
constitution in favor of excepting
beer and wines.
The presentation of these two re
ports will start a debate on the floor
and end in a roll call which will line
up the wets and drys.
No one has been able to predict,
even approximately, what this vote
will be. It is believed to be rather
close.
On the outcome of the wet and dry
contest will depend other event. The
vote will show to what extent Bry
an retains control of the situation.
A decisive defeat of the majority,
or dry, report of the nlatform com
mittee, would open the way to the
nomination of a wet candidate—per
haps James M. Cox of Ohio. On
the other hand an overwhelming dry
vote in this test would show Bryan
to be in almost complete control,
with the probability that no candidate
disapproved by him could be nomi
nated.
Little Interest in League.
This is where the Owen candidacy
would begin to figure.
The wet and dry issue is receiving
more attention than the League of
Nations plank. Althoug..- “w two
distinct and opposing views on this!
subject, the topic is one on ch;
there is an obvious lack of interest.!
It is regarded by many as rem te
—and becoming more so. The local
issues are crowding it out.
President Wilson’s views will be!
pressed by Senator Carter Glass of
Virginia, in a plank modeled on that!
of the Virginia state convention. The
Bryan views will be embodied in a
plank which Bryan drew.
To Have Tryout.
The Virginia plank endorses the
treaty of Versailles and the League
of Nations draft and calls for its
ratification without mutilation. The
other view concedes the possibility
of reservations to the league draft.
On this question there will be a
try-out between the Bryan and the
Wilson control in the convention and
the result again will be significant
as to what kind of a candidate will
be chosen to stand on the platform.
If, for instance, Bryan should him
self come into the running a can
didate (and this is not impossible)
the first thing he would require would
be a platform with these two planks
in it conforming to his ideas.
On the other hand, the adop
tion of a moist plank and a Wilson
plank would almost alienate Bryan
and his following.
Bryan yesterday gave out his dry
plank, for which he will conduct a
fight as follows:
“We heartily congratulate the
democratic party on its splendid
leadership in the submission and rati
fication of the prohibition amend
ment to the federal constitution and
we pledge the party to the effective
(Continued on last page)
i OLD AD RECALLS
WILSON WHEN A(
GEORGIA LAWYER
ATLANTA. June 28—In turning '
| s *'over the yellow files of the old j
; ? Atlanta Constitution of more than >
' ? 37 years ago, the eye of a reporter s
; S was accidentally arrested this !
|? morning by the following tiny ad- )
> vertisement, set exactly like the <
< typical want-ad of today. ?
;; E. I. Renick Woodrow Wilson J
RENICK & WILSON
i Attys, at Law S
48 Marietta Street Room 10 <
Atlanta, Ga. >
The date of the newspaper was s
March 9, 1883, the issue which )
contained the account of the fun- 5
oral of the former vice president j
of the Confederacy Alexander H. ?
Stephens. At that time Room No. j
10, at 40 Marietta street, was a ?
modest and somewhat dusty of- ;
fice, next door to the old B ion s
theater, in the ramshackle '
bii-'-t burning which stands there >
,to this day. The shingle, which 'l
hung above the door, remembered >
by old Atlanta, was very like (
some of the shingles which hang >
there now. It was there that two s
ambitious young lawyers sought ?
their fortune more than thirty- >
seven years ago. Very little for- <
tune ever came to either of them >
while they practiced law in Atlan
ta. Later their ways parted. Renick
is dead and forgotten save by his
own intimate family and friends.
Woodrow Wilson is the president
of the United States.
100,000 TRY TO
SEE CONVENTION
Mabel Abbott Writes of
Hindu Seeking Admis
sion Pasteboard
BY MABEL ABBOTT.
SAN FRANCISCO, June 28.—The
biggest question of the convention,
cratic convention
program. There
will be a try-out
between the wets
and the drys.
The well known
Mr. Bryan will
head the drys.
Probably some
delegate from
New York state,
possibly Norman
Mack, will appear
for the wets. The
New York state
convention adopt
ed a plaSik favor
ing beer and
! hall. And there are exactly 10,000
I seats to put them in. The big show
| opened today in a magnificent gray
I stone building with an entrance like
lan opera house. It is the San Fran
! cisco municipal auditorium, one of
an impressive group of buildings sur
' roundings a great green square em
! bellished with trees, fountains and
i statuary.
! It is a setting that would dignify a
circus. The tickets were distributed
Saturday. Every wire and string that I
might by any possibility be attached I
to one of these pieces of pasteboard
was pulled violently, and those who i
had no strings to pull went on the
principle that they might as well ask
anyway. Knowing this, I found Ra
jendra Singh a rather pathetic fig
ure.
He was standing outside the door
of the Democratic national commit-!
tee’s suite. From the neck down he
looked like anybody else, in his neat'
gray suit; but the neck up he look
ed like a bear, a turbaned illustra
tion from “The Arabian Nights.”
Shyly, but with gentle persistence,
and in clear, educated English, he
! was explaining to the policeman at
he door that he wanted a ticket to
I the convention, and that a tall gen
! leman whom he saw there last week
| had told him to go away and come
| back la‘< r and he would see what he
: could do. No, Rajendra hadn’t ask
! <1 the gentleman’s name, but he
bought he would know him, because
Lie wore glasses. “Look at ’em!” ex
! -laimed the officer, including the
' whole Democratic suite in one ges
ture. “You’ve described two out of
I (Continued on Last Page.)
the one over which
the most desperate
struggle has been
waged, was an
swerer Saturday
It is, “Who is go
ing to get tick
ets?”
One hundred!
people thus far;
had expressed to j
the harassed au-!
thorities their de-|
sire to view the
proceedings of the:
Democratic na-l
tional convention ■
from the inside of
the convention!
•••« ww
El 1 wIB
MABSU.ABBOT r
CUMMINGS DENOUNCES
DEFEAT OF TREATY AS
BLACK PAGE IN HISTORY
Declares Peace Record of Party Surpasses Good
Legislative Work of G. O. P.
of Generation
AN FRANCISCO, June 28—(By Associated
Press) —The League of Nations covenant was
championed as the Monroe Boctrine of
the World’ by- Homer Cummings tempo
rary chairman of the democratic national conven
tion, in his keynote address here today.
Os the peace treaty’s defeat in the senate he
said: "No blacker crime against civilization has ever
soiled the pages of our history.”
He characterized the republican platform as
v* f'*
“reactionary and provincial." “Filled with premed
itated slander and vague promises it will be searched in vain for one
constructive suggestion for the reformatioh of the conditions which it
criticizes and deplores,” he continued.
“The oppressed peoples of the earth will look to it in vain. It
contains no message of hope for Ireland; no word of mercy for Ar
menia; and it conceals a sword for Mexico. It is the work of men con
cerned more with material things than with human rights. It contains
no thought, no purpose which can give impulse or thrill to those who
love liberty and hope to make the world a safer and happier place
for the average man."
He declared that the peace time
record of the democratic party from
March, 1913, to the outbreak of the
world war has to its credit “more
effective, constructive and remedial
legislation than the republican party
has placed upon the statute books in
a generation.”
Praising the administration’s course
in the war he said: “We fought a
great war, for a great cause and we
had a leadership that carried Am
erica to greater heights of honor and
power and glory than she has ever
known before in her entire history.”
Not Taking All Credit
“Let no one misunderstand us.
These great affairs were carried for
ward under the stimulus of Ameri
can patriotism, supported by the
courage and spirit of our people. All
this is freely and gladly acknowl
edged, but surely the time has come
when, because of the calculated crit
icism and premeditated calumnies,
of the opposition, we are entitled to
call attention to the fact that all of
these things were accomplished un
der the leadership of a great demo
crat and of a great democratic ad
ministration. If the republican lead
ers are not able to rejoice with us
in this American triumph they should
have the grace to remain silent, for
it does not lie in the mouths of those
who conducted the Spanish-American
war to indulge in the luxury of crit
icism.”
Referring to congressional inves
tigations by “smelling committees”
he said that over 80 investigations
have been made, over two million
dollars wasted and “the result has
been to prove that it was the clean
est war ever fought in the history of
civilization.”
“The republican party became so
fixed in its incorrigible habit of con
ducting investigations that it finally
turned to the fruitful task of inves
tigating itself. They discovered fraud
and graft and gross inexcusable ex
penditures. The revelations disclose
the fact that the meeting at Chicago
was not a convention but an auction.
The highest bidder, however, did not
get the prize. The publicity which
overtook the proceedings frustrated
the initial purpose. The Chicago con
vention left the democratic party as
the sole custodian of the honor of the
country.”
Peace Achievements
Peace achievements of the demo
cratic party, he asserted, “freed the
farmer from the deadening effects
of usurious financial control. Labor
was given its Magna Charta of lib
erty. Business and finance were re
leased from the thralldom of uncer
taintv and hazard.”
“The income tax law,” he said, “re
lieved our law of the reproach of be
ing unjustly burdensome to the poor.
The extravagances and inequities of
the tariff system were removed and
a non-partisan tariff commission cre
ated. Pan-Americanism was encour
aged and the bread thus cast upon
the waters came back to us many
; and development. Dollar diplomacy
was destroyed. A corrupt lobby ws
1
PRICE FIVE CENTS.
d f‘ ve P. f ro „ m tbe na t* on al capital. An
effective Seaman’s Act was adopted.
Ihe federal trade commission was
created. Child labor legislation was
enacted. The Parcel Post and the Ru
ral free Delivery were developed.
A good roads bill and a rural credit
act were passed. A secretary of labor
was given a seat in the cabinet of .the
ted Sl Th n 2 , ri ,g * t h °A r laws were
ted. The Clayton Amendment to the
Sherman anti-trust act was passed
it e lab ° r and takin »
it from the list of commodities. The
Smith-Lever bill for the improvement
of agricultural conditions was pas".
e “- a . corrupt practices act was
adopted. A well considered ware
house act was passed. Federal em
ployment bureaus were created. Farm
loan banks, postal savings banks and
S.b£h2“ re “ m sw “ m
Reierve System
“The federal reserve system, pass
f , < ? vt X the opposition of the leaders
of the Republican party, enabled Am
erica to withstand the strain of war
without shock or panic and ultimate
ly made our country the greatest
creditor nation of the world.”
Turning to the record of the Re
publican congress since 1918, Mr.
Cummings said it was “barren of
achievement, shameless in waste of
time and money, and without parellel
for its incompetencies, failures and
repudiations.
President Wilson’s two appeals be
fore congress for legislation dealing
with profiteering, reduction of tax
ation, aid for soldiers and laws to
improve relations of capital and labor
were ignored, he declared, and “aft
er a year of sterile debate our coun
try has neither peace nor reconstruc
tion.”
He dwelt particularly upon the at
tacks made upon the President. Ma
lice and hate followed him to the
peace table, he said and widespread
propaganda made it imperative when
he returned from Paris to “make a
| struggle for that which had been won
at incalculable cost. This meant
wreck of health, sickness for months
on a bed of pain, and worse, the sick
ness of heart which comes from the
knowledge that political adversaries
are savagely destroying not merely
the work of men’s hands, but the
world’s hope of settled peace. This
was the affliction—this the crucifix
ion.”
Can’t Change History.
Mr. Cummings continued that in
one sense “it is quite immaterial what
! people sav about the president. Noth
ing we can say can adc or detract
from the fame that will flow down
the unending channels of history.”
He cited the Republican and Pro
gressive platforms of 1916 as part
of the record placing this country
; in Jgvor of the league of nations.
“The Republican platform contains
| a vague promise to establish another
or different form of association,” he
■ ' said. “There is no mental dishonesty
i more transparent than that which ex-
■ presses fealty to a league of nat’ons
while opposing the enb- that
s (Continued on Last Page.)