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3!i t Hmtitor.
VOL. XXXII.
DRAFT LAW IS
CONSTITUTIONAL!
Supreme Court Renders a
Decision Settling the
Question.
Washington, Jan. 7.—The se-j
lective draft act was upheld as|
constitutional by the supreme
court in an opinion today in the
draft cases.
Government contentions that
the power given congress to de
clare war includes power to com
pel citizens to render military ser
yice both at home and abroad!
were sustained by the court.
Chief Justice White, who de
livered the unanimous opinion, in
a brief statement declared that
after considering the various con
tentions the conclusion had been
reached that most of them were
imaginary rather than real.
Chief Justice White in the
opinion said: “The law, as its
title declares, was intended to
supply temporarily the increased
military force which wasrcciuired
by the existing emergency, the
war then and now flagrant.”
Here the chief justice recited
the provisions of the act and the
contentions of those who attacked
its constitutionality.
“The possession of authority to
enact the statute,” said the chief
justice, “must be found in the
clauses of the constitution giving
congress power to declare war;
* * * to raise and support
armies, but no appropriation to
that use shall be for a longer
term than two years; * * *
to make rules for the government
and regulation of the land and j
naval forces.
“As the mind cannot conceive
an army without the men to com
pose it, on the face of the con
stitution the objection that it
does not give power to provide
for such men would seem to be
too frivolous for further notice.
It is said, however, that since
under the constitution as origi
nally framed state citizenship
wasprimary and United States 1
citizenship but derivative and de
pendent thereon, therefore, the
power conferred upon congress
to raise armies was only cotermi
nous with United States citizen
ship and could not be exerted so
as to cause that citizenship to
lose its dependent character and
dominate state citizenship.
“But the proposition simply de
nies to congress the power to
raise armies which the constitu
tion gives. That power by the
very terms of the constitution be
ing delegated, is supreme. In
truth the contention simply as
sails the wisdom of the framers
of the constitution in conferring:
authority on congress and in not
retaining it as it was under the
confederation in the several
states. Further, it is said, the
right to provide is not denied by
calling for volunteer enlistments,
but it does not and cannot include
the power to enact enforced mili
tary duty by the citizen. This,
however, but challenges the ex
istence of all power, for a gov-;
ernmental power which has no
sanction to it and which there
fore can only be exercised pro
vided the citizen consents to its
exertion is in no substatial sense
a power.
Mayor and Councilmen
Were Elected Yesterday.
The Mt. Vernon municipal
election was held yesterday, with
the following officers elected:
Mayor, M. B. Calhoun.
Councilmen: G. V. Mason, L.
C. Underwood, Lee Mcßae, C.
A. Mason, D. A. Mcßae, A. B.
Hutcheson.
The vote was very light, less
than fifty votes having begn
polled.
Tarry town.
Sixei&l correspondence.
I Mr. W. B. Kent of Alamo was
the guest of Mr. and Mrs. A. L.
Wheeler Monday.
Messrs. M. E. Burns, D. F.
Warnock and J. A. Beckworth
were business visitors to Wadley
and Louisville Saturday.
j Mrs. J. A. Beckworth and lit
! tie grand-daughter, Alice, and
j Miss Jessie Beckworth returned
home Saturday after a two
weeks visit to relatives at Gibson.
Mr. Hershel Kent of Glenwood
visited relatives here Monday.
Our people were called out
about 5 o’clock Tuesday morning
on account of a fire. The large
i cotton warehouse owned by J. T.
Warnock was destroyed with
about 300 bales of cotton. It
was partly covered by insurance.
Miss Vera Moye of Soperton is
the guest of her sister, Mrs. W.
B. Cadle.
Miss Lottie Page of Glenwood
was an attractive visitor at the
home of Mr. and Mrs. W. L.
Calhoun last week.
Miss Gladys Calhoun has re
turned to the 8.-B. I. after
spending the holidays with home
folks here.
Mrs. Fannie Simons of Uvalda
is visiting her sister, Mrs. H.
Zeesman, this week.
Mrs. Lowanna Stephens of
Adrian was an afternoon visitor
at Mrs. Crawford’s Friday.
FARMERS URGED TO
PLANT OATS IN PLENTY
Commissioner Brown Fears
Shortage of Grain in
Georgia.
Atlanta, Ga., Jan. 7. “Plant
spring oats, plenty of them,” is
i the urgent advice of the State
! Department of Agriculture to the
farmers of Georgia.
• Georgia’s grain crop is going
to be short this year and the one
way to make it up, and to get the
essential supplies for the state, is
to put in a liberal acreage of
spring oats at once.
“After carefully looking over
the field, and, upon the basis of
I reports made to the department,
I find Georgia’s grain acreage is
going to be far less this year
than is necessary to meet the j
State’s urgent demands” said
Commissioner J. J. Brown. “The
only way to make up any part of
this deficiency is by sowing spring
oats. Every farmer in the State
should put in all the spring oats
he can take care of, and should
begin planting at once.
“Moreover we advise a liberal
application of fertilizers on oats,
as attention should be given to
the best possible yield per acre.
By following oats with cowpeas,
two crops can be made on the
!same land within the year,
i “Georgia is going to need ev
ery bushel of oats that can be
: raised, and it is the hope of the
Department that they will be
generously planted in every sec
tion of the State.”
Receiving Hospital
for Returned Soldiers.
I j
The receiving hospital for j
United States soldiers brought
back from Europe, to be estab
lished at Staten Island, N. Y.,
will have a capacity of 2,500 beds.
Tnis marks the beginning of a
comprehensive plan for the care
of soldiers who are disabled in
the line of duty. It will be used
only for distribution.
From the Staten Island insti
tution men will be transferred to
general or special treatment hos
pitals, sites for which are now
being selected throughout the
country. Whenever possible, in
jured soldiers will be sent to
places near their own homes.
They will be fitted for trades to
which they are adapted, and at
the time of discharge the Gov
ernment will assist them in re
turning to their proper places in
industry.
MT. VERNON, GEORGIA. THURSDAY. JANUARY 10, 1918.
Makes Success Growing
Peanuts in Montgomery.
In the cultivation of grain crops. Mr. Carl C. McAllister of the
Longpond section ranks as one of the most successful farmers of
Montgomery county. During the past year he planted considerable
acreage in Spanish peanuts (little white variety) as an experiment,
looking to increased acreage and corresponding yields this year.
The result of Mr. McAllister’s exDeriment with Spanish pea
nuts is worthy of study by the farmers of this section. That the
crop is profitable, there is no doubt. He did not endeavor to break
records, but simply gain practical results, with profit, and with op
portunity of further developing methods and consequent yields.
Mr. McAllister has kindly furnished The Monitor with the fol
lowing data, using a single acre as a basis for calculation. Omit
ting minor details, and allowing all reasonable deductions, the fol
lowing is the result:
Production.
Forty-five bushels peanuts, at $1.50 per bushel $67.50
! Half ton hay, at S2O per ton 10.00
$77.50
Cost of Production.
Breaking land SI.OO
Harrowing land .25
One bu. seed peanuts (little white Spanish) 1.50
Planting - - 1.00
Cultivating three times at 50c per acre 1.50
Gathering and stacking 1.00
Threshing, at 25c per bushel 11.25 $17.50
Profit per acre $60.00
This crop was planted on good, clay sub-soil land, without fer
tilizer. Rows thirty inches apart, peanuts dropped twelve inches
in the drill.
Mr. McAllister calculates that this variety of peanuts, planted
in two-foot rows, six inches in the drill, fertilized, and the land
limed, would increase the yield wonderfully. We take the liberty
of saying that under intensive cultivation the yield could be in
creased from one to one hundred and fifty per cent.
It will be noticed that the value of the peanuts is placed at the
price of the seed. Under the suggested plan two bushels of seed
would be used per acre. Conditions vary, of course. Before plant
ing season seed will have advanced according to the market price
of the product, which is now no doubt above that of last season.
The demand for the peanut will continue to grow, there being
no likelihood of the supply ever exceeding the demand. It is now
being used for a variety of food purposes, aside from its common
use as a stock fattener. The hand-picking process will be sup
planted by machinery before many seasons. Heretofore this has
been a drawback. The farmer who plants peanuts and grain crops
is safe; cotton may bring exorbitant prices for a while, but it is
bound to be curtailed by the boll weevil.
SAYS JACKSONVILLE
LIQUOR TO SOLDIERS
County Commissioners May
Call Election on the
Question.
Jacksonville, Fla., Jan. B.—So
many complaints have been made
here of liquor being sold to sol
diers contrary to United States
government requirements, that
the board of governors of the
Jacksonville Chamber of Com-
I merce have undertaken to solve
the problem.
At a meeting this afternoon
resolutions were adopted pledg
ing immediate action in getting
up a petition under the local op
tion law calling upon the county
commissioners to order a wet or
dry election at an early date.
The Chamber of Commerce
will throw its full strength to
carry the county dry.
Immediately following this
meeting the liquor dealer’s asso
ciation met and adopted resolu
tions pledging its members not to
sell liquor to soldiers or to any
one for the purpose of selling to
soldiers.
Guilty of Misconduct,
Soldier is Reprimanded.
Macon, Jan. 8. —In a general
order just issued Brigadier Gen
!eral John L. Hayden, command
er of the Dixie Division, has ad
| ministered a severe reprimand to
, Lieutenant Thos. E. Jones, 122 d
Infantry.
This serves as a commutation
of the sentence of a general
court-marshal, which imposed a
sentence of dismissal on the lieu
tenant. Lieutenant Jones was
investigated several months ago
at the same time the conduct of i
Colonel Orville Hall, of the 122 d
Infantry, was probed.
| Lieutenant Jones was found
guilty of gambling with enlisted
men, of borrowing money from
enlisted men, of misappropria- j
tion of funds, of issuing checks
on a bank where he had no de- j
posit of funds, and of absence
from a military formation,
MT. VERNON BANK
DECLARES DIVIDEND
At Annual Meeting Held
Tuesday all Officers
Re-elected.
At the annual meeting of the
stockholders and directors of The
Mt. Vernon Bank Tuesday a div
idend of 10 per cent, was de
clared, and the following officers
re-elected: !
Willie T. McArthur, president;
Alex McArthur, vice-president;
W A. Peterson, cashier; H. L.
Wilt, assistant cashier.
Directors: W. A. Peterson, A.
B. Hutcheson, Willie T. McAr
thur, D. A. Mcßae, I. T. McLe
more.
During the seventeen years of
its existence The Mt. Vernon
Bank has established a record en
joyed by few if any country
banks in the South. Its capital
is but $15,000, yet it has assets
of $280,000.00. From the year
following its organization to date
it has paid its stockholders an
annual dividend of ten per cent.,
with the exception of the year
1916, when 20 per cent, was de
clared.
The Commercial Bank, Uvalda,
is owned by The Mount Vernon |
Bank, giving it almost unlimited
resources, as far as the needs of
country banks go. Business en- j
terprises conducted on the plans
as practiced by The Mt. Vernon
Bank always thrive. Numbered
among its stockholders are some !
of the most substantial business
men of Montgomery county.
The Citizens Bank
Elected New Officers.
• „ , 11
At a recent meeting of the
stockholders of The Citizens
Bank, Alston, the following of
ficers were elected for the year i
:1918: i
Dr. J. H. Dees, president;Clif
ford Mcßride, vice-president; E.
S. Martin, vice-president and
cashier. 1
The directors chosen were: J.
!S. Sharpe, Clifford Mcßride, M.
P. Mcßride, E. S. Martin, Dr. J.
H. Dees and T. A. Clifton.
The Citizens Bank begins the
new year under very promising
j conditions.
Longpond Dots.
Special Correspondence.
Mr. T. M. Corbin and daugh
j ter, Madge, visited friends at
Sardis last week.
Miss Annie Johnson left last
Monday to resume her studies at
the State Normal at Athens.
Mr. Carl McAllister of Ocilla
spent last Sunday with home
folks here.
Misses Belle and Sarah Louis
McAllister visited relatives near
Lumber City last week.
Mr. Austin W. Bendimire of
Camp Wheeler, Macon, Ga., was
among friends here last week.
Mr. and Mrs. J. E. Goff visited
Mr. and Mrs. T. B. Hughes of
Mt. Vernon Sunday last.
On Thursday evening last at
the home of their parents, Mr.
and Mrs. H. H. McAllister, Miss
es Sarah Louis and Agnes Mc-
Allister delightfully entertained
in honor of Mr. Austin Bendi
mire of Camp Wheeler. Many
pleasant games were enjoyed,
and delightful music was render
ed during the entire evening. A
delicious course of refreshment
was served during the evening.
Misses McAllister were assist
ed in entertaining by their cous
in, Miss Belle McAllister.
SAVANNAH MAY GET
SHIPBIILING PLANT
Henry Board, Head Board,
Will Soon Visit Forest
City.
Washington, D. C., Jan. B.
Savannah stands an excellent
chance for the mammoth ship
building plant to be established
at once on the South Atlantic.
Henry Ford is here today look
ing into the preliminaries. He
is the man who is going to de
cide the location at the proper
time.
Small seaboard cities where
labor and housing conditions are
not adequate may be eliminated.
Wm. V. Davis, president of the
Savannah Board of Trade, is in
the city today on this matter. A
delegation from Savannah will be
up later.
A Florida delegation, also one
from Charleston, are already
here.
Col. G. Arthur Gordon of Sa
vannah and Walter Barnes of
Griffin, are among the prominent
Georgians here today.
Shortage of Wool in
Uniforms of Soldiers.
Washington, Jan. 7. — Michael
E. Driscoll, woolen manufacturer
of Raritan, N. J., testified before
the Senate military affairs com
mittee today that in his opinion
the new American uniform is too
loose for winter use in the trench
| es.
The committee placed Mr.
Driscoll on the stand in an effort
jto learn what advantage, if any,
was gained in reducing the qual
ity of the uniform. The pure
' wool content of the uniform was ;
reduced to conserve the wool sup
ply, it has been testified, with j
the result that the uniform is 27
per cent, inferior to the British
and French uniform.
Samples of the uniform cloth
used by the different nations
, were produced. Senator Shep
herd, of Texas, produced a sample
cut from the uniform of the first i
German prisoner captured by |
Pershing’s men. Mr. Driscoll
said the German cloth would last
about one and one-halftimes as.
long as the American cloth.
Ever have a puncture? We
have the stuff to fix it properly
and at small cost. Mason Gro
cery Co., Ailey, Ga. ad
ABLE ADDRESS
PREMIER GEORGE
States Plans and Aims of
Entente and Clears up
Disputes.
Washington, Jan. B.—Premier
Lloyd George’s declaration of
Entente war aims in no way
changed the position of the Uni
ted States. Neither did it indi
cate a new policy to be followed
, by this Government. Adminis
tration officials made this plain
today.
The speech of the British
Premier was designed, they ex
plained, to clear up certain dis
puted points which the British
and French pacifists had been
harping on to embarrass their
governments. There was no ne
cessity for such action here. The
position of the United States re
mains exactly as it was outlined
by the President in his recentad
dress to Congress and in his note
to the Pope. Some of the British
Premier’s declarations, if literal
ly accepted by the United States,
would dispose of matters on
which the President still is seek
ing light. This was carefully
pointed out by officials today.
The British Premier’s Turkish
policy, for instance, was a mat
ter that at present at least does
not concern the United States,
which still is at peace with Tur
key and Bulgaria.
It is not meant, however, that
the United States is not in ac
cord with most of the Lloyd
George speech. The contrary is
the truth. But it is felt that it
is just as well to point out that
any statement by British or
French officials must not be ac
cepted as completely binding on
the United States.
MAY REGISTER
ON BECOMING 21
Gen. Crowder Makes Sug
gestion in Report to
Secretary War.
Washington, Jan. 5. —Immedi-
ate registration for military ser
vice of all men who have become
twenty-one years of age since the
first selective service registra
tion, was urged today by Provost
Marshal General Crowder in his
annual report to the secretary of
war.
If this is done and similar reg
istrations held each year, 700,-
000 physically fit men of class 1,
the provost marshal general stat
ed, will be available for service
every twelve months, and this
would not necessitate taking men
from the deferred exemption
classes.
“The policy and belief of this
office is that in all probability it
will be possible to fill all our mili
tary needs from class 1,” the re
port stated.
Skilled labor and farmers will
be taken from the deferred class
es, General Crowder intimates,
I “should the situation demand.”
“The situation in these re
spects is serious now, particular
ly in the shipbuilding industry
and in factories working on war
munitions,” he added. "It is
probable there will be a shortage
of farm labor in the spring, al
though the new draft regulations
have relieved that situation.”
The report was placed befc re
congress with the request for an
amendment to the selective ser
vice act which would change the
plan of allocating quotas.
Mr. Will Ricks has been quite
ill at the home of his sister, Mrs.
R. S. McLendon. He is con
valescing. and will doubtless be
out in a few days.
NO. 37.
