Brownsville Herald (Brownsville, Tex.), Vol. 26, No. 42, Ed. 1 Thursday, August 21, 1919 Page: 1 of 6
This newspaper is part of the collection entitled: Daily Herald, Brownsville and was provided to The Portal to Texas History by the UNT Libraries.
Extracted Text
The following text was automatically extracted from the image on this page using optical character recognition software:
' -1__ _ _ '
VOL. XXVI. NO. 42. BROWNSVILLE TEXAS THURSDAY AFTERNOON AUGUST 21 1919. ESTABLISHED 1893.
FEDERAL AGENT
SAYS CITY HAS
N 0 PROFITEERS
Department oi Justice Gives
Brownsville Merchants
a Clean Bill.
PRICES REASONABLE
E. H. Parker agent in charge of
the Brownsville district for the fed-
eral department of justice received
telegraphic instructions Monday from
the United States district attorney to
make a thorough investigation of
conditions here in connection with
the campaign now being waged by
the department of justice to root out
the profiteers and food hoarders in
all parts of the country.
Mr. Parker assisted by L. F. Shel-
ton special agent of the department
has made a thorough investigation of
the wholesale firms and practically
all of the retail stores in the city
have found that no profiteering is
being carried on in Brownsville. The
various business firms they have visit-
have given them all the aid possible
in carrying out the investigation and
Mr. Parker summed up the result of
his three days’ work with the state-
ment: “I find that competition here
is so keen that many of the mer-
chants; in fact practically all of
them are doing business on an ex-
tremely small margin of profit. 1
can find absolutely no evidence of
profiteering or of attempts to take
advantage of stock shortage. But
1 have found in several cases the mer-
chants selling various commodities at
less than present wholesale prices
this being due to their purchase of
large stocks when the market was
lower and they are now giving their
customers the benefit of the low price
they obtained ti. instead of taking
advantage of the raise.”
The department of justice agents
found the sugar stock in the city is
exceedingly low but they found no
one attempting to take advantage
of this in order to increase the price.
The prevailing price of sugar is 12
cents per pound and it is absolutely
impossible for the retailer to r *1' it ai
s lower price and “break even.*’
Thtre has been much taU among
c- rsumers f j rofiteering and if any
cite can found it should ii .me-
d’ately b* reported to the Jeptrtme'it |
of justice a -cuts and th .* profiteer 1
will be given an opportunity to talk j
in court. In fact most of the ru- j
mors of profiteering and food hoard-
ing are without foundation and are
due to the general lack of knowledge j
of prices prevailing in all parts of
the country. Practically all commo-
dities can be purchased as cheaply i
in Brownsville as in any other part j
of the country and some can be pur-1
chased much cheaper. Prices here
have not advanced as sharply as in
many of the larger cities of the north
where profiteeenng and food hoard-
ing has been practiced to an extent
never before realized and where the
consumers have had to pay the extor-
wolves of commerce.” A comparison
of prices charged by Brownsville mer- j
chants with those charged in any
other city will show the fallacy of the 1
rumor that profiteering is being prac-
ticed here.
Mr. Parker stated that wholesalers
had informed him the sugar situation
would soon be remedied as shipments
are expected within a short time.
They are preparing to distribute the
sugar with practically no profit to
themselves and state that a fair price
for this commodity will be 12 cents
per pound the price now being charg-
ed at practically all the stores in the
city.
The various wholesale firms are all
carrying fair stocks of canned goods
and other foodstuffs hut no evidence
of hoarding could be found the
stocks \eing no larger than are need-
ed to .s^bly the immediate demands
of the Mwis’ patrons.
Mr. Pair’s instructions from the
United Stages district attorney were
to make a most thorough investiga-
tion and he is confident he has done
so. There are still a few retail es-
tablishments to be investigated but
the department of justice agents feel
assured from the investigations al-
ready made that the few remaining
firms will show as clean records as
those they have already visited.
1—American and Canadian soldiers on the trail of bolshevik* In north Russia who have been Mowing up bridges
and culverts. 2—tleneral Pershing presenting prizes to winners in the interallied games at Paris. 3—King Boris oi
Bulgaria and his favorite dog.
___- * - - _
SUGGESTS MORE
PAY FOR MEN IN |
NAVY SERVICE
♦ Hy The Associated Press) i ^
WASHINGTON D. C Aug. 21.
—With the resignations of several
hundred permanent officers of the
regular navy already submitted and
more arriving daily Secretary of
Navy Roosevelt today began work
on proposed legislation to he sub-
mitted to congress suggesting sub-
stantial pay increases for both of-
ficers and men of the navy and
marine corps.
High ranking officers believe the
efficiency of the navy is seriously
threatened as the mapority of the
resignations are coming from the
younger officers who maintain that
it is impossible to support their
families on the present salaries.
BANDITS ATTACK
TRAIN AND CARRY
AWAY MAIL SACKS
i Rv 'I'li** Associated PresK. >
NASHVILLE Tenn. Aug. 21.
Masked bandits today held up the I
Nashville and Louisville train be i
tween < olumbia and Pulaski and ear
ried off the mail pouches and other
booty. No estimate of the value of
the bandits' haul has as yet been oh- '
tained. Posses are scouring the
country in all directions in search of i
the robbers.
Pandits are believed to have board-
ed the train at Columbia and when
the train was under way they appear-
ed in the cah and forced the engineer
and train crew to stop the train de-
tach the engine and mail car and pro-
ceed some distance down the track
toward Pulaski. After securing the
mail pouches the bandits jumped
from th* train and disappeared. They
left the express car unmolested.
WIRELESS EQUIPMENT
B'jNG PLACED ON THE
BORDER PATROL PLANE
t P.y The Associated Press)
FORT BLISS Tex. Aug. 2ft.
Airplanes patrolling the Mexican bor-
der in this district may now report
suspicious hands of armed Mexicans
seen on the south side of the Rio
Grande by means of wireless tele-
phones. All of ih»* scout airplanes
patrolling this border are now equip-
ped with wireless telephone outfits
and the aerial observer may talk with
border patrol state ns direct or with
flying headquarter; h re. A test was
made of the newly installed wireless
telephones and Brigadier General'
James B. Erwin talked with the air-
plane observers between Columbus
N. M. and Fort Hancock Texas.
WEATHER
—
Tonight and Friday partly cloudy;
scattered thunder showers light to
( moderate southerly winds.
... I
VALLEY GROWN
COTTON SHOWS
LONG STAPLE
Will Average Better Than
Cotton Grown in Central
Part of the State.
WEANS BETTER PRICE
— !
-Cotton classing a recent departure
if the U. S. Bureau of Markets and
;he extension department of the Tex-1
is A. A M. College will give the far-1
iners of the Valley an opportunity to
profit by the longer staple which
the Valley lands can produce when
rompared with the cotton produced in
central or north Texas or in other
cotton growing sections of th * south
according to a statement made yes-
terday by County Agent Richardson.
Cameron county has a cotton class-
pr C. A. Cathey who maintains an i
office at Harlingen and who is
working under the direction of the
IT. S Bureau of Markets and the
& M. extension departments. Mr.
f'athey has made an exhaustive study
of the cotton produced in the Val-
ley and he has learned that almost
invariably the staple is from one six-
teenth to one eighth of an inch long-
er than the same variety of cotton
produced in other sections. The
greater part of tin* cotton grown in
the Valley is the Mebane variety
and Mr. Cathey has classed scores of
samples with the result that he has
found the staple longer here than the
same variety grown in other parts of
*he state.
/\n eTTort is now firing made ny
the cotton section of the Cameron
County Council of Agriculture to in-
duce the farmers of ihe Valley to
profit by this production of a longer
staple. Heretofore no attempt has
been made to have cotton classed. In
fart it is a new step in the primary
cotton markets and it is stated there
is no reason why the farmers of the
Valley should m t profit from $2.50
to $25.00 per bale by reason of hav-
ing a longer staple to place on the
market. Under present conditions the
mills are obliged to buy cotton of
varying lengths class it themselves
for their various purposes and then
dispose of the length they cannot use
to the mills that can use it. All of
this is necessarily expensive and the
result is the producer loses a part of
his profit.
The Bureau of Markets now main-
tains offices at Dallas and Houston
which keep in constant touch with
the world markets ami can designate
shipments of classified cotton so the
producer can realize the greatest
profit. In fact the Bureau of Mar-
kets acts somewhat in the capacity of
a clearing house for the producers
and manufacturers of cotton giving
the producer an opportunity to dis-
pose of his long staple cotton to the
best advantage and also furnishing
manufacturers an opportunity to se-
cure the desired lengths.
Last year the government had four
(Continued on page (»)
\ *’ ' • !*•
PRES. WILSON
ANSWERS THE
PRY OF FALL
WASHINGTON IX C. Aug 21.— |
President Wilson ha* not the power
to declare peace by ptoclaniation nor I
could he consent in any circumstan-
ces to take such action prior to the
ratification of the formal peace
treaty by the United States senate.
The president made known in his re-
ply today to Senator Fall in answer .
to one of the twenty written ques
tions Senator Fall presented at the
conference Monday.
Replying to another question Presi-
dent Wilson said the provision provid-1
peace after ratification by Germany j
and the three principal associated i
powers and it is questionable wheth- i
er the league of nation is created by
the aisociation of only the allied gov-;
eminent*.
Leaders on both sides of the treaty
were in doubt today when a vote
would he reached on the resolution
by Senator Puttman. the democratic '
member of the foreign relations com-
mittee. proposing to keep the reser-
vat ions to the League of Nations cov-
enant separate from the resolution:
on ratification. Republican leaders
said that if the administration want- j
ed a vote they were willing hut or-
dinarily the resolution should go to
the foreign relations committee first.;
OFFERING ARMY j
SUPPLIES F 0 R
SALE IN SCHOOL
NEW YORK. N. Y Aug. 21— A
departure in the sale of surplus
arn.y foodstuffs was inaugurated
here today when the foodstuffs were
placed yn sale in fifty-eight of the
public schools and under the direc-
tion of the department of markets.
It is believed this will assist material-
ly in alleviating ihe food shortage and
high prices in this city.
IMMEDIATE WITHDRAWAL OF D. S.
TROOPS IS ASKED BY AMBASSADOR
CONGRESS ASKS’
PRESIDENT F 0 R
COMPLETE DATA
—
Information in Possession of
Federal Trade Commis-
sion Requested.
WANT RATIO OF COST!
Claim Cost of Labor Not Re-
sponsible for Living Costs.
WASHINGTON H. C.. Aup. 21.—
President Wilson by a resolution in-
troduced in the house today was re-
quested to furnish the information
now in the possession of the federal
trade commission which will identify
the porportion of cost the cost of la-
bor now forms in the total cost of
production of coal steel copper
neat canned ^oods and other neces-
sities. The resolution was introduced
it the request of the national federa.
:ion of federal employes which has
tinnounoed that the information now
in the hands of the federal trade com-
mission would effectually dispose of
the vicious fallacy that labor costs
represent the chief item in the in-
creased cost of living.
An attack on the governmental
tendency toward assuming control of
business enterprises especially in the
proposed supervision of the packing
industry was made today by Senator
Fernald of Maine. He declared his
opposition to the Kenyon and Ken-
drick bills and characterized them as
stifling throttling legislation. He
predicted the country would suffer
from higher costs and poorer ser-
vice should they be enacted.
Amendments to the food control
act imposing a $5000 fine and im-
prisonment for two years for profit-
eering was ordered favorably report-
ed today by the house agricultural
committee.
STATE TROOPS
GUARDING BIG
STEEL MILLS
HAMMOND. Ind . Aug. 21.—With
four companies of state troops on
guard here quiet again reigns in the
Standard Steel Car Company plant
where two thousand employes have
been on strike several weeks. Six ad-
ditional companies of state troops
are expected to arrive today. The
steel company has announced that a
full force of new workers will be em-
ployed as soon as possible. Martial
law is to be declared in the district
if it is found necessary in order to
protect the property according to a
statement made today by Adjutant
General Smith.
DEPTH MEASUREMENTS AT
BRAZOS SANTIAGO BAR ARE
COMPLETED BY ENGINEERS
The party of engineers which has
i been employed in making depth meas-
urments at the bar on Brazos Santi-
ago for th<> purpose of determining
if a suffieient depth existed to make
' it possible to use a large dredge which
vs now available at Galveston for the
purpose of dredging the channel at
Point Isabel completed their work
j yesterday.
The party which consists of C. A.
Didenour A. H. Crowley S. .1. Brom-
ley and John Frondolig left Point
Isabel this morning and arrived in
‘ Brownsville shortly after noon. From
here they are going to Corpus Christi
and Port Aransas in the automo-
biles leaving Brownsville this after-
noon. The report of their measure-
over to the chief engineers and will
ments will be immediately turned
over to the chiefengineers and will
doubtless he made public in a few
days.
Mr. Ridenour was employed here
several weks last winter on the river
protection work and has a number
of friends in this city and at Fort
Brown lie is a thoroughly capable
’engineer and has clone some excellent
• work in this section of the state.
I
Punitive Expedition Reported to
Killed One Bandit and Captured
More of Band Which Held U. S.
Aviators for Ransom.
(By The Associated Press)
WASHINGTON D. C. Aug. 21.—Pro-
tests against the entry of American troops in
Mexico in search of bandits who held two
American army officers for ransom together
with a request that they be withdrawn im-
mediately was made to the state department
today by the Mexican ambassador. The am-
bassador acted on instructions from his gov-
ernment.
It was announced at the state department
that no answer to the protest would be made
today. While no announcement regarding
the movement of the American force was made
known there were indications that the Mexi-
can protest would not hasten their withdraw-
al. The troops went in on a “hot trail” and
were not expected to return until the bandits
either had been captured or the trail has be-
come cold.
M ARFA Tex. Aug. 21.—One bandit has been
killed and two others have been captured since the
American troops crossed*the border Tuesday ac-
cording to a cavalry sergeant who reached the bor-
der after dark last night. The sergeant reported
that Captain Matlock had captured two bandits
who are believed to have been implicated in the
capture and detention of the two aviators Davis
and Peterson.
NOGALES Ariz. Aug. 21.—A United States
intelligence officer at tlii> place lias arrested M. J.
Dominguez paymaster for the Mexican army and
said to be on the stat f of Governor Calles of Sonora
with >ix thousand rounds of revolver ammunition
in his possession.
( iAI A EST< )N Tex. Aug. 21.—Consul Meade
Merro located here is in receipt of information to
the effect that seven of the bandits who held up and
robbed American sailors from the ( rui>er ( hey-
emu* last month near Tampico have been arrested
and put to death according to official report from
General Pablo Gonzalez. The report states that
bandits were found with documents and property
in their possession belonging to Americans.
YANKS AND HUNS
HAVE A SERIOUS
CLASH TUESDAY
—
COPENHAGEN Aug 21.—A col
lision between American soldier - and
German sailors which occurred Tues-
day at Neufhr\vao-er near Danzig re
suited in ti e wounding of several ci-
vilians and one German .seaman ac-
cording to Danzig dispatches. The
disorder was the outgrowth of a J
dance hall quarrel Monday night. I
Tue day morning some seamen from
a German cruiser came to blow- with
the Americans and a number of ci-
vilians also attacked the Yankee rail •
ors. The Americans upported by a
number of French seamen charged
the crowd and for a brief time the
fighting was fast and furou-. Frtm ;
tier guards finally dispersed the
crowds and the Americans and i
i French returned to their ships.
ROANOKE Vn Aug 31 - Thirteen
passengers were injured today whti;
the Norfolk Western passenger train
was derailed near Boyce early this
morning. None appeared to be in-
I jured seriously.
ONE THEATRE IN
CHICAGO IS NOW
DOING BUSINESS
(By The A ><.iatcd l‘r»-
CHICAGO. Aug. 21.—Patrons
of the spoken drama in this city
are now obliged to confine them-
selves to one play house as ell the
theatres where the spoken drama
is produced with one exception
were closed today as the result of
the strike inaugurated yesterday
hv the actors stage hands and
musicians.
— — ■—..— -.
PARDONED MAN IS
BEING HELD FOR
EXTRADITION BABER
' Hi Hi. As«orinte«l |>r- -* i
AUSTIN Texas A up. 21. -1* M.
Dolmas. pardoned recently by Clir*
ernor Hobby while bting return?"4
to jail as an escaped convict is no”
itehl in jail at Huyitsville pendim e.v
tradition proceeiltfi rasln tip* stat*» >f
\S a lum-ton. (.over my Hobby pran*-
ed Dolmas a full pardln becau? * of
his heroic service in the British er...
after his esenpe from the Texas peni-
tentiary. Dolmas will be ornnti i i
hearing: before the extradition
passed upon.
I
0 .. ir
Upcoming Pages
Here’s what’s next.
Search Inside
This issue can be searched. Note: Results may vary based on the legibility of text within the document.
Tools / Downloads
Get a copy of this page or view the extracted text.
Citing and Sharing
Basic information for referencing this web page. We also provide extended guidance on usage rights, references, copying or embedding.
Reference the current page of this Newspaper.
Brownsville Herald (Brownsville, Tex.), Vol. 26, No. 42, Ed. 1 Thursday, August 21, 1919, newspaper, August 21, 1919; Brownsville, Texas. (https://texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metapth1377385/m1/1/?rotate=0: accessed July 18, 2024), University of North Texas Libraries, The Portal to Texas History, https://texashistory.unt.edu; .