Mercedes Tribune (Mercedes, Tex.), Vol. 3, No. 28, Ed. 1 Thursday, August 17, 1916 Page: 1 of 6
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V
OFFICIAL ORGAN
OF THE UNIT MAR-
§ KETIN6 SYSTEM |
tribune
f Devoted to the Ad- I
i vancement of the Agri- f
% cultural and Commer-
<$>
| cial Interests of the Rib
S Grande Valley : :
VOLUMN liL
MERCEDES. HIDALGO COUNTY. T EXAS, THURSDAY, AUGUST 17,1916
NUMBER 28.
MESS CIRCLES
FEAR STRIKE OUTCOME
Tieing Up Railroads Would Affect
Every Industry and Millions of
People Would Suffer.
NAVY BILL GETS
THROUGH HOUSE
INCREASE OF 75,000 ENLISTED
MEN IS AUTHORIZED-
New York, August 16.-—If President
Wilson fails to persuade the railroad
men and their employers to settle
their difficulties and a general strike
is called, it will be directed from
Igfa&lquarters in this city. This an-
xmuncement was made Monday as the
leaders of the four big railway broth-
erhoods and the railroad managers
reached Washington for a conference
with the head of the nation.
At brotherhood headquarters it was
said that all preparations had been
made for putting into effect a strike
that would stop eyery train, passen-
) ger and freight, on the 225 railway
systems of the United States. The
L critical state of affairs was indicated
^y the anxiety displayed in every big
lustry which would be crippled by
failure of transportation.
Ithorities here declared while the
!onal labor laws gave the presi-
dent no right to interfere officially,
the broad police force vested in him
gave him authority to put. soldiers on
the trains and even to declare mar-
tial law if he believed ilie peril of
the situation called lor such drastic
measures. Attention was called to the
last national rah road strike in. 1894,
when President Cleveland used the
regular army to guard locomotives
and cars.
Bill That Will Make United States
Second Sea Power of The World
Is Finally Passed Ey Congress.
STRIKE SITUATION
NOT CHANGED
PRESIDENT UNARLE TO BRING
WARRING FACTIONS
TOGETHER
Washington, August 16.—Congress
virtually completed the national de-
fense program tonight by finally ap-
proving the great increases in the
naval construction and personnel Wilson, the railroad managers com-
Conferences at the White ILonse Will
Be Renewed But Administration Of-
ficials Admit That Chance of Set-
tlement Has Lessened.
Washington, August 16.—Another
day of conferences between President
ORDER FOR MURE
TROOPS REVOKED
STRIKE ’SITUATION CAUSE OF
POSTPONING MOVEMENT OF
30,000 MORE TROOPS-
written into the naval bill by the sen-
ate and strongly urged by the Wil-
son administration. The house ac-
cepted the building program which its
conferees had refused to accept, by
a vote of 283 to 51, sov^u mot voting.
The personnr' biP, oVer vcUkd- there
also had been dm-- grcmnent, was Ac-
cepted without a record vote.
The bill as Cr .Cy ;:.assed provides
for an increase oi 74,700 enlisted men
in the m vy and the building pro-
gram calls for cue hundred and fifty-
seven war -vessels within the next
three years, with eight capital ships
within the next year. The house had
previously provided for only five cap-
ital ships and increased personnel of
65,000 men. There will be further
conferences on lesser proposed
amendments, including navy yard im
provements.
The building authorization is the
largest ever passed in this country
and will give the United States the
second largest navy in the world.
The vote was non- partisan, republi-
cans on the floor stating that the
democrats were not entitled for all
the credit for the bill, because rer
publicahs desired preparedness as
mittee and motherhood leaders
brought no settlement, in the situa-
Secretary Baker in Letter Says Troops
Are performing an Important and
Necessary Service to the Country.
An order was issued from the war
department Saturday directing that
30,000 troops which are being held
in mobilization camps he immediate-
ly sent to the border. The order af-
FIRST FIELD DAY
AT LLANO GRANDE
Wednesday is Given Over to Sports
and Athletes Are itted Against
Each Other in Lively Regimental
Contests.
tion which threatens a country-wide I fected the Ohio and Kentucky Nation-
strhm of railroad employes, but pav-| ai Guards and practically all state
troops not already on the border.
.j<i the way for further conferences.
After the managers saw the presi-
dent, this mornng it was stated that
he situation was very precarious and
representatives of the men went into
conference with the president at 3
o’clock this afternoon feeling gloomy.
They left him two hours later more
hopeful.
It was stated tonight that there is
now a possibility of direct settlement
between the two sides without resort
to arbitration. The employer’s com-
mittee said consideration had been
given at their conference to the sug-
gestion that the principle of the eight
hour day be reported and collateral
issues investigated by the commission.
This matter will be discussed by la-
bor leaders tonight and probably will
be referred to the employers’ repre-
sentatives now in New York.
The destination of the troops was not
announced but it is generally be-
lieved that they were to go to El
Paso and the Great Bend districts al-
though it was admitted that a por-
tion of them might come to the Low-
er Valley.
On Tuesday the order was revok-
ed and the men directed to be held
in camp pending negotiations for the
settlement of the railroad strike. In
the event of a strike it was consid-
ered undesirable to have all the
troops on the border when they might
be needed to preserve order in the
[states. In the event of the settlemnt
of the strike it is said that the order
The tenrum ;n business circles heie-wejj as democrats.
Monday showed a realization of the j nayaj bill carries appropria-
acute danger of a national calamity, j tions of nearly $662,000,000, and is
An aggregate of financial losses, | the1 most important achievement of
running perhaps into hundreds oi j this session.
millions, labor idleness and food pri- j . .....' " .
ration were some of the possibilities ! SOLDIER KILLS COMRADE-
which a strike presented.
At their conference today President
Wilson told the employees of the dis-
astrous effect a strike would have on
the country at this time and appealed
to their patriotism to make conces-!relation tiie, Presence °~ the tioops
will be reinstated.
Some light has been thrown upon
the attitude of . the administration in
»ions.
on the border by a letter from Sec-
Wednesday was Field Day at Llano
Grande- The field days will be held
twice a month. The first was a big
success. No drills were held and the
day was given over wholly to sports.
Minnesota results were as follows:
In the First, Sergeant James A.
Chase and John Percy, a White Earth
Indian, were the individual stars for
Company L. Percy won second place
in the one-hundred yard dash and
loped home with a big lead in the
two-hundred and twenty. Chase won
both the equipment and blank car-
tridge races.
The equipment race was one of the
features of the day’s events. Stand-
ing in their stocking feet, the con-
testants started by putting on their
shoes and then picking up and adjust-
ing parts of their equipment at 20
yard intervals. Then seizing their
rifles, they ran back to the starting
point, loaded the rifles with blanks
and fired a shot.
The wall scaling contest with its
many mishaps, furnished the amusing
part of the program.
Most of the runners and jumpers
entered their events in their stocking
feet because of lack of tennis shoes.
Sore feet caused by running on the
hard clay were numerous among the
ambitious athletes last night.
The results in the First regiment
were as follows.
100 yard dash—Hendrixs, G, first;
Percy, L, second; Sorokurs, I, third.
220 yard dash: Percy, L, Sorokurs,
CITRUS PLANTING
FOR NEXT YEAR
Value of Orchards in California. Min-
imum and Reasons. Maximum Not
Known. Maximum Selling. Produc-
tion. Evidence from Daily Papers.
Why So High. Can Be Done Here?
Yes Knowledge and Application of
Knowledge Required.
(This is the ninth of a series of
articles writen for the Tribune by
Eltwed Pomeroy of Dona, Texas.
Riverside, California.
Yesterday I was in the office of my
friend, Mr. Musser, president of the
Aggeler & Musser Co. of Los Ange-
les and a nice elderly gentleman
came in and was introduced to me.
He wanted to ask Mr. Musser as an
entirely disinterested friend about the
exchange of some property for 10
acres of orange orchard, 8 years old,
near Glendora. The price asked for
this 10 acres was $25,00.00 or $2,500
per acre. The two gentlemen both
residents of California went into its
value and the discussion ended by
their agreeing that it was likely
worth the $25,000 but was certainly
easily worth $20,000 or $2,000 per
acre. The owner claimed there was
already on it $3,000 of fruit for next
winter’s harvesting. Mr. Musser
thought there would be little diffi-
culty in selling it shortly for at least
the $20,000.
California Orchard Valuations-
We are all a litle leary of valua-
tions put onto property by real es-
tate men, Chambers of Commerce, etc.
I could give any quantity of such
valuations but cite this as being a
valuation fixed by the man who ex-
pects to, buy the property and neces-
sarily must buy it at the right price
It was to be remembered, business
men said, that there is scarcely a
•"factory of any importance which does
not ‘Aepend on a railroad for its pro-
ducts. A strike, for instance, would
mean that the steel mills of Pitts-
burg will be cut off from their ore
supplies in Michigan and Wisconsin,
the automobile industries of Michi-
jrap. from supplies of steel from Pitts-
burg, the cotton mills of New Eng-
land from their cotton from the south,
the garment manufacturers of New
York from their cloth from New Eng-
land and every industry everywhere
will he cut off from coal to feed their
furnaces and dynamos. Of more im-
mediate seriousness would be the
question of food supply. The large
communities which receive the bulk j shot him and then shot me.
i officials, however, are not so hope-
Brownsville Scene of Tragedy in j ful, but took the positions that there
Which Virginia Guardsman j is still some prospects of a settle-
Loses Life. jment.
-___ I The employes’ subcommittee to-
Brownsville, Tex. Aug. 16.—Be-
cause she refused to marry him, Carl
Dunches, chief carpenter in the
quartermaster corps, tonight mortally
wounded his sweetheart, Josefa Val-
dez, and shot and. killed Corporal
J. Leo Clements, of the second Vir-
ginia infantry, who tried to arrest
him.
The Valdez woman, who is in the
hospital, stated to the authorities that
Dunches said: “Marry me or I will
kill you.” She said: “My aunt rushed
out and called the soldiers and when
Clements entered the door Dunches
It was declared tonight that as yetjretary of War Baker in answer Jm*. Lang, B; - Hetolrhs, i who’^ to
neither side has given m on materially unnamed correspondent. Th ;G. G. Custer> q. ! either the purchase or the sale save
points and the crisis probably will j letter reads; j High jump: Barthold, C, and G. i the one of a friend’s to give good
come tomorrow, but it is generally j y yom. lettei. o{ j v; Ly j Custer, G, first. Corporal Marches- j advice and further this gentleman is
me^will be reached W in Mich you suggest that rn the | sauls and Privates Singleman, Mead! qualified by a twenty year’s residence
ment will be leached- A hratrau abgenCe Qf a gtate of war the War Storm, Coughlin, Lyons, Bruce, F. | in California and is a man of fine
Department should issue such an or- ' Custer. | business qualifications. I regard such
der as would permit the return to j Company D, second, L third. 1 evidence as conclusive of the price
their civilian occupations of mem-I Litter bearers: Benson, M; Lutt- i citrus orchards are selling at for
bers of the organized militia and the j rell, B; machine gun. good ones,
night sent to New York for the sis National Guard, now in -the service of j Blank cartridge race: Chase, L; j Mmivmrn Valuations.
*n^rr n-p in* i the Government on the border, tfho Kneip, E; Norris, B. Of course you can buy orchards tor
desire to return to their business car- j Equipment race: Chase, L; Kneip, j less than $2,000 valuation. 'There are
eers, I beg leave to say that the as- IE; Hesse, C. ! orchards in the sandy and gravelly
of their food from long distances
would be forced to rely on what pro-
duct could be brought in by wagon,
automobile, trolly or vessel.
The suspension of the country’s ex-
ports, the congestion of imports at
coast cities, the stranding of hun-
dreds of thousands of travelers and
summer resort visitors far from their
homes—these are other possibilities
which the strike situation presents,
to say nothing of its effect upon the
railroads themselves and their em-
ployes.
The total capitalization of the rail-
roads in the country amount to more
than $20,000,000,000 and their gross
revenue has been estimated at more
than $4,000,000,000 on the basis of re-
cent reports.
* The latest estimates available show
that the railways operate 251,984
miles of lines and transport annually
1,033,679,680 passengers. The passen-
ger cars .have been computed at 51,-
700 and other cars at 2,393,808.
He used an automatic pistol. Dun-
ches fired three shots in an ineffec-
tual attempt to take his own life.
Only one of the bullets took effect,
it grazing his cheek. He then went
to the county jail and surrendered,
saying: “I can’t kill myself, so I
had just as well give up.”
Duncbess expressed no remorse
over the killing of Clements but was
nearly crazed over the condition of
his sweetheart.
NEW TRAIN SCHEDULE.
FARMER KILLS VICIOUS MEXICAN
Coroner’s Jury Exonerates Thos. Mc-
Ghee for Killing Mexican Who At-
tacks Him.
Basilio Ybarra, a former Villa sol-
dier and who came to Mercedes after
the Villa defeat at Matamoros, was
shot and instantly killed Tuesday
evening by Thomas McGhee. McGhee
is a tenant for Jno. P. Sewell on his
farm three miles northeast of Mer-
cedes. The dead man lived with his
wife only a short distance from Mc-
Ghee. Saturday night the Mexican
killd one of McGhee’s horses by cut-
hundred and forty members of the
central committee to come to Wash-
ington in order to facilitate negotia-
tions. They are expected here Thurs-
day and probably will see President
Wilson Friday. The managers’ com-
mittee is to confer with the Presi-
dent again tomorrow. President Wil-
son spent most of the day conferring
with both sides separately. Every-
body concerned was reticent tonight.
THIRD COMMISSIONER
ALSO DECLINES
Two Places Yet to Be Filled on the
American -Mexican Commission.
Washington, August 16.—The third
man selected by President Wilson to
compose the commission with Secre-
tary Lane and Justice Brandies to
settle the differences with Mexico,
has declined to serve, it became
known tonight. Justice Brandeis al-
ready had decided not to accept and
President Wilson is considering a
long list of names to fill the two
places. The name of the third man
originally chosen has never been
made public.
sembling of the militia upon the; Pitching shelter tents: Company E, river bottoms ' which should never
Mexican border, pursuant to an order j Owens and Hohlford, first, C, second j pave ben planted with trees, which
of the President, was done Only in G third. | can easily be bought for $500 per
presence of a National emergency, the Boxing and wrestling bouts were
regular army of the United States held during the afternoon,
being inadequate in size to afford the Indiana Results,
necessary protection to the lives of
men, wo men adnhcidrlt DhomeszJ
NEW RASE HOSPITAL
WILL BE COMPLETE
$30,000 to be Expended. Eleven Build-
ings and Ten Acres of Ground to
acre or less. There are others plant-
ed with trees budded from immature
trees which have born splendidly for
Indiana results were as follows: j f0U1-; five, six years but which are
The Purdue Athletes of Battery B j now petering out and such orchards
men, women and children, citizens won most of the points in the con- j can be bought cheap. There are oth-
of the United States in that disturbed test in the artillery battalion. Private I ers where the budding has been done
situation. • Hawkins of Battery B won the 100 from Water sprouts and from the so-
“A call to arms upon any body of yard dash. The 220 yard dash result-
men in the country, except the regu- ed as follow s. Pi ivate Young o Bat
lar army, who make a profession of tei'y A first; Private Hawkins, B,
the military life, would inevitably in-; second; Private McKinley, B, thn .
terrupt business, professional and j Private Schultz of Battei y A won t e
personal careers, and it is impossible! baseball throwing contest. His throw
to imagine any situation in which was 321 feet- Schultz also won the
the organized militia or National j standing broad jump and Corporal
Guard of the several states could be ! Eviston of Battery B was second. Pri-
summoned into the Federal service jvate Abbott, a man of Purdue Uni-
without hardships and inconveniences j versity, won the honors foi Battei y
and yet both the Constitution of the B in the running broad jump- Pri-
United States and the laws made puT- vates Taylor and Eviston, both of
suant thereto recognize these militia ' Battery B, won second and thii d, 1
and National Guard units as the sec- ■ pectively. The Band C batteries won
ond reliance of the Government for in a baseball game over Battei y A by
a score of 15 to 10. Private Crim of
Battery B pitched for the winning
team. Lieutenant Sidney Miller was
the Battery catcher.
The first and second battalions of
the First Indiana Infantry won over
the protection of the interests of the
United States and the lives of citi-
zens of the country.
The .department regrets these in-
conveniences and hopes that the
be Used to Make One of Most Mod- j emergency will rapidly disappear and i
„ t . ,, ~ , 1 „ ,. j the third battalion of the same regi
ern Hospitals m the Country. that there will be such a restoration
^ j .1 i, , I ment m a ball game, the score be-
The contract for the' construction ! of order and secunty on the frontier 1
of the buildings of the new base j as will permit the speedy return of
hospital at Llano Grande has been these citizen soldiers to their several
awarded to the McMurry Lumber Co. j civilian pursuits.
of Mercedes. j . .“In the meantime this department
The contract price for the buildings has taken steps to mitigate and re-
is $18,000. The plumbing, painting and lieVe as far as possible the unusual
Railroad Puts 'On Additional Motor1 ting its throat, and told another | equipment will bring the total up to j and exceptional hardship which has
Car Train Between Brownsville
and Sam Fordyce.
*
( O new train service went into effect
on the branch line yesterday and the
schedule of all trains greatly changed
without the exception of the motor
car which still runs on the old sched-
ule.
y A new motor train has been added
on which mail, baggage and express
is carried between Harlingen and
Sam Fordyce.
Under the new schedule trains will
leave Mercedes . as follows:
Westbound: 9:45 a. m.; 11:50 a. m.
and 6:08 p- m. Eastbound: 9:02 a. m.,
3 p, m. and 6:08 p. m.
I Mexican that he intended to fix Mc-
| Ghee the same way. Tcesday night
1 McGhee met the Mexican on the road
near his house and asked him why he
wished to kill him. Instead of reply-
ing the Mexican rushed at him with
a knife and McGhee shot him twice
both bullets passing through the
heart causing instant death. McGhee
has lived in Mercedes all his life
and hears a good reputation. He had
had no trouble with the dead man
and no reason is known for the en-
mity shown by the Mexican. Justice
Stedman held an inquest over the
body and McGhee was promptly ex-
onerated after the facts of the kill-
ing developed.
$30,000. 1 arisen in classes especially subject
Ten acres of ground have been set to distress by reason of the service
aside for the buildings. There will demanded. To the extent that this
be an administration and six wards can be done in fact, it will be done,
buildings each 20x102, a kitchen 20x but the primary consideration must
60, a dining room 20x80 and two bath be the safety of our border and the
houses each 11x32. Each of the build- preservation and protection of. the
ings will be entirely surrounded by a lives of our citizens there.
called Australian orange trees and
the trees are beautiful and large and
if well-cared for, fine looking but
they bear so small crops of fruit,
that as income producers, they are
nearly worthless and the inexperi-
enced buyer will think these are very
cheap at five hundred, six hundred
or a thousand an acre but they are
not. Such are the minimum valua-
tions.
Average Valuations.
Fairly good orchards in rather re-
mote sections can often be picked up
for $1,000 to $1,500 an acre but such
are low prices. Of course there are
times,' forced sales due to mortgage
foreclosures or to death and the nec-
essity of division of the property
where orchards are sold for much
less than their true value but I
should say a good average valuation
foi a bearing orchard of good quality
located not too remote from rail-
roads and the centers of imputation,
was between $1500 and $2000 per
acre and of course houses, barns, etc.,
would be extra but this would in-
clude land, trees, water rights and br-
ing 6 to 2. Privates Grossnickle and
Wagoner of the * Bloomington aom-
pany formed the battery of the win-
ning team, while Privates. Eddie of
Gary and Ross of Fort Wayne did
the pitching, with Private Roseman ^^“fjumes and ditches,
of Knox catching for the losers.
The Crawfordsville company, in
whose ranks are . several Wabash
college athletes, won most of the
points in the field day meet in the . , , ,
Second Infantry. Privates Grimes and I largest owners of lemon orchards.
Crawfordsville finished |hali a 6%-acre tract separated by
some distance from his main orchard
. Maximum Valuations.
A maximum valuation is very hard
to obtain as the best paying orchards
do not change hands. But one of the
screened in porch eight feet wide.
“It will be a source of great happi-
All will be connected by the same j ness to me when full relief can be
line of plumbing, and 1500 feet of j given to these men who have placed
board walks will connect them. In ! themselves subject to this call of duty
the center will be a two-acre rectan-
gle court in which sub-tropicaih
plants and flowers will be planted.
The eqipment throughout will be
complete and capable of taking care
of any emergency.
and in the meantime I am filled with
admiration for the spirit with which
the militia has met the call, and
with which they are performing an
important and necessary service to
their country at this time.”
Keller of
first and second in the. 100 yard
dash with Privates Tugle of Lebanon
third. A mile walking race was an
interesting feature, each of the con-
testants being in full marching or-
der. Private Bastien of Crawfordsville
was winner, making the distance in
11 fninutes and fifty-one seconds. This
was considered excellent time consid-
ering that he had a pack on his hack
Private Branson of Crawfordsville
(Continued on page 5)
and three years ago he sold this to
his foreman as a personal favor, for
$17,600.00 or just under $3,000 per
acre. This was below its real value
and in three years, the buyer had
paid for the place out of its proceeds
and had built himself a house on it.
Mr- A. D. Shamel, the agent of the
U. S. Department of Agriculture here,
who has consistently refrained from
(Continued on Page 4)
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Hoyt, L. T. Mercedes Tribune (Mercedes, Tex.), Vol. 3, No. 28, Ed. 1 Thursday, August 17, 1916, newspaper, August 17, 1916; Mercedes, Texas. (https://texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metapth635027/m1/1/: accessed July 18, 2024), University of North Texas Libraries, The Portal to Texas History, https://texashistory.unt.edu.; crediting Dr. Hector P. Garcia Memorial Library.