davidaulloa/AmericanStories huggingface dataset:
The Birmingham age-herald., 1914-12-28
AUSTRIAN REPORT

Vienna. December 27.-(via London, December 2S. 3:21 a. m. )-The following official communication was issued to- night:
 "The situation in the Carpathians is unchanged.
 "The Russian offensive between Ky manow and Tuchow forced our troops to fall back short distance in the district before the Galician Csrpa- thians.
 Hostile attacks failed on the lower Dunajec river and the lower Nida. Fighting continues in the region of Tomaszow.
 The Balkan theatre is quiet.
 "The territory of the dual monarchy. with the exception of insignificant frontier districts in Bosnia, Herze- govina and South Dalmatia Is free from the enemy. The narrow tract of land at Spizza and Budua (southeast of Cat taro in Dalmati) from the beginning of the war has been occupied by Mon tenegrins. Their attack on Boche Di Cattaro has completely failed. Their French guns posted on the frontier heights had to suspend their fire after they had been bombarded from our forts and our naval guns.
 "As the bombardment of the isolated coast Qualifications by French squad- rons also has been unsuccessful, the paval port (Cattaro) is now completely in our hands,"
The Birmingham age-herald., 1914-12-28
ASK KCONGRESS ID CALL CONFERENCE
 FOR WORLD PEACE
The National Peace Forum Would Have Representa- tives of Nations of World
 Discuss Disarmament

New York, December 27.-Resolu- lions asking Congress to call a world conference to discuss disarmament a. the close of the present European war were adopted at a meeting held here tonight under auspices of the National Peace forum.
 "We, assembled here tonight in the cause of peace" the resolutions read, do earnestly and prayerfully petition the Congress of the United States to call a conference of the worlds na- tions at the close of the war to T. eet and take some adequate action re- specting disarmament and the cstab- fishing of a court of arbitral justice and the creation of an international police force able to enforce the decrees of the court and thus prevent repe- tition of the horrors of war"
 The International Peace forum al ready has organized a committee in cluding many prominents for the pur- pose of advancing the world peace movement. The committee includes William II. Taft, Andrew Carnegie, Charles S. Whitman, Charles W. Fair banks, Henry Clews, Theodore P. Shonts, John Hays Hammond, Warren G. Harding and Bainbridge Colby. MT. Clews presided at tonights meeting and addresses favoring the movement were made by MT. Hammond, MT. Colby and the Rev. John Wesley Hill, pres ident of the forum.
The Birmingham age-herald., 1914-12-28
WAR NEWS CONDENSED

Comparative quiet prevails in the western theatre of war In Flanders the cannonading has been intermittent but in the Argonne region and Alsace there have been attacks and counter attacks with no material progress on either side.
 French aviators, the way of a reply to the dropping of bombs on Nancy by the Germans, flew over the avia- ton hangars of Frescar, one of the railroad stations of Metz, throwing down bombs in their flight
 Notwithstanding the fact that re- cent official statement announced that the Germans had ceased their attacks on the Bzura river, in Russian Po- land. latest advices from Berlin in dicate that they still are advancing in that region. Petrograd asserts. however, that along the Bzura and Rawka rivers the fighting of late has been confined to artillery.
 The Austrians in Galicia, the Rus sian general staff asserts, have been driven back to the neighborhood of Tarnow, where many prisoners We're taken. The Austrians are reported to have retreated in disorder. They
The Birmingham age-herald., 1914-12-28
TURNER SALESMEN
 WILL BE HERE NEXT
 WEEK FOR MEETING
Next Monday Night Gewin- ner Will be Placed on the GridirOn by the
 Sellers

The entire selling organization of the Turner Electric company will reach Bir- mingham next week to remain a week Conferences between the salesmen are scheduled for every aftrnoon of the week and three nights. Next Monday night H. J. Gewinner, manager. of the auto mobile accessory department will be placed on the gridiron by the saiesmen. who will propound to him questions re- garding automobile tires from every angle. Friends of Mir. Gewinner claim there is no better posted man on automobile tires in the United States and he will have to maintain his reputation on that evening. Mir Gewinner says the Turner com pany during the coming year will sell more than s20o,000 worth of tires He believes that there is no better tire in the world than that sold by his com pany and the Turner salesmen are im- bued with the same feeling
 The sales organization of the com any had its annual vacation from De- cember 20 to 2I, and will. begin the new year after the meeting with a spirit that they mean to make win.
The Birmingham age-herald., 1914-12-28

also are said to have been forced back from the line running from Zmigrod to Duckla, in the Carpathians, with enor- nous losses, including 10000 prison CTS.
 The British raid on the German coast with seaplanes apparently netted small results. Four of the seven sea planes were lost and one British of- flcer is thought to have been drowned. The attack brought about a unique engagement in which submarines, cruisers. seaplanes, destroyers. aero planes and Zeppelins took part
 With the return to Paris January z. of the ministry of war from Bordeaux all branches of the French govern ment again will have their headquar- ters in Paris
 bria, at Beirut, Syria, to render any necessary aid to the American cruiser North Carolina should there be further demonstration against the departure of Europeans from Turkish territory.
 Russia has officially denied the re- port that she has ceded half of the island of Sakhalin to Japan
 Emperor Nicholas again is with the Russian army at the front
 A regiment of Italian sharpshooters are on their way to Avlona Albania. to relieve the sailors landed there last week to put down disorder None of the powers has protested against Italy's occupation of Avlona.
 Turkey is said to be reinforcing her troops defending the Dardanelles and the Bosphorus with soldiers and ar- tillery from the Adrianople garrison.
The Birmingham age-herald., 1914-12-28
BESSEMER NEWS

Bessemer, December T.-(SpeciaL) 1.-The numerous industries in Bessemer will re- sume work Monday morning after a shut down of several days for the holidays The local plant of the United States Cast Iron Pipe and Foundry company and the plant of the Bessemer Foundry and Machine shop will resume work on full time. It is stated that the Bessemer rolling mill will resume operations in 8 few days and many of the plants will begin work on full time after the first of the year.
 The monument of Mrs. J. Marks, who died Il months ago, was dedicated this afternoon at the Jewish cemetery, the services being conducted by Rabbi Morris Newfield of Birmingham. It Is the Jew ish custom to dedicate the monuments of their beloved one during the eleventh month of their demise, and the services were very impressive. Dr. Newfield also
 dedicated the monument of Mrs. A. Forst.
 MT. and Mrs. John W. Perkins an- nounce the engagement and approaching marriage of their daughter, Mary Pen dleton Duncan. to Mir Leslie Walker AL len, the wedding to take place on Jan uary 19, at their home on Berkley ave- nue.
 The elimination of pretty romance was reached last night when Miss Amy Beckum of Augusta, Ga, and MT. Mar | tin Morton of Kennedy, Tex, were mar ried at the Alabama Great Southern depot at F o'clock by the Rev. M. K. Thorn ] ton. pastor of the First Baptist church
The Birmingham age-herald., 1914-12-28
TURKISH REPORT

Constantinople, December 2s--tvia London, S:3S a. m.)-An official com munication issued Sunday says:
 "The Turkish forces are victoricusly advancing along the Caucasian front There is no truth in the Russian of- ficial report that the Hamidieh has been torpedoed at Sebastopol. The Turkish fleet. including the Hamidieh steamed through the Black sea and re- turned without damage.
 "One of our warships on December 24, met Russian squadron composed of five battleships. two cruisers, 10 de- stroyers and three mine layers. The Turkish ship, single handed. during the night attacked and bombarded the bat tleship Rostialav and sank the two mine layers Oleg and Athos. Two Russian officers and 30 sailors were rescued and taken prisoners
 Simultaneously, another portion ol our fleet successfully bombarded Ba- tum On December 25, in the forenoon two of our ships offered battle to the Russian fleet, which retreated 10 Se- bastopol" st,a st
The Birmingham age-herald., 1914-12-28

that as representative of a firm that travels selling force of over 160 men, have put out from this base more of my firms products in dollars and cents for four consecutive years than any other salesman they have, you may ap- preciate my feelings toward Birming- ham as distributing point
 No, it is not from a standpoint of superior selling ability. but simply the advantages of this town as a point of distribution.
 1 don't see why we cannot get the branch houses here of northern and eastern firms that go to Atlanta and New Orleans. With better freight rate from some of these manufacturing cer- ters of the north and east than either Atlanta or New Orleans gets, a strong effort should be made to induce manu- lecturers to locate their branch firms here
 Frankly, to my point of view. there is a splendid opportunity for Birming- hams greater development as a jobbing center.
The Birmingham age-herald., 1914-12-28

In the crop diyersification campaign now being organized under the auspices of the Birmingham Chamber of Com merce, to be held during the month of February, the impression Is grow ing that the biggest and most far reaching work for the general develop ment of Birmingham and the state that has ever been undertaken by that in- stitution is getting under way.
 That the campaign will be held now is assured. The members of the Bir- mfngham chamber, as representatives of the entire northern half of the state in this matter. have enthusiastically taken up the movement; and the agents of the International Harvester com pany stated that the only requisite they demanded in order to put on the cam- paign was to be shown beyond a doubt that the people wanted it.
 Since the formal invitation was ex- tended through the Birmingham cham ber however, it has been warmly sec onded by representative farmers and business men from almost every sec tion of the state. Other civic bodies, also, have taken 1t up and indications are that they will Loyalty cooperate with the Birmingham chamber in put ting on the campaign. the matter hay ing been brought before the Montgom cry Business Mems league and civic bodies of other of the larger cities of the state.
 What Campaign Means
 What this campaign means. not only to the rural citizen, but to the urban dweller as we'll, can not be compre- hended unless given some serious con sideration. One of the admitted great economic errors of the south is the great preponderance of the cotton cror over other agricultural products. Cot ton as cotton is all right; it is one of the most remunerative products of the nation. But cotton in too large quantities proves to be boomerang
The Birmingham age-herald., 1914-12-28
ALABAMA NEEDS REPEAL OF THE EXEMPTION LAW

D. r. Markstein of the Markstein Bros. Millinery company is an optimist and speaks of the outlook for spring trade from that viewpoint. "Everything points to a resumption of business along lines nearer to normal" said MT. Markstein. '.The merchants will be compelled to re- plenish their stocks and business will be helped that much. Then. too. there seems to be much better feeling among merchants generally throughout the south- ern states reached by our salesmen.
 What Alabama needs just at this time Is the repeal of the state exemption law, which permits a merchant the exemption of $3000 of his property when he goes bankrupt. This makes 1t rather hard on the jobber and manufacturer who have advanced such a man goods on 90 or 60 or 90 days time in the expectation of get ting their money. If a merchant in small town Is inclined to be dishonest he can buy bill of goods to an amount less than the amount of the exemption, sell these goods, take out his exemption papers
The Birmingham age-herald., 1914-12-28
MERCHANTS EXPECTING
 FINE BUSINESS IN SPRING

goods, goods that are not in any sense of the word shopworn and business will be better all along the line.
 J. D. Monroe of the Doster-Northing- ton company expects to do good business in January. Business men are inclined to be more optimistic than for sometime past" said Mir Monroe. "The farmers in the territory through which I travel have resolved to devote less attention to cotton in 1915, and already 150O more acres of grain are planted than ever before in Chiffon county. The same holds true in Talladega county. The food crop of Ala bama will be larger next year than ever before, according to present indications.
 ''The merchants have been very con- seIvative and stocks are very low. Many merchants have taken advantage of the timidity of consumers as to conditions and have managed to get rid of old stock. They will have to make new purchases. This will help business and will be better for the consumer"
The Birmingham age-herald., 1914-12-28

and laugh at our collectors The matter should be placed before the legislature when it meets in January and the law should be amended, or repealed, and a new law enacted to take it's place. The latter plan would be infinitely better.
 "As to Birmingham's condition, an equalization board is the best remedy. There is no reason why with Birming- hams population 1t should be in financial stress. Property values here should be sufficient to pay the expenses of the city, if assessments were placed on an equitable basis. The project to establish a new county would cause many complications and would work a hardship on smaller manufacturers. When he has a suit in the Jefferson county court it might or could be that another suit would be called for the same day in the court of the new county. This would cause too many at torney fees and would cause many mix ups It shouldn't be.
 There should be a way found to aid the citys distressed condition and 1t must be found soon.'
The Birmingham age-herald., 1914-12-28

With the beginning of the new year. but four days away, the wholesalers and man. ufacturers of Birmingham are looking forward to a resumption of business on a much larger scale than has obtained during the past three or four months. Small-town merchants have been living from hand-to-mouth, so to speak, and stocks are so much depleted that buying on a conservative scale will be forced upon them. The jobbers and manufac- tufers of Birmingham will benefit.
 At Doster-Northingto Drug company optimism prevails among all the road statesmen. Practically every man ques- tioned Saturday gave it as his opinion that business would be much better the early part of the new year. In the drug line. as in everything else. merchants have been buying just what was needed, or rather what had to be purchased and stocks in this line are much depleted. The new year will begin with new stocks in the stores. The public will set better
The Birmingham age-herald., 1914-12-28
By RALPH R. SILVER

and the effects of that boomerang are not wanting right now-in this time of business depression-if any man cares to look about him.
 What the farmer of the south admit tedly needs is diversified crops. Not stop raising cotton, but raise less of it Not decrease his agricultural output. but make a part of it something else than cotton.
 The next thing the farmer of the south admittedly needs is a market for his diversified crops He need not nor will he raise something other than cot- ton if he can't sell it.
 Now comes one of the greatest busi- ness concerns of the nation, a business firm whose product is agricultural im- plements. The prosperity, the develop ment the growth of that concern is tied, at every angle, with the growth and development of the farmer. That concern-The International Harvester company-arrives at the sound conclu- sion that if it helps the farmer to help himself it is helping itself, if any one desires to put it that way.
 Selfshness? Advertising? A clever business scheme?
 Certainly. if anyone desire to look at it that way. There is, however, an- other. side, but it need not be argued here.
 All Depends on Farmers
 But, what of it? Why not?
 The prosperity of the wholesale grocer in the city depends upon the prosperi- ty of the retail grocer in the country. whose prosperity in turn depends upon the farmer. The prosperity of the manu- featuring interests of the city depend upon others who in turn depend upon the farmer. The whole industrial scheme Is linked together in an endless chain. Whats wrong if the wholesale grocer spends his money to publish a cook book to give to the retail grocer to distribute to his customers in order that they will better learn how to use his product and increase his business?
 There are going to be knockers on the
The Birmingham age-herald., 1914-12-28

When Knoxville send their men to and through Birmingham clear over into Mississippi, and Atlanta send their men all over Alabama, eastern Tennessee and Kentucky, and when the Montgomery Business Mems league claim for Montgomery great CT commercial tonnage than Birming- ham, should one consider it as lack of aggressiveness on the part of the Birmingham jobbers, or discrimina- tory freight rates?
 The fact is plain that Birmingham, with all her greatness, is not getting the commercial tonnage she should.
 l am not saying this from stand point of criticism of my own town, but simply as a comment on existing con ditions as I see them.
 I have been making this town my headquarters for a number of years and fully appreciate the advantages it of fers as distributing point. When 1 say it. and it is free from any egotisnl.
The Birmingham age-herald., 1914-12-28
Indian a Distinct Race

Washington, December 27.--School books which classify the Indian as a Mongolian or refer to him in any other way than as a member of distinct race, will be barred hereafter from Indian schools conducted by the gov ernment, Indian Commissioner Sells an- nounced today. The commission has conferred recently with officials of the bureau of ethnology of the Smith sonian institute about the origin of the Indian. '"The Indians." he said to- day. "are classed by anthropologisss as distinct race-the red race or red man-in standardization to the white (Caucasian), yellow (Mongoiian), brown tMalay), and black (Negro) races.'
The Birmingham age-herald., 1914-12-28
WELFARE SYSTEM
 BRINGS RESULTS Sing Sing Warden Pleased With Showing Made In
 December

New York. December 27.-The new welfare system introduced in Sing Sing prison already is showing remarkable results. Warden Thomas Mott Osborne told members of the West Side, Y. M c. A. today. Given better accommoda- tions and more liberty in the conduct of prison affairs, the convicts, MT. Os- borne said. have shown their appre- citation by better conduct and evidences of keen desire to lead better lives.
 There has been such wave of right eousness that it is sweeping me and others off our feet" said the speaker, who added that instead of crowds locked up in cells awaiting punishment in the limited number of dark ceils there has not been one case of punish ment since December IT.
The Birmingham age-herald., 1914-12-28
|ALABAMA'S FUTURE CROPS WILL
 FEEL THE RESULTS OF CAMPAIGN
State Wide Plans Show Farmers How Diversity Crops How Make More Money With Same Amount of Labor Showing Special of It's Far-Reaching Importance

crop diversihcation campaign. Their biggest guns will be insinuations about the motives of the International liar vester company.
 But that company is conducting a legitimate advertising campaign, sales scheme. business promotion plan or what ever anyone desires to call it. Probably it does not expect to invest a lot of money in pnilantropic dream. 1t undoubtedly expects to get returns. But they will be legitimate returns No farmer who Is benefited by the crop diversification campaign will be under any obligation, moral or otherwise. to buy any farming implements or, if he does buy them, to buy them from the International Harvester company.
 Whatever any man desires to label the motives of the company or state what it will or will not get for it's trou- ble if he be sensible he cannot deny the benefits to the farmer of Alabama. What They Know About Agriculture
 To anyone who cares to investigate 1t will be discovered that the men who operate the agricultural bureau of this great manufacturing concern do not hold their jobs for what they know about manufacturing of machinery or press agency, but for what they know about agriculture. They are paid big
 
 cases, from the chairs of professorship in the biggest agricultural universities of the country. They are men who have practical experience as well as book knowledge.
 And moro than that. they are men who are able to impart their knowledge intelligently to others They are nor experimenting here They have held many such campaigns in other parts or the country. And when they are through here they will hold many more
 Secretary W. c. Radcliffe of the Chamber of Commerce grasped with keen appreciation the opportunity he saw in securing the campaign and prob ably more than any other ane man so far has worked for its success. He is receiving the loyal cooperation of tho members of the chamber. He feels con- fident that the campaign will prove the biggest thing ever undertaken by the chamber for the welfare of Ala bama.
The Birmingham age-herald., 1914-12-28

of this city. The young people had been engaged for sometime but as it was im- possible for him to get away from busi- ness for any length of time they decided to meet in Birmingham and marry. The train she arrived on was late so MT. Morton phoned a friend to have a min ister at the depot in Bessemer, where they could be married. They left on the same train for Texas.
The Birmingham age-herald., 1914-12-28

Birmingham is widely known from coast to coast and from the gulf to the great lakes as good, live town and a good distributing point; but with the extended territory to draw from, this town should do much greater volume of iobbing business and commercial shipping than is now done.
 With the national advertising that Birmingham gets, there should be no trouble in putting the Birmingham label many miles beyond the point where the average Birmingham jobber now turns his men back. Montgomery, Knoxville and Atlanta get their sales men farther away from their home base than does this city.
The Birmingham age-herald., 1914-12-28
OPEN HOUSE
Phi Delta Thetas-Behold.


 Phi Delta Thetas-Behold. Police Department:
 "The Phi Delta Theta will hold a convention in Birming- ham commencing Monday, De- cember 2S. While members of this convention are in Birming- ham each and every member of this department will be expected to show them every courtesy possible. MARTIN EAGAN,
 Chief of Police" The above order was placed on file last night and 1t is especial significance to the visitors. It means that the powers higher up have decided to give oyer the keys of the city to the graduate college boys.
The Birmingham age-herald., 1914-12-28
No Protest To Italy

Rome, December 27.--None of the powers has protested against the Ital- ian occupation of Avalon, Albania, and the hope generally is expressed here that no complications will arise which will force Italy to abandon neutrality
The Birmingham age-herald., 1914-12-28
War Office to Paris

Paris, December 27.-6:30 p. m.)-The French war department, which Is still in Bordeaux, will return to Paris Janu- ary T,
The Birmingham age-herald., 1914-12-28

The following article was written by one of Birminghsm's oldest trnv- cling men, In point of service. His modesty would not permit the use of his name in connection with the story;