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This newspaper page contains 43 articles. Subscribers can read the full text of each article.
Newspaper
Decatur Daily
Location
Decatur, Alabama, United States of America
Date
Jan 18, 1929
Page
4
Walter Liggett faces a murder trial delay as an influenza epidemic hobbles the community and makes it nearly impossible to empanel a jury. Prosecutors and defense alike await a return to normal court operations as illness spreads through the region.
Governor Al Smith appeals to Democrats to wipe out a $1 500 000 deficit from the last campaign stating more than a speech will be needed to eliminate the shortfall.
A three inch article notes five killed in a New York automobile train crash. An eight death aeroplane disaster is the day’s major story. The public suspects a rush into air travel ties to life insurance for families.
J. E. Pierce, editor of the Huntsville Daily Times, is reelected president of the state Associated Press chapter. The AP plans a program to provide readers with an even higher quality news service from the gulf to the Tennessee line, aiming for constructive leadership and continued development of the world’s best newspaper news service.
Sheriff forces face a rare murder case in Morgan County breaking a long-standing record of freedom from crime. The administration and county have remained fortunate so far, with hopes for a continued stretch without murder charges, though human nature prevents a flawless, endless record.
L N Duncan, director of Alabama farm extension, pays tribute to Hattie V Irwin, Law rence county negro home demonstration agent, who died trying to save a student during the Courtland school fire. He calls courage a duty and love beyond race and sex, honoring seven years of teaching farm and home practices despite adversity.
President elect Hoover, back from Latin America, has attended nearly all conferences showing resolve to study key issues. He begins with bipartisan support, seeking meritorious legislation to benefit the American people and to clear away partisan press.
Farmers in Morgan Lawrence and Limestone counties read the Alabama Farm Production report from the U S Department of Agriculture showing 1928 crop values excluding cotton at 3 929 500 dollars. The piece urges diversification, praising farm extensions and urging north Alabama farmers to broaden beyond cotton for a prosperous 1929.
Robert M. Rawls, veteran editor of the Alabama Courier, visited The Decatur Daily and praised its commodious new building and up to date plant. He lauded the staff and noted founder W. R. Shelton’s legacy, urging continued public service and prosperity for North Alabama’s newspaper and regional industry.
The State prepares a crackdown with law enforcement help to curb road hogging and hit and run driving across highways. The Daily urges center lane dividers and better front lights, plus enforcement of slower nighttime travel by nonvehicular road users. It stresses officer safety and public buy in, hoping for fewer injuries and accidents.
A Court of Appeals decision on a bootlegging case finds the defendant a vagrant and may impose hard labor. Montgomery County promptly sentences three men to 12 months each plus fines of 360 dollars, signaling tougher enforcement and hazards for bootlegging.
A fragmentary line suggests an editor positions his commentary as the country’s top paid writer’s sentiments. The text contrasts personal opinion with an implied national stance, challenging readers to discern authority from editorial bias.
Two friends invited to the White House luncheon yesterday found Mrs. Coolidge and the president very cheerful. The atmosphere was lively and upbeat, likened to a school just before vacation.
The president expresses a heavy responsibility as the nation ends a great war and faces tens of billions in debts, feeling relief may come as the burden is lifted.
The president, queried about his intended actions, said he might do a little whittling. He added that his complete plan remained known only to himself.
The passage recalls Calvin Coolidge as a child in Vermont obsessed with a jack-knife. He wore a two piece outfit with overalls and bare feet, carrying wide front pockets. A summer mishap sees the knife fall from his pocket during a hay field somersault.
The Coolidge jack-knives were elaborate and plentiful, reflecting notable stock. The president's father sold his country store and contents after extensive bargaining, the buyer calling the inventory outdated and worth less.
It was agreed that whatever the buyer could not sell within two years Mr. Coolidge would take back. The time came, and the few goods returned and put in the Coolidge garret included hats, no longer in the fashion even in rural Vermont, and several jack-knives.
The passage recalls Calvin Coolidge at the White House as a child and his interest in a set of four blade jack knives kept in the garret, illustrating a youthful image amid presidential duties.
Uncle Sam’s fleet in the Pacific readies for winter maneuvers near Panama with the largest naval flying fleet yet, about 200 flying machines. Secretary Wilbur and the president, head of the navy, deserve congratulations as not a single aircraft in the air arm is over nine months old.
Senator Reed told the senate that air power could strike the Panama Canal in five hours if trouble with Britain arose, warning comfort lies in building airships for war.
The report notes profits climbing across the board as Chinese smugglers shift to airplanes. Previously paying $300 to smugglers, entrants now pay $1,000. Authorities seized five air smugglers and two airships, while past smugglers used ashore drops and threw bound migrants overboard to drown. It is uncertain how airplane smugglers would handle passengers if capture occurred.
In 1928 foreign countries bought from the United States goods totaling 5 129 132 000 dollars. The United States bought from foreign countries goods worth 1 039 000 000 dollars less than it sold. A billion dollar trade balance in our favor.
The report says we exported 391 372 000 more dollars worth of gold than we imported yet the figure brings little comfort. The author likens gold ownership to a nation's wealth and mocks superficial measures of power by comparing them to an old belief that a doctor's influence depended on his whiskers.
The text weighs what a favorable balance of trade implies and notes France’s balance improving before its revolution. It adds optimism about stability at home, citing 25,000,000 automobiles and many radio sets and appliances as signs of broad prosperity, contrasting with upheaval abroad.
Dispatches from Rome report a long running dispute between the pope and the Italian government now settled. Italy will pay the pope indemnity of 1,000,000,000 lire about 52.55 million dollars. Vatican possessions will gain additional lands including a grand villa and a four mile radius around it.
The question centers on whether the popes will now decide to end their self-imposed confinement to Vatican grounds, weighing health, ceremony, and continuity of leadership amidst ongoing ecclesiastical duties and public visibility.
In the Capitol’s crypt beneath the rotunda, a marble group memorial to Susan B Anthony Elizabeth Cady Stanton and Lucretia Mott conveys a somber mood. Adelaide Johnson completed the work and it remains there until a permanent site is found. The World War historical collection nearby features arms uniforms and paintings depicting wartime events. A wreath rests on the statue for Lucretia Mott’s anniversary as the tomb of Washington was never used.
W D Lyle, a leading Tanner area farmer, states farmers expect a better cotton crop this year than last. Limestone county ranked second in the state for cotton production. T M Dix travels to Montgomery for a Kiwanis convention. Frank P Lide, local tire dealer and Alabama Tire Dealers' association vice president, heads to Montgomery Friday for a meeting. Mrs Kimball Jones returns from Birmingham after attending a two day school conference.
The article recounts Acts 19 with dramatic religious fervor, then critiques prophetic claims from Prof. Meyer of Hoboken predicting 1929 troubles. It forecasts kidnap epidemics, dangerous fires in Washington, and warns editors to brace for lawsuits. It notes New York banks earned 83.7 million dollars last year, with 47 million paid to surplus and profits.
The army ambulance field kitchen and delousing machine are on display. Portable footbridges cruisers armed merchant ships and other sea craft from the war period are shown in glass cases.
An outline notes Decatur’s sound structure hinges on the development program proposed, detailing how planning and investment shape the city’s acoustic design and public spaces.
Royal S Copeland argues milk is the best food for all ages and urges proper home care to preserve milk quality as urban life distances dairy farms. He reflects on childhood cow life and notes scientific dairies deliver clean milk regardless of weather, stressing moderation for a 15 year old girl and a 41 year old woman.
A humor piece by Junius centered on a man lamenting a lost blonde and his heartbreak. The piece includes a playful exchange with a night watchman and ends with a quip about government ownership and wealth.
A bookstore customer asks for Fairy Tales while a new clerk jokes about fairies having tails. The piece notes that politics create odd pairings and references a society woman’s reaction to a man’s suspenders, reflecting social mores of the time.
President orders a directors meeting for next Thursday. Secretary asks whether sackholders may attend, prompting clarification on attendee scope.
A dialogue between a doctor and repair man reports a brother regaining hearing after taking an unnamed medicine in England. The exchange implies dramatic recovery and cites a friend’s account. A bizarre line then notes a supposed method to gain a lovely dimple by sleeping on a collar button for several nights.
Voters express desire to secure a spot in the receiving line as political pleas are distributed. The comment highlights public interest in approachable officials and visibility during campaign events in the locality.
A lawyer questions a flustered witness asking if on the date in question or any other time the witness said the allegedly denied statement was of no moment. The witness responds with a puzzled request to answer yes or no.
A gentleman asks for the lady’s hand and she yields to his wishes. After the marriage he has her task of washing dishes. The tale notes practical comforts like an extra blanket when one sleeps poorly due to cold.
An item notes a $2,000 allocation to outfit a kitchen space for peanut butter spread on crackers. The brief outlines the expenditure and its intended purpose within a community program.
A Decatur youth claims that stolen kisses are the sweetest, likening them to stolen watermelons. The remark frames a youthful, coy musings on mischief and sweetness without detailing events or consequences.
A concise reflection notes that mental nourishment shapes financial outcomes. It argues that disciplined thinking and constructive knowledge build better habits and wealth prospects. The piece urges careful cultivation of ideas, routines, and learning.
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