University of South Carolina Libraries
LOCAL CURRENCY. AN IMPERATIVE NEED IN RURAL COMMUNITIES. Experience and Irractize in Great Britain. The U. S. Second Bank--Col. Younan' Convincing Argumnlt Against National curreney. To the Editor of The State: In my preceding articlis I have endeavored to show that oold is too searce to atone constitute tTie money of final redemp tion. That. as the money basis, it is entirely too narrow to sustaim a vol ume of circulation sufficient to :neet the requirements of increasing popula tions and ex-panding businessactivities: and that its failure to eiciently per form this function results in a coni parativE contraction of themoney vol ume, which disturbs property values, dislocates prices and produces that un certainty, apprehension and general distrust, which chills enterprise and investment, yzes industry and reads broadcast want and distress. tthe gold standard is most hazard ous for this country, first. because England, controlling about two bil lions of American securities, three fourths of them payable in gold, holds practically an opei lien on our finan ces more than fifteen times as large as our treasnry reserve, and four times as great as our entire volume of gold. This lien, which she can exercise at any time by throwing these securities upon our market. not oul - subjects our entire financial system to her whims and caprices, but giving her control of 'ur currency, gives her also control of our exchanges and enables her to set the price of our foreign ex ports; and in conjunction with the Northeast, she is helping herself to our cotton and wheat at prices, which they have set below the cost of pro duction. Second. because placing us on the same financial plane with Eu rope, it not only exposes our system to the hazards of drainage and col lapse by every panic and war in Ea rope, but compelis us to repress our laDor and reduce our prices below the European level, so as to be enabled to underbid Europe for gcld. The inevi table result of which will be to de grade eighty-five per cent. of our peo ple to a parity with the toil, subjection and wretchedness of the paupermasses of Europe. The pretense that any fi nancial system which we may adout will unsettle our exchano-es or dislo cate our commercial relations with Europe, are all the merest twaddle. We do not now, nor have we ever conducted these exchanges with the slightest regard to our financial system or even to our coinage laws; while it is true that the Bank of England usu ally receives the Russian Imperials. the French Napoleons and the Ameri can Eagles without melting, it only does so because of their standard weight. We settle our balances with Europe not by coins but with bullion and by weight: and to settle this false cry of "full value money of the world," I will quote the highest au thority on finance, Sir Walter Bage ot, see Lombard Street, page 44: "Within a country the acion of . government can settle the quantity and therefore the value of its currency ; but outside its own country no govern ment can do so. Bullion is the cash of international trade; paper curren ies are of no use there, and coins p ass only as they contain more or less bul lion." We settled our debts with Europe in bullion when we were on an incon vertible paper basis, we settle in the same manner now, and will continue to do so, no matter what standard we this article to discuss the ~lac and Populist idea of confining our note is sues entirely to the Federal Treasurv, and to deal with a theory similar in some respects, that all of our paper circulation should be guaranteed by the Federal government, so as to ren der it equally current in all sections of the Union, I propose to lay down at the outset and to sustain the proposi tion, as a well established fact, that any currency which circulates equally at arin every section of a country 'wl congest at the great commercial centres and flow freely only in the great arteries of trade, leaving the ru isl districts and more remote sections bare of money and subjected to a usu . rious rate of interest. This kind of a currency once concentrated in the re?channels of trade, as it will be aninexorable jaw of finance, there are no automatic infiuences to redis tribute it. Consequently this redistri -bution is only effected by the applica tion of some extra stimulus, which us ually appears in the guise of extra in terest anid heavy brokerage. To deal intelligently with the questions of of this nature, we cannot be governed by the edicts of political parties, or the exressions of off-hand opinion. but only by a careful investigation of - the phenomina resulting from similar financial conditions in the past. The records of the great continental na tions furnish but a meagre field for this investigation, subjected not only to the disturbances of internal dissen tions, but to the greater risk of for eign invasion and plunder, which they have several times realized dur ing the last century. They have only recently begun to develop a tendency towards perfection in their financial systems, and this development has been seriously retarded by the appre hensions of their people, naturally arising from the experience of loss by these disturbances and invasions- r suilts which have caused a strong ten dnyamong them to hoard, and to dslya timidity towards the deposit system. In England, a country whose finan cial system has remained stable for centuries, free from violent revolu tinand undergoing its mutations gaulyto correspond with changed surroundigs, is presented a field in which the subject of finance may be studied with ed'fication in almost ev ery phase and from almost any stand point. It is here that the science of .money has been most diligently stud ied,; and most thoroughly understood, -and it is herethat the system of only *a national money has been .rejected.: It must be borne in mind that the un answerable arguments advanced' against this system. which could not be rebutted by the ablest and most ~powerful of moneyed influences of England apply with more -than double force to the Untited States. In tognparing the areas of the t wo countries, we find, that whilst Great. Britain compri'ses an extent of only 88,000 square miles. the ULnued .a es comprises an area of over 3. 500,000, nearly equal in extent to the whole of Europe. Now, the aroguments used in this territory. smialler than the combin ed area of Georgia and Alabama. against a monopoly of note issues by the Bank of Englan~d and its branches -institutions ocenipying in English finances a position eery similar to) our National banks-most ably and speci ously presented in a~ mem'orial by the countr bankers to Earl Grey and Lord ~tee June 12, 189i3. see (G il bert "OnBanking," vol. 1, pages 107. 110. 111 and 112, were that "every man possessed of practical information who understands the subject knows that by giving the exclusive circula tion of notes to the Bank of England abundance will be created in the mnoneiy -aret and in the great commercial lie scui :tid -ttim ulatingi the pro dice imarke t -while uiexamlpled sear city will be the causequence ii the COumliry, produtiCinig jer I-mbarrasinent aniong the cultivators of thLe soil and all who are dependent upon them* if all bankers sho'id be compelled to supply their cu.<toniers with the not-s of the Bank oi England, a cha-t o: 7 per cent. for the interest of loans to g-raziers, farners and deaersinagri cultural 'irodule woul'Id n~ot r'ej1muer ;te the comitr' bakers so well as I or 5 per cent. does inow upon the prosent it reults ta. la tree a cation of labor to I-ld i b nrvented. m" cost of cultivion4 enhna:ced, markets and the s.d- of produco nimpeded and the pirsuits of 'iuimred deeply lin j Ired. With all the claims whh the Dank of Elm111d hlas u1pon h vrnet as its creditorald iiuanii:dagent, :md with all the inuenlceS arrayed on its side, which arise from the power and prestige of g-reat Wealth, it has been unable to prevail upon the govern ment to sacritice the riural sections by taxing out of existence the country banks of circulatiol and to give it a monopoly or liote issues. The Scotch maintain their system of note issues, restricted to adequancy. and even in England, an area less in extent than the State of Georgia. they have a dou ble currency-the notes of the Bank of England and the notes of the country banks-the circulation of the former convertible into gold to supply the o-reat channels of trade and conduct foreign exchanges; the circulation of the latter convertable into the notes of the Bank of England to sustain local industry in the raral districts and more remote sections. If in a country less in extent than the States of Georgia and Alabama it was ecusidered indis pensible that Scotland should have her seperate system of finance and enii eitly necessary in England, less in ex tent thaa the' State of Georgia, that they should have country banks of cir cltion to supply the local demand of the agriculturai sections. how much more necessary that this comtry. ceam posed of forty-four great States, and comprising a territory nearly equal m extent to the whole of Europe, that we should have a local cnrrcney-a cur renc wihict will not centralize, but rem in at h .e to sapolo't the pro duc(tive iniustries of the rural sections and that could be directly loand to the farmers at one interest charge. To one who has investigated this question and has no pride of opinion or selfish interests to struggle against, but merely looks to the provision of a wholesome system of finance, which will impartiaily promote the interest of all classes and redound to the Wvl fare of the public. the question hardly seems to admi' of argumenc. But if the correctiness of the arguments pres ented by the country bankers in IS3 to the Chancellor of .he Excheouer and the Lord of the Treasury, w'iieh could not be satisfactorily aniswered by all of the ability at the command of such a powerful organization as the Bank of England, to the effect that a national circulation will congest in the great ommercial emporiums and flow free lv at reasonable interest only. in the great i-Leries of trade. "while unex zMpled scarcity will be the consequence in the country, producing enibarrass-' ment and discontent among the c:dti vators of tl soil and all who ave de endent una 1 them." is not admitted. they can be amply confirmed by the experience in this country with the notesof the Second Bank of the United States and the direct and positive oper ations of an arm v of the most eminent statesmen who' figured inpublic life from 1812 to 1S40. This tendency of its issues to congest at the gtreat trade centers of the Northeast was discovered after the establishment in 1S13 of the Second Bank of the United States as early as 1820. For we find that in De cember of that year a mtemorial was presented to Congress by the President and directors ci the bank, complain ing- that as these notes were current everywhere and er. rywhere receivable in payment of government dues, they fowed continually to the great centers of receipts and disbursements, and left the South and West without a nation al circulation: and to remedy this evil, they petitioned Congress to so amend the charter as to miake these notes re ceivable only for government dues at the branch ~banks, where they were made payable, except at the office i~n Washington. The purpose of .this amendment is perhaps more plamnly stated in a recommendation of a simi lar nature from the Secretary of the Treasury. Mr. Win. H. Crawford, in the same year, from which I quote: "The effect of this modification would be to make the notes of the offices of the Bank of the United States, except the office in this district, a local cur rency, which will enter and continue in the local circulation of the State in which they are issued." This amend ment was refused by Congress, and Mr. Langdon Cheres, the president of the bank, at the tri-ennial meeting of the stockholders in 182, again "'stated this law of circulation and explained the inevitable tendency of the branich bank notes to flow to the Northeast. and the impossibility of preventing it." With a view of retaining the notes of the branch banks at the place of issue, the management theni directed the. branch banks to give drafts on the Eastern cities as a mecans of retaining their notes, but says Prof. Albert Bol les, in is finan cial histy of the United States from 1789 to 1800 page :32;3, "'the branch notes and the dlrants issued in consecuen~ce of thlese intsruetionis, were swept'Eastwxard. by th~e operations of trade. A vacuum in thle circultation was thuns prod ced that coul only be sup plied by the %ocal notes. in a speech deli vered in the Un iited States Senate in 1s34, see Benton's "Thirty Years. in the Un~'itadi States Senate.'"vol. I.. page 45t. Thoma llen ton, who was the r~iht bow er of Pr esi dent Jackson's adnaisttration,. said: "The theory of batik circulation over an extended territory is this, that vou may put out as many notes ps you may in any one place, they will im mediatelv'fail in the track of comn mece-nuto the current of tr'ad3-into the c ourse of exchan*ige-and follow that current wherevei' it leiads. In these United States thle curr'ent setsj from every part of the interior and especially'frox:. the Southi and West into the Northeast-into four commer cial cities north of thle Potomac, Bait more, P'hiladelphia, New York and Boston, and all the bank notes which will pass for' money in th ose places fall nto the cutrrent which sets mn that direction. Whcre there is nothinig in tme course of trade to bring them back. There is r.oa reflex in that curr'ent: 1t is a trade- ios which blows twelve months in the year ini the saune iCe tion" Tile oreCident of the bank. Str. Biddle, testi 'ed befor'e at~. )iinireiional invstiating' commn~ipee' i :" ihat. threi' was an abse'inlg tena'ney I ' t( the branch bank~panper to o iO to th Northeast."'' M.Cahounin ai speech in the 1. ii ted States Senate, Setember 1I .17: . said: "Thle connectionl of the "overn-i mient with the banks whiethetr it cobiation of Stmte banks or wl~ a ci'ntr lie sy stemO at tile pr1inicipal y n of ict'in and dir.semen~l~'ft. United States Senate, MIarch 1, t18 S:;, si " Go'er'nm!elnt ht es are no0 sooner( issuedl :..an the'- commence they are most in demand. that is the plac of the groatest public of the great est public receipt. if you want cen tralization. sir, and enough of it. if YoU desire to dry up the small streamis of commerce and fill to overilowing the deep and already swollei main cbnnels, you willact very wisely to aiat end if you keep out of the receipts of ie Treasury all money but such paper as the government may furnish and :hich shall be not otherwise re deem.alc than in receipts for debis de the govrrnent, while at the saris tiie you depress the character of the. locirealation."' The correctness of m~y propositiou so fully confirmed by past experience and endorsed by the contem poraneous utterance of our ab lest statesmen, is also thoroughly sus tained by the conditions in our present financial situation. We now have only a national money-a circulation equally current in every section of the Uinion'- where every dollar is as good every-where as every other dollar." And what do we behold? A thorough repetition of past experience, the am plest confirmation of the authority I have quoted. Our circulation congest ed in the great trade centres, freely ac cessible only in the great channels of trade, while in the rural districts and more remote sections we have unex ampled scarcity and a most usurious rate of interest. In the great trade emporiums of the Northeastern cities it is piled up by hundreds of millions, and, while al most a drug on that market at the very lowest interest, yet it is only to be had on reasonable terms in the great arteries of trade; in the rural districts money is scarce and only to be obtained at an exorbitant interest. In this section the farmers cannot bor row it for less than 12 and 13 per cent. As was stated in the memorial of the English country bankers it his to be' borrowed from these great centres by -ocal operators and reloaned at a dou ble charge of interest, one charge at the trade centre and another at the point of local disbursement. Under the present system of finance. money is distributed in the rural districts and more remote sections only after sev eral transfers, and at every transfer an additional interest rate is charged, so that by the tin.e it rerches the rural borrower it is freightened down with such a heavy brokerage that no avoca tion except successful minng or gam bi; ng can long survive it. To those organizations which are sincerely endeavoring to better the condition of the agricultnral classes, and to those modest men who publicly claim to be statesmen, and are yet fighting the establishment of a local currency, professing to believe that our only relief is to be had by exces sive issues of grovetrnment notes, made legal tender, If desire to commend for their consideration in addition to the quotations alieady cited, the follow ing, first, frem Win. H. Crawford's report, as Secretary of the Treasury, made to the House of Representatives February 24, 1820: "If a national cur rene should be established the de mand for it in the Southern and West ern States, for the purpose of trans mtssions, would be incessant, whilst its return by the ordinary course of trade, especially in the latter, would be slow and in some degree uncertain. * It is, then, believed that the evils which are felt in those sections of the Union where the distress is most general, will not be extensively relieved by the establishment of a na tional currency." Second, from Thomas Benton, who, in a speech in the United States Senate, 1834, allud ing to a petition from North Carolina, praying for an additional issue of the notes of the Second United States Bank, to relieve a stringency existing in that State, said: "If a hundred mil lions of United States bank notes were carried to the upper part of North Carolina and put into circulation it would be but a short time before the whole would have fallen into the car rent which sweeps the paper of tLht bank to the Northeast." Mr. Benton "held it to be fully established, first by argument, founded in the nature of bank circulation over an extended territory and secondly, byv proof, de rived from the operation of the pres ent bank of the United States, that neither the present bank nor any one that the wisdom of man can devise, can ever succeed in diffusing a gen-. eral paper circulation over the States of this Union." In my next article I shall attempt to show that our hope for a low rate of interest and prosperity in the rural sections mainly depends upon the es tablishment of a local currency-that it is our only hope to decentralize our circulation and relieve us from finan cial thraldom. L. W. Yomx.&s. Fairfax, S. C., Feb. 11, I895. A Good Law. At the last session of the Legislature a bill, introduced by Senator Byrd, was passed and became law, which bore the simple title "To provide for the teaching of physiology and hygiene in the public schools." ~Those who were reporting the State Legislature did not even think this little bill of sufficient conseq uence to read it through, but the body of it is something entirely dif ferent from what the title would con vey. It means the introduction into the public school system of the educa tion of the young as to the effects of liquor drinking. In other words, the children are to be taught that drink ing is dangerous before they are able to) read for themselves. This act is a very stringent one in its provisions~ and therefore time has been allowed to get the necessary books rsady. The Wom an's Christian Temperance Un ion will doubtless see that the law is enforced to the letter when it becomes ef fec tive next fall. The act provides "That the nature of acholic dlriniks and narcotics as to their effe.cts upon the human system, in connection with the several divis ions of the subject of physiology and hygiene, shall be included in the b'anches of study taught in common or public schools in the State of South Carolina, and shall be studied and taghit as thoroughly and in the same manner as other like branches are in said schools, by the use of text books in the hands of pupils where other branches aro thus studied in said schools. ant orally in the case of pu pils uinable to read; and shall be taught by all teachers and studied by all pupils in all said schools supported1 wholly or in part by public money. "Sec. 2. That the text books used for1 the instruction required to be given by the preceeding section in primary and intermediate grades shall give at least one-fourth of their space to the consideration of the nature and effectJ of alcoholic drinks and narcotics; and the~ books used in the highest grades of.] raded schools shall contain at least] 'enty pages of matterrelating to thisI sbect . That it shall be the duty of< the proper otlicers in control of any ' ebooil described in the foregoing see ios to enforce theC provisions of this 1 act: and anty such oilicer, school direc o conai'ssioner, supherintendenit or teacheltr who shall refuse or neglect to (.omphlyV with the r.equliremftents of this 1 Jc or shall neglect or fail to make 4 pioer p)ronvsions for the instruction . requred and in the manner specified 1 in the iirst section of this act for all t pupils in each and every sehool ur dler his jurisdhictioni shall be removed from hice and the vacancy filled as in oth er cases. "Sec. 4. This act shall go I COLUMBIA LETTER, A BATCH OF INTERESTING ITEMS FROM THE STATE CAPITAL. The Cold Snap and 11s Effects- What is Doing in Polit's-Event4 of Greater or Less lintteret to the People of South Carolina. COLUMBIA. Feb. 23.-Special: The capital city has about recovered from the freeze-which, by the way. was unprecedented. There has been snow before-sleet before-suffering before -but not of the extent or the kind ex perienced last week and the early por tion of this. The weather is wintry still, but the sun shines, and the streets are not fit for folks to walk in without rubbers. There was a good deal of suffering. The weather put ting an end to business, many people were thrown out of employment for the time-and these of the class who live by their daily labor. Charitable people and benevolent organizations came to the rescue, however, and much has already been done for the re lief of the sufferers. Business has commenced again, and soon we shall, in the enjoyment of the beautiful spring for which Columbia is prover bial, will be so well upon us that we shall have quite forgotten the freeze. ABOUT POLITICS. Considering that this is an "off year," and that even the fight over the Constitutional Convention ought not to commence for some montns yet, we are having a good deal of politics on hand. The meeting of the convention call ed by "the forty" has been postponed. But there was, first, the conference, between Representative Conservatives and Reformers, and then the issuance of .the address of the Democratic State Executive Committee. The confer ence was held with closed doors, and all the participants have been dogged ly reticent about the proceedings. It is stated (and the statement appears to have commanded general credence) that the conclusion reached was about thus: The two factions, in each coun ty, are to have equal representation in the Convention'. In the counties en titled to an uneven number of dele gates, the odd delegate is to be as signed to that faction which carried the county in 1892. Such is the news paper account of the action of the conference. Until there shall be some authoritative statement of the matter, people may amuse themselves with conjectures on the possible effects of the alleged plan of settlement, on the party and on the Republican enemy. THE NORMAL COLLEGE. Much interest has centered in the choice of President of the State Nor mal and Industrial College at Rock Hill. It was said that there were several applicants, but the board of trustees seemed to have made up their minds in advance of the meeting. Prof. D. B. Johnson, superintendent of the ciiy schools of Columbia.and of the Winthrop Training School, was unanimously elected to the position. Prof. Johnson is admirably equipped for the position. A first-honor grad nate of the University of Tennessee, he has been actively nigaged in school work for the past eighteen years. He organized the system of common schools in this city, and his good work is shown in their great efficiency and popularity. He originated the Win throp Training School here. The trustees of the Woman's College, at their meeting, handled only routine business of no public interest. The election of professors is to take place on the 15th of May. THE VOLU'NTEERzS ENLIST. The Richland Volunteer Rifle Com pany, commanded by Capt. Joseph K. Alston, at thei:- meeting lastnght, de cided, after a very full consideration of the subject, to enlist in the State militia under the Act passed at the re cent session of the Legislature. The action of the men is said to have been unanimous. The Volunteer Rifle Company is one of the oldest military organizations in the country. Its rec ord is throughout a most honorable one. THE NEW FACTORY. Ground has been broken for the Richland Mill. A large force of hands has already -been put at work by Col. Coleman, the contractor, and no time will be lost in pushingr the mill to its completion. - Mr. R. S. Pringle has been placed in charge of the company's property as general superintendent. He expects to rush things through, and within seventy five good working days, fair weather prevaillng, he hopes to have the big mill building closed in. THE STATE'S WATERPOWER. The Supreme Court has just decided a case of some interest to the State at large. When the Columbia canal was ceded to the city, the State reserved 500 horse power, for the use' of the penitentiary. When the Electric Light Company started business the water power was procurred under a contract with the penitentiary authorities. Afterwards the owners of the canal (who purchased it from the City of Columbia) brought suit against the Electric Light Company, to restrain them from using the waterpower this on the ground that such use was confmned, by the terms of the law, to the penitentiary, and could not be leased or transferred to other parties. Judge Hudson decided for the Electric Light Company, and the Supreme Court sustains hiis judgment. A NEW ORDER. There was a meeting last evening for the purpose of organizing ~a local council of the Junior Order of United American Mechanics-an order which has been established in this country since 1853. Among other things in the declaration of principles of this order appears the following paragraph, which is self-explanatory. it should be stated, too, that it costs nothing to oin the order: "In the strictest sense we are a national political organiza tion, but we oppose with unamimity~ the slightest taint of partisanship.I 'Our Country' is our motto, and we keep this motto steadily before us. We are cognizant that there are great nd powerful enemies within our midst, requiring the strictest surveil ance of all who are at heart, word and n deed Americans. 'We, as members f this order, affirm our allegiance toj he objects of the order as paramount~ : any partisan alliliation, and urge' .pon the membership harmonious, mited and intelligent action in carry ng out the principles. INFANTICIDE. About 9 o'clock yesterday morning' [r. Lester was called to see a negro voman, named Rebecca Green, who ives near Waverly. He found a new y born infant lying dead in the ouse. The woman seemed anxious or a certificate to the effect that the bild was born dead, and was so per istent that Dr. Lester's suspicions vere aroused. lie withhield the er-I ,ifico3e and notified the Coroner. In i he afternoon a jury~ was summoned ed Dirs. Talley and Lester madce a ost morteni exainxationi. Finger rints oin the cl'ild's throat and other vidences of stre. agulationi were found. Thle jury found that the mothe.' killed he child: and she has been commit ed to jail. OTHER MATTERS. The wooden portion of Allen Uni ersity, a college for colored peoleC ocated in the eastern suburbs, was ing. The new brick a was not injured. The_ origin of the fire is un know n. The several raila companies in terested have accepted the new "joint rates- proposed by the railroad coi mission. Mille Rhea. an actress of com,ildca ble note-, will appear inl the opera house on Menday night, in the popo1 - lar play, "The Parisians. A nurber of Clemon Collere stu dents have uassed throug"- the city in the past few days. oi their. way t(; Fort Ifill. Governor Evans and Ex-Goveroiir Tillman have gone to the North -for what purpose is not definately knon. Dr. R. F. 1aurice, a prominent cit izen of Kingstree, died in this city on Wednesday. IHe had been in bad health for some tini, and had come here for treatment. The semi-annual examinations at the South Carolina College have re cently closed. The progress of the students, as shown by these examina tions, is said to have been highly sat isfactory. The Supreme Court has granted a new trial to J. Mims Sullivan, con victed of the murder of Herman Gil reath, in Greenville, about two years ago. GENERAL NEWS ITEMS. Facts of Public Interest. Gathered from Various Quarters. A bill granting the right of sutfer age to women has passed the Washing ton Senate. It is rumored inx Washington that Postmaster General Bissell will resign his portfolio about April 1.. James B. Loake. of Hannibal. 31o., thinks he has fallen heir to an estate in New York city. estimated to be worth -.100,000,000. Fermont Preck. first lieutelnant of the ordnance corps. was killed at the proving grounds at Sandy Hook Wednesday by the bursting of the breech of a rapid firing gun. Historic Fort Delaware will soon be a thing of the nast. It will be abolish ed byv the order of the government and a torpedo station, to cost $100,000, ,N ill be erected. Captain R. G. Fleming. superinten dent of the Savannah. Florida and Western Railway, who was stricken with paralysis laist week, died on Wed nesday at Savannah, Ga. Bank robbers were thwarted in an attempt to rob a bank at Arusa. Cal., on Tuesday. The robber was captured and Cashier Daniel was seriously in jured during the struiggle. The assem0bly of California has pass ed the bill to prevent the wearing of hats or bonnets in theatres or places of amusement. The bill imposes a penal ty of A50 for violation of the law. Councilman Numa Dudousat. of New Orleans. convicted of having ac cepted a bribe of $100 from grocerman Sherman, has been sentenced to three years at hard labor in the State Peni tentiary. The Children Jacket Maker's Union of the Knights of Labor of New York, about 3,000 strong. are out on a strike on account of the reduction of wages. About 500 women outside the Union also joined the strikers. John Pitrowski, living flear Ham mond. Ind. shot and killed two rouyhs who bad been refused admittance to his house during the celebration of his marriage. The toughs beat and kicked the bride badly. While a number of students were skating on the Moskya River on Te day near Moscow. th~eice gave wayv ar'd thirty of them were plunged into the waterand drowned. None of the bodies have get been recovered. Samuel Bowvles, an old man, found murdered near his hoime in West Plains. Mo. He was chased from his house by his wife with a harrow tooth who is charged with the deed. Bowle s was 77 and his wife -73. MIrs. Bowles is in jail. M. Andre Mon~dehare, the French consul at Chicago, was terrible beaten by a negro last week. Mondehare and his wife saw two does on a cat and at tempted to stop the 'ight. The owner of the dogs objected and attacked Mondehare. Evangelist Moody has been invited to Atlanta, Ga. He says he will come and spend a month duriing the Exposi tion if a hall seating an audience of 4,000 or 5,000 can be provided. The preachers of the city say it wvill be fixed forhim. The failure of the Lexington, Va.. National Bank will cause th~e ruin of many people in that city. All busi ness houses have been affected. Cash ier Figgatt's stealage amounted to about $159,200, The bank otlicers of fer $10,000 for .the capture of Figgatt. Cordelia Hill, residing at Ripon, six miles south of Charleston, WV. Va., shot and instantly killed hier father on Wednesday. ~The father was unmer cifully chastising one of his sons, wvho tore away from his grasp and ran to the mother for protectioin. The father then assaulted the mother. An appeal for aid has been issued by settlers in the Oklahoma strip. Hundreds of families ar-e absolutely staring, eating prairie dogs and horses The sutfering is unp~aralleled. Cattle have been dying in droves, as a result of the unprecedented "north ers" which have visited both Territories and Texas within the pas: few weeks. Mrs. W. A. Waley. of M1uncie. Ind.. brought suit against .John R. Ervin f or 86.000 claiming it to have been lost by her husband while gambling in Irins gambling rooms. After a sensational trial, lasting over a wveek, in which many prominent business men and church miembers were wit nesses. a verdict was render'ed for $4. 500. Pierre Matthew Bogand"orf. first secretary to the Russian Legation in Washington. commi ttedt suicide Wed nesday morning by shooting. himself. Mr. Botrandoif left two letters explana trv ofliis act. In one of the letters lie saidl, "For a long time. dead soul, this body is all too heavy- a burden to be aried. Fori this reason I destroy nyself." __ Wrecked. BALTIMORE.. Md., Feb. 15.-A piri ate telegram states that a party of Baltiimo reans ha d been ship wrecked on Roanoke Island. otf the coast of North arolina. The seamner was cauziit in eveire storms and wrecked a sho4rt dis tace from the island. The passengers ook to the life boaits and reached land. ,here they will r-emain until'r escued. A Groom Hiangs Himself. ATL.ANTA. Ga.. Feb. 22.-Jason Swanson. of Sugair Valley. Ga.. was ound hanuging to a beam in thme b .1 ueday m'orniing. He wats a young nan only recently mnarried, anid n-, eason can be assigned for the dee.L' is wife went to a neighbomr'for a hort call aind whein .Yie re iurned . ound his dea:d body-. P'Ansoss. WV. Va.. Feb. 1)9.-Word has reached hoere that t-.'o schl chi! dren, brother anid sister, aed 10i an 2 vear's. were frozen toO deah in lo'er district, this county. They ~era found locked in each other'.a arms, and the brother had wr'appoed FOR FREE S!LVER. 11int i. the Way the U'nite'd State% Sernate stantis. W\Asmllu~r-, F"ei!. 21.-l-a accord aice witN the0 o'de' ma1de Thiursdaiy. the Senate met today at 11 o'clock, whi1ch1 is to be thle reg ul-ar hour1 oif niee tiuig till the 4th of March n1ext. There was a fair attendance of Sena tors in the chamber when the pro eeedings opened. The Vice President having laid before the Senate the res olg in offeired last night by Mr. Wol cott, declaring at sense of the Senate that a consideration of the sil ver bill should not be entered upon at :his session of Congress, Mr. Jones (Dem.) of Arkansas. who has charze of that bill, said: "I wish to say that the friends of the regular order-the pending silver bill-have no disposi tion to incur the risk of an extra ses sion. We so stated at the beginning. Deveioinents have shown that while the friends of the measure have a ma jority in this body, it is impossible to pass the bill at the present late day of the session without. incurring a very grave danger to the appropriation bills and an extra session. -Under these cir cumstances, the friends of the silver measure have authorized me to say that they will not further proceed at this session of Congress." No comment was made on this an nouncement by any Senator and no formal action was taken on the reso lution. Other business having intervened, the silver bill was made the text of a speech by Mr. Higgins (Rep.) of Dela ware, who referred to its status as "legislation let alone." and said that all the bill amounted to-inasmuch as it could not become a law- was a decla ration of policy and that the resolution of the Senator from Colorado meant just the sanie thing. Mr. Higiins'speech was interrupted at 12 u'clocby the Vice President, who aniounced the close of the morn ing hour and the taking up of the un finished business, being thesilver bill. "Let it be laid aside informally," Mr. Joneb, of Arkansas, suggested, "so as to allow the Senator for Dela ware to conclude his remarks." "I must appeal to the Senator from Delaware," 31r. Gorman broke in, "as well as to the Senator from Arkansas, to cease this discussion at this time. All the great appropriation bills are pending in the Senate or in commit tee, anI it will be almost impossible to have- fair consideration of them unless we begin now. I must appeal to the Senator from Delaware in the public interest to giye way and to permit me to make-a motion that the Senate proceed to the consideration of the In ian appropriation bill." After further discussion, Mr. Gor man made his motion, and 3r. Butler who desired to go on with the pooling bill, demanded the yeas and nays. The vote was taken and the motion agreed to-ycas 55, nays 12. The negative votes were given by Senators Blanchard. Butler, Camden. Cameron, Faulkner, Hunton, Jones of Arkansas, Lindsay, Martin, Mitchell of Wiscon sin, Quay and Wolcott. The effect of the vote was to displace the silver bill-remitting it to the calendar-and to bring the Indian appropriation bill before the Senate. On this bill MIr. Higg ins resumed the floor and went on with the delivery of his speech on the Jones silver bill and against it. Mr. Chandler ne~it addressed the Senate, not upon the Indian appro oriationi bill, however, but upon the silvtei bill ana agams~t the WVolcott resolution. MIr. Daniel replied to the speech of MIr. Higgins. whjich was, lie said, a dismal and pitiful picture of the dis tress now pervading the civilized world. That distress, Mr. Daniel said, was widespread. He might say: "From (Greenland's icy mountains To India's coral strand." 'While that Senator had called at tention to a starving Mianchester and to a degraided India he had told the Senator but little of the distress which pervaded his own country in consequence of the ill-conceived and ill-considered action of Congress in re pealing the purchasing clause of the Shermian act. Not a single prophecy which was made by the friends of that repeal had been fulfilled, but the predictions which he (Mr. Daniel) had then stated in his argument against the repeal had been fulfilled. He had predicted that the unconstitutional re peal of the purchasing clause of the Sherman law would be followed by a decline in the price of silver, by a further decline in the prices of prop ertv, bonds and securities, and by an attempt to retire the greenbacks; and all these predictions had been fulfilled. The Democratic party, which had pledged itself to the coinage of both old and silver and to the repeal of he tax on State banks, had failed to keep its pledge, and would now be deprived of power, without ever be ing in power. Burned to Death. IONTGO31ERY. Ala., Feb. 22.-A special to the Advertiser from Gads den, Ala., tells of two people being burned to death. MIrs. M1ary Burton was discovered by two of her children lying on the floor, her head and shoul ders lying in the fire and her entire body ~ev veloped in flames. MIrs. Bur ton was subject to epileptid fits, and it is thought that she was attacked while sweeping and fell in the fire. A small child of Katie Fitzgerald fell into the fire and its head was so badly burned as to cause its decath. Fred Douglaxs Dead. Wasrfia'oN. Feb. 21.-Frederick Douglass. the well known colored or ator, died suddenly at 7 o'clock last night ot beart disease at his hiome in Aacostia, a suburb of WVashinUgton. He was a promninent figure in the woians convention this atfter'noon. where he occupied a seat upon the )latfomi. lHe 'was ap)parently in the est of health at that time. TUE German Reichstag has adopted a resolution instructing the govern nent to issue to the other powers of te world invitations for an interna tional monetary conferenace looking to the remone~tizitig of silver. Before the res~olutioni was adopted the secretary of the imperial tr'easlury, oni behalf of the Emiper'or. de'chlred tht~ the objc~t arind at by the resolution had his sympathy. Went Like Hot Cakes. Lo)vt)x, Feb'!. 21.- The Uni'ed \t vesterdar atlerni'toon, and a rec-et a aiht entIhed at 31ergan's for places inte line,' and this tuorming .therei' wa a rnewe r'UIush of subscr'ioeris. Ih' lo'nai was subscribed for mi any times over.(1 iA The smiumI at ore ime' this af ternmoon reached 4 2. HI.:Ny 31. Bruans. LL D.. the oldest i:in." gz'aduate, and for manny y'ears a 'oa, o the coillege of Charleston, eied it "smtimerv'ille. S. C., on Thu's ia', in Uis 87th year. Hfe w~as v~ery pr ominetlyi' iden titied with the edut -tiona i ~t'resi of Charleston. and va the father of the lae Dri. John Dws,,on ns of ew Urleans. COMMISSIONERS APPOINTED. To. Work for the state -Exhibit all Over the Couj a,~ S. C., Feb. 20.-Gover nor Evans yesterday proceeded to make the appointntits of the( men to secure a State exhibit for South Caro lin'aat the Cotton States and Interna tion:al Exposition to be held at Atlan ta. in accordance with the plan agreed upon between himself and the Young Mfen's Business League of Charleston, fully detailed yesterday. Governor Evans. as already stated, is to be the exofficio chairman of all committees for the entire State. He has made the following appointments. It should be stated, however. that there are several other appointments yet to be made to make the committees in several coun ties complete, and to complete the organization: Commissioners for the State at large and manazer of the South Carolina exhibit, E. L. Roche. Assistant commissioners in charge of the work of preparing the exhibits for their respective districts, who shall be known as the central committee and executive board of the South Car olina exhibit: First district-J. C. hemphill,Char leston. Second district-W. H. .Mauldin, Hampton. Third district--John E. Bradley, Abbeville. Fourth district-W. A. Clarke,Rich land. Fifth district-LeRoy Springs, Lan caster. Sixth district-J. D. Montgomery, Marion. Seventh district-George H. Cornel son. Orangeburg. Three commissioners for each of the several counties of the State, as fol lows: Abbeville-J. K. Durst, L. W. White, R. R. Hemphill. Aiken-Thomas J. Davis, B. F. Hol ley. T. S. Williams. Anderson-P. K. McCulloch, J. Belton Watson. Barnwell-L. W. Youmans, S. G. Mayfield, Robert Aldrich. IBeaufort-J. H. Averill, H. D. El liott, Thomas Martiu. Berkeley-E. J. Dennis, H. L. Bar ker, J. B. Morrison. Charleston-J. Adger Smyth, W. H. Welch and L. A. Emerson. Chester-R. A. Love,T. J. Cunning ham, 0. Barber. Chesterfield-0. T. Redfern, W. P. Pollock, H. M. Finlayson. Clarendon-D. J. ~Bradham, J. E. Tindal, C. S. Land. Colleton-M. R. Cooper, M. P. Howell, Benjamin Stokes. Darlington-R. W. Boyd. Edgefield-B. R. Tillman, R. B. Watson, John C. Sheppard. Fairfield-Thomas W. Woodward, W. J. Johnson, J. Q. Davis. Florence-W. F. Clayton, F. M. Rodgers, J. 0. Byrd. Georgetown-Miles Hazzard, Sol Emanuel, W. R. Congdon. Greenville-H. B. Buist, John Fer guson, J. A. Hoyt. Hampton-M. B. McSweeney, C. J. C. Hutson. John J. Garnett. Horry-E. Norton, C. P. Quattle baum. Kershaw-W. M. Shannoa, J. D. Trantham, J. W. Lloyd. Lancaster-Ira B. Jones. Laurens-J. D. M. Shaw, J. O. C. Fleming, J. B. Humbert. Lexington--J. WV. Lybrand, G. E. Harman. C. M. Efird. Marion-Williamn Evans, C. A. Woods. Marlborough-C. S. McCall, - Breeden. Newberry-E. H. Aull, H. C. Mose ley. Thomas WV. Holloway. Oconee-S. Y. Stribling, J.R. Earie, S. P. Dendy. Ornebr-ToasM Raysor, J. Pickens-Julius E. Boggs, T.C.Rob inson, D F. Bradley. Richland-John T. Sloan, L. D. Childs. J. Q. Marshall. Spartanburg-T. J. Moore,. stan varne Wilson, Joseph Walker. ~Sumter-Altamont Moses, J. H. Ave-ock, L. M. Knight. 'Union-Senator "Douglass. WV. A. Nicholson, T. C. Duncan. Williamnsburg-R. C. Logan, Dr. A. H. Williams. York-WV. L. Roddey, - Neal, 3. 5. Brice. Commissioners of finance, Andrew Simonds, E. H. Priingle and E. H. Sparkham, of Charleston, who shall have charge of the finances of the South Carolina exhibit, and to whom all contributions 'or collections shall be sent and upon whose joint order all expenditures will be made. Samuel WV. Wilkes has been ap pointed resident commissioner for the State of South Carolina at Atlanta. THE MURDEROUS MOOSHIR. An Eye Witness Tells of the Butchery of Thousands of Christains. BosToN. Feb. 22.-The Globe pub lishes the following from Moosh, Asia Minor, which it says is the first des cription by an eye witness of Mooshir Pasha's "march of blood." (Mooshir Pasha is the military governor of Er zerjan and started, by order of the Sul tan into the Sassoun district last Sep tember. IEnumerable burned villages and 7,293 lives was the price of this oflicial visit.) Moosh. Asia Minor. Jan. 7.-The numbers of our dead countrymen in the four towns visited by Mooshir Pasha will not be far short of 7,50U. This is froin the bedies counted and known to have perished. We cannot tell how many others Lher'e may be. The first town entered by Mooshir was Shin ik. It contains four villages, Shinik, Mezera. Koojock and Dopy. When our people here heard of the ar rival of the Pa-sha Fr. .Johannis. 240 of the leading townsmen went to meet him to have mxerey upon .tem. They were surrou.ndIed by soldiers long be fore they could get to Mooshir Pasha and e.eirv one was killed. Their bodies wei'e put in the ch~urch and burned. Then they proceeded to burn the villages. The number killed from Sinik proper number 6j23, and :317 from the rest of the villages. Those who escaped are nowv in thxe 'villages surrounding this town, but the villag es are thiemselves very poor and many go hungry. Mooshir Pashalheft Shtinik to go to the next town in the Sasosun district. This to wn is Alyan and has fourteen viages. The people heard of his com-1 ing and how that lie had twentv-fouirI comnpianies each 1( 0 men besides twenty : three canntons. Tfhiey knew that i~t was asless to appeal to him. so thiey fled l to the village of Chii because of its< 'ocks and steeples. and there ihiey could< better escape him. They staved in the mountains for almost tw.enty diays. and when all food was gone an~d there was nothing left to do they tiedais be stJ thi'r could. Two thou'sauds bodies were left behind at Chi. -J Gaii-Gazanl was next ani heeause the town has twenty-tw.o villages airoundi it. Mooshir bro'ught Kurds. Ahmidie1 axd Irregulars, niumbering :30. 00. Tile towi was desre'ted, for the pleople. I wh all the food they' could co-ry. had led~ to the miountains. They . sttaed in their fa~stnesses fu' thh-ity Ja'> and at laist with a frecnzy bor'n of t luinger' and despair. they made a ter' 'ible rush down the miountamn sides 1 idattacked the tyrants instead of POWDEk Absolutely Pure. A cream or tartar narmg powder. Highest of all in leavening strength-IA test United States Government Food B port. Royal Baking Powder Company, 106 Wall St.; N. Y. was like a god and killed nineteen men with his own sword before he fell dead. Fr. Bedras was a soldier, too, and en couraged his children, and when he was at last killed his body was cut in pieces and given to the dogs. Alpag was the last town that the bloodthirsty tyrants visited, and this place contains eight villages-Verient, Chaden, Moodavar, Eukik, Kaiaxaz. Choroop, and Davlorig. The people had for the most part made their es cape, but when Mooshir and his soldi ers went their way 1 300 bodies were found even here. Many more were burned, but their number cannot be known. All bodies'were left where they were butchered and those who would travel this district must risk their lives through the pestilential odors that go up from so many dead. All who es caped from the Sassoun district came to the villages and plains of Moosh, and hungry, destitute and broken hearted, they look for hope and help and sympathy from the civilized world to whom the news of their terrible lot may come. SENATOR TILLMAN IN WASHINGTON. He is Cordiany Received by Democratic and Republican Senators. WASHINGTON, - Feb. 21.-Senator elect Benjamin R. Tillman made a very successful debut in the Senate ehamber today. Senator Irby returned from South Carolina this morning, accompanied by Senator-elect Tillman and Governor Evans. Senator Irby presented the credentials of Mr. Till man and they were read and placed on file. Senator Butler was present but made no objection to the creden tials of his successor taking the usual course. A few minutes later Senator Irby escorted Mr. Tillmrn and Gover nor Evans into the Senate chamber and gave them seats over on the back row of the Democratio side to the right of the Vice President. Several Demo cratie Senators, including Senators Mc Laurin, of Mississigpi, and Pugh, of Alabama came forward and were sentedto the new comers. While Mr. Tilinan was getting acquainted with Senator Geore of '%hssissippi, Senator Irby moved aUut the chamber and in vited Democratic and Republican Sen ators to come over and meet Senator elect Tilbnn. Nearly allof the mem bers of the Senate we're familiar with. the incidents of the Butler-Tiflman campaign, and they expressed some curiosity to meet the man who could defeat the gallant Butler. It was ob served that the free silver men were particularly gracious to Mr. .Tillman, and they were pleased to find that he was righit in touch with them on that subject. Senators Teller, D)ubois, Stewart, Carey, Power, Pettigrew, Chandler and many of the leading Re publicans camne over and chatted pleas antly withI the South Carolina contin gent. At one time the buzz of conver sation around Mr. Tillmnan and Gov ernor Evans was so pronounced that the Vice President was obliged to re quest order. While all this demonstration was 0oing- on over Mr. Tillman Senator Nutle'r was sett'ing but a few seats away, apparently oblivious to what was going on in the vicinity of Senator Irby's desk. He was interested in a few' items in the Indian appropriation bill, and as soon as they were disposed of he arose and left the chamber to meet some friends in the lobby. In the meantime Mr. Tillman joked pleas antly with Senators Hill, Allen, Martin and other Democratic Senators about State and National politics. To your correspondent he stated that lhe came on to WasTington with. Senator Irby and Governor Eyans for a few days' rest and recreation, and also for the purpose of meeting some of his future associates in the Senate and to learn something of the ways of that august body. He says heho there will not be an extra session, b cause he has made his arrangements upon the idea thathe will not be catled to Wa'shington to assume his Senator ial duties before next winter. Senator Irby says he has been home attending a conference of Democrats who are intesestedl in the coming Con stitutional Conventiou. He says- the leading Democrats in the State, in eluding many of those who have here tofore differed on State affairs, are dis posed iLo bairy the past and unite in an effort to preserve the supremacy of the white man's party. He says they realize that nothing is to be gained by continuing the factional 'war that has been g:>ing on for several years past. President of winthrop College. COLmBmA, S. C.. Feb. 22:-Tuesday night at a meeting of the Board of Trustees of the South Carolina Indus trial and W~inthrop Normal College, Professor 1). B. .Johnson was elected i'resident by a unanimous vote. The >puosition to him, which was predict ed' did not develop. It was generally >elievedl that he would be elected. Nevertheless. such a vote was a hand ;ome compliment. The two things ihaL weighed most with the Board were his executive ability and his in luence with Northern educators, es ecially the Trustees of the Peabody 'u ad, 'to which the College looks for iid. P.-ofessor Johnson has been ~welve years Superintendent of the ~itv Schools and nine years President >f t'he Winthrop Normal College, for .vhose more extended work he has >een selected. Professor Johnson was >orn in LaGrange. Tenn., Jani ai-y 10, L85', where his father was founder nd President of the LaGrange Female ollege. He worked his way through ~ollege and graduated with the degree -f A. B. at the University of Tennes ee, Knoxville, Tenn.. in 1877, with lie tirst honor of his class, and 'with he senior captaincy of his battalion. 5mmediately after graduation he was lected assistant princip~al of. the 'noxville High School, in which )osntionl he served ten years, when he vas elected . assistant professor of mathematics in his alma mater. In S80 lie was awarded the dege of A. hi. by the University of 'Tennessee. he young ladies of the Winthrop 'ormial C'ollege presented an address > the G~overnor and the Board askig aat Professor Johnson be elected. Ie will remain ini charge of 'the (hools for the~ remainder of the ses ion and will go to Rock Hill in Sep