University of South Carolina Libraries
li ll TBS SUMTER WATCHMAN, established April, 1850. kBe Just and Fear not-Let algthe Ends thou Aims't at, be thy Country's, thy God's and Truth's." THE TRUE SOUTHRON, Established Jone, 136 & Consolidated Aug. 2,1881. SUMTER, S. C., WEDNESDAY, MARCH 21, 1894. Sew Series-Vol. XIII. No. 34 Published Erery "ffednesday, -BY IST. O. Osteen, SUMTER, S. C. TER??S : Two Dollars per annum-io advance. AOVSBTISBMSKT: One Sq care first insert ?on................-$1 00 Every subsequeat insertion... 50 Cot:tracts for three months, or longer will be made at reduced rates. All communications which subserve private interests will be charged for as advertisements. Obituaries and tributes of respect will be charged for. NEW MARBLE WORKS, COMMANDER & RICHARDSON, LIBERTY STREET, SUMTER, S. C. WE EAVE FORMED A CO-PARTNERSHIP For the purpose of working Marble and Granite, manufacturing lonniests, MK, Etc., And doing a General Business in that line. A complete workshop bas been fitted op on LIBERTY STREET, NEAR POST OFFICE And we are now ready to execute with promptness all orders consigned to ns. Satis? faction guaranteed. Obtain our price before placing an order elsewhere. W. H. COMMANDER, G. E. RICHARDSON. Jone 16. H. A. HOYT, MAIN STREET. SUMTER, S. C. GOLD AND SILVER WATCHES, FINE DIAMONDS, Oreles, Jewelry, Spectacles, MERIDEN BRITANIA SILVERWARE, Ac. REPAIRING A SPECIALTY. Feb. 1 WRIGHT'S HOTEL COLUMBIA, S. C. S. L. WRIGHT & SON, Proprietors. OTTOF. WEITERS, WHOLESALE GROCER, AND LIQUOR DEALER, OFFICE AND SALESROOM: 183 East Bay, Charleston, S. C. Nov. 7-o Order Your PROVISIONS AND GROCERIES .FROM GEO. f. STEFFENS & Wholesale Agents, Charleston, S. C. --Agents for MOTTS cross, BED SEAL CISABS, and DOVE HAMS. L. D. JOHNSTON, SUMTER, S. C. -THE Practieal Carpenter. Contractor and Builder, WOULD RESPECTFULLY inform the citizens of Sumter and surrounding country that be is prepared to furnish plans, and estimates on brick and wooden buildings. All work entrusted to bim will be done first cia*?. SATISFACTION GUARANTEED. Aug 19 REMOVAL. LEVAN'S BARBER SHOP bas been removed to the room over Mr. B. J. Barnett'3 store, in bis new building oo Main Street. Thanking my frieuds for past favors I solicit their continued patronage in my n?w Staad, where I am better prepared to serve them with satisfaction to them, as weil as myself. Respectfully. JOSEPH LEVAN. Dec. ?-4. ? Why Tindal Didn't Speak at the Abbeville Meeting Messrs. John R. Blake, R. R. Hemp hill, John H. Morrab, Isaac H. McCalla, and John E Bradley, Oom mittee. Abbeville, S. C. ' Gentlemen : I bave tbe honor to acknowledge the receipt of your invitation to address tbe people of Abbeville as a candidate for Governor. I desire to express my thanks for the compliment, but I bad never declared that I would or would not be a candidate. I had not sup? posed tbat the Reformers would again place candidates before the people by a convention ; but thought the people of their own motion. would gravitate to some man or men in sufficient numbers to warrant him or them in entering upon a canvass of the State with reason? able bope of success. At present our people are puzzled and in a somewhat chaotic condition. Unless we proceed wisely, discords and danger are before us. My judgment opposes any nominating convention, either early or late. I am no schis? matic and will cheerfully abide by the decision of the majority, but I deem it my duty to earnestly advise against it. I was one of the first promoters of the Farmers' Movement, the aim of which was an Agricultural College We expanded that into the Reform Party, and appealed to the people of all classes against a political com? bination called a "ring," which had opposed and for a time defeated the college and had practically deprived a majority of tbe people of their proper influence upon public affairs. Our ob? ject was to secure to every Democratic voter in the State the privilege of casting his vote direct for every officer from Governor down. The farmers being removed and scattered from the centres of political information were practically disfran? chised, because before they could be? come aware of what was going on, slates ?ere made, conventions packed and nominees declared. This was doe to the convention plan of nomination in presence of a negro majority, which prevented revolt. The men who composed the so-called ring were of no worse type of human nature than politicians generally. No one believes they were. But a ring is inherent in the oomvention system under our political conditions. If we, therefore, return to it another ring must inevitably evolve sooner or latter in our iranks And who will compose it? Evidently, the most extreme and violent. The scare-crow of the old ring was Radical rule. The scare-crow of the future ring will be "Anti rule." The people will throw up their hats in honor of a victory a? they suppose of their party, while in fact they are re-enslaving themselves. For what do they, when they commit their rights, power, liberty and means of self-defence to a few, who are auto? cratic, absolute and responsible to no body. There is no way to punish them in case they bartered the offices among themselves. There is but one way for the people to maintain their influence upon public affairs, and that is to use intelligently their votes. I am aware that true and unselfish Reformers are advocating the Conven? tion, although it is going back upon oar principles. Why? 1st,-Because we have not established a square primary, but a primary, for electors. 2nd,-Because as several candidates for Governor may be in the race, it is feared (hat this will give the Conserva? tives some supposed advantage. This fear in face of our large majority must arise from distrust of the Reformers themselves, vrhich is ground? less. This mistrust has grown out *of unfortunate personal recriminations between some influential Reformers. All danger can be, and must be averted by thorough organization of the Re? form forces to secure their full strength at the Democratic election. Our real danger is from passions and prejudices which exist. A violent minor? ity in the State rakes a violent majority. There are Reformers already, who, if they could would not allow the Conser? vatives to vote at the democratic prima? ry ; and there are Conservatives who would disfranchise the whole Reform party. It requires moral courage for a Reformer to be just to a Conservative and vice versa. Passion is supplanting reason. Mud slinging and pulling down one man to build up another is low in politics, but it thrives where pas? sion rules and where selfishness sap plants patriotism. This is evil and hurtful to both factions and dangerous for the State. It is leading in a short line to a split in the Democratic party. Prejudice and passion are the tools used to defeat or to rob the people. The Republican party has lived upon sectional prejudice. In 1833 when South Carolina tried to nullify the tariff the manufacturers of New England organized an abolition society, and some years later flooded the South with insurrectionary pamph? lets like a thunder olap in a clear sky. It was done to stir up passion in the South, and divert the mind of the people of the (Jolted States from the tariff to slavery. War ensued and resulted in transferring four thousand millions of slave property to the North in the shape of United States Bonds, in creating a great national debt, a high tariff, great State, city, town and corportion debts, which to-day are a mortgage upon all the products of labor, and by me&ns of which the South and West are mulched of seven hundred millions annually in interest alone. Hence it is that the farmers who cwoed eighty per cent, of the property of the United' States own but twenty-five per cent. The whole teaching cf the Alliance is designed to allay passion and destroy prejudice, sectional and local. And why ? That reason and justice might assert their power, that measures may stand upon their merits, and men of sincerity administer the laws with "equal rights to all and special privi? leges to none." I appeal to the whole people against the passion and pre? judices which threaten to invade the Courts, the juries, the schools, the colleges, the churches and the whole social machinery. I appeal to Re? formers especially, for harmony in onr ricks. Shall men inspired with a high purpose, who have worked together nobly for popular rights and political justice, bring reproach and possible danger to their party by suspicion and re-crimination ? We want unity in our ranks and peace and justice for the whole state. The principles of the Reform party are right. They will stand the test of all fair criticism. The government is as honestly administered as ever in the history of the State, and it will continue to be as long as it remains in the hands of the white peo? ple, or any faction of them. But should we divide into two political parties, they will surely, in the end appeal for negro votes, and then corruption and disgrace will follow. What are the Reformers contending for ? To secure a fair consideration of all measures affecting tbe interest of the people uoder agreement that any or all measures about which a difference of opinion might arise, shall be settled at tbe primary election. Tbe object being to secure without danger to honest government, free political action and progress ; such as is secured to states of homogeneous population, by two political parties.. The farmers through the Alliance seek to establish such a political status, as will of itself develop the best talent cot only of this class, but of the whole population to aid in averting further ruin to them and to the Republic it? self. They want men of humanity, and men of sincerity. The first step to this end is to get oat of our old ruts, get rid of prejudice and passion, and let men who aspire to public honors know, they cannot secure them by coquetting with a few convention managers, but by winning the confidence of the people. We cannot go backwards, influenced by any supposed plan or device of the Conservatives. Neither fear of the opposition nor mistrust of our friends should deter us from doing right. I know that some of my frieods say that I am^too conservative, and perhaps they are right. ? am more conser? vative as I grow older. I risk less in business enterprises, while forty years effort to reform myself has given me greater charity for my fellow men. I may be therefore, too conservative But my whole experience has taught me that rashness is folly, that passion is lunacy, that extremes are dangerous. History shows that all great popular movements have come short of their aim by passion, by the extremes to which they went and by the inordinate ambition of men. The Conservatives, although with the advantage of a monopoly of political experience and training, were easily defeated, because passion bereft them of reason, judgment and justice. Let ii warn the Reformers. A convention of ?be Col le ton plan is right, not to make nominations, but to lay down a platform on thc lines we have been moving, to organize the Reform forces, to secure their unity and full strength, sad to devise some means of avoiding confusion in choos? ing electors at the Democratic primary. Or if possible to secure a direct pri? mary, wbicb io my judgement is the only safety for the Demorratio party, and for the unity of tbe white race io the future. Yours Respectfully, J. E. TINDAL. The assets of the late Wo rld's Fair at Chicago, deducting the net liabili? ties, are officially reported at $1,424, 821. The total gate receipts were $10,610,175. The State authorities have been informed that George H. Walter,- the County Treasurer of Charleston, bas been paid $1,296.83, the amount of the shortage of John L. Weber, ex School Commissioner of Charleston, the story of whose crime bas been publish? ed. The money was paid by Leland Moore, a brother-in-law of Weber, but one of the best and most honest men in Charleston. For bim and the other innocent ones there is the deepest sym? pathy. A Christian Soldier. The following, by Mr. George H. Mofiett in the Century Magazine for December, upholds the position of Rev. C. C. Brown in his sermon on the negro, which was published in last weeks issue of the Watchman and Southron : Stonewall Jackson openly deplored, as did so many other great leaders of the South, the institution of slavery. Yet he was firmly convinced that its existence was not only guaranteed by the national Constitution but sanc? tioned by a divinely inspired scrip? ture I heard him say as much in the only political speech he ever made. It was st a meeting held in Lexington, Va., in the election campaign of 1860, his voice coming unexpectedly from a seat in the rear of the house where he had risen in support of an aggres? sive resolution, fie was then Major Jackson, a professor, as every one knows, in the Lexington Military Institute. He was a frequent visitor in the house where, as a college student I boarded, and I bad more than once heard him express io pri? vate conversation the same convic? tions which he on that one occasion only declared in public My acquaintance with him was only such as a boy of sixteen would have with a man of mature years. Our only point of intimate contact lay in the fact that I taught a class io the uow famous colored Sunday-school which he had organized in connection with the Presbyterian church of the town. But I believe this Sunday school of negro children of which he was superintendent lay closer to his heart than any other object on earth except his home and family. In the war, though much under legal age, I became a private cavalryman. Some? times I saw General Jackson. In August, 1862, the day be? fore he met aud drove back Pope's army in the battle of Cedar Bun, I was riding down the road leading north from Orange Court House, on my way from brigade head? quarters to join my regiment on the Kapidan, when I overtook a division of infantry on the march, going towards Culpeper. The active move? ments of our forces indicated the sharp work that was near at hand. When I reached the head of the column I found General Jackson, his cap drawn down over his forehead, riding alone and apparently buried in deep meditation in his strategic plans. I rode by with a silent salute, but he recognized me, called to me to halt, and, riding up by my side, began to talk about the colored Sun? day school in Lexington. It was a great gratification to him, he said that the school .was being kept up in his absence. So we parted and he rode?n to bloody victory. And once again : it was the after? noon of the first day of the second Bull Run battle, and one of the most critical moments of Jackson's whole military career. He had come round through Thoroughfare Gap, putting the Bull Run Mountains and Pope's whole army between himself and Lee. Pope had turned, closed in upon him and brought him to bay. The battle had been raging for hours, and though Longstreet bad come to Jackson's aid, no one could yet say that Jackson's hard pressed lett would not be overwhelmed. Our battalion of cavalry under Major Pat? rick had been halted near Groveton almost in the center of the field of battle-and sharpshooters were de? ployed to meet the enemy, who were coming down the Warren - ton pike At this moment General Jackson rode up. There was hard fighting everywhere. He con? versed for a few moments with Major Patrick, and then turned and spoke to me. He said that certain of our men on an eminence above the road were needlessly exposed, aud bade me ride to them and call them in. I had started to obey, when he sud? denly stopped me with : "Oh ! 1 had a letter a few days ago from Dr. White, and he tells me that our Sunday-school is still kept up." That was well. I went my way to execute his command, and he rode back to his infantry. 1 never saw him again. The "Colleton" plan suggested as a solution to the convention calling en? tanglement is this. The farmers meet at each county court bouse, elect one delegate. These delegates meet in Columbia and decide where the much talked of convention shall he held. This takes it out of the power of any one mao to call a convention and practically deposes Shell as President of the State Farmer's Association, which position would have given him the power to call the convention. The plan is clearly Tillman's, though it purports to be the suggestion of the farmers, and is in the effort of peace and unity. We venture the assertion, however, that the petty quarrels among the Refawmers have by now assumed such proportions that they cannot be so easily healed.-Fairfield Herald. WASHINGTON LETTER. WASHINGTON, March 12, 1894. Democrats, even those who are personally opposed to some of the changes made, are glad that the Senate Finance committee has at last got the tariff bill in a shape to make its passage by the Seoate certain. It is really surprising, in view of the radical change made by taking sugar, iron ore, coal and lead ore from the free list and put? ting a duty upon them, tb at the demo? crats of the House are not louder in their objections. Bot they regard the matter from a common sense point of view, knowing that the democrats of the Senate Finance committee yielded nothing that it was not absolutely necessary to yield in order to get the votes necessary to pass the bill, and also that they will have another chance at the changes when the bill goes to con? ference after its passage by the Senate. The republicans of the Finance com? mittee would like to waste a month or so by keeping the tariff bill in com? mittee, but the democrats will not allow any such time. If they will agree to have the bill reported in a week the democrats will allow them that much time ; if not the bill will be reported sooner without their consent. Secretary Herbert's answer to the House resolution asking by what authori? ty he ordered Admiral Skerrett to obey Mr. Blouot when he went to Hawaii as Special Commissioner, was, in short, that it came from the Commander-in Chief of the Army and Navy-the Presi? dent of the United States ; and he cited seven precedents for the actioo, dating from 1823 to 1881. Senator Blanchard assumed his new duties to-day and Justice White, bis predecessor, was sworn iu as a member of the Supreme Court. If Mr. Blanchard makes as good a reputation in the Senate as be leaves behind him in the House the people of Louisiana will doubtless ratify the selection of the governor by keeping him there. Representative Ki 1 gore, of Texas, was not altogether wrong, although rather too general, when be said in tbe course of the debate on tbe District of Columbia appropriation bill, concerning the newspapers of Washington : "The newspapers of Washington have never failed to advocate any scheme, I don't care how infamous it was, that looked to the expenditure of the public money in the interest of speculators in and around the city. I never knew of an instance in which they did not advocate such schemes." In reply to a protest from Representative Blair of N. H., Mr. Kilgore continued : "Well, I make the distinct charge that the newspapers are corrupt and that they advocate every corrupt scheme that has been introduced into Congress to plunder the Treasury io the interest of private interests. Democrats in Congress are in thorough sympathy with the Depart? mental Congression Commission which has been engaged for many months in looking into the business methods of the Government Departments, with a view to recommending changes looking to a reduction of unnecessary red tape and of unnecessary officials. Every recommendation of the Commission has been promptly acted upon by Congress, the last one-for abolishing the Bureau of Customs of the Treasury Department -having been passed by the House without an hour's discussion. Slowly but surely the leaven of reform is work? ing. The results of thirty years of extravagance and favoritism cannot be overthrown io a day, or a year, but they will be overhrown in the end. This the democrats are determined upon. Senator McPherson has this to say about the charge that the sngar clause of the revised tariff bill gives the sugar trust undue advaotage : "As I drew the sugar . schedule, I ought to know what it means, and I certainly know what it was intend to mean. The entire discriminating duty, according to my calculations, thas refined sugar is accorded by the bill it sixteen hundredths of one cent. Now, when you take into account the bounty paid by Germany for its export? ed sugar, and the fact that German sugar is shipped in bags which are not dutiable, and which can be used over and over again, it will be seen that the American refiner is given oo advantage over his German competitors. In truth, the German exporter bas one hundredth of a cent per pound advantage over the American refiner after he has paid our import duty. Now, if any one disputes these figures of mine, and can show me where the American refiner receives any greater protection than I have stated, I will see that the bill is chang? ed." Rice in the Piedmont. Mr. 0. H.. Smith, who lives five miles southwest of Yorkville. is one of those farmers who last year ex peri? mented with rice cuitare. He made a success of it. From Mr. Robert Con? rad, he bought five quarts of seed, which he sowed on one quarter of an acre. The yield was twenty bushels, or at the rate of eighty bushels to the acre. Mr. Smith was io the Enquirer office last Monday, and told the story of his experiment as follows : .'I first selected a level piece of bot? tom land, which measured a little less than a quarter of an acre. After broadcasting stable manure over the patch, I broke it np and pulverized it thoroughly with a disk harrow. Next? about the 1st of April, I sowed the rice, just as I would wheat or oats. Then I built a dam and flooded the patch, allowing the water to remain on until the rice began to sprout. After the rice sprouted, I theo let the water off and kept the place dry until the rice was about four or five inches high. The weeds were from two to three inches higher. I let the water on again about up to the first barrel of th~ -'ce. Within four or five days the weeds aud grass began to turn red and die. Io less than ten days more, the rice was high enough to allow the weeds and grass to be entirely covered with water. Soon after this was done, the weeds and grags died. I let the water off and turned it on once or twice more during the growing season as I thought the rice seemed to require. As the rice began to ripen, I Set the patch become thoroughly dry, and when harvest came, it was in first rate condition for handling." Mr. Smith also inform us that he sowed some rice on a piece of upland, and that it made i pretty fair crop. It was sowed abo i;ke wheat and rs* quired no more attention than sorghum cane He says that be has been usiog home-raised rice o o his table ever since last summer, and still has plenty to spare.-?orkville Enquirer. Crime and Education. It is an interesting question to see what effect education has OD crime. It has been shown from the last census that with the education of the negro crime has rapidly increased. This is true. And yet crime is about as great iu Massachusetts as it is in South Caro? lina. In the former illiterates con? stitute but 3.3 of the per centage of population who cannot read, while in South Carolina they amount to 48.2 per cent.-, or nearly one-half of tha. population. The Baltimore Herald noting this close record as to crime in the two States, says this : "It is reasonable to suppose that the proportion had not greatly varied in 1890;and yet the census of that year showed that tbe percentage of criminals in the penitentiaries and county jail to population was almost exactly the same, there being a difference of only 1-10 per cent. A similar state has been observed in Illinois and Missouri, where the difference in percentage of those unable to read was 4.6 in favor of Illinois, with 578 more convicts than Missouri had." In the penitentiaries of the South, of the thousands of convicts, much more than half are of the class that have come to manhood under freedom, and can read. Education has not proved,, in either the South or the North, a preventive or cure of crime. The only cure for crime is moral teaching. Unless men can .be changed in their hearts and be made "new creatures in Christ Jesus,'7 there is no chance for radical changes of life and character. The training of the mind possesses no transforming power for criminals or for sinners generally. The training of the soul, of the moral nature, is the only remedy for the suppression -of crime. We have no confidence in ball kicking as a moral elevator and reformer. If we bad, we would insist that all the criminals in thc peni? tentiaries, reformatories and jails be put to ball kiokiog early and late and all the year round-Wilmington Mes? senger. The board of liquor control down at Dillon, a little town in Marion County ? appointed a Conservative as dispenser of Tillman liquor. As soon as the Big Boss heard of it be order the board to meet again and appoint a Tillmanite and of course tbe board did it ; they wouldn't dare disobey the voice of the boss. The Governor's, motto is : **No Conservative need apply."-Newberry Observer. Highest of all in Leavening Power.-Latest U. S. Gov't Report ABSOLUTELY PURE