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TILLMAN'S VIEWS ON DISPENRARY The Senator An!swers Some Questions Propounded to fim MUST BE A GENERAL OVERHAULING Father of Law Shows His Position anc Tells cf Sins Which Make People Ccpose and Fight It. In an open letter to Francis 'ig gins. of Newberry, Senator Tillman comes out squarely against the move ment against the dispensary and de clares that the several counties should not accept prohibition until the Legis lature has been given a chance to re form the institution. It is 'as follows: Trenton, S. C.. July 1. 1905. Mr. Francis W. Higgins, Newberry, S. C. Dear Sr: I have your letter of June 27, propounding certain inquiries in re gard to the anti-dispensary movement in Newberry, and to the dispensary and liquor question in general. and to my own attitude towards it. The question you ask relate to the most important subject now agitating the minds of the people of the State, and in o-der to cover the ground at all satisfactorily it will require me to an swer at some length and to discu-. the subject in its various phages. and this becomes the more necessary as you no tify me in advance that y~u desire my answer for publication. I shall preface what I v rite by lay ing down certain gener 1 principles which will be disputed o*ly by those who are fanatical and iinwilling tc consider any subject froix any other standnoint than that of (bigotry and prejudice. Most men will agree to the following: 1. All men love stimulants and are usually slaves to some Cine kind. as witness the ercng appetith which pre vails for co t-.e, tea, topacco. beer, wine. brandy, whiskey. miorphine, qui nine, cocaine, etc. With. the exception of some of the drugs mehtioned there are no injurious effects, immediately perceptible and none of them intoxi cate except those containing alcohol. Alcoholie beverages in /noderation are no more harmful thali tea or coffee, probably less so. 2. The abuse of liqtor by men drink ing to excess has eused as much or more crime and miselry than any other one thing. J 3. The proper policing and control of the liquor traffi c(so as to minimize its abuses is one ofi the most perplex ing and troublesomie questions with which any governm ent has to deal. Men have never ag eed as to any one method being best a'nd never will. and there is a constant agitation of the subject in some ford going on all the while in almost evr-y State in the Union. t 4. Experience sho that some men will have liquor as beverage and that no law has ever yet been devised which will prevent t em obtaining it. -Wise men are therefoi e content to re -duce the evils of ligq or selling and -liquor drinking to the minImum, and the question at issue in South Caro lina now as it has be en these fifteen or twenty '-ears past, is how to do There i no need for any heat or pas sion in discussing the subject and we should div est ourselves of all preju dices in its consideration. Three poli cies ha e at one time or another beer adopted in dealing with the question. SLicense. "igh or low, prohibition and the disp"ensary system. Since 1S93 the last namedl has been the method fol lowved in this State. but all along there have been staunch advocates of the other two systems embracing _withir their ranks many of the most intellh Sgent and best people we have. It is. therefore eminently proper that we recognize these earnest, honest advo cates as having just what we claim fox ourselves, no other purpose than thai of the nubli-c welfare. And those of ux who have been the supporters of the dispensary system must meet them ir Iargument and show fr-om the experi eace through which the people of the State have passed as well as with force and logic' that the advocates of boti prohibition and high license are in er ror. - You ask. "Have you lost faith in th( dispensary system and do you considei it so inherently defective that it cannol be purged of corruption and made te serve its original purpose?" I answei most emphatically, no. I believe tnh principle of the State control and thE sale of liquor through bonded officers to be the best that was ever devised: a that it comes nearer to the ideal idet of teac-hing me to use liquor instea< of abusing it. and throwing around il safeguards which will be the best foi the cause of temperance. There is nc inherent defect in the scheme. and ii there be corruption and mal-adminis tration in the enforcing of the dispen sary law it is directly traceable to the Legislature and to those who have beer placed in charge of its -execution. ln the absence of any positive proof of corrup tion we rmust awvait with deep interest the investigation which is now under way andl urge those in charge of thai ime-tant work to ear-nest, thorougn and speedy action. The people believc there is corruption and a great (deal 0i it. Very many things go to show thai this belief has good foundation in fact. WVe ought to k~now as soon as possibh just what andl how fa:- meni have beer guilty ofunlawful behavior. The suspicion which now hangs ovet the disuensary like a pall wvill cause many to hastily vote for itse destruc tion. who are still or have been strong believers in the dispensary system as a means of contr-olling the sale of wvhis key. So I would say to the gentlemner who ar-e in charge of the investigathr that they (can do the people of the St-ate a great se'rvice by le tting in the lighi and probing to the bottom. We wan1 to know what is wrong and we cat then determine how to provide a rem edy, while the criminal courts will. 0: ought to providle punishment for the wrongdoers. The dispensary law has bcen undei fire in the courts and on the hustings ever since the system was inaugurated There has been only one general ece tion in the State. the last in which il was not an issue. It won victory aftei victory for it was the main issue in the election of 1894. in the eliection for th( constitutional convention in 188-5. ane in the State electiorns of 18963. 18i8, 190] and 1{2. Those candidates for publi< office who carried its banners were al ways victorious. IWhat thenm has cause i the presen upheaval? Why are petitions circulat ing in a dozen or more counties ask inc :co- an election to vote it out unde: Sthe Erice law, and that too in -ouxn ties which, in the past its known ad ities? Have the people any greater faith in prohibition than they have had all these past years? I do not think so. Are the advocates of high license any strcnger than they have been? I do not hinl: so. I am bolnd' to beiieve that the existing dissatisfaction and desire to destroy the dispensary comes from the well-night universal belief of the people that there is corruption in its administration and because the last Legislature failed to take any ac tion other than that to appoint a com mittee to investigate. There were charges. with how much truth they were made I dont know. that the dis pensary influence in the Legislature was paramount. Anyhow, the friends of the iispensary and its enemies joined forces at the last session to pre vent any action, and nothing was done. and unless public opinion shall drive the Legislature at its next session to some reform action which will purify the atmosphere there is no possible doubt that all elements of opposition to the dispensary. aided by many of its old friends. will combine in the next election and kill the system. I do not hesitate to tell you frankly that if it has become, and is to remain a corrupt political machine as is charged. I cannot defend it and will not do so. but will join the ranks of those who seek to kill it. I believe it can be re organized and purged of corruption. with safegurads thrown around it to prevent the recurrence of the present unfortunate and disgraceful condition of affairs. I canno: now go at length into the details and give reasons. but I will state briefly the causes as I see them which have produced the present situation. The purchase of liquor by any board ex-officio or otherwise. should be stop ped. The original scheme which was hastily -otten up made the Governor. attoroey general and the comptroller general ex-officio the State Board of Control. This was changed very soon after I left the Governor's office and the Legislature assumed control by the election of the board: and in no in stance since has my advice and opinion had any weight in shaping its manage ment though I have tried to prevent some things being (lone and have urged others without success. It stands to reason that men who have to depend upon the suffrage of the whole people to get high c-iice are or ought to be of a higher type with better characters and in every way better fitted for reaspon sible positions involving the handling of public money than those who with petty salaries are elected by the Legms lature. Politics always enters into a legislative election. People who vote for Governor vote for him because of other qualifications than that he would make a good dispensary direc tor, and for this very reason the Gov I ernor is the best possible man to place in such a responsible position. But the law is fatally defective in regard to the purchase of whiskey in not specifically defining in the most minut2 and binding manner just what kinds of liquor shall be bought and how it shall be bought without leaving it to the discretion of any board. Every detail should be worked out and then the law would execute itself as far as that feature is concerned. The board would then need only to supervise the conduct of State and county dispen saries, the same as the asylum and penitentiary are run. Now as regards the proposed elec tion to vote out the dispensary. If tne dispe:Cary is to be voted out it should and must be voted out of the State. not out by individual courjies. Of course I recognize the deep seated love ot our people for local self government and I would not compel any county to retain the dispensary or have one established therein if a majority of the citizens want prohibition with its acknowleged failure to prohibit. But judging simply by the facts in the numerous elections that have been held on the subject I beieve that a large majority of the people of the State are as strong be lievers in the dispensary system as i am: and that they are only casting about now for a method of relieving themselves of the corrupt machine which is said to be in charge in Colum bia. Many States in the Union have had corruption in their State govern mets and their State treasurers have defaulted-have sometimes stolen hun dreds of thousands of dollars--but no man has ever thought of abolishing the machinery of taxation because of this. We have got to deal withl liquor in some form and provide for its le gitimate sale or we know it will find illegitimate sale. Shall we have high licer.se? I say No. That gives the monopoly to the wealthy man as against the poor man and w e know from experience with ar-rooms that it will be impossible to gie any man the right to fill his store w~ith liquor to sell and then have him compy with the constitutional reguire ments and not sell it at night and not hae it drunk on the premises. If the dispensary is abolished I will stump the State for prohibition rather than see high license. I have said this and it is the reason probably that the story is going the rounds about my stumping for prohibition. But before we have Iprohibition or high license either I ex pect if my health continues good, to give a very earnest discussion to the subject of how to reform -the dispen sary instead of destroying it and to shot. ing the true inwardness of the present movement. LeL us suppose that the present cam paign against the dispensary by county elections, shall progress victoriously as it has thus far and that the majority of the counties in the State vote it out. Will the question be settled? By no means. The alliance of prohibitionists, high license people andi blind tigers which is now waging successful war w~il h ave to continue the war .between theseles after the dispensary is de funt. Sensible mcr will not lend their aid to an crusade which only gives us "(ousion worse confounded"~ and pro dces a chaotic condition w.:th no com n~enation. Lnder the decision of the United Staes Supreme Court. prohibition and no other State regulation ('an prevent liquor from being shipped in by ex press for personal use of individuals. and the jug country traffic from Wil mington to Charlotte. Atlanta. Augus to and Savannah will be immense un der prohibition, and the money which now goes into the dispensary for the use of the towns and counties of the State and the school fund will be sent out of the State to enrich the dealers and distillers of other States. Stills will be run in every swamp and wag ons will peddle lirluor all over the country. The only fight worth enlist ing in South Carolina is between rro hibition as rigidly enforced as it can be and the dispensary as honestly en forced as it ought to be. High license is not to be thought of for a moment. Yet the prohibitionists say they prefer the dispensary to license and the license people say they prefer prohi bion to the dispensary while the bli tiers want prohibition becatise they know it means free liruor. Th -eetions rnow beir.: held in the coutes to vote the disp.?nsary o".t ar ~e ver different to the Demnocratic p"iary eleitions which will settle the I e otin finnily. In the first place the vote in these counties where elections have been held agains: the dispensary as ben. ,-ry small ae omared with the regular :ote. It requires a certfin (ate of regis-:ration to vote at such an election while in the primary the club rolls of the Denioratii eiubs govern. Then men au- indifferent as they wer' in the rOhibit:1le1ion in i2 when only sixy thousand it of ninety-two th ou.saiid voted ai that !;ox. There are projably ty thi tum:in or more good Demoeiats in the State who fnom one cause or another are not able to vote in the elections held tn(.er the Brice act. That law was sh'revdly drawn and for the express purpose of killing the d:spensary I have heen tol-l. These thi:'ty thousand will determine the question in the future as they have in the past because they will elect the Legislature and the State officers in the State Democratic primary in spite of any combination such as is now giv ing us prohibition by a negative pro cess. Voting out the dispensary not because the people want prohibition but giving us prohibition because some people want free liquor, some people prefer to buy illicit liquor and a return to the old barroom system. while many people will do anything to kill the dis pensary with the hope of profiting by its destruction. I would advise every advocate of the dispensary who i; in doubt to vote against putting the dispensary out of his county until we see what the report of the investigating committee is and then whether or'not the Legislature at its next session will purge the corrup tion out of the dispensary system, and put safeguarl. aroun.1 it for the future. I say unhesitatingly it can be done successfully. The dispensary system has shown its strength in prst elections because people thought it was honstly administered. All tha: is neessarv is to have them un(-rstand1 as they will un derstand by !06 that th must hill the law in or'r to ge: ril of the cor ruption and they will make short work of it. It must be made clean. o. it must go. At presnt the ciampaia to vote it out counly by cointy culy )rings about contusion, encourages blind ti gers and causes the counties and State to lose money. and settles nothing. and it is impossible to settle the question in this way. I repeat it can only be settled at the general Democratic pri alary when all the people have heard all sides and have made up their minds intelligently. I desire -o add in conclusion that practically [ am a prohibitionist De cause I very rarely drink any liquor of any kind. If I believed that prohibi tion could be enforced. understanding as I do mos: thoroughly the great evil attending the abuse of liquor I would be a prohibitionist but knowing from the most searching investigation and from The oficial record of the United States government that in Maine and Kansas where prohibition prevails that there has been a most dismal failure to enforce the lay I prefer to the dispen sary as the lesser evil. and as I have often said in the past I believe that State control comes nearer to the ideal management of this troublesome ques tion than any other. I have no personal interest in view and am only actuated by a sense of public duty in taking the position I have occupied in the past and which I shall cont:.nue to cceupy. I have always be'ieved in the rule of the majority. But I want it to be the majority of all the Democrats in the State. 5. R. TILLMAN. PROMIINENT PEOPLE. 3rarvk Twain smokes constantly when wrtiting. 31odjeska hopes to sell her ranch in California Josef Hofimann, the great pianist, is a clever electrician. .Admiral Togo receives a salary of $3000 for commanding the Japanese Nay IChancellor von Buelowv has had sh~doweredl upon him p~riecely rank by the Kaiser. 31 De Tleaiss'. former F:ench MIinister of 1Forei ii Affairs, is nowv in his fifty thlird year'. King Leopold of Beligium is d~e scr'ibed Is being a mian of extraordi Thelx Siamese iminiter. Phyva Akharnj Varadhm aa has f'alle a'i victim11 to the fats'inatIions of the .ane of polo. .inn IKuhelikc. the violinist. recentiy achievedl a greater success~ in Itaiy thani any artist since Pagannini's time. Tolstoi is in nou seuse a popular wri te-:. yet his wvorks have? a wider circu lat ion than I any liv-ing writer, it is saitd. IPrin-e Eitel. the Kaiser's second son, is said to be simit tenl with the charms of Pr: incess Eva of Battenbui g, accord ina to c ourt gossips. Amboassador Whlitalaw Reid has given .300 for the endowm.vnent of a bed f~o' A ' mr in ailors in the Union .lu .tive Brewer'. of tile I'nited States 'Sureme C (ourt. said recently: "Japan. it would seemn. hats made the Goddess of Libert h :er hiired girl.'' Alfonso NIII. is sid to have in I:er'ted i; he:o's Ciemarkably steady eye an l sur'' hand. acnd is no'w nc conun'od one of. the best shots in Spain. 3;:-. .Toauin (':asacus. the new .mAsado:' 'f M.exi-o to the United y~ates wil ariv in this co)untry ini .::u:t with his wife and sae chil uren. GIRAFFE OF RARE SPECIES. Valuable Acquisition to London Zeo th yon iaf ofd a rr spec ies tefrto:. its kind ever brought to Europe. was recently laniled at PIy mouth from the West African m.:tl seamer Akabo. The animal. which- i the pr'operty of Capt. Phillipts, th British resident at Katagum. Norc e:-n Nigeria. is fourteen months i. stands nine feet high. and is said to be worth $5.000O. It is being taker to the London Zoological Gar'deris. The iraffe is a enriositv becauise of the character of its horns ard the sihape of the spots on its skin. Capt. Phi! lips captured his prize in a region where some of the natives bad never before seen a white man. Great (ira cuty was experienced in getting the animal down to the coast for ship ment to England. I: had to be walked the first ~Th miles to Zungeru. Then. for the next l-le miles the poor crt.a tre had to stand in a narrow canoe. on which it was conveyed to the Niger. Placed upon a small steamer it was next carried to Eurkttu. a dis tance of about LOu0) miles from the starting point of rte journey. A spe eialyconstruictcd box was placed on the liner for the animal's accommo dation. andh several times duiring the sea voyage it was taken out on deck for exercise. The animal, which has been named the "Amelia." bore her trying experience remark-ablv wel. IThe Russian fleet has at last leara ed the difference between real Japa nese torpedo boats and Dogger Bank I trawlers, s s ee York Tribune. PALMETTO AFFA1Rl Occurrences of interest in Varicu: Parts of the State. Geneal Cotton Market. Middlint Galveston. firm ................ 10 7-1 New Orleans. firm ............ 10 11-, Savannah. quiet ............ 10 1-' Norfolk, steady ............... 10 3-1 Baltimore. nominal ............ 11.0( New York. quiet ...............11.1( Boston, quiet ............. .. - 11.1( Philadelphia. steady .......... 11.3: houston, steady .............. 10 3 Augusta. firm ................ 10 54 Memphis, firm .............. 10 11-1( St. Louis. firm ............... 10 3-4 Louisville, firm ............. 10 3-4 Charlotte Cotton Market. These figures represent prices paid to wagons: Strie: good middling ........ 10 5-16 Good middling .............. 10 1 Strict middling .............. 10 1-4 Middling ..................... 10 1-4 Tinges ...............8 1-2 to 9 3-4 Stains ................ 7 1-2 to 9.0U Died After a Quarrel. Lucknow. Special.-Mr. W. J. Rollins died instantly Thursday at 12 o'clock, death resulting from heart failure. It seems that the cause was from a dis pute between he and Dr. L. h. Peebles, magistrate. while working on a ditch in the street. Some of the citizens agreed to clean the ditch ard Rollins was overseeing the work. Peebles de cided he wou'd help and secured a hoe and worked with the rest of the crowd. Some time. about an hour before they uit, Peebles made a suggestion as to how he thought the ditch should be lug and asked Rollins to hand him the shovel. which Rollins did. Peebles showing Rollins his idea of how the ditch should be dug. Rollins said that he would not have it that way, and that it should be finished as started. Peebles got offended at Rollins for the manner in which he spoke and left without further words. About 12:00 >'clock Rollins started for a bucket of water at a well at which he and all ase out of, and was obliged to pass Pee bles house. Peebles was on his porch tnd Rollins stopped and told Peebles ne had come to tell him about the ditch and commenced to exulain himself. in the way he spoke to Peebles. Peebles, being mad already. ordered him to get away from his place. Rollins was tanding on the sidewalk, talking to Peebles. Then Rollins went to the well talking back to Peebles. but did not curse, while Peebles used strong language to him. When at the well but a few minutes Rollins fell and died istantly. Rollins leaves a wife and many friends to survive him. Palmetto Items. Columbia, Special.-Dispensary In ;pector C. L. Brown is looking for 1.500 he lost, or was robbed of be ween here and Charleston. where he went recently to look after Dispenser 3. S. Matthews. who was behind in ecounts to this amount and who cquared himself with the State dis ensary people by turning ever this ;um in cash to Mr. Brown, who gave is receipt. Mr. Brown did not dis over his loss till he reached Colum ia. He reported to Commissioner Fatum that he had lost the money. jut just how, he was at a loss to dis 2over. The law as to suing on an mn tpectors bond seems to be defective and there was some rub here. but cmmissioner Tatuma insisted that the 3tate should not be made to lose and SIr. Brown saw the force of the ar ;ument and made up the amount and aid it over to the State dispensary. 3rown has been suspended. He says e lid not drink on his way here nd des not see how any one could uave taken the money from his per Columbia. Special. - Long-distance phone messages from Florence and 3rlington confirm the rumors current ire of the failure of two big concerns itthe latter place. The one is the Inde endent Cotton Oil Company, capital zed at $1,000,000, and operating talf a tzen branch plants in Hartsville. Tim ansville, in Williarasburg county, and lThewhere, and the other- is the Darling on Trust Company. which has author zd capital of $200,000. of wvhich $120. 00 has been paid ir.. TheO trust concern onducted a bank int Dnrlington, whose oors were closed. Negro Fcund Dead. Florence, Special.-About S o'clock hhursday morning a negro man was ound dead on the railroad near the old obacco factory here. How he came oo his death is a mystery. It was hought at first that he came to his leath by being rua over by a train, >u the bruises on his body are not ufficiet to show that. Still some :hink he did. He was identified as Eank Henderson, and his home is aaid to be at Hendersonville. N. C.. but t has been here and in this section i the State for several months. F~or he past few days h~e has been working at the poor farm as a painter. gro Killed a1t Celebration. Florence, Specia .--At a big negro oorth of July pi~nic at Mars Bluff. taut six miles from here, a difficulty arose between two negroes. Sam Wind ham and Crockett Davis. and as a re ;lt. Sam Windham is (lead and Crock 'I Davis is shot through the thigh. The trouble arose cver a negro womvan. 30th negroes were drinking. Sc-:eral ago men were mixed up in the af air. hut none got into trouble except. hee two mentioned. Bucket Shop For Union. Union Special.--It is understood haa in all probability another bucket hop will be opened in Union this fall. Last week the Western Union Tele raph company had a lineman here t:> oo into conditions. He said it wt.s >roable that there would be a mar :e wire established just for cotton >isiness the wire to come from Spar anbui to Union. thence to Carlisle. Witmir and Clinton. The work of -onsutin will likely begn soon. A Child Burned to Death. Eloree Special-Last MIonday night about 11 o'clock one of the tenant houss on Mr7. P. L. Cannon's place near Vance was destroyed by fire. The ocupants. Jennie Owens and her twa :hildren were asleep when the fire was isov:ed. The mother escaped mdd one of the children perished in :he flames while the other was badly mreed. The origin of the fire and full articulars c-mnot be learned. Croner Rickenbaker of Orangeburg has been notified and is on his way to the scene of thecident. SENATOR -1LLMAN SPEAKS iTha "lns Declare3 That if Co'rup tien is Not Extradicated He Will "turp the State to Kill the System. Crn~viio.S.C.. S-:ccial.-T he Soth Carolina Legislattre has got to reor anize the dispensary and ra,,e it de cent. delares Sen2:or B. R. Tillm: n. :r. says he, "I'll stump the State to kill it." Outside of that, which re:nark he had made in effect bforo. there were no startling revelations or sen sational utterances in the senam-r's speech at Grecnville. Many of the crowd who had come from afar were somewhat disappointed that thre sen ator refused to "cuss" for publication. and that his pitchfork lay so placidly and peacefully up against the door of the crib of mildewed forage which he might have turned over. However. the crowd had already got wind of a let ter he had writter. on the dispensary and that was prononnied sufiliiently warm for a fourth of July spe:h, so they were in a sense appeased. The speech itself was a calrn. dispaq sionate. impersonal. wholly good h mored and most un-Tillmanic perfcrn ance. suppose:lly deal:ng with the cot ton situation. but realiy dealing with nothing. The crowd laughed with him and enjoyed his fascinating presence. but very few seemed to think he was making a speech. Occasionally so;me fellow in the crowd would try to get up a little enthusiasm by yelling. "That's right. Ben: give 'em hell," at which everybody, including Tillman, would laugh. . THE OCCASION. Upon the advice of President Karvie Jordan, of the Southern Cotton Asso ciation, the Fourth of July was cele brated in Greenville by a grand rally of farmers. A telegram was read by Mr. G. H. Mahon. mayor of Greenvilie. from Theodore H. Price. giving it as his bilief that in view of an expected crop of not much over 10.000.00 bales, cot ton "will immediately Eo to 12 cents a pound and stay there." This. together with the rise in the past few days. was srfficient to insure the good humor of the crowd and an enthusiastic atten tion to anything which was meant to "whoop them up" or "pat them on the back." About 2.000 people heard the speeches out in a grove. down in a hollow, away off in the woods, where you could get only by walking a mile from the fur thest end of the car line or paying the traditional quarter for har-k fare. Yet people went. even a goodly number hesidas those who heard the speeches, for barbecues. picnics. horse races. base ball. were among the festivities of the Fourth. The Piedmont fair g-rounds was the place. The speaking began at about 1 o'clock and lasted till 3: 10. At the close Mr. R. Mays Cleveland presided over the meeting. After a brief speech stating the object of the meeting he introduced Senator Tillman. Next followed 11r. E. D. Smith. after these two regular speeches. Mr. C. H. Mahon. mayor of the city. addressed the crowd a few mnutes. Then fol lowed Mr. J. T. Johnston. Member of Congress from that district. Then. af ter a little impromptu collection for the I association from which about a hat full of niekles was realized, the meeting broke un. SENATOR TILLMAN'S SPEECH. Senator Tillman, after a few pleas antries about the crowd, the occasion < and the weather. and after declaring that this was not the time or the place foi' him to make political utterances. starter in to talk to the fai'mers as farmers. "We are not here as citizens of the United States, but as farmers." he said. He spoke first of the Southe:'n Cotton Associationl and said that while he was willing to concede that it had done some good in helping on an agita tion. he did not think it could rightfully claim all the credit for the present r-.s in the price of cetton. He said: "Tomr. Smith. Bill JTohnston, John Williams. and the others saw something was wrong, so they joined the cotton asso c'iation and went to resolving and 'e olving, and resoluting and resolting. but 01(1 King Grass was the man who I camae along and choked the cotten ou:., That's what raised the price." Then he added, amidst the hilarity. "So Prov idence takes care of its own." Senator Tillman ambled on. appar ently somewhat at a loss what to talk about. Some one suggested corn. "I've got the best co:'n crop in South Caro lina: I don't (are who he is." "You ain't seed mine. Is you?" cried a tall, hearty-looking man in broad brimmed straw hat. The Senator laughed, so did the crowd. "No. I haven't seen yours." he said. "Well, you come up to Chick Springs and lemme show you some sho nuff corn as is corn," said the man. Even if the speaker had had a set speech to make. he could not havee made it in that crowd, for some one wasconstantly trying to side-track him into politics or something in which he might have occasion for his pitchfork. He did finally touch just a little upon the dispensary and his "former friend, John L. Mcbaurin." though very little about the latter, saying, with a laugh. "De mortuis nil nisi bonum." He said MLaurin was dead, even if he did 1 manage to get his mag: speeches these days in the newspapers. But speaking of the present move rxnt and politics, he compared it with I te former farmers' movement in Southt Carolina. "These newspaper men." her said. "think they smell fire whenever' the farmers begin to organize." Thee : owd laughed boisterously when heo explained the dlifference betwveen the two movements. saying "that other movementS years ago w~as Quiet differ ent. We openly declared then that wve were going into the swim. and we went in. They said we would get into oeep va: r. We did get into deep) water. and wve drowvne:i mere politicians than Iany fellows that ever went a-fishing." T HE DISPENSARF~. Abou t the dispensary Senator Till a said the time and place to settle anv issu'es on that score would he the et Democratic primary. The Les latre. he said, had been tampering " ith the dispensary. and he indicated vey clearly that he thought somebody -a' got it into somewhat of a mess. fo. speaking cf it. he said. "We've ot to clean this thing. If necessary put it in a pot and scald it. If we (cant 10 that. I say kill it." He made it very clear that wvhen the next election comes around and the people are elect ing another Legislature to clean the dispensary. he would be on hand. "I'll e a candidate." he said. "unless my health fails. I'll meet the men who manage the dispensary face to face, as I've always done." He said, too, that he would do this in the same old way. saying. "I have always called a spade a spade and a thief a thief, and I I haven't gct a forked tongue or been 1 lulled completely to sleep up there in Washington." Then he dleclared again: "The Legislature has to re-organize it1 and malke it decent or I'll stump the State to kill it. They've got to make it clean or they've got to let it go. That's my nnsition." SOUTA CAROLINA CROP BULLETIN Conditions Fcr Pst Week as Given Out by the Department. The section director for the South Carolina secticn of the Department of Agriculture issue the follcwing bulle tin: The week endin: Monday. July :,rd. had nearly a normal mean tem perature. it having been very high at the beginning of the week, with a mnx irnumi of !9 degrees at Blackville on June 27th. and was comparativrly ecol during the middle of the week with a minimim of l1 at Allendale on June 29th. There was more than an aver age amount of cloudiness. The winds were mostly easterly and drying. Copious rains fell in the Savannah valley counties and along the southern coast: excessive rains in the extreme western and northwestern counties. The co-operative observer at Walhalla reported over thirteen inches for the week. Scattered showers, generally !ight occurred in the central, eastern nd northeastern counties, where the drought has only been partially re ieved. Lands were washed and bot om lands 11coded in Oconee, Pickens nd parts of Greenville. Anderson and Barnwell counties; in all other sections he rainfall was wholly beneficial. Cothon improved in general appear ince, although it has not attained ormal size except in a few scattered ocalities. The cotton crop is uneven nd irregular in size, growth and fruit ige, though it is blooming normally >ver practically the whole State. There ire fewer complaints of deterioration, ice and shedding than last week. In :he dry sections, some plants are )looming to the top. Sea island cotton :ontinues small, though generally ealthy. There is little, if any improvement, n the early planted corn, which con inues unpromising; later plantings iave improved in color and growth, ut are still being seriously injured by hinch bugs in places. Wheat threshing is under way and he yields are very poor. Rice is do ng well. Tobacco is being cured; the rop is poor and shows the bad effects f drought. Peas are being sown ex ensively. . Pastures and gardens are arched, except -yhere the recent rains ave partially revived them. Water nelons are being marketed. Sweet po :ota slips are being set out since the -ains .and where set out earlier are do ng well. The general crop outlook s more promisIng than heretofore, but s still poor where a moisture is defi ient. which includes about half the tate. J. W. BAUER, Section Director. Slayer of Seven Women Escapes Amneri:-us. Ga., Specia.-The whole ale shooting and killing of seven ne ~ro women here at the hands of War -en Hicks, a black desperado, still ~raes the greatest excitement in the ieighborhood of the tragedy. The county is appalled at the horri >le decd. The county commissioners net and requested Governor Terrell to ifer a reward for the murderer's cap ure, the commissioners making such m offer on behalf of the county. -icks was chased ten hours by offi ers, but is still at large. Ship Yards Strike Spreads. St. Petersburg. By Cable.-The strike f the Nevsky shipyard, which began onday. became general Tuesday norning. Between 5.000 and 6.000 trikers held a meeting in the court ard of the works. Speeches detail ng the men's grievances wvere deliver d and subsequently the men attempted o form a procession. Thereupon the tuthorities requisitioned 800 Cossacks, vho dispersed the men by the free use if their whips. There is marked ex itement in labor circles. Leaflets are eing cast broadcast detailing the re :ets events at Lodz and Odessa. Telegraphic Briefs. President Roosevelt is at Cambridge, articipating in the jubilee of his class tt Harvard. The Yaqui Indians. the Apaches of 4exico, are on a. raiding tour in the ountry along the San Miguel river, and iave killed at least 12 ranchers, be ides several women and children. T. A. Deveny was, at Fairmont, twarded judgment for $40,000 in his ase againdt James D. Cook. Preside tt Benjamin Ide Wheeler. of he University of California. speaking t the Darmouth College commence nent, expressed a poor opinion of the ealthy class in isolation from hu nani ty. Leading members of the New York >ar are more or less in sympathy with he views of Secretary Taft on the ad ninisration of criminal law. John F. Wallace, who resigned as hief engineer of the Panama canal and member of the commission, has ac epted a 'p60.000 position with a New ork corporation. Graemie Stewart, several times a and idate for 3Mayor of Chicago on the epublican ticket and prominent in tle~ msiness life of the Western city, is Lead. Party Moves Onward. Washington. Special.-Wm. H. Taft, ecrtary of War. accompanied by a jistinguished party. including mom ers of both houses of Congress. armyf ificials, the daughter of the President. iss Alice Roosevelt. and others. be an their journey to the Philippine Is ands at 5:30 o'clcck Friday after oon. The party embarked in two pecial cars en the regular train over ie Baltimore & Ohio railroad. Odds and Ends. The man who does not fear failure eldom has to face it. Never is happiness more clear than then founded on clean-heartedness. A nice thing about marrying money everybody envies you so much more an you do yourself. Chairman Morton accepted the res gnation of James Hazen Hydeetad gnation of James W. Alexander as 'resident and of James Hazen Hyde L first vice-president of the Equit MUTINY NOW OVER Ihe Last Act In Tragedy of Russian Rebel Warship BLOOD-STAINED SdIP IS OCCUPIED Russian |Admiral Arrives With His Fleet and Takes Over the Posses sion of the Kniaz Potemkine From the Rounmanian Authorities. Kustenji, Roumania, By Cable.-Ad miral Kruger boarded and took pos session of the Russian battleship Kniaz Potemkine, King Charles of Roumania having sent instructions to the commander of the Roum-nian squadron that the vessel be delivered to the Russian authorities without raising difficulties. The torpedo boat which accompan ied the Kniaz Potemkine, however, eft for Odessa without surendering, declaring that she had not mutinied, but that the Kniaz Potemkine had Corced her to follow. Admiral Kruger arrived with his squadron Sunday morning,. and after exchanging the 'customary salutes, in timated that he- had come to arrange for the transfer of the Kniaz Potem ine. Admiral Kolinsky, commander >f the Roumanian squadron, boarded the- Russian battleship Tchesme and informed Admiral Kruger that King Charles had ordered him to- turn the vessel over to the Russian admiral. The Phrmalities of the transfer were complete this afternoon, and Admiral Kruger- boarded the Kniaz Potemkine. The press. representative inspected the Kniaz. Potemkine after the with drawal of the Roumanian guard. De spite the efforts of the Roumanians to get things- in ship-shape, everything aboard the battleship was still in a state of wildest disorder. The officers' abins were stripped of everything of any value, and blood stains were ev rywhere. There was sufficient am nunition aboard the Kniaz Potemkine o have enabled the mutineers to nake a desperate resistance. It is said that during the last few lays the vessel was navigated by two ngineers and an officer with revolvers t their heads. All of the sailors wished to surren ter with the exception of Matuschen ko, the leader of the mutiny, who re sisted for some time, and wanted to >low up the ship. Seven officers were prisoners aboard .he Kniaz Potemkine. They were in pitiable condition from ill treatment. rhey declare that Matuschenko him elf killed ten officers of the battle hip. All the papers and books belonging o the vessel were. destroyed. It appears that the decision to sur ender the Kniaz Potemkine was made vhen it became evident that no other essels would join in the mutiny. h~ rew of the battleship seemed to be maware of the surrender of the eorgi Pobiedonosetz and expected that she also was: coming to Kustenlji - o capitulate to Roumania. Twenty married sailors from the C~niaz Potemkine have applied to the ussian consul here to be sent back o Russia. The crew of torpedo boat No. 26 ~vere given half an hour in which to urrender or leave port. . A considerable number of the crew f the Kniaz Potemkine surrendergd o the Russian squadron, alleging that hey had acted under compulsion. The coal supply of the mutinous batt :leship was nearly exhausted, ba.t ;here was plenty of food on board. A Russian priest, after the transfer, eld a service of purification on board the Kniaz Potemkine, sprinkling the vessel and her flags with holy water. Admiral Kruger's squadron, which ,rought a crew for the Kniaz Potemu ine, sailed with her for Russia. Race Riot in N'ew York. New York, Special-Two persons 'ere- shot, one probably fatally, in a ight between mobs of whites and ne roes in West Sixteenth street Sun lay. The trouble began when Henry art, a colored man,. was attacked in he street by a number of white boys, rho accused him of interfering with a :al game. I;Iart fled, pursued by a nob of whites hurling stones, bricks nd other missles, and reached the enement house where he lived. After rming himself with a revolver, Hart an down stairs and began firing into he crowd, one of the shots striking [ames Hunter in the side. Eight Blown to Atoms. Harrisburg, Pa., Special. -Eight nen were blown to pieces and twa ~thers were injured by the premature ~xplosion of a big blast of rock pow ler on the Pennsylvania Railroad im provement near the Cumberland at .3 o'clock Sunday morning. The ac ~ident occurred directly across the Susquehanna river from the scene ol the Pennsylvania Railroad wreck on ay 11, in which 23 persons were Ailed and many othess injured. Two to Be Hanged. The State supreme court passed oa. the case of Fletcher Byrd and Palmet hriswell and the action of the lowet ourt was sustained. This means that the case will be remanded to the ower court in order that sentence of leath may again be passed upon the rgroes, charged with the murder of Magistrate Cox near Fountain Inn last -ear. The magistrate tried to stor the negroes. who had illicit whiskey n their buggy, and they fired upon im with fatal results. Cleveland Not to Retire. New York, Special.--In relation to a eport that Grover Cleveland ws con templating retiring from the trustee ship of the Equitable Life Assurance Society, Mr. Cleveland authorizes the following statement: "Nothinlg has ccurred thus far to dissatisfy' me mn the least and the idea of retiring from the trusteeship has never entered mK