University of South Carolina Libraries
ik mmiinm hho bmher Published Weekly ABBEVILLE, 8. C. The tragedies of aviation keep paoe *lth its achievements. Once again the prospect of winning the pennant inspires the fan. Among the -world's hardest workers ht Q V Ka tha OAT1 VAfltiOIl olaque. A Cleveland writer offers one dollar to everyone who will read his book. It would probably be money well arned. Again It has been declared that the hobble skirt Is doomed. Its slaves will probably rcjolce and the world at large certainly will. That reported microbe for the pres ervation of youth must have tried it on Itself. The exillr of youth idea is rather venerable. A walking club in New York holdB cut exceptional social advantages as an Inducement to Join. To walk Into New xor& society is a new iau. Westerners who are praying for rain overlooks the fact that the easi est way to start a rain storm is to leave their rain coats at home. Henceforth it is going to be posi ble to alight from a street car with out being bowled over by some auto mnhlHot -oHf-h mnrfl e&SolinO thnn lense. The goose bone prophet says we are to have a hot summer. We usually tiave high temperature In the summer time, and "we need It; at least the crops do. TrT- *-4--J Ks\+Vi far thu W BUUiU V..U uvku avv? fcw ibolltlon of the ancient practice of hurling rice and shoes at bridal cou ples. The bridegroom suffers enough Rrlthout it It might be possible to make chlck sns grow faster by shocking them with Blectricity, but Society for the Preven tion of Cruelty to Hens may make it undesirable. Two Minneapolis youths have been lentenced to ten days In Jail for call ing a woman a chicken. What would have happened to them If they had called her a hen? In Belgium the man who refuses to rote Is thrown into Jail, but there are not prisons enough to accommodate Bven a fraction of the nonvoters In this patriotic land. The American marines at Peking ron first place In target practice at 100, 400 and 500 yards against the military guards of the other legations. Peace hath its victories. The French aeronauts say that two centuries will pas3 before men will lafely fly across the Atlantic. This transforms the present generation into mere innocent bystanders. An American spendthrift was ar rested In London for throwing money tn+rt >?<? atr&ot hut as a rule the wait srs and porters do not allow Ameri can visitors to go that far. Stuttering, according to an Investi gator, Is three times as common imong boys as among glrlB. We al ways have noticed tha^ a girl seldom las any trouble in talking. Parisian scientist Is fighting the germ of old age and thinks he Is on the way to prolong life Indefinitely. If tie Is successful, he will practically de Oslerize the human race. * Just now the man without a Btraw kat is as conspicuous as was the man irith one in April. * "Why are minors depressing?" asks an exchange. A6k some big leaguer who has been shipped back to them. California woman saw a burglar en tering a -window and heat him over the head with a chair. We take it that her husband comes home every night it a reasonable hour. A Philadelphia flsh dealer discover ed among his wares a flsh wearing a Jiamond ring. This Is a great ad- | vantage over the restaurant oyster I which sports its pear's unset Announcement is that the United States mint Is to resume the manufac ture of gold coins. We wondered why they had heen so scarce lately, but thought they had all been spent. Paris has a new ballet which has io shocked some of the critics that they refuse to review it The an nouncement of their refusal has, of course, led to overflowing audiences. That Connecticut eagle that tried tc carry off an 8 year old girl was not j working for a summer resort, either. I The wind whisked a $100 hat away from a Chicago girl the other day and blew It bo far that it has not yet been found. This settles it We Bhall have to do something about the wind. The Germans have adopted baseball i and are Bald to have become highly [ proficient in the arc. But it will be ! years and years before they have be come proficient in the vocabulary. A Breeding cyclist in Brooklyn Wil ed himself by colliding with a pedes trian. But all speeders are not bo con siderate of the general public. It is now the woman with the hoe, as the fair sex has been persuaded that garden work is good for the health. In course of time husbands hope to persuade wives that beauty as well as health hides in the 'vigor ous exercise of the lawn mower, and when this is accomplished the subur banite will begin to see something ir life worth living for. PUN NEW PARTY FOR THIS STATE 1 PROGRESSIVE REPUBLICANS CALL CONVENTION FOR NEAR FUTURE. DELEGATES WILL BE NAMED The South Carolina Followers of Theodore Roosevelt to Meet in Co lumbia and Perfect an Organization ?Leaders Meet and Discuss Plans. Columbia.?The Progressive Repub lican party wjll hold a state conven lion nere oil juiy zi, wnen nine ueie gates to the national convention will be named. This announcement was made by L. Morgan, the chairman of the new party. The Progressive par ty was inaugurated six weeks ago in Chicago by Col. Theodore Roosevelt, following the withdrawal of his dele gates from the national Republican convention. The Roosevelt delega tion will gather in Chicago on August 5, when the nominee of the new. or ganization will be selected. Several of the leaders of the new party in South Carolina met here when the preliminary plans for the nrE-ani7.atir>n wer? riiscnnKpd. L.. Mnr gan, of Columbia, was named as chair man and J. R. Shelton as secretary. The following resolution was adopt ed: "Whereas, It has come to us that 90 per cent of the Republican voters of South Carolina are dissatisfied with the way and manner by which the nomination of President Taft was secured at the Chicago convention, and "Whereas, Because the nomination of President Taft is not in harmony with the wishes, nor the choice of the Republican voters of this country, North, East, South and West; there fore, be It "Resolved, That we, the undersign ed, in mass meeting assembled in the city of Columbia, this 16th day of Jul v. 1912. do herehv call a ntafp onn vention of all voters of. South Caro lina, without regard to past political affiliations, who are in sympathy with the national progressive movement led by Col. Theodore Roosevelt, to be held in the city of Columbia on Wed nesday, July 24, 1912, at 12 o'clock, noon, for the purpose of electing nine delegates to represent South Caro lina Jn the Progressive Republican convention, which meets in the city of Chicago, Illinois, Monday, August 5, 11912." The Red Spider Is Again at Work. The red spider, which has proved so destructive to the cotton crop in cer tain sections of Lexington county during the last few years, has again made its appearance in the fields around the court house. R. H. Caugh man, a leading farmer, discovered the pests in his "brag patch" and in order to prevent a further spread of the spider, pulled up a large area, pos sibly a half acre, and burned the stalks. It seems that the spider was traced to a polk stalk on the edge of the field and was rapidly spreading. Bug Destroying Cotton in Chester. The farmers of the Lowryville and Baton Rouge sections of Chester county, which is essentially a sandy land territory are considerably con cerned over the squares of their stalks of cotton being sawed off ?t the stem by a bug that Has the ap pearance of 4 fly, only slightly longer in the oody, green in color with pyra midal shaped legs similar to a grass hopper and it is almost impossible to kill one?being so swift of feet. Fatal Shooting in Lancaster County. A fight occurred in the Camp Creek section of Lancaster county between two negroes, Lem Huey and Heath JUKlliCJ, 111 nui^U lUCXUKZy wtw DCIIUU31) shot, the ball entering near the small of the back, and passing entirely through the body. It is said that the negro will die. Huey was arrested and lodged in Jail. A woman, it is al leged, was the cause of the shooting. County Veterans Reunion. Capt. W. H. Edwards, commander in-chief of the Walker-Gastoii camp, United Confederate Veterans, has un der way the preparation for a splen did program for the intercounty Con federate veterans' reunion that will be held in Chester Friday, August 9 The veterans from Chester county, York, Lancaster, Union and Fairfield counties will be invited to participate in this, probably the last county re unoin the old soldiers will ever have in Chester, so rapidly are the ranks thinned by death. Heavy Rains Cause Much Damage. The very heavy rains in some sec tions of the county caused much dam age, according to reports received at Lexington. Farm work has been at a stand still, so far as working the poil is concerned, and the grass has gained much headway. Cotton is looking extremely well, although the plants are small and the crop being *t least three weeks later than last year. The rain has caused the older plantings of corn to improve mate rially, while in the low grounds the damage has been severe. New Road Working Machinery. The Aiken county highway commis sion has recently put into use the new $5,000 road working machinery including an 80-horsepower gasoline traction engine, and the results so far are excellent. Work is now going on on the old Martintown road, and that part of this highway within the limits of Aiken county is being given atten tion. By September the engineer in charge, expects to go over every road in the county. The highway commis sion has become the main issue in the county legislative campaign. J CONFER ON PANAMA TRADE The Business Men of the State to Meet at Spartanburg?Will Adopt a Definite Policy. Columbia.?The business men of South Carolina have been called to meet in Spartanburg on August 15 to decide upon some definite policy con cerning what steps this state will take in order that it may participate to the fullest in the benefits that are to accrue to the South through the opening' of the Panama canal. The call for the meeting has been issued by a committee of the Spartanburg chamber of commerce. The members of the committee are John B. Cleve land, Aug. W. Smith, Arch B. Calvert. W. E. Burnett, John A. Law, J. T. Harris, A. L. White, J. B. Lee. The committee asks that earnest attention be given to the following j subjects: "The wonderful advantage South Carolina enjoys in her geographical ' position with regard to the Panama canal. "The splendid outlet afforded by the port of Charleston, acknowledged , to be the best on the South Atlantic , coast. "The railroad facilities now at hand, and those in preparation, for bringing the traffic of Ohio, Pennsyl vania, Kentucky, Tennessee, Indiana. Illinois, Michigan and other states over minimum grades, in most direct line to the nearest available port to the Panama canal. "The enormous impetus to business this traffic through South Carolina wpuld give. "The fact that such ports as Pensa cola, New Orleans, Mobile ,and Gal veston, with territoiy contiguous thereto are, and for a long time have been, laboring to divert for their ben efit every possible ton of freight from the great section the port of Charles ton should serve. "That the exploitation of the two ' Panama canal expositions to be held on the Pacific coast in 1915 will tend ( to attract attention, more and more to the West, to the detriment of tte ; East. i "That unless action be taken by the business interests of South Carolina it may soon be too late for action to . be effective." South Carolina New Enterprises. ( The secretary of state has issued a ( commission to the Royal Mills of Charleston with a capital stock or , $25,000. Of this amount $250,000 is ( common stock and $100,000 pre ferred stock. The petitioners seek ing a charter are Julius D. Koster and P. W. Wagener, Jr. The com pany purposes to do a general manu- j facturing and selling business of bur- , laps, yarns, bags and bagging of al] kinds. i commissioned ay uovernor. The governor has tommissioned as ( notaries supplies th9 following. J. W| ] M. Elkins, Jr., Hampton; J. M. Kinlock, Barnwell; W. K. Easley, , Greenville; J. P. Bunch, North Au- ] gusta; Marion W. Seabrook, Sumter; ^ J. L. Craig, Cheraw. Commissions as j county dispensers for Charleston 1 county has been issued as follows: Louis D. Mahlstedt, Charleston; J. Kinneally, Charleston; P. J. Henne berry, Charleston; J. J. Frain, Char- ( leston; J. C. O'Brien, Charleston; T. ^ M. O'Brien, Charleston; J. P. Comer- ^ ford, Charleston; C. A. P. Gerard, j Charleston; W. E. Nelson, Mount t Pleasant; J. F. Ferguson, Charles ton; F. N. Searson, Meggetts; J. P. j Roche, Charleston; 0. M. JoneB, Char lesion. uommisBiou as wuluj cum- ( missionar of Marlboro was issued to j Harris Bristow, of Bennettsville. yr ixv ' 'Executive Clemency For Two. The governor has reprieved Alex ^ Weldon, who was convicted of mur- ' der at Florence in June, 1912, before Judge Shipp and sentenced to be elec trocuted on July 19, to August 13. The reprieve was granted on July 15, according to the records in the , office of the secretary of state. The , last parole issued was that to Frank ! King, who was convicted before Judge Copes at Clarendon in Septem- ' ber, 1911, of manslaughter and sen tenced to tw.o years imprisonment J The parole was granted on July 8. Since assuming office the governor , has exercised clemency in 378 cases. Politics In Florence County. The entries for the campaign has closed in this county with the great- ( est number of candidates that has ever been out. The meetings start at , Salem church, the first meeting place ^ for years in this county, located in , the lower part of the county, far ( from any railroad station. The can- ( didates for the house are Jamfes u. ( Evans, C. J. Gasque, Dr. W. S. Lynch, ( T. P. Brown, R. K. Charles, J. C. Da vis, D. A. Tedder, H. P. Baldwin and ! W. H. Whitehead, Jr. Messrs. Charles j and Brown are for re-election. / Action Affirmed by Supreme Court. In an opinion by R. C. Watts, asso- j ciat? justice, concurred in by Eugene . B. Gary, Chief Justice C. A. Woods j and D. E. Hydrick, associate justices, ( the supreme court affirmed the action , of the November term of court for ( opal lauuui^ iu vuv vmwv j ^ the State against Ed Wooten, who was sentenced to serve one year for , the illicit sale of alcoholic liquor; six ( months each for maintaining a com mon nuisance and storing alcoholic ] liquors. Associate Justice T. B. Fraser filed a dissenting opinion. Politics In Greenwood County. The county executive committee , held a meeting at Greenwood several days ago and made arrangements for ' the conduct of the county campaign, j The campaign wjll open August 17. It will close August 26. Pledges i must be filed by noon of August 16. J Candidates for state senate, legisla ture, sheriff and clerk of court were . assessed $5 each and all other can didates $2.50 each. Boxes to indicate j preference for magistrates will be j placed at certain boxes throughou' j the county. MEETING OF THE SOUTH CARO LINA FARMERS' UNION AT COLUMBIA. PROGRAMME IS PREPARED Number of Prominent People Will f Speak On the Problem Now Facing the Farmers of the State.?Address By John L. McLaurin. Columbia.?One of the most im portant questions to be discussed at the annual meeting of the South Car olina state farmers' union, to be held In the near future in this city will be the marketing of crops. A plan for scientific marketing of crops is being urged in all sections of the state by E. W. Dabbs, the president of the 3tate union. He has discussed the proposition before several thousand South Carolinians. The annual meet ing of the state union here will con tinue through July 25. The programme, which has been prepared, includes addresses of in terest to the farmers of the state, and it is expected that several hun dred members of the union will be present. The principal address before the meeting will be delivered by Charles S. Barrett, president of the National Farmers' Union. Every county unioi in the state is urged to send dele gates to the state union. The following announcement has been made by President Dabbs: "The programme for the annual meeting of the state union is now in the hands of the printer. The meet ing will begin at 1 p. m.t Wednesday, July 24, and continue through the 25th. The reports of the various standing committees at the opening session will be interesting. The night session of the 24th will be an educa tional one and will be open to the public. "Except for some routine business, the entire day Thursday will be de vmeu 10 a siuay 01 maraeiing. ai the morning session we expect to have Editor Hunnicutt of The Southern Cultivator, discuss marketing, espe cially as applied to farm products. "At noon there will be an address by Charles S. Barrett, president of the National union." To Be Represented At Shoot. ) Charleston.?A movement has been inaugurated to have the South Caro lina National Guard represented at :he annual shooting encampment next month at Sea Girt. Formerly the na tional shoot waB held at Sea Girt, bul the change was made to Camp Perry n Ohio, where it has been held for several years. A number of marks men have continued, however, to shoot annually at the old place.. Rrhich shoot has one of the best rifle ranges in the world, and now with the rifles silent this, year at Camp Porrv Qpfl flirt ia tolrlnor nn rnnonro/l popularity. Nichols Before The Committee. Columbia.?That he was in an in toxicated condition and knew little of the interview between himself and E. S. Reed, the detective alias N. H. Porter, the Chicago attorney; that some of the statements by him as re corded by the dictagraph are ridicu lous; strong denials of certain testi mony as recorded by the dictagraph; Jenial of any intention of offering a brige to Gov. Blease for the pardon ot 3us DeFord; denial that the witness aad done a Dig pardon business with the governor, were some of the fea tures of the testimony of Sam Nichols. Army Worm In Anderson County. Anderson.?Anderson county farm sr3 have become alarmed over the appearance in this county of the army w.orm. The pest first was .noticed in i field of corn 12 miles west of this place. Experts from the Clemson Agricultural College will arrive to aid In the fight to stamp out the worm Farmers in the infested districts will aJso hold a mass meeting at which a. campaign to prevent the spread of Hie worm will be launched. Farmers' Institute In Chester. Chester.?Several days ago was a E?re,at day for the farmers of Chester county who assembled in yhe delight ful grove at Cornwell's, about nine mileB from Chester and listened to the addresses that were delivered by the experts of the farmers' institute. Quite a good crowd went down from Chester and a representative gathering of planters attended from different sections of the county and the ad joining counties. The people were im mensely pleased at the discussions and great help was given. Demonstrations by Mrs. Seigler. Orangeburg.?L. W. Livingston, su perintendent of education, has an nounced that Mrs. Marie Cromer Seigler will come to Orangeburg and ?ive a demonstration in the near fu ture in the court house, showing how to can tomatoes. Mrs. Seigler was the originator of the Girls' Tomato Club, ind her demonstration will be of much interest to every member of the CJirls' Tomato club of Orangeburg aounty ,as well as to many other peo ple. It is urged upon the members af the club to be present. I u CLActrmric vmucs ui unibcra* Columbia.?The committee of the Legislature, consisting of Senator W. J. Johnston, chairman, and Represen tative Pringle T. Youmans, of Colum bia, and W. C. Vincent, of Beaufort, appointed to examine the offices of State Treasurer, Comptroller General, Secretary of State, the sinking fund commission and the insurance depart ment, met in the state house for a short session and adjourned until later, when the work of examining the books of the State Treasurer was begun. NEWS OK SOUTH CAROLINA The Latest News of General Interest That Has Been Collected From Many Towns and Counties. Columbia.?Major John G. Richards. Jr., forwarded to Col. W. W, Lewis his resignation as major of the 1st regiment. Major Richards is a mem ber of the railroad commission and a candidate for re-election. Greenwood.?Supervisor T. C. Bur nett w,as busy having unloaded a 45 horse power gasoline traction engine for use on the roads of the county. The big engine will be able to do the work of 18 mules in drawing road machinery. Two or three scrapers can be hauled at one time or more if needed. Spartanburg.?In a special election here Spartanburg authorized a bond Issue of $200,000. The vote was Jight. The money will be used in tak ing up a floating indebtedness of $90, 000, in the extension of the sewerage system at a cost of $20,000, and in street paving involving an expendi ture of $90,000. ?Columbia.?The time limit within ;which candidates for Richland county offices can flle their pledges will ex pire at noon on July 24. So far com paratively few candidates have paid their assessments ' and filed their pledge with R. Beverley Sloan, sec retary of the county Democratic exe Chester.?The Sabbath school and Young People'8 Christian union con vention of the First Associate Reform ed Presbyterian presbytery h?s ac cepted the invitation of the local As sociate Reformed Presbyterian church and will meet here July 30 and 81. From 100 to 150 delegates are ex pected. WInnsboro.?The local company of the national guards left for Anniston, Alabama, where it will be in encamp ment for 10 days. J. B. Doty, a grad uate of the Citadel, is captain, and Cahlmers Tennant and J. E. McDon ald, Jr., are lieutenants. The com pany seemed enthusiastic over the pleasure of camp life. Lexington.?That the books of the officers of Lexington county are in good shape and as well kept as can be found in any county In South Car olina is the statement of Carlton W Sawyer, chief clerk to the comptroller general, who checked up the books and made the, annual settlement with the auditor and treasurer of Lexlng ton county. The books balanced to the very cent. Lexington.?Job S. W.essinger of Chapin, R. L. Lybrand of Swansea and A. Madison Hutto of'Pellon, com posing a special committee of the Lexington county grand jury, have been conducting an examination of the books and records of the several county officers during the last couple of days. The committee finished its work and will make its report at the next session of the court in Septem ber. Lancaster.?The Methodist confer ence of the Rock Hill district embrac ing the counties of Lancaster, York, Chester and Fairfield, wjll meet at this place in the near future. This is the first time in six years that Lan caster has had the pleasure of enter taining this conference. Arrange ments are being made for the enter tainment and pleasure of the large number of visitors expected on thfg WVOOIUU. Lexington.?The Lutheran Sunday school normal, comprising many strong congregations of the Lutheran church in this and other counties, will be held at Leesville for four days, be ginning with a large reception to the visitors and delegates. This meeting will bring together one of the largest bodies of Sunday school workers ever held in this section of the state and a full and instructive programme has been arranged for the entire foui days. Little Mountain.?The annual New berry college reunion will be held at this place Friday, August 2. H. L Harman of Chapin will make the wel come address. President Harms oi the college, J. B. O'Neall Holloway and Col. E. H. Aull of Newberry will deliver addresses on the occasion Thfi usual barbecue will be served on i the grounds and the Columbia, New berry and Laurens road is expected to operate trains both ways for the accommodation of the passengers. Pelzer.?The citizens succeeded ir having the postoffice close on Sunday, which is considered a step toward getting all the drug stores, meat mar ,kets, restaurants, and pressing clubs closed also. waiterDoro.?rrne rarmers' institute for this county will be held at the court house here soon. This institute will be in charge of Clemson college ! professors, and a large crowd is ex pected to attend. B. G. Price farm demonstration agent for Colletot county, will have charge of the local arrangement, and everything will be in readiness for the reception. Williamston.?While H. Martin was holding a young mule to be shod the mule grabbed his hand and bit the little finger on the right hand so that amputation may be necessary. Charleston.?At a meeting of the committee, appointed for the purpose j a constitution and by laws were ad opted for the recently organized state j chamber of commerce. Besides! Messrs. McKeand and Barringer of I the committee, Secretary Hamby of the Columbia chamber of commerce, j who was especially asked to attend the meeting, was giving his coopera tion to the movement. Columbia.?There was a decrease in the sales of the dispensaries of the state during June. The amount sold in seven counties, according to the report by Dispensary Auditor Mobley, was $192,239.64. The operating ex penses were $10,688.51. Leesville.?As far as is known, the largest body of Lutherans ever gath ered in the state will assemble here in the near future. It will be the occasion of the State Lutheran Sun day school normal? Fully 200 dele gates are expected. The meeting will be held in the large auditorium of the school building. Vv LACK OF RESULTS ACHIEVED BY POLICE ' INDICATED BY WHITMAN, SOME STARTLING REPORTS umcer uecKer nas Been Keiievea pi Greater Part of the "Strong Arm" He Has Commanded?Says Case U Progressing Nicely. New York.?Private detectives were brought into the Rosenthal murder case by District Attorney Whitman They were engaged by a committee of citizens who shared the prosecu tor's 'evident dissatisfaction with the lack of results achieved by the police in tracing the slayers of the gambler who was shot after making charges of police partnership with the gamb ling fraternity. In connection with the bringing in of these outside agencies of investi gation, attention was called to wnac were declared to be lamentable omis sions by the police in guarding against the escape of Rosenthal's slayers and lack of properly directed activity since. It is declared that the story that Rosenthal was to be killed was in wide circulation In East Side re sorts, but that if any report of it reached headquarters, no measures were taken to protect the gambler. It was also commented on that six po licemen nearby did not fire a shot or blow a whistle to stop the murder party after the shooting; that the number of the "murder car" was re ported four different ways?all erron eous?by as many policemen, while a citizen got it right; that it was left to the District Attorney to uncover most of the evidence of importance so far available; that men Known to nave talked over the prospective assassi nation of Rosenthal the day before it occurred, while on an outing, either have not been arrested, or were taken and let go on small bail, or in the case of one, held only because the District Attorney insisted upon it. The Independent course of the Dis trict Attorney was indicated when he summoned Louis Llbby and William Shaprio, owners of the automobile used by the murder party, and heard them discuss what may be important disclosures In connection with the theory of connection- between the murderer and the police "system." The Fastest Battleship. Rockland, Maine.?All speed records for big gun battleships Were broken 1 ' TT_ It _ J V?>tlA?)iln oy me new uuneu outuro uawcsuiy Wyoming, sister ship of the super dreadnaught Arkansas, during her standardization trials. Her speed of 22.045 knots is declared by naval ex perts aboard to be the fastest ever made by any battleship in the world carrying 12-inch guns. The Wyoming made the customary 23 standardiza tion runs over the measured mile course. The vessel is 99 per cent completed and,will be put in commis sion about,the middle of August. Representative Catlln Unseated. Washington.?Representative Theo on E. Catlin of Missouri, in a state ment, characterized as "monumental fraud" the action of the House com mittee on elections, in voting to rec ommend that he' be deprived of his seat in the House. The committee decided, by a vote of 6 to 3 to report that Mr. Catlin had not been properly elected, because it was disclosed that Viio roiotiroo hart sfipnt ftrmrnximatelv $13,000 in his campaign, contrary to the state law. Fop Arbitrating Claims. New York.?A change in present methods used by foreign cotton ex changes in arbitrating claims grow ing out of cotton shipments abroad, looking to more equitable treatment of American interests, was strongly recommended by a conference of rep resentatives of 41 cotton, exchanges of this country held at the New York cotton exchange. Russia and Japan In Alliance. St. Petersburg.?Tne signature is : impending of a pact establishing a defensive alliance between Russia and Japan. This momentous develop ment would seem to be connected with the approaching trip to Russia of the Japanese statesman, Prince Katsura, but his visit is a mere coincidence. The argument was fully concluded a fortnight ago and likely will \be sign ed for Japan by Baron Motono, the Japanese ambassador to Russia, who w.as its negotiator and its prime mover. Agree to Rivers and Harbors Bill. Washington.?The House agreed to the conference report on the rivers and harbors bill, which carried ap proximately $33,000,000, an increase over the original measure of about I $7,000,000. There was decided oppo- j sition to the scheme by which the I Federal government is committed to ' < the maintenance and repair of the i levees in the Mississippi, Missouri and i Ohio valleys, but friends of the pro- I ject won the point. The bill has now j. ;one to the f resident for his signa- i ture. Criticism of Public Buildings. I Washington.?Severe criticism of ] the government methods of erecting 1 public buildings is contained in the report of the House committee on ex- , Denditures in public buildings which j Chairman Cyrus Cline of Indiana sub- i mitted to the House. The committee < points out extravagance and waste ? md the possibilities of fraud in public < expenditures after making it clear < .hat its investigations were made with I 10 desire, to discover any scandal in i ;he public service. FROM ALL OVER THE STATE Short Paragraphs of State New# That Have Been Gotten Together With Care By the Editor. , f . ? Due West.?The meeting of the Baptist missionary union of Abbeville and Greenwood counties in session here, closed. Chester.?James Hamilton, city en gineer, has completed the work of constructing a concrete pavement on York street from the Seaboard Air Line railway to Saluda street. He will pave a great many of Chester'? pavements this summer. Lexington.?The county superinten dent of education will conduct an ex amination for scholarships and en trance in a number of colleges here. It is expected that the Clemson schol arships will be eagerly sought,' aa will doubtless be the scholarships in the University of South Carolina. Chester.?J. R. Van Dyke, of the National Ginners' Association of Mem phis, Tenn., who has been all over thA Sniifh on/1 Tioa into the amount of cotton that ha* been planted, stated that judging from present conditions, the crop would be around 13,010,000 bales. Orangeburg.?The wprk of excavat ing for the erection of the new $60,00? postoffice building in this city haa , been finished and the concrete foun dations placed. Brick is now being placed on the lot and stone is expect ed to arrire here soon. The building will be a handsome one. Rock HilL?But little interest is be- v' lng taken in the election on the ques tion of issuing $50,000 bonds to go to the Catawba river for the city's war ter supply. The election will occur on July 25 and the registration books will close on Monday. Aocordlng to present indications about 500 peoplo will have registered for the election, about 50 per cent of the qualified votr - ters of the city. The majority of the \ votes cast will decide the issue. Camden.?Due to the busy season among the farmers, the farmers' insti tute, which was held at the court house, was not well attended, but a large crowd of boys and girls were ' present to attend the meetings of the Tomato and Corn clubs, which were held in connection with the institute. T .T Mctfonnfc innorlillanHont nt ail*. cation and manager of the Boys' Corn Club, acted as chairman of the meet' lng and introduced the speakers. Manning.?Johnny James, a negro, about 23 years old, who is charged with committing a criminal assault on a negro girl of 11 years near Pinewood about two years ago, and who fled to ' 7 parts unknown, was recently located in Fairfield county by means of his waiting a letter, and at tlxe instance of Sheriff Gamble was arrested by the Fairfield authorities and is now safe ly lodged in jail here to await trial at the next term of court. Gaffney?The board of public works of Gaffney let a contract to Streeter & Anderson, engineers, for an exten sion of the waterworks of the city, The greater part of the extension will be confined to that portion of the city Known as west una, aitnougn soma of it will be placed on Jobuson street. The contract was secured by the same firm which did the greater part of the sewer work for Gaffney. Approxi mately $4,000 will be spent on the pro posed extension Gaffney.?The secretary of the Cher* okee county Democratic executive committee has received a letter from* John Gary Evans, chairman of the state committee, to the effect that the action of the Cherokee committee in assessing the candidates for solicitor and congress was unconstitutional. At a recent meeting of the county com mittee, it was decided that it would be necessary to assess these candi Hat/ia r\nr[r>tr irt the* vant tViaf thora VW4VVBJ V ?* tug VV VUW 4?WW l-UUb VUVAV are very tew county candidates so far announced. Florence. ? During the thunder storm which passed over Florence a few days ago three houses were struck by lightning. At the home of Capt. Harold Brunson,' chief of police, the bolt entered the house, knocking the plaster from the wall, jumped over to the post of a brass bedstead, making a small hole in Capt. Bran son's blue coat, and boring its way through the brass into the iron of the bedstead. He says that the shock, for he was lying on the bed at the time, was like the concussion when a can non is fired close to you. Laurens.?The canvassing commit tees In eharee of the Chicora College $75,000 campaign, completed their second day's work, and while no state ments were given out regarding the success of the canvass, it is under stood that the subscription lists indi cate a successful outcome of the issue. Pendleton.?Work on the installa tion of the electric light system here is progressing satisfactorily. Polea are being placed and stores and resi dences are being wired. The current will be supplied from a large new plant at Autun, about three miles dis tant Lexington.?W. P. Roof has failed to manipulate his plan, whereby he was to pay $75,000 as a compromise to his creditors. This announcement has hpon received with much reeret by the hundreds of people in the county. Florence.?A Florence Jones club was formed here with about 100 mem bers, representing every branch of in dustry. The club determined to form ulate a pledge which will be sent out generally through the county, and as many men a? possible lined up for Jones. The Blease forces give evi dence of a splendid organization. Bowman.?Among the recent im provements to this town may be men tioned the handsome and commodious residence of Mr. D. E. Knight, and the up-to-date automobile repair and ma chine shops of Mr. J. Clifton Evans. Manning. ? The tobacco market jpened here auspiciously, there being ;ood offerings in both the Manning md Glenn's warehouses. Prices rang ed from $2.50 to $10.70 and the total sales aggregated about 25,000 pounds. \s only primings were sold, the prices obtained were very satisfactorily to1 the producers and the warehouse man igers were much gratified.