University of South Carolina Libraries
MR. CROMER TO MR. TILLMAN. A Ringing Appeal Against Base Factionalism A Strong Paper. The Hon. George B. Cromer, for mer President of Newberry College, has addressed the following open let ter to Senator 13. H. Tillman : The Hon. B. R. Tillman-Dear Sir : I protest against the introduc tion of the tom-tom and tho spirit of fuotion into tho movement by which the merits of the dispensary are to be teated. The tom-tom is the in strument of the juggler and faction alism is tho resort of tho politician. The people of this State have the right to expect something higher and better from you. Your recout lotter to Mr. Higgins was a calm, sane and judicial statement of your attitude cu the dispensary question, but for this very reason it was distasteful in certain quarters, and you were ac cused of straddling. You gave that letter out as an expression of your views, and, my name having been kindly suggested by you, I was asked to answer it in the Now Voice. I declined to do so for the simple rea son that in this county we wish to test the dispensary question on its merits, and, therefore, desire to ex clude every possible phase of "Till* manism." In tho Higgins letter you recog nized the widespread and well-found ed belief that the dispensary is cor rupt in its administration, and that the present agitation is an expression of popular dissatisfaction. Hut in your Kdgefield speech you shifted your ground, and took the position that the movement is political in significance and is a covert attack upon you. In the Higgins letter you said that the remedy for the corruption rests with the Legislature ; that in the last Legislature the friends and enemies of the dispensary got together and did nothing but appoint a committee ; that ever since you were Governor you have given advice and made suggestions, but that your opinion has had no weight with the Legisla ture ; and that if the next Legisla ture does not apply the remedy you will help kill the dispensary. WY IMPLICATION. In your Edgetield speech you said that if the next Legislature does not adopt certain suggestions that you intend to make, you will help to elect a Legislature that will. And you said, by implication at least, that you will go to the Reformers for that Legislature. I appeal from Philip drunk to Philip sober-from the temper of the Kdgefield speech to the tone of the Higgins letter. In Newberry there is np disposition to make an attack upon you under cover of a movement against the dispensary. It is not a political movement. It was begun in an off year in order that it might be a test of a great moral question, unclouded by per sonal and political considerations. It is not a movement of the politi cians, but a movement of tho people. You have doubtless noticed that the counties that were strongly "Con servative" are not in tho movement. I do not question your right to take part in the discussion. Inde pendently of the fact that you are the author of the system in this State, it would be strange if you were to remain silent. Hy virtue of your high office and of your great influence it is your duty to speak but to speak sanely and temperately as you did in the Higgins letter. You owe a great deal to the youth of this State ; you owe them the best that you have to give. When the dispensary was first put on trial there may have been good reason for an appeal to a faction, but that rea son no longer exists. The system has been on trial more than twelve years. It will soon bo voted on by thousands of men who were only eight or nine years old when it was adopted. When you speak now, we arc entitled to have you speak from the point of view of statesmanship and not of partisan politics. NO DANGER TO TILLMAN, Besides, you have too much sagac ity to fear that this movement against the dispensary can endanger your political future. You occupy a large place in the history of South (Jaro lina for the last fifteen years, and for a number of years no rival has chal lenged your primacy among the poli tical leaders of the State. Ben Till man, tho Senator representing South Carolina, can well afford to discard the methods of Ben Tillman, the par? tisan political leader. I do not mean to be offensive. You know of roy appreciation of the distinguished ser vices that you have rendered this State in a number of directions. But I earnestly protest that you have no right to befog this question by low ering it to the plane of partisan poli tics. That the administration of the dis pensary system is corrupt any fool can see as he runs. But I go farther than that, even at the risk of having you charge me with cant and hypoc risy. No matter how high your pur pose may have been in adopting the 3ystem, in its origin it seems to have been a cunningly-devised scheme to chloroform the publie conscience. No Jesuitical attempt to dobaucb morals by using the end to justify the moans could ha"e been more suc cessful if the system had been hon estly administered. The corrupt ad ministration will save us from the system itself. Governor Hoch, of Kansas, tells us : "We are rearing a new civilization here. I believe thero are more than a quarter of a million young people who havo never seen a saloon. Pro hibition is the only logical attitude of law toward the liquor traffic, and the whole country will some day re cognize the fact." What sort of civ ilization are we reariug in South Carolina? Our Supreme Court, in its famous decision upholding the Constitutionality of the dispensary law, laid down the following as a fundamental proposition and said that if this proposition is not true the law is unconstitutional : "That liquor, in its nature, is dangerous to the morals, good order, health and safety of the people, and is not to be placed on the same footing with the ordinary commodities of life, such as corn, wheat, cotton, tobacco, pota toes, etc. Kansas says to her chil dren : "The liquor traffic is danger ous and ought to be prohibited." South Carolina says to her thousands of school children : "The liquor traf fic is dangerous to the morals, good order, health and safety of the peo ple, and therefore we will sell liquor and got all thc money wo can for the schools." You may call it cant if you will, but in effect here is an insidious at tempt to wed public education to the liquor traffic. It is an unholy alli ance and God will put them asunder. We cannot afford to lower tho ideals of our schools. We must not poison tho fountain that nourishes the heart and brain of our people. WAS BECOMING D18RBPUTA1II.K. The business of the saloon keeper was becoming disreputable in this State, and saloon keepers were be ginning to find it difficult to justify tho business in the eyes of their chil dren. The dispensary 'system at tempts to make the traffic respecta ble and reputable How can the children in our schools answer the sophistry of the argument that what ever contributes to the support of the school is good and wise '{ I lay it down as little short of an axiom that any restrictive scheme that takes control of a traffic that is dangerous to thc morals of the people, and con trols it in such a way as to make it reputable,|is a vicious and dangerous scheme. Let me suggest a historical parallel. A great leader was commanded to go down |against the Amalakites, standing for immorality, and destroy them ?and theirs utterly. When ho was called to account by tho old prophet and asked what meant thc lowing of cattle and thc bleating of sheep, his lame excuse was that the people had kept thc best of the shoep and oxen to sacrifice to the Lord. Tho prophet's answer was as swift and withering as lightning : "Behold, to obey is better than sacrifice." Sacrifice is good, but there are better things than mere sacrifie. The Gov ernment of a great State was com manded by thc moral sense of thc people, expressed at the ballot box, to go down and destroy the liquor traffic And when called to account it makes the pitiful plea that while it has not destroyed the traffic it han managed] it so as to get money for tiie taxpayers. Money for the schools is good, but there are better things than money for the schools. Thc blight of God's curse falls upon thc people that resoi .. to methods that dull tho publie conscience and lower the tone of public morals. IT OA N NOT ll Kl.I' you? Senator Tillman, tho dispensary system cannot help yon, and you oan help it only temporarily. It is wrong in principle and corrupt in practice, and its doom bas been written. By throwing your powerful influence against the present agitation you may save the dispensary for a while, but it is tottering and must fall. It is fortunate for you that your reputa tion rests upon achievements that will endure. You recall, do you not, the desire of Jefferson that his epitaph should remind posterity that he was the author of the Declaration of In dependence, and of the bill of reli gious liberty, and the father of the University of Virginia. And so his name is banded down, riveted to civil liberty, and religious liberty and and higher education, three things that can never depart from the earth or from the love of men. And you, what would you be remembered by ? There is Winthrop and there is Clemson ; well may your heart swell with honorable pride. And there is -I will not name the third thing. What true friend would link your name with the dispensary? What bitter enemy could desire a worse fate for you than to have you raised to that bad eminence ? A wise solu tion of the liquor problem is one thing ; the dispensary is auother. I have very little political ambition, and no taste for public controversy. You need not remind me that it is none of my business to take care of your reputation. I know that. But in a quiet way I have for many years been doing my best, little as it may have been, to develop strong, clean, brave manhood in this State, and it saddens me to feel that you are about to let pride of opinion and the fever of debate stand in the way of a fair and open test of a great moral question. The people do not need advice, they need free opportunity to vote. Respectfully, George B. Cromer. Newberry, August ll, 1905. Beware'o? Ointments for Catarrh that Contain Mercury. as mercury will surely destroy the sense of smell and completely derange the whole system when entering it through the mucous surfaces. Such articles should never bu used except on prescrip tions from reputable physicians, as the damage they will do is ten fold to tho good you can possibly derive from them. Hall's Catarrh Curo, manufactured by F. J. Cheney A Co., Toledo, O., con tains uo mercury, aud is taken internally, acting directly upon the blood and mu cous surfaces of the system. In buying Hall's Catarrh Cure bo sure you got the genuine. It is taken internally, and made in Toledo, Ohio, by F. J. Cheney A Co. Testimonials freo. Sold by drug gists, prico 75c. per bottle. Hall's Family Pills are the best. Long Creek News. Long Creek, August 12.-John Kearden is teaching a ton days' singing at Laurel Springs now. Several from hero visited the singing at Hrnsstown Sunday. W. T. Karney and family visited the family of Thomas Karney, Sunday. Warron Lee is very sick at this writing. Miss Vina Karney visited Miss Drucy Moore Wednesday. Mr. Harker and little daughter visited relativos nef.r here this week. Mrs. Wm. Stribling and son, Koy, passed through here last week on their way to Goorgia. Miss Dovio Karney and brother, An drew, went to the singing at Chochero, on the Georgia lino, Sunday. They re port a nice time. Mr. and Mrs. .Mm Land, from near Madison, passed through one day last week on their way tu Mrs. Land's father. Tho Iscbool opened up last Monday under the management of Miss Dora Haley. W. L. Carver, of Chechen), (ia , is at tending the singing at Laurel Springs. I .it tie ?Miss Ide and Maude Cannon spent Wednesday with their friend, littlo Miss Ollie Phillips. Hairus. I lat Shoal Items. Walhalla, lt. P. D., No. ii. August 14. Tho health of this community is very good. Tho much needed rain continues. Tolbert Wheeler, of Seneca, is in our midst on business. .las. 0. Shockley, of West Union, was in this community on business a few days ago. We have a booming school hero, with Miss Gretta Gains, of Central, as teacher. Your scribe had tho pleasure of attend ing tho centennial at Hnthol, which was a delightful affair. Luthur Davis, who foll and sprained his arm last Thursday, is improving. Tho Lord has seen lit to remove from our midst our beloved friend, H. A. Dun can, who died on August 7th, with ty phoid fever. .Mossed art they that sloop ID Jesus. Woll, if we got a vote on tho dispensary just think of how things are going on in Picketts county and lot woll enough alone. w. B. c. OASTORZA. Bes? th? J* Tfl Kind You Have Always Bought The Si BARGA You are cordi stock, and be con We carry a fi Notions, Shoes, I ceries. First cia Your trade sc m Bring along y will give you ma Calling Mr. Jordan Down. The New York Journal of Com merce, one of the leading financial papera of the country, has on more than one occasion commended the effects- of the Southern Cotton Growers' Association in its efforts to secure for the farm ?rs the control of the price of thpir cotton, but it de spises the habit that Hon. Harvie Jordan has of emphasizing things by exaggeration. In a recent ?BSUO the Journal says : Wo have credited Harvie Jordan, President of the Southern Cotton Association, with the degree of in telligence and judgment naturally to be expected of one in his position, but some remarks made by him at a meeting in Georgia lead us sadly to doubt. It is hardly kind to quote them, but they afford such a striking example of a fallacious sort of rea soning which is more common than it should be in a country where edu cation is "popular," that we deem it a duty to set them in tbe light of a largor publicity. He was speaking for the interests of cotton growers and their relation to the market for their product, and he said : "The use of jute bagging is also another curse to our country, when we can use cotton for guano sacks and cot ton wrapping just as well and much better than we can the jute, which we pay $25,000,000 royalty on each year to have imported to this coun try. The farmers have it in their own hands to demand that their fer tilizers be sold in cotton sacks, and demand that their cotton be wrapped in cotton bagging, and they should do it. When we demand this it will be done, and this alone will utilize 2,000,000 bales of our cotton." As to that "$25,000,000 royalty," wc do not quite understand Mr. Jor dan. We produce no jute in this country. During the last fiscal year we imported jule and jute butts, a raw material for moro or less indus try, to the value of $5,500,023 ; gunny cloth and bagging $848,651 ; jute bags, ?1,745,680; and burlaps, I which arc not used in baling cotton, $14,698,178. Here is $21,287,427 paid for jute and its products, a moderate portion of which went into cotton baling; political or otherwise ? "It would make a market tor so many l?ales, but who paid the $26,? 000,000 royalty, and who got it? Hut suppose fertilizers were sold in cot ton sacks and cotton bagging was used in baling cotton, thereby "utili zing" 2,000,000 bales extra ! At 10 cents a pound a bale of cotton is worth $50, and 2,000,000 would cost $100,000,000, for sacking and bag ging, to say nothing of tho cost of converting thc raw material. Would this bc economy, much cotton to take the pince of tho cheap and humble j bte and furnish work for j tho manufacturer of tho cloth and of tho sacks and bags? But why not use it in baling hay or wrapping ip all sorts of things for which stn.w paper and pasteboard are used ? Aro not those things and all other ?IIUIWMHJ i mum i mm+m ime Old INS! BAR' ally invited to call vinced that we can ill and complete Iii lats, Clothing, Har ss goods and rock i )licited and appreci Respectfully, [TER & CHALLA, S, our Cross Ties an rket price. oheap wrapping a ourse ? Our silk mills have been complaining of a lack of demand for their goods. Why not use those to wrap up cotton and make a market? Costly wrappings would be good for those who make them and furnish thc materials. The rea soning is on a par with' that which finds economic gain in destruction by fire or earthquake or war or in waste and extravagance of any kind. It vieB with that in favor of breaking windows to make a market for glass and work for glaziers." How Consumption Begins. Consumption always begins with a cough that lingers. A cough that hangs on and will not yiold to the usual treat ment may not mean consumption, but too often it does mean this dean destroyer has gained a footing. Hydale's Cough Klixir ?B very successful in checking the ?rogreas of throat and lung diseases, von consumption yields toits poworful influence, if its use in begun before tho disease is too deep seated. This modern scientific remedy kills tho germs that cause consumption. It removes tho cause and helps nature rebuild the broken down tissue. If you have a stubborn cough try Rydale's Cough Elixir, it will not dis appoint you. Walhalla Drug Company; Carter's Pharmacy, Westminster. High Money Paid. [Columbia Record.] A total of #G3,:142 has been collected through the Comptroller Gonoral from the franchise tax. After a final chook up by the legislative committee the figures were separated into their various accounts and show that tho public utili ties, such as water powor companies, railroads, telephone and telegraph com panies paid moro than auy other line, al though tho cotton mills wore a close second. The list is as follows : Domestic corporations.$12,140 27 Hanks. 8,280 87 Textile companies. 20,117 40 Fertilizer companies.'. l,f>.r>0 75 Oil mills.,_ 1,100 80 Building and loans. 1,058 50 Foreign corporations. tt,059 ?18 Public utilities. 20,012 72 Total.$0.-l,:i42 00 OABTORIA. ) The Kind You Have Always Bought j* ina Kind Yo 30-Day For thc next thirty days wi Catarrh Tonic for Thc. Large size C i '.ery Compoun Tho largest bottlo and best Our Dyspepsia Tablets, twe Syrup of Figs, 26o. per bott Dr. Pitcher's Castoria, '25o. All tho above aro fully guar vertised to do or money back. We Sell the Drugs GARTER'S WESTMIN %ii Song ! GAINS ! and examine our save you money. ie of Dry Goods, dware and Gro )ottom prices, ated. CO c. d Shingles. We The Coatless Senator. Ou the fourth of August we attended a farmers' meeting, which was conducted by Clemson teachers. These meetings for tho farmers aro very helpful and should be largely attended, especially by tho boya. AH agriculture ia going to be introduced in our public schools, we should put great stress on these farmers' meetings. We, tho women, are quite in terested in these gatherings, for what is our husbands' and brothers' interest ia ours. So we all went. The United States Senator niado a very fine talk. Ile spoke of the rural mail. We believe tho rural mail delivery ia ono of the beat things that was ever doue for the farmers. It is oue of the beat means for tho advancement of the cause of education and the Seuator is the one who aided greatly in this noble work. He then came to bia "pet sub ject," good roads. Tho crowd was large and it waa vory hot. The Senator also became BO bot that be took off his coat and continued bia add ress. The Seuator would not have, dom; this in Congress. We, the women of ttio "country," de mand the same respect, for tho highest and pureat womanhood is found in the country. We havo in the paat few yoars attended many public gatherings and have noticed to our disgust that tho men come without coats, but I must say it is tho younger men who do it. Not long ago an educator (?) carno to my father's home to toa. My father carno iu from tho Held just as the toa bell rang. The guest saw my father putting on bis coat, and be went to bia buggy for his coat. He had anent the afternoon talking to tho ladies of the home without bis coat. I said to a boy, "Why don't you put on your coat?" "It is too warm? Big mon go without their coats," said tin* boy. Now you soe what they catch fronv the big men. How can we, the rural school teachers, teach the boys to be po lite gentlemen when those iu high places Bet them bad examples. A Kural Maid. Nothing Risked, Nothing'Giined. You risk nothing in buying Elliott's Emulsified Oil Liniment, because you get your monoy back tf not satisfied. Your gain is great, because you get tho best liniment ever maxie. Best for rheu matism, best for sprains and swellings, best for uso in tho family and on your stock. A full i pint bottle, costs but *2;> cents. No risk, nil gain. Walhalla Drug Co.; Carter's Pharmacy, Westminster. Special. 3 will sell our famous Puri-tone d, 75o. Sarsaparilla for 76o. ? kinds in a box, 26o. [.le. per bottle. ari teed to do what they are ad that Get Yon Well. PHARMACY, STER, S. C.