Historical Newspapers of South Carolina

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gtyuotyd to ^jgniqntiurc, gortin?Uur^ gwiutfitiq <!fyonomjkr |olifc ^ifynrtttr^ $olitiq?, and thq Current gjews of the gag. VOL. X.?Neav Series. UNION C. II., SOUTH CAROLINA, MARCH 14, 1879. NUMBER 11. *=?5?* " ? ? - - ~ ; ~~ "?- ,L --" - j-.Xi.-.: -i.J . Wm ----i --- ? THE POLITICAL OUTLOOK"What the Forty-Fifth Congress has Developed. Washington, February 24.?The session of Congress is now so noar its close that while it is a little too early to sum up the legislative results, the political conclusions may be stated with sonio degree of accuracy. Partisan politics havo had less effect ou legislation this wiulcr than is Usual ; the political debates have been ' ncithor numerous.nor important. The Tol it;? ^ifjill, fAnMllittta established at this session, Wis boon 01 small account, and uuder the quieting aud business-like influeuco of the administration, and with both parties extremely mix^ l*?iu lltoiltli' 1UUO bU UVA'IU UllObuavOj vviijjivcd uuu umiuij busied itself with the appropriation bills, and merely political measures, such as attempts on the Currency, have brokcu down in committee or in the houses. Nevertheless, as politicians from all parts of the country aro assembled here, so the news and views of every Stale are more easily gathered and compared hero than at any other point, and out of this comparison couie conclusions on which, whether they are c jrroct or not, a large number of important men act. Well, iu the first place, the last three (months have undoubtedly made the Republicans more and the Democrats less hopeful of success next year than they were before Congress met. When Congress assembled, ou the 1st of December, the shrewdest Republicans privately gave up the contest iu 1880. They did uot believe that their party could elect the ucxt lVesideut, hence the general concurrence iu thoGraut movement at that time. "If we can elect Grant that will drag us out of the slough," said a prominent Republican early in December. "If he is beaten 1 _! .1.. lie 13 Ullt U1 I I1U WUJ, auu Iiita 10 a ^uiu uu which ho hiiULrs like an Old Man ol' (ho Sea." The Democrats at that time wcro of the same mind. They had no doubt that they could beat lirant, whom they believed as strong as any other Republican candidate in some contingencies, but the weakest of all in others. * ? - im ""'If '"iinnn All this is now changed. It is not very easy to tell precisely the reasons, but the lact is that the Republicans are at this time encouraged and hopeful, aod the Democrats know that defeat is looking them in the face. The maiu reason, perhaps, is that the session has perceptibly increased the dissensions in the Democratic party and its general demoralization as au organization, while the Republicans arc, undoubtedly, more united than when the session opened. The Democratic party , as it is assembled here, has too many otticcrs and too few pri vates. If Mr. Running, of Ohio, could enforce on his party such a measure as the army reorganization bill?a measure retiring on half pay or no pay, a large share of the Democratic commanders?this would greatly help it. It is, as they say the army is, greatly over-officered. It has too many Presidential* candidates, too many candidates lor the Speakership, too many men who would like to be chairmeu of committees, or who are or would like to be eminent in some way, and each of whom is engaged in cutting the throats of all the others, or, to speak more accurately, in undermining rivals. THE NAME 0? GRANT. The Democrats arc torn to pieces by cuergetie i'residcutiai candidates, wiuie me Republicans rally about the nauie oft! runt, with whom they arc confident of boating jSherman if the astute secretary of the treasury should loom up too strong in the conYoution, and whom they can drop if it should at any time be conrcnient to drop him for some one else than Shcrmau.? f hoy owe more than they are willing to to confess in this matter to their President. If Mr. Hayes, like (Jen. (Jrant in 1870, had a hankering for another term, or if, like Jackson, he were bent on advancing the fortunes of a favorite, or, like Ruchanau, on marring those of some one he detested, bis party would to-day be in even a more demoralized condition than the .Democrats. Hut the President does net want a sccoud term and has no candidate of his own ; lie leaves Presidential rivalries entirely alone, and the party machinery moves, therefore, without any friction from .the White House. The Republican candidates are not fighting each other--at least, not to the party's injury. No one of them is in haste to commit himself or his parly to any particular policy ior iosu, auu the Republicans have the further advantage that they occupy the interior lines?to use a military term?the States they count on carrying are in the centre, while the .Democrats are troubled with an JCastcrn and a Western policy, eaeli irreconcilable with the other?not to speak ol' a Southern policy of internal improvements and subsidies, which is opposed both in the hast aud West. CANDIDATES AND POLICIES. As politics stand at this time, the Republican I'residential candidates represent substantially one policy, and whether men are for (frant or t Jonkling, or 1?laine,or Kvarts, i.r Wa-hhurne, or (JuU ld, or Sherman, they differ only as to candidates and not ?s to measures, which are left for next year's events to finally decide. l)ut with the Democrats it is very different. Their candidates represent different policies. Thurmau, who heads the "Ohio movement," represents the policy of paper money inflation, and he has of late mude himself also the ally of the peculiarly Bourbonist clciueut of the South, which is fouud mainly in Kentucky, and which led the .filibustering movement during the Electoral Federal election laws. Hendricks, who hopes to hold whatever of the soft-money West Thuruian cannot get, is not much more thau Thurmau and water. Both arc antic umcccpiaDic to .Eastern Uetnocrats. mr. tilden's canvass. Iii llio East Mr. Tildcn is here understood to bo making a secret but very energetic canvass, stretching his operations over a considerable part of the South and into some Western localities.? His methods arc often discussed here and are sufficiently curious He avoids the real leaders of public opinion iu the different sections, and seeks to place uuder obligations to himself a less prominent class ?country editors who ueed a little help for their papors, and country Congressmen who have needed a little help iu their districts. His aim seems to be to get control of the local leaders, the men who manage county conventions aud scud delegates to State conventions. Of course this is only a repetition ol the uiaueeuvrcs of 1870, when Mr. Tilden was found to have the greatest number of votes at St. Louis, without possessing cither the favor or the coufideuoc of the loaders of his party. m'clellan as an alternate. It is asserted here that while Mr. Tilden is managing lbr himself, the Tildeu men? j whoever they may be?have some doubts j about his "lasting long enough," and have | provided against so awkward a contingency i as their candidate dropping out just when j they completed the uiaehiuery necessary for his nomination, by settling upon an alternate, and this chosen alternate is said to be Gen. McClollan. It is a singular selection ; - *j~-.? !? ' ppo-n-u to mean I'nax ?i;i. ynBCT " wishes to appoint his own heir, and will not in any case give his support to either 31 r. Bayard or 3Ir. Thurmnu or any other conspicuous Democrat. As to policies, Mr. Tilden is supposed to bo willing to stand on a platform as good as the Convention will accept. In 187(3 he swallowed a denunciation of die resumption act and a demand for its repeal, and in 1880 he' will, it is thought, be at least equally complaisant. WHAT HA YARD REPRESENTS. Mr. llayard represents, of course, sound currency, and in addition a prudent and conservative policy in general. On the currency question he is understood to occupy a position which is more a>soluUly safe and sound than that of most of the Republicans. He is understood to hold that the government ought not to issue the paper 1 money of the country ; that the legal ten^ 1 dor act ought to be repealed or declared unconstitutional, and that the national bank- 1 ing system, with such amendments as it '< may be found to need from time to time, 1 is the safest system this country has ever 1 had for the bill holders, who, being the j great hotly of laboring people, arc the persons whom it is the duty of the government to make absolutely secure. The Eastern Democrats hero have made up their minds that they will not support in 1880 any candidate who stands on an i inflation platform or who is personally committed to currency heresies, but they hope i that this question will be substantially "out of politics" before next year. THE OHIO IDEA. The Western men, in their turn, profess a determination not to surrender the "Oh;n iiloa," so-called, hut they arc getting ready t to modify it, and there is a movement on I foot which has for its object an alliance j between the Western Dcmocrtic party and the (jirccnbackers, on a platform of war on National hanks and the issue of paper money only by the government and in the shape of legal tender notes. The Western Democrats believe that if they can consolidate the (Greenback voto with their own they can carry enough Western States, with the solid South, to enable them to do without New York, New Jersey and Connecticut. The Greenhackers, some of whom are shrewd men, are not unwilling to make such an alliance and to accept such a platform.? They say that it will be at least the entering of the small end of the wedge. ' If we can destroy the National banks," they say, "wo can always demand a larger issue of greenbacks, and the rest will corno with effort. What wo need is the machiu cry of a regular party organization to drive in the wedge. They coufc9Scd that the greenback vote alone can accomplish but little, but they urge that a consolidation of the greenback and Democratic vote would sweep many Western States on which the Republicans depend to carry their candidate in, and that with the solid South such a combination could carry enough Western States to win the election. J fence the shrewdest of their leaders ar ' ready to accept a Demo orotic alliunco oa a platform of i'extiuo?ion of tho Natioiial banks, Government legal teudcrs the ouly paper money and unlimited coinage of silver. With that to carry the country in 1880, we will trust to fortuuc and the logic of events for tho rest," they say. TUB SOLID SOUTU It will he observed that iu all these calculations a solid Djfftaiocrulic South is tukcu for grautcd. Bufafchorearc Deuiocrrtic politicians In in a liiiMhui) In recognize tholact miw rn ? ? ' year, an extremely unnrtB$t political quantity. They ackuowlegdo privately that there is an undoubted and growing tendency in the Southern States to a reoriraniza tiou of parties, ami that if such a movement should once begin in any one State it is impossible to foretell whero it would end. They confess that uothiug but the low and blundering character of most of the Administration's Fredoral appointments in the South, and the continued hostile attitude of prominent Republicans and their sweeping denunciations of the South us u section and as a people, have kept the Southern States solidly in the Democratic ranks. ''Sherman has controlled the Southern appointments," said a prominent Democrat the other day, "aud he has fixed them for himself. If he can coutiuuc to have his own way we Democrats may hope for ka Solid South next y?ar, tuj .iu laying hi* ( own plans for the control of the Southern delegations in the Republican Convention Sherman is really helpiug us." Here and there a Republican, however, begins to see the same thing. There is so general an opposition in that party to Mr. Shcrmnu as a successor to Mr. Hayes that his labors to pave the way for a nomination are watched with a great deal of jealousy ; it it said that he aims to secure the Southern djleirations in the Convention for him self us against General Grant or any one else, and it is possible that if some of the Republican leaders should seo the Western States endangered by a coalition between the Democratic and Greenback vote, and Mr. Sherman gaining control of tho South- i crn delegations for the convention, they may hold it the part of good policy to as i Bouth. in order to split it up and at onSe orcaic up Mr Sherman's plans and secure four or live Southern States to tho Republican party next year. There is no doubt thut this can bo done, and with very little difficulty, if the attempt is made in time.? Even Geu. Grant eould carry half a dozen Southern States next year if he would simply say that he would recognize an honest Southern llepulican party and turn out tho carpet-baggers, bummers and incapables who still bold the Federal offices down there. Grant's policy in other rcpeets has a great fascination for Southern men, aud be is often very kindly mentioned by them here. X. Y. Herald. GKASSEs AND FOKAGE PLANTS. Editor So. Line Slock Journal:?Planters are constantly writing me inquiring about grasses and other forage plants, and the following paragraphs may be acceptable to many of your readers. They are written at tho earnest request of one of our oldest and most distinguished editors, for the benefit of and in answer to inquiries of a distinguished foreigner from a far distant land. Yours truly, D. L. Piiaues. LL'CEUN'E?Mcdicago Saliva. Sow in drills 12 or 15 inches apart, 15 pounds per acre, or broadcast 25 pounds, i>u rich, well-drained land. Sending its roots very deep, it is little affected by drought even where sand is abundant in the soil. Tho object of sowing in drills is In nnll iwntn llir> tiraf ,'nnr- In t--1~ ?v vi?ivi ? uvu via*. v iV IWiV J/ UU>V II weeds and grass and obtain a more vigorous growth. If not drilled, plenty of seeds as above must be sown to overcome weeds and grass. Nothing should be sown with it. Sow any time from September 1st to November 1st j or better, perhaps, from February 15th to April 1st. 1 have seen it in bloom and ready for mowing in February, and every lew weeks thereafter during the summer, varying according to moisture of the season and quality of laud, it makes a large quantity of good hay, relished by all kinds of live stock. It is better, however, for soiling. For this purpose it should be cut and allowed to remain on the ground till next day, and then fed. Thus deprived of most of its moisture, the animal must masticate it more perfectly, it is digested more completely, and docs not scour or otherwise injure. It should not ho grazed, for stock biting off the crowns kill it. For all grasses and clovers the land should be deeply and thoroughly broken and the surface finely comminuted, however many ploughings and harrowings may be required to effect this object. The seed should be lightly harrowed or brushed in, and if the surface be very light or dry it should bo rolled. JAI'AN Cf.OVKIl?LnsmrtlfZii Silrlnhi ' % ? **"*' Wo havo five native species and several varieties of Lespedcza, none worth notice as forage plants. J Jut the foreign species, named above aaviug become extensively naturalize i, proves valuable for grazing from May til! October?sometimes later.-It is spoken of by some very favorably for hay I have seen nouo of the hay. aud I cannot think it very valuable iu comparison with hay from other plants. RED CLOVER?Trifolium lVatrngr, belonging to tho same natural order and family as nil tho preceding, is one of the most valuable of the Icguuiiuotis plants.? Sow about one peek, or 10 pounds, per acre, from September to December, or February 1st to March 15th. It oftcu furnishes grazing throughout the wiuter in this latitude, aud is ready for the mower in Mnv . mill Jlify. it UiaKesl1 from two to four tous p'er acre of very superior hay. CHINESE SUGAR CANE?Sorg/tum. Here the amber cane is regarded as in uo wise superior to some other varieties, save iu earlier maturity, which is a matter 1 - ? * " " " oi icss importance Here tliau iu tlio latitude of Miuoesota. As a forage plant the am- 1 her, by its early habit, might be more de- ^ sirable if other feed should be scarce.? ? All the syrup producing varieties arc very valuable Jood crops for live stock, as horses, mules, cows, hogs, &c. The cutting may 1: be commenced when three feet high, or j: even less, and the plant treated and used as directed for lucerne. It will bear repeated 0 cuttings and yield an iuimcusc quantity of forage. I do not like tho matured cane j? dried for feed. It coutaius too much indigestible woody fibre. ' JOHNSON oil ASS?Soiyhnm J/nlaj)cnicJ ? roincthiicc cnlhnl i'lciiTis graSJ?7A;uoS grass, g Uuiuea grass, &c., must not be confounded j with another (Juiuea grass which belongs ^ to another genus. As this grass is very g dillicult to exterminate and has iu this p country given considerable trouble for fifty years in cultivated crops, 1 would not advise u to sow on lands that you may expect to n plant some years after in cultivated crops. gl This grass, being large and coarse and grow- ^ ing very rapidly, may be cut several times each season, and yields immense crops of good forage. It does not attain full per- ? foction of yield tbc first year. The roots c fjrm a deusc net-woik iu the soil, and al- n though pretty largo, they arc so tender as t| to prcscut but little obstacle to the piough. p( The crop is improved by scarifying the j ground every two or three years and fcrtili- c zing. Sow three or four pecks per acre in a SJirtCir after .dniiflor fwim frost On rlfli 0 land (and it should not be sown on any othcr) it is sometimes ready for the mower in t -13 or 5U days. an mirxet?(Schtria ucrmamca, or o tS. lUilira, f of Tennessee, is the same as golden millet t! of some other localities, and both, probably, I only improved varieties of Hungarian grass, a For from a single seeding 1 have seen every {. shade of variety from the poorest llungari* s an to the finest specimens of goldon millet, I the difference apparently caused principally by difference of soil. 'The latter variety I i consider best, and may be perpetuated by f careful annual selection and planting on ] good land. It yields immense crops and is t very exhausting to the soil. For lbragc it a should be cut before the seeds mature. It a may be sown any time after danger of frost h in the sping till July, if the season should s bo moist enough. For seed it is best sown in drills; for lorage, broadcast, about three fi pecks per acre, or cveu more, to prevent s the stems becoming too large and woody, p 1 consider it one of the best foods for live y stock, having once, as an experiment, fed c all my work animals with it alone for two months. They seemed to enjoy it very much and improved while using it. J KENTUCKY Itl.UK UltASS?I'ua 1'rotcuSlS. a In mixtures sow four pounds per acre ; 1 alone 2i) to 2i> pounds (2 bushels) per acre, ^ from September till November, or January to April; best, perhaps, in March in this 1 latitude. It usua)[y makes little show for v two hr three years. Excellent for pasture ^ and hay. iiei") top herds gra8s?Agroslis Vulgaris will grow well on almost any soil, even though very wet and at times submerged, g making very good hay aud much grazing even in winter. It bears heavy grazing. Sow alono from 21 to 28 pounds per aero (^12 pounds to the bushel), or mixture for pastures three pounds. It docs not make good pasture alone, and must not be used in too large proportion in mixtures, as it is disposed to increase aunually and root out souie species to the damage of the pasture. orchard grass?Dactylis (jlomrrata. is excellent both for hay and pasture. To prevent formation of tussocks it should be heavily seeded?t fo bushels or more per acre alone ; or six pecks with ono peck of f red clorcr. This is a good combination for * grazing and hay. Having plenty of long ' fibrous roots it is not damaged by grazing i or drought. This aud red top may he s sown from January till April, or not quite so well in September or October. j tai.Ij oat orass?Aarl-cnutlicrum Ave a- y aceum. A very valuable grass alone for pasture or hay, or mixed with others for pasturo. It has abundant long librous roots, and its vitality is little affected by drought or grazing. It furnishes grazing in winter as well as spring and summer, and grows on any good soil. Liko orchard grass in habit, it must he sown thickly, two or three bushels per acre, the bushel being seven pounds. It may he sown iuScptc-Di >cr, Octobor, November, February and March. W1IAT THE BEST UBASSES KOIt PASTURES. This depends on whether the pasture is ror ouo season, or to be perinauent, as well is locatiou, soil, drainage, etc. For a single winter, the testimony, so fur as known '.o me. is unanimous in strong com in endsdon of our native wild brouie grass, (ifro 7 >.A It ? it MS umruiUKirsj. Aiiany nowover speak Voui a single experiment, and with little >r uo knowledge oi other grasses. Sp thftt. t<J innst-it^pt"75Wh^teu?enta with due escrvc and caution. Two winters it gavo uc luxuriant, tender gracing from October ill April or May ; but this winter it is hrcc months later, not comiug up till ^ovemb ;r, and even now it is very short, ilthough uo stock has been on it to this, ran. 1 <?. Others iuform mo that seed jrowu here do not germinate till November, iiid t! ^t for early fall pasture, seed must >c imported annunlly from Southern Europe. Jut this I know is not necessarily so; for it s indigenous in our Southern States, aud have seeu good graziug early in October rom native seed. More probably it depends n the character of the season. Several other plunts furnish good winter lasturc, but noue arc so valuable as barley, have year alter year sown wheat, oats, ryo, arley, etc., side by side, for winter pasture; nd 20 years ago I reached tho conclusion.. ? rs. It affords grazing earlier, more abuulantly, grows sooucr and more rapidly after eing grazed down, is more relished by tock and more wholesome. It docs nob ic on the ground like rye, but stands up ; o that stock eat less sand, dirt and other inwholesouic matters iu grazing it. With >c, when all other kinds of grain were dctroyed by rust, it was never affected by. bat, or any other disease or contingency of rcathcr. It is gratifying to see in tho Southern, lultivator, from the pen of its experienced, i .. -i.i 1:<? ~ i:i.~ ??: uuiiuun uuu wuij auiu uuivui, a n&u caw* late of the value of barley for winter pusure. Sown in August or September, it afjrds good grazing from October till May. f stock are takcu off in March, a good rop of seed may be harvested; or if not 11 desired for seed, swine may be turned n it, nuil tor n month or two, probably othiug could benefit them more. S</W lirce bushels per acre. I failed to mention at the proper place, ne of the very best of naturalized grasses, 10th for pasture and meadow?tho Bcruiula. It would do well on any good laud; I ?avo seen ltcd and White clovers do pretty veil among it; aud possibly some of tho grasses named above might do equally woll, ;uch us the oat grass, red top, or wild ironic. DEKECT1 VE SEEDS, ender heavy seediug uecissary?sometimes* rom ten to niucty per cent, of the seeds lurchnscd failing to germinate. It is well o test every lot of seed before sowing, to scertaiu what per ccntago, will germinato,. nd to sow accordingly. And as seeding a irgc farm is very expensivo, with bought' ccd, it is a good plan to have separate lots at, each with picked seed of a single grass, jr the purposo of propagating such sound eed as wc may wish for mixtures or ether urposes. Thus a large area may in a few cars be satisfactorily set iu grasses at modrato cost. M Knows. The remarks made ou Bermuda grass, olinson grass, Tall oat grass, Orchard grass nd Bed clover, 1 trust will suffice for this* cad. The I'aspalutn is also a good uicadw grass, that rcsccds the land annually, ill. nn liill sides if dm>? imt cnfli/iinnllir set the land froui washing. 1 havo had a uluablo meadow of this grass mowu for a cries of years The grass, both green andi Iry, is much relished by stock, and nutriious. bowing grabs sekds. The best moans of sowing grain and grass ceds of all kinds, that I have used, is the Gaboon Broad Cast seed sower; which I lave used for many years with entire satisaction. Pcnrcc's Improved Cahoou is vorth 90 at the manufactory. Ono may ,ow five or ten acres of grain per hour villi it. Grass seed should never be sown vhile the wind blows; but if this cannot )c. the next best thing to do, is to travel vith the wind in sowing the seed. If ,o be sown by hand, mark the land in narrow strips and divide the socd in as nany parcels as strips of land ; then talking lengthwise the strip, sow half tho iced intonded for it; and returning on tho? tame strip, sow tho other half. Thus a nore equal and regular distribution of sccdi a effected, and as a oonscquenco, a more tatisfactory catch of grass obtained. ? ? A Nk it Industry.?It is not generally mown that tho article called Russian cariarc, which comes here in cans, and which s said to he a very dclectablo tiling to cat, s mostly a production of South Carolina. V company of enterprising Northern men iro engaged on the Edislo River in the busncss of catching sturgeon, tho flesh of' vliich is scut North and oonverted into :auncd salmon, whilo the spawn is sent to,hc same place, and after being prepared Mid canned, comes back to us with a forsign trade mark, and is sold as Russian ea^ fiarc.