" X^SUEDSEMI-W EEK^^
l. m. grist & sons, publishers.} % ^aiiiitg ^Jrirspapcr: J[or (he promotion of (he golitienl, Social, Agricultural, and Commercial gnteresls of (he fJeopIe. |
established 1855. YORKVILLE, S. C., SATURDAY, JULY 26, 1902. - NO. 60.
? " ~ ' I
WHEN BOYS
BY JOHN ECAlltllOr
of "Helen's Ba
ington,
Copyright. 1901, by John Habberton.
CHAPTER XIX.
BETTER THAN WE II AD EXPECTED.
destination, which
we soon reached, was
tlie ^n'on |ine on *ke
1>enlnsula- on tbe roa<1
by which McCIellan
]i had started In 1SC2 for
Richmond, and we were
cheered by quite a lot
ftf letters from home.
It appeared that the evacuation had
been ordered for an earlier date, so
mail matter for our regiment had not
been forwarded.
No sooner had I opened one of my
letters than 1 began to be mystified,
for the writer, my mother, was praising
me extravagantly for something
gallant which she assumed I had done.
I read rapidly, but only to be further
mystified. A letter from my father
was equally confusing. It Informed
me that the whole town was ringing
with praises of me and that our district's
member of the state senate had
called to hear the story and declared
that all the district as well as Summerton
was talking of me aud was proud
of me.
I called Rralnard to my assistance,
but he was reading a letter from my
cousin May and was utterly unresponsive.
so I opened other envelopes, only
to find congratulations from old schoolmates
and even from some of the solid
men of the village. What could it
mean? Evidently some other John
Frost In the cavalry service had done
something In particular, and my family
and fellow townsmen, like villagers in
general, had not thought that there
might l>e two men of the same name.
Little by little I learued from the letters
that the deed of which I was
supposed to be the hero was a midnight
ride alone into a country swarming
with the enemy. I had made no such
ride unless it was on the night I was
scared hack to camp by the rattling
trace chains of the artillery horses that
Bralnard afterward discovered. I had
not recovered from my mortification at
my failure that.night so of course it
could not he for that affair that all
Summerton and pur senatorial district
were praising me.
Slowly it occurred to me that some
one of our Summerton troopers had
heard of Bralnard's successful ride of
the same night and had known that I
started to make the trip. He had got
Brainard and me mixed in his mind,
and so 1 was beiug glorified for work
at whicli I had shamefully failed, and
the real hero of the affair was being
defrauded of his right.
"Charley! I groaned. tie was loosing
Idiotically happy when I spoke, but
said afterward that my face alarmed
him. I quickly told him of the contents
of my letters and of the only
possible explanation.
"Is that nil?" asked Brainard when
I had concluded. "Do feel easy about
It. for I'm uot a bit Jealous." Then he
fell to rereading his letter from my
cousin May, but I exclaimed:
"Stop belug a fool! Listen to me!
You know perfectly well that I'm not
going to sail under false colors. The
8tory will get pretty soon to the other
Summerton men of our company, and
they'll chaff me most unmercifully. I
must find the man who wrote the yarn
home, and you must help me, and we
must make him correct the blunder before
the story gets back here."
For the first time In my acquaintance
with him Brainard looked Irresolute.
Still worse, he looked sheepish. Then
he said:
"I'm afraid I'm the guilty man."
"You?"
"Yes. Don't be angry. Jack, when I
explain. Of course I didn't suppose
that your cousin May"?
' "What has May to do with It?"
"Nothing. That is. she isn't In eny
way to blnuie. Say, old chap. 1 suppose
you'll think me a fool, but?you can't
UIIUt'lMilllU. 1 1U UUl DU UJUUV5I. IUQI 1
couldn't see that my ride with dispatches
that night was quite creditable
to me. and I did wish your cousiu May
could know of it and that 1 might know
how she regarded it. 1 began to write
her about it. but my pen simply
wouldn't work. Somehow 1 can't blow
my own trumpet Suddenly it occurred
to me that you'd gone through all that
1 had?the sense of danger, the loneliness.
the expectation of running Into
a eauip of Jolinuies or at least of being
fired upon at short range. So I wrote
up your ride just as I knew you felt
while making it. and I didn't leave out
a single heart quake."
"You infernal, blessed hypocrite! Did
you make me deliver the dispatch? I
never imagined you could lie. even for
the sake of telling a good story. I"?
"I didn't lie. 1 said that despite the
scares the dispatches finally reached
*1...:.. II A .1/1 ?li Hin
LI IVII uvoiiuuitvu. ?iuu, vu, uuva, iuv
letter she's written in reply! I'm tukiug
all the praise to myself, every bit
of it. but you may read it."
"Read itV I'll send back a denial by
the first mail, and if ever again you
trust a big hearted, excitable girl with
any story that you don't want known
by the whole world I'll dump you into
a lunatic asylum for your owu protection
and for mine. Can't you see what
an awful position you've put me in? I
snail never dare face the boys again
unless you explain to all of them, and,
of course you can't do that. I almost
wish I could be shot or made a prison
er. Besides"?
WERE MEN.
A.BBERTON.
bies," "George Washr
Etc.
"Heard the news, boys?" asked
Cloyne, stopping a moment in front of
our tent. "Hamilton has been prouioted?a
big jump. too. for he's made
first lieutenant."
"It's an insult to ihe army!" exclaimed
Braiuard. "Hamilton's a? No, I
won't say what I was going to. but he
always dodges fighting."
'.'Yes, so our captain told the colonel,
or so tliey say. but the colonel replied:
'It may be that he's no stomach for
fighting, but he knows how to care for
the stomachs of men who do fight, so
he's to be regimental commissary and
feed the regiment as well as he's fed
his company. In war bellies count for
as much as bullets.' "
"There's something to that" said
Braiuard. "and I'm glad Hamilton's
found his proper place. That isn't all.
I'll go at once and congratulate him
on It"
"Don't!" said Cloyne. putting an arm
about Rrainard and looking down into
the little chap's face with sad, tender,
pitying eyes.
"Why not?"
"Because?oil. uang tne mysteries or
this tormenting world ? because he's
got a ten day leave of absence. He'll
be a fool If he doesn't go to New York,
get into an officer's uniform, then hurry
out to Summerton. call on?oh, the
girls-and"Bralnard
twitched himself from
Cloyne's arn . looked up to heaven and
shook his l.st savagely at the great
white thron Then he dashed into our
tent and uropped 011 his knees. I
"Git on ycr horse."
quickly tied the tent strings on the outBide,
an Intimation that no one was at
home, and hurried to Cloyne's tent.
Cloyue exclaimed:
"Poor Brninard!"
"You knew?about her?and them?"
said I.
"Haven't I eyes?" he replied.
"Yes." I answered, for 1 saw that his
eyes were wet. "But give me paper and
pen and Ink and envelope?quick?and
I'll try a flankinp movement."
I wrote my cousin May a lonp letter,
tellinp her of Hamilton's luck and also
of its cause and intimatinp that should
Hamilton's father ever lose his money
Phil would he abundantly qualified to
become head cook in a restaurant. This
might have been an insult to the personnel
of the army's eutire commissary
force, which contained thousands
of superb fighters, though none of
them was expected to fight, but I
knew May wouldn't construe it in that
way. Then 1 told of Brainard's successful
dispatch carrying, which he had
pretention was uoue try me, anu or uis
work in the light at the bridge and bow
many compliments be bad received for
it. i continued witb a description of
Brainard in bis bunk after the fight
looking witb tearful eyes alternately at
berplcture and in Iris mirror at bisbullet
furrowed cheek, and I concluded by
saying that tiro scar that remained was
more coveted by all of us as an honorable
decoration than if it bad been a
major general's shoulder straps. To be
sure that the letter would reach its
destination as soon as possible I rode
witb it to the general postoflice at post
headquarters in the fort, a mile away.
I had scarcely readied tire fort when
a sound somewhat resembling tlie rumble
of a distant railway traiu caused
me to look over my shoulder, aud I
saw half a tulle behind me the entire
regiment approaching at the gallop.
"1 see here a divided duty," I quoted
to myself from "Othello." but 1 did not
hesitate. Whatever the danger to the
post and the nation, both had hundreds
of champions in the regimeut; Brainard
had but one, so 1 rode into the fort
mill did not leave until 1 bad found the
post master and placed my letter iu bis
bands.
When I emerged, tbe regiment bad
passed the fort and was disappearing
in tin* village. To return to camp for
my saber, carbine and pistol would
leave me 10 or 15 minutes behind my
comrades, and "a stern chase is a long
one." I bad no weapon with me but
tbe sheathknife 1 always carried in
my boot, for it was a tool of all work?
hatchet, carving knife, root digger and
half a dozen other things. It would at
least serve for self defense In a band
to hand light, and tights of this character
were almost unknown to us. thanks
to the enemy's objection to getting
within close reach of us. At the worst
I would have the honor and pleasure of
being "present for duty" should the affair
prove serious.
My horse was as good as the best
so I soon passed through the village
and galloped along the Richmond road,
for the hoof prints In the dust showed
that the regiment had taken that route.
Unarmed though 1 was, my sense of
exhilaration was Intense. Over this
same road had passed In other days the
patriot soldiers of two wars, even great
Washington himself. I?my regimentwas
no longer at an out of the way
outpost that had been held a year only
to be told that It was not worth holding.
We were now really In the enemy's
country and with a possibility of
seeing service of sufficient Importance
to be mentioned in the newspapers.
In fact, my bead got so far into the
clouds that I neglected to keep my eyes
on the road, which is the worst blunder
of which a trooper can be guilty.
When I did chance to glance downward,
it was to discern that only a
few horsemen had preceded me. It did
not take me long to learn that the few
did not belong to the enemy, for on the
moist ground beside a small stream
that crossed the road I saw the prints
of horseshoes and their nail heads.
The enemy's troop horses were unshod,
as a rule. I rode some minutes longer
and was suddenly stopped by a familiar
voice shouting:
"Come in here, ye little dhlvil!"
Twas the voice of Sergeant Mick McTwyny.
who had been detached, with
his platoon, to "watch" a portion of a
crossroad far to the right of the old
postroad. His platoon of 16 men consisted
principally on this occasion of
his own gang. "Birds of ib feather
flock together." But Brainard was also
in it
"Somebody lend me a revolver merely
as a matter of form," said I, "in
pjisp nnvthina mav hanoen. I was in
the fort when the regiment came out
I hadn't time to go back to camp for
my things, so I just came along on
general principles."
"That's the thing!" said Sergeant
Mick., with a tigerish grin that was
meant for an approving smile.
The platoon seemed to me to be In
great luck. It was a hot day; the men
were dismounted and resting at ease,
their sabers strapped to the saddles, in
the shade on the edge of a forest in
front of which was an abandoned, bare
plantation at least half a mile square.
A gentle breeze from the northwest
blew refreshingly. The line between
the open ground and the forest was
marked by a rail fence; how this had escaped
the campflres of the hundreds o'
thousands of northern and southern
soldiers who had tramped the Peninsula
was a mystery to me. except that it
seemed a great way from the Richmond
road, which had beeD the bone
of contention.
Mick leaned upon this fence and
appeared to undergo a transfiguration,
for he looked Intelligent and seemed to
have something on bis mind besides
liquor, tobacco and a desire to snarl at
some one. As already Intimated, my
bead had been in the clouds for an
hour, so 1 "pulled myself up sharp" by
reminding myself that Mick, though a
sergeant and therefore my superior officer,
was merely a Summerton "tough,"
with all that the name implied. Besides.
I still was without "shooting
Irons." 1 looked about me at tbe men
lylnpr at ease beside the fence, their
horses being tied to trees near them.
I started to ask Bralnard for carbine
or revolver, it mattered not which,
when Mick shouted:
"Coppyrnl Frost, take me carbine an*
lift into yer pockets the cattridges from
me box an' take some av me percussion
caps. Oi think Oi'll be afther doin'
most av me foightin' wid me eye an'
wits." Tben he looked about the men
on the ground, approached a small man
who owned a big horse, kicked him
gently and said:
"Git on yer horse an' go like a milkman
that's been on a dhrunk an* woke
up two hours late. Foind the riglmint
un' tell the colonel that the whole ribil
army is a-comin' across the field beyant"
All the men on the ground Jumped
to their feet as the messenger proceeded
to obey orders, and they saw almost
half a mile away a gray line that
might have been mistaken for the shimmering
"heat baud" that lies near the
surface of any flat, open, dry ground
on a very ho* day had not the line been
flecked with spots of color and topped
at regular intervals by spots that resolved
themselves, .through troopers'
eyes, Into mounted men. 'Twas not
as Mick had said, the whole rebel army.
but it was at least a regiment,
probably a brigade, advancing slowly
in line of battle formation, the mount
ed officers in tne rear, we were Dut a
quarter of a company. And our regiment
was?where? Aud we were so far
from Sumraertou or any part of the
north!
TO BE CONTINUED.
She Didn't Pny.
Not oil car conductors are merely
hardened ringers in of fares. A poor
woman got on a Twenty-third street
crosstown car at Fourth aveuue, and
as it was well under way and she was
about to hand her fare to the conductor
she asked him If he transferred to
Sixth avenue. On being told no, she
drew back her 5 cents and asked to be
let off.
"I've a long ways to go on Sixth
avenue." she said, "and I'd better walk
to there and then ride."
The car then had reached Madison
avenue.
"Walt till we get across the street,"
answered the conductor. She waited,
and instead of stopping there he let the
car go on. past the transfer station
and across Broadway to Sixth avenue.
There he pulled the bell and looked at
her.
"Thank you." she said gratefully.
He had carried her within a block of
where she wanted to go and had taken
no fare.?New York Telegram. ?
JHisccUaVous grading.
OBLIGATIONS OF THE CITIZEN.
Support for Olllce Only Men of Chnrncter.
Columbia State.
At the Church of the Good Shepherd
on Sunday, the Rey. W. P. Wltsell, the
rector, delivered a| sermon, which has
been deemed by many who heard it as
most timely and appropriate.
It was based on St. Matthew xxii, 21,
"Render unto Caesar the things that
are Caesar's." In part the minister
said:
Ever since the utterance of these
words by our Lord, they have been rec
ognized as the true expression or tne
moral necessity of man's doing his duty
to his country, of meeting his obligations
and responsibilities as citizen and
patriot. Now the duties and responsibilities
of a citizen in a democracy differ
from and are greater than those of
the individual in the kingdom or empire.
For under the republican form of
government it is the citizen who controls.
It Is here that we find, or should
find:
"The freeman casting with unpurchased
hand t
Tne vote that shakes the turrets of
the land."
The primary duty of a citizen in a
democracy is to vote. His greatest responsibility
is to see that his ballot
Is cast properly, righteously and seriously.
It always makes us somewhat sad
and fearful to hear men?good mensay:
"I take no Interest In politics. I
have not voted in five or ten years."
Such men are not patriots. They are
not men who love their country with
a genuine, true love?the love that impels
them to act for her good even
though it costs them something to do
so. When good men cease to take an
active interest in the affairs of the government
of a republic, they really, perhaps
all unconsciously, but none the
less really and truly sow the seeds that
inevitably bring forth the wild weeds
whose poisonous exhalations will ultimately
sap the vitality of government
by the people. No republic can last
long when it is controlled by the worst
element of its citizenship. And
so long as good and upright and honorable
men neglect their primary duty to
their country and leave the government
in the hands of the selfish and corrupt,
we cannot expect and we will never
have high and pure administration of
high and pure principles. We, the people,
are responsible for the kind of government
we have and the manner of its
administration. If we have unprincipled,
Incompetent, and weak men in
public office, we who neglect to 'cast
our voice against such a condition, are
as responsible for their being there as
are those who actually voted for them
They are in voice by means and by
virtue of our absence from the polls;
our lack of interest in the election, just
as much and as truly as by the presence
of others at the voting places and
their active interest In the campaign.
No doubt we all have known elections
to be won and lost by a few votes. And
we know at the same time that some
men whose votes would have changed
the results remained away from the
polls, not manifesting sufficient interest
in the cause of good government and
the welfare of the city, the county, the
state and tne nanon 10 register men
convictions, to take their stand, to do
their duty. Those are the men who are
responsible for such officers being in
control. They are responsible for all
unwise and evil legislation enacted by
them; for their neglect of duty and
non-enforcement of the laws and the
winking at and silent protection of
vice.
Ah, my friends, it is vain, it is selfcondemning
for men who profess to
take no interest in politics, who refuse
to discharge their fundamental \ duty
as citizens of a republic, to complain
of bad government, of open vice and insufficiency
and non-enforcement of the
law. They are responsible for such a
condition and they have themselves
alone to blame.
We send men to the state and national
legislatures whom we know to be
untrained, short-sighted, self-seeking
and corrupt, and they do foolish and
unscrupulous things. Should we bo
surprised? Do we expect figs from
thistles? Should we blame them? We
sent them. We are responsible. And
if we are unwise enough, to send men
of small grasp and base principles to
make our laws and execute our statutes.
when they act the fool they do
hut truly represent us.
When men numlliate and disgrace
their state in legislative halls and executive
departments, and we return
them to their positions, we set our
seal of approval upon them; and what
they do can reasonably be regarded by
others as our sense of decency, propri
ety anil honor. And those or us wno
fail to vote for others than such men
are aiding to send them back as our
representatives and exponents. And
thus we see that as Dr. Alexander McKenzie
has well said: "There are few
duties to which a man is more firmly
held by every consideration of honor
than he is to the duty of voting. If the
man is not willing to vote, whatever the
cost may be, his place is not in a republic.
There are countries to which
he is well adapted. In Russia and Turkey
he is not called upon to vote, and
the fewer his opinions the greater the
favor with which he is regarded. This
is a republic, a land of freemen, where
the duty of government and the honor
and opportunity of it are divided among
the citizens." And if we are self-respecting,
manly men we will discharge
this duty and endeavor to meet this responsibility.
So much then for the duty of voting.
We come now to consider as to how
we should cast our ballot. It ought to
be entirely unnecessary and yet it is of
prime importance, to say that our votes
should always be cast honestly, serious
ly, conscientiously, and wkn an eyenot
to remuneration or friendship 01
kinship?but with an eye single to th<
good of the city, county, state and nation.
As Bishop Potter truly says: "W<
must come back again and again anc
again to the fact that organized societj
in the form of civil government exists
* not for the benefit of any om
who administers it ^whether h?
sits at the apex, in the chair of tht
president of the United States, or in th<
chair of the local justice of the peace
police or tax collector, but In order thai
he may serve his fellowmen in relatior
nf tVick ctntP M Thflt Is a ta_C.i
too often lost sight of. And the mar
who votes for another for public offlet
simply because he is a friend or blood
relation and without duly considering
his relative fitness is a nunworthy citizen
and is pursuing a policy that w?l!
subvert all this and all other forms ol
democratic government. I am quit(
human enough, my friends, to know
how hard it is to lay aside the claim?
of friendship and consanguinity in sucli
matters, but the true-hearted patrio!
will do it. He must do it, if he would
preserve our institutions of freedom, foi
as the poet writes:
"I, Freedom, dwell with knowledge: 1
abide
With men whom dust of faction cannot
blind
To the slow tracings of the Eternal
Mind."
Our great and exemplary patriot
George Washington, applied this principle
throughout his public career. Or
nns neennlnn lust before his election as
president, it is said one of his closes!
friends applied for a government position.
Washington's reply was: "Should
It be my fate to administer the government
I will go to the chair under nc
preengagement of any kind or nature
whatever. And when in it I will, to th<
best of my Judgment, discharge the duties
of the office with that impartiality
and zeal for the public good which
ought never to suffer connections ol
blood or friendship to have the leas!
sway in the decisions of a public nature."
There still lives fresh and greer
in the hearts of Columbia's people the
memory of Mayor Rhett, who looked
upon public office as a public trust and
discharged its duties fearlessly and
without regard to personal relationships.
and with justice to all and special
favors to none. For this he was
honored then and his memory Is honored
and cherished now.
This leads us naturally to the though!
that we should at all times place in office
none but men of character. That
brethren, as our country is now, is oui
greatest concern. The safety of th?
government, the welfare of the people
depend upon it. And especially is thai
the great Issue witn us uxiay in oui
state. We all are agreed on the fundamental
principles of democratic government.
The question now before us Is
what shall be the character of the men
who shall be In control? Some of oui
newspapers have commented on the
dullness of our present campaign because
there is no great howling, nc
specal excitement growing out of factionalism
and prejudice. But because
of this very fact, this election affords
one of the greatest opportunities evei
presented to the people of South Carolina.
Prejudice and factionalism being
set aside, the political atmosphere being
cleared, we have time and opportunity
for sober thought, for calm reflection.
And fellowmen, today we stand
at the judgment bar, today we are lr
the balances. This year's election Is
chiefly, if not entirely, a choice of characters,
and woe and shame to us if the
unscrupulous should be victor. Let us
send men to the state and national legislatures
and elect men to county anc
state offices In whose characters we
have confidence, whose reputations are
unsullied, men who have integrity tc
desire and courage to dare to do theii
duty regardless of consequences. II
sometimes happens that one vote ir
our representative assemblies decides
tho nniinv nf thp eovernment. Thai
policy may involve far-reaching, Irretrievable
consequences in our land anc
in our relationship with other nations
Suppose we send men who can be corrupted,
who will yield to improper influences
and the policy adopted brimc
disgrace and disaster to our country
Then would the people of South Carolina
to a large degree be responsible foi
the calamity, and especially so if tht
character of the men were known before
election. And on the other hand
one man of character may saVe his section
and his nation much shame am
grave peril. Great, therefore, is our re
sponsibility in the choosing of men
Let us see to it that, so far as we ar?
able, only those men shall be elected ti
office whose past records guarantee thai
if they may not always act most wisely
certainly tney will always act mosi
honorably and righteously. The vete
ran and honored Senator Hoar, of Massachusetts,
recently speaking of hi:
state and ours, said: "1 delight to thini
as I know the people of South Carolinr
delight to think, of these states of ours
not as mere aggregations of individu
als, but as beautiful personalities, mor
al beings endowed with moral characters,
capable of faith, of hope, of mem
ory, of pride, of sorrow, of joy, of cour
age, of heroism, of honor and of shame
Certainly this is true of them. Theii
power and glory, their rightful place it
history depended on these things ant
not on numbers or extent of territory.'
Mr. Henj. Kidd, the able autnor of So
clal Evolution and Mr. Lecky, the il
lustrious historian, agree in saying thu
the prosperity, the growth, the powei
and the happiness of nations have the'i
foundation in pure domestic life, ir
commercial Integrity, in a high stand,
ard of moral worth, in courage, in up.
rlghtnpss, and a certain soundness am
moderation of judgment which spring!
quite as much from character as fron
intellect. If you would form a wls<
judgment of the future of a nation, ob
serve carefully whether these qualities
are increasing or decaying. And heai
and heed well this my friends: Observe
- especially what qualities count for most
r in public life. Is character becoming of
; greater or less importance? Are the
men who obtain tne highest posts In
? the nation (or state) men of whom In
I private life, and Irrespective of party.
: competent judges speak with genuine
j respect? Are they of sincere convictions.
of consistent lives and of indisputable
integrity? It is by observing
this moral current that you can best
cast the horoscope of nations. Now,
, these are the words and the thoughts
t of men who have made a constant,
i steady, scientific study of government,
t of human history and human develop*
i ment. It is wise, therefore, to attena
? their testimony. And we saw it veri
I fled when effervescent, glory-loving
j France went down in humiliation and
. defeat before sturdy, duty-loving EngI
land. The people of this county and
I state this year are called upon to take
> their stand as to these principles. And
r let us remember the former days?those
i days of which the distinguished Amerlt
can historian, George Bancroft, of Masl
sachuHetts, could and did truly write:
1 "The public men of South Carolina were
ever ruled by their sense of honor and
felt a stain upon It as a wound." It is
[ that which has made our history glorious.
And may we strive now as never
before to bring our commonwealth back
I Into the spirit of Calhoun and McDuffle,
Hayne and Hampton. And let us
further remember that when we cast
our vote it affects not only our county
i and state, but also the very principles
t of democratic government.
t As we review the history of govern
ments we find that the great lesson of
I the past is, what makes a nation happy
and great and keeps it so, is high sense
> of public duty, public responsibility and
: honor, civic righteousness and that ven '
eration for character which is manifested
in the election to office of only those
' men who possess the sterling qualities
i of honesty, courage, faithfulness and
f dutifulness. While what ruins klng1
doms and lays cities flat is disregard of
public spirit, lack of civic righteous
i ness, warn 01 interest on me yui t ui
! the individual citizen in the common
I affairs of city, county, state and na-'
1 tlon, and that unworthy and dangerous
I principle and practice which leads men
to strive to place In public office other
men because of personal consideration,
i because he is a nice, sociable and Jovial
fellow and witnout regard to fitness!
and character.
I May God pour out upon our people)
at this time the spirit of understanding,
. the spirit of wisdom and the spirit of
" true patriotism that we may desire no>
bly and choose wise.y as to our rulers
s and representatives.
t
FREE RURAL DELIVERY. .
Hon. Thoniaa E. Wataon, of Georgia,
Waa the Father of the Syatem.
i Augusta Chronicle, July 22.
Now that the rural free delivery of
> mail has become so widespread and so
. popular with the farmers, aspiring poli
iticlans are putting id claims to the
. honor of having inaugurated the sys>
tern. In the present Carolina campaign
i Congressman Latimer Is reported to
have claimed the credit, and to have
. been answered by ex-Governor John
r Gary Evans that the honor belongs to
. the late J. William Stokes.
A gentleman In Charleston wrote to
. The Chronicle asking If this honor did
I not In fact belong to Hon. Thomas E.
i Watson, of Georgia, and In order to
] get an authoritative statement of the
. record The Chronicle referred the mat>
ter to Mr. Watson for reply.
} Letter From Mr. Watson.
His letter, which follows, will be read
1 with interest:
> "Thomson, Ga., July 19. 1902.?Mr. E.
, B. Hook, Editor Augusta Chronicle:
Your's, date 17th instant, Just received.
' Your correspondent, Mr. J. J. Walsh,
r states that Congressman Latimer, of
t South Carolina, is claiming credit for
being the author of the system of rural
free delivery of mails, and that Hon.
' John Gary Evans, denying Latimer's
t claims, sets up the title, of the late J.
Wm. Stokes to the credit of this great
an beneficent system.
1 On May 28th, 1892, I Introduced into
. the house of representatives, and se.
cured the passage of the first resolution
that congress ever passed appropriating
money for true rural free delivery?to?
wit: mails outside of towns, cities and
. villages. This resolution and appropri.
ation was the beginning of our present
system. Hon. John Wannamaker, while
r postmaster general, had experimented
? with what he called rural^ free delivery.
. but his system was confined to towns
and villages. You will remember that
' it was tried at Hephzibah, Ga. This
system failed and was abandoned. My
1 resolution provided for real rural mailto
wit: mail to people living outside the
limit of towns and cities: and my reso
lution was the first that ever carried
? an appropriation for that purpose.
) It is not my purpose to bandy words
. with Messrs. Latimer or Evans, yet
there should be some way of settling
a thing like this. The Congressional
I Record is accessible to everybody and
. the official record ought to be satisfactory
proof.
To put an end to the dispute, once
3 for all, I authorize the Augusta Chronc
icle to offer J1.000 for proof that either
Mr. Latimer. Mr. Stokes, Mr. Wanamaker,
or anybody else, ever secured
an appropriation or established the
- system of free delivery of mails to people
living outside the limits of cities
towns and villages, prior to May 28th,
1892, the date of my resolution and ap
propriation. Respectfully, yours,
Thomas E. Watson."
"P. S.?After I had sealed and sent
off my letter to you, other mail brought
r me a copy of The Southern Mercury,
i containing the enclosed clipping: also
j a copy of John Wanamaker's 'Book
, News' for June, 1902, which I had not
been able to obtain before.
"On page 795 of this 'Book News' for
- June, 1902, Mr. Wanamaker's editor
. gives me credit for the free rural mall
delivery system. Ought not this to go
r t^r in convincing everyone?
i* ' If Mr. Wanamaker lays claim to the
, erodit for the svstem his editor would
surely know it.
"The fact is he had nothing to do
" with it?nor did these two South Caro1
Una congressmen, unless it was to In,
troduce some subsequent resolution.
Yours truly,
1 Thomas E. Watson."
; Free Iturnl Postal Delivery.
Following is the article in The South'
?rn Mercury:
r "Few people who are today enjoying
the advantages of the free rural postal
delivery are aware of the fact that to
Hon. Thomas E. Watson, the erstwhile
Populist member of congress from
the Tenth district of Georgia, is due
the honor for securing this great convenience
for the farmers, and others
who live in the rural districts. Since
it has proven so successful, with characteristic
greediness for anything meritorious,
Democrats and Republicans
alike have claimed the honor for th?
introduction. The facts will substantiate
the statement that to Mr. Watson's
broad comprehension as a friend
and servant of the common people, the
honor belongs to him alone. Speaking
of the matter a few days ago, Mr. Watson
said to a reporter:
" 'It was in 1893. while the house was
in committee of the whole, considering
the appropriations for the fiscal year,
that I arose and proposed an amendment
covering an appropriation of $10,000
for the purpose of experimenting on
a rural system. I was met with a storm
of objection and derision. The sum was
ridiculously inadequate to begin with,
it was said, while the project was too
big for the country to go into, involving
millions if it was any good.
" 'But I insisted that the farmer had
the same rights as the business man,
whose mail was gathered up from his
desk every few hours regardless of cost.
To the objection tnat the country was
too thinly populated, I retorted that it
was better economy to have one man
wait on a hundred than to have the
hundred lose half a day to get their
mail. I pressed my points, and as I
had back of me a following of some
thirty votes from the south and west,
enough to filibuster and delay, the
amendment was finally allowed and
the appropriation passed with this
item in it.
" 'President Cleveland paid no attention
to the matter. Charlie Moses, who
was in the house at the time, was returned
from the Fourth Georgia district
and got another appropriation of equal
tmount In the next bill. This too, was
left lying in the treasury by the administration,
which did not seem to take
kindly to the measure. But the sentiment
in its favor grew, and at the next
oc.i.-i":i a acuaiur lactica un ou,uw mure
for the same purpose. This made *50,100
In the treasury and the administration
saw that it would not do to further
Ignore the legislation of congress.
So Postmaster General Wilson made
the experiment In his own county In
West Virginia and was amazed to find
how readily it fitted into our system
tnd what instantaneous approval it
met with.
"From that time the rural routes
have steadily increased until they have
spread all over the whole country, bearing
their benlsons of business and education
with them; until the farmers of
the northwest would fight before they
would give up their daily paper. I do
not claim that the idea is original with
me, for I got it in my readings and
studies of European government, where
they have rural delivery of telegrams
and expressage as well; but I started it
in this country and yet the records studiously
ignore my name in connection
with it and give the honor to nobody.
" 'The Independent and other publications
have assigned the authorship
of rural delivery to Postmaster General
Wanamaker, yet his experiment was
something quite different, being merely .
the adaptation of the city system of
free delivery to villages and not to the
country routes. Hepzibah, near Augusta,
was one of the places wfcere it was
tried. As everybody In a village lives
within a short distance of the postofflce.
free deliverv was not needed and
was quickly abandoned, sometime before
I took up truly rural delivery. I
have written the correct statement to
The Independent, but it has paid no
attention to it, either publicly or privately.'
"
WHERE DO THE PINS GOT
They Come from Connecticut and
BUllona of Them Disappear Annually.
It takes a good many pins to keep the
people of the United States supplied for
a year. The Merriam census figures
out that more than seven billion ordinary
toilet pins were used in 1900; of
hairpins, 161,000,000 were consumed; to
these should be added almost as many
more safety pins.
These figures are derived from the
annual production, which is assumed to
be about equal to the annual consumption.
There is a capital employed in
this manufacture of $3,236,158. Most of
the factories are in Connecticut. A
year's crop of pins is worth $834,054.
The pin has a history which goes
back to the Garden of Eden. Its prototvnp
In nfltllro la Ihn ^A?.n
most ancient relics of prehistoric man
are found accompanied by pins, made
from bone, ivory, bronze, copper and
Iron. Prom the lacustrine stations in
Switzerland alone more than 10,000 pins
have been found in Egyptian and Scandinavian
tombs. Among the AngloSaxons
and Britons loops, ribbons and
hooks and eyes are found in silver and
other metallic skewers, and finally the
indispensable pin.
In early days most of the pins used
in this country were imported, and during
the war of the Revolution the price
went up to a dollar a paper. They
were scarce at that. It was then, and
during the war of 1812, that the making
of pins in this country began in a
crude way. Dr. J. I. Howie is the father
of the American pin Industry as we
know it today. In 1830 he began the
study of the problem of pin-making
machinery, making pins for the public
and a fortune for himself.
The pin Industry created a new demand
for stale beer, which is used to
clean the pins before they are plated
with tin.?Washington correspondence
New York Evening Post.
Knew His Letters.?George Stickney,
who lives in Lancaster, N. H., is
well known in Lewiston. He has a boy
who is coming along like a three-yearold
trotter under training. Mr. Stickne.v
asked the superintendent of schools
when it would be advisable to send the
boy to school. The superintendent said
that the fall term would be a good time,
but advised Mr. Stickney to teach the
lad that two and two make four and
how the letters of the alphabet run before
he let him out.
A short time afterward the superintendent
met the boy and asked him if
he knew his letters.
"Sure," said the boy.
"Well, sir, what is the first letter?"
"A," was the answer.
"Correct,' said the superintendent.
"Now, what comes aj.?.er A?"
"All the rest of the push," said the
boy.?Lewiston, Me., Evening Journal.