Historical Newspapers of South Carolina

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WHAT EVANS Platform on Which Ex-G United Sta Following Is a pretty full outline of the platform on which Hon. John Clary Evans Is basing his senatorial candidacy: I believe the most important Issue to be pressed before the people Is that of the tariff. I have, .in former campaigns, endeavored to show the Iniquity and Injustice of the Republican tariff policy so far as the south is concerned and I shall continue to do so. We are still an agricultural people. Cotton raising and cotton manufacturing are our principal industries, and will Aver be. These industries furnish ed the United States last year a balance in trade without which our country would have been a debtor to the rest of the world instead of a creditor. Since the war between the states, the south from its cotton crops alone has brought into the United States approx- J lmately fourteen billions of dollars of foreign gold. This sum represents enough money to purchase at their as- | sessed valuations for taxation today the states of Maine, New Hampshire, Vermont, Massachusetts, Connecticut, Rhode Island, Pennsylvania, New Jersey, Delaware and Ohio, and a surplus sufficient to add 100 per cent to the taxable property of South Carolina. If this money could have been kept at home the south would be the richest country in the world. Where has it gone? The answer is easy; to fatten the protected interests of the states enumerated. Our farmers, who manufacture nothing, have been forced to sell their cotton in Europe, compelled to bring back gold only to be robbed at the custom house and forced to purchase their ploughs, boots, shoes, buttons, coats and supplies from home manufacturers of prices from fifty to 300 per cent higher than they could have been gotten in the markets where they sold their cotton, and yet, are told that the southern farmer is lazy and indolent. The time has come for the truth to be preached and demand made for fair treatment. ! The Republican party is fast becoming divided into two hostile camps on the tariff. New England is thoroughly developed, her manufacturers no longer monopolize the home market; they are dependent now for dividends upon the surplus product which they are forced to sell in foreign markets where the south sells her cotton. The west V.aa/,W/V Virt ern nepuuncan uao uctumc uic . treme high protectionist and Massa-1 chusetts Is now for free trade In the raw material which she manufactures, j The shoes we formerly bought in Massachusetts now come from Ohio and Missouri. The factories have gone to the hides just as they are coming to the cotton, and the east can no longer compete in the home market with the west. You cannot protect cotton so long as the home market consumes but one-third of the raw material. It is our duty, therefore, to combine with the free traders of New England and thus secure fair treatment for our farmers. Our cotton crop for the past year is estimated to bring into this country in foreign gold seven hundred millions of dollars, while our cotton manufactures bring in only thirty two millions. This condition should not be allowed to exist. We must manufacture at home every pound of cotton we raise and instead of exporting raw cotton we should export cotton cloth. Our prosperity will never be permanent until this is done. We should stand by our cotton manufacturers and demand for them fair treatment. It is an anomalous fact that England last year built more new cotton mills in three counties than were constructed in the entire outside world. Cotton machinery can be purchased in England f>0 per cent cheaper than our mills can buy it in New England, and yet we are forced by the iniquitous tariff policy to pay the price. The southern cotton farmer and the southern cotton manufacturer should go hand In hand into this fight, for their interests are the same. The gamblers in cotton futures who attempt to fix the price of our crop before it is even planted should be outlawed and treated the same as other criminals. Cotton is still king, but he is taxed to death and enslaved by a party intent upon making him pay the expenses of the government and to fatten their insatiable financial cormorants. I believe it Is time for the young southerner to demand a voice in the government of this nation. The men who now control the politics of our country were not in the civil war and it is nonsense and cowardly for the press of the south to continue to print the fear of socalled rebel control as a scarecrow to southern brains and ambition. The most loyal Americans today live in the south and the fight now being made by the president of the United States against his own party for honesty in business and governmental affairs, and against predatory wealth and the cu1 idity of our millionaires and trust magnates finds its ablest champions in our section. Pensions. Another iniquity that I shall endeavor to blot out is the pension policy of the Republican party. The ease with which every freebooter and camp follower now gets his name upon the pension roll is appalling. We have paid to northern soldiers since the war ended IS,551,025.651.17, or enough to buy the states of Maryland, Virginia, North Carolina, South Carolina, Georgia, Florida, Alabama. Mississippi and Louisiana at their assessed values for taxation. The south pays the major portion of this tax and gets nothing in return. We were not the aggressors in the civil war. The refusal of the north to accept the decision of the supreme court of the United States upon a constitutional question in the Dred Scott case was practically a nullification of that instrument, and. therefore, according to their construction, a declaration of war. The south fought in defence of the constitution. This is now accepted as true by all writers of history and has practically been sustained by the supreme court of the United States. The president, who has spent most of his life writing articles and books defamatory of southern statesmen and heroes, in his last message to congress, thus speaks of this conflict: "There is grave need of those stern qualities shown alike by the men of the north and men of the south in the dark days when each valiantly battled for the light as it was given each to see the light. Their spirit should be our spirit as we strive to bring nearer the day when greed and trickery and cunning shall be trampled under foot by those who fight for righteousness that exalteth a nation." The Confederate soldier battled for the light as given by the only source from whence it could come, the sun of the constltu I STANDS FOR. overnor Would Go to the tes Senate. tion?the supreme court of the United States. Such being the case I shall demand that the Confederate soldier be treated as the equal of the Federal soldier and granted an equal pension in his old age as a brother who fought for the light as he saw it and as he was in duty bound to accept It from its only source, the highest court in the Union. Finances. Under our constitution congress alone has the power to coin money. I shall advocate an elastic currency, issued by the government and endorsed by the entire resources of our country. The great trouble with this question is the tendency on the part of our financiers and statesmen to treat money as a commodity and not as a medium of exchange. The idea of money being sold in open market to the highest bidder like real estate or mules and horses is something unique to the student of political economy, and yet this is the spectacle we witness when a scare is produced in our centres. The volume of money cannot be arbitrarily fixed, its only regulator should be the volume of produce it is supposed HON. JOHN GARY EVANS. to represent, the amount of cotton, corn and manufactured products it is supposed to exchange and stand as a pledge for. The idea that money should have an intrinsic value is unsound and absolutely antagonistic to the object and function of money. What we need is to go back to first principles, to Adam Smith. Instead of relying upon men. who never see anything but a dollar, to make the financial policy of this government, men who look upon money as the only product of the country, we should consult men who manage the farms, the mills and the mines, which produce the real sources of our wealth and who believe that money is stamped by the government for the niiitnACA ihom in ovpbnntrinir JJUI v?i u>uiiin >?VIM ... ?o---n their products. Then and not until then will we have a sound financial policy. Turn the money changers out of the temple and place therein honest men who produce something, and the country will be safe. I am unalterably opposed to the establishment of a central bank in Washington to handle the currency of our government. This is Republican doctrine pure and simple and means ultimate monarchy and the centralization of government. Our experience with a central bank has been disastrous. It was corrupted to defeat Andrew Jackson for president. Thrice has it been tried, corrupted and repudiated and I do not believe there is a Republican in congress who has the temerity to propose it, to say nothing of its advocacy by a South Carolina Democrat. South Carolina Ports. The Panama canal will soon be completed, and with it will return the importance and commercial advantages of our ports, Charleston, Port Royal and Georgetown. I shall stand for their opening and improvement, for I believe that our exports of cotton and manufactured products should go through our own ports. The day is not far instant when we shall manufacture all the cotton we produce. When it does come these manufactured products should be warehoused, sold and exported from Charleston and our other ports. To this end the manufacturers of our state and financiers of our port cities should co-operate to make our mills independent of outside capitalists. We must hasten the day when the agents of the outside world will come to our ports to buy and ship cotton goods, instead of raw cotton. Immigration. To bring about this result we must have increased industrial workers of character. We cannot build mills to stand idle for want of operatives. Already our labor supply is below the demand. We cannot stagnate, we must go forward or other states will take our place. The negro has been tried and proved a failure as an artisan. He cannot be used in manufacturing; the white man must take his place. None but the demagogue can fail to realize the problem that confronts us. It is cowardice to leave it to our posterity. The white man's ranks must he filled, we cannot wait for reinforcements after the battle is on. The only hope of the negro iv in sjpp-vpfrntinn he must hp nlaeed in a hopeless minority wherever he may bo, otherwise a race war is inevitable. There are only two flags, white and black. Under which will you enlist? I stand for the white. Drainage. The coast section of our state is one of the richest in the world. Our forefathers endeavored to drain the swamps and claim the abundant fruits of the soil. I pledge my best efforts to get for our state what the west is getting for irrigation. We are entitled to it and with proper representation it can be had. Water Powers. Our chief hope to be able to manufacture our produce cheaper than elsewhere in the world lies in the development of our abundant natural water powers. These are now being harnessed and brought to our doors in the form of electricity. To preserve them i* is absolutely necessary to protect the forests upon our mountains from the ravages of the axemen. If the trees are cut down we shall soon have bare rocks incapable of retaining the water, and our hopes for cheap power will be blasted. The Appalachian Park should be established and I pledge my efforts in its behalf. Inter-State Commerce. Congress alone has the power to regulate inter-state commerce. I believe the laws now on the statute books amply sufficient to protect the people against oppression on the part of corporate Interacts. Their strict enforcement is all that is necessary and this will be insured by the appointment of an honest commission. I have not endeavored In this paper to do more than direct attention to the most important questions as I see them. I shall in my speeches before the people let them know my position on every question affecting' their interests, irrespective of the consequences. If I am elected I shall devote my whole time to the people's cause. If I am defeated I will not sulk in the camp, but will continue, as I have always done, to work for the upbuilding of the state and the enlightenment of our people. WORKED HIS WAY. The Job an Energetic Student Took to Cross the Atlantic. Jack had paid his way always. Out o: tile poverty 01 nis cniiunouu ne nau fought his way through the university. After graduation he felt he must see Europe, and with the little accumulation he had he "crossed the pond," trusting to good luck to get home again. But, his trip of sightseeing over, he found himself in Liverpool without money and with no means of getting any. Hie thought he would just go down to the steamship, go on board and see how it would seem if only he were going home. As he wandered over the big liner his attention was attracted by a crying baby. The mother was traveling alone, and while she was attempting to see to all the thousand and one details incident to the beginning of an ocean trip the baby had resented the neglect he felt he had received and was crying. The mother was at her wits' end. Jack's kind heart prompted him to say: "Let me take the baby, madam. Perhaps I can kep him quiet until your preparations are .made." This request, so unusual from a stranger and especially from a man stranger, naturally filled her with surprise. but she looked Jack squarely in the eye for a second and trusted him. 41 wish you would," she said. Jack's care was extremely satisfactory to his babyship, and when, in a half hour, the mother, was ready to rc-claim her child she found a happy baby cooing and trying to devour a bunch of keys at one gulp. She laughed as she took the youngster and thanked Jack. Then she added. quite in fun. "I wish you were going clear across." Jack saw his opportunity. He said: "Madam, I'm a college student, out of funds and longing for home.' If you will pay my passage to America I will take care of your baby all the way across." His proposition was accepted, and he kept his word. He is a prominent lawyer now, and he looks back with considerable amusement to his experience in getting home from Europe.?Youth's Companion. A KING'S DREAM. Belief In the Vision Might Have Changed History. On June 12, 164,r>, Charles I slept at the little inn in Naseby village. Scouts had brought news of the approach of the parliamentary army, and the king was resolved to give them battle. In the middle of the night the lords of the bedchamber, who slept in the outer room, were disturbed by an extraordinary noise in the king's room. Upon entering they found Charles sitting bolt upright in his bed and in a much excited state. On asking what the noise was, the king said he had heard no noise, but that their entry had roused him from at. extraordinary dream. He said that Strafford had stood at the foot of his bed and implored him not to give battle, for if he did he would be so disastrously defeated as to threaten his crown and even his life. The next morning Charles told Prince Rupert and his generals of his dream, but declared that he would fight. They in vain tried to dissuade him. In the evening news arrived that the enemy were close at hand. That night Charles again dreamed the same dream. Strafford warned him that it was the last time he would try to help him. The next morning the king led his army out and by sunset he had lost cannon, baggage and four-fifths of his troops, and as events proved, the war as well. Strafford's ghost was right. Had Charles not met Cromwell at Naseby it is quite likely he would not have met his death at Whitehall.?Pearson's Weekly. Didn't Admire Mrs. Cleveland. A voluble young girl was one day going from New York to New London when she found herself seated next to a pleasant faced woman who spoke to the girl, and after awhile the talk drifted to general topics. "Do you know." said the girl, "speaking of lovely women, I was reading about Mix Grover Cleveland today. She is my Ideal of a lovely woman." and the girl launched forth into a torrent of extravagant praise of the once mistress of the White House. Suddenly the girl perceived that her companion was rather unresponsive. "Perhaps you don't agree with me about Mrs. Cleveland?" asked the girl. "I know her," said the woman. "Don't you admire her?" "Well, no, not especially." The girl changed the subject. At Greenwich the lady rose to leave the train, and as she was leaving she said to the girl: "I get out here. I'm visiting some friends. I hope some time we may meet again. Here is my card." When the train had started again the Kill looked at the card t?> (ind printed thereon: "Mrs. O rover Cleveland."?Indies' Home Journal. L.\xit Dkkd to Jksis Christ.?a peculiar deed discovered by abstractors of Randolph county conveys 120 acres of land near Darksville to Jesus Christ, says the Stoutsville'Banner. The deed had been made in 18:"ift by Johnson Wright and Eliza Wright, his wife, and had never been contested. The descendants of the family had held the property "in trust" and have thrived I upon it. The story is that being very pious this old couple wished to return by deed of will and law to their Saviour the material blessing which He had conferred on them in this life.? Kansas City Star. Xv In France the average yield of wine is 112 gallons to every acre of vineyard: in Spain it rises to 130 gallons per acre; but Algeria holds the record with 300 gallons 'to the acre. TRICKS IN SELLING MINES. Romances Are Sometimes Better Than Mere Facts. A mining man from Mexico tried to interest a Xew York capitalist In his proposition, but was turned down politely but firmly. A shade of disappointment crossed his face. He half arose from his chair and reached for his hat. He hestitated a moment as if debating some momentous step. Then he dropped back into his seat and leaned forward confidentially, as though he had decided to impart some weighty secret. "Suppose I should tell you." he began, "that I know where the long sought treasure of the Aztec kings is buried, that within an hour after reaching the city of Mexico I could go to the place where it lies, the vast store of gold and jewels that Guo.temotzin hid when the little band of L'OIKJUISLilUUIf3, V>UI ic/< O WH4UC1 1115 Spaniards, appeared before his capital? "How do I know this? Listen!" The promoter's voice sank to a tense whisper. "Can any one hear? Don't let us be interrupted. I have never told this to a soul before. May I lock the door? "Suppose I tell you how a mozo, one who had served me faithfully for many years, had left my employ at the mines and had gone to the city of Mexico, there to take service with one of the old Spanish families who live in a street a little back of the great cathedral which, as you know, was built on the site of the ancient temple where they used to sacrifice thousands of human captives each year? You can see the huge sacrificial stone in the National Museum there today. "This family went to the Tterra Caliente, to their hacienda there, in the winter months, when there is 110 rain but the air is chill in the city. Before they left the master told this Indian servant to take up the stones in the patio, the interior court around which the house is built?the residence has been in the same family for two centuries and a half?and to clear out the ancient drain that had become half choked and unserviceable, also to relay all the paving stones flat and level. "The soil is soft there. There are no cellars to the houses, for the city Is built on an ancient lake bed and almost anywhere you strike water ten feet down. "In due time the family departed, leaving this Indian in charge of the other servants in the empty house. These Mexican peons, by the way, are slow, but faithful and sure. Without undue haste the work began and proceeded. "Sometimes Juan worked alone digging in the damp soil; at other times some of the other men helped him, carrying out the dirt or lifting the heavy blocks of stone that paved the courtyard. Juan one night had a ,, *? ? -1.-..,., dream inai 11 ne snuuiu ms m a. tain spot in the patio he would find a vast treasure. "The next day was the Fiesta of All Souls?a great religious holiday when every one goes to the Dolores cemetery, decorate the graves of his dead and gets stupid with pulque. Juan made some excuse, pleaded illness, I suppose; the rest of the servants went away and left him alone in the great house. "The moment they were gone and the outer door fast bolted, Juan commenced to dig, with a feverish haste such as he had never shown before, in the spot indicated by his dream. He was standing in a pit as long and as narrow as a grave when a chance thrust of his shovel into the black, reeking soil touched a stone. "Now there are no stones in the city of Mexico except what have been brought there from the quarries, miles away, so Juan knew that what he had encountered was either an ancient idol of the Aztecs or else the forerunner of what he sought. He stopped to take a drink of pulque, and went back to work. With infinite labor he uncovered what appeared to be a great square stone, and finally, I don't know how, succeeded in lifting it from the place it had rested in for nearly three centuries. "Two weeks later?I was fn the mountains of Durango, at Topia, at the time?T received a letter from -Tmin It was written by one of those public letter writers, who sit in the plaza before the cathedral, for Juan, like nearly every one of his class, cannot read or write. "The letter urged me to come to Mexico at once and to see him imm ;diately on my arrival, that he was In great 'rouble, that he had news of personal interest to impart. In short T gathered from the letter, aided by my intimate knowledge of Juan's character, that there really was something urgent. He had saved my life once, and as I had intended going to Mexico soon I decided to hasten my trip and start immediately. "It's a week's journey by mule, horse and rail from the mines to the capital. On my arrival I sent for Juan, and he came to my room at the Iturbide, where he was well known as my former mozo. "What would you say if I told you that he recounted to me how he had dreamed and dug and lifted the stone, how he had found a mass of coarse gold, washed from placer workings by the Aztecs no one knows where and no one knows when; how he had found, also, curious images of gold, figures of the gods and of the sun and rain; how he brought from a fold in his blouse, tied in a very dirty handkerchief a double handful of coarse gold mixed with huge rubies, like cherries in a handful of wheat? * 1^1,1 Ko foil on\r Ano r>lup Clf It ^ Vo. I/IW IIC Itll nil J W..V. he would not do that. Pie had an idea of the value of the gold, but not of the rubies. What next? This is only supposing you know, a kind of hypothetical question. "Suppose I should tell you how T assayed the gold myself and found it what T thought it. from a placer; that I had two of the uncut rubies priced in one of the jewelry stores along Plateros street, and found them gems of great value. I have bought a good many mines, and a great many people have tried to salt them on me, but I am cautious and I haven't heen caught yet. I trust no one, and I know that my own judgment is not infallible. "Suppose I tell you how I agreed with Juan to buy the house, to give him a few thousand for himself? those peons don't know what to do with money if they get more than $2 at a time?and how the next day urgent business called me to New York. The Aztec treasure still lies where It was buried, and I can do nothing toward reaching it at present. Suppose my story interested you, would you care to put any money into a matter of that kind?" The faces of the two men were a study. The mining man's, which had lighted up with the dramatic telling of the story, had now settled back into its usual aspect of shrewdness overlaid with a look of never falling good humor. The capitalist had been fascinated by the tale. He was leaning forward in his chair tensely, showing absorbing interest in the recital, his lips were drawn back a little. There was a moment's silence. "How much would it cost to buy the house?" asked the capitalist. "About $R0,0ft0." "How much to buy the Indian, this Juan, so as to satisfy him and keep him quiet?" "Two or three thousand would do it." "I suppose the Mexican government couldn't clalnf the treasure?" "No. I am quite sure they couldn't." "How soon could you go with me to Mexico?" "To-morrow. What Is your proposition ?" "We'll start to-morrow afternoon. We'll buy the house, the Indian's silence and anything else that is necessary. I'll put up all the money and will divide with you the difference between the gross amount of the treasure and what money I have to spend to get it. Is that satisfactory? All right. You may be a little short. I'll give you a check for, say a couple of thousand now. Look up the fastest trains, get the tickets and so on, and phone me to-morrow morning at my house where to meet you and when." The mining man reached for his hat and rose from his chair with a broad smile on his face. "Now, sir," he said, "I've go't you Just where I want you. The tale I ha\e Just told is a fantastic romance. "The treasure may exist, but I don't know where it is. You will recall that I related the story as a supposition, so as to see what you would do under cer ain circumstances. "I am a comparative stranger to you, yet you swallowed the bait, hook and line. You were ready to invest a hundred thousand dollars in something as intangible as a moonbeam, yet a few minutes ago you turned down, almost discourteously, a sound, safe mining proposition. "I told you that there were a hundred thousand tons of ore in sight that averaged $50 a ton In value. That's $5,000,000. I showed you reports of mining engineers of high standing to prove my statements. Yet all that did not Interest you. "Then I decided to spin this yarn of the Aztec treasure, and you listened to it like a little girl to a fairy tale. I have finished my experiment, and I will now bid you good day." The mining man was half way to the door before the capitalist had recovered from his astonishment. Disappointment, chagrin and anger swept his face. Finally, he smiled, and the smile stayed. He jumped from his chair and dragged the mining man back. "You're right," he said, "you've tanght me a lesson that is worth a mi lion dollars to me. I'll take $100,000 worth of your stock and I'll sign the subscription list now. We'll settle any further details to-morrow afternoon at 3 o'clock instead of taking the fastest train to Mexico." In another case the promoter took quite a different tack. This happened up In Toronto. The promoter was. a New Yorker. Negotiations had been going on for several days. There had been much lunching together, and finally the Canadian capitalist announced his willingness to take $5,000 worth of stock. The promoter did not show the least trace of disappointment at the fimallness of the subscription?much to the Canadian's surprise. In fact he seemed pleased, and bade him good-bye with profuse thanks. The next morning the promoter burst into the Canadian's private office, breathless and apparently much agitated. "I am ashamed and humiliated at what I must tell you," he said, "but as an honest man I cannot do otherwise than be absolutely frank and straightforward with you. "When I sold you that stock yesterday and got your check for $5,000 I thououghly believed that I was putting you in the way of a splendid investment. When I returned to my hotel to pack up and get the night train for New York I found a letter there from an old chum who is the manager of the property. It had been forwarded to me from New York. "To my surprise and chagrin I learned from it that the big vein which we all thought was a storehouse of untold treasure had suddenly faulted, that Is, broke short off; and instead of the property being worth millions, a hundred thousand would be dear for it now. Under the circumstances I see no other way except to return to you your check. Here it is. "I have also cancelled your signature to the stock subscription list, as you see. I regret this very much, but I vrust that you will appreciate that I have acted honestly and in good faith." The Canadian was taken aback. He rose from his chair and grasped the promoter warmly by the hand, assuring him of his high esteem. They threw bouquets at each other for a few minutes and then the conversation imperceptibly turned on mining propositions again. The promoter rose to go. "Well, Mr. Smith." said the capitalist. "whenever you have anything that you can conscientiously recommend just let me know, and I'll take a far bigger slice than I did in the one we have just buried. T like your way of doing business. To tell the truth, I have always been suspicious of mining investments, and 1 would not have ta ken the few dollars worm i tnu nau i not been impressed by your personality. So just bear it in mind, won't you ?" Mr. Smith hestitated a second, and said: "I've sot a good thing that I have Intended all along to keep exclusively for myself. I'm the sole owner of a property in Mexico. It's a big property. and I've spent all the money I can afford just now in developing it. I'll take you in on the ground floor If you want to put in $lf>0.000 or $200,000." The next two hours were spent in describing the property, showing maps of the underground workings, assays and engineer's reports. The upshot of It all was that the promoter took the train for New York that night with the Canadian's signature to a contract to take $17!".,000 worth of stock in the proposition. When he showed this to his partners on his return to his home office they leaped for joy. "How on earth did you do it. Jim?" "Why. they told me In Toronto that that millionaire was the oaglest mor tal up there, that he had no confidence in any one and little trust In himself. I won his confidence, that's all. I sold him $5,000 worth of that Dead Horse mining stock, gave him his money back next day, and so landed him for this block. I had it all planned out before I left New York. Hut he's got a good thing as it is, for he's a close buyer." One of the most noted bits of promoting work during the last twenty years was done in Colorado. Two miners were out hunting one day in the rugged hills. They stopped to rest and one of them kicked a small stone loose from the earth and when his companion was not looking slipped it into his own pocket. Tt assayed almost pure silver. In a fortnight a new mining camp was born and several hundreds of thousands of dollars' worth of silver ore was taken out of pockets in the earth. It did not occur in veins. The pockets were soon cleaned out and the shanties of the once populous town were vacant, except for a few prospectors who still hung on, hoping against hope. A Boston metallurgist rode out there one day and a prospector showed him a sample of the silver rock that had once lined the pockets of every one so richly. The scientific man was interested, but said nothing; he moved into one of the deserted cabins and spent his days taking observations with curious instruments. "Crazy" was the unanimous verdict. The scientist had noted that the rich ore found in the pockets seemed to be of volcanic origin. He Immediately concluded that It had been spewed out of a volcano ages ago. He settled in his own mind which of the mountains thereabout used to be a volcano. Then he went back to Boston. He told his capitalistic friends there what his theories were. He had grown to regard them as facts by that time. He told them that he had found the extinct volcano and that if they would back him to sink a shaft from its apex down into what had been its crater they would be rewarded by finding an enormous mass of solid silver?the mother body of the little pieces that had rained down miles away. He got *100,000. When that.was almost spent' the miners found a small piece of the volcanic silver ore. The Bostonlan took this back east with him at once, saw his backers, convinced them that he was on the right track, and got $200,000 more. Before half that had been spent they .ran across a big pocket of enormously iTch ore that netted about $75,000 profit. The money come easy after that. The shaft sank, foot by foot, but never another bit of ore did they find. The volcano that once had spouted molten silver like a geyser would not give up Its riches. The backers of the promoter refused to continue 'to give up theirs and the mine became a memory. RAILWAY IMPROVEMENT. First Notable Example of Regard For the Appearance of Things. In this country the first notable example of regard for the appearance of things along the line was furnished by a great railway company in the middle states, writes Sylvester Baxter in the Century. Here the English 1 ^"'oc fAllAu-orl Tn lfppnin? with lUCa nao ivuvn vu. ? * f..0 ... the exceptionally thorough organization of the company's service, the manifest aim In these Improvements was to have everything along the line present what along the seaboard is known as a "shipshape" appearance ?that is, to bear a neat, trim, and well-groomed look, as on a ship, where the decks are kept immaculately holystoned, the woodwork freshly scraped or painted, the brasses polished, the ropes colled, etc. Such conditions on shipboard are marks of discipline, good repair and general efficiency. So on a railway, where in similar ways attention is given to good appearances, public confidence in safe and competent management is promoted. Therefore, Just as the good mechanic takes care to make his joints well fitting and his lines good, so on this model ranway the nicest attention was given to a thoroughly well-ordered appearance of all the work about and near the tracks. For instance, the crosstiesare squarely cut at an exactly uniform distance from the rails, on the roadbed the ballast is bordered by clean and regular lines, the yards are kept scrupulously clean and clear of all rubbish, and about the stations and other buildings the turf is nicely maintained. In this case, however, until recently little attention has ever been given to really artistic character; the way stations, as a rule, are not architectural; in the way of adornment some sparse flower beds represent good intention rather than achievement. Two diverse methods are exemplified in our forms of railways embellishment. One is governed by the principle that ornament should be developed from the character of the thing ornamented: that while general prin ciples may be laid down for guidance, their application must be modified according to the circumstances attending each particular problem. What would be admirable in one place might prove wholly out of keeping and correspondingly bad, in another. The second method has found a wider acceptance. This proceeds with the assumption that ornament consists in something pretty, something decorative, that applying this prettiness to things makes them beautiful. The former method was adopted for the first railway line in the United States where a comprehensive attempt at artistic treatment was made. The results have been so beautiful, so wholly admirable, and withal so truly economical in maintenance, that it seems remarkable that the example has not been widely followed. ? Columbia special to the Charlotte Observer: Insurance Commissioner McMaster is doing all in his power to induce insurance companies doing business in this state to make investments in the state. He invites correspondence with county and municipal authorities on the subject, that he may bring to the attention of the insurance companies public investments. He is sending to a number of insurance companies the following letter, which speaks for itself: "I beg leave to call your attention to the fact that bids for $35,000 non-taxable 5 per cent coupon court house bonds of I^ee county, S. C.f will be opened at Bishopvllle, S. C., on July 14th. These bonds are to be dated February 1st, 1908, payable twenty-nine years after date, with right to redeem after expiration of fifteen years from date, interest at 5 per cent payable annually. Further information of them may be obtained from W. A. James, secretary, Bishopville. S. C.. As I do not believe your company holds any investments in South Carolina and as you do considerable business in this state, I trust you will consider favorably the investing In South Carolina securities." ittiscellatuous Ikadiitfl. A CIRCUS MAN'S TALE. Peeky the Mongoose and a Fer-deLance. "It was back in 1887 that I was employed in the snakehouse in the Zoological Gardens at Vienna. Austria. I'd drifted out to that country with one of the Wombwell road shows, and took the place in the snakehouse because Jock Pennington, the man who taught me how to handle lions, was employed there as one of the head keepers. "Snakes weren't exactly Jock's line, but he took the berth to earn a great big salary, and even if he didn't like his charges from the twenty-eightfoot rock python to the ugly-horned viper of Egypt, the money was coming his way, and that's what we're all in this world for, you know, to make the dollars. "Among the snakes were three splendid specimens of the fer-delance or yellow viper of Martinique, the most pugnacious of the whole ophidian kind and thought by some to be even more deadly than the cobra de capello of India. Two of the snakes were kept In the same apartment, but the third, the largest of the lot, had a place to himself, a big glass house about 20 feet by 12, that had once been occupied by two American rattlesnakes. The rattlers had died and the yellow boy fell heir to their comfortable home. "I want to tell you this, although you might not believe It: Those dandles of Viennu are sports and are always keen for syme sport out of the ordinary or that affords a chance to offer and take wagers. Several of them, students at the military acade'my, young fellows of noble family and great influence, were regular visitors to the snakehouse, and they appeared to take great interest in the big fer-de-lance. They'd stand by the den gazing intently through the glass at the snake ?nd carry on an animated conversation in their native language, which of course I could not understand. I showed so much Interest In the visitors that Jock, who had a scant knowledge of the lingo, told me one afternoon that the toffs were debating as to what chance Peeky, the mongoose in the animal house, would have with the reptile. "A few days after this Jock came to me with astonishment written on his face; he'd received an order from the royal board of directors to put the serpent and the ichneumon together for the benefit of science the next morning at 10 o'clock. "In the morning the reptile house was kept clear of visitors, but along about 9.30 the directors, eight or ten of them, came with the lads from the military school. "Jock took Peeky from the keeper and opening a slide in the fer-deiance's den cast the little animal into the compartment. The snake on the instant showed great excitement. He glided around rapidly in a short circle, and suddenly threw himself into a ceil in e. corner of the cage. His head . was reared on a long arched neck, and his horned tail, which shows its relationship to the rattlesnake tirood, protruded from the rear of the folds. Altogether he was an ugly and very formidable sight. "Peeky, upon being put into the den, stood motionless, with his grayish coat bristling, his forepaws close together, his head lowered almost to the paved floor, and his tail drooping. The enemies were separated by the length of the compartment, but we all knew the power of the fer-de-lance in casting and expected to see the battle open at any moment. And our expectations were realized. "The snake's folds tightened, his neck extended, his head was drawn down almost to the top coil, and then like an arrow from the bow he cast. That seven feet of snake shot through space like a yellow streak, and the throw was a marvelous one, and directed with a nice precision. The snake dropped in a circle, with jaws wide open, ready to strike, within an inch of where the mongoose had been, but Peeky was out of danger the instant the cast was made, and almost on the other side of the den. It looked like the ichneumon was running away, but as it afterward developed, he was showing rare generalship and playing a waiting game. "The snake, somewhat shaken from its terrific exertion in making nearly an eighteen-foot spring, quivered from the tip of his nose to the point of his horny tail, but he recovered and colled again. He remained in the coil for a full five minutes, his head raised on the lengthening and shortening neck, watching with beady eyes his crafty enemy, who was on the other side of the compartment, standing as he had first stood. "The fer-de-lance concluded to try again, and in an undulating ribbon of black and yellow his scaly body a second time Hew through the air. The first chapter was repeated. Peeky was on the other side of the den before the serpent had landed, and then the snake in wild fury turned, and glided toward the mongoose. The ichneumon, seeing his foeman pursue new tactics, developed another plan himself, and instead of running away he slowly crept forward to meet the snake, his long, lithe body almost touching the floor. The snake stopped still with its length extending in a curved line on the pavement, but raised its head menacingly. "The mongoose advanced right up to the snake and paused, too, and the two enemies looked steadily into each other's eyes. Talk about snakes charming animals?why, it looked just as though Peeky was charming tnat ler-ae-iance, ror irom me nine that Peeky caught the reptile's eye the creature seemed powerless. "The two remained like figures carved of stone for over a minute, and then the mongoose quickly thrust forward his head and brought his nose right up to the snake's mouth, from which a split tongue showed In nervous quivers. The snake slowly withdrew its head, but the mongoose continued to advance, until at last the reptile had raised its head nearly a foot from the floor. "Peeky must have seen the opening he was looking for. for when the head was raised, exposing the whitish belly of the ugly customer, the mongoose sprang forward with a squeak so loud that it sounded through the thick plate glass and seized the snake by the throat with his sharp, cruel teeth. The charm or whatever it was the ichneumon exerted, was broken, and the snake in rage and pain, drew back and tossed its coils on the pavement. "So strong was he that he drew the mongoose with him, and the two rolled over and over on the floor. Peeky never once relaxed his throat hold. He had the snake in such a position T that the reptile couldn't bite, and in a moment or so those teeth tore their way to a vital spot, and the fer-delance's earthly course terminated In a series of spasmodic struggles. "The snake dead, the mongoose let go his hold on the monster's lacerated ^ throat, shook himself once or twice, and ran around the borders of the den with his nose to the ground, as though trying to scent out another victim. "Peeky was removed from the compartment and carried back to the ^ animal house, but a few minutes after the combat was over he was per fectly normal again, snowing not me slightest sign of excitement and gambolling amid the straw In his cage." New Orleans Picayune. LAST OF FAMOUS TRAIL. A Old Route Over Which Cattle Were Driven North From Texas. The last vestiges of the old national cow trail, stretching up through Texas and Cimarron counties toward the northwest, will probably be obliterated by the march of a few years more of civilization, but now in spite of the fact that the tread of cattle has not been heard over this historic trail since 1890 the old trails are still marked by well defined paths, running parallel, where the cattle walked single file one behind the other. There are usually from a dozen * to twenty-five such paths, silent landmarks of the days when thousands of cattle were trailed northward from Southern Texas and Mexico to north Colorado, Montana and Wyoming. For many years the Texas cattlemen took their herds at will across the country, all of K unfenced and uncultivated, but as soon as there began to be any settlers at all in the "Oklahoma Panhandle" they entered serious protests against that method of transporting the herds because m the southern cattle communicated the ^ Texas fever to their own herds. At " first an attempt was made by Col. Jack Hardesty and other pioneer . cowmen to prevent the passage of the ^ jjJl southern cattle entirely, bringing on what was known as the "Jack Hardesty war." Hardesty and his associates hired a number of armed fighting men and placed them along the route usually traversed, with instructions to stop all southern cattle. Of course the blockade was of only temporary duration, as the Texans took the mutter up with the authorities at ^ Washington and the Hardesty forces disbanded when they found themselves likely to have to face Federal IrnnnM As soon as the settlers became more numerous they effected an or- * ganization known as the "League," for the purpose of compelling the Southern cattle to be driven along one well defined trail, thus minimizing the danger of Infection to cattle on other parts of the range. A sort of patrol was established, one member being delegated to keep the herds on the trail and go with them a part of the way through specified territory. In the one or two cases where the Texans were unwilling to comply with this regulation they were visited by a committee from the league and in- " formed that they could either follow the trail as other herds had done or the entire outfit of cattle, horses and men would be escorted back to the Texas line. It has now been something like fifteen or sixteen years since driving cattle overland from the south to the northern ranges was abandoned, and j few of the present residents along the line of the old trail have any idea of the number of cattle that formerly passed over it. They began coming early in May, and herd after herd passed until well up to July, the herds numbering from 1,500 to 2,500 head of cattle, and with from seven to twelve men with each outfit. Each man was generally furnished with a mount of horses ranging from five to seven head. At night the herds were rounded up on the open prairie, and guards, consisting usually of two men, would ride around them all night, the riders singing continually through the night. The guard was changed three times during the night, and the fourth guard, going on at daybreak, was known as the "cocktail," the duty of " this guard being to move the cattle from the bed ground to grass, a little further along the trail. The "punchers" who composed these outfits were generally men whose ages ranged from 30 to 50 years, weatherbeaten, stormtried and big hearted fellows. When quarrels arose the cooler heads usually prevented gun plays, and the boys fought it out with their fists. They enjoyed a game of "one come along two," and considered two deuces good enough to stay on until the raise came. Their manners were often rough, but they were big hearted men, who would give their last cent to a needy friend. Some of them, who settled down and became owners themselves, are still living in the country across which they drove cattle years ago, and look back sometimes almost with a sigh of regret to the old days.?Kansas City Journal. Moslem Architecture. The moslem architecture- at Agra and Delhi, so splendid, yet so short lived, is so distinctive of a dynasty and sc alien to the country as to be chiefly significant of the influence of the west on the east and stands alike in its permanence and in its feeling or ideality in remarkable contrast to all that was before It, is around it and has come after it. It is indeed curious how young India is In art and how old in her literature, her customs and her social frumewnrk. There Is no social institution surviving in Greece or Italy tnai can in respect or age or or interest compare with the Hindoo castes, and there are no buildings or monu- ^ ments in India that can boast an antiquity equal to much that can be found in the Latin and even in the Teutonic countries of Europe. Only a few of the ruder and smaller rock tern- pies go behind the Christian era, the greater and more elaborate belonging to a more recent date, and it is but what the later history would lead us to expect when we find as regards recently recovered Buddhist sculptures that a sense of form begins to appear Just as Oreek influences become active in India, though the Imitations stand at an Immense distance from the orlg- ^ inals.?Contemporary Review. Statistics show that married women live two years longer than single ones. *v* When a man keeps a bottle of l whisky In the sideboard drawer his wife begins to refer to it as their wine closet.