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An-Independent Family Jonrnal?JDeyoted to Polities* Literature and General Intelligence. HOYT & CO., Proprietors. V O:K, a 0.^ 12, 1871. VOLUME 6-rNo; 28, ' . For the Anderson Intelligencer. ?The Free Common School System of South Carolina.'' ."Mk "?? <? .- ??- ?. ?Mr. Editor : This Educational System, as remarked.- in a previous communication, re ininds-one of a ponderous, complicated mill machinery, which ie perfect in every part, but entirely inoperative, because the motive power necessary to propel it is wanting. " To illustrate. The system under considera? tion requires a multiplicity of officers, having enormous salaries to compensate them for su? pervising it, stating definitely when, how much, ?and by whom they are to be paid, but fails to provide funds to.pay Teachers, forgetting that a school without a Teacher is like a mill with? out water! v Now, sir, we can scarcely refrain from indul? ging the belief that our sapient legislators, in the conception and concoction of this School' System, had .nothing in view?or, at least, this was the primary object?but a huge and com? plicated machine, so to speak, which, from the Very nature, of its multifarious parts, should require a multiplicity of 'superintendents to run it=?of school officials to whom they would legislate fat salaries out of the hard earnings of a people already taxed enormously. This, air, seems to have been the one great and ab? sorbing idea! If not, how did it happen that they forgot to appropriate money to pay Teach? ers? Without moucy^to pay for teaching, all the coiossal, complicated school systems in Christendom'arc just as inoperative and useless as the mill without water to run it!. Hence, the. great, the humane and the phi? lanthropic institution of South Carolina so much ta'kcd of and-loudly praised, called the system of <4Frec Common. Schools," inaugura? ted by the philanJuT?^'ta-' of'Reconstruction, has proved ouepfj&e most,wa^^^ of the-age!- Unfortunately"* for ? lie poor un? lettered children of South Carolina,'-their phi? lanthropic putrons are.always the' most enthu? siastic and self-devoted lovers of mankind when "they themselves form the portion or man kind,'whbse conditions are to be ameliorated ! Thkjsystem of ."Tree Common Schools" au? thorizes the* State Treasurer to pay school offi? cials annually, fn" the aggregate, a sura in quar? ter iuaialuieuts, of not less than ?3.3,000'! while* the- sum-s?t apart from the Poll Tax, paid to all'the Teachers in the State, and that indefinitely, if every is only $50,000! Wc pcroeive thata resolution has been offer? ed in the Legislature to amend the School Act. "Sow, si.-, we are uninformed as,.to what thci proposed amendment is, or_in whut it consists;, but the amendment most imperatively deman? ded in, to retrench' the salaries of "school offi? cials, and appropriate money to .pay -Teachers ; and not or.lv appropriate, but pay ! Remem? ber, miles* Teachers be paid, there cannot pos? sibly be a::y scho?js^wiol.tlierefore superinten? dents and commissioners are sujjcrlluoua.; Without water the mill caun?t grind, it mat-; ter* not how many well-paid millers there may, be. Aud to mako the system efficient, Teach-' ere must not only be paid indefinitely?at a time nobody knows when?but they must be' paid quarte rly 1 Upon what apparent ground of fairness was it assumed that Teachers could j wajt for.thoir pay indefinitely, but superinten- I dents ..und-.commissioners must be paid quar? terly % Toachers' "claims should not only lie paid at' the end of each -quarter, but they should bc^ paid hy the County Treasurer. The paying of Teachers' claimijby the State Treasurer ih: Co? lumbians an imposition upon both' Teachers' and the people. It is an imposition upon the, people, because it enables the State.'Treasurer to-use the school fund, aside from -that for which it was designed?to pay the claims of Teachers of one County with tho school fund belonging to another! It is an imposition "up? on Teachers because it subjects them to incon? venience and expense. A trip to Columbisi, in many instances, would cost- -Teachers aeum of money equivalent to their claims. And the very accommodating (?) school officials in Co-, lumbia, not content with an enormous outmde: salary for superintending the mill, call upon customers for part of the grist?require Teach? ers to pay a certain per centage upon their claims before th<?y can get the money! The salaries of the school commissioner arc the same in each County, except Charleston, in. which County it is fifty per cent. more. This,' in our judgment, is unfair, to say the least of it; for the labor required of the commissioner: in some of the Couuties is twice that required in other Counties. For instance, take the la? bor required of the commissioners of Anderson and Oconee Counties. The school fund of An? derson County the last scholastic year is $4,358. 89. This sum would pay, at five cents per day, the tuition of 435 scholars for one - scholastic year. j or superintending the teaching of these 485 scholars the Commissioner of Anderson County is paid $1,000, The school fund be- : Jonging to Oconee for the same year is $2,2-18. This, 'it five cents per day for teaching, would | pay the tuition of 224 scholars for one scholas? tic year. For the supervision of these 224 scholars the commissioner of Oconee County receives also $1,000.' We would here inquire upon what grounds of fairness can this inequality be. satisfactorily oqualized? Upon what principles of justice can it be reconciled that two men, each equally qualified to perform the same kiud of labor, j and both are employed, and ono is requited tu perform just one-half the amount of labor that the other is, yet he receives the same wages? the same salary'?. Our plan, in regard to the school- commis? sioner's salary, would be simply this: Let the salary of each school.commissioner be in pro? portion to the school fund of his County. I^et the aggregate sum of'all the r.alarics of the commissioners of the State he a certain well defined per ceutage of the school fund of tho State annually. Then let each commissioner's salary be this per centage of the school fond of his County. This would pay each school com? missioner in exact proportion to the amount of labor performed. . A few, brief words.In regard to the~dcleteri oua effect which this system has produced upon the cause of Education, will close^this commu nication. It has in most cases engendered a belief in the minds of the people that all the tuition of ..their children would be hereafter paid for; but the lact is, none for the.last year has bceu paid I Teachers are told by their pa? trons: that they sent on the Public 1 Tell them the Public baa not paid anything, and they re? ply that it is in consequence of the commis? sioner's not doing his duty; or that the Teach? er has not urged his claims upon the commis? sioner, forgetting that the commissiouer is not a bonded officer, and therefore does not handle ? dollar of the school fund! Hence, compe? tent teachers in many instances will abandon the field. W. H. Townville, S. C, Jan. 2,1871. -^_ The State Survivors' Association.? We have received a printed copy of the pro? ceedings of the first and second annual meet? ings of the State Survivors' Association, to? gether with.the eloquent address of Gen. John fc>. Preston, delivered before the Association in .Columbia, in November last. The object and purposes of the Association are fully set forth in these proceedings, and to all who are igno? rant of the part which South Carolina played in the great struggle, we commend the able aud convincing, report of the Executive Board, which shows, among other. things, that-this State gave to the Confederate cause at least one soldier for every vote cast for secession. The Executive Board, with the assistance of Prof. Rivers, have compiled a roll of the names of 10,000 South Carolinians who died in ser? vice during the war between the States. There 'is, besides, asupplemtntaxyjcollof 2,000names collected- from sources les/ authentic. These rolls tHe Survivors' Association now propose to publish by subscription ; and if 1,000 subscri? bers at .*?"cau be obtained, this great memorial of "our dead, and valuable historical work for the State, will be secured. The plan is to pub? lish two editions; the first with a preface in? viting corrections aud additions to be submit? ted to the Executive, Board by the friends of thoee who foil; the second, with the additions and corrections thus made, in a better and more permanent form. A subscription of $5 entitles the subscriber to a copy <*?- both editions. The manuscript is ready for the printer, and the Board-are about to canvass-for subscriptions. There is not a family in South -Carolina which will not find the name"of a friend, - a- relative, or a brnrlier-in-arms upon"1 the- roll of this le? gion of honor of the South Carolina dead- and we* cannot doubt that the Survivors' Associa? tion'wttl-^r/edily obtain far^ncre-than the miniuum- number of subscriber - required for perpctthwiirgrfrKS memory-and-'-'fsHfto of those wJiq. poured out their bloodjibr their State -and the' sunny South.? Charleston Aetvt. Agriculture and A g p. i of etc r a l Jour? nals.?The managers of the Southwest Vir? ginia Agricultural Society , have inaugurated the idea of substituting agricultural books arid periodicals for the smaller premiums, hitherto pah] iu money. This ja a move iii the right direction, and wc.think the example might.be followed by kindred societies .to the manifest benefit of the farmer. Agriculture -has, within the last century, made rapid and progressive-strides, and the severest of the sciences have been - impressed: into its service. Perhaps in no other depart-j i?nt of human economy has there been a enter-multiplication of books and periodicals', cjy?f jli "the ?tototnaent .0f;^riJ?ulture,;and the minds of .the, farming t community have never been more ialive to the importance and dignity' of.their-calling than at the.present time. Yet the great"mass o?. th.6 ?agriculturists have not. availed themservesof opportunitiesI winch have been and are daily being offered them.' Hence too marry, if not most, of these publications I are, to a majority of the farming class, "settled boots."'. In.yiew of the progress and development? in agriculture, it has how becdnic absolutely ne? cessary for'thc intelligent.farmer to keep him? self thoroughly posted therein." We know that tbjp cost of a well supplied agricultural library,: or even of the larger publications separately, is an impediment, if not a.barrier, in the way of a great many, but happily for all, the valu? able periodicals are published monthly in all' sections of the country especially devoted to the interest of the'fiirmer, and at such mode-: rate rates that few, if any, engaged in the cul? tivation of the soil can honestly declare their, inability to"meet the required outlay in view of the great benefits they will and must necessa? rily reap from their perusal?Richmond Whig. Some Facts Concerning the Spottswood. ?The burning of the Spottswood Hotel, in Richmond, says the New York Post, under cir? cumstance of such appalling calamity, re? moves from that city a building more closely associated with the conduct of the war Of the rebellion than any other, the State Capitol alone excepted. It was at the Spottswood Ho? tel that Jefferson Davis first took lodgings upon the removal of the Confederate Government from Montgomery to Richmond, and through? out the whole struggle it was the headquarters of the most -prominent men in the Southern service when they came to the city. From tbq j portico of the hotel all the fiery orators of the time addressed the excited multitude, and the latest news of the fight was always first received and made known at that point. The tidings of Bull Run were proclaimed on the night of the 21st of July, 1861, from its windows. Strangely enough, the waves of the vast fire of April, lSti?, which laid the greater part of Richmond in ruins, were stayed at the corner below the Spottswood Hotel, sparing the build? ing, which immediately became the place of abode of the greater number of the Federal officers who eutcred Richmond with the victo? rious army of the Uniou. The hotel was not called Spottswood, as might be supposed, in memory of the truly j greut Colonial Governor of Virginia, Alexan? der Spottswood; but iu honor of the father of the capitalist who erected it, whose baptismal name was Spottswood. It was built about eighteen years ago, and was a largo and com? fortable establishment, with a fine facade upon the principal street of the town. The fearful loss of life attending the fire, the intense cold of the night, the rapid progress of the flames, and the utter inability of the fire? men to check them, or to rescue the victims, inak'e up a picture of horror supplementing only too Well the disar.tcrs of fire, flood and falling buildings which have within so short a time brought sorrow lipon Richmond. ? In Texas they call a sister's bean o brevet brother-in-law. LEGISLATURE OF SOUTH CA?OLIXA. THURSDAY, JATtTtTARY 5, 1871. ^ .SENATE. The Seriate met at 12 m., and was called to order by. the President. The .roll. was called," and only ten members anaweritig to their names, there was no quorum. The. Scrgeantat-Arms' was directed to briug in absent Members. After waiting till half-past 12, and not;obtaining a quorum, the Senate adjourned. HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES.., Tho House met at 7 o'clock p. m., and was. called to order by the Speaker. The roll was called, and the Sergeant-at-Arms Bent to bring in absent members. A quorum was announced, and the House proceeded- to the transaction of business. Mr. Myers gave notice of a bill to amend an Act to organize and govern the militia of South Carolina. Mr."Gary gave notice of a bill to require the School Commissioner of Kershaw County to erect Bchool houses. Mr. Hagood introduced a bill "to provide for the granting of divorces. "Read and referred to to the Judiciary Committee. Also, a resolution to appoint a committee of five to be known as the Committee on Charitable Institutions.? Adopted. Mr. Ramsay introduced a bill to provide a place for imprisonment for persons under fif? teen years of age. Read and referred to the Judiciary Committee. The following bills were read a second time, arid their enacting clauses stricken out: To au? thorize the Lanu Commissioner to purchase lands on the islands of Edisto and Wad n ml aw, South Carolina; to prevent persons charged with crime from being brought to trial when absent from Court; to regulate and secure Clerks of Circuit Court their fees and costs in civil suits; to admit Wm. S. Tillingbast to practice law in the Circuit Courts of this State; compelling farmers and planters to build fences around all cultivated lands. A bill to provide for the erection of sufficient fences, and keeping the same in repair, was made the special order for Tuesday next, at half-pastT b clock'.*- ' A bill to protect the rights of parente, and to prevent the procuring and carrying from the State, persons under the age of twenty-one years, was made the special order for Wednes? day, at, half-past 1 o'clock. A bill to.authoii/.e the purchase for the State of a manuscript compilation of the Penal Stat? utes of the State, made by E. B. Scabrook, Esq., of the Charleston bar, was made the special order for Thursday next, at half-past 1 o'clock. A bill regulating the per diem and mileage of grand and petit'jurors, waVindofiuitely post: poned. . The .Senate bill to provide a salary for the office oi Lieutenant Governor of the State, was made the special.order for Monday, at half-past 1 oclock. . ; . .. , . The House adjourned to meet to-morrow at 12 m. Friday,. January G, 1871. SENATE. The Senate assmbled at 12 m., the President iu the Chair. Mr. Whittemorc presented the petition of sundry merchants of Timnionsville, praying the passage of a bill to abolish the lien law, to/take effect on the 1st day of March, 1871; referred to the Committee on* the Judiciary. Mr. Whittcmore, from the special committee. appointed to consider and report'upon the message of the House in relation to the "im? peachment of Judge T. 0. P. Vcrnon, reported a resolution, that the Senate will take proper order thereon, of which due notice shall bo gi vcu the House. Ordered for consideration to? morrow. " ? - Mr. Whittemorc gave notice of the introduc? tion of a bill to amend an act entitled "An Act providing for an assessment and taxation of property." Also a bill to amend an act entitled "An Act to define the jurisdiction and duties of County Commissioners." Mr. Cardozo introduced a bill to amend an act entitled "An Act to establish a State Or? phan Asylum." Ordered for consideration to? morrow. The following were also ordered for consid? eration to-morrow : By Mr. Corbin, a bill to amend an Act enti? tled "An Act providing for the general elec? tions aud the manner of conducting the same," approved March 1, 1870 ; also, a bill to increase the salaries of the Justices of the Supreme Court; also, a bill to authorize aliens to hold property. Mr. Whittemorc introduced a resolution, re? questing the Committee on Education to report as soon as Tuesday, upon the report of that committee, relative to the amendment to the act to establish a system of free common schools, which was recommitted to that com? mittee for their consideration. Ordered for to? morrow.^ , The report of the Committee on the Judici? ary on a bill, providing for the protection of persons and property, and the public peace, and to tax real estate for the expense, was agreed to, and the bill ordered to be engrossed for a third reading. A bill, authorizing circuit judges to hold courts in other circuits than their own, was re? ferred to the Committee on the Judiciary., On motion, the Senate adjourned at* 1:10 p. m. HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES. The House met at 12 m., Speaker Moses in the Chair. The readiug of the journal being dispensed with, and their being no reports from standiug committees, the call of counties was made. Mr. L. Cain, from Edgefield, gave notice of the introduction of a bill, to prevent persons from holding more than one office of trust in the State, at one and the same time. Mr. l\ Rivers, from Edgefield, gave notice of the introduction of a bill to prevent acci? dents to rafts and flat boats, in the riverH of the Stale. Mr. L. Cain, from Edgefield, introduced a resolution, that the action of the House where? by the enacting clause of a bill admitting Wm. H. Tillinghast to practice in the courts of the State, was slriekr:! nut, be reconsidered, which was adopted. Mr. Smart, from Fairfield, gave notice of the introduction of a bill to provide for physician's lien on crops. , Mr. Singleton, from Sumter, introduced a. resolution that front and after the 5>th instant, tHc House meet at 11 A. M., and 7. P. M., which was laid upon the table. A bill ceding tne jurisdiction of the State of South Carolina to the United States of Ameri? ca, over such lands as may ho required forpub lic purposes by the United States was ordered to be engrossed for a third reading. A bill to cause owners of plantation.1- and farms to kopp lawful fences around their culti? vated or cleared grounds, upon which the re iKjrt of the committee was unfavorable, was laid upon the table. A hull to renew and amend the charter of the ;town of Spartan burg, came up 'for a second readrngV(ta'?.6tE-Section of"the-bill coming first before the House,) which, after discussion as "to -amendments, entere?b -into by Messrs. Reedish. Duncan; Thompson, -Lee; Byas, Smith and others, and as to powers to be conferred upon town wardens, was made the special order for .Wednesday nest; at 2:80 p-.-ni. i a joint resolution,.to authorize Placidia Aci r.ms to take an appeal to the Supreme Court of the State, without executing an undertaking for costs and damages, was made the special ; order for Friday next; at 1. p. to. - . Mr.S. A. Lee, from FAlgendd,.pre<sentedcer? tain claims against the State for reni of school houses, which were referred to the Committee on Claims. a A bill to renew and extend.an act-to provide a mode by which to perpetuate testimony in re? lation to deeds, wills, choses in action, and other papers destroyed or lost during the re? cent war, and a joint resolution, authorizing the Governor to commission a Coroner for Beaufort County, -were ordered to be engrossed for a third reading. . .vj? A bill to regulate the right of traverse, waa made the special order for Monday at 2:30 p.m. A bill to present..and punish vagrancy was indefinitely postponed. Consideration of resolution (by Mr. Reddish) to require, on January 6, 1871, a report from the Laud Commissiouer, .came up, and was amended by striking oufc--"6," -and inserting "15," so as to rend by January 15th, and add? ing a clause, which caused much discussion, requiring the advisory Board to report upon the whole transactions, of the Land Commis? sion by that date. On motion, the House,adjourned at 3:15 p.m. '-_-Li. -: The Necessity for Legislative Reform. Whatever may be the ? party uame, under which the present Legislature was elected, or whatever its constituent elements, it certainly owes some responsibility to the. people of the State, and the public sentiment of the civilized world. ... ? ! ! Heretofore, the advent of its' power has meant high taxation, extravagant expenditure, and an utter recklessness of the public welfare. More than this, the previous Legislature was openly and con fessed ly venal. It was against this con? dition of things that the Reform Party protes? ted. Its whole desire and puqwrt, Avas to ob? tain an honest and pure government for tl.e State, a. constitutional administration of iis affairs, and a degree of financial confidence which would invite capital and dcvclope U e various industrial, agricultural, and comiv.c * cial pursuits of the State, The objects to be attained were worthy of the highest aspirations of the patriot, and the most earnest efforts':of the intelligence ni'.d education of thc.c?nnibr. weailh.j Bui ah election.law, without a-.parallel in the .history of all well regulated election;!, proved too potent for right.. The real _ uttei - ance of the ballot- was suppressed. 'In' shor, fraud overruled the expression of the, real, sen? timent of the State. This is'not how deniec. The press of the Republican party have, siuej the election j condemned the law, and deman? ded its'repeal with as much vigor and earnest? ness as the R-eform Party did during the can: vass. Tliat'thc election law bristles all over with fraud Is.now admitted to be true; and ac? knowledged on all sides. .,'"??. Under its influences, however, the election took place,"and the Republican party tri? umphed. It. has obtained the power over the finances, the credit, and the legislation of the State. But still it is amenable to the public judgment.. The Legislature, however, by what? ever party elected, arc but the servants of the people, and "must be held to a strict accounta? bility. ' During the canvass the leaders of the Republican party declared that, in caseof their re-election, there would be retrenchment and economy in the finances, the reform of all abuses, and a conservative administration of the State Government. These promise have not been kept. They have thus far been words to the car, but broken to the hope. Before the war rt'three weeks annual session i the Legislature, with a proper 'attention to business, was amply sufficient1 for the adjust? ment of all the affairs of State. Then mem? bers, received but three dollars a da}'. The present Legislature, at a pay of six dol? lars per day to each member, met on the fourth Monday in November. It adjourued for two weeks, for the holidays, during all which time the pay of its membcrs.continuo, as if in actual session, and it has literally transacted no regu? lar business of importance. It docs seem as if with the majority the only desire is to draw out by delay the session long enough to save suffi? cient for their support for the residue of the year. In other words, that the public treasury, realized from the heavily earned taxes of an oppressed people, is just so much matter of spoil aod private appropriation. The Legislature has*, since its session, It is true, elected a United States Senator, a Judge of the Supreme Court, and a Judge of the First or Charleston Circuit. Beyond thin it has not transacted any of the legitimate business before it, with the exception of the Tax Bill, and this, so far from reform, is more onerous and oppressive than any previously passed. In? stead of a mitigation, we have an increase of taxation. The people are ground under the forms of law to the very dust, when, as of old, it was declared "there shall no straw be given you, yet shall ye deliver the tale of bricks"? while capital is prevented and labor depressed, the public funds arc wasted, and the burdcrisof the Government iucreased. Such a condition of things can, if persisted in, have but one end, a common ruin and disaster. It never was in? tended that any party should support itself out of the public treasury. It never was designed that the Legislature should protract its session, and adjourn as it pleased, so as to be maintain? ed for the rest of the year at the common ex? pense. Such a course is utterly inconsistent with the general welfare. It is in the - face not only of sound policy,'but of right." The worst of all oppressions is that which is conducted under the forms of law. No party can afford to de? spise this truth without openly avowing itself to be the enemy of the State and the people.? Charlctfon Courier. ? Young men who go to see young ladies, have adopted a novel method of obtaining kisses. They assort that, on the authority of scientific writers, that the concussion produced bv a kiss will cause the flame of a gas jet id flicker, and easily induce the damsel to experi? ment in the interest of science. The first kiss or two the parties watch the flame to see it flicker, but soon become so interested in the experiment as to let it flicker when it wants to. ? During the discussion of the amnesty res? olution in the North Carolina Legislature a few I days ago, favoring a Radical remarked that he \ was willing to "endorse the. individual applies- i tion of Zeb Vance, .foe Turner, or the devil," j to which Mr. Jones, a Democrat, replied that the "devil had certainly been under nodisnbil ities in North Carolina for the last two years.' He was in nearly every office, and his cloven foot could be seen in almost every act done by j the-party so lately in power." HoVthe Greenville and Colombia" Railroad is Managed. The Greenville and Columbia Railroad is a standing wonder; a source of mingled amuse? ment and indignation. Financia l storms and1 exasperating freshets have periodically brought it under the.weatber. It was one of the Green? ville trains, if rumor is'right, which 'stopped for an hour between two small stations in order that the engineer and conductor- might go blackberrying. And, talking of blackberryihg, it was on the line of the Greenville Road that the "martyr Randolph met his doom." The line itself is as crooked as art agonized snake or a woman's temper, and' if the ihf?r'rh?tion which reaches us is substantially Correct, -the trail of the serpent is over it still;. When the General Assembly come to the res? cue of the Greenville and Columbia Railroad, about two years ago, it was hoped that the huge concern was fairly lifted out of the slough. Butthings got nobetter very fast. A Ring was formed to buy up the stock of the company and obtain its- control. The stockholders soldtheir stock for next-door to nothing, and then found that some of their dear friends had pocketed a .bouncing commission. The money with which the stock was bought was said to come out of the State treasury, and in the Ring were Sena? tor C. P. Leslie, Joe Crews, and other birds of a feather. A new president and a new superin? tendent were installed, and the whole prospect was . pronounced to be exceeding lovely.? Freiguts were to be reduced. Running time was to be lessened. Palatial cars and unap? proachable locomotives were to be put.on the line. The up-country, was glad and all the State wondered. What came of it? Accident followed acci? dent with startling rapidity. No one offered to buy out the Ring. The old story, of the "King of Siam and the. white- elephant was played over again, and the Ring would doubtless be glad to get rid of their bargain at any reason? able price. With this part of the eventAil his? tory, we have, however, nothing to do. The question is: Does the Greenville Road give proper accommodation to its customers and to the people of the up-country? If we are cor? rectly informed, the answer must be emphatic? ally, No! The agent of a Baltimore house, who has been buying cotton on the line of the Greenville Road, states that at every station cotton is piled up hill-high awaiting transportation. The road has not sufficient rollingstock, and cannot take the freight which is offered. Nor will the road, as wc are told, give "through'' receipts. The cotton, therefore, lies at the depots at the risk ,oT the owners, and, in the absence of receipts, the Charleston factors will not make any fur? ther advances. The consequences are most disastrous. Planters cannot meet their obliga? tions, nor can they obtain the means of carry? ing on their planting operations. Large num? bers cf planten? at "Ncwbcrry and other points are wagoning their cotton lo Augusta, invol? ving a large expense and inflicting a direct and heavy loss upou this city. Our informant adds that. words arc inadequate to a full expression of the damage doue to tho planters and the commercial public by the obstructive slow coachisra of the Greenville Road. These are tho facts as they, arc given to us. They demand investigation and explanation, and it is hoped that, if the present manage? ment cannot run the road, some othe'r managers will be found, who can, at least, carry it on at a better pace than a walk.?Charleston Kars. -J? -t. Tue People's Lands?Where are They? ?The landless people of this State , have been told that the State has purchasetj for them nearly one,hundred thousand acres of land, and they have vainly searched for it, asked itsprice, and sought to settle on it Nobody can find it; certainly, nobody can occupy it. Where is it ? What is it ? What is its price? Wc were told by the Surveyor six weeks ago that nearly all of it was surveyed into small tracts. We were told by the Land Commisaion crs and by members of the Advisory Board, that it would be ready for distribution before the holidays, and that the people should all have a chance at it. The holidays are at hand. We. have seen no .public notice, of one single, tract aa ready for occupation. We have yet to find one citizen who has this autumn set | tied on land belonging to the State, under the' law. We do not believe that anything worth i speaking of has been done by the Commissioner or the Advisory Doard. And now thousands who wanted lauds are making other arrangements for thecomingyear. The lunds of the State remain unsettled, the State receives nothing in taxes, and must, itself, meet the interest on the money paid out for those lands. Arc not the people justified in declaring that tho Land Commissioner and tho Advisory Board are utterly indifferent alike to the welfare of the State, the interests of the Ropublican party, and tho prosperity of the people ? For ourselves, we have lost all further hope in tho Land Commission. In design it was benelicent; in execution it is a costly failuro and fraud. Let such measures be now devised as will take the Stute out of the land business as quickly as possible, and with the least possi? ble loss. Some good has been done, but com? pared with the racans employed, the results are contemptible." Let the State close up the Land Commission, realize what it can from unsold lands, add the deficit to its public debt, and be hcuceforward wise enough to keep forever out of the land business and every other business. ?Charleston Daily Republican. Startling Homicide.?Our community was thrown into unwonted excitement on Monday morning last, by the intelligence that Capt. George Butler had been killed by a young man named Winslow Hamilton. Capt. George But? ler was an elder brother of Genl. M. C. Butler, who, having spent the greater portion of his manhood in the Wext, returned to South Carolina after the close of the war, and two years ago settled in our District, on Savannah River, near the plantation of Ex-Gov. Bickens. Winslow Hamilton is quite a young man, scarcely grown, the son of one of Capt. Butler's neighbors. Be? tween Mr. Hamilton, the father, and Capt. Butler there arose on Sunday evening last, a quarrel, in the yard of the former. The son rushed from the house, took part in the alter* cation, and ending by shooting Capt. Butler , dead. The latter was a gentleman of high character, and though not so generally well ! known among U3 as the rest of his family, was I I opular and beloved. His remains have been j lakt u to Greenville, his birth-place, for inter mem. Young Hamilton has not been arrested. : ?Edyrfu ?'</ Advertiser. ? A correspondent of the Rural New Yorker offers this remedy for burns or scalds: "The most efficacious remedy ever tried was to apply common starch just moistened with cold water ; and spread on a cloth to effectually cover the wounded part. A little girl who was badly . scalded was instantly freed from pain by tho 1 above remedy. Keep the starch moistened and in a few hours the inflammation will be gone, " leaving the scalded part perfectly white. Afteru the inflammation is out, apply a linen cloth-'' dipped in tweet oil. It is a speedy cure."-'1""' Religions Tournaments, RuUdta? Chur*fies,r ' ? Starring Preach or s, -fcfci . c ?. A respected correspoiuTent: write* to taamt . ; our opinion abo?t the propriety of holding: tournaments for the purpose-Of Jiisistfng build churches. The ?ubject had never t& ceiyed.oureQnsideration because we had jabt" heard of tournaments in the character of flnitn cial'i'religT61Js, devices: Wevhadh"Wrd?fbe nevdlent balls and pious lotteries and sancti? fied bazas rs, but .aot ,of. ;consecrated tourna? ments. Now we believe :as Paul did ahdbt" some conrinbn practices' in fiiifday, that tcruriira meuts are nothing at all to religion. If a number of young men think it worth while to spend mouths iu training to compete with,One ' another in the .noble trial of poking h brtMn handle through a curtairi-rfng, and if the eon* testants in this pretty game can call ihemselw? "knights," and their play a "tournament/'' without a keen sense of the ridiculous; ia short, if the burlesque of the old knightly cofi tesls can be enjoyed, we see ho impropriety "in it more than m any other juvenile frivolity'. When, however, balls are added to the tourna-. meat, >we have very great objections to them. They then savor very strongly of evil. We abhor balls, and particularly 'public balla, They are evil, and ouly'evil, to body, mind and spirit, In expressing an opinion about tourna? ments, we are really considering the balls which, follow, and which are to the girls the greatest attraction. The very innocence of young wo* men makes them unable to comprehend the. evil of these dances, and their very common . igrorancc of more rational enjoyments makes them enjoy the auimal exercise and nervous - exhiliration of the ball. Now, to give balls for church purposes, is simply to profess to do evil that good may come. But it is not true. Nobody, holds tout* naments for church purposes. The effort ?s only to tax the church for the tournament, not only by getting money for the tournament .that would not otherwise be given, but in bribing, the church to. sanction amusements of doubt: ful propriety. We are opposed to'all these proffers of aid from the opposite party. They take far more from us in virtue than they re? turn in coin. There are no. communities in this country too poor to provide themselves with places of worship.. For niauy years this house where we are writing was the ouly Meth? odist preaching-place for this neighborhood.' The house was large enough lor Asbury and the great men of old to do the work of ** their apostleship in it^ Any community can' build a comfortable log-cabiu or shed, in a few weeks, that would accommodate them forbear? ing preaching. But people are ao't- satisfied * with the necessaries of life in. religion more than in other things. We all want tohav? churches finer than we are willing to pay for, We are sensitive'aboutour "respectability"'in this matter, and wc subject ourselves to the mortification of begging from; and getting un? der obligations of recognition and respect to men and men's inventions really obnoxious to us. There is another thing on our mind about church-building. . We are measuring our sue* cess by the number of churches we are build? ing, oblivious of the fact that wc are starving the preachers to build them. It would be a curious calculation,- and the result of it "wf?ld be startling, to estimate how much of the small salaries allotted to .our preachers in the Balti? more Conference has been held backbecause of the expense of building churches: Now, we would be glad to see churches burlt everywhere they could be-used, but wo protest against building- them at the cost of the preachers. The first necessity is hot a church, but a inin ister; and the minister should be adequately supported. We know circuits where the min? istry are so pinched that their life is intolera? ble, and they are preparing to leave the work; yet the people are building churches, and build? ing them with the money due to the preacher. Dear friends, let us be plain 'with you; God owns the ministers. They-are His servants. He .hires them to you* for wages, the amount of which you fix yourself; and you owe that mon? ey to* man and God. It . is not optional with you to pay or not to pay. The official mem? bers who promise it arc bound to use all possi? ble efforts to procure it- from the people. We confess we are more concerned about the sup? port of the mihisters'than we "are about build? ing churches. They are for the conveniehco of the people, aud* will be provided, but the preachers. n.re to a large extent forgotten.? Their wants are not .obtrusive. The people are not made uncomfortable by their privations. But we may rest assured that if a congregation should build a church as big as St. Peter's, aijtl neglect a proper provision for their preacher, the splendid place of worship would be of lit? tle use to them. "Do unto others as vou would that they should do to you," is a very large part of religion, and the part about the genu? ineness of which there is.least difficulty in de? cision. Depend upon it, if we do not love (not sentimentally?for the Bible does not know anything about sentiment separate from facts)?if we do not love our minister, whom we see, we do not love his Master, whom we do not see; and when we send away our preacher in debt and destitution, because we have' not pttid what we promised him, "inasmuch as we do it to the least of these,,we do it unto Him." Many will say, in that day, "Lord! Lord 1. we built churches, we raffled for dolls, and went to tournaments, and danced at balls, and starved preachers, for Thy sake." But the Kiug shall say, "When I was a-hungered ye gave me no meat."?Baltimore Christian Advocate. -. --? - ' M : <?. . ... r.-: is - ? At the Tip-Top1 Hottse.?A party of seien' tific men have established themselves for the winter on the top of Mount Washington, in New Hampshire, where for months they will be isolated from the rest of the world, and will experience all the rigors of an arctic climate, in additiortto the fury of winds whirling along at a velocity of 100 miles an hour. The jiarty consists of Professor J. H. Huntington, of par mouth College, Assistant State Geologist; S, A. Nelson, of Georgetown, Mass.; A. F. Clongli, photographer; and a telegrapher. The build? ing occupied is sixty by seventy-two, and twenty-fire feet high. The main room is twenty-five by eleven feet, lined with triple thickness of felt, arid thickly carpeted. Six months'' provisions and abundance of coal have been provided. Snow-shoes have also been sent up, to be used in cases of emergency., Tlio United Stales Government, the Coast Survey, ami the Smithsonian Instisnte have all mani? fested an interest in the enterprise, and all uecded instruments have bceu furnished for scientific purposes. Tho War Department has furnished telegraphic supplies, meteorological instruments, and three miles of Kirrte tele? graph cable, which is affected by weather lc?s even than the ocean cables. This connects with a common wire at the base of the moun? tain, and daily reports of the weather will be sent to the wor^.d. It is expected these reports will benefit commerce by enabling the ship? master to determine, a day beforehand, that a storm is coining; or, during a storm, that fai* weather is at baud?arrd thus forewarn him of destructive storms, and keep him safely in port, or'save a day's time by enabling him to antici? pate the,concltaw;n of stormy woablier and jet sail at ffifs.. .