Historical Newspapers of South Carolina

Below is the OCR text representation for this newspapers page. It is also available as plain text as well as XML.

I V / ? 4 # VOL XLIVK NO, 89. NEWBERRY. S. O.. FRIDAY' OClOBER 25. 1907. TWICE A WEEK. SI.50 A YEAR SEN. LATIMER TALKS ON IMMIGRATION WAS IN NEWBERRY FOR FEW HOURS YESTERDAY. Tlio Piedmont South Most Prosperous Section in World?Should Restrict Immigration. Senator A. C. Latimer spent yesterday in Newberry. lie is reluming to his liome at Bel-ton from Ba-tesburg, % where, on Wednesday, he addressed some three thousand people, who were attending the Tri-County Fair at that place. Senator Lhtimcr is looking well since his Kuropean trip, and "talks interestingly of the conditions in ftu^ rope as well as the United Stales. Of course since his first interview some I weeks ai?o on the immigration (pieslion, and having announced that he would be a candidate 'to succeed himself in the United Slates Senate, his views are of interest on this subject. It seems that it is to be one of tihe issues of the campaign for United States Senate next year, and there can be no doubt .that iit is a national issue; il is also a state issue, becartse our legislature is confronted every ft year with -the discussion of the con tinuance of our own immigration department, which was established some four years ago. Senator Latimer says that whew he made the trip abroad this summer,'lie was not committed to any decided position on the ques-tion, because he was not so well informed as lie is now ?fter a thorough investigation as to ilho class of immigrants, which are being brought here and the-conditions, which exist in Europe. lie says that from Northern Europe we recive the smallest proportion of our immigrants, and that those who come from that section, are 1he most desirable, being intelligent and law-abiding, and that he would welcome such people, who would be willing .to pay their own transportation and beconio liAo owners after their arrival here, and beintr a class with whom our people could assimilate. He had, however, taken the position against indiscriminate immigration in speeches which he delivered more than a year ago,. > Senator Latimer says that sonic of the newspapers, which have cri-ticisk ed his position, have not been fair enough to give him an impartial hearing. The Herald and News asked him to give an interview on this-subject, which is a live one in this state >at this time, and Mr. Latimer readily consented -to talk. He says after his speech at Raitesburg on Wednesday where some three thousand farmers were gathered, that a grcait number of p|' them came to him afterwards and endorsed his views on the subject. It was not his purpose to make it an issue in the campaign, but inasmuch as he proposes to offer some amend^ men is to the present immigration laws of the United States, and as he is on the immigration committee to & investigate the subject, he felt that it was due the people of the Mate thad ||y. lie should give them his opinion and |P<, his views on the. subject. At the same 'time he would be glad to know the sentiment of his own people and to realize that he was backed up in I his position by -the people of his own state. Mr. Latimer is also very much in! terested in the drainage of the swamp lands of this staite, and he believes that now is the. dime to get an appropriation from the national government for this purpose. President Roosevelt, in his speech at Vicksbnrg, Miss., the other day, aninounced that he would recommend an appropriation to reclaim -the swamp lands of that section, and Mr. Latimer believes this is an oppotune time to have the swamp lands of South Carolina reclaimed, and it is as reasonable that this should be done as till at millions of money should be. expended by the government to furnish water for those lands in -the west, which are without water. Speaking of the immigration question in its various phases, Senator Latimer said: i "I am satisfied that the object for r j which the invmigrattion commission j I whs created lias been misunderstood by (lie people. The Senate passed an immigration bill iast winter, provid-1 ing fdr llie illiteracy -test. The' Hons.' disagreed to the illiteracy test.j and it became necessary to of led a compromise between the two Houses in order to obtain legislation This compromise resulted in a provision providing for >the appointment of a comanisioit, composed of three members of the Senate, three members of the House and three lay-unenibers, to be appointed by the president of the l'nited Sta>tos. Being a member of the Senate committee on immigration, 1 was appointed on this commission. The duty of the commission, as outlined in (lie bill, was to investigate t:ho subject of immigration in all of its phases, both in the United States and in foreign countrios and report its findings to congress, with a view of obtaining intelligent legislation on this important subject. "At the "first meeting ol* the commision, which was held in Washington, on April 22, it was decided that a part of the commission should visit Europe, and the part of fclie commission, who could not make .the European trip, should make investigation^ in the United States, this decision resulted in Senator Dillingham. Senator Latimer, Congressmen Burnett, Howell and Rennett. and Mr. Wheeler, going to Europe. We neither went to Europe to encourage or discourage immigration, but to find out the class 1 of immigrants, who were coming to the United States; from whenec they were coining; the conditions surrounding itihem in their homos; the wages paid; the cost of living and climatic conditions, so that we might judye somewhat of their adaptability to the conditions that exist in t-lie United States. This investigation has not yet been completed, nor is the report of the committee yet in shape for presenilation to congress, and what I have said and shall say in regard to the question, Will be simply my own views on the subject. '"I have 'no objection to people owning to the United Slates or to South ( arolina. who will add to our citizenship, strengthen our institutions and help perpetuate the government under which we live. Loss than 200,000 people came into 'the I nited Stales last year from Northern Europe, which embrace* 'Senr.any, Holland and Belgium, Switzerland, Eraueo, England, 1 roIand, Scotland, Norway, Denmark and Sweden; ami the class of immigrants, who come from the countries referred to, who come into the United States under our present immigration laws are unobjectionable. Tn all of .these countries they have 'Compulsory education, and the percentage of educated people compares favorably with that of any part of the United States; thov have also boon accustomed to a form of government of which they largely approve and for which they have a large degree of respect, but in Southern Europe you find conditions very different, hi Ruissia, Austria and Hungary and further south, you find a high per cent of illiteracy among (ho people, running anywhere from thirty to sixty pl;l- court.' They have been accustomed to military government and ;ire kepi in subjection ",V military rule. They are largely of low origin, and in my judgment, will in no way be advantageous to our citizenship under a Republican form of government such as wo have in the United States, and I am for restricting this class of immigrants to the lowc-t minimum possible by further amendments to our immigration laws. In fact, we have not had this class of immigrants to contend with until the last few years, I do not believe III ail the social or wage conditions in South Carolina arc vuie.li thai wo can reap -any material benefit from people who come here from Southern Europe, s we pay lower waves iu (he south than are being "paid in any part of Ihe United Stales, and the question is further complicated by the fad that they will have to compete with the negro. The further fact that we cannot assimmilate j this class of immigrants?even if we j could get them to remain here?and (i REVERSE SYSTEM ; ON OPTION LAW Ml II MR. FEATKERSTONE GIVES IN- il TERVIEW. v.Wants New Law Passed?Thinks 01 Counties Desiring Whiskey Should si be Required to Voto it In s< Tho State. li Mr. ('. ('. Feat herst one, considered olio of the leading advocates for pro- pi hi)>i'lion in South Carolina, has issuod g< a statement containing some suggos- ti lions for his friends that will he of c< decided interest a1 tliis lime in view n< of tho announcement hy liepresen'.?a- I"; live .1. \\ . Nash I hal a prohibition I di bill woidd be introduced at the coin-' di ing session of the general asseiiuhlv. ^ Mr. Featherstone, in his advocacy lor prohibtion, does not wish <to <U>ny to those counties who may wish to '>" sell whiskey that right, but lie thinks w that the sale should first be wiped ti out entirely and the present local op- is ti?n plan reversed; that is, the advooates of county dispensaries should be required to vote , the dispensaries li' bade in. ol Mr. Foatherstone did not state yes- w terday whether this would be a plat- 1 lorm for any of the advocates of pro- ^ hihition, but it is thought tihat com- j nig at -this time the statement would]'' have its effect on the candidacy of ! Vl those who might desire gubernatorial P honors. ti His statement is as follows: "I "I nave been studying this (pies- 01 tion with groat care for a number of P years. In 1898, when, as a candidate 1)1 | for governor on U10 prohibition tickel, 1 made a canvass of the stale, I -i( the tact that 'they are coining here '(: without their families, I feel thai they* will mix with tho nogToes and ^ .produce a mongrel race that, will fur- [i ther complicate the situation. I also 1,1 oppose their coming to Mie United Slates, because wo, in South Carolina, can get no benefit from tiiem. and a'] they will go to Oklahoma, rndian Tor- v' rifory and Texas and further stimu- 'M l.Jlc the production of cotton, compeling with our own people in its pro- '' duel ion, which moans a lower price '' and a financial distress lo our southorn people, who are engaged in the ''' production of cofit011. Wo are now producing all I lie col Ion thai can he ! w used at a reniiineralive price, and the ellorl of the farmers to control Ihe production of cotton would he fur- w tiiei complicated by their coming. "lo claim that these immigrants ^ would produce other crops than are 11 now being produced in the south, is l*l to claim that they are more far-sight- ^ ed and intelligent than our people, who have lived here for the last one V hundred years. J no editor of the News and Courier has been more frank in his state- \\ niont of the views of those who were m advocating a large inflow of immigrants in Ihe south, than anyone who has yet spoken on tho subject. TTe |,i stales plainly that ho is in" favor of anybody coming, who has white skin; |,| ami that he is also in favor of empty- vi ing all Hie houses at tho cotton mills w <>l our native while population, and ,,, send them back to the farms and fill- ,,, ing'(lie houses with foreigners, llow- (|i ever, lie has given us no proof that 1 his policy will, in any way, be beneficial to our people. "The Piedmont section of the soulii | is nov fho most prosperous commun- jj ity in tho world. All our people, who J desire employmenl, are oir,ployed at rcirntunenal ive prices. The farmers J![ are prosperous and happy, the cotton ('* nulls arc making good dividends 011 invested -apita), and we have brought about I his condition with our own na tive lab'?r w 1111c 11 any aid from immigrants. In Now Kngland the immigrants have gone into the mills and have |0 l?ngol\ displaced !he native people w< Alio have gone !o the west and other m sect ions ( f the United States, and the en re.-iill is that Ihe Now Kuvlaud manu- en fact:ire:y are noj near so prosperous !t; as fliry have been in the past, nor is Ihe labor condition as satisfactory as it ii > v \i in the south." 2 . 1 vc.-'li-il with all the vim of which 1 >!is capable a neueral prohibition iw I'm* ihe entire stale ami fouuht <>sl hitterly the local option idea. At iat lime I was ton years younirei fan 1 am m>w. Siifce then 1 have alcheil with "rival wire l>he prohibion movements, both in this ami othr states, and have endeavored lo udy i lie question carefully and con rvatiwlv with the view of aseerlininu what was hest for prohibion in the lolijr run. ' Of course, w'nait I and other true rollihiii<hiists desire evoulually is a .moral prohibition law for the enre state, hut those of us who think uiservatively upon the subject do I waul to rush into a state ol alius ihat ran not he maintained. To i) sn would he to do irreparable uina^t' and injury to the eause. Then we do iret prohibition (and in iy judgment that time is not far ff) we w a nit. to ??e( a law that is so ickcd up by publie sentiment that it ill not he a l'aree. Tho only queson, therefore, that presents itself : Ilow can such a state of affairs a best brought about? "Away hack in the 80s, w.hen the cense system prevailed in South Carlina, there was tacked on to the hiskev laws a local option feature. think I he gifted and lamented K. . Murray was Mie aut hor of it he bill. " Tntlcr its provisions various >wns in the state went to work and oted out w.liiskev. Vigorous eamiii.u."iis were made and the prohibion sentiinetil was revived and built p. Kor a number of years this went i and I he cause received such an imotus Ihal in 1802, when separate i?xes were placed at the polls, I he ale voted for prohibition by a inairity of about 10,000. Then came le dispensary law under wliioh the oal option feature was eventually ostroyed. Under it the sale of hiakey was thrust upon coinniunies by all sorts of (|uestioiwible lethods. When dispensaries were esiblished they could not be voted out -and ithey were established in nooks ml corneas of the state where, preious to that time, whiskey had never en sold. The result was that, wit.hit the local option feature, and hv (olinjr thousands of honest prohibionists into believinjr that Ihedis n>ary law was a step towards proibition, the cause that is so dear lo ii hearts received a blow from liieh it may never entirely rocover. The Bricc Bill. Kventually a local option feature as jrratted mi to the dispensary law i i he shape of the Hrice bill. Wluvt a< the result ? Prohibition again re'ived a tremendous impetus. Coun after county in the state voted hiskey out, and by a practical deoust rat ion showed 'that such a law mid be enforced as well as any oth law. "I'lnder the Hrice law, howVver, the ate dispensary machine still existed, 'e still had a declaration from the meral assembly that it was the poll; of the Si ate of Soictli Carolina to 11 whiskey. We still had in Ooluma that great. political machine. That achine fought the Hrice law with all ic vim of which it was capable. In trions counties in the state, where hiskey was honestly and fairly voted it, all kinds of contests on tecnnical minds were made and the will of ie people, as expressed al the ballot >x, was thwarted and overridden. Two DifficulticB, " I,'nder all of the local option ws t'lrnt we have had the prohibiimists have had to cimleud with two rions difficulties. First, the local ?tion features weie tacked on to ws which clearly defined the poli of the slate to be in favor of the hiskey traffic. Those laws were tsso d by general assemblies which r?re in favor of the sale of whiskey a st-ate policy. The Stale of South iirolina did not outlaw the traffic. "In the next place, beinu passed by gislators, the majority of whom re opposed lo prohibition, adequate achinery was not provided for the iftirceiiienI of the law in prohibition unties. The enforcement of the law is a!s<? been retarded by some offii! opposed to it. addition tt> this, the punish' :?' 'd for violators of the whiskey laws was not severe enough. II ought In l>(>, in every ease, a term on the rhaingang ami not a fine. People pay very lillle attention to fines. "Second. The greatest ditlieulty -though with which prohibit ionisls have always lia<l to eonlend under loeal option laws is that thu burden of securing pro.liihi?ion in the counties is on them. Whiskey is in ami they must yet it ont. Wihiskey is en, trenched behind strong breastworks? it is in possession, with all of its money and organized power, and upon ns is the burden of rontin it. We must ??et up lite petitions, run the gauntlet of having them passed on by ollieials wiho are frequently antagonistic. All !)(' the machinery is in tilie hands ol hie whiskey crowd, and ''although the majority of the people in some of .the counties are in favor ol voting it out. every obstacle is thrown in their way, and it not infrequently happens that tihey are not able to surmount them. Shift the Burden. * "In my candid .judgment, the next move that l.he prohibitionists ought to make is for the passage of a law that will shift I'll is burden. I mean a law under which whiskey will be put out of the entire slate, (let the general assembly to declare thai the policy of the stale is opposed to its sale. Next, lor I lie present, allow counties, under very rigid restrictions, to vole it in, if a 'majority of the qualilied electors desire its sale in anv eounly. "On the contrary, T do not believe that il would be wise, at this ili-ine, to prevent the sale of whiskey from being majority for prohibition in the people of any community are opposed to prohibition. A prohibition law in such a community would be dangerous to the cause at large by reason of its non-enforcement until the time comes when we have an overwhelming -mapority for prohibition in l.he entire stale. "Tn a prohibition conference in Columbia several years ago I suggested and out lined such a law n?s I have above suggest ed and my reeollent ion is that it met with almost unanimous approval on the part of those present. Tire idea is in line of Unit advocated by Senator Otis of Cherokee ;i few weeks ago. "Such ;i law will, in my judgment, -ix 1' 1 ' practical prohibition in :il- i '""si I he entire stale and will, at the j same limy, gu-ard against tJie. ureal dangers that may mine from the 11011eiiforcemenl of a prohibition law in those counties where public sentiment is, at present, overwhelming in favor of whiskey. I have reached this conclusion-After the most careful study of Hie situation in South Carolina and in other st ales. "Local option laws led up to :nid made possible general prohibition in our sister stale ol fleorgia. Such laws are last leading up to the same condition in I cuncsscc, North Carolina. Kentucky and other states. "The Brice law, however, was, in my judgment, a great prohibition law. 11 was the entering wedge. Under it, county after county voted whiskey out, and the practical demonstration as to the enforcement of the law in those counties was the strongest. argument in favor of prohibition tiial could possibly be made?worth more than all the theories thai could have been advanced. "Hundreds ot honest men in the state who di.noted the practicabili, of a prohibition law wen? converted | tanners all over the slate found that ' labor was more easily handled. I'Yw- I cr lines were pa'd for their negroes;; they saw the decrease of crime in ; those counties. Merchants saw that 1 the negroes ami a good many whites,! loo, had more money and business was I heller, and in scores o|' other ways the ; conditions were vastly improved. Oth-J cr counties saw and believed. The | leaven has been at work and the I whole is rapidly becoming leavened, i Tho Oaroy-Cothran Law. j "Next came tho Carey-Colbran j law. By it the state look another up- I ward move in the direction of prohibi- J i tion. The stale disp-msarv, that migh ly organized force for evil, was de s! roved. I confess thai this law has some lenturt's that arc not desirable. I nder il I In* effort is being made to st. conduct tlif county dispensaries as to make them profitable to ihc counties financially, and thus popularize I lie salt' t>|' whiskey willi the people. I <lt. mil believe that it will accomplish this purpose, hut there Js ^oluo danger along (his lino. County Rings. " I nder il a 1st) organized county nnj?s will spring up, which will fitvlit straightoul prohibit ion. Mul. on the whole, I Ihink it is heller than (ho pie\ ions law. It is not, however, what we want hv a great ileal, and we are not going to lie content with it. Tlio Carey-Cothran act, however, in my judgment, has made it easier for us 1t> lake the next great step. (icorgia, lor almost a score of \ears helore she got goneral prohibition, had voted whiskey out of threelourths of her counties under local option laws. The other slates are fast coining to it under similar laws. From a prohibition standpoint, we are at a most critical juncture in this state. The wave is moving along so beautifully at present that a false step now might prove disastrous?might- give us a baekset for 10 years. Had we not better adt.pl the cautious but sure method ? Build up public sentiment to the point where, when we get a general law, il will he sure to prove a success. No Child's Play. "The prohibit ionisis had as well at the outset understand oik* thing, and thai, is I ha I the enforcement of an tiuli-Hhi.skey iaw is no child's plav. lis successful enforcement means a large public sentiment behind the law. It means, in my judgment, a paid constabulary force. 11 means the levying id a lax lor that purpose. An anti-whiskey law is the hardest of all laws ilo enforce for ohvicons reasons. 11 f steal my neighbor's watch mv neighbor appeal's as a prosecutor anil sees that I a.rn convicted. Tf r shoot down my neighbor's son. my neighbor sees to ij (hat J am prosecuted. If, tin !he contrary, T buy whiskey from my neighbor, there is no prosecutor I or I lie reason ihat neither buyer nor s,Her wants tin- law Cnl'"rt ct|. hi addition !o ; his. we all know how hard il is in get citizens to inlorm upon ami leslifv against each I .M'r. iiule-s I iiey have a nersonal reason for so doing. ^ "11 " ill, of course, understand ! ;:it I am not lor one iiminenl undertaking It. say that prohibit ion law can not he enforced. ()n the eonlrarv, il can be tloue where there is a hoallhv public sentiment behind it. || can not be tltme without this. "1 am in favor of undertaking a general prohibitum law only when we aie sure that we can enforce il. And then I am in favor of going down into our pockets and providing a special lax for the purpose. I| will not be .money wasted, but both directly and indirect ly. it will come hack to us with compound interest. My plan is to move slowly and surely ami I In.pe and pray that we may move with such caution ami wilh such wisdom th;il we will give impetus and ever increasing impetus to Hie movement, ami that we may not give il a backset by moving with too much basic. "I am persuaded thai I here are thousands of honest men all over South Carolina who have hitherto hesitated to vote for prohibition because ) bey did in.I think that, at thai time, it could be enforced. Il is I rue I hut I lie cry thai 'prohibition won't prohibit' generally conic- from those who at heart are in favor of the sale <d' whiskey, bill I ki-.-w |!,;,l there are thoa-ands of honest men in the stale ? >'" *1? believe I haI a prohibition law can now be enforced. Such men have to he convinced, not by abuse, but by argument, and there is no ;irviimcn' >o powerful as a practical deinoust rat ion.'' Mr. Roosevelt doubtless recognizes the I act I hat il is necessary to admit more stales into the union in order to be able to give names to the new battle ships.?Chicago Tribune.