Historical Newspapers of South Carolina

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VOL. X. MANNING, S. C., WEDNESDAY, ARPIL 10, 189. NO. 37. THE COTTON ACREAGE. A SWEEPING REDUCTION ALL OVER SOUTH CAROLINA. Estimates of the Reduction of Cotton Acreage for 1893. Varying from Teu Per Cent. to One Bundred Per Cent. CHLRLEsTON, April 4.-The News and Courier, on the 18th inst., sent to many of its special correspondents throughout the State the following circular: Charleston, March 18. 1895. My Dear Sir: Please send the News and Courier for publication not later than the 1st of April an estimate of the probable cotton acreage in your county. as compared with the acreage last year. I am informed that in some of the counties of the Pee-Dee section the acreage will be reduced from 30 to 50 per cent. as compared to last year, ane we wish to give as fully as possible an estimate of the acreage for the whole State. ABBEVILLE. ABBEVILLE, April 1.--Interviews with a number of our farmers upon the reduction in cotton acreage t his yearshow that numbers of them will plant the same, a very few will in crease, while some will reduce their cotton crop. Upon the whole, the re duction of acreage of cotton in this county this year will be about 25 per cent. The production of the cotton itself will be largely cut short. from the fact that numbers of farmers will not use fertilizers,except a little made at home, and owing to the lateness of the season. Farmers are beginning to realize the fact that in order to make cotton at four cents. they will be obliged to live at home, at least as nearly so as possible. AIKEN. AmN, April 1.-At the beginning of-the year it was the prevailing opin ion among farmers that the acreage of cotton would be reduced in this coun ty at least one-third, and a resolution recommending a reduction of one third was adopted at a meeting of far mers held in the early part of Febru ary, A careful estimate at this time, based on information obtained from farmers in different -portions of this county, places the reduction at about one-fourth on a basis of last year's acreage. The reduction in the use of commercial fertilizers is estimated at least one-half. There was a little cot ton planted in the county last week, and if the weather continues favorable there will be a considerable amount planted between the 1st and 10th of the month. ANDERSON. A.NDERSON, April 1.-Wishing to ascertain as definitely as possible what per cent., if any, the acreage in cotton for Anderson county will be reduced this year as compared with last your correspondent has inquired of reliable men in each township concerning the matter. From the information re ceived there will be an average reduc tion of 16 per cent. in the acreage. The result of the inquiry embraces every township in the county with the exception of Hall and Rock Mill& In one or two townships there will be no material reduction, in others as much as 25 or - 50 per cent. The amount of commercial fertilizers used will be probably 20 per cent. less than was used last year. *-AEwELL BARwELL, April 1.-In answer to inquiry as to probable acreage in cot ton that will-be planted this year, in comparison with last year's, your cor respondent estimates the decrease to be atleast from 30to 50per cent. The largest cotton planter probably in the State has rented out one of his places and reduced his acreage at least 300 acres. It is true that the lessee will plant cotton, but not as largely as last year. Tenants are not planting as much cotton, and the reduced use of fertilizers would reduce yield, even if aslarge an acreage, were planted. But there are two other factors in the problem, the capitalists are not ad vancing but very little, and the bad weather sent by' Providence, perhaps for the very purpose, will make a full acreage impossible. BEAUFORT BEA&UFORT, April 1.-From the best and' most reliable sources of informa tion it is learned that the acreage of cotton planted on these islands and vicinity will be reduced materially this year. The white planters will re duce their planting to half of what they have been accustomed to plant and among the colored farmers the reduction may safely be estimated at about the same on an average through out There will therefore be the same increased acreage in provisions. BERKELEY. OmKLE DEPOTApril 1.-Not living in the cotton belt your correspondent referred your circular to a friend who himself plants cotton as a market crop, and also has large opportunity of as certaining what is going on in the cot ton region proper. 'He writes: "I have made mnqmnies from several quarters. and the conclusion is that no more than one-half the acreage of last year will be put in short cotton this season. Several factors have advised the plant ing of sea island cotton, and both the planters and negroes will plant a por tion of the crop mn that cotton. Want of means and doubt of the returns from the cotton will also have the ef fect of reducing planting. The back ward condition of preparation and ab sence of fertilizers must influence the probabilities of a large crop of cotton this season." A talk with several of the smaller planters and farmers would lead to the belief that the acreage will be very much reduced: how much they are not prepared to say. Here, too, inability to procure ad vances, and the low price of cotton, the latter, if possible, more than the former being the reason given for the reduction. The negroes, too, are plant ing less cotton and much more largely of provisions than they did last year. CLARENDON. SL-DDIERTON, April 1.-To say what the reduction of the cotton acre ae is a hard question. The crop is not planted yet, and you cannot get a cor rect estimate. Some farmers will cut down one-third, some one- fourth and others one-half. Some are going to plant as much as ever. The negroes will not plant as much simply because they cannot get advances, it is safe to say that the crop will be from 10 to 25 per cent less than last year. FAIRFIELD. WINNSBORO. April 1.--There is great talk of acreage reduction, buta tour of two weeks throughout the county. careful observation and inquiry wou'ld lead to the conclusion that the reduc wil not be greater than 12j to 15 per cent. More likely 12. FLORENCE. FLORENCE. April 1.-Replying to the circular letter of The News and Courier issued a few days ago, your correspondent would announce that the farmers of this county have decid ed to begin a new era so far as plant ing cotton is concerned. They have at last awoke to the fact that cotton plant will have to be laid aside to a greatex tent and the grain crop given more at tention. The fact of raislng cotton at cost of 4 to 4j cents and selling it at about the same figurs will cause many who have been planting heavy crops to reduce all the way from 30 to 80 per cent. GEoRGETOWN. GEORGETOwN,. April 1.-The acreage which will probably be planted in cot ton in this season will be about the same as last -car. The total aereage usually planed is so small that it is not carefully estimated by anyone. With out facts based upon actual figures your correspondent would estimate the acreage at 10 per cent. less. GREENVILLE. GREENVILLE, April 1.-A cnreful inquiry of the best informed farmers in this county in regard to the acreage of cotton to be planted this year com pared with the planting of last year does not lead toa definite conclusion. All farmers are behind with their ploughing.and even if they were up to date with their work still it is an open question. It would be a fair estimate to say that the reduction of the cotton acreage will not be greater than 10 per cent in this county. It is probable that the inerease of other ciops. corn, pota toes, oats and tobacco, will about equal the redetion in the cotton planting. HAMPTON. I3RUNSONApril 1.-It is rather early to make an estimate. The ground has been so soaked all the spring that the farmers have not yet gotten their corn planted, and have not as Yet started on their cotton. After as careful in quiry as possible and comparison of estimates it would be safe to say that a reduction of from one-third to one half in acreage of cotton in Hampton county will be made this year. HORRY. CoNwAY, April 1.-Owing to the cold and heavy rains farming opera tions in this county have been much retarded. There will be an'increased %creage in Horry county this year. People are increasing lands and im proving their farms. The crops will be more diversitied. The cotton acre age will be about the same as former ly, but owing to the increased acreage n other- crops the comparative acre age will be less. KERSHAW. CAMDEN, April 1.-The reduction in the cotton acreage in Kirshaw county this year will be very slight. The redution in acreage as compared with last year will not exceed 10 per cent. [n a few instances there will be a de aided reduction in the acreage, but in ther cases there will be an increase. ne planter hopes that his neighbor will cultivate less cottonwhile he will risk a little more, and so when the rop is all in the acreage will be near fr is large as last yeaK- ow, this statement applies to the acreage. A prominent merchant and farmer said that he believed that the reduction in commercial fertilizers would be fully 50 per cent.,while he scarcely thought that there would be more than 5 per cent. reduction in acreage. Taking the reduction in acreage and! the reduction of commercial fertilizers together, a reduction of 20 per cent. in the pro duction of cotton may be counted on this year as compared with last year. There will be more corn, peas, pota toes, etc.. planted this year than last, and decidedly more hogs raised. LANCASTER. LANCASTER, April 1.-The acreage to be cultivated in cotton this year will be about one-fifth less than it was last year up in an average. Some will plant the same, a few none at all and some one-half less, but the average, as well as can be ascertained from talks with farmers, will be about one-fifth less. * LAURENS. LAUJRENs, March 2.-Your corres pondent here has made inquiry, of various planters and farmers durmng the last ten days coming from differ enent sections'of the county touching the matter of cotton acreage for the current year compared to the acreage for 1894. There are so many conmi tions entering into the estimat'e that it is not an easy problem to resolve ex cept approximately. The county is composed very largely of small farm ers, who may be set down employing four or five horses and mules and'less. There are probably fewer large scale farmers, employing from fifteen to thirty plough animals, than in sur rounding counties, Again, it is the rule among the larger farmers to plant largely of cereals, and cattle and hogs to the extent of sastainino the family are raised and the animaei- kep~t and fattened.: LEXINGTON. BATEsBURd. April 1.-The very low price of cotton has had a tendency to make farmers in this section --go slow.'' There are various opinions to the acreage that will be planted. Some say it will be reduced 33 per cent and others say 25 per cent. From what several prominent planters state it would be safe to saa the reduction will be about 25 per cent. The exces sive cold in January and February killed all the oats, and it will be a great temptation to plant the barren oat fields in cotton. The corn crop will be much larger- this year than any previous years. 3tARLBORO. BENNETTSvILLE. April 1.-It is dif ficult to form any thing like a correct estimate of what the reduction in the cotton acreage in this county will be. The first of the year the conunon talk was that it wou*ld be 50 ner cent. Now one farmer will say no reduction at all, another one 20 per cent, while still another will say 30) per cent. There is no doubt but that the reduction would be miuch greater had the oat crop not been killed in the early part of the year. The little i-ise in the price of cotton will also have its e[fect in les sening the contemiplated reduction. From all that can be learned 15 per cent. is probably a fair estimiate of the reduction of the acreage as comnpar-ed with last ye ar's cro p. NEwBERRY. NEwBERRY, April 1 .--Farming op erations are much delay-ed, but most farers have madlea dlecisiobn as to the amount of cotton they will pant. In some sections of the county the reduc tion will be 50 per ceiit, in others :30 to 40, in some 25 per cent. In the south western section there can probably be very little reduction, because the far as a money crop since the war, and al ways raised their own meat and bread stuffs. The very lowest general estimate that can be made for the county gener ally is a reduction of 25 per cent. in the acreage, with the use of half the fertilizers put in the crop last year. The record of guano liens in the clerk's of lice amounts to practically nothing, a baker's dozen, up to this date. Liens for supplies are two-thirds less than last year, both numbers and amounts. These facts go to show that the farm ers are going to reduce the cotton acre age and not do as they have hereto fore. try to cover the country with cot ton fields when planting time comes. oC'ONEE. TUGALOo. April 1.-Your corre spondent has interviewed not fewer than twenty-five farmers, all of whom are landowners within a radius of three miles from this place, on the sub ject of the cotton acreage for the pres ent year. A careful calculation shows that these farmers will reduce tht area of last year one-fourth. One will plant more, three will plant the same, two will cut do-wn half and one, who runs several tenants, has reduced his acreage two-thirds. I is safe to as sum e that the result given as to the area named is a fair index for the en tire country. ORANGEBUBG. ORANGEBURG, April 1.-The ex tremelv disagreeable weather of Feb ruary and the first part of the month of March, when it was necessary for preparations to be made for the plant .ing of this year's crop, has greatly de layed and retarded our farmers in their preparation and ar'angernent of their land for planting. During the last week of March they have allbeen very busy actively engaged in turning over the fields and many of them have been planting. Up to this time, how ever, there is very little seed in the ground in the county. All things considered it may be safely stated tiat there will be 25 per cent less cotton produced in Orangeburg County dur ing the year 1895 than during 1S94. The lack ~of fertilizers in the fields will reduce the production of those lands, so that a plantation with even the same cotton acreage that with fertiliz ers produced so many bales of cotton last year will produce much less cotton this year. There is one thing certain, the cotton speculators need not count on as much cotton coming from Or angeburg County during 1895 as they received in 1894, for if they do they will be disappointed. SPARTANBURG. SPARTANBURG, April 1.-Public in terest is concentrating around the cot ton acreage at this time. The farmers have just begun preparing their lands and they are two to three weeks of solid work behind. During the last week your correspondent has received estimates from farmers scattered over the county as to the reduction of cot ton acreage. Very few report no re duction, and give as their reason the fact that they were unable to sow oats from the 1st of January to the 25th of March. That left them with their land on hand to be planted in some thing. After averaging the various resports received the reductionin acre age will be 23 per cent. All the farm ers report a reduction in the purchase of guano. the average being 40 per cent. Taking the speedy preparation, reduction of acreage and decreased amount of o-uano used the indications point to a decrease in production, as compared with last year, of 36 per cent. Such is the outlook today at the close of the month. The weather has been very favorable for the last five days, and if the farmers can have two weeks of good weather for plough ing they will do a wonderful amount of preparation.. SUMhTER. SUMTER, April 1.-After careful in quiry and investigation your corre spondent finds that there will be a re duction of at least 25 per cent. The following gentlemen, from different sections of the county, say the reduc tion in their townships will be: B. F. Wilson and Peter Thomas, of Mayes ville, at least 25 per cent; N. S. Mc Leod, Swimming Pens, 33* per cent; A. K. Sanders, Rafting Creek, 25 per cent; Col. W. D. Scarborough, Prov idence. 33k per cent: D. ~E.' Keels, Lynchburg, a reduction of 25 per cent; W. A. Nettles and WV. 0. Cain, Priv ateer, between 25 and 40 per cent, in some cases 100 per cent; W. S. James and J. S. Corbett, Bishopville, 25 per cent: R. M. Pitts. Sumter, at least 25 per cent: WV. M. McCaskill, Smithville, no reduction; WV. J. Rees, Statesburg, 33k per cent reduction; R. M. Cooper, Mount Clio, 40 per cent: F. E. Thom as. Wedgefield, 33j per cent. The above are only a few of many interviewed, and all are agreed that there is at least 25 pr cent reduction in the acreage. ana with the decrease in the use of fertilizers the cotton crop of 1895 will be at least 30 per cent less than that of 1894. YORK. YoRKvILLE, April 1.-From the best information obtainable at this time the indications are that the cotton acreage in York County this year will be from 20 to 25 per cent less than last and it is estimated that not exceeding onehalf as much will be used. Of course it is impossible to tell exactly what the proportion of fertilizers used will be as many farmers who imagined three weeks ago that they would not use any commercial fertilizers this year unless the manufacturers accept ed their terms are now buying it on the terms fixed by the companies. It is not propable that the amount used, though, will exceed 00 per cent of last year,. as the agents will not be in a position to furnish mnore if wanted. They supposed the farmers meant what they said, and did not make con tracts for'their usual supplies. Indi cations poiint to a larger coirn acreage than last year by about 15 per cent. A Jealous Husband's Deed. OKLorOMA Civr, 0. T., April 3. Harry St. J1olhn, son of ex-Governor St. John of Kansas and a member of the last Oklahoma Legislature, killed his wife this afternoon about two miles from this city. He became possess of a letter addressed to her. This afternoon he hired a buggy and drove out to his lace. Getting'his gun. he confronted his wvife with the letter threatening to kill her if she did not disclose its au thor. She refused, and as lie claims, the gun was discharged accidentally, shooting her thirought the breast. She died withuout uttering a word. Mrs. St. John was a Miss Mary F'eldon. Her father. William B. Feldon, was form erly county judge of Saquache county, Col., and later' warden of the Colorado peiitentary. She leaves two small Ichildren. She was 28 years of age and her husband is 35 and' a lawyer. He has liv' iA Oklahoma since 19. 0 PUTS GOLD IN HIS PURSE WHY JONH BULL FAVORS A SINGLE MONEY STANDARD. Paradoxical Statement That Free Coinag4 Will Raise the Value of Silver to Minern Alone- All Products of Labor Have De elined With Silver-A Bit of History. The recent changes of position by eminent men on the issue of bimetall ism constitute a remarkable and inter esting chapter in the history of opin ions. Americans know that our own public men have fluctuated wildly that former advocates of silver hiave vielded to the Cleveland pressure and become goldbugs, while former mo nometallists now confess their erroi and even John Sherman shows some signs of relenting at view of the ap palling ruin lie has wrought. W\ hen the fall of prices under conditions which would normally create a risc compelled' belief that some malign in. fluence was at work, lie siad in the sen ate. May 31, 1892: "When the law of 1873 was passed. the only troublc about it was that we were not as wisE as the Almighty Ruler of the universe. We could not see ahead." It is not so well known. however, that abroad the conversions to bimet allism have been far more numerous and important. There is not today one monometallist in Great Britain who denies the great appreciation of gold. Mr. Giffen, in my opinion thE clearest headed of them all, does nol even condescend to argue the matter, but starts his discussioil on that basis as a fixed fact anod speaks of it as th( startling phenomton of this age, while the membersof tle parliamentary commission sneer at the futile attem)t. of Hon. David A. Wells to prove that gold has stood still while everything else has moved. The reasons is obvi ous. Those Englishmen are under no political bias or commercial pressur against the truth; they frankly admil that it is the interest of the creditor nation to have dear money, and as tle gold basis gives them that they see nc cause to object. DECLLNE LN THE VALUE OF PRODUCTS. Interestinz indeed is the case of Hon. Henrf Hucks Gibbs, directoi and former governor of the Bank of England and delegate to the confer ence of 1878. He was there an ardent advocate of the single gold standard, but has changed his view and become president of the English Bimetallic league, and in explanaton thereof says that the price tables of such economists as Soetbeer, Karl and Sauerbeck are conclusive. Never before were the statistics of prices so carefully collect ed, and never were there such striking agreements between those of different nations. If one great nation, or even one great satistician, had arrived at a diferent conclusion, there might have teen room for doubt, but from the United States bureau of statisics down to the agricultural minister of little Roumania there is absolute harmony in the statement that with the decline of silver, as stated in terms of gold, has gone an equal decline in all the products of human labor, save the very few where the tendency was suc cessfully counteracted by other causes, and that a very small part indeed of of this decline is due to the (rain of production over consumption. Vhole libraries of sophistry on this last point are swept away by one uudisputed fact. The decline has been as marked, though not so streat, in staples of which there is an a<7mitted scarcity as in those of which there is supposed to be a surplus, if indeed there can be a sur plus in articles of which all mankind want more than they can now buy. EVILS OF THE GOLD STANDARD FORE TOLD. In 1892 Alfred D. Rothschild, even while arguing that England should maintain the gold standard, wrote to the Brussels international monetary conference that if other nations did not maintain the coinage of silver "there would be a depreciation in the value of that commodity which would be fright ful to contemplate and would cause a monetary panic, the far spreading ef fects of which it would be impossible to foretell."- The panic has come, and all our goldbugs venture to promise is that some time in the next decade South Africa gold will help us out. Mr. Goshen, a great authority in Eng land, has recently declared that mono metallism has been carried too far. In 1888 parliament appointed a royal commission on gold and silver, com posed of six bimetallists and six mon ometallists, and as a result of the facts collected by it Mr. Leonard H. Court ney. leader of the latter, has announc ed his conversion to bimetallism. Pro fessor H. S. Foxwell, professor of po litical economy in LUmiersity college, London, in a recent letten' announc ing his own conversion, names eight other prominent English economists who have made the same change. Ev en Hugh McCullochi, who has been both an American and English bank er and was our secretary of the treas ury and a monometallist, wrote in 1887 that the b~urde'n was becolming too great and closed his letter thus: "Debts contracted when both metals are used as money would b~e a burden too heavy to be borne when measured by a single standard." DANGER OF POPULAR liVOLT. Fren as I write comes strange news from Germany. whose capitalistshlave been most obstinate and insultinly arrogant in their contempt of bimetal ilsm. The reichstag has declared for a bimetallic conference after a heated discussion ini which it was loudly declared that the priesenlt policy is ruining the agricultural in terests and is simple destruction to debtors. Within five hiours of this fact in Washington our owin senlate took most significant action. Public men in both houses hinted at thieir- be lief that the war on silver had gone too far, and on the next day senatuor Chandler openly confessed that New England was alarmed at the general tendency of prices and business. This was a most amazing confession for him, that the present policv was most unjust to debtors, that if the Republi cans did not carry out their pledges in aid of silver there was danger- of a pop ular revolt; that England as the great creditor nation had destroved bimetal lism in her own selfish interest, and the United States had aec; uiesced to the injury of its people. Several English writers h ave Ire ceu been honest enough to put thieir advocacy of bimietallismi on thiegrounid that ther-e has been such shrinkage of the securities 0on which debts areC based that hundreds of millions of bonids have been made worthless. Mr. D)av id Murray, addressing the London caitaists in regard to Australia, says: safe a margin as their advances were made 20 to 30 years ago. These mar ains have now disappeared. The pro luce of the colonies has fallen in value one-half: the estates, the runs, the mines, the farms, all producing fac tors, have fallen in like ratio, not from scant production, but from diminished prices." He gives a loud warning to the British creditors that there debtors can bear no more. Need I repeat his warning to our money lords? Need I point to the continuous and rapid de cline in farm values, to the 15,00) farms in the west taken in by mort gage in one year, to the fact that thousands of farms are now worth less than even the most cautious loaning companies were willing to advance on them ten years ago, anid that in conse quence our farmeis, once the most conservative class in the world. are now the most radical political inno vators? Will western toilers submit to pay *2 where they agreed to pay but $1. FROM "COlN' TO GOLD. A brief bit of history is here in or der. It is within the 'memory of all men of my age that during our civil war the government inflated the cur rency at least 150 per cent.; that in 1S65-70 it was suddenly contracted by the retirement of interest bearing notes, by the drift of money to the South an'd to the new Vest, and that the people were confronted with the task of paying public and private debts in a money worth at least 40 per cent. more thai that in which they were contracted. The struggle was long and doubtful. Even Owith all their wonderful prestige from the suc cess of war and emancipation the Re publicans twice lost Ohio on that issue and twice carried it less than 10.000 plurality. We who advocated resump tion in coin-and I trust I may with out egotism mention my own experi ence as a speaker and writer in the cause-had flung at us daily the charge that we were helping the bondholder and usurer to rob the producer. We could -nake but one reply: It is the letter of the contract; gold and silver are the money of the constitution. It is bard indeed to pay -1 where only 70 cents was promised. but the coun try awards it, and the law doth give it. The people hesitated long, but with a sigh confessed that the letter of the contract was against them, and with sublime heroism voted to keep it. Scarcely, however, had the verdict for '*honest money" been rendered when we were confronted with the claim that in place of the old specie basis in which the debt had been con tracted we must pay with one coin. In vain did we point to the written contract. Our eastern friends, admit ting that it was according to the letter of the constitution, declared that the spirit and understanding of it were for payment in gold alone. As be tween greenbacks and coin we had urged the letter. Now as between gold and silver we were to observe the spirit. MONOMETALLIST ABSURDITIES. The reasons advanced for monomet allism have been many and inaenious, and new ones have been urgel as the old ones had to be thrown aside. The first was that silver is too bulky, but that is now obsolete. We do not carry large sums of coin; we use paper. Next it was urged that we should be at a disadvantage in the exchange with our foreign customers, but every body knows that was no trouble when our only money was depreciated pa per, and that exchange must be cal culated just the same so long as the coins of different countries vary. Any schoolboy can make the calculation on any trade in one minute. The claim that we should pay gold and be paid in silver was too foolish to impose long on any one. Our people certain ly had sense enough to charge prices that made up the difference in coin and greenbacks. and will they be less sensile with silver? Much has lately been said to the effect that the most progressive and hig-hly civilized na tions are on the gold basis. It has also been repeatedly proved that the same nations consume by far the largest amounts of intoxicating liquors, and the one fact is worth as much as the other. Of all the goldbug absurdities, however, I think the most absurd is their paradox that free coinage will raise the value of silver to the miners and not to others. In adjacent col umns of many a metropolitan paper can be seen these statements: First.-The silver kings want free coinage- so they can bring 50 cents worth of silver to the mint and get $1 for it-that is, with free coinage the silver dollar will at once be on a par with the gold, and tihe government will pay out both indifferently. Second-With free coinage all cur paper money would drop to the silver basis, and we should have 50 cent dol lars-that is, silver is to be worth no more as money than it is now as bull ion valued in terms of gold. This is but one of a thousand con tradictions and absurdities which show how completely ineir false es sumption as to the immutability of gold has destroyed their capacity for reasoning on the subject. They can not extend their viewv of any measure bevond thle effect it will have the next day in WVall street. Their conception of a nation's finances are summed up in one word-"-stocks."- Truly, they need warning that debtors may be nushed too far. J. H. Baowsiso. Fo)und a Wate-ry Grave. NE~W YORK. April 3.-Pilot W. Crocker- of the pilot boat James Ben nett brought in from the sea a story ti1:t will explain to many anxious haruts why they have not heard since 2:> sailed'from Lhe men who went out in the little steamer City of Hav-erhill, which started for Keyv West on~ Thurs dar Iast.She was a ilatbottomed stren whieel river boat. and on her trip south was to put into a safe harbor every night, b)ut no wvordl was received of her until Pilot Crocker's arrival. and he rep~ortedl that the body of her cap tainl. W. P. WXatrous, with a life butoy strapped about his waist, and some wreckage were sighted by the nmen of the Jamies Bennett, after the heavy blown Friday last, off Barnegat. The rest of the men a board many perhaps have been picked up, but only sailors who knew of the story shook their heads in dismay, and said the City of Haver-hill wvould not live 5 minutes at sea in halfi a gale. 11er pilot for the trip south wras Captain Wmn. D. Van Wycke, a well known and popular old yachtinig captain. The chief engineer was Sam Browvn, and his assistanmt was J1. Fred Luckenbach, a nephew of Lewis Lucke-nbach. the tug owner. Fred 1Pobst, whose father lives in South Brooklyn. and Mr. Watrous, whose home wras in Ke'. West.and his son, a youn~g college student, were on board. Besides these no one knew who were in the crew. Tile steamer's full comoplimnent of men was 14. but REPRESENT $20.000000. ACTIVE CAPITAL OF OUR MASSACHU SETTS VISITORS. Who They Are and the 3Iills They Repre sent-Yesterday Spent in Spartanburgs Big 31ills-To be in Columbia Saturday Morning. SrPARTANB'RG, April 4.-The Massa chusetts mill committee today visited and inspected three of the largest mills in South Carolina. They saw that the South is not only a competitor .)f the New England manufacturer-s in certain lines. but that the South .-n mill developments are steadily goin? on. In almost every place they visited additions to present plants were being made, showing the confidence of the owners in the enterprises. The com mittee came to the South with a view of seeing what was to be seen. not on a pleasure jaunt. No time was lost in unnecessary sightseeing or frolicking. but the enty-e day has been spent in an active canvass of the mill situation as demonstrated in the larger mills of a Southern State, which has distinc tively large and successful cotton mills. Most of tle committee had not pre .viously made a personal visit to the mill district of South Carolina and were surprised at the development of the last few years. It was very large ly through the instrumentality of Mr. D. A. Tompkins of Charlotte that the cor:imittee came to the South, as Mr. Tompins, who is a thorough believer in the possibilities of the South, want ed the mill men to see for themselves the ft.vorable conditions for cotton manuacturing exisiting in the South. as tie has demonstrated in his own eil ter:)rises. The trip was arranged through cor respondence between Mr. Tompkins and Mr. Lovering, and the men who are o-it on the trip represent active capital to the extent of at least $20. 000,000, on a basis of $20 for each spindle of the million managed by the mill men who constitute the commit tee now in South Carolina. As a matter of general information. the following is a brief summary of those in the party: Mr. William C. Lovering, president of the Arkwright Club of Boston. This club is made up of owners and treasurers of the principal mills in New England. Mr. Lavering has interests in various mills of more than 120,000 spindles and em ploys more than 3,000 operatives. He is a careful student -of industrial inter ests. Then there is Mr. Thomas Mot ley, a nephew of the historian. He represents the Chicopee, Saratoga and Victory mills, Mr. W. C. Amory, is treasurer of the Amory Mills, Man chester, N. H., and is also a director of the Amoskeag Mills, the largest cotton mills in the world, and other large mills. Mr. Henry C. Howe is a partner of Lawrence & Co., who han dle all the goods of the Pacific. Law rencer and other large mills. He is also a practical manufacturer. Mr. Arthur Amory sells all the goods of the Jackson Mills and Nashua Mills in Nashua, N. H., which mills have just got permission to go out of the State and build in other States to manufac ture their own brands of goods. Mr. Amoiy is also the agent of the Lancas ter Gingham Mills at Clinton, Mass., and the Appleton Mills at Lowell. Mr. Henry B. Coxe. Jr., is in the mining business and represents Coxe Bros. of Pennsylvania, who handle 5,000 tons a day of Lehigh anthracite coal. Mr. D. A. Tompkins of Charlotte, N. C., has been in entire charge of the party since it left the North, and expects to remain with it until its return. He is devoti.ng himself entirely to the task of seeing that the p arty has every possible attention. Mr. Fred Oliver, who is largely interested in South ern cotton mill enterprises, is also with the prty. Mr. R. H. Edmonds of the M anufacturers' Record, who has done so much for the development of the South. is also along, taking in everything that presents itself, pnd more determined than ever to do what he can for thissection. In addition to these there are with the party, repr'e sentinig the Southern Railway, Tratlic Manager Ctulp and his secretary, Mr. Powers: General Passenger Agent Turk and his secretary. Mr. McCants: Assistant Traffic Manager Drake, also Train Masters Boyd and Ramsuer: Superintendent Turner- and his seere tary. Mr. Lawrence, and Traffic Mana ger Glover and Secr-etary Floturnoy of the Seaboard Air Line. When it is known that Mr. Tomp kins, for the committee, has already received over 100 invitations to visit various p)oints, it will be appreciated that no little importance is attached to their movemecnts. Requests for visits have conme all the wayt from Birnmingham, Ala., to WXeldon. N. C. They have come from Atlanta. Co lumbus, Tucker and Macon, Ga.. from Rock Hill. Blacksbtur and Co lumbia in South Carolina. From Rockingham, Weldon. Shelby, Mount Holly. Moncure, Raleigh. Lincointon, Wilmington and a score of other towns in North Carolina. O cour se it is a physical impossibility for the committee to visit all the places that have solicited visits. but fom the present outlook the following intiner ary will have to be closely follow~ed: Leave Pacolet Thursday at 7p. m. for Ashe'ille; leave Ashev ille Fridayv noon. arrive at Clifton F ridy x p. in. Leave Cliiton Fr-iday 6 p. m. rr Charlotte Friday 9 p. m.: leave Chiar lotte via Seaboa -d Air Line Fi day 9 p. mn.: arrive Cohunbia Saturday 8 a. i.; leave Columbia via Southern Rail way Saturday for Augusta: leave Au gtsta Sunday 8 p. m. via Port Royal and Western Carolina and Greeni wood. arr-iving at Moncure~ Sund cay n:ght, sleep at Moncur-e. visit Lock ville Shoals Monday moorning: at Ra leigh 10i:30 to 1 :30 Monday: at We1 don 4 p. m. to 6 p. mn. Monday: Ports imoutl Monday inight. Everything so far hlas run smoothly and pleasantly. The commiittee today visited three of the- largest nutlls in this State, and for that matter. in the South. Pelzer mills at Pelzeir, S. C.. were Iirst insp~ected and every courtesy extended through President E. A Smythe. Pelzer,. whien the thir-d mill is comapleted, will have 110.000 spinl des, making it the la-gest mill in the South. The Massachusetts committee were particularly struck with the plan of President Smythe for transiitting the electric power to his new mill by a circuit about two miles long-. The Piedmont mills, one of the largest and best in the country, Operating 50.000 spindles, was next visited and lresident James L. Orr gave the corn mittee every possible facility. F-roi Piedmont the commiittee went via Spartanburg to the Pacolet mills. At Pacolet, Capt. Montgomery has a pendidlh plant andl tor L-ret pI:LSure in showing everything. His mills at Pacolet runs 52,(J24 spindles and 1.964 looms. The committeemen do not have very much to say. but are mak ing a close, thorough and business-like examination. They are takino careful notes of what they see and hear, as well as of the data which is carefully given them by mill men. Talking of the visit of w-hat lie has already seen in this State and North Carolina. Alr. Lovering. who is chair man of the party. said to the South ern Associated Press representative that the committee was very much pleased with the attention that had been shown them. and were flattered with the number of invitations that had beeu . eceived from enterprising Southiern towns. This. he said, im pressed the committee with the business spirit nia;ifesfed in the South. The connamzittee has seen, lie said, a number of very tine, cotton mills. some that would coiparp most favorablv with any Eastern mills. He went on to say that tie committee was also impressed with the earnestness with which the entire people were working up the subject of cotton spinning inthe South. ILh said that he found the wages here to be less than they were in the East and he admitted his surprise at the good ap pearance and striking character of the people employed in the cotton mills. The people employed lie went on to say seemed to him to have a ve:rv whole some and respectable appearance and worked with activity and diligence. Mr. Tompkins during the day re ceived a telegram from 'noxville and advising him if a grceable that Mr' J. W. Heale, president of the chamber of commerce of Knoxville, would join the party. He was extended a cordial invitation to join the committee. Dur ing the day Mr. Howe had to leave the party on account of the death of a friend. The committee has already visited and examined all of the cotton mills at Charlotte, together with those at Henrietta, Pelzer, Piedmont and Pacolet and the water power at High ShoAls. Of course it is entirely problematic as to what will result from this visit of active and wideawake mill men, but it is safe to say that the New England nill interests have realized the im portance of the Southern industry and after a careful investig'ation some of their capital will be allowed to come down and join that which is already making considerable money in the mills of the South. THE WAR IN CUBA. Great and Growing Excitement in the Is land. HAVANA, April 2, via Tampa, Fla. -The streets of Havana and the fields and mountains of Cuba. are filled with soldiers and rer'uhtionists. The excite ment all over the island is more inten se now than at any period since the revolutionist fired the first shot on the 21st of February. This is because the insurgent forces are growing almost as rapidly as the reinforcements of loyal troops, who are coming in on every maritime vessel sailing in this direction from Spain. In Havana, the beat of the drums and the drilling of recruits are seen from daylight until far into the night. In the plaza sur rounding Hotel Pasaja, there are hun dreds of gaidily caparisoned. solidiers marching up and down all during the day. The mounted police gallop over the city six abrest, never stopping until their animals are exhausted, when their p laces are takeni by fresh animals and men. This is for the pur pose of awaiting those who are inclin ed to join the insurgents and to excite the loyalty of the Spaniards. Troops are being forwarded to the front as rapid the government can send them. The Spanish boys, for they are boys, do not tarry long at Havana, and they come here and are instantly marched off. No one here knows ex actly where the government is moving their forces to. The cables and tele graph over the island is under govern nient supervision, and the strictest cen sorship is exercised over all mail and telegraph matter. It is known, how ever, that a majority cf the men are now being forwarded to Trinidad in the State of Santa Clara and to Man zanillo and Santiago de Cuba. in the State of Santiago de Cuba. From these reports they am-c being shoved in to the mountains beneath a boiling sun INear-ir one-third of all the soldiers im ported from Spain haye been sick and imny of them have died. They- are uniacclimated- and as food is scarce, they have eaten greedily of green fruits. The result has been disastrous and demioralizing'. Et is reported here that a comlpanly _K r.;ulars deserte the army anud .jo:ned lie insurgent near Puerto Pr'incis The Massu' br~ -;.s, commanding the insurg~ents at 11 >guin, are reported to have gained a signal victory on the 29th, defeating the Spaniards,. killing twenty-six. woundiiig 132 and captur ing twelve. This story is discr-edited by~oiicials here, but at insurgent head quarters, visited under cover last night by me, it wassaid to be absolutely true. Captain Grenemral Emnilio Callej is re tur-nes to Spain as seoon as Arsemo Mar thme middle of the present month. The new captain general of the island comiing here, it is said. w~ili introdure the She i-man idlea of warfare and will make a march direct to the stronghiolds of the enemny burniig and destroving the prope'rty of all supposed to be disloyal to Soain. 1 <go to the' mounmtinis. where the in sar-deanmt forces are imiahalled. today. H avamnna has sixty-six nc w cases o vnow fve v esterday. Of these the -mort wer-e Spamnish soldiers. All Aierleais are leaving Cuba, fearing the fever. And all Cubans who remnem ber- thme new eaptain general will be in the United States before his arrival, which will be about the middle of the present month. Their Mother Wa-a in JaiL CoLUECuS. 0., April 3.-The bodies of tihe two Williams children. found murdered at time P~ark Hotel Monday. wvere takeni fi'om the morgue this morning anid bumried in Gr'eeniawnm cenmetery. W\illims. tie father, and Annie. the s, n-vivini daugh temr, were present. The father was deeply af fecte'd. but Amne seemed entirely umn mioved. Four cariages followedl thme liem sIe to tlhe g~raye. where a few words wer'e said by Re. J. C. Bright, of the Southi Hi~h Street Congcregationlal church~i. The t -o chidren were placed in one coon :omd buried clasped in eachi other's m rims. Mris. Williams askedl to be permitted to attend tihe funer'mat. but wams refused. She was plce i thle county jail this morn THE CUBAN'S CAUSE. AS JUST AND HOLY AS THAT OF PATRICK HENRY. Stirring Resolutions Passed by a Meeting of Citizens of Jacksonville, Florida, Who Want the United States to Give Cuba a Helping Hand. - JACKsONVILLE, April 4.-Gonzales de Quesada, who is now at the hkead of the Cuban party in this country since Gen. Marti's departure, accompanied by Col. Fernando Figuerado and Dr. Fermi Valdeo Dominguez arrived here from Tampa this morning. They were met at the depot by the reception com mittee, consisting of R. J. Martinez, E. M. Delgado and J. P. Cancio, and also by about fifty Cubans and escort ed to the residence of Mr. Cancio, whose guests they are while here. Tonight a mass meeting was held at Metropolitan Hall to express sympa thy with the Cubans in their effort to throw Spain's yoke. There were ful ly 800 people present, including the most prominent business men of the city. Among those present were Uni ted States District Attorney Clark, United States Marshal McKay, Post master H. W. Clark, Mayor D. U. Fletcher, City Attorney Barrs and Judge Gibbons of the city court. The meeting adopted the following: Resolved, That it is the sense of the American people here assembled, 1. That they most heartily sympa thize with the Cuban patriots in their desires and efforts to free Cuban from foreign control and obtain for the peo ple of that island the rinht of self-gov ernment so much priz by us. They have vastly more reason for their sc tion than had our forefathers, of whose actions we are so proud, and they will persist in their patriotic en deavors until Cuba is free. 2. That it is the duty of lovers of free American institutions to express their sympathy for the oppressed peo ple of Cuba and their desire to see them free. 3. That we urge upon the Legisla ture of the State of Florida the duty of formally by resolution expressing the sympathy~ of the whole people of Florida with the movement for a free Cuba. 4. That xe urge upon our Federal - government the duty of promptly re cognizing the Cuban patriots as bel ligerents and doing all in their wer to secure the recognition by the Span ish government of the freedom the island of Cuba. 5. That we call upon all American citizens who sympathize with the Cu ban patriots to make known their sympathies, -in order that their moral support may be given to the good cause. Queseda received a dispatch today confirming the reports sents out that General J. A. Maceo had landed on the island with three generals and 221 men. One of Mr. Queseda's party ad ded that arms in the shape of cannon., rifles antammnition were also land ed, but from whaiiprtihey were shipped is a secret none of tiegentle men would divulge. The four geniili who landed are old campaigners against the Spanish. They fought in the last revolution. The three lieu tenants of the famous Maceo are F. Crombet, the Costa Rican, F. Cerron and Patricio Corona, who was known when in Jacksonville as Senor Miran da, one of those connected with the yacht Lagonda, which was seized in Fernandmna, found to be laden with arms and amnmition, and which was subsequently released. Quesada hints that Maceo and his party were landed from the stemship Ethelred, which was fired upon by a Spanish vessel a day or two ago. Queseda seems confident that the revolution will succeed. He said: "The only difficulty we have is to get our ships out of this country. If we clear the coast of this country we will do the rest. This talk about Spanish warships patrolling theg oast of Cuba is all buncombe sent out by the Span ish authorities to bulldoze the patriots and their allies. The steamer Mas cotte, a week or so ago, made a trip to Jamaica and then skirtd the entire island of Cuba, and how many Span ish warships do you think she encoun tered ? Not one. Not a single war ship: !" _______ Massachuetts Mmu Men. CHARLOTTE. April 3.-The Massa chusetts mill men are travreling in the South are being utterly astonished by the manifestations of good will being made to them by the Southern people. Mr. D. A. Tompkins, under whose direction the trip is being made, re ceives each day from thirty to forty telegrams from Southern cities invit ing the party to visit them. The trip is the outcome of the agitation in New England and especially in Massachu setts, of the matter of competition of Southern mills in textile manufactur ino. Various laws bearino. upon this sulject were under consi<Teration be fore the committee on merchantile af fairs of the Massachusetts Legislature. Mr. Lovering made an argument in which he set up~ Southern competition as one reason why the Massachusetts Legislature should go slow in making ane laws that mnight have a tendency to 'drive New England capital to the South. A few weeks ago he wrote for the Manufacturers' Record a special article on the subject which brought him into correspondence through the editor, with Mr. D. A. Tomp * of Charlotte. In consequence of a conver sation about the South's advantages, Mr. Tompkins invited Mr. Lovering to make a trip Souith. In speaking of this invitation to Mr. E. St. John, vice president of the Seabord Air Line, the latter amplified it to be one from the Seaboard Air Line to Mr. Lovering and several friends he might select. The party to become the guests of Mr. St. John's road. While these arrange nments were perfecting. the committee on merchantil atfairs concludea also make a trip to the South. The legislat ive comnmittee's trip to the South was completed about t wo weeks ago. The impression uroduced on the minds of these men' (Mr. Lovering's party) will probably determine the di rection of the investment of such cap ital. So far the mill men are well pleased. They find the advantages greater than they had expected. While they had expected. While they had not looked for any unfriendly disposi tion, yet the number of invitations they are getting produces a very pleas ant impression and will disspatjth slightest misgivings they might have had about the character of reception New England mill men would receive in coming South. After inspecting Henrietta mills today, the visitors re turned to Charlotte~ tonight and left via the Southern Railway for mill points in South Carolina.