Historical Newspapers of South Carolina

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wTO YT MA NNING., S. C.. WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 8, 1896. NO. 24. T0 IMAKE ANGELS WEEP." THE SPECTACLE OF THE CRUELLY DESERTD ARMEN!ANS. The Crimes of Turkey and the Siu of Christian Europe in Not Suppressing Them--Statement froman Exinrent Au thority. Lospos, Dec. 29.-Dr. Henry S. Lunn, Editor of the Review of the Churches, and Percy W. Bunting, Editor of the Contemporary Review, have addressed the following commu nication to all editors in Eugland and America: "We enclose extracts from a letter from a private friend who spent ser eral months of this year ia Armenia and who is one of the first authorities on the question, as you would admit were we at liberty to publish his name. May we beg you to insert these in the next issue of your paper. Yours faithfully, "Henry S. Lunn, "Editor of The Review of Churches. "Percv W. Bunting. "Editor Ithe Canteinporary Review. Any allusion to Armenia upsets me. I am ashamed, excited, indignant when I think of what I saw in that country and of the confidence with which I consoled qualing women, weeping men, with hopes that Eng land would see them through their difficulties, and the words of heartfelt thanks they uttered, often upon their knees m the fields or on the billsides -and the childlike messages of antici patory gratitude which they asked me to deliver to the English people now burn and rankle within me like an envenomed wound. The huropean powers are playing a farcical representation round the aves of a Christian people. If con auct similar to theirs- were to be pur sued by an individual in private life, it would be visited with social ostra cism and would brand him with an indelible Cain's mark of infamy. Fancy a man's neighbors parading about the doors of his house while he and his children rush frantically from room to room and from window to window, imploring them to save them from the dev<,uring flames. We have pity on a rat if we hear of its protract ed and hopeless efforts to escape from burning, but xven and women, boys and girls are killed piecemeal. are laughed at-that's what it has come to. The vernments of Europe are a spetacle to make angels weep. They guard the gates of Turkey, so to say, solemnly declaring that whatever may happen to the Christians, how ever diabolically they may be tortured to death, nothing shall happen to the Turks-they, at any rate, must and will be preserved from harm. Is it a wonder, then that the Turks should set about fulfilling their threat of wiping out Armenia in Armenian blood? Every one knew that the threat would befulfilled. Consuls re portedf their governments that the dpaerture of the European delegates from Mousb would mark the begin ning of the blood bath, and newspa pers ve the prophecy publicity. Appa to the public to insist on pre cautionary measures were multiplied, and at las mere verbal warning gave place to unmistakable signs and prep arations. But diplomacy turned ,a deaf ear (the Armenians are nobody's kith and kin.) Were they Greeks or Bulgarians, Magars or Serbs, they would have high and powerful pro tectors, who tellingly talk of the pri mary duty of protecting brothers and Christians. Even Abyssinians are brethren, and orthodox when political calculations come in. But Armenians! And so none of these governments in sisted on the execution or even dis missal of Zekki Pasha and the au thors of the Sassoun savagery. Nay, they were decorated and honored by the sultan as an encouragement to others to go and do likewise. AndI now others have gone out and out Heroded, Herod, and no one seems shocked. People are only interested to get the latest news of Sivas or Trenibond, or wherever the latest massacre has occurred, at their break fast .table early. Few persons take even -aremote interest in the Arme an question on the continent, and those few are the advocates of l'urkey. The Austrian press, said to be paid by the Turkish government, impudently denies the Sasszun massacre, and ac cuses thie Armenians of having at tem . to butcher the Kurds and Tu he German press is the beairer of the same kind of culture to its readers, and in both these countries the public knows positively nothing about the Armenian question. The Russian papers, beginning with the Novoya Vremnya, cracks jokes at the .Arenians, and in the last number ~ich I have read, asks: "Why should we Russians sacrifice a .single soldier for the sake of Armenian bankers and millionaires, who are much better off than we are ourselves, to say nothing of British and Ameri can alligators who nave so cleverly got up the Armenian cornedy' A couple of regiments of soldiers or Cossacks is what is wanted. They would set matters right in a few days. But even if the whole English speak ing people should rise and demand these, would it be accomplishedi A HELL ON EARTH . LoNxoo, Dec. 29.-The next issue of the Contemporary Review .will con tan a long article entitled: "Armemia -an Appeal"' by Dr. E. J. Dillon, which the following is a synopsis: "The time has come for every rea soning person to _accept or repudiate his share of the joimt indirect respon sibiitv of the British nation for a se ries of~ the hugest. and foulest crimes that have ever stained the pages of human history. The Armenian peo ple in Anatolia are being exterminated y~Turks and Kurds by such fiendish methods as may well cause the most sluggish blood to boil with shame and indignation. "The Armenians are not lawless barbarians or brigands, nor are the Turks and Kurds the accredited torch bearers of civilization, but if it be ex pedient that Armenians should be ex terminated, why chop them up piece meal? Why must an honest, hard working man be forced to witness the violation of his daughter, and then have his hands chopped off and stuffed into his moath, while a sermon is be ing preached to him on the text "If your God be God, why does he not succor you ?" Then the other hand is acked'off, his ears torn off and his feet severed with a hatchet.- Surely roasting alive, flaying, disembowel ing, impaling and other horrors have nothing that can excuse them in tne e-e of Christians, however deeply absorbed in politics - The Armeniansi constitute the solemnizing e ement in Antaolia. Christians they are and from the middle of the fifth century scarcely a year has elapsed in which Armenian women have not unhesitat ingly laid down their lives for their religious belief. The murder of Sas soun. of Van, of Erzeroun, were Christian martyrs and any or all of those whose eyes were gouged out, whose quiverinr flesh was torn from their bodies might have obtained life by embracing Islam and abjuring Christ. But, instead, they died like Christian martyrs. Why is it that our compassion for these, our fellow men, has not vet assumed the form of effective help? For reasons of higher politics. "The condition of Armenian Chris tians until we first interfered (1S78) was deplorable. Laws existed only on pa per. Mohammedan crimes were pun ishable only in theory. Russia was willing to substitute law and order for crime and chaos and to guarantee to Christians the treatment due to human beings, But we then denied her right to do this, and she refuses to admit our claim to undertake this single handed. We said in effect, 'though our political interests may clash with those of Russia, we will see to it that they are not subsersive of the element ary principles of human justice and immutable law of God.' Yet we never took any efficacious stqp to fulfill that solemn promise. Our consuls forward ed exhausted reports, the press publish ed heartrending details and Armenian ecclesiastics presented piteous appeals, but we pigeon-holed the consular re ports. pooh-hooed the particulars pub lished by the press and ignored the pe titions of the priests. We pressed a knob as it were, in London, and there - by opened hell's portals in Asia Minor, letting loose legions of tiends in human shape who set about torturing and ex terminating the Christians there. And lest it should be urged that our gov ernment was ignorant of the wide reachingeffects of its ill-advised action, it is on record that for 17 years it con tinued to watch the harrowing results of that action without once interfering to stop it. "Daring all those 17 years written law, traditional custom, the funda mental maxims of human and divine justice were suspended in favor of a Mohammedan saturnalia. The Chris tians by whose toil and thrift the em pire was held together were dispoiled, beggared, chained, beaten and banish ed or butchered. Thousands of Arme nians were thrown into prison and tor tured and terrorized till they delivered up the savings of a life time. Whole villages were attacked. In a few years the provinces were decimated. Alogh kerd, for instance, being almost en tirely purged of Armenians. Over 20,000 woe-stricken wretches fled to Russia or Persia. On the way they were seized over and over again by the soldiers of the sultan who deprived them of their little money and clothes. outraged the women and girls and drove them over the frontier to hun ger and die. Those who remained for a timebehind were no better off. Turk ish tax gatherers followed these glean ing what the brigands had left, tortur ing and flogging their male victims, dishonoring their wives and deflower ing their daughters. -Stories of this kind in connection with Turkish misrule in Armenia have grown familiar to English ears of late. It should be remembered that these statements are neither rumors nor ex aggerations concerning which we are ~ustified in suspending our judgment. Hsoyhas set its seal upon them. The Turks have admitted these and worse acts of savagery; the Kurds glory in them; trustworthy Europeans have witnessed and described them, and Americans have groaned over them in blank desnair. "In accordance with the plan of ex termination which has been carried out with such success during the ln yer of Turkish vigor and Engls sluggishness, all Armenians who pos sessed money or money's worth were for a time allowed to buy immunity from prison. But as soon as terror andl confiscation took the place of ex tortion the dungeons of Erzeroum, Erz ingham, Marsovan, Hassnkaleh and Van were filled till there was scarcely standing room. Educated school mas ters, missionaries, priests and physi cians were immured these noisome hot beds of infection and forced to sleep night after night standing on their feet, leaning against the foul, reeking corner of the wall. Hunger, thirst and slimy water rendered their agony maddening. Yet these were not crim inals nor alleged criminals, but up right Christian men who were never yt accused of an infraction of the law. Into these prisons were venerable mis sionaries, teachers, ministers of relig ion, merchants, physicians and pea sants. Those among them who ref us ed to denounce their friends or con sent to some atrocious crime were sub jcted to tortures indescribable, often ccupying days, while their torment ors laughed and howled in glee. "Nights were passed in such hellish orgies anti days in inventing new tor tures or refining upon the old. Some of them cannot be described, nor even hinted at. In the homes of these wretched people the fiendish fanatics were equally active and successful. Rape and dishonor with nameless ac companiments menaced almost every girl and woman in the country. Chil dren were of ten married at the age of 11, even IO, in the vain hope of lessen ing this danger. But the protection of a husband proved unavailing; it merely meant one murder more and one "Christian dog- less, and what as tonishes one throughout this long. sickening story of shame and crime is the religious faith of the sufferers. 'Such in broad outline has been the normal condition of Armenia ever since the treaty of Berlin, owing at first to the disastrous action and sub sequently to the equally disastrous in action of the British government. The above sketch contains but a few isolated instances of the daily com monplaces of the life of Armenian Christians. The Turks, encouraged by the 17 years connivance of the only power which possessed any formal, right to intervene in favor of the Ar menians, organized a wholesale massa cre of the Christians of Sassoun. The p reparations were elaborate and open. The project was known to and can vassed by all. A long report, addressed by the Abbott of the Moush to the British representative Erzeroum, in forming him of this inhuman plan. But internatioaal commity forbade us to meddle with the domestic affairs of a friendly p->wer, and the massacre Itook place as advertised. The rivulets were choked un with corpses, the streams ran redf with human blood, the forest glades and rocky caves among the ruins of once prosperous villages lay roasted infants by their mangled mothers' corpses, pits were dug at night by the wretches destined to fill them, many of whom slung in while but slightly wounded, awoke be neath a mountain of clammy corpses, and vainly wrestled with death and the dead, who shut them out from light and life forever. It was then tiat our present ambassador at Con stantinople took action and displayed those remarkable gifts of energy and industry to which the prime minister lately alluded with pride. The British Ambassador did his best, and at last carried the appointment of a commission of investigation. Yet, while the commission of inquiry was still sitting at Moush, the deeds of atrocious cruelty which it was assem bled to investigate were outdone under the eyes of the delegates. Threats were openly uttered that on their withdrawal massacres would be organ ized all over the country-massacres, it was said, in comparison with which the Sassoun butchery would compare but as does the balance. In due time they began. Over 60,000 Armenians have been butchered and the massa cres are not quite ended yet. In Tre biznod, Erzinghan, Hassankelah and numberless other places the Christians were crushed like grapes during the vintage. The French mob during the terror were men-nay angels of mercy-compared with these Turks. "These are but issolated scenes. The worst cannot be described. And, if it could be, no description however viv id would convey a true notion of the dead reality. At most of these mani festations of bestial passsion and de lirium, the sultan's troops in uniform stood by as delighted spectators, when they did not actually take an active part as zealous executioners. And these are the Turks whom unanimous Europe has judged worthy of counting to govern and guide the Christians of Asig Minor. The sultan undertakes, if a reasonable time be given him, to reestablish the normal state of things in Turkish Armenia; and we know that the normal condition implies the denial to Christians of the fundamen tal rights of human beings, the aboli tion of womanly purity, the disinte gration of the family, the ravishing of tender children, in a word, a system of government for which the history of the world affords no parallel. "Yet, unanimous Europe, we are told, entertains no doubt that the true interests of Christendom demand that Turkish rule should be maintained. It cannot be too clearly stated that what is asked for is not the establish ment of an Armenian kingdom or principality, not a 'buffer state,' not even Christian antonomy in any sense that might render it offensive or dan gerous to any of the powers of Europe, but only that by some effacacious means, the human beings who pro fessed and practiced it there for cen turies before the Turks of Kurds were heard of, shall be enabled of which for the past 17 years they heve been the silent victims, shall speedily and once for all be put a stop to. "What serious hope is there that the lot of the Armemans will be bet tered in the future? Contentional ju risconsults have just given it as their conscientious opnon that any special reforms for the Armenians would necessarily involve a grave violation of the right of man and of the law of God, and the jurisconsults ought to' know. If this be so, the sensitive sultan will naturally" shrinking from such lawlessness ana godlessness and piously shelve the reforms. They would wrongly recommend wide reaching reforms for all Turkish sub jects, were it not that insuperable ob jections render even such a course ab solutely impossible; for first, the pow ers have no right to interfere in favor of the sultan's Mohamedan subjects; second, the Turks and Kurds them selves desire no sudh reforms-are in fact opposed to them, and finally, gen eral reforms for all would necessarily prove as disastrous as special reforms for Armenian Christians, because the Armenians as the most intelligent and only self-disciplined element of the population would profit by the im provements to obtain political prepon derance for themselves. Things had better therefore remain as they are with the wholesale butcheries left out; that is to say, the normal conditions of things must be reestablished, which in a few years will solve the Armenm an question by exterminating the Ar menans. '"And England, moral England, ap parently endorses this view. "If there still be a spark of divinity in our souls, or a trace of healthy hu man sentiment in our hearts, we shall not hesitate to record our vehement protest against these hell-born crihes that pollute one of the fairest portions of God's earth and our strong condem nation of any end every line of policy that 'nay tend directly or indirectly to perpetuate or condone them. Russia wml be Neutral. ST. PETERSBURG, Jan. 1.-It is semi oficially stated that the statements in the St. Petersburg dispatch of Decem ber 27th, to the Tageblatt of Berlin, are unfounded. In the dispatch re ferred to it was stated that the United States government has been sounding Russia rerarding the dispute with Great Britain on the Venzuelan ques tion, and the former was said to have received the most favorable reply, it being declared that the Russian gov ernmer.t shares President Cleveland's views ou the subject and is prepared to support them, at any rate, diplomat iclly. It wa-s added that it was not imposssible that the United States had. received the support of Russia in her present financial troubles. According to the semi-official statement of today, Russia will observe complete neutrali ty in the matter, her interests not be ing affected by the Venezuelan dispute. Killed by a Judge. CHICAGo, Ill., Jan- 2.-Justice Jar vis Blume of the West Chicago Ave nue Dolice station was passing under neath the "L" structure at Thirteenth street at 1.30 o'clock this morning, in company with his daughter, May. Two masked men sprang from the shadow of the structure and attacked the magistrate. Justice Blume drew his revol ver and shot one of the men dead. The dead man was taken to the morgue. Among papers in his pock etbook was a vaccination certificate made out to John Kelly. Letters were also found which bore different names as follows: M. B. F. Wells. Youngs town, 0.; Jos. I. Engle, Pittsburg; and 0. B. Sheppard, Altoona, Pa. CUB~A has a population of about 1,600,000. Upon this handful of peo ple Spain has piled an indebtedness of more than $300,000,000, an amount which exceeds the entire wealth of the island by many millions. OUR PHOSPHATES. THE ANNUAL REPORT OF INSPECTOR JONES ON THE MINES. Business in Phosphate Rock Is Very Dull One Large Company Suspends Operations Indefinitely, and Others Reduce their Force. COLUMBIA, Dec. 31.-From the re port of Phosphate Inspector Jones it appears that the phosphate industry is in a much demoralized condition. In deed, Mr. Jones concludes that "the outlook of the business is gloomy in the extreme." The report goes on to show as far as possible the reasons for the depression, and how the condition should be met. Mr. Jones recom mends a reduction in the royalty to twenty-five cents per ton. The report will not only be of great importance to the lower tier of coun ties, engaged in phosphate mining, but to the people of the State at large, for the special reason that the revenue from the phosphate royalty goes to the sinking fund for the liquidation of the State bonds. The report reads: I have the honor to present herewith my annual report of the operations and condition of the State's phosphate industry for the year commencing September 1, 1894, and ending August 31, 1895. During the year the mining operations have been carried on by the following companies: Coosaw Mining Company-Five dredges and wash boats, sixteen light ers, forty tonging flats and five tug boats. Farmers' Mining Company-Three dredges, sixteen lighters, forty tong ing flats and one tug boat. Beaufort Phosphate Company-One dredge, thirteen lighters, seventy tonging flats and one tug boat. Carolina Mining Company-One dredge, twenty-two lighters and two tug boats. W. Y. Fripp-Eight tonging flats. James O'Hear-Suspended. John C. Nelson-Suspended. James Reid-Included in Farmers' Mining C ompany. At the begnning of the year, Sep tember 1, 1894, the above corn panies had fully recovered and rehabilitated their mining plants wrecked by the cyclone of August 26, 1893. and have added saving devices so as to reduce the cost of mining to a minimum, and are today in better condition to mine and handle phosphate than ever 'be fore. The total number of tons of rock shipped for the year commencing September 1, 1894, and ending August 31, 1895, was 174,400.25-100 tons. Of the rock shipped or sent to market there have been shipped: To foreign ports, 129,822 tons; to coastwise, (out side of State,) 30,451.25 tons; taken at Charleston, 6,573 tons; taken at Beau fort, 7,554 tons. Total shipments, 174,400.25 tons. The amount of royalty paid the State under the Act of 1893, for act ual shiipments, without regard to the price of the rock per ton, is as follows: Coosaw Mining Company, tons ship ped, 78,120;royalty, $39,060. Farmers' Mining Company, tons shipped, 34,468; royalty, $17,234. Carolina Mining Company, tons shipped,33,426; royalty $16,713. Beaufort Phosphate Company, tons shipped, 28,181; royalty, $11,090. 50. W. Y. Fripp, tons shipped, 205.25; royalty, $102.63. Toalton3 shipped, 174,400.25; total royalty, $87,200.12. Second. Additional royalty paid the State for excess of value "free on bord" over four dollars per ton; Coo saw Mining Company, $256.57; Farm ers' Mining Company, $137.50; Beau fort Popate Company, - ; Carolina Mining Copany, $63; total, $457.07. Royalty paid the State on shipments, $87,200.13; royalty additional for ex cs of value, $457.07. Total royalties for the year, $87,657.20. Statemnent of number of tons mined during the year is estimated at 201,400 tons. The number of tons on hand September 1, 1895, is estimated at 35, 857 tons, as follows: Coosaw Mining Company, 10,925 tons. Farmers' Mining Company, 11,323 tons. Beaufort Phosphate Company, 7,437 tons. Carolina Mining Company, 4,944 tons. John C. Nelson, 452 tons. W. Y. Fripp, 153 tons. James O'Eear, 623 tons. Total on hand, 35,857 tons. The outlook of the business is gloo my in the extreme. Prices have sunk to a figure never before reached, and the greatest discouragement prevails both in South Carolina and Florida. It is impossible to get in Europe now even as high as 6d a unit; the prices vary from 5d to 5td. At these prices, after paying royalty, and withi the most favorable rates of freight, the mining companies are unable to net more than $2 per ton for their rock. This does not enable them to live. The strictest economy is being practiced, wages are being reduced, saving devi ces are being adopted, and the cost of mining has been reduced to a mini mum. But even with this, unless there is an improvement in the mark et the phosphate companies must stop. I regret to report that this sterling cmpany, representing a large amount of English capital, has suspended op erations indefinitely. All hands have been discharged. Its etlicient presi dent, Mr. Brotherhood, -(the largest individual stockholder in the comn pany,) has resigned, and his resigna tion has been accepted. The plant is laid up permanently, and no one but a caretaker is at the extensive works hitherto so busily employed. There is no prospect of an early resumption of work by this company. In fact, whether it shall resume or not is abso lutely indefinitely and undetermined. The reason for this stoppage is be cause the company, although exercis ing every .possible economy, could not get for its rock what it cost to mine and put it on the market at the present prices. This means to the State the loss of the entire royalty heretofore earned by this large and active company. It is an object lesson showing more permanently than words can express the terrible de pressed condition of the phoshphate idustry. The other companies are mining, but with reduced force. The Coosaw Company, the largest of them all, have laid up two of their dredges, three tug boats, and suspended their hand-picking departinent. The other companies have reduced their work ing force to a minium. These are not hard to find. In the first ploae the dnepe ond ition of agriculture both in this country and in Europe has limited to a very great ex tent the demand for crude phosphate rock as a basis for the manufacture of fertilizers. But a more potent cause, perhaps, is to be found in the opening of new mines, which have come into fierce competition with Carolina phos phate rock. The competition of Algerian phos phate is a most disturbing element and is creating much uneasiness amongst the American miners. I en close for your information a list of exports of this phosphate. This shows what was sent from one mining cen tre only, and will give you some idea of how rapidly this phosphate is com ing into favor. Statement of shipments from the District of Tebessa: In 1892, 6.150 tons; January, 1894, 810 tons: February, 1894, 940 tons; March, 1894, 1,920 tons; April, 1894, 1,830 tons; May, 1894, 3,220 tons; June, 1894, 4,260 tons; July, 1894, 7, 030 tons; August, 1894, 6,600 tons; September, 1894, 6.830 tons; October, 1894, 6,970 tons; November, 1894, 7, 670 tons: December, 1894, 5,160 tons. Total, 1894, 53,240 tons. January, 1895, 4,630 tons; February, 1895, 6,100 tons; March, 1895, 6,800 tons; April, 1895.. 9,660; May, 1895, 12,380 tons; June. 1895,. 13,800 tons; July, 1895, 14,500 tons. Total for seven months, 1895, 67,870 tons. It is estimated by parties in position to know that the total shipments for the- year 1895 will certainly exceed 100,000 tons, and that in the year 1896 the shioments will be at least 200,000 tons. This rock analyzes 70 per cent and is delivered in England at a cost of five shillings freight as against 14 or 15 from this country. It has prov ed entirely satisfactory in manipula tion. By a decree signed by the Pres ident of the rench Republic and pub lished in the Journal Official October 12, 1895, the working of deposits of phosphates in Algeria is regulated by prescription There is to be an export duty or royalty on the phosphate of 50 centimes per ton, this being equiv alent to about 10 cents in our money. This is all the royalty the Algerian miner nas to pay to his Government. These deposits continue to be active ly worked, and the production is steadily increasing. This rock needs no washing or drying, as is the case with Carolina rock. Its analysis is perfectly satisfactory, and it is used largely by the interior points, com panies situated in upper Georgia, Ten ness.-e and other points, who obtain from it thoroughly salisfactory results. It fills the place of the South Carolina rock perfectly, and is a very formida ble competitor. The total shipments of phosphate from Florida for the year 1895 aggre gated 515,878 tons. Florida continues to increase her production. Whilst a great many of the companies there have ceased'operations, still enough have been left to keep up a very large production. As is well known there' are dhree kinds of rock mined in Flor ida. First, the river rock, which comes largtly from Peace River, and which resem bles in analysis and generalchar acter very largely the Carolina rock. Second. the land pebble rock. which is mined from the land, consisting of a small phosphate pebble, and which is aho similar to the land rock in South Carolina, Third, the high grade rock, which runsup to 70 or 80 per cent of phos phate of lime. This lies in pockets and is quaried out and shipped with hardly any other preparation, except that of being roasted or burned. The shipments from Florida are largely on the increase. Many of the companies there are, like the companies in South Carolina, with a large plant invested which they have to utilize in some way, and they are satisfied if they can get in a dollar for everyalollar they put our, and so work on, hoping for better times. Within the last few weeks a new discovery of phosphate beds in the Somme district of France has been made. The locality where this rock has been diseovered has been bought by a strong French firm for the amount stated to be one million francs. The quality of this phosphate is reported to be from 50 to 70 per cent phosphate lime, otherwise similar to the well known phosphate. It is in a powdery form, and has the further ad vantage that the bed of phosphate lis nearer to the Englih Channel, and therefore the freight expenses to the shipping port will be much lower than from the other beds. It may therefore be expected that Somme phosphate will become a stronger competitor in the phosphate market than it has been for the last few years. 'Large deposits have been discovered in Venezuela, and shipments have al ready been made from those mines, which, when tested, show that they are all high grade. How far this will be extended it is now impossible to' say, but it adds one more to the list of newly discovered phosphates 'with which our rock has to compete. Under these conditions I deem it my duty to urge upon the board and the Legislature the question of a reduction in royalty charged by the State. One of the largest and most substantial comnpani-s has absolutely suspended work because it. is impossible to contin ue. The other companies are going on on a very much reduced scale of operatious, and it is simply a question of time when they too will have to suspeud unless there is an imrprove meut iio the phosphate market. The State then wiil be deprived of all its royalty, and not only that, but the in dustry will receive such a black eye that it will be very hard to receive it nUnder these circumstances I do not heitate to express the opinion that the interest of the State will be best subserved by reducing the royatty to 5 cents a ton until such time as the market shall improve and a higher roy alty could be paid. At present it is impossible to predict how long the companies now mining will be able to continue their operation. It would be the wise policy on the part of the State to make this reduction and enable them to continue. It is a matter of great regret that no brighter report can oe made than that which has been submitted, but the facts must be stated as they are, and these are the facts. The depressed condition of the phosphate trade has been known for several years; it seems now to have reached a climax. Torn Limb From Limb. CHARLESTON, Jan.- 2.-William To bias Dubo:,e, a highly respected negro carpenter employed by the Stone Phosphate company, was caught in the machinery in the company's shops this morning and torn limb from limb. There were no witnesses of the horrible traedy. THE SUPREME COURT. A KNOTTY QUESTION RAISED AS TO ITS LEGALITY. Astate Lawyers Pi.ck Flaws in the New Constitution-The Coart Called Upon to Say Whether It is Indeed a Court.-They Will Let it be Known Today. COLmmi, Jan. 3.-When the Su preme Court met yesterday after the h6liday recess they were confronted at the outset with a question that will no doubt puzzle them to decide. The point was raised that the sitting jus tices were not a court at all, and that the State was at present without that necessary part of the government, a court of the last resort. It would be a startling question under ordinary cir cumstances, but an astute lawyer may always be depended upon to find flaws in any legal document, and that they would be raked up when the new con stitution went into effect was expect ed. The question has been discussed in the papers as to whether the pro vision of the constitution which re quires three associate justices instead of two as formerly would not act so as to do away with the court alto gether until the fourth judge was elected. The point was definitely made yesterday morning and the members of the court took a recess in order to come to some conclusion as to "where they were at" in the premises. The case under consideration was that of Middleton and Ravenel vs. Taber and Williams. Mr. P. H. Gads den appeared for the respondents and Mr. T. M. Raysor for the appellants. Mr. Raysor made his argument and Mr. Gadsden replied,|during which he raised the point of the jurisdiction of the court as at present constituted. The court had evidently been apprised of the point to be raised, for Assistant Attorney General Townsend had been sent for and he appeared in the court room to argue for the validity of the court. Besides Mr. Gadsden, Solicitor Jer vey and Mr. J. E. Burke of Charles ton were present and interested in the outcome, as were also Messrs Raysor, Browning and Abial Lathrop of Or angeburg, all of whom had different cases before the court, but each of which would be affected by the result of the decision on the point raised by Mr. Gadsden. Mr. Gadsden, as stated brought out the point in his argument. In raising the question as to the juris diction of the court as at present con stituted, he read the section of the ju dicial article which provides that the Supreme Court shall consist of one chief justice and three associate justi ces. The constitution went into ef fect, he said,fromn and after December 31, and, therefore, the Supreme Court must consist of four members. He contended that three could not be a quorum until the fourth one was elec ted. This then is not the Supreme Court as contemplated by the constitu tion. The members of the court now. may constitute a quorum of the- court as recognized by the terms of the con stitution, but until the fourth member was elected there was no court under the terms of the constitution. He referred to the case where there was a vacancy in the membership of the court occasioned by the death of Chief Justice Simpson, in which in stance the court went right along as if there was no vacancy. He contended that the difference was that the court then had been regularly organized and that the death of the Chief Justice did not break the quorum. In the present case there is no court, but three members of what was the court are authorized to be members of the reorganiz'ed court. He said that the Charleston bar had come to the same cnclusion and he thought no harm could come from delay in view of the importance of the issue. Should two of the members of the court as now constituted agree and the third disa gree when the Legislature had elected the other member he might agree with the dissenting member and the ques tion would then have to be submitted to the court composed of the circuit judges, and great trouble and confui sion might arise from a decision ren dered by the court as at present con stituted. The constitution seems to have provided for the continuance of all causes, and everything else except the court itself. It is provided that all causes criminal and civil shall continue, but not one word is said as to the continuance of the court itself. Mr. Gadsden referred to the fact that there were cases in the city of Charles ton involving large tracts of land,and large amounts of money, the decision in which, if rendered by a court the validity of whose actions was in doubt would work great hardships and pos sible wrong. Mr. Raysor spoke next. He said that he had not intended to bring out the point made by Mr. Gadsden. but since it had been. he -thouwht sthat a decision could be rendereld in this case, as it involved no constitutional questions. He had not given the sub ject any full consideration, but he thought that as long as no constitu tional question was rais'-d the court is roerly organized. Wjien such a question came up he was not prepared to say that the issue should not be tried biy a court as contemplated by the new consti;:ution. Chief Justice Mclver at this point said that the validity of the court be ing in question, the court had called upon the Attorney General to be pres ent as one of the branches of the gov ernent was being assailed. Several of the attorneys present then asked to be heard on the question at issue be fore the Assistant Attorney General reolied. This request was granted and Assistant Attorney General Townsend announced that Solicitor Jervey would speak on his side of the case. Mr. J. E Burke of Charleston then addressed the court and he brought out a thought that had not been men tioned in the general ne wspaper. dis cussion. He held that the constitution requires that the Supreme Court shall be composed of four members, and it also says that where the members are disqualified by reason of relation to any party to the suit, or have been connected with the cause or are other wise prevented from serving, then the Governor shall appoint some one learned in the law to take his place. He took this to mean that if it was necessary for the court to be composed of four members and the fourth mem ber was absent, by reason of his non election or otherwise, that it was the duty of the Governor to appoint some, one to the vacant place.- According to his view of the case either the court has not been legally constituted at present or the Governor must fill the vcancy. Mr. M. T. Browning of Orangeburg was present representing Murphy, the alleged murderer of Treasurer Copes of Orangeburg, who will ask for a ne w trial. Mr. Browning objected to the court hearing the appeal on the ground that the appeal was made to the Su preme Court of South Carolina, and this is not the court as required by the constitution. Questions of constitu tionality will come up in the case, which under the constitution, re quires the concurrence of the entire court. This court might not agree and he felt that his client was entitled to be heard by the full court. It is pro vided that cases before the court under the old constitution must be transfcr red or removed by legal process to courts created by the new constitution. Justice Pope interrupted the speak er here and asked whether it was not an historical fact that Franklin J. Moses, elected chief justice, and Wil lard and Hoge, elected associate justi ces, were not considered the Supreme Court of the State, although Moses hid to. wait several months before he could qualify, until Congress had re moved his political disabilities; yet the two members of the court transacted all business without him and until he did qualify, and no question had been raised as.to the validity of their ac tions? . Mr. Browning sa.d that he thought the Justices' historical infor mation was correct, but that thre was a shade of difference between that case and this. Although Chief Justice Moses could not qualify,still the court we's legally constituted and the two qualified members were a quorum. The absent member was there con structively, if not actively, which is not the case in this instt.nce, as the fourth justice has never been elected. Solicitor Jervey then spoke for the validity of the court as constituted. He read some decisions bearing on the question, and said that the Legisla ture could be aptly used as an illus tration of the principle he wished to bring out. Under the Constitution it was re quired that half of the members should constitue a quorum. Suppose for some reason one or two counties failed to have an election and five or six seats were vacant. Could not a quo rum meet and transact business? It is claimed that this court is not or ganized because one member has not been elected. If a quorum its-present, however, why can't it go on with the business before it? The case Justice Pope cites is analogous to this and shows that what he contends is right. In the case of Sullivan Spice it was decided that two members were the court, even though no successor had been elected to succeed Judge Haskell, who had resigned and no successor to him had been elected. There was no absent judge in this case, but the place was vacant. It seemed to him that the cases were analogous. Here we have three who constitute a auo rum, and a quorum has a right to per form all the duties of a full court. The object of the :onvention was that this court should continue in exist ence. As to the sections in reference to the transferring of causes, he con tended that that section referred to transferring cases from courts as for merly constituted to others entirely new, such as county courts. Even taking the view that this is the old court, it is provided in Section 2, para grapn 3 or the article on miscellane ous matters that until the Legislature provides for a new court, the old re mains the samne in power. Judge Townsend closed the argu ment. He spoke first of the intention of the convention, holding that it was clearly shown by the text that no dis arrangement or disorganization of the courts was contemplated until the Legislature should act. This is shown in the judicial article itself, and refer ence was made by Judge Townsend to the fact that this identical question was brought up by members of the convention in his office, and that a section was especially devised to meet the very issue now raised. He read various sections of the Constitution to prove these facts, showing that espe cial pains were taken to providle that all causes then pending should re main in the courts until decided by law. The judicial article especially has a provision which meets the issue. The question is not the organization of a new court. It is provicded in the Constitution that the functions and personnel of this court shall continue and it is in all respects dec~ared the Supreme Court except that an addi tional member is provided when the Legislature meets. This does not make a new court, but an additional member of the samte court;. Judge Townsend contenaed that there was no conjiict betweens sections 6 and 34. Section 6 referred not to cases that were pending in courts which would still exist, but to courts that were to be newly created. He contended that the whole question was resolved into what was intended by the convention and he held that it was .clear that the Supreme Court as formerly canstituted should continue in effect until other provisions are made. Chief Justice Mclver said that it was a serious ques tion and that the court would tak ; time to consider it. He, th.-,fore, ad journed the court until today, when he said he hoped a decision wovuld be ready. ___ __ Fought a Crowd. WismIxGTox, Jan. 1.-Hor-ace Shep hard, who is said to be a medical stu dent from Staunton, Va., attempted to commit suicide about 10 o'clock last night at the Washington end of the lcng bridge and was later locked u p at Police Station No. 4 on the charge of disorderly conduct. Shephard was suffering from a bad case of alcohol ism and gave several men, who at tempted to subdue him, a stout strug gle. He staggered -along Virginia avenue in the direction of the brioge and by the unsteadiness of his gait at tracted the notice of Special Police man Ruppert, who followed the man, and as the latter began to tear of his coat, accosted him with the question: "What are you about?" "I intend to end myself here and right now." an swered Shephard, almost shrieking the words and waving his arms vio lently. "You can't drown yourself right here while I'm on deck," said Roppert, as he made ready to tackle the man. The pair grappled and sev eral people rushed to the aid af the of ficer, and the irate Virginian proceed ed to do his best to whip the crowd. Several men went down before Shep hard's fury, but he was finally secured and the police called. Shephard weighs about 140 pounds, is about 22 years old and from papers on him it was decided that he either lives at Staunton or has a number of friends there. In police court today Shep hard was fined $15 A LEAP YEAR LEAPED. THE LAST CHANCIEOF THE SPINST ERS FOR EIGHT YEARS. Professor Breazeale of Winthrop Colege States Some Interesting Facts About the History of the Calendar and How the One I Use Came to be Adopted. Rocx HILL, S. C., Dec. 31.-The year 1896 is the last lean year we shall have for eight years. Perhaps it will be of interest to some of the readers of The Register to know the reason of this. I attempt to give them in a con densed form the principal events in the development of our calendar. It must be remembered that even in prehistoric times men were working on it and, that it has not reached its nearly perfect condition until quite recently. Our present mode of reckon ing time was introduced into England in 1752. The natural divisions of timeare the day, the lunar month, and the year, i. e., the time between two successive vernal eq uinoxes. It wil be seen at once how difficult it would be to co ordinate the month and the year when we consider that the month has 29 days 12 hours 44 minutes and 2.68 see onds, and that the year has 365 days, 5 hours 48 minutes and 45 seconds. 'his gives us 12,369 months in a year. Now if we take 12 months we have the year too short by nearly 11 days. The effect of such a count would be to m ke any date, for example New Year bick by aboui eleven days every year, and, consequently, we would have, after the lapse of a fewyears, the first of January coming in midsummer. The Mohammedans have just such a =alendar. Any date with them goes through all the seasons in about thirty two years. Previous to the time of Julius Casar, the Romans used substantially the same system as the Mohammedans now use, the priesthood and magis trates adding days in an irregular manLer so as to keep the months in the proper seasons. Dates got into such hopeless confu sion that Julius Caesar, with the help of the astronomer, Sosigens, saw there was no way out of the confusion but to form a new calendar, and that it was useless to try to make the month a divisor of the year. This new calendar, which was called the Julian, made the year 365 J days. Three years were given 365, while the fourth was given 366 days. This extra day was added by counting twice the sixth day before the calends. or first, of March, hence the name bissextile for. leap er Juus tua his glory by call ing the fifth month, as it was then, "July.". Augustus, his successor, not to be outdone, stole a day from February and added it to the following month, calling the month Augnst. Hismonth had to be as long as Jusius's. Thee~ulian Caltndar, as it is called, was, by far, the best one that had been used. ~ Its fault is that it made the year longer by about 11* min utes than the equinoctial year, which governs the seasons. According ta. this mode of reckoning time, -tiough the displacement of the m6nths as re ferred to the seasons was very slow, yet after a good many centuries it became quite considerable. In 1582 the date of the vernal euinox had fall en back to the 11th of Macinstead of coming on the 21st as it had twelve centuries previous. This error would have gone on increasing, and after a sufiicient lapse of time we would have had Christmas celebrated in summer and the fourth of July in winter. Our days would nave advanced with ref erence to the seasons in the same way as the Mohammedan's back,. except our change would have been very much slower. The difference between the equinoctial year and the one of the Julian calendar in 400 years amounts to 3 days 2 hours and 27 minutes. Pope Gregory XIII, acting under the advice of the astronomer Clavius decreed that the century years, i'ta of being leap year, as under the old system, should be only so when divisi ble by 400. Thus 1600 and2000 are leap years, while 1700, 1800 and 1900 are not. This adjusts the three days of the time mentioned above, and leaves a discrepancy or only 2 hours and 27 minutes for every 400 years. According to this calendar it will take some 4,000 years to throw the seasons and days of the month out as much as one day. Four thousand years from now the vernal equinox, according to this, the Gregorian calendar, wifl have fallen back from the 21st of March to the 20th. Moreover, Gregory. to have the sea sons fall as they had twelve centuries before, ordered the day following0Oc tober 4th. 1582, to be called the 15th instead of the 5th, restoring the ten days that had been lost. - A Catholic countries adopted the Gregorian cal ' ada- once. but England being Pro testaat and Russia being GA/ek, did not. W\ith chiaractersi.c slowness in adoiptiug anything c"ei"n, England ensanced the Jul.- for t'he Gregorian in 1752. By an Act of Pu;liamient, the day fol lo wing Septemb-r 2d was to be called Septemiber 14tL. instead of the 3rd. At the samne titue the year was to be" gia with the tin of January insta f with the tweinty-fifth of March, as it previously ha' the modified cal endar is knowr, in Engiish history sa the No v Se :e, while the old sys temn is called the Old Sty le. Althoug a Parliament was very cau tious to u-ike the eleveu days added work no pri judice to debtors, yet the change cause riot in various parts of England. The people said they were being robbed of eeveu days. All the civilized countries now use the Gregorian calendar with the ex eeptioni of Russia, which still uses the Julian, and, as a consequence, the latter country is twelve days behind the rest of the world. A fter 1900 there will be a difference >f thirteen days between the calen .lar of our c~ountry and of Russia. W. E BaREAZEE.. Jumped the Track. DENvER, Jan. 1.--The railroad race bet ween the Denver newspapers to get their Ne w Year's edition into Cripple 2Greek and Leadville this morning re multed in disaster. The contest was aver two roads, the Midland and the Denver and Rio Grande. The train over the latter road shordiy after 8 o'clock, when within four miles Lead ville, and going very fast, jumped the track on a curve, the engitne crashing into the Malta station and carrying it entirely away. Harry H~artman, the firemani, was instantly killed and John Baker, the engineer, died with in an hour.