Historical Newspapers of South Carolina

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THE JAILERS QUERY. "SIRS, WHAT MUST I DO TO BE SAVED." Rey. Dr. Talanage on the 'onverted Sier if-.A Question of incomparable Impor tance-The Cry of an Agit.ted Soul--A Call to the Unconverted. WASHINGTOX, Dec. 29. -For the closing discourse of the year Rev. Dr. Talmage chose a subject vhich appeals to the unconverted everywhere-viz, "The Philippian Jailer." The text selected was, "Sirs, what must I do to be saved?" Acts:vi. 3W. Incarcerated in a Philippian peniten tiary, a place cold and dark and damp and loathsome and hideous, unillu mined save by the tnrch of the otlicial who comes to see if they are alive yet, are two ministers of Chrst, their feet fast in iustruments of torture. their shoulders dripping from the stroke of leathern thongs, their moui -.s hot with inflammation of thirst, their heads faint because they may not lie down. In a comfortable room of that same building and amid pleasnt surroun ings is a paid oticcr of the govCrn ment whose business it is to sariervise the prison. It is night, and a.' s still in the corridors of the dungeon s ie as some murderer strugges; with a horrid dream, or a-ruaian turns over in his chains, or there is the cough of a dy ing consumptive amid the dampness, but suddenly crash go the walls The t wo clergymen pass out f ree. The jail keep, although familiar with the darkess and the horrors hovering around the dungeon. is startled be yond all bounds, and, flambeau in and, he rushes through amid the fall ing walls, shouting at the top of his voice, "Sirs, what must I do to be saved?" I stand now among those who are asking the same question with more or less earnestness, ar 1 I &ccost you in this crisis of your soul with a message from heavea. There are those in this audience who might be more skillful in argument than I am; there are those here who can dive into deeper depths of science, or have larger knowledge; there are in this audietnee those before whom I would willingly bow as the inferior to the superior, but I yield to no one in this assem blage in a desire to have all the people sad by the power of an omnipotent gospel. I shall proceed to characterize the question of the agitated jaii keeper. And first, I characterize the question as courteous. He might have rushed in and said: . 'Paul and Silas, you vagabonds, are you tearing down this prison? Aren't you satisfied wah dis turnbing the peace of the city by your infamous doctrines? And are you now ging to destroy public property? k with you to your place* you vagabonds!" He said no such thing. The word of four letters. "sirs," equi valent to "lords," recognized the ma ' and the honor of their mission. 'i! If a man with a captious spirit tries to find the way to heaven, he will missit. If aman comes out and pro noup-ses all Christians as hypocrites, and te religion of Jesus Christ as a fraud, and asks irritating questions about the mysterious and the inscrut able, saying, "Come, my wise man, explain this and exulain that; if this be true, how can that be true?" no such man finds the way to heaven. The question of the text was decent, courteous, gentlemanly, deferential. Sirs! Again, I characterize this question of the agitated jail keeper by saying that it was apractical question. He did not ask why God let sin come into the world, he did not ask how Christ ou4be God and man in the same ntask the doctrine of the decrees exii-~e or want to know whom Cain marid' what was the cause of the earthquake. His present and everlasting welfare was involved in the question, and was not that practical? But I know multitudes of people who are bothering themselves about the nonessentials of religion. What would you think of a man who should, while discunsing the question of the light and heat of the sun, spend his time diown in a coal cellar when he might come out and seethe one and feel the other? Yet there are multi tudes of men who, in discussing the chemistry of the gospel, spend their time down in the dungeon of their un belief when God all the while stands telinfgthem to come out into the noon day light and. warmth of the sun of righteousness. The question for you my brother, to discuss is not whether Calvin or Arminius was right, not whether a handful of water in holy baptism or a baptistery is the better, not whether foreordination and free agency can be harmonized. The prac tical question for you to discuss and for me to discuss is, "Where will I spend eternity?" Again, I characterize this question of the agitated jail keeper as one per sonal to himself. I have no doubt he hadmany friends, and he was inter ese nteir welfare. I have no doubt he found that there were persons in that prison who, if the earthquake had destroyed them, would have found their case desperate. He is not ques tioning about them. The whole weight of his question turns on the pronoun "I." "What shall I do?" Of course. when a ma becomes a Christian, 'he immediately becomes anxious for the salvation of other peple, but until tat point is reacne the most imnpor ~ant-question is-about your own salva tion. ~What is to be my destiny ?" "What are my prospects for the "fu ture?" "Where am I going?" "What shall I do?" The trouble is we shutile the responsibility oft upon others. We prophesy a bad end to that inebri ate and terrific exposume to that defaul ter and awful catastrophe to that proii gate. We are so busy in weighing other people we forget ourselves to get into the scales. We are so busy watch ing the poor gardens of other people that we let our own dooryard go to weeds. We are so busy sending off other people into the life boat we sink in the wave. We cry "Fire :" because our neighbor's house is burning down and seem to be uninterested, although our own house is in the conflagration. o wondering thoughts, disappear to day.- Blot out this entire audience ex cept yourself. Your sin, isit pardoned? Your death, is it proviped for? Your heaven, is it secured ? A mightier earthquaketdanthatwhich demohhe the Phiilippiin penitentiary will rum ble about your ears. The foundations of the earth will give away. The eart by one tremor will fling all the American cities into the dust. Cathe drals and palaces and prisons which have stood for thousands of years will topple like a child's blockhouse. The surges of the sea will submerge the land, and the Atlantic and Pacific oc cans above the Alps and the Andes leap their hands. What then will be come of me? What then will become of you? I do not wonder at the anxie ty of this man of my text, for he was not only anxious about the falling of the prison, but the falling of a world. Again, I remark, I c-haracterize this question of the agitated jail keeper as one of incomparable importance. Men are alike, and 1 suppose he had scores of questions on his mind, but all ques tions for this world arc hushed up, forgottn annihilated in this one -"What :rI st I o -o bewd: And have Vol. my r ay ution of importance compared with, ist question? Is it ques tion of business: Your common sense tells -ou thatou will soone ease world lv businCss. You know very well that vou wiil soon pass out of that partnerr ship. You know that beyond a cer tain point of all the millioas of dol lars' worth of goods sold you will not handle a vard of cloth, or a pound of sugar, or a penny's worth. After that, in a conflagratic:a should sweep all Washington into _she-s, it would not touch you and wor Id not dawmage you. If every cashier!, i-uld abscond, and every bank suspenicd payment, and every insiance company fail. it would not affect you. Oh, how insig nigcant is business 1is side the grave with business on the. other side the grave: Have you made any purchases for eternity? Have you any securities that will last forever? Are you yob0 inz for time when you might be whole saling for eternity ' Is there any Pes tion so broad at the base. so altitudi nous, so overshadowing as the ques tion. "What must I do to be saved?" Or isit a dometi. question Is it something about father or mother or husband or wife or son or daughter that is the more important question? You know by universal and inexora ble law that relation will soon be broken up. Father will be gone, mother will be gone, children will be gone, you will b( gone, but after that the question of the text will begin to harvest its chief gains, or deplore its worst losses, or roll no its mightiesft magnitudes or sweep its vaster circles. Oh, what a question-what an im portant question: Is there any ques tion that compares with it in impor tance? What is it now to Napoleon III whether he tr-iu'nphed or surrend ered at Sedan. whether he died at the Tulkries or Chiselhurst, whethar he was eneror or exile? Because he was laid out in the coflin in the dress of a field marshal did that give him any better chance for the future than if he had been laid out in a plain shroud? What difference will it soon make to vcu or to me whether in this world we walked or rode, whether we were bowed to or maltreated, whether we were applauded or hissed at, wel comed in or kicked out? While lay ing hold of every moment of the fu ture and burning in every splendor or every grief and overarching or under girding all time and all eternity will be the plain, startling, infinite, stu pendous qnestion of the text, "What must I do to be saved?" Again, I characterize this question of the agitated jail keeper as one crushed out by his misfortunes, pressed out by his tilisfortunes. The falling of the penitentiary, his occupation was gone: Besides that the fight of a prisoner was ordinarily the death of the jailer. He Was held responsible. If all nad gone well; if the prison walls had not een shaken of the earthquake; if the prisoners had all staid quiet in the stocks; if the morning sunlight had calmly dropped on the jailer's pillow, do you think he would have hurled this redhot Question from his soul into the ear of his apostolic prisoners? Ah, no: Youknow as well as I do it was the earthquake that aroused him up. And it is trouble that starts a great many people to asking the same ques tion. It has been so with a multitude of you. Your apparel is not as bright as it once was. Why have you changed the garb? Do you not like solferinto and crimson and purple as well as once? Yes, but you say: "While I was prospered and happy these colors were accordant with my feelings. Now they would be discord to my soul." And so you have plait ed up the shadows into your apparel. The world is a very different place from what it was once for you! Once you said, "Oh, if I could only have it quiet a'little while !" It is too quiet. Some neople say that they would not bring back their departed friends from heaven even if they had the op portunity, but if you had the opportu nity you would bring back your loved ons, ond soon their feet would be sounding in the hall, and soon their voices would be heard in the family, and the old times would come back just as the festal days of Christmas and Thanksgiving-daysgone forever. "Oh, it is the earthquake that start led you to asking this question-the earthquake'of domestic misfortune. Death is so cruel, so devouring, so relentless, that when it swallows up our loved ones we must have some one to whom we can carry our torn and bleeding hearts. We need a bal sam better than anything that ever exuded from earthly tree to heal the pang of the soul. It is pleasant to have our friends gather around us and tell us how sorry they are and try to break up the loneliness, but nothing but the hand of Jesus Christ can take the bruised souland put itin his bosom, hushing it with the lullaby of heaven. O brother: 0 sister: The gravestone will never be lifted from your heart until Christ lifts it. Was it not the loss of your friends, or the persecution of your enemies, or the overthrow of your worldly estate-was it not an earthquake t'hat started you out to ask this stupendous question of my text? But I remark again, I characterize this question of the ag'itated jail keeper as hasty urgent and" immediate. He put it on the run. By the light of his torch as he goes to look for the apos tes behold his face, see the startled look and see the earnestness. No one can doubt by that look that the man is in earnest. He must have that question answered before the earth stops rocking, or perhaps he will ncr er have it answered at all. Is that the way my brother, my sister, you are putting this question? Is it on the run Is it hasty Is it urgent ? Is it immediate? If it is not, it will never be answered. That is the only kind of question that is answered. It is the urgent and the immediate question of the gospel Christ answers. A great many are asking this question, but they drawvl it out, and there is indif ference in their manner as if they do not mean it. Make it an urgent ques tion, and then you will have it an swered before an hour passes, before a minute passes. When a man with all the ear-nestness of his soul cries out for God, he finds him right away. Oh, are there not in this house to day those who are postponing until the last hour of living the attending to the things of the soul? I give it as my opni'on that ninety-nine out of the hundred deathbed repentances amount to nothing. Of all the sc-ores of persons m'ntioned as dying in the Bible, of how many do you read that they successfully repented in the last hour? Of:>0? No. Of 40?. No. Of 30? No. Of 20: No. Of 10: No. Of 5? No. Of 1-only 1, barely 1, as if to demonstrate the fact that there is a bare possibility of repenting in the last hour. But that is improbable, awfully improbable, terrifically im probable. One hundred to one against the man, If, my brother, my sister, y ou have not seen a man try to repent m Ithe L.ist hour, you have seen some Ithing ver-y saai. ~I do not know aay thing on earth so sad as to see a man te to repent on a deathbed. There is not from the moment that life begins to -'o'athe in infancy to the last gasp such an unfavorable, completely un favorabl!e, hour for repentance as the death hour, the last hour. There are the doctors standing with the medi cines. There is the lawyer standing wit te alfwrttn ill Ter i th3 family in ersternation as to what is to beom)ie of them. All the bells of eternity ringing the soul out of the body. All the past rising be fore us and all the future. (h, that man is an infinite fool who procrasti nates to the deathbed his repentance: Myv text does not answer the ques tion. It only asks it, with deep and importunate earnestness asks it, and, according to the rules of ser.nonizing, vou would say. "Adjourn that to some other time." But I dare not. What are the rules of sermonizing to me when I am after souls. What other time could I have when perhaps this is the only time This might be my last time for preaching. This might be your last time for hearing. After my friend in Philadelphia died his children gave his church Bible to me, and I read it; looked over it with much interest. I saw in the margin written in lead pencil, "Mr. Talmage said this morning that - the most useless thing in all God's universe is that any sinner should perish." I did not remember saying it, but it is true, and I say it now, whether I said it then or not. The most useless thing in all God's universe is that any sin ner should perish. Twelve gates wide open. Have you not heard how Christ bore our sorrows and how sympathet ic he is with all our woes? Have you not heard how that with all the sor rows of heart and all the agonies of hell upon him he cried: "Father for give them. They k-now not what they do." Ik- his feet blistered of the mountain way, by his back whipped until the skiu came off, by his death couch of four spikes, two for the hands and two for the feet. by his sepulcher, in which for the first time for 33 years the cruel world let him alone, and by the heavens from which he now bends in compassion, offering pardon and peace and li F eternal to all your souls, I beg of you put down your all at his feet. I !.aw one hanging .n a tree In agony ana b.od, Who fixed his languld eyes on me As near the cross I stood. Oh n'ver till my last breath Will I forget thA look. It seemed to charge m 4 with his death, Though not a word I spoke. In the troubled times of Scotland Sir John Cochrane was condemned to death by the king. The death war rant was on the way. Sir John Coch rane was bidding farewell to his daug-h ter Grizel at the prison door. 'He said: "Farewell, my darling child. I must die." His daughter said, "No. father, you shall. not die." "But," he said, "the king is againt me, and the law is after me, and the death warrant is on its way, and I must die. Do not deceive yourself, my dear child." The daughter said, "Father, you shall not die," as she left the pri son gate. At night, on the moors of Scotland, a disguised wayfarer stood waiting for the horseman carrying the mailbags containing the death warrant. The disguised wayfarer, as the horse came by, clutched the bridle and shquted to the rider-to the man who carried the mailbags "Dismount!" He felt for his arms and was about to shoot, but the wayfarer jerked him from his saddla, and he fell flat. The wayfarer picked up the mailbags, put them on his shoulder and vanished in the darkness, and 14 days were thus gained for the prisoner's life, during which the father confessor was plead ing for the pardon of Sir John Coch ran. The second time the death warrant is on its way. The disguised wayfarer comes along and asks for a little bread and a little wine, starts on across the moors, and they say: "Poor man, to have to go out on such a stormy night. It is dark,- and you will lose yourself on the moors." "On no," he says, "I will not!" He trudged on and stop ped amid the brambles and waited for the horseman to come carrying the mailbags carrying the mailbags con taining the death warrant of Sir John Cochrane. The mail carrier spurred on his steed, for he was fearful because of what had occurred on the former journey, spurred on his steed, when suddenly through the storm and through the darkness there was a flash of firearms, and the horse becam3 un manageable, and as the mail carrier discharged his pistol in response the horse flung him, and the disguised wayfarer put his foot on the breast of the overthrown rider and said, "Sur render now:"' The mail carrier sur rendered his arms, and the disguised wayfarer put upon his shoulders the mailbags, leaped upon the horse and sped away into the darkness, gaining 14 more days for the poor prisoner, Sir John Cochrane, and before the 14 days had expired pardon had come from the king. The door of the pri son swung open, and Sir John Coch rane was free. One day when he was standing amid his friends, they con gratulating him, the disguised way farer appeared at the gate and he said, "Admit him right away." The disguised wayfarer came in and said: "here are two letters. Read them, sir, and cast them into the fire. Then said Sir John Cochrane: "To whom am I indebted? Who is this poor wayfarer that saved my life? Who is it?" And the wayfarer pulled aside and mulled off the jerkin and cloak and the hat, and, lo, it was Gri zel, the daughter of Sir Jonrn Cczh rane. "Gracious heaven," he cried, "my child, my savior, my own.Gri zel!"' But a more thrilling story. The death warrant had come forth from the King of heaven and earth. The death warrant read, "The soul that sinneth, it shall die." The death war rant coming on the black horse of eternal night. NVe must die. We must die. But breasting the storm and putting out through the darkness was a disguised was a disguised way farer who gripped by the bridle the oncoming doom and flung it back and put his wounded and bleeding foot on the overthrown rider. Meanwhile pardon flashed from the throne, and, Go free! Open the gate ! Strike off the chain! Go free ! And today your liber ated soul stands in the presence of the disguised wayfarer, and as he pulls off the disguise of his earthly humiliation and the disguise of his thorns, and the disguise of the seamless robe, you find he is bone of your bone, flesh of your flesh, your Brother, your Christ, your pardon, your eternal life. Let all earth and heaven break forth in vo ciferation. Victory through our Lord Jesus Christ: A guilty, week ant helpless worm, On thy kind arm I'cLL. Be thou my strenath and righteousness, My Jesus and my all. On Murder Beut. IATLANTA. Jan. 2.-TwentV half starved, freezing savages, brandishing clubs and heavy iron poles, made a deperate attempt to kill a concession aire on the Exposition Midway today. The mob was composed of the war riors of the Dahomaey Village, and the man whom they wanted to assault was X . Pene, who brought them here from their far-off island. Since the close of the Exuosition the warriors say they have ~not had anything to eat, and were met with the statement from Pene that he had no money with which to supply themu. Pene has appealed to the Belgian Consul here for aid. He says he is under a bond of $35,000 to return the Dahomeyans to their home, but he has no money to take them back nor buy them food. He says he has lost money in both San F,.ancisc and Atlanta. WEB STER REPU VLICANM. THE STATE COMMITTEE MEETS AND ISSUES AN ADDRESS. Some Hard Thing-, Said About the Other Factiou--The Date For the State Con vention Fixed-Other Matters Acted Upon. COLUMBI, S. C..Jan. 3.--The Web ster wing of the Republican party in South Carolina has begun to move again. They deny emphatically that the Brayton faction has been recog nized by the Lational committee, and produce a letter from the national committee's chairman to that effect. According to the speeches made yes terday afternoon, there is no other faction of the panty in the State. The State executive committee of the Webster faction, better known as the old line Republicans, met in this city yesterday at noon at the Stenhouse hall, and the sessions were held with open doors. There was a full attend ance of the committee, the following being present: E. A. Webster, chair man: Robert Smalls, vice chairman, E. H. Deas, R. C. Brown, George A. Reed, E. J Dickerson, P. Simpkins, W. S. Dixon, J. E. Wilson, W. W. Ram sey, Jr., R. E. Williams, A. R. Tal bert, W. J. Thomas, B. F. Means, R. F. Goldsmith, C. J. Pride, W. E. Boykin, R. A. Stewart, Louis Jacobs, Dr. Ensor. Thos. E. Miller, T. B. Johnson, Abial Lathrop and J. H. Fordham, secretary. When the committee met and or ganized several committees were ap pointed on different matters, and th e a recess was taken until 3 p. m. When the committee reassembled at that hour, there were several specta tors present, among them being Whipper and S. E. Smith, the latter a a member of the Brayton-Melton fac tion. The following report was presented and adopted: The committee on fixing the time of the holding of the State convention beg leave to report that they recom mend the first Tuesday in April, 1896, as the day on which said convention will be held. Respectfully submitted, W. W Ramsey, Chairman for Committee. The following report was also pre sented and adopted: That in case of vacancy in the posi tion of county chairman or failure of any county chairman to act in har mony with the regular organization of the State, the chairman of the State executive committee is authorized to appoint a county chairman on the re commendation of the Republicans of said county until the holding of a county convention when the same shall tie filled by an election. Respectfully, E. H. Deas, Chairman. The following preamble and resolu tions were also adopted: Whereas, under the call of this com mittee. Beaufort and Georgetown elected six Republicans delegates to the late Constitutional convention, and Whereas, these six delegates did no ble service for the people and party by their brave, wise and patriotic defense of the rights of the people on the floor of said convention- therefore be it Resolved, That this committee ten der their thanks and appreciation to these six delegates and commend their course to the appreciation and recog nition of the Republicans of the State. Resolutions were adopted on the death of Fred Nix, Jr. MILLER SPEAKS. Thomas E. Miller took the floor and made a vigorous speech in regard to the factional differences among the Republicans in this Siate and the claim o the other faction that it had secured recognition from the national com mittee. He reviewed the history of the other faction and charged Bray ton and Melton with treason. He said they were strutting around with an organization on paper in their pockets. That was all they had. He referred to Brayton and Melton as the bloated and boastful leaders of the alleged Re publican party, trying to traduce the only old party. S. E. Smith interrupted him and asked to be allowed to answer him. General Smalls remarked if there were visitors there who couldn't be have themselves, he for one was in fa vor of putting them out.. He would serve on a committee of ejectment. Deas wanted the privilege of putting Smith out, remarking that he had the Dleasure in Chicago once before. ~The trouble blew over and Miller continued, saying that the Republican administration would be preserved in tact. He said he was only there plead ing for the unification of the organiza tion. He did not intend to pitch his remarks on a plane of personality. Some of these men who were trying to split up the party were members of the committee. He hoped that this internal strife would cease; that these members would come back to their standard. He did not wish to apply the cold steel that should be given all traitors. sMALLS GIVES A ROAST. Gen Smalls then rose to give a state ment of facts about that alleged re cognition the Brayton-Melton people claimed to have obtained in Washing ton. He had been in Washington at the time. He said that frequently when a lie was so often told people began to realize that it was a lie. It was so in regard to this matter. He, Webster and Miller were in Washing ton at the time. They heard a report that somebody had been recognized as the representative of the Republi can party in South Carolina. They called on Mr. Thackston and he had told them that the committee had done nothing of the kind; that the matter hadn't come up at all. They went to the senate chamber and called on Chairman Carter, and he told them the same thing, and added that the committee had no right to act on the matter. He went on to give other de tails, and then asked the secretary to read the following letter, which had been received from the National chair man, wvhich he said was conclusive: U. S. Senate Chamber, W~ashington, D. C., Dec. 29, 1895. Mr. L. F. Goldsmith, County Chair man, Greenviile, S. C. Dear Sir-In reply to your esteemed favor of the 27th, 1I beg leave to ini form you that the matter of the chair manship or organization of the Re publican party in South Carolina was not presented to the National commit tee and no action was taken by the committe with reference to their chair manship or any other subjbet relating to the political organization of ybour State. Yours, very truly, T. HI. Carter, chairman. The reading of this letter was ap pauded. Gen. Smalls, continuing, said that this was conclusive. Hie then said thait the Republicans had to unite. They had a dishonest Consti tution to fight, a Constitution that took away the rtghts of 58,000 people of the State; a Constitution that exempted Confederate soldiers from 10 years payment of poll tax as a bounty for treason, requiring Union soldiers to pay. He had stopped paying poll tax six years ago, but now had to begin paying again and continue doing so for four years more. THE ADDRESS. lowing address to the people of the State, after several more speeches had been made: Headqu arter inion Republican Par tv of Stuth Carolina. Colinnbia. S. C . Jan. 2, 1896. We the executive committee of the Union Republican party of South Car olina samd greetings to our party of the Naion and our fellow Republicans of south Carolina. First. We congratulate this Nation on the splendid victories achieved at the ballot box in November last. Second. We congratulate the Nation in having overthrown the Democratic party, the old enemy of all that is progressive and useful, in the States of North Carolina, Maryland, Ken tucky and West Virginia, and thereby breaking the "Solid South," which had been heretofore cemented by the ballot box. We congratulate the Nation upon having restored to the leadership of our party in the lower house of con gress that matchless and patriotic statesman, Hon. Thomas B. Reed, of 31aine. We pledge our faith to the princi ples of the party of Lincoln, Summer and Grant, and renew our pledge to the principles laid down in the plat form of the Republican party at the national convention or 1S92. In the last general election we made a strong fight for the election of Re publican congressmen in six of the seven districts in the state, but under the operation of the infamous registra tion law, thousands of Republicans were illegally prevented from voting. Under in structions of this com mittee the rejection of these voters, through this infamous and unconstitutional registration law was made the basis of contests in four of the districts of the state. The Republican contestants in the first, third, sixth and seventh districts are on every ground of justice and equity entitled to their seats. The seating of these contestants would strengthen and encourage the Republican party of South Carolina and be but tardy justice to those, who under ditliculties and discouragements, which cannot be fully appreciated by our friends in the north, have endeav ored to hold up the banner of Repub licanism in South Carolina. A new condition is now upon us. New necessities now arise. New laws are now in force. New lessons riust now be learnea. Wickedly and frau dulently as was this new constitution thrust upon the people of the state, still more wickedly and fraudulently is it the purpose of the promoters of this scheme to enforce it. To enforce it not with the view of preserving white supremacy, as is falsely proclaimed. but with the purpose of stifling the will of the people.in the exercise of the functions of citizenship; the selec tion of their public servants, 'to .pre serve the close corporation which now parcels out the offices in the state, and perpetuate themselves in power and place. Election laws have been enacted which open the way to fraud and per jury and placed more securely in the wheel of elective franchise those clogs which formerly caused clanking and delay, but which are now designed to impede, hinder and destroy. Soon the books of r-gistration will be open in every county in the state, and every citizen of age and upwards must register, and those who have been registered must be registered in order to vote hereafter in the public elections in this state, whether Fed eral, state or municipal We urge upon every citizen the importance of possessing ~himself with a copy of the new constitution and carefully study ing it in order to k-now the new require ments and meet them. We urge upon every citizen a peacea ble but firm resistance to every en craochment upon his rights of citizen ship, whether it comes from those in high places or those in low places, for indeed there is no one in this govern ment higher than the citizen, and no right higher than the rights of citizen ship. Do not allow yourselves to ne .dis cour-aged by delays and annoyances, but go to the places of registra ion and peacably and patiently wait, but per sistently and manfully demand your certifioate, and exhaust all lawful means to get it; and each and every citizen who now has a registration certificate is advised and admonished bythis committee of the Union Re publican party to preserve and retain said certificate of registration and per mit no person or persons, under any provocation, or any cause, to take away or destroy said certificate of reg istration.- Let every citizen keep his certificate by all :means, for there is no law to comple himto surrender his old certificate to any person or persons in the State of Souta Carolina. Under the Constitution recently ad opted, it is intended that the legisla ture shall pass laws providing for a ne w registration in each county of the State. After the legislature shall have passed the new registration laws for the State, your committee will issue another address to each :and every county chairms.n of the Union Re pulican party of the State, directing the voters howv they shall act and what must be done by each and everyone of them to secure their certificates of reg istration and their right to vote. We call the attention of the people of the nation to the gross violation of the spirit and letter of the Constitution of the United States by the late Con stitutional convention of South Car olina by it acts of discrimination against the citizens of the State in rela tion to their righats to vote in the pub lic election of the State and that in this new Constitution all male citizens, in cluding Union soldiers, are required Ito pay a poltax till he is.630 years old, wile a Confederate soldier is exempt from paying poll tax when he arrives at the age of 50J IThe platform of the Union Republi can party and its principles are broad enough for all patriotic citizens to stand on. and we earnestly invite all citizens. i.hatever may have been their psafiitions .to unite with us in advacingtheprinciples and in wrest ing the administration of the State government from the control of the Democratce party and in placing this State in the Republican column in the approching President election. tSigned) E. A. Webster. Chairman, Thomas E. Miller, E. J. Dickerson. George A. Reed. P. Simnpkins, Rt. F. Means. A. C. Merrick. THlE months may speed as they will. The ciays may come and go like light ning 11ashes. Age may creep on apace and vouth hasten to middle life - No vmber blasts may chill and December snows cover the sod like a shroud. It matters little. There will be other years in ether climes, and the work ve leave un~finished will be brought to completion when the .grass has grown on car igraves. So manyv sheritifs in the West and South have added blood-hounds to their force of criminal trackers that the price of the animals are increasing, and the raising of them is becoming a business, notably, perhaps, in Ken tcky. One hundred dollars is an av erage price for a good bloodhound THE COM11I1SONERS. CLEVELANO APPOINTS FIVE MEN TO JUDGE ENGLANDS CLAIMS. 'heir PulAic Service and High Positions 31ust Coimmand Contidence at Home and Respect Abroad--Thrce Republicans. Two Democrat. WASH1INGTuo, Jan. 1.-The. Presi dent tonight announced the composi tion of the Venezuelan commission, which will consist of five members as follows: David J. Brewer, of Kansas, Associate Justice of the Supreme Court of the United States: Richard H. Alvey of Maryland. chief justice of the court of appeals for the District of Columbia; Andrew D. White of New York: Fredeirck R. Coudert of New York; Daniel C. Gilman of Maryland, president of the John Hopkins uni versity. Judge Brewer, the leading member of the commission was born in Smyr na, Asia Minor, 1837. his father at that time being one of the American mis sionaries in that part of the world. He is graduate of Yale and a nephew of David Dudley Field, in whose office in New York city Brewer was a law stud-, t. In the year 1858, Judge Brewer removed from New York city to the West where he engaged in the practice of his profession in 'Kansas City, Mo., and afterwards in Leaven worth, Kan. He has also occupied various important positions, including those of judge of the first Federal court of the State of Kansas, and from 1870 until :881, filled the office of judge of the Kansas supreme court. Judge Brewer has also taken great in terest in educational affairs and was at one time president of the Kansas board of education. In politics he has been a Republican. He was appointed as sistant justice of the Supreme Court of the United States for the eighth cir cuit by President Harrison in 1889. Daniel C. Gilman is distinguished as an educator. He is a graduate of Yale college and has been an exten sive traveler in Europe, where he gave o-reat attention to the several political and educational conditions of various countries. In 1875 he was elected the first president of the Johns Hopkins university in Baltimore. Among the many works that he has written is a memoir of James Monroe, which was prepared for "The American States men." His fame as a scientist and his torian is world wide. Mr. Gilman is said not to be affiliated with any polit ical party, but his tendencies are in clined to the Republican organization. He is a native of Connecticut and is in his 65th year. Andrew Dickson White of New York is also distinguished as an educa tor. He is a native of New York, hav ing been born at Homer in that State in November, 1832. He is of New England parentage and a graduate of Yale uiversity. He was president of the Republican State convention in Ne w York in October, 1861, and was United States Minister to Germany from 1879 till ISS1. Mr. White was also one of the United States commis sioners to Santo Domingo and aided in preparing the report of that com mision. Judge Richard Henry Alvey is a native of Maryland. Be was on the judiciary committee of the constitu tional convention of 1867 and was eected chief judge of the Fourth cir cuit under the new. constitution, and was re-ele'cted in 1882. He was desig nated by Governcr Hamilton as chief justice of the court of appeals of Mary land to succeed Judge Bartol. This place he resigned to accept the office of chief justice of the federal court of appeals in the District of Columbia. This court had just been created by act of congress, an d President Cleve land strongly urged Judge Alvey to take the place of chief judge and or gaize the new court. Upon the death of Chidf Justice Waite, during Mr. Clev'eland's first term, some of the jdstices of the su preme court who had been impresse d with the opinions delivered. by Judge Alvey on-the appellate bench of Mary land, urged the President to appoint him chief justice of the United States. This the President was disposed to do, but, it is understood, was deterred by by the fact, so it has been said, that Judge Alvey is a southern man, and it was feared that for that position to go to the south might create animosi ties. Frederick R. Coudert of New York is a lawyer of great eminence and high character. He is a Democrat. President Cleveland has not yet no tified the appointnes of the Venezuelan commission of their selection, but he has the assurance.e from each that they would accept the high offices if ten dered to them, It is stated that-be ause Mr. Justice Brewer's name ap pears first on the official list, given out tonight, it does not necessarily mean that that gentleman will be chairman of the commission. The se lection of the presiding officer will be left to the commission itself when an organization is effected. It is the President's intention to have the com mission meet as soon as possible, but information received tonight is that he has not yet decided when to call the primary meeting. Mr. White was for a 'orief period under Mr. Harrison's administration, the American minister to St. Peters burg. Frederick R. Coudert is the head of the law firm of Coudert Bros., of Ne w York city. He has a world-wide rep utation as an advocate and an author itv on international law. He served with distinction on the Bering sea com mission and was complimented by the p resident of the French republic for is speech before the commission and was entertained at the palace. Mr. Coudert was president of the Manhat tan club for several years and is now a member of nearly a dozen promi nent clubs. He is a Democrat and is classed as anti-Tammany. He pre sided at a mass meeting at Cooper Un on called to oppose Tammany in 1894. He is a brilliant orator and a shrewd advocate. He- has been one of the leaders of the New York bar for many years and has been engaged in many famous cases. His firm administers the affairs of many French estates an~d investors in this country. Comning Around. Lomios, Jan. 1.- The Chronicle will tomnorro w publish an article say ing that it has learned on the highest authority that Earl Granville in 1S85 rirtually concluded with President Blanco a treaty containing an arbitra tion clause covering the Venezuelan international boundary dispute. The Marquis of Salisbury. however, on coming inito power later in the same year virtully cancelled this clause by imiting the provisions of the treaty to cormm ercial questions. Nothing conu.t be more unfortunate, sav. The Chronicle, inasmuch as th~e boundany dispute was on the eve of a permanent settlement. The Chronicle adds that it is convinced by careful research that there is debatable land both north and south of the Schoburgk line and that it would ber a grave error to imagine that a rigid insistence on the Schoi~burgk line and a declaration that there is no ground for arbitration constitute the essence of te Endleh case. MANY L!VES CRU3HEDOU . 4u)s 1,wn up y) Exploion of St.am and Powler. ST L >Wis, J i. 2.--J a'. 1: o'e ,ck this aPerrnoon. a seria- of terr i: x plosionis !ai ~Waste in th e ity of Secori aud Vire ste-!S, W111r ' in :uses and allitd trades am- nl euCi. Just after the clock st-u:ck a boiler in George F. . Merritze's prir t i1g oiliet, basement of No 308 North Third :,trett, just across the alley from the storage an dcommission hou.e of H. B. 3rubb. exploded. In th-- ~ar of the Grubb establishment a large quantity of fireworks was stored and a second 'x plosion ocrurred, followed imme&iately by a third that lifted tie Grubb establishment and dropped it in a mass of wreckage. The explosion caused general consternation and ev ery window for three blocks away was broken. A large plate glapn w:n dow in the Merchants' exchange four blocks away was shattered and the traders stampeded. Up to 6 o'clock tonight five bodies have been recover ed; four persons are missing as far as reported to the police and the list of injured numbers 19. In addition to the list of injured given several others were hurt. Following is the roll: The Dead-Joseph Kovarick, boy, employed by Levison & Blythe; Frank Niehaus, boy, employed by Levison & Blythe; Charles Claybrook, colored, porter for Anchor Peanut company. Two corpse taken from the basement of the Excelsior Wire company. . The missing-Chris Carger, shipp ing clerk Excelsior Wire company: Thos Ley, shipping clerk Excelsior Wire company; Al Mellier, employee Excelsior company; Chas. Ericson, employee Excelsior company. The injured-Albert Steinmeyer, nrobibly fatally; Will Brondiweder, Christ, Christ. Kraft, Horace Diort and John Corcoran, Edgar Vance, Ben Taylor, Jos. Brandewide, Will iam Cougleshaw, Hugh Alien. Joe Corcoran, Albert Shneitz, Henry Staci, Richard Cougleshaw, John Carter, Joe Barker and Chas. Amos. The full list of all employees of the four firms is not obtainable, and prob ablv the list of dead will be increased when the ruins are overhauled. E. P. Lass, proprietor of the Excelsior Wire company says he is quite sure five of his employes did not escape from the building. TieH. B. Grubb company occupied the ,ground floor of 309 North 'Second street and the Anchor company the second and third floors. Adjoining the wrecked building on the south is the Levison & Blythe printing com pany, where most of the injured were employed. The north walls and two floc.rs went down. On the north is the Zxcelsior Wire company's build ing, also partly wrecked. Within a half a minute, three buildings were wrapped in flames. The police have made as complete a car.vass as possible tonight of the city to ascertain the number of the miss ing. and the result is disheartening. The list has grown to 19, though it is ho:ed some of these are temporarily housed with friends. At 7 o'clock the body of Albert Mellier, aged 18, was taken from the cellar of the Excelsior works building. It was partly burn ed. As late as 8 o'clock, groans were heard in the wreck and the police had difficulty in restraining the anxious relatives of the missing. The city dispensary was turned into a hospital and fully 30 slightly injured people, besides the list given, were treated there. There are four bodies at the morgue, one not yet identified. The scene of the wreck is the centre* of anxijous inquiry from the kindred of the missing ones. They stand in the cold and watch with tearful eyes, the work of the wreckers. Litttle work can be done to night, but it will be cntinued until the debris is thorough y searched. It is believed that many k'ildings in the vicinity have been renaiered unsafe and a cessation of business about the wreck will be had until thorough inspection is made. So'-ne of the escapes from death were miraculous. James Kennedy, a print e. perched for 20 minutes on the frame of a third story window, which fell just as the ladder- men reached him. John Marlowe was on the street in front of the Garubb building and was hurled across the street against a horse that had been killed against the opposite wall. James Coulashaw, one of the injured, was found under the debris with a heavy beam supporting the wreckage above him. A heavy telegraph pole fell across an express wagon and killed the horse. John Cassey, the drive, escaped uninjured. These stories of escape from death are almost innumerable. -Six Burened to Death. CoarBs, Jan. 2.-Six-deaths are the result of-a mysterious fire that oc curred at 4:30 o'clock this morning at the residence of John H. Hibbard. at 398 east Long street. The dead are: John H. Hibbard, Mrs. John H. Hib bard, Mrs. Chat. Lee. aged 22. Barnes ie. Ohio; Miss Fay Hibbard, 19 years of age, Barnesville, 0.; Dcrothy iibbard, aged 3 years, and Allen Hib bard. 5 years of age. Mrs. Lee and Miss Hibbai d of Barnesville are sisters of Mr. Hibbard and werespending the holidays with their brother. Dorothy and Allen Hibbard are children of John H. Hibbard. Besides these un fortunate people there were in the houre at the time, Annie Bell a colored servant, and four other children of the Hibbard family, viz: Webster, Walter, John and Hinton, whose ages ranged from S to 4 years. They all escaped by jumping from a second story window. Annie Bell sutfered a fracture of one ankle and walter Hib bard sprained one of his ankles. The others were not injured. The house was a large modern frame, t ::o stories and an attic in height and was heated with natural gas by means of a f urn ace. The fire resulted from an explo sion of natural gas, though the facts as to the origin may never be known. The house is not badly burned, but the interior wood work is all badly scorched. Probably the gas in the furnace which was turned low, tlice ered out and then the whole house was filled with gas. When the air was suiciently charged with it it was iz nited from a burning gas jet. Ther-e does not seem to have been much ex plosive force, however, as the walls are not shattered in the least. SEsATOR Ben Tillman declared that var would mean :3 cent cotton and izreater distress for South Carolina. The Augusta Chronicle says Ben may have left his pitch fork. but he carried his head with him. T-: Augusta Chronicle says "when a nation's finances are between the tender mercies of Rothschild and Rus sia they 'may be said to be up)on that narrow peninsula that is betwasn the devil and the deep sea." NoTwTIHsT ANDING the fact t:~d zrimi old father Death has been baise- i the~ ranks of the veterans, over one mill ion names are on the pension list and $4, 000, 000) will be distributed among them during the current fiscal year-. TlE Atlanta Commiercial hits the nail on the head when it says "if there is any Americanism in abusing En g land today and letting her into into a pool to buy our bonds tomor-row, we fail to see it. Away and avant with Absolutely Pure@ A tresm cf tartar baking powder Iighes.: of all in leavening strenath-La test ULited Satas Government Food Re port. Royal Baking Powder Company, 106 Wall St.,. N. Y. PANIC IN A THEATRE. TWENTY ODD PERSONS TRAMPLED TO DEATH. Appalling Catastrophe at the Production ofa Jewih Plain ltinore. Princi pally Children, Girls and Young Men. BALTIMORE, Dec. 27.-Twenty-triree persons were crushed and trampled to death in a panic at Front Street thea tre toninght. Several others were in jured, some of whom will, it is believ ed, die. The united Oriental Opera and Dra matic company of Boston under the managment of A. Schon-old and Ab ram Tanzman, was billed to present the Jewish opera "Alender," and the theatre was filled with a motley throng. About 2,500 persons were in the aouse when the orenestra began playing the introductory A strong oder of gas. was notice d in the second gallery of the theatre and one of the attaches of the place was seen hunting for the leak with a light ed torch. Suddenly a jet of flame flashed out as the torch came in con tact with the punctured gas pipe. Cies of ''fire" vs ere heard in the upper gal leries and in an instant the excitement became intense. Some one rushed to the gas metre and turned off the sup ply, plunging the main body of the house into darkness. The stage jets alone remained lighted, being fed through another metre. - Instead of allaying the excitement caused by the sheet of flame from the leaking pipe, the turniro off of the gas and consequent darlness only served to add to the confusion. . The audience arose en masse and made a mad rush for the exits.' The actoi-s ran down to the foot-lights and shout ed "sid down, there's no danger," but the excited throng paid no heed to ad vice but continued their wild scramble for the doors. The gas was quickly turned on at the metre and as the theatre again be came illuminated, an indiscribable scene of horror was presented: Mei, women and ehildren, crazed by fear, were fighting and struggliug in the aisles and on the stairways in their f- - forts to reach the open air. The actors on the stage and a few cool heads in th.e audience added to the turmoil by shouting. their com mands to " sit down''and cairsing those who were most vigoroutin their ef forts to get out. The struggling mass of humanity made little or no head way for a few minutes; everyasie-was congested and every'doorway jammed with frantic Poles ansi. Russian,ess who mainly comprised the gathering. Strong men in the rear of the panme stricken mob climbed upon the shoul- - ders of those in front, crushmng the iweaker men, women and little children to the floor to be tr-ampled to death by those still further in the rear. For several minutes the wild fight continu ed. Then a few policemen forced a passageway to the main entrance and began dr-agging forth those whi$ were jammed in the doors.. -A - rushing stream of humanity flowed out on Front street until all those who were able to move reachrd the open air. A hurry call for policemen had been made and a squad were upon the scene by this time, and a fire alarm had also been sent in bringing some ezigines to the spot. The excitement in the streets was almost as g'reat as in the theatre, as rel atives began searching for those from whom they had become separated dar ing the mad rush. Fathers and moth ers rushed about looksing for their chil dren and attempted to reenter the the atre in their search for missing ones. The crowd grew so great that the po lice, fearing a riot, ordered the fire en gine hose to be tarned on and in that way the struggling mass was driven back from the theatre entrance. Meanwhile oflcers had entered the theatre and encountered a sickening sight. In every direction were found ' bodies from which life had been crush ed and trampled. A major-ity of the victims wereyoung men, gis and children. They were tenderly carried to the front of the house and taken to the city hospital and the morgue as fast as the ambulances and patrol wa gons could make the trips. Great crowds followed the ambulauces and patrol wagons and stormeyd the e trances to the hospital and mor-gue in__ their anxiety to learn if their re iis' and fr-iends were among the injured or dead. Twenty-three dead bodies were finally taken from the theatre. Ten persons, more or lessi ij.ure-d -are at the city hospita!. t w- of whom: may die. Several others w.-re taken~I to their hiomes in carria s, sat-ering from contusions or broken OOUes. -The death ist will probably exceed 25. Miss Jennie Hinkle, 2l years old. who was in the crchestra with her brother-in-law. sister and t so children. They reached the door in their attempt to escape.. Miss Hinkle suddenly re leased her hold on. her brother-in-Taw's arm and sank under the fee~t of the throng. She was trampled to death. Louis Cohen, a 10-year-oid boy. -- Wolf, a tailor. Them.ea Goldstein, 7 years old and her little 4-year-old brother. Louis Amolsky, 52 years old. Sarah Rosen, 15 years old. Ida Silberman, 14 year-s old. Ida Friedman. 14 years old. Sarah Siegel, 1t years old. -- Levenstein, 40) years old.. -- Salzburg, 12-year-old boy. Lena Lewis, 22 years old. Morton for President. .. ALBANY, N. Y., Jan. 1.-- Gor. Levi P. Morton has finally announced to his friends that lie will be a candidate for President before the national Re publican convantion to be held at St. Louis. ie, stated his position at a dinner given at Gaauncey M. Depew's residence in New York city on Mon day night. The others pi-esent were Hon. Thos. C. Platt, Benj. F. Tracey, Hon. Warner Miller, State Comupt roller JT. A. Rloberts of Btzialo and ex-United States Senatr ILscock of Svracuse. THE Cubans ar-e always whl ipp toc cording to Spanish war reports, but the fact remains that the insurgents have advanced across the island and