Historical Newspapers of South Carolina

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ATTENTION10TXFt KEEP DOWN THE Y Hon1. Hector D .imericanI (XM' te-.h~e . organt n. M rU1. Jan- 21.- cone of cotton producers Cld by Prsi dent H. D. Lane ofthe Anerican Cot ton Growers Protective A -eia-in to take action to elect. a cmui decreased acrea-e, was called t" or der here tits i- rfi> one thousand u - the ball at the time. l'; ri everv cte o - ear n ' tendauce .Dhee tion exL , o-.ssu taught the .- , benefits derio1 d e o!e production and of all supplis 1 : at planting e "Hold down r - Lane, "aii - Siit produce a and Liver o sees fit. President Gentlemen remurrks L'.< - platitudes, and bma cores, conlining mys 1 .o pra everVday facts, in ny eirort to conv'ince vo of the inadvisabilitv of te thods that we have for the mos. arb pursiu ing, and the suicidal policy of its con tinuance in the over produc t ocot ton. 1 appreciate the ,:' ensiV of this etfort, to decrease tie cotton acreage. but appreherd that i ;- :.r ce O its acconw!r'-hmnt v -15- ecom mensurate with le:r an--d as with all Qcr shorteomings and. derelictions the Southern man has never been ac cused of a lack of patriotim of re solution, and loving, as we do our Southland and our hT omes, it appeals to our better judgment. our patriotism and our manhood to face resolutely this current, that is insidions hiyd by day drawing us into a vcrti x of pov erty and destitution. I am aware that te cionsensus of opinion is with me; still I find others, good and conservative men, who argue "We had rather bear the ills we have than fly to others we know not of." but I ask in the name of reason. and appeal to common sense, if greater ills or disaster can overtake a country than that it should be plunged irre deemably into debt, the vitality smoth ered out of it with a weight of mort gages, and the bone and sinew of the country, the masses of our laboring people, reduced to the pittauce of less than 10 cents a day for their labor. This is what 5 cent cotton means, and I challenge any man, irrespEctive of his greatnses, ins exerience or his qualifications. to successfully contra dict the same. I am also met with the argument that comes for the most part from the crossroad pessimist and that man who measures his neighbor in his own half bushel, that the agitation of the ques ion would likely cause farmers to in crease their acreage of cotton, from the fact that -all would use the same channel of reasoning to the effect that his neighbor would reduce and thus cotton values would rise, and he would be the beneficiary. Thbis is an argu ment that savors of that dishonesty' and renlects that discredit upon the agricultural classes of the South that it should be indignantly repelled, for it is contra-v to their history and general character in that they have always proved loyal, brave and true to any cause whose banner they have ever enlisted under. I am met with another argument, that it is the only crop that merchants will advance supplies upcn. This I am prepared to again refute, for there are hundreds of wealthy, intelligent and patriotic merchants who are a: zealously and as actively engaged im this movement as any other class of citizens that we have, apprectotig as they do the true condition of affairs and recognizing the remedy therefor. they are strong in their adrvocacy of ia decreased cotton acreage, a diversdfica tion of crop, and especially the pro duction of home supplies; therefore lay not your actions to your neighbor. I am impressed with the conviction that this movement vwill have to be accomplished as all other great move ments are through independent, indi vidual action. This will encourage a concert of action, which will accom plish the end in view' and we will re ceive the intrinsic value of our maim staple, wlich will make us one of the most prosperous and happy people on earth; whereas, on the other nIana, if previous conditions continue and we willfully persist in the folly of pro ducing a 3,000,000 'cale surplus, we simply subject ourselves and are made willing victims of, to be caught by the tricks and devices that are laia by cunning and unserupnulous mecn to rob us of all compensation for our honest toil, enhancing the discord and dis satisfaction that is now dominant in the heart of the agricultural classes and developing dily into incipient communism, a condition that is for eign and unnatural in its tendency to the natural character of our people. Under such a regime no longer will the product of our toil be adequate to our subsistence. The cost of its pro duction no longer the standard of its value. The law of supply and demand will be displaced and in its stead in terposes the result attained by the com mercial mountebank the most insidious and merciless of which is thbe commer - cial fakir and flimilam artist. known as the cotton "bear," who by false prophesy; cunning manipulation and willful misrepresentation robs us of our substance, pauperizes our posteri ty, leaving us nothing but poverty mi our homes and hatred~ in our hearts. The annnal surplus that we have been annually making is the most ef fective instrument used by: the cotton "bear" to depress values. Wrench this weapon away froas:niman henceforth while hehiberaates he will! have to lunch on his saw.v. Overproduction fosters minalda tion. Without a surplus oe-n; pro- - duced above the actual demand of consumption there woul d be no such thing as the manipulation of ).ak et. The lawy of supply) and ean which is the natural andu iones: rega lator of price-s, would control. Comn petition would intervene,~- ~andc cost of production of an cmC \lt i the fairest standad of i vu wo.u l be its price ma. 2 With a srlso e . :e upon the mar-et of thv- vihp a demand or necss - r:: t answers the purpos' o c a.- vi-: u ply, an actiecoarijtor o speuauve gamblers, and - dau menac t future values. The worl spnsanu.y iu send outa rpw this moneyvfo:is r will compet" amc s our product,ad stantially dictates t"Cne aw send outa 1lo . e ro,:sw did in 189I4, they aytheC areu or less, and leave us to romSpe~te ,amohn' ,,,t.ea fr th nVP our iaoor anid s re m'aing e SaTe. T orld has to be clothed. The :m of cotton is nearly in The production is flexible. Withi these conclusions it resolved it self into the de-duction "Ilow are we to destrov this aninual surplus' The o'y safe land practicable way sug geoted is by a Judicious decrease of creave- saIv of 25 per cent.; we would tien realiz in per cent. increaSe in the prIc, and still have 5,0 cs of land to raise food crop s up on, vich, if raised in su'iclut qa tity on the farm, ins1tead of beil:- pur chased at ong time pricts, with cot ton as its Uncertain security. will iake another le..timate ditlerence in favor f the eton grower oif 2. ,er There eau be no plainer object ies sor portra'ed t:m that of this last season o, ' reut of decroased pro duction \.s nother esson, as to the :';-er of thedexIse . of production as a sii-h to the ncrease of price,. we' wilit th (it Y of the cotton market in :b1 vea e ista. The average wiee of cotou that year was .5. Te .nrodac.ion was decreased the " e year by general consent about 9 ne r cent. a cotton values rose in cossewienee thereof to 7.87 iu 1616. Thy **r~ners of the South. recogniz in at they could not raise cotton proitabv even at this price, though vin te benefit then of slave labor avo, agaia reduced the creage' the next year, 187, lo per cent. Coaon values continued to rise commensurately with the decrease of acreage, averaging that year 11.21 cents. A 11. per cent. reduction re sulted in a t per cent. rise in values, and this in the face of the stagnation of trade in England, due to the great Irish famine that year, the rapid fall i sterling exchange in consequence of the shiuments of breadstuifs to the United Kingdom, and the reduction of 10,000 bales -:ec week in the con sunotion of manufacturers. As an evidence of the influence of over-production I present the homely illustration: A farmer goes into his market town with a basket full of eggs; it is the first of May, and the poultry is producing freely. He pre seuts his eggs to the merchant for sale and is met with the intelligence that he has all the eggs that he can ;lande; that the market is glutted, and the su-ppiy exceeds the demand. The farmer has more at home than he needs, and he does not care to take them back, so lie finally asks the mer cant if he can't make him an otrer for them at all. The merchant reluct antIv offers 5 cents for them and the trade is made-the merchant dictating the price. Later in the season, say in December, the farmer comes in, but instead of having twenty dozen eggs he has only live dozen, and he goes to same the merchant and notes that there seems to be a dearth of eggs in the tubs and boxes sitting around and when the merchant asks him what he has he replies gliby. "Eggs." The merchant asks him what they are worth, and he replies that as the hens seem to be i , a combine, a trust or a strike and eggs are very scarce in the country, and the demand seems to ex c:ed the supply, he wants 20 cents ner dozen for them, and the trade is made-the farmer dictating the price. Tao idea that has been advanced to deter farmers from decreasing their acreage, to the effect that it would simulate the production of other coun tries, is a "delusion and a snare." This question has been settled some time since to the satisfaction of those who have put theL.,selves to the trouble to investigate. The civil war did not have this ef fect. In this per iod of destitution the cotton growing resources of every part of the globe were tested to the utmost; and in the exhibition of 186i2 the representatives from every country from which supplies might be ex pected met to concert measures for ob taining all that was wanted without the aid of America. The colonies and dependencies of Great Britain, includ ing India, seemed well able to grow all the cotton that could be required, while numerous other countries were rezdy to offer their co-operation. A owerful stimulus was thus given to the growth of cotton in all directions; a degree of activity and enterprise never witnessed before was seen in India, Turkey, Greece, Africa, West Indies, Queensland, New South Wales, Peru, Brazil, and in short wherever cotton could be produced; and there seemed no room to doubt that in a short time there would be abundant supplies independent of America. But ten years af terward. in the exhibition of 1~872, which was especially devoted to cottou, only a few of the thirty-five cotntries which had sent their samples in 180t2 again appeared, and these for the most part only to bear witness to disappointment and failure. The East India crop that in 1875 and 1S7; amounted to I,200,000 bags, amounted in 18i.' to 700,000. The Eyptioa crop amounts now to about the same it did then. Brazil has fallen from four hundred and two thousand down to one hundred thousand last year, and sundries, that is to say, all other countries, have fallen from two hundred and twenty thousand to one hundred tbousand, and the entire foreign production amounts to only one million five hundred and seventy live American bales; therefore we have little to fear fronm foreign countries. By a reasonable curtailment of cot ton acreage, and planting the same in home supply crops, it figures largely both in reducing the cost of the pro duction what cotton we might raise, in that we can raise biread and meat very much cheaper than we can or dinarily expect a merchant to supply the same, taking the risk that lie is obliged to take in having cotton only as a security, which is subject to be cut otf by seasons, and if not curtailed by sea sons, subject to the greater un crtainty of being able to get anything for it. if seasons are propitious, and a large predaction follows. On the other hand, decreasing the acreage is n unfailing leverage in raising values. The farmer who lays aside diversi led farming and devotes his labor and :aital to the raising of cotton alone, becomes simply a speculator, and azards what he puts up on it on the " bull" side of the market. The comn mi-son and per cent. that he pays is fully represen ted by the tax that lie imposes upon himself in the per cent. he pays a merchant, that r-epresents the prolit, that lie pays the merchant on these goods. The margin that he would have t-. put up, we might say, cold be represented by his land. which is freguiemzi or-tgaged, and if the~ game~ goes against him, it is swept awy,' ~if he:s a weak~ hojler; if not, he~ c'an put up agam. .? ail to see wherein there is any ad 'atag~e in this species of speculative a'utblin over that that is done hrough a reputable broker, or upon the tloo'r of the cotton exchange: in fact. thme advantage, to my mind, is on te otherr side, the reason for which I. wil Lot discuss as I am not inclined o e- race thi clas~s of farmers to er*age in Q'y ch-aa-tei-of gambling. i -a' in the pr-eceeding paragraph ofte tax tha h.le ethe farnmern impos es upcon h'imsel. I will dwell a mo meu '?a n~ this Th 1e general accep tati o.f he word tax\ is "a charge or burden laid upon persons or prop Iertv for the support of the govern mnt."- This character of tax I will denominate as an involuntary tax. great ob~jector; to taxation, in all its varied forms. . desire to suggest to them a few taxes that we may prop erlv call voluntary orselfinipose d that in their cumulative form are far great (er; and more bardens:ne in the ion: run than those levied upon us by county. State or government, and 1I quote so eminent authority as U1 great and good Benjnin Fran~ijn, who states it is an axioL tt "e are more heavily taxed by our idle ness. pride and to, Iv. tb-an we are tax ed by government.- The farmer who undertakes to buy every thing that is iiee.ssarv to niake ,a cotton crop upon voluntardIy iniposes an over-powerig tax upon himself. \Vihen he buysa pound of meat or a peck of corn. he pays the merchants he gets from a tax. He pays the wholesale man a tax. lie pays the dravmnan a t:ix who transfers it. He pays the railroad a tax that hauls it. If meat he pays a man a tax that butelhers it, and he pays tlh the original farmer wtc rai-l es it a tax, for it is likely iie is not raising it for his health, but for his profit. A farmer always pays toll when he goes to town. whether lie rides upon a macadamized road or not. I have known a farmer to ride nine miles to town on a tired mule, when his crop was in the grass, to pay twenty ive cents for a shuck collar, when there were shucks wasting at home. I have known them to do the same, who had sold cotton for 4 and 4 1- ceuts, and pay 20 cents a pound for cottonI piowv lines. I knew a farmner, who while plow i ing his new ground field. one Satur day mornin g in July, suddenly re imemered that he had broken his ax helve, and would have to go to town to get an other. Now, this fellow liv ed in the mountains of North Alaba ra, where I live, and where we have secoud growth hickory, that is the best ax handle timber on earth and a profusion of it. Now, instead of go ing back to his cabin, on the moun tain-side, and cutting him a straight strong, sinewy, young mountain hick ory, while with his wife by his side and his children playing around him, I with the butt end of tne hickory tightly locked between the logs of his humble cabin, he drew down to the symmetry of a strong, strait-grained ax'-handle, he quits-his lield of labor, throws a guano sack upon the back of his mortgaged mule, and as he rides out of the gate replies to the anxious inquiry of his wife that he is obliged to go to town to get an ax handle. The tax begins when he rides through that broken-down gate. First and foremost, he is taxing the anx iety of that poor pale-faced woman, that knows too well of the flimsiness of this excuse; she knows too well that though he is generous, brave and true, that under certain influences, the recklessness of his nature leads him to imposing taxes upon himself and family that human nature ill afford to bear and that God Almighty Himself will not hold him guiltless of. Upon his returnafter an absence of a day and a night, to the cabin on the mountain side and its defense less inmates, who had spent a lone some night indeed in the absence of their only protector, save the faithful coon dog, after emptying his meal sack at their feet of its contents of high-priced cotton prints and little shoes that he had paid a country mer chants 100 per cent. advalorem tax upbn, thus undertaking to alleviate his own feelings by paying them for the wrong he had done them, he again called back to the error of his way when his wife reproachfully asks for the ax handle that "never came" In conclusion, I will say to you, my fellow farmers and co-laborers of the American Cotton Growers' Protective Association, that my advice to you is to raise your home supplies, thus avoding these self-imposed taxes that are more burdessome than 3 ou can bear. D~ecreare your cotton acreage and thus destroy this annual surplus, or in other words, adjust the supply to the demand: then the laws of com merce and competition will prevail and prices will regulate themselves equitably between the producer and the consumer. At the conclusion of Mr. Lane's ad dress, committees were appointed on permanent -organization, credentials and resolutions. After addresses by A. S.- Caldwell, a prominent planter of Louisiana, and Charles Scott of Mississippi, the con vention took a recess until 3 p. m. At the afternoon session the report of the committee on resolutions was unanimously adopted. It declears that the over production of cotton re duces the value of that commodity far below the cost of the making of it and continues thus: -Thme Southerni cotton growers are masters of the situation. The crop of 195 being less than sev en million bales, renders it entirely feasible by a futher and reasonable redtuction of acreage during the present year to materially advance the value of cot ton and thus insure a safe and sub stantial profit that cannot fail to bring i-eased prosperity to the South, not only as the immediate re result of such p'rotit. but by enhancing the value of our lands and turning hither the tide of immigration, much needed for the development of the great natural resources of this favor ed section." The resolutions also urge the pro duction of an abundant supply of corn, hay, meat and other like comn modities for home consumption. The executive committee was em powered to take such steps as may be deemed advisable for the establish ment of an oflicial organ of the asso ciation. A permanent organization was then eftfected with Mr. Lane as presi dent; Robert D. Eckberger of Hunts ville, Ala, secretary ; J. R. G ood win of Tennessee. treasurer; and the fol lowing executive committee. Alabama-H. C. Reynolds. Arkansas-J. W. Corcor-an. Georgia-W. A. Broughton. Mississippi-Captain W. W. Stone. Texas-E-. S. Peters. Ten nessee-Col. H. D. Greer. Louisiana-A. L. Maxwell. North Carolina-Di-. J. H. William son. President Lmne was instructed to appoint a State president for Florida and South Carolina. After an address by Prof. Tate But 1r of the Mississippi State Agricultu ral Coll. ege, the convention adjourned .A Loss to His State. Craus- r ox, Jan, 23.-Ashxby Stark Farrow, a prominent and popular oung member of the Charleston bar, did at his home late last night. Mr. Farrow was born in Albemarle county, Va., :3 rears ago and graduated in law at the univ-ersity of \Virginia in ist. He was associated with the law firm of Mur-phy, F-arrow & Legare. He leaves a young widow a id one child. Rejlef, with thme use of " Life for the Liver and Kidneys," is sum-c, in all cases of a disor-dere-d liver or kidneys, and their attendant ills, such as Bilious ness, Sick Headache, Want of Appe tite, Aches in the Side and Back, etc. It is tihe most successful and the most satisfactor-y medicine, for its purpose. in use. The tial of a single 25 cents THE CONFFADERATE ROLLS. UNITED CONFEDERATE VETERANS MEMORIALUZE THE LEGISLATURE. Ask for Speedy Ai.I for the Old Soldier, of tie state--Repairin;g the lZ-cord<. Show ingZ What They Mi,l in the War---An In zuresting Report. (elerd II. L. Farlev, Historian of the Confederate Records, has prepared his report to the Genieral Assenoly. The memorimi of the South Carolina Division of United Confederate Veter anls to the Governor and the imembers of the (en-eral Assembly was far ntished yesterday. The nemorial in full is as follows: rhenemorial of the South Carolina Division of the Lnited Confederate Veterans of South Carolina respectful iv shows: 1 . That by an Act of the General Assembly, passed on the 3tl day of January. 1882, entitled An Act to provide for tihe preparation .f rolls of troops farnished by the State of South Carolina to the army of the Confeder ate States, and of the militia of the State in active service during the war between the Confederate and United States," it was made the duty of the Adjutant and Inspector General tocol lect the names of all persons of the State who served in the army of the Confederate States or in the militia of the State in active service during the war between the States. and to pre pare rolls of the same corresponding as near as may be to the usual form of muster rolls in military service, and stating as far as can now be ascer tained the name, age, place of enlist ment, company and regiment or battal ion, battery or squadron to which each person belonged, or position held by same as General or staff oflicer, with statement also of wound or wounds, when and where received, imprison ment, death, discharge, or surrender of such person at the end of the war, and any other particulars in regard to any such persons which in his judg ment should be re::orded. It was also directed by the said Act that .the Adjutant and Inspector Gen eral should also prepare, or cause to be prepared, a brief sketch of each and every regiment, battalion, battery or squadron of troops furnished by this State to the army of the Confederate States, or of the militia of the State in active service during the war, giving the names of the battles, sieges or af fairs in which each body was engaged. The Act appropriated $2,000 for the beginning of the work, of which the Adjutant and Inspector General was to receive $500 for his extra services in the same: the balance ($1,500) to be applied for stationery, printing, clerk hire and postage connected with the work. The rolls when prepared under this Act it was provided were to be tran scribed or printed into a permanent book form and kept in the office-of the Adjutant and Inspector General, and the rolls themselves to be filed in the office of the Secretary of State to be preserved with other public records. The scene in the House of Represen tatives uoon the adoption of this Act, which was intended to supply as far as possible the records of the troops of the State, destroyed during the war, was a memorable one; the bill was passed by an almost unanimous rising vote, tears streaming down the cheeks of many an old soldier then in the council of th3 State. The noble old veteran of two wars, the heroic Gene ral Arthur M. Manigult, then the Ad jutant and Inspector General of the State, who was present in the House at the time, caused at once the offer to be made in his behalf that he would do the work, laborious though it would be, without remuneration; but to that the House refused to accede, and as sumed for the State the burden and exense of the undertaking. Your memorialists further show that the Survivors Association of the State had immediately after the war begun the work of collecting rolls and ma terial for the history of the troops fur nished by the State, and all that they had succeeded in obtaining was turned over to the State and fornied the basis of the collection since made by the Ad jutant and Inspector General. Among the papers which had come into the possession of the Survivors Association, and which were so turnedt over to the Adjutant and Inspector General, was the valuable collection made by Professor Win. James Rivers of the South Carolina College, whose zeal for the history of the State was equally alive to the importance of the great events of our times and of the war :.hrough which he had lived as to those or our colonial days, of which he is the only historian. The most valua ble of this material, given by Profes sor Rivers to the Survivors Associa tion. were the names of the dead col lected by him. This list he had made up from~ all sources within his reach, newsaper reports of friends and some oflicial reports. Thus collected, they had only been put dIown in alphabeti caal order, that is, the names were only collected together by the initial letters so in looking for any given name hun dreds had to be read. Gathered in tmis war and put down from time to time, it as impossible but that it should happen that some names would be re peated. The Survivors Association therefore in 1871) had these names re arranged lexicographically and fairly written out. This work, supervised by Professor Rivers and the executive ommittee of the association, p resents rol of 10,00() South Carolinans who gave their lives to the Southern cause, with an appendix of 2,000 more col lected from sources not as authentic. It is confidently believed, however, that the number of these - -who died for their State" exceeds tihe number of The State owes, your memorialists submit, a lasting ~debt to ProfessOr Rivers for- much of what is now of re ord of our troops. IIe was engaged, it is true, by the Legislature in 180l4 to undertake the work of gathering statistical information in regard to the troops of the State furnished to the Confederacy, and historical accounts of the regiments and other bodies. But it should be known that he received no remuneration whatsoever for his ser vices during the time he was acting under its authority. Ilis work had in deed but begun when the oflicial re ords of the State, from which he was to complete it, were destroyed in the bu-ning of Columbia, and the close of the war put an end to his oflicial con nection with the matter. The great nart of his mater-ial was collected after the war as a private individual. Your memorialists further show hat upo than passaget of the Act 01 8S2 General 31anigault devoted him self to the work it authorized. Print d forms were prepared for- rolls and sent to thle survivors5 of every known command of the State. From the re tuns of these and from the mater-ial given by Professor Rivers, and from that collected by the survivors Associ ation, a large numb1er of company rolls have been secured. The pro gress made by General MIanigaul will appear in his annual reports. .In the last of these, that up to the - 31st of llctober. 1SS5, it appears that lhe had ascertained thle organization of 4ili companies and hiadi procured rolls as follows: Infaty-Number of roll comnlet ed, 317; naumber of rolls in prepara tion, 41: no report, 4: total number of companies, "t;5. Cavary-Number of rolls complet ed, 62: number of rolls in prepara tion. 12: no report. 2: total number of companits, 7t. Artillery-Num'Jer of rolls complet ed, 45: number of rolls in preparation, 9: no report, 1; total number of comi panies, 53. The State of South Carolina fur nished at least 5Oo companies, and these it is estimated averaged during the war in numbers 125 men to a com pany, which gives a force of 62,500 men, besides the nine regiments of re serves, of which we have no records, which would without doubt swell the number of South Carolina troops in the Confederate armies to at least 70. 0o. An almost incredible number when it is recollected that the arms bearing population in the State in 18GO was estimated at about 55,000, and its voting population at about 65,000. But while these estimates are conti dently believed to be correct, the State owes it to her honor to procure and preserve the indisputable proof of the glorious manner in which she ful illed her obligation to the cause of which she was the acknowledged lead er. The rolls which we have should be verified, and the incomplete rolls should be tilled up and the exact num ber of troops specifically ascertained. But your mnemorialists further show that besides owing it to her own hon or that the facts as to the number of troops should be so definitely ascer tained and preserved, she owes it to the memory of her sons who nobly maintained her fame on a hundred battlefields that at least their names should be correctly preserved. She owes this especially to the humble private soldier, whose only reward was the consciousness of having faithfully served the State he loved so well. The general historian will tell of the operations in the field, and will give, as far as the imperfect recods will enable him, an estimate of the number engaged and the names of the leaders. The offlicial reports and field returns will give the names of officers. But who will tell of the hosts of privates, our friends, our brothers, who with bare and bleeding feet strugggled over rocky and frozen roads to fall un known in battle? Should not their names be preserved? Your memorialists charge them selves with this especial duty to ap peal to the State to rescue from obliv ion and put in enduring form the names of those who without rank or reward so freely offered their lives in her cause. On the monument just in front of the capitol these words are inscribed: "To the memory of those who, True to the instincts of their birth, Faithaful to the teachings of their fathers, constant in their love for the State, Died in the porformance of their duty; Who have glorified a Fallen Cause By the simple manhood of their lies, The patient endurance of suffering And the heroism of death, And who, In the dark hours of imprisonment, In the hopelessness of the hospital, In the short, sharp agony of the field, Found support and cons lation In the belief That they wonid not be forgotten." May not we, their surviving com rades, appeal to your Excellency, and to you, the honorable members of the General Assembly, to see to it that those who so fell beside us in this be lief were not mistaken? - Your memorialists would represent to your honorable bodies that the rolls now in the Adjutant and Inspector General's office, obtained as above stated, sometimes only from the mem ories of comrades or other unauthent ic sources, are no doubt often incor rect, not only from omissions of names, of actions, of wounds, impris onment and other casualties, but also from the mistake in the spelling of names and of Christian names, and that it is the earnest desire of this as sociation that the original intention of the promoter of this plan of supply ing the lost records should be carried out and that the rolls, as they now are in the Adjuiant General's office, should be printed upon cheap loose sheets and distributed through the State to the respective neighborhoods and communities from which the several companies were formed, so as to allow corrections to be made and omissions to be supplied by the fami lies and friends of those who nave died. Your nmemorialists show that a re commendation was made by his Ex cellency Governor Tillman for an ap propriation for this 'purpose, but it was not carried out by reason of the great stringency of money at that ZIn. That by a joint resolution, of the General Assembly of 20th December, 1893, the Honorable John B. K-ershaw of Kershaw county, a Major General of the Confederate States, was ap pointed a commissioner to superintend the preparation of these rolls for pub lication and to prepare appropriate sketches of the various commands from this State to accompany them; and that apon his death the Hionora ble Hugh L. Farley. formerly Adju tant General of the State, has been appointed to succeed him in the work. That at a recent meeting of the South Carolina D~ivision of the United Confederate \eterans the undersigned were appointed a committee to memo rialize your Excellency and your hon orable bodies for an appropriation to carry out this great work and to ena ble the Historian appointed under the general resolution aforesaid to have printed and distributed the experi miental copies of the rolls proposed. Whorefore your memorialists pray that the General Assembly of the State will appropriate dollars for the aforesaid pur pose to be expend ed for the same, under such directions and restrictions as to your honorable bodyv may seem fit. C. I. WALKER. Major General S.. C. Division U. C. V. EDwARD McCRADY. HI. L . FARLEY, J. H. HUDSON, Committee. Cosway, Jan. 23.-Q~uite a nmyste rious robbery occurred here on the night of the 1:3th inst. The fact was kept qluiet for a purpose, only a few of the "faithful oncs" knowing it. The safe ot the county treasurer of Hiorry was opened and r-obbed of about $2, 500. County Treasurer L. D. Long was in his oillce during the day and says he locked his safe, as is his custom, before closing ui for the night. Returning on Tuesday morning, lie found his onlice door open and on further exam ination discovered that his safe had been opened and the amount as stated, gone. The thief evidently must have known the combination, and having provided himsel f with a key to the office, had no trouble in getting the booty. This was a surprise to us when we heard the truth yesterday. It is the first thing of the kind that has ever happened in our county and is to b~e regretted.- There is no clue to the robbery. The treasurer, I presume, has seome idea as to the robbery, but has not told aiiy one-State. THlE Cuban's are making a brave and determined lig'ht for their inde penden ce. The: United States should extend them a helping hand by recog ni-ring them as Mallirernte WHAT C(APT. ALLEN SAYS ABOUT THE CHARGES AGAINST THE HEAD OF THE PENITENTIARY. lie lake's Stranger anitd 3ore Serions Charge., Than 3fr. willmighby--X Legis lative Commititee Investi::atiug the M$at ter. COLuMIM, S. C., Jan. 21.-Mucl interest is being manifested in the in vestigation of the charges of -incipi ent rottenness" at the penitentiary. made by Director Willoughby. which is now being conducted by the two committees of tile general assembly on the penitentiary. This joint com mittee was charged with tile ilivesti gation of the matter by a concurrent resolution adopted last week. it now has other charges also, which are giv en below, requiring investigation. The committees having surmnioned the directors here, went to the peni tentiary yesterday morning about 11 o'clock and the investigation began. Yesterday the committee merely go. everything in shape and got the inves tigation started. Director Willough by was on hand. Some testimony was taker. Tile committee, after reading the charges preferred by ex captain of the guard, Allen, published below, deciled to summon hini to ap pear before them. WHAT CAPTAIN ALLEN SAYS. Ia connectjon with this matter the following taken from the Spartanburg Herald of Sunday last, will prove in teresting reading: "In view of the charges made by Director Willoughby against Super intenden1 Neal. and the fact that he gave CaptLin E. C. Allen as authori ty for some of his charges, The Herald interviewed Captain Allen yesterday and found that he knew a great deal more than Mr. Willoughby told. " Captain Allen was for a long time captain of the guards and is thorough lv familiar with the workings of the penitentiary. If called before the in vestigating committee. he could give light on several dark spots, which at present es.nnot be mentioned in the papers. "What do you think of the charg es of extravagance and bad manage ment?" asked The Herald. ""The penitentiary has been badly managed ever since Colonel Talbert left it. The first year of Neal's regime, with the contracts Talbert had made, Neal made a good showing, but he has not made a dollar since. I could mention a great many instances of bad management, but the main criticism I have is the fact that he would -send convicts to his own farm in Ander son, to his brother-in-law, Russell, and to his cousins, when convicts were needed on the farms, and the farms the State worked on shares had to hire dav labor, while he let out con victs to private parties. This is a great abuse-this hiring convicts to individ uals, which Colonel Lipscomb tried to get rid of and Colonel Talbert did abolish, but Mr. Neal has started it afresh. Colonel Neal works convicts on his farm in Anderson, lets his brother-in-law have them and other relations. I asked for more help on the DeSaussure farm. The directors ordered the convicts sent to me, but I have a letter from Colonel Neal say ing the convicts I asked for would go to Russell and Fretwell at Anderson. " 'As to the charge of extravagance,' says Captain Allen, 'I know this: In his report for 1894. page 30, an item which reads to 'sundry person,' for 'freight, wood, cows, beef, etc., $1, 141.51.' Part of this Mr. Neal got himself for cows sold as an individual to himself as superintendent at a high er price than the directors authorized, so I am told. " 'Yes, Superintendent Neal and I could not agree, but I am not the only man who could not get along with him. His first book-keeper, Glenn, quit because Neal wanted him to yield up $25 per month of his salary. He then g'ot Burroughs, his relative, who gave hiim $50 a month of his salary for ive or six months, and theii $25. a month. He brought an old negro there to drive the penitentiary carriage and the pay roll shows him to draw $15 a month. As a matter of fact, the negro got $7, the $S going to Mr. Neal under the pretense of board, which the penitentiary furnished. " 'I do not know anything about the peas Mr. Willoughby says Neal shipped to his own farm, but I do know that about this time I was buy ing peas for the DeSaussure farrn. "'As to shoes, 3,500 pairs were paid for when only 1,000 convicts were to use them. I can only say that the convicts I had only got one pair a year. Neal told me to take the shoes from the hoe hands and give them to the plough hands. In pioughing in bottoms and new grounds barefoot was pretty rough. "Capt. Allen said he knew a great deal more which lie would tell if forced, but he did not care to be quxot ed in the newspapers." Fenl from a Train. J.ACKnSCNvILLE-. I'la.. Jan. 23. -The corpse of G. H. Silleck of Brooklyn, N. Y., was found this nmoirningr lying by the side of the tr-ack of thie Florida East Coast railroad at Deep Creek trestle abobt 10 miles from St. Augus tine on the road to Paatka. Mr. Sil leek and wife were passengers on Wednesday morning's train from Day tona and on the arrival of the train at St. Augustine in the afternoon, Mr. Silleck was missing. The last seen of him alive was shortly after leaving Palatka when he left his wife as he thought, to go into the smoking car. After some little time, at the request of Mrs. Silleck, the baggage transfer agent went through the train to look for him. It was then found that he was not on thle train and it was feared that he had fallen off while passing from one car to another. Mrs. Silleck camne to Jacksonville and the railroad authorities began a search for her hus band, which i'esulted in finding his corpse this morning. In falling the unfortunate man received injuries which must have resulted in his seedy death. The body will be taken to Brooklyn for interment. Mr. and Mrs. Silleck had been at Daytona and other points on the east coast for tile benefit of Mrs. Silleck's health. They were on their way home when the ac cident took place. P ianos for winthrop. There have been found necessai'y several new pianos for- the Winthrop Normal and Industrial College at Rock Hill. The otlicials charged with the selection have pur-chased the Mason & Hamlin instrunment, thriouigh the Ludden & Eates Southern Music House, Savannah. (Ga. The fame of the Mascn & Hlamlin is as well estab lished as is the rep~utation of Ludden & ates 'or promptuiess and fai' deal ing. _ _ 5outh Carolina Contests. WASiIINCTIN, Jan. 2:.-Comnmittee on elections, No. 3. of tile house, Mr. McCall of Massachusetts chairman, today heard arguments in the contest ed ca-se of Johnson against Stokes from the Seventh South Carolina dis trict. This concludes the hearing of the cases from this State, interest to which w-as added by the question of the conlstitutionlality of the registra tion law of the State being brought in. T'he committee is now ready to OF INTEREST TO FARMERS. rhe Ne-w and Courier Offers Priz., 1.)r the Largest Hog. The News and Courier's otlir )f prizs to the most successful hog irow ers in the State in 1S95 was productive of si good results by arousing and promoting interest in an inportaut but neglected agricultural industry and inducing many farmers to enga re in it again to their own profit and with large benefit to the State, that our con temporary has deterinined to organize another cnipetition for the year 18f6, and to extend it so as to include a va riety of products and to enlist a still larger nuiuber of farmers in it. In announcing its purpose The News aad Courier saYs: The details of the contest have not yetibeenlarranged, but will be announc. ed at an early day and in good time for the due inforiation of all who may desire to engage in it. We can not do more today tha) give a very general idea of its scope, its limitaticns in part, and its objects, with the un derstanding that the scheme as here outlined is subject to whatever modi lications may be found to be necessary before the final announcement of con ditions is made. The competition will be limited. to subscribers to The Week ly News L-id Courier. The prizes will consist of five hun dred dohars in cash, and one gold medal and one silver medal. The five hundred dollars will be divided into prizes of one hundred dolliars and fifty dollars, to be paid to the winners in the several contests. The medals will be independent of the cash prizes, and subject to separate competition, so that no contestant can receive both a medal and a cash prize for the same thinz. One of the contests, will be for hogs again, but under somewhat different conditions from the contest of 1895. We learned last year, when too late to change the published conditions mate rially without affecting some of the contestants unfairly, that the restric tion of the contest to pigs born in 1895 excluded some that might properly have beca entered, and that would have been entered but for that limita tion. We make the timely and defi nite announcement now, there fore, that the hog contest for 1896 will begin on March 1; will close 30 days later; and will be open to all pigs not over 4 months old on March 1. Tb.ese terms of course, will permit the entry of pigs born in November and Decem ber, 1895, as well as those born in 189 and we think are both proper and liberal for the purposes of the competition. Another contest will be organized for the best exhibit of hay-using the word in the widest sense, to include all kinds of "long feed" or "forage" as clover, timothy, alfalfa, Bermuda and other grasses, separate or mixed, corn fodder, pea vines, pindar vines, etc., etc. The conditions of this contest will probably relate to the yield per acre, for a stated number nf acres, and to the quality of the product as deter mined by its selling price in the Char leston market. The News and Courier has special regard, of course, forthe tobacco crop, which Capt. Dawson was so largely instrumental in reestablishing in South Carolina, and is desirous of promoting and extending the cultivation of the plant as far as practicable. A prize will be given to the farmer who makes the most profitable crop on one acre, so as to allow both large and small farmere to compete for it on an equal footing. The quality of the tobacco will count heavily in such a contest, of course, but quality alone or yield alone, or qualiey and yield together will not insure the capture of the prize. As now proposedt the farmer will will win it who "clears" the most money from an acre, and tells his fel low farmers how he managed to do so, and these conditions evidently will give every tobacco grower a fair chance and 'nake the contest both interesting and instructive. Another and very general, but highly intensely and profitable, con test will be organized for progressive "all round" farmers, by the offer of a prize for the best results obtained from diversified crops grown by a single far mer. The general plan of this contest is that the competitors may produce what they please-Cotton, corn, small grain, tobacco, hay, fruit, pindars, truck, hogs, cows, horses, sheep, poul try, butter, eggs~ honey, etc., etc the prize to be awarded to the one who shows the largest relative profit on the year's operations. Provided only that he produces not less tban four differ ent kinds of field or orchard crops --as corn, cotton, tobacco and hay; or corn, peas. pindars and potatoes; or cotton, hay, turnips and oats; or peach ches, cotton, whatermelons and corn; or grapes, corn, wheat and cabbage, and so on through a hundred possible combinations of the large "plough crops' with whatever additions may be made in the way of raising cattle, sheep and hogs and poultry, bee keep ing, butter-making, gardening for market, etc., etc. The purpose of the contest is to prove that " diversified" and "all round" farming pays in South Carolina, and to exhibit the proofs and give public recognition to the far-mer that miaks the best showing. Small and large farmers can compete for this prize on equal terms. The highest "profit" made per acre fo the whole number of acres employed on the farm, and including everything made on the farm, will determine the winner, whether he farms ten acres or a thousand. The prize cannot be won by spending time and labor and money' on one or t wo crops. It is most desirable that more atten tion should be paid in this State to the industry of sheep-raising. which c ould be developed to imnportant proportions, if the farmers would take hold of it in earnest. Another prize will be of~ered in the interest of this industry. Another will be offered to be com peted for by the fruit growers, who have already fairly organized one of the most promising new industries in the State, but will be interested doubt lss in a contest which will show who is the leader in this pleasant and pr-ofi table field of enden vor. Last but not least in the order of merit and interest, will be the pric~e to be contested for by the women of the State who are working on the farms as hard as their husbands and fathers and brothers and sons, without getting due credit for their part of the yearly pro ducts and income. The contest will cover the field of woman's work on the farm, in the orchard, about the house, in the dairy and kitchen, and ga:'den, in the poultry yard, and among the bee hives, and in all the wide and va ried departments of her ceaseless inadus try, and we hope will serve to ir spire many such workers with new in':erest in their daily and all-day tasks and duties. All cannot win the nria;e, of course, but all ca.n wmn recognition for the important part they play ini mak ing farming prolitable-and possible to men who wo. l: a fielhd, and w'e can promise all such conte-stants such re cognition at least, besides the prize or prizes to those ho win them. This contest will "lit" in natur-ally and neatly with the contest for the prize for tine most successful "all round" farm, and it may well be that the prizti for such a farm will be won at last by the farmers in petticoats. who help to "run it," in the race. POWDER Absolutely Pure. A cream of tartar baking powder Higbest of all in leavering strength-La. test United States Government Food Re port. Royal Baking Powder Company, 106 Wall St.. N. Y. ductory chapter with regard to the several contests larger than we intend ed it to be, and will only add, there fore, that all the prizes indicated will be certainly offered, and perhaps more of them; that the conditions of the several contests will be announced in a few days, and that the present in - tention is to have all the farm pro ducts oifered for competition. as far as practicable, exhibited in Charles ton on the occasion of the next Fall Festival, when the prizes will be pub licly awarded. DO YOU WANT AN OFFICE? Information as to How They Can Be Ob tained.; WASHINGTON, Jan. 22.-Scarcity of money and the difficulty that many experience in obtaining work that yields enough income to meet their everyday expenses, cause them to write hundreds of useless letters to tneir Congressmen and Senators be seeching their aid in getting some kind of government work-useless let ters, because these positions are not within the gift of Congressmen and Senators. These positions are under what is called the Civil Service Com mission. This commission holds from two to three competitive examinations annually in each State. Those who successfully pass the examinations (make a grade of 70 per cent. on all branches) are placed on an eligible list in order of their grades. When a department has need of new clerks it makes a requisition on the commis: sion for the number and kind of clerks wanted. The president of the com mission selects from the list of elig ibles those who are best qualified to fill the positions. While exact quotas or representation is not given to the States in employing the government's clerical force, yet due regard is given in the selection of eligibles from those States and Territories that have few est in the government's service. All persons who seek to obtain a govern ment clerkshin should apply to the president of the Cilvil Service Commis sion, whose duty it is to notify them of the character of the examinations, the requirements of applicants and the time and place of holding such exam inations. The present year, it would seem, from an extract from a circular sent out by the commission, is an op portune time for South Carolinians -to stand these examinations. "The share of appointments received by Alaska, Arizona, Colorado, Dela ware, District of Columbia, Maryland. Massachusetts, Montana, Nevada, New Mexico, Oklahoma, Virginia and Wyo ming is at present excessive, and no applications for any departmental ex aminations will be accepted from legal. residents thereof, unless there is a failure to secure eligibles from other States. "The following named States have also received an excessive share of appointments, but to a less extent than those named above, and during the first half of this year no appli cations for the clerk copyist, the watchman or the messenger examina tion will be accepted from legal resi dents thereof: California, Connecti cut, Florida, Georgia, Illinois, Indiana, Kentucky, Michigan, Minnesota, New Hampshire, New York, North Caro lina, North Dakota, Ohio, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Vermont, Washington, and West Virginia." Examnations will be held during the spring at Columbia, on April 65, and at Charleston on April 8. Untold Good. There is no doubt about the fact that the Keeley' Institute of South Carolina has done untold good in this State. Those who have received its benefits are loud in its praises and they are living examples of the ef ficiency of the treatment. The ter rible curse of drink or opium can be and is daily being cured right in Co lumbia. and broken down physical and mental wrecks in four weeks re turn home sound in body and mind as nature intended them to be. At the institute one receives the kindest at tentions and is made to feel perfectly at home, and ina few brief days he once again has the joy of realizing that he is a man; that life which seemed dreary and dairk and almost hopeless is worth the living and eu joying as God intended it shoul~d be. Anyone bound by either of these ac cursed habits can be quickly and per manently relieved beyond a doubt. All information as to terms and trest iment may be obtained by addressing the Keeley Institute. Columbia, S. C. -Register._______ Improwsma~ent in P'iano liuilding. It is difficuit to improve a really Fine Piano,but it is sometimes done. Those who have known anid used the old Reliable MaTIIUSnEK, which for Twenty-Five years past has been a favorite in Southern Homes, will hardly believe that any great improve ment could ' amade in such superior instruments. But, nevertheless, if they could see the New Improved Mathushek, with NEw SCALE , EFINED TONE, and S U PERB CASE DESIGNS they would be ut terly surprised at the tremendous ad vance made by these progressive ihak Read Ludden & Bates' new adver-. tisement in this issue anud investidate the merits of the MATIIUsnEK before you buy any other make. Write LUD wFs &~BATES. They live at Savan nah, Ga. swilled Whzakey. ATLANTA, Jan. 2:3.--Albert Tunison and Jim Callahn disputed last night. :ver which could drink the most whis key. J. J. Frances agreed to pay for all they drank. They were in a De atur street bar, and in the drinking bout that followed thbpe consumed t wo uarts of very bad wtiskey. Tuniison ied this morning at the police station and Callahan was just pulled through by the Grady hospital doctors. Fran :es has been arrested. A Terrible A ncient. IIAMnox, S. C., .Jan. 17.-Seven egroes, who were working on the railroad being built by Stokes & Ray sor from WAalterboro) to Ehrhardts, were killed last night by the falling in f the roof of their mu~d covered shan y. They were found this morning