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Lx S~a iii1 i.e3 yot. xv. MANNING .C ENSAMRH1,10.N.5 HELD IN SLAVERY. Result otths investigei:>n of the Anderson Grand Ju'y. A PLAIN RECITAL OF FAC TS Direct Charges Preferred Ag Jinst Those Guiity of False Imprlscnms n - and of Barbarity. The special cmmittec of the Ander son County Grand Jury appointed by Judge Benet to investigate certain charges against large land owners in that coanty made its report last Thurs day to the court. The committee-'says that in the case of Magistrate J. J. Gilmer we find that for some time past he has been in the habit of issuing warrants and causing arrests and fr qtuently commi'ting ac cused persons to jail without ever enter ing the case upon his daket. This is especially true where the cases have been comprom: *d after the arrests were made. 11 :Ind that from Sept 16, 1899, to Jan. 12, 1901, he made payment to the county treasurer of a number of fines and items of costs col leeted by him, but that during that time he collected through the sheriff's offe alone $34 80, which properly belongs to the county and failed to pay them over to the ecunty trt asurer as rcquired by law. He also colle:ted $18 S0, which he failed to turn over. We find that Feb. 19,1901, after this investigation was begun, the said J. J. Gilmer paid to the county treasurer the sum of $53.20 to cover these amounts While we have not been permitted, for the lack of time, to make a full inves tigation of all the irregularities of this office, we are convinced he has been guilty of the grossest irregularities, and we would suggest that a complete investigation of his books and accounts shuh d be had and that he should be presented for misappropriation of the funds so collee'ed by him. THE FATE oF 1ILL HULL Regarding the arrest of the Negro Will Hull, which you were directed by the court to invarigate, we find that a warrant was issued by Magistrate Gilmer for the arrest of this Negro upon an affidavit of A. T. Newell, charging him for a violation of labor contract, and that W. S. Newell, a brother of the prosecutor, was depu tized by the Magistrate to serve said warrant; that the constable so deou tized requested the deputy sheriff, J. A. Dillingham, to go along with him and assist in making the said arrest and representing that said Hall would probably create trouble when arrested and that the assistance of the deputy sheriff would be needed. The arrest was made on Friday night and the Negro was brought to Anderson on the same night. The deputy sheriff suggested that the prisoner be taken to jail, but the Negro said that he would prefer to go on with W. S. Newell, and that Mr. Newell informed the deputy that the magistrate had instructed him that he should carry the prisoner on home with him. Subsequently the magist-ate was in formed by the prosecutor that the case had been compromised and that the Negro had agreed to stay with him and work out his c~ntraot. The rest of the facts were brought out in open court. We exonerate the deputy sheriff from all blame in the matter. The princiral work of this commit tee has been the investigation of the stockades of the county and the abuses of laborers under tyrannous contracts that has grown out of the farming cut of convicts and the working of free laborers with them. We have taken the testimony of more than 50 persons -that of the landlords, their overseers and guards, together with a large number of laborers and a few other it'zens. In these investigation we have been treated with every courtesy and generally we have found no dispo stion to obstruct our work upon the part of those whose farms and stock ade: ive visited. A moet careful inquiry failed to re veal that any general abuse of the la boring class exists in this county, so that our work soon narrowed down to those places where stockades exist d and free laborers were employed. We visited the farms of J. Belton Watson, A. T. Newell, P. B. Allen, 3. R Miller, Elias Maiee, W. Q Hammond and J. . Fowler. THESE EXONERATED. We were unable to find any abues at the farm of J. B. Watson. He has a stockade and works free laborers also, but we found no svidence that free la borers were put in the rtockales and worked in line with the convicts, or ubjected to any illegal restraint or abuse. The same thing was true at the farm of P. B. Allen. We found that he had taken two contracts in which the la borers agreed to work under guard and be looked up at night, but his own ev idercee and that of all the, laborers so far as we could ascertain, was that these provisions had never been en forced. A. T. Newell works State convicts and has a stockade, but he has worked no free laborers along with the con victs recently, when he has taken two contracts of that sort. One of these was the case of the unfortunate Negro Will Hull, who was killed by W. S Newell a few weeks ago and whose case is referred to above. "FREE LAnOR!' J. R. Miller formerly worked con vits, but they were taken away by the State, and he now employs only "free" labor, if indeed we may use the word free to describe those lab~orers who have signed his contracts and subj doted themselves to the conditions existing on his farm. He has a stockade which was originally built for his State con vits and his contracts provide that the "free" laborers will work under guard and will allow themselves locked up at night. Our first investigations at this place were met by a statement from the ne groes that they'-were satisfied with their treatment, but their manner indi ated coercion and subsequently we made further investigations whioh con vinced us that J. IR. Miller, and his overseer, J. A. Emerson, had been ,,,,ty of whipping negroes, looking them up at night, woiking t- em unc r guard and puttirg shseckles upon them. Among these unfortunates were John Harrison, Will Wright, Warren Sloan at d LIege Jones. We found several of Mr Miller's contracts left blank as to the tinme of service and amcunt to be p.d, though the contracts were duly sip 'ad and witnessed. In the case of Warren Sloans he gemed to have been arrested by J. R M1:lcr and another man, whose name we ocuid not sscertain, near Central, in P e ensc:unty. There is testimory that no marran t-was exhibited, if any exi ted, but he was handcuffed ard taken to Mil ler's stockade and kept there until t'is investigation began. Since our first visit to this stoohaie he was turned loos, and allowed to go home In our judgement, the sail J. R Miller and J A. Emerson should be presented by the grand jury for the cifanses above mentioned, and wee so recommend. ELIAS MCSEE S PLAN. In many respects the most remark able case coming under our notice is that of Elias Megee, who has never em ployed Scate convicts, but who built a stockade and prepared to treat his la boreis a' convics. His contracts pro vide that the laborers shall be worked under guard and locked up at night and 6tcre was abundant evidence to show that he had locked up in the stockade, worked under guard and whippped his aborers Among those who suffered a art or all of these abusese were Wesley Nornao. Handy Earle, Yate Smith, George Tilly, John Clinkscales, C ar once Gailliard, Evins Wood, Louis Alexander, Morris Tordan. Some of these negroes bad been arrested and signed contract- after being put under rrest. John Clink oales was accused by E-ias McGee of stealing a-ra, was brought to Anderson handcuff :d and after he had s'gaed a contract, but without any trial, turned over to W. Q Hammond, who carried him to the tat per's stockade. We think the grand jury should make presentment against Elias NlcGee, and we so recommend. W. Q Hammond runs a large farm in this county and employs a consiler ble numoer both of State convicts and 'free" laborers. His contracts provide :hat the "free" laborers shall be worked nider gcard and locked up at night, and they. suffer th's illegal imprison nent and more, for the evidence shows :hat a num'- er o:t these unfortunates Have been worked under guard and gin, save been looked up at night and on undays and have b.en shackled and whipped. Among those who suf 3red hese thir gs at the hands of Mr. Ham nond ar d his overseers, Wm. Bailey, ames Martin and Day, are the ollowing: Ishan Aberer ynbie, Pink Rogers, J-mes Clintion, John Hewey, Pom Parks, Charley Johnson and John Thnkscales. Several of these were in sail at the time of our examination. 'hey had been indicted last fall for ;amblirg, had been taken out of jail on )ond by Mr -Hammond and kept at his arm without trial until the investiga ion began, when he surrendered them ack to the sheriff. The negro, Tom Parks, whose case was called to the attention of the grand jury by the preidicg judge, was re eased almost immediately thereafter. He was taken forcibly and without trial :uder one of the labor contracts above 'ferred to and confin yd in the stockade worked with the convicts and saffered the other abuses above mentioned n til this investigation was begun. We earn that perhaps a score of other la borers held under similar contracts have left this farm during the j ast few weeks. One of them, Pink Rogers, states that he was given a whipping of 50 lashes by Win. Bailey at the stock ide. We think that the facts disc'osed de ad that vV. Q. Hammond, James Martin, Win. Bailey and--Day should be presented by the grand jury for the violation of law above mention ed and we so recomm-nd. J.. S. Fowler, who first ubed the con tract providing for free laborers to be treated as convicts, worked under guard, locked up, etc., employs a con siderable number of couvicts and also f the so-called "free" laborers. He has two stockades, one of which is un der the supervision of James Coiok and which was formerly managed by Willis McGee. The other is under the charge of Levi Thomas. At these farms the convicts and "free" laborers have been worked together under a guard who carries a gun, they have been locked up at night and some of them whipped. There was no evidence of any of them having been shackled. Some of them had been accused of trivial offnses and were put under contract to work out debts or to repay money advanced for them. James Evans, Bay lis Arter, Alonzo Lark, Frank Bowlan. John Bell, Robert Brown, Foster Butler, Dan Hill, Wilis Harper, Joe Whitfield, Jim Rice, John Gilliam, Turner Walker, Andrew -Dobbs, Deck Freeley and Drayton Wheeler are some of the ne groes who have been confined in Mr. Fuwer's stoakade. Willis McGee, James ZDook, Levi Thomas, George Thomas and Mike Robbins should have presentments made against them by the grand jury for whipL ing different ones of .these ne groes. Willis Mc~ee was especialy ruel. It was testified that he had given the nergo Baylis Arter 100 lashes on ore occasion and that he whipped Robert Brown most severely and cruelly and on one occasion shot five times at Drayton Wheeler, one of the bullets passing through Wheeler's hat. The testimony goes to show that Qeorge Thomas shot at Dock Freeley and that he was also ready at the whip pings. Andrew Dobbs was found to be suf fering from rheumatism which ha says was brought on by being compelled to stand almost waist deep in mud and water in cold weather ditching. He was arrested by A M Baile:y, who has been acting as a sort of constable for J. S. Fowler but was never t ried. J. A. Rice is a negro of rather weak mind who was captured somewhere in Geor gia and charted with having escaped from J. S. Fowler's stockade in this county. Upon being brought here it was found that he was not ::be man he was suspected of being but neverthe less after being kept for several days in the stockade he entered into one of the labor contracts and has been in the stockade for several months, though unwillingly there. A number of "free" laborers have lef:, Mr. Fowler's farm since these investigations were first begun but some unwilling ones were still in the stockades when we visited A TRUE INDICTMENT Of the Ui.ed States in Her Deal ing With Cuba. "LIARS AND HYPOCRITES' Is What France and Spain Truth fully Say We Are. Our Country Disgraced Bs fore Nations The dealing of the United States with -Cuba is infamous. If you don't think so read what we print below fiom the Columbia State: The Latin races are accustomed to sneer at the hypocrisy of the Anglo Saxon. Frenchman, Spaniard and Ital ian regard cant as a characteristic of B-itish and American expression, and they marvel much at the curious bent of mind which causes the men of these nations to cloak all their evil purposes with the pretence of high and holy mo tives. Even more do they marvel at this becau-e the cloak is threadbare from overmuch use and utterly fails to conceal that which it attempts to cover. The solemnity of this moral pretence is made even more absurd by its utter fatuity. Does the Anglo Saxon sue coed in fooling himself? asks the La tin; how can he? And as he can neither delude himself nor the rest of mankind by the assumption of holiness in hs worst works, what is the use of it all? The Latin is right. In this respect the Anglo Saxon is his inferior, for he not only sins as freely as any other in dividual of the human family but he aids to that sin the further vice of hy pocrisy--and all to no effect except the creation of a universal disgust. The Latin does not trouble himself to be hyporit'c d. He takes a pleasure rather in being frank about the mo tives for his wickednesses. If he wishes to conquer another he admits that he does so for the sake of glory; if he wishes to seize upon the property of another he acknowledges that he is actuated by. the desire for loot; if he wishes to appropriate the rights of another he proclaims that he does it for the sake of power. He is above the contemptible meanness of alleging that he indulges these appetites simply for the good of the victim. When the United States went to war with Spain in orderto "liberate" Cuba, Spaniards and Frenchmen, relying up n their generalization of the Anglo Saxon character, insisted that the pledge contained in the Teller rrsolu tion would be violated and that a way would be found to hold the Cubans in subj -etion to the conquerors. Time has proven that they were right; time has shown that the honor of the United States, pledged in this matter, is as little regarded as it was when the Uai ted States administration in the spring of 1861 pledg-d itself not to disturb the status quo regarding Fort Sumter and telegraphed south, "Faith as to Sumter fuly kept," when an expedition was actually in making to violate the agrement. Spanish official paper~s which we read in the interior of Cuba before the close of the war, appealing toi the Cubans to make ommon cause with Spain for the reason that they would be betrayed by the United States and placed under alien control, were prophetic in. their warning. The Cubans refused to believe this, and we could not imagine such bad faith in view of the professions with which the war had been entered upon; but the event proved that they were right. For a concentrated exhibit of Anglo Saxon hypoerisy in its most loathsomne form we commend to the public the in auural address of President McKicley deivered recently. Nothing in DYck ens is more illustrative of that con temptible vice than this deliverance of the chief magistrate of the United States on his assumption of the powers of government for a second term. The whole address is permeated with cant and false pretence. It gives one the creeps to read it. The president is "glad to be advised by the recent act of congress of the policy which the legislative bra-ach of the government deems essential to the best interests of Cba and the United 3Wates"-a palicy which the president himself formulated and fcrced through cngress by m aans which can be characteriz ed only as bribery. The same nauseous pretence of obeying the mandate cof congress is made in regard to the Philippines when congress in this matter, as in the Cuban matter, acted only upon the cobined influences of menace and se duction proceeding from the exeeontive. The address fitly concludes with the assertion that "the government's rep resentatives, civil and military, are do ing faithful and nobli, work in their mission of E MANCIPA TION and merit the approval and support of their coun try men." Faughit We conclude with an editorial from tha Chicago Times-Herald, whose edi tor. Mr. Kohlsaat, is a. personal friend of President McKinley and a Republi can. Let the administration be judged byau honest friendl But yesterday the word of this re public might, like that of Caesar's, have stood against the world. Today who so weak or simple in all the courts of nations as to do it reverence? The Times-Herald has a word of comment to offer upon the Cuban amendment to the armyv bill as an orig inal proposition. It may contain the wisest provisions that, could be devised for establishing peaci arid giving a stable government to the island. What we insist upon is that the Uni ted States was not free to adoot any such conditions and hang the~m about the neck of Cuba. It was pledged to strike the Spanish fet ters from an op pressed and shamefullyr abused people, with a solemn disavo'wal of any pur ose of substituting American rule, however beneficent, in its place.. We wish The Times-Herald had the space to reproduce one tit.e of the fervent utterances that accompanied the adoption of the now notorious res olutions of A pril 20, 1898. They fill pages and pages of the Congressional Record, and in the light of the action of the senate this week they ring falser than the kiss of Judas. How the senators hoped and prayed ta the starved and scourged people WP found no evidence to conne:ct Mr. Fowler in any way with the whip pings of these laborers, but he was a party t) these cotracts which provided for the illegal imprisor meat and work ing under guard of the laborers and is responsible for these provisions being enforced and that presentment shouli be n ade against him therefor. We submit herewith the mrmyranda of testimony which we have taken which will show to the court and salic itor more fully the facts which we have reported and will enable them to get the names of the witnesses to prove such facts. It is proper that we shou'd add that much of the abuse has already been corrected as a result of this in vesiigation and that some of the par ties have been to us with the assurance that they would immediately correct the evils existing on their farms to which we have called attention. Owing to the widespread influence and eff ct that follows any public .is cussion of the question of farm labor in this State and the result that many follow a presentment such as we pro pose it is proper that we should in clos. ing this roport enter into a br'ef ds cussion of the infinences that have brought about the evils reported i.nd make suggestions as to the remedies therefor. We have heard rumors that this investigation has already created a widespread interest and that the can diti:;.s have been dismussed with some feeling cut we have as far as possible avoided reading anything publishes. or said in this respect in order that we might pursue our investigations without any irfluerce or bias from any quartcr. The question of farm labor in this State is a very eifficult one and the present laws regulating the same are insufficient. The negroes whom we found con fined in the stockade were composed largely of a class of shiftless debtors who, are subject to indictment for petty offense, and who could not be success fully workel under ordinary contrasct=. They are men who have no property, and men who evade their debts unlcss compelled to pay them. Against them the process of a civil court is worth less; that of the criminal court under existing laws is inadeqnate. Sone thing should be done by the legislature to grade the punisl ment of this class according to the offence. Bat the worst trouble has not been in the defect of the provisions of the law so much as its enforcement. It has come to be a settled policy in this county that in dictment for violation of contract and for disposing of property under lien should be compromises, and not tried. We are convinced that this is wrong in principle and dangerous in practice. Whatever injustice may be done an individual by disposing of property on which he has lien, or by the violation of a contract by one of his employes, and whatever force might be given to the effect of penal 'statutes to induca payment of debts or fulfillment of con tracts that never has bien the true in tent and purpose of the penal statutes. They are enacted to prevent public wrong, and when a prosecution has 0-ice been instituted and the power of the criminal court invoked, the ques tion of private recompense should dis appear, and the public interest alone sbold be considered. While this may result in occasional hardships, it is the only safe policy. Abuses will other wise grow up until the criminal courts are degraded into machines for private gain, and often for extortion and op pression. In our judgment it should be. a crime to compromise any ease aifter indictment found with a view of pri vate gain. Nor can we condemn too severely that other fruitful source-in fact, the origin of the abuses herein reported the leasing out of conviets to work on private farms. Evils already detailed are too eloquent to necessitate a dis ussion to prove this. Snch a syste m should not be tolerated after its results have been expsed as in this county. We have heard it intimated that our inestgations and exposures would ditturb the labor conditions to such an extent as to. create trouble in this State. We do not believe that it is true, but if it were we would not hesi tate to declare the evils we fine and to demand that they should be ab~iished. The duty of this body is plain: We must stop the violations of law that, new exist, and if others begin on the part of the laborers themselves, then we will unite with the law abiding citizens of the county in punishing and terminating these evils. The result of our investigations show that the system o~f working them in stockades does not exist in this cc unty further than we have reported. Prob ably not as many as twenty men, either as principal or agent, either directly ar indirectly, have been engaged in this abuse. On the ether hand, the numbers of laborers and lienors who have violated the law will double that number mnany timnes. We therefore rei'era'e that the in flunce of this grand jary, and we do not hesitate to say of the court also, will not be extended to enable any man to avoid a just contract, and that we have found that most of the labor con tracts of the county are legal and just If violat'ons of just contracts begin as a result of the investigation we have made, we suggest that warrants be sworn out and prompt punishment given. We have not undertaken to as sume the responsibility of prosecuting the laborers who l'ave violated their contracts, because the position and in flence of the landlord makes them fully able to do that without assistance from us. This special report his been brought about be'oause of the oppres sion and abuse of men who were too poor, too friendless, too ignorant and often too degraded to act for them selves, but who are nevertheless en titled to the full protection of the law, and who because of their weakness have a peculiar claim to our pretection. All of which is respectfully sub mitted. Drunk at the Throttle. The Moscow correspondent of the London Daily Mail says: 'During the recent heavy snowatorms 50 men were sent to clear the snow out of a r ailway cntting near Wolovo, on the Riasan Ural lire They were just leaving the cutting when the train came down at full speed and crushed about 80 men into shapeless masses, their e othing linging to the axles and stoppirig the train. Inquiry shows that thxe engine driver a all the guards were drunk." of Cula would not be betrayed with tie promise of freedom only to be taught to look with suspicion and ha tred upon the Stars and Stripes as they had looked on the hated yellow flag of Spain! The air of both houses of cngre~s was surcharged with electric eloquence that contrasted American honor with Spanish perfidy. Such a cool headed senator as Knute Nelson of Minn-sota declared that there were "better and stranger grounds for our recognizing the Cuban rcpublia than there was for recogniz in.i the United Sates by France in 1778. To ignore Gom. z and the Cuban republic," :aid he, "teems to me to be cold, icy heartlesstees, unworthy a great na'ion and a great people." Intervention and independence for Cuba were on the lips and in the votes of a maj rity of the senate, and almost a unanimous house during the night of April 18, 1898, when the famousreso lutions went back and forth between the two houses until they came to a final agreement which let slip the ar mies of the Unitea States for the emancipation of the Republic of Cuba from the thrall of Spain. Senator Stewart regarded "the re cognition of the independence of Cuba as a onadition precedent to any inter ference whatever." He repudiated all suggestion of- "hostile constraint en patriots who have struggled as the Cuban patriots have." It was "with much hesitation and much sadness" Senator Hawley dis cussed the declaration of the independ ence of Cuba which he opposed. Our own Senator Cullom denounced Sain-as a robber nation, and appealed to every "lover of freedom and hu manity the world over" to further the sacred cause of Cuban independence. In concluding hisespeeeh on the q les tion April 15, 1898, this what Sena tr Teller said in repudiating the idea of a war cf aggrandizement: 'Mr. President, I want the senate, before we conclude this debate, to say to the wori.d in the mo-t emphatie manner that we do not in'end in any way or manner to deriwe benefit from this interv nt-on. Spain is toy weak and too poor to pay indemnity. I want the Eenate to say that we do not in tend to take that island; that whatever we may do as to some other islans; as to this island, the great bone of con tention, we do not intend to take it rrom the legally constituted authori ties of the island as now established. "At the proper time, if no one else does so, I propose to offer so ne amend ment to the j tint resolution that shall make it clear to the world that it shall not be said by any European govern ment when we go out to make battle for the liberty and freedom of Cuban patriots that we are doing it f r the purpose of aggrandizement for our selves or.increasing of our territorial holdings." And Mr. Teller was as g od as his word, as the concluding disavowal of the resolutions of April 20, 1898, testi fies. Yet Senator Teller last Tuesday voted to rivet American suzerainty on Cuba in the place of Spanish shackles. By that vote he and his associates have str'pped the intervention of the United Slates on behalf of Cuba of the ast vestige of disinterestedness and have written hypocrisy and shameless prfidy like a blister across the hitherto fair and untarnished brow of Ameri an honor. WHAT Ii A GENTLE3MAN? unner Morgan Has Proven Himself to be Eiatitledto That Honor. What is a gentleman? 'ihe question has been variously answered. Admiral Sampson's view is that it rEquires cer tain specific r.dvantaves of early educa tion and training to make a gentlem in. f that is so, then gentlemnanliness is an acquaired art, niot a natural gift. This is not a great advance on the old English social doctrine that gentlemen re born, not made. Bat in this dem ocratic age and c )unt-y neither high birh nor li'oeral education is essential to the making of a true gentleman. When Gunner Morgan, in spite of the unfavorable endorsement of his letter to Admiral Sampson, cal'e:l on the lat ter and expressed his regret that the correspondence should have been so published as to annoy the admiral, he went so far to s o y himself a gentleman in the true sense of the term. it was a gentle deed, justifying Steele's o'b servation in the Tfatler that "the ap pellation of gentlemsn is niever to be affixed to a man's circumistances, but to his behavior in them." Old Chan cers curiously spell opinion~. That he is gentil that doth gentle dedis still holds gooe in the high court of common sense. We speak of men "behaving like gentlemen," but the phr ase is un happy. A man cannot behave like a gentleman unless he is one-f or a ffec tation or insincerity is itself bad man ers. "Nothing can consititute goed breeding that has not good nature for its foundation," says Bulwer. Thackeray's definition of a gentleman is one to which thousands of men meas ure up who never saw the inside of a college or even a high school and have no distinction either of bithor wealth. "T.o be a gentleman," says the author of Vanity Fair, "is Co be honest," to be gentle, to be generous, to be brave, to be wise, and, possssing all these quali ties, to exercise them in the most grace ful outward manner." The great scien tist Huxley puts it a little different and makes a just distirnction when he says: "Thoughtfulness for others, generosity, modesty, and self respect are the quali ties which make a real gentleman or lady, as distingui'hed from the veneered article which commonly goes by that name.". Judged by these high standards it is quite probable tbat there are as many real gentlemnen among the gunners as among the -commissioned officers of Unle Sam's r avy. -New York World. Five Killed. Five men were killed and two- others seriously injured in a mine accident at the Eigleside zinc mine in Centre Val ley, Mo. The five men killed were con fined in the drift and the others were in the main shaft. Early this morning two shots had been fired, but the whole charge failed to explode. This afternoon a whole box of powder was sent into the mine. One of the men ac oidentally discharged an unexploded shot and the box of -powder was set off, resulting it terrile destrutio1n TAX MACHINERY. The Changes in the Law as M. king Returns. THE ACTS RECENTLY PASSE What is Ncw Provided as to i Regaremants for inaurarice Companies Woi king in This State. The following is the text of the : passed at the recent session of the gi eral assembly in regard to the maki of returns of property for taxation, measure which is of concern to the p pie of the entire Seat: An act to amend section 4 of an : entitled "An act to further provide : the return of property for taxation approved the 2nd day of March, A. J 1897, so as to make township assess; equalizers as well as assessors of pr erty. Section 1. Be it enacted by the ge eral assembly of the State of Sot Carolina, that section 4 of an act e titled "An act to further provide : the return and asacssment of prope for taxation, approved the 2nd day March, A. D., 1897, be amended striking out in line 20 the words "b not" and inserting in lieu thereof t word "or," and by inserting on line between the words "greater' a "them" the words "by one hundred d lars or more," and that said section further amended by inserting the f lowing words between the woi "them" and "said" in line 27 of t section, to wit: "but they shall not : duc3 the aggregate value of real -a personal property below the aggregi value thereof as returned to the coup auditor," so that said section 4, wh so an:ended shall read as follows: Section 4 The township board commissiorers and special board of : sensors shall meet annually on the ft Tuesday in March, or as soon the: after as practicable, at some convenie place for the purpose of performi the duties devolved upon them. shall be their duly to carefully o< sider the returns and lists laid befo them by the county auditor aLd necessary to compare the same, wi the tax return and duplicate of t previous year or years. They sh diligently seek for and discover property, both real and personal, their respective tax districts not p vicusly returned by the owner agents thereof or not listed for tai tion by the county auaitor, and the: upon it shall be their duty to list t same for t xation in the name of t owner or person to whom it is taxab It shall thereupon be their farther du to fairly and impartially assess t value of all property both real and p sonal in their respective tax distri entering upon their returns and Ii furnished them. And they shall ha the right in performing their duti thereunder to increase or to lower t valuation of any property real or p sonal as fixed by the county auditor, as returned by any person; and it sh not be deemed material whether the: turns so increased was intentionally unintentionally false, or whether t property whose value is so raised v intentionally or unintentionally: turned at less than its fair cash val by the county auditor, and upon I lists made out by them, the valuati fixed by them "but they shallnotrtedi the aggregate value of real and p sonal property below the aggreg: value thereof as returned to the coui auditor," said returns and lists, w said valuation, to be by them laid fore the county auditor on or bef the 3rd Tuesday cf March of each y except that for the township of Fiorei in the county of Florence for tha y 1897, the same to he laid before county auditor on or before the 31st Niarolh. Provided, however, that r estate shall be valuted and assessed said boards only.in those years wlh real estate is by law required to be turned, except that saia boards may any year value and assess any real tate and improvements theieon wh~ they may ascertain or discover had previously been retured or assesi for taxation. Whenever the valuati and assessments of any property fixed by said boards, at a sum gres by one hundred dollars more than amount returned by the owners or agents, or whenever any property valued and assessed to taxation wh~ has not been previously returned, shall be the duty of the county audi on or before the fourth Monalay March of the year in which the va ion and assessment is made, to g to the owner or agent of such prope: written notice thereof, which notice n be served upon such owner or his ag< personally, or by mailing the same such person or his agent at his -l known place of residence, and at owner or his agent, if he obj eats to st valuation and assesasment, shall hi the right to appeal to the county bo: of commissioners sitting as the aoui hoard of equalization, which app shall be heard by said county boa The account of the county auditor the necessary stationery and posts to enable him to give the notice her reguired, shall be a valid alaim agai the county, and shall be paid as ot] county claims are paid. Nothing in t act contained shall be construed as tei fering with the duty of the county adding 50 per cent. to the value of p sonal property as a penalty, as p vided in sections 279, 295 and 297, the Revised Statutes of 1893, nor w the duties of the county auditor as v scribed in secti n 290 of the Revii Statutes of 1893. "Sec. 2. That all acts and parts acts inconsistent with this act be, a the same arc hereby repealed." iNSURANCE COMPANIES. And here is the act amending i law in regard to insurance compani throwing further protection around i policy -holders: An act (o amend an act entitled ". act to amend sections 1 and 2 of an entitled 'An act to require any ins ance company or association to be p Isessed ef one hundred thousand doll Isurplus or capital, or in lieu thereol Ihave one hundred thousand dollars deposit with some State for the ben of all ponicy holders, or in lieu ther to deposit with the treasurer of this State valid State securities aggregating ten thousand dollars, said securities to be subject to any judgment against said to compsaies; and said indgment shall operate as a loan on such seaIrfk and providing a penalty for the viola tion of the provisions of this act.' " Section 1. Be it enacted by the gen D eral assembly of the State of Soutq Carolina, that section 1 of said act as amended, be further amended by add he ing to section 1 the following proviso: Provided, however, that all five inur ance companies incorporated under the laws of this State, with a capital stock of $25,000 or more shall not be com pelkld to deposit certain valid securities or bond as above required; provided, said company shall procure and file ct with the comptroller general a certi n- ficate of the county auditors in coon ng ties where stockholders reside; that the a majority of the stockholders in the capital of said corporation are free -o holders, and reside within 'he State, are worth the amount of their stock *ot subscribed to the capital of said cor ?,r poration over all their debts and liabili ties, and exclusive of property exempt by law from etxecution; so that when amended said section will read as fol 'p- lows: n. Sec. 1 Be it enacted by the general th assembly of the Btate of South Caro n lina, that it shall be unlawful hereafter or for any insurance company or associa; ty tion tQ transact any business in this of State unless possessed of at least one by hundred thousand dollars or surplus or ut capital, or in lieu thereof, shall file with he the comptroller general the certificate 40 ef the official of some State of the ad United States, under his hand and offi al. cial seal, that he holds on deposits or is be trust, for the benafit of all policy hold al- er or members of such company or as ds sociation, securities worth at least one be hundred thousand dollars, or in the re- absence of such capital or deposit, then ad to deposit with the State Treasurer of ite South Carolina, valid Securities aggre ty gating $10,000, or a bond for said en amount made by a solvent security company, said treasurer to be the judge of of the validity of such securities and s. bonds, whist bond shall be conditioned st to pay any jadgment entered up in any e- court of competent jurisdiction in this nt State, upon a policy of insurance issued og to any citizen of this State by any such it company, and said judgment shall be n. a lien-upon such securities: Provided, re however, that all fire insurance corn if panies incorpcmsted under the laws of th this State, with a capital stock of $25, he 000 or more, shall not be compelled to ail deposit said valid securities on bond as ill above rcq-ired, provided said company in shall procure and file with the comp .e. troller general the certifioates of the or county auditors annually in counties a. where stockholders reside, that the ma e- jority of the stockholders in capital of he said stockholders are free holders and he reside within the State, and are worth le. the amount of their subscription to the ty capital of said corporation, over all he their debts and liabilities, and exclu tr. sive of property exempt by law from ,t,. execution. is ve A Warning. es The secretary of state asks that at he tention be called the fact that a law tr- was passed by the legislature prevent or ing any officer from discharging the ll duties of his position until be had e- given bond and had been commission or ed. College trustees, members of State hie boards, constables,.eto , are considered as officers under the law, so are other e- members of boards of various char ue acters who are provided for by the he legislature. They get but little per on diem or mileage, but they cannot le ce gaily assume duty of act until they r- have been duly commissioned by the te secretary of state. They do not have ty to pay any for this commission; it is a th mere matter of form. A great many e- members of various kinds of boards re have neglected to carry out the pro ~ar visions of the law, and their attention ce is called to the fact. The new act in ~ar deed makes it unlawful to fail to file he the oaths and get a commission before of attempting to discharge the duties in ~al dicated.-Ehe State. by en Decided Decrease. ien The clerk of the State board of pen. s. sions stved Tuesday that the approved ch rolls ot pensioners had been sent iu by ogmost of the county boards. It is note ed worthy that these rolls show a decided on decrease in the number of pensioners as is compared with last year's list. This is te probably due to the operation of the he. provisions of the new act now of force is throwing greater safeguards around the is dibbursement of the pension appropria h tion. Despite . the fact that many of it the counties have sent in their lists, tor the lists will have to be returned for re in visien, owing to defects. This of Lu course, will of necessity delay the e meeting of the State board, and con ty sequently checks will likely reach the ay pensioners later than usual.-The mt State. Forest Fires. oh The winds of the past few days have hk been pioductive of very serious and ve extensive forest fires in various per rd tion of this and Lexington counties ty and much loss of property has resulted. sal News of the fires in this county reach rd. ed Columbia Wednday. They have been for very destructive in the turpentine and e, saw mill sections near Killian's on the sin line of the Southern rialway and also ist upon the line of the Seaboard towards te Camden. After hard fighting the citi is sens managed to check the onward rush in- of the flames, but not before much of valuable timber had been lost. Over in er- Lexington considerable damage of this ro- character has also been done. For soy of eral nights the glare of forest fires has ith been visible from high points in this re- city. edIn a Bad Way. nd county, which is bankrupt and in MneoahsaovlyiBeta condition bordering on anarchy. A court decision which allows logging he companies to avoid the payment ci es, back taxes has caused the trouble. The he county has nc money and no-fuel for its offices, and merchants have long since i.n refused to accept warrants. The county ict jue and jurors have gone out on strike or- and most of the offices have been closed os- by their occupants. The sheriff, who ar has been caring for his prisoners at his to own expense, threatens to turn them on loose so that he can hunt foi a job that fit will support his family. The legiula .of tur is being supplicated for aid. WHAT IT COSTS. Congress Expended Nearly a - .Iliion and Haif Dollars. IMPERIALISM COMES HI0H. Congressman Livingston Says That the Half That is Con templated Has Not Been Put In Operation. Representative Cannon, chairman of the house committee on appropriations, and Representative Livingston, the senior Democratic member of the com mittee, have prepared statements of the appropriations of the 56th congress. Both place the total appropriations for the congress at $1,440,062,545, plac ing those for the first session at $710, 150,862 and for the second a $729,911, 683. Mr. Cannon publishes a table showing the expenditures of the pre vious congress at $1,568,212,637 and Mr. Livingston makes a comparison with the 5tth congress which appropri ated $1,044,580,273. In his statement Mr. Cannon says: "Of the total appropriations made at this session, at least $30,000,000 will not, in the light of past experience, be expended. This considerable margin between actual expenditures and appro priations made by congress indicates a sum total of expenditures during the fiscal year 1902 of not exceeding 1699, 911,6$3 07. Thissumincludes$53,000, 000 on account of the sinking fund re quirements for the fiscal year 1902, which, of course, under she teras of the law, will be met only to such extent as surplus revenues in the treasury may permit. After meeting the full eat ordinary requirements of the public service under the appropriations which have been made, there will surely re main suicient revenue for 1902 to meet not less than $30,000,000 of the require ments of the sinking fund. "The most marked increase indicated in the appropriations. for ordinary ex penses of the government made for the two years 1901 and 1902 at the two ses sions of this congress over those of the two preceding years 1899 and 1900, pro vided for by the 55th congress, is for the postal service. The necessity of these increased appropriations to meet large business 'demandsis referred to as a cause for congratulation. The ap propriations have been reduced $128, 150,091 by this congress under those previded for by its predecessor and this bas rendered possible a reduction of taxes in the sum of $41,000,000. "With a continuance of the wise ad ministration enjoyed by the counitry, there is every reason to anticipates ~ further reduction of public expendi tures in the near future and a corre sponding further redaction of taxes." MR LIVINGSTON SAYS: "The 54th congress was the last one that made appropriations for the sup port of the government prior to the beginning of the Spanish-American war. "The 56th congress is the first con gress appropriating for the support of th vernment since the lse of the so-aledSpnih. mian ar -The difference between the appropdiations made by the 56th congress and these made by the 54th congress are $395, 482,272. During the session just closed the de mands of the people, through their representatives, for the construction of the Nicaraga canal, have gone un heeded, and those for new public build ings have been persistently denied. The river and harbor bill has been permitted to fail. The payment of just claims of honest people against she government has not been provided for. "T'he most casual examination of the table makes comment practically un necessary. Is shows that the army for each of the two years prior to the Spanish-American war cost a littde . over $23 000,000, and but little more than $46,000,000 for the two years ccv ered by the 54th congress, while forthe two years sinee thzat war--1901and 1902 -it cost $115,000,000, or $230,000,000 for the two years, exclusive of the de ficiencies that have been provided for in large sums out of appropriations made for expanses of the Spanish war during the 55th congress. The navy cost for the two years 1897 and 1898, $63,362,000, while for the years 1901 and 1902 the appropria tions reache I nearly $144,000,000. For the payment of pensions the ap propriations show an increase of nearly $8,000,000 for the two years. "In aword, this table showsethat the price to the people of the j~olicy of this administration gahat has been thrust upon them by the Republican partyis, in round numbers, $400,000,000 within a period of two years, and the half that is contemplated has not yet been put in operation." Wagon Train Ambushed. A wagon train and a detachment of the signal corps, together with six Ma cabebe scouts were attacked by the in surgents about midway between the towns of Silang and Damasmarinas, in Cavite provine P. I. Three 'Ameri cans were killed and two of the Maca bebe scouts were wounded, while one man is missing. Four horses and one mule were killed. Capt. Mair, with de tachiments-of infantry and cavalry from Silang, wrived at the scene of the sur prise too late to intercept the enemy's retreat.___________ Chinese Cruelty. The empress of India, arriving from China, brings an accoant of the barbar ous murder of Capt Watts Jones. It is said that he was received with apparent. friendliness in the yamen of Shan 8i and was in the act of receivng his pass pert when his hands were struck ofE. He was then taken outside the yamen, sliced in several pieces and his head ut off. His companion, a Roman Catholic bishop, was put to a lingering death, his tortures being inflicted so gradually that it was four days before death relieved him. Convicts Mutinied. A dispatch from Florence to a news agency says a serious mutiny of con vits has occurred at Santa Caterina prison, resulting in the military being called out and 10 of the convicts being killed and 57 wounded. The mutiny is atruted to poor faod at the prison.