The Camden chronicle. (Camden, S.C.) 1888-1981, July 14, 1905, Image 1
THE
VOLUME XVI.
CAMDK.N, S. <
Mil DAY
-ini.y
190.1
AO. 27
IIMM GIVES VI1WS
ON THE DISPUV
The Senator Answers Some Questions
Propounded to Him
MUSI BE A GENERAL OVERHAULING j
?
Father of Law 8hows His Position and
Tell# of Sins Which Make People
Oppose and Fight It.
In an open letter to Francis W. lUg
gins, of Newberry, Senator Tillman
comes out squarely against the move
ment against the dispensary ami de
clares that the several counties ?lu?ui<i
nut accept prohibition until the Legis
lature has been given a chance to re
form the institution. It Is as follows:
Trenton, S. C., July 1, 1905.
Mr. Francis W. Higgins, Newberry,
8. C.
Dear Sir; 1 have your letter of June
27, propounding certain inquiries In re
gard to the anti-dispensary movement
m Newberry, a -?| to the dispensary
and liquor question in general, and to
my own attitude towards it.
The Question you ask relate to the
most important subject now agitating
the minds of the people of the State,
and in order to cover the ground at all
satisfactorily "it will require me to an
swer at some length and to discuss the
subject in its various phases, and this
becomes the more necessary as you no
tify me in advance that you desire my
answer for publication.
1 shall preface what I write by lay
ing down certain general principles
which will be disputed only by those
who are fanatical and unwilling to
consider any subject from Kny other
standpoint than that of bigotry and
prejudice. Most men will agree to the
following:
1. All men love stimulants and are
usually slaves to some one kind, as
witness the strong appetite which pre
vails for coffee, tea, tobacco, brer,
wine, brandy, whiskey, morphine, qui
nine. cocaine, etc. With, the exception
of some of the drugs mentioned there
are no injurious effect* immediately
perceptible and none Of them intoxi
cate except those containing alcohol.
Alcoholic beverages in moderation are
no more harmful than tea or coffee,
probably less so.
2. tfie abuse of liquor by men drink
ing to excess has caused as much or
more crime and misery than any other
one thing.
3. The proper policing and control
of the liquor traffic ho ns (o minimize
its abuses is one of the most perplex
ing and troublesome questions with
<s* which any government lias to deal.
Men have never agreed as to any one
method being best and never will, and
there is a constant agitation of the
subject in some form going on all the
while in almost every State in the
Union.
4. Kxperience shows that some men
will have liquor as a beverage and
that no law has ever, yet been devised
which will prevent them obtaining it.
Wise men are therefore content to re
duce the evils of liquor soiling and
liquor drinking to tho minimum, and
the question at issue in South Caro
lina now as it has been these fifteen
or twenty years past, is how to do
this.
There is no need for any heat or pas
sion in discussing the subject and we
should divest ourselves of all preju
dices in its consideration. Three poli
cies have at one time or another been
adopted in dealing with the question.
License, high or low, prohibition and
the dispensary system. Since 1 893 the
last named hns been the method fol
lowed In this State, but all along there
have been staunch advocates of the
other iwp systems' embracing within
their ranks many of the most intelli-"
gent and best people we have. It. is.
therefore, eminently proper that we
recognize these earnest, -honest advo
cates as having just what we claim for
ourselves, no other purpose than that
of the public welfare. And those of us
who have been the supporters of the
jlispensary system must meet them in
argument and show from the experi
ence through which the people of the
State have passed ns well as with force
and logic that the advocates of both
prohibition and high license are in er
ror.
You ask, "Have you lost faith. in the
dispensary system and do you consider
it so inherently defective that It cannot
be purged of corruption and made to
serve its original purpose?" I answer
most emphatically, no. I believe the
principle of the State control and the
sale of liquor through bonded officers
to be the best that was ever devise I ;
that it comes nearer to the ideal idea
of teaching me to use liquor instead
of abusing it. and throwing around it
safeguards which will be the best for
the cause of temperance. There is no
inherent defect in the scheme, and if
there he corruption and mal-adminis
tration in the enforcing of the dispen
sary law it is directly traceable to the
Legislature and to those who have been
placed in charge of itn execution. In the
absence of any positive proof of corrup
tion we must await with deep interest
tho investigation which is now under
way and urge those in charge of that
Important work to earnest, thorough
and speedy action. The yeople believe
there Is corruption aqd a great dofrl .of
It. Very many things go to jrti'ow that
this belief Jiac ?oo<WotfndStion In fact.
We oughLto know ns soon as possible
just whJR and how f^r men have been
gVtlltyof unlawful behavior.
The suspicion which now hangs over
the dispensary like a pall -will cause
many to hastily vote for Itse destruc
tion, who are still or have been strong
"beTlevers In the dispensary system as
a means of controlling the sale of whis
key. So f would say to the gentlemen
who are In charge of tho Invest Igatlon
that they can do the people of the State
a great serrlce by le ttlng In the light
and probing to tho bottom. We want
lo know what Is wrong and we can
Ihen determine how to provldo a rem
cdj, while the criminal courts will, or
oafht to prosrlde punishment for the
dSpeasfcry law has been under
fit* is the courts and on the hustings
; <#Nrstooa the system was Inaugurated.
There lias been only one general <
tlou in the r>4 i? i ??. tlu* liihl in which it
j was 1 1 < > t an issue. II won victory aftei
\ ictoi y for it was the main Issue in the
Hocl Ion of lM'l. in the election for the
' constitutional convention in I S 8 , and
! in the Slate elections of l^tfi, islis, 15?V; j
and Ui02. Ihosc candidates for public |
i office who can led its banners were al- :
ways Victorious.
i What then l.as caused tK? proven: .
upheaval? Why are petitions circul.it- j
ing in a do/en or more counties ask- j
ing for an election to vote it out under i
the Hrhe br.v.'and that too in conn
ties which, in tin* past its known ad j
voeatos have always had larcc major ,
itles? Have the people any greater !
faith in prohibition than they have had
all these past yoars? I do not think
so. Are the advocates of high lieenso 1
any stronger than they have been? 1 ,
do ttot hink so. I am bouhd to believe !
that tho existing dissatisfaction and j
desire to destroy the dispensary conies j
from the well-night universal belief ;
of tho people that there is corruption j
In its administration and because the !
last Legislature failed to take any ac- j
tion other than that to appoint ft com- !
mittee to investigate. There were j
charges, with how much truth they
were made I dont know, that the dirt- ,
pensary influence in the Legislature !
wan paramount'. Anyhow, the friends
Of tho dispensary and its enemies j
joined lorces at the last session to pre- j
vent any action, and nothing was done, j
and unless public opinion shall drive
the Legislature at its next session to j
some reform action which will purify j
the atmosphere there is no possible
dojibl that all elements of opposition
to tho dispensary, aided by many <)f
Its old friends, will combine in the J
next election and kill the system. 1 j
do not hesitate to tell you frankly that i
If it has become, and Is to remain a |
corrupt political machine as is charged,
1 cannot defend it juid will not do so.
but will join the rafiks of those who j
seek to kill it. I believe it can lie- re
organised and purged of corruption, i
with safegurads thrown around it to j
prevent the recurrence of the present
unfortunate and disgraceful condition
of affairs. 1 cannot now go at length .
into the details and give reasons, but i
1 will state briefly the causes as 1 see
them which have produced the present !
situa' ion.
The purchase of liquor by any hoard j
Gk-officlO or otherwise, should be stop
ped. The original scheme which was
hastily gotten up made the Governor, I
attorney general and th<? comptroller ?
general cx-ofTieio the Stale Hoard of j
Control. This was changed very :
after I left the Governor's office and j
the Legislature assumed control by the :
election of the board; a lid in no in- j
stance since has my advice and opinion j
had any weight in shaping its manage- i
mont though 1 have tried to prevent i
some things being done ami have urged j
Others without success. It stands to
reason that men who have to depend .
upon the suffrage of the whole people
to get high office are or ought to be of a
higher typo with better characters and
in every way better fitted for reaipon
sible positions involving the handling
of public money than those who with
petty salaries are elected by the Legis
lature. Politics always enters into a
legislative election. People who vote
for Governor vote for him because
of other qualifications than that be
would make a good dispensary direc
tor. and for this very reason the Gov
ernor Is the best possible man to place
in such a responsible, position. Hut
the law is fatally defective in regard
to the purchase of whiskey in not
specifically defining in the most minute
and binding manner just what kinds
of liquor shall be bought and how it
shall be bought without leaving it to
the discretion of any board. Every
detail should be worked out and then
the law would execute itself as far as
that feature is concerned. The hoard
would then need only to supervise tho
conduct of State and county dispen
saries, the same as the asylum and
penitentiary are run.
Now as regards the proposed elec
tion to vote out" the dispensary. If tho
dispensary is to he voted out it should
and must he voted out of tho State, not
out by individual counties. Of course |
recognize tlu> deep seated love or our
people for local self government and I
would not compel any county to retain
the dispensary or have one established
therein if a majority of the citizens
want prohibition with its acknowlcged
failure to prohibit. But judging simply
by the facta, in the numerous elections
that h a nee n held on the subject 1
believe that a large majority of the
people of the State nh? as strong be
lievers in tho dispensary system as 1
am; pud that they are only casting
about now for a method of relieving
themselves of the corrupt machine
which is saiij to bo in charge in Colum
bia. Many States in the Union have
had corruption in their State govern
ments and their Stale treasurers have
defaulted ? have sometimes stolen hun
dreds of thousands of dollars ? hut no
man has ever thought of abolishing
the machinery of taxation because of
this. We have got to deal with liquor
in some form and provide for its le
gitimate sale or we know It will find
illegitimate sal*\
Shall- we have high license? I say
No. That gives the monopoly to the
wealthy man as against the poor man
and we know from experience with
bar-rooms that it will be Impossible to
give any man the right to fill his store
with liquor to sell apd then have him
comply with the constitutional require
ments and not sell it at night and not
have it drunk 'on the premises. If the
dispensary Is* abolished I will stump
tho State for prohibition rather than
see high license. I have said this and
it is the reason probably that the ptory
Is going the rounds about my stumping
far-.m-ohibitlon. Rut before we have
prohtllHion or high license cither 1 ex
pect if day health continues good, to
give a vety earnest discussion to the
subject of toow to reform the dispen
sary Instead of destroying it and to
showing the true inwardness of the
present movement.
.. I?t us suppose that the present cam
paign against the dispensary by county
elections. Rhall progress victoriously as
It has thus far and that the majority
of the counties In tho State vote It out.,
Will the question be settled? By no
means. The alllanee of prohibitionists,
high license people and blind tigers
which Is now waging successful war
' will have to cohtlnue the war bet-wren
themselves after the dispensary is de
funct* Sensible men will not lend their
aid to snycrusade which only gives us
"eonfufiton worse confounded" and pro
duces a chaotic condition with no com
pen sail on. *
1'nder the decision of the I'ni<> 1
States Supreme Court. prohibition and
no other Slate regulation ^.an prevent
liquor from being shipped in l ?> e\ i
press for personal iim1 of Individual
and the jug country traffic fiom Wil
tnlnp.ton to Charlotte, Atlanta. Angus
to and Savannah will he Immense en
dor piohihition, an.i th^money which
now goes into the dispensary f ? >?? th<
use of the t?>wti* and counties of the
State and the school fund will he sent
out of Ih*1 State Id enrich tho dealers
and distillers of other States. Stills
will he run in every swamp and wag
ons will peddle liquor all over the
country. The only light worth enlis'
ing in South Carolina is between pro
hibjt ion as rigidly enforced as ii can
he and the dispensary as honestly en
forced as it ought >o he. High license
is not to he thought of for a moment.
Vet the prohibitionists say they | r
the dispensary !'> licence and t ?? < '
license people hi y they prefer prohi
bition to tho dispensary while the
blind tigers want prohibition beca;.s?'
they know it means free liquor.
The elections now being held in the
counties tn vote the dispensary mil
are very different to ihe Democrat i<
primary election;* which will sett!" the
question finally. In the (1..-I plai e the
vote in these counties wl ere < t i. >,i r
have 1j<j0u iiel.i against the disprns ir>
has been very small as compared v. HI
the regular vote. It requires a rertlfi
cat? of registration to vote at such an
election while in the primary the club
rolls of tho Democratic dubs govern.
Then men are indifferent as they were
in tho prohibition election in IX!>2 when
only sixty thousand out of ninety-two
thousand voted in that l>ox. There
are probably thirty thousand or more
good Democrats in the State who from
one cause or another are not able to
vote in the elections held under the
fir ice net. That law was shrewdly
drawn and for the express purpose of
killing the dispensary 1 have been told.
These thirty thousand will determine
the question In the future as they have
in the past because they will elect the
Legislature and the State officers in
the State Democratic primary in spite
(?f any combination such as is now giv
ing us prohibition by a negative pro
cess. Voting out tin? dispensary not
because the people want prohibition
but giving us prohibition because Home
people want free liquor, some j?eople
prefer to buy illicit liquor and a return
to the old barroom system, whil? many
people will do anything to kill the dis
pensary with the hopr of profiting by
its destruction.
1 would advice every advocate ~ of
tho dispensary who is in doubt to vote
against putting the dispensary out of
his county until we see what the report
of the investigating committee is and
then whether or not tho Legislature at
its next session will purge the corrup
tion out of the dispense!. v system, and
put tafegtfards around ii for the future.
1 say unhesitatingly it can be done
successfully. The dispensary system has
shown its strength in past elections
localise people thought it was honestly
administered. All that is necessary is to
have them understand as they will un
derstand by 1900 that they must kill
the law in order to get rid of the cor
ruption and they will make short work
of it. It must be made clean or it must
go. At present the,veampaign to vote
it out county by county only brings
about confusion, encourages blind ti
gers and causes the counties and State
to lose money, and settles nothing, and
it is impossible to settle the question
in this way. I repeat it can only be
settled at the general Democratic pri
mary when all the people have hoard
all sides and have made up their minds
intelligently.
I desire to add in conclusion that
practically I am a prohibitionist no
eause I very rarely drink any liquor
of any kind. If I believed that prohibit
tion couljl be enforced, understanding
as I do most thoroughly the great evil
attending the abuse of liquor I would
be a prohibitionist but knowing from
the most searching investigation and
from the official record of the United
States government that in Maine and
Kansas where prohibition prevails that
there has been a most dismal failure to
enforce the la r I prefer to the dispen
sary as the lesser evil, and as r have
often said in the past 1 believe that
State control comes nearer to the ideal
management of this troublesome ques
t ion than any other.
I have no personal interest in view
and am only actuated by a son?o of
public duly In taking the position 1
have occupWI in the past and which
I shall continue to occupy.
I have always believed in the rule
of the majority. Hut I want it to bo
tho majority of all the Democrats in
the State. , IV K. TILLMAN.
Insurance Co.'8 Complain.
Odessa, Hy Cable. ? Tho authorities
hero ha vo boon informed that tho I'o
tomkino has sailed from Kustenji, Iton
mania, for Sevastopol.
Tho question of insurance on proper
ly lost hy lire in the harbor during tho
recent disturbances is occasioning sp
rious disputos between the Russian and
tho foreign insurance companies. Tlio
foreign corporation:; declare they will
make claims against the ilussi.in gov
ernment. The. i hiimnanlu number ai^uit
?100 and the totnl losses are now e.s' i
mate.l at $20,001)000.
A Child Burned to Death.
Klloreo Special ? I^ast Monday night
about 11 o'clock ono of the tenant
houses on Mr. P. L. Cannon's plaee
near Vance was destroyed hy fire. The
occupants. Jennie Owens and her two
children were asleep when tho fire
was discovered. The mother escaped
and one of the children perished in
the flames while tho other was badly
burned. The origin of the fire and
full particulars connot bo learned.
Coroner fttckenbaker of Orangeburg
has been notified and Is on l?fs way
to the s< ene of the accident.
Pigeon Returns After Tnree Years.
After flyinf, about tho country for
nearly three jtar.; a blue checked pig- I
con which (nJune, 1902, was shipped
to (]ortI6nvilil? S. C., to be entered !
in a T?on mile contrst for young birds. I
returned to the loft of its owner, John
DrthofT, this city, to-day.
The small rlrjg of idontlflcaMon re
trains Iruct on lis leg. ? Reading cor
?TKpcndcnco Philadelphia nolletln.
Peace Envoys Will Hold i licJr Ses
sions at Portsmouth, N. H.
IS AN IDEAL PLACE FOR MEETING j
Adjournment From Washington Will i
Be Taken to the Navy Yard at the
Mouth of the Piscatawa Rive*".
Washington, KjScclal ? Assistant Bee- i
rotary Worn? announced that the
plenipotentiaries of Russia aiul Japan
had agreed upon Port stnout h, Now !
Hampshire, as tho meeting place for j
the sessions of the peaeo < onfcren.o to t
he held outside of Washington. The
sessions will be hold In the govern
ment navy yard at Portsmouth, in tho
new building just completed there.
Tho selection of Portsmouth was mu
tually accept able to the peace envoys .
of the belligerents, us, besides being j
a cool and comfortable place for this i
season of the year, it has tho ad van- t
tage offering a building on govern- I
mcnt. soil, whicti is regarded as an I
important consideration. This will in
sure seclusion, as no one can gain ad
mission to the navy yard without per
mission.
While the sessions will be hold In j
the navy yard, tho plenipotentiaries |
and their staffs will live in nearby
hotels.
Poi tsi?r"'4> *' v,"v>Jal.?
new general store hnilding, just com
pleted, is Uio largest and most im
posing of any in the navy yard, being j
four stories in height and of ample
dimensions. It is of brick and brown
stone and at, ? present unoccupied.
Rear Admiral Mead, the commandant, j
said that it. could he readily furnished j
for the needs of the conferees.
The location of the navy yard is One
offering all the advantages of a North
ern summer resort. It occupies an
inland in the Piscataqua river, almost I
in tho ocean. Its view commands tho
wide mouth of tho river, which is the
boundary between Maine and Now
Hampshire and forms the Portsmouth
harbor. The shores are picturesque,
dotted hero and there with cottages
and farm houses, while a number "of
hotels on either the Maine or the
New Hampshire shore are easily ac
cessible.
May Prosecute Holmes.
Oyster Hay, L. I., Special. ? It is re
garded here as not unlikely that crim
inal prosecution may result from the
Investigation of the cotton report leak
in the Department of Agricuturo. The
subject has not yet been presented to
the President in a formal way, al
though he is familiar with most of the
details of the r" Inquiry. United
States District AUow^k^Beach, of
Washington, was of thewijinjon, after
a cursory examination of a part of tho
evidence- adduced in tho investigation,
that a criminal proceeding would not
lie against Assistant Statistician
Holmes, who is alleged to have
profited by giving advanced in^rnyi
tion of the condition of the cotton
crop to certain brokers. Tho Depart
ment. of Justice is not inclined to ac
cept this view of the case. While no
decision to institute criminal proceed
ings has been reached, the subject is
being considered by Attorney (?eneral
Moody, who later will take the matter
up with the President. In view of
the opinion by tln> United States dis
trict attorney that a criminal prose
cution against Holmes would not He.
Secretary Wilson has intimated that
he would suggest to President Ttoose
volt a recommendation to\Congress
that legislation lie enacted to cover
cases nf similar character involving
a breach of trust.
Convicted Officers' Case Up.
Washington. Special.? The papers in
the rase of Major Frank Do I j. Car
rington. United States army, tried by
court martial and civil courts in the
Philippines for misappropriating the
funds of the Filipino Scouts w hr> went
to the St. Louis Exposition, hnd sen
tenced to dismissal frtutfi the army by
the court and to imprisonment for a
term approximating sixty years by the
civil courts, were sent to President
Roosevelt fur review. The papers con
tain the approval of the Secretary of
War and judge advocate general of tho |
army.
News of Mutiny From Japs.
Slplnghai, Manchuria, By Cable ? The
news of the mutiny in the Black Sea
reached the Russian army through tho
Japanese, who fired night shell* charg
ed with proclamations conveying the
Information into the Russian advanced
posts, ncattering tho proclamations
broadcast. Rain is falling in torrents,
and all activity at the front has ceased.
Wants Mutineer* Given Up.
i St. Petersburg. Special ? Negotiations
between Russia and Roumania on the
question of tho surrender of tho crew
of the Kniaz Potemklne are -in prog
ress. Foreign Minister Ijamsdorft and
M. Roesetl-Solesco, the Roumanian
minister here, held a conference Mon
day on the subject, but no decision was
.-^rrlved at. Russia Is disposed to In
Snst on the surrender of thft men, not
as political prisoners, t? which Rouma
nia would object, but as criminals
guilty of murder and theft. a *
PALMETTO CROP CONDITIONS
Weather Conditions Given Out by the
Department Obseiver.
Tin* week Muling K it. ill. of the 10th,
ha<l a mean temperature rtlightl.\ In ex
cess of t li?* normal, although there was
some complaint of too cool nights near
l In' close of the week, from (In- wcsfru
portions of the State. Tlu? extremes for
tin* week were a maximum of 100 de
grees at Columbia on the :tnl. ami a
minimum of t>2 degices at Greenville
on t It e Mh. There wore destructive high
winds in the western ami central loun
tics accompanying thunderstorms Inn
the damage was i onlim d to small areas.
Tlu're was more than the usiioi amount
of cloudiness, especially during tin' al
tcrnoons, with morning# and nights
generally dear.
The average precipitation was some
what in excess of the u^i't^al. with,
however, many plates in the east een- 1
trnl ami noitliern counties that had lit''
tie or no rain and wiie.re the drought
was ilUensilled and is now very deltl
mentnl to all growing crops. In Oidiic*',
Amleison, and pints of I'lckens ami the
central Savannah valley .ount!e.\ there
were very heavy rains that washed
lands, Hooded bottom lands and le
tarded cultivation, over the greater
portion of the State tl-.e rainfall was
wholly benelicial. though scarcely sui
ficient for the ncedw of < rops.
There whs a general Improvement in
t he condition of cotton, confined largely
lo clayed soils, while on sandy lands
111 ore was improvement in spots only
The plants have grown too last in the
western counties, and generally under
sized elsewhere, though healthy. Hum
has appeared in \nde:son county, and
"black root" in clarendon. Sharp
shooters have done considerable dam
age in Anderson anil Dickens counties.
In sections where the rainfall has been
deficient, and the plants are in conse
quence small, they are blooming 10 the
tops. In most places tin- plants are
fruiting normally.
The rains came too late to benelil old
corn, which is poor in every part of the
State, while young corn Jjas become
very promising, except en bottom lands,
in a few counties, where what is left
after the floods has become very
grassy.
Tobacco curing has made fair prog
ress. but the crop is a light one, Hire
is doing fairly well. A large acreage
of cow-peas has been planted on wheat
and oats stubble lands, and they have
come u n^ to good stands. Gardens are
poor, . ill places ruined bv the droug-ht,
Dastfires have improved recently. Mel
ons are plentiful. I'eaches scarce ex
cept where raided on a commercial
scale. ? J. W. Bauer, Section Director.
Ben Bennet at Liberty,
Hampton, Special. ? News came here
early Monday morning announcing the
fact that Hen Dennett, a white man
convicted of wife murder and sentenced
to live years in the penitentiary or on
the chaingang. and Sam Jenkins, a ne
gro serving on the chaingang for kill
ing another negro, whose sentence was
four years in the penitentiary or on the
public works of t/io count*, have es
caped. The escape was made by tiling
a large ring. They left, with their
shackles on them. There were nine
convicts at work near Hickory Hill.
Webb Thomas was the only guard in
charge on this gang at the time. Homy
Dowers, tho other guard having gone
to his home on Saturday. Nothing was
known of the escape until daylight this
morning. Supervisor Snider will do his
best, to have the convicts raptured. It
is thought that Dennett has gone to
Savannah or Charleston.
The State House Case.
Columbia. Special.- Col. Robert Alil
rich of Barnwell and Mr. II. A. M.
Smith of Charleston are here to repre
sent (he Slate of South Can/Una in I ho
prosecution of the case against the
State house contractor and architect
who are responsible for the dome on
the capltol. The complaint charges con
spiracy to defraud the State and the
suit Is for $150,0011 damages, it is prob
able that the trial of the case will be
very interesting. Then; Is some feeling
on both sides, as was evidenced on the
floor Of the general assembly on more
than one occasion, and the attorneys
on bith sides are ve. y determined men.
Mr. T. Yancey Williams of Lancaster
was also delegated to assist Col. Aid
rich in prosecuting the case.
Serious Shooting Affair.
Union, Special, ? Word has just reach
ed here of a very serious shooting af
fair in this county, near Jonesville, at
a negro church, in which one Jim (ilenn
is fatally wounded and three other ne
groes are seriously, but not necessarily
fatally shot. The name of the negro
who did the shooting could not be
learned. He Is still at large.
. A Large Deal.
Conway, Special. ? Few larger deals
have been made in Horry county than
the transfer of the stock of the Conway
('oast and Western railroad. As an
nounced previously, the road has
changed hands, Messrs. James 11. Chad
bourn. Eugene 1'. Schulken and C. P.
Holies of Wilmington. N. C.. h;eing the
purchasers of a majority of the stock.
The directors is composed of Messrs.
Chadbourn. F. A. Burroughs, C. P.
Bolles, B. C. Collins and K. P. Schul
keh, with H. H. Chadbourne as presi
dent and E. P. Schulken secretary and
treasurer.
Ship Lies in Harbor Bottom.
Kustcnjt, Roumanla, By Cable. ? The
announcement tha? the battleship
Knlar Potemklne sailed with Hear Ad
miral Kruger's squadron Monday even
ing turns out to b? incorrect. Before
leaving the Kniak Potemklno the mu
tineers opened the seacocks and flood
ed her bold. She Is now lying at the
bottom, but, It Is expected, will be re
floated in time to lee re for gtvefltfpo]
July 11 ? ? *
STAIF HOUSE SCANDAL / IKED j
Suit of State of 5outh Carolina Against '
Architects For Faulty Construction |
of RepAirs on State Capitol Cornea j
Up For Trial at Columbia.
Columbia Special to Chariot tr Oleerv cr.
'Ill" I - 1 V 1 1 (illlf which Will lu> begun
l>v the State in (lie Cir< nil Court 1;
lor $lM)(i,(iuo damages against tin*
trneiing li'iu of M< llvane. i nkei'ei
Company ami A r?-liit< .-i Frank l' Mil
l"i in, f<?r faulty const 1*11 ? t i?>t i in remod
eling I lie Slate 1'iipitol. will n!tra?i
much attention throughout the Stale.
Governor llcy ward ami a number of
other prominent men have lieu sum
moiled an witnesses and it is expected
thai some .sensational evid? nee will be
brought out.
Ill the opinion of experts twice as
mm li money as was necessary to com
plete the building and put it ill pe:feet
condition has already been expended,
although the work Is not yet compu te,
The scandals. following nil exposure of
the affair, Involving certain prominent
politli lans belonging to the State house
commission, whhli accepted the work
mmI re'i 'sed those lesponslhle from
their bonds, caused the matter to he
the subject of a iiumher of heated o?*
hates in (he |as| several I .eg islql it I 0. So
heated, In fact did the d<d)/ites he
eome, that, ai times, ii looked as if
personal violence would result. The n W
State house commission's urehilesl., Mr.
C. C. Wilson, declared that the new
dome was faulty in comunit tiun and
liable to fall in with disastrous re
suits its supports being insuff icieni.
Governor Hey ward employed the gov
ernnient's l<*a?' 1 n expert. Mr. Kert
liorle, who came here and passed upon
the dome. For the most part lie sided
with Mr. Milhiirn. (hough the commis
sion loyally Iidhered to lite contentions
of its own expert.
After the architect an?{
were paid for tlielr work to complete
the building, a Kiihse')ueni I ,e?|. datum
found II necessahy to appropriate ?ltr<,
(?nt) more to complete the repairs. A
large amount of this has s^iready been
expended, iu a new heatinfr-'plant ami
in permanent work.
The principal point of difference now,
and the one whi< h will receive tite most
attention in the trial, is as to vvhet tier
n new roof should be added to l ake I ho
plaia>-f>r fhe one the ennt raetors put on
under Architect MilbuVu. 'tin; new
commission lias the plan*; and .q -.rvif ra
tions for a new roof till ready for
awarding the contracts, and will let
those contracts, au fttmn us the result of
the trial is known. The new roof will
be of terra cot fa.
The failure of Ihe million-dollar In
dependent Cotton Oil Company and Ihe
resultant failure of the $,jno,i.)<H> Darl
ington Trust Company, will cause uiuch
suffering iu and near Darlington, where
a large amount of the stock was held.
It is understood that a controlling in
terest In both concerns were held in
Darlington and neighboring counties.
In u number of cases the holding'
amounted to as little as $."?(> to $3,000,
but these represented the savings ;tf
years, it is stated that a number of
the larger stockholders are endorsers
on the company's notes to a large ex
tent. However, the statement Is confl-'
dently made that no other business un
terprises of that section are involve.!,
and there are those who believe that
both concerns will get on -their feet
again. About $100, opo worth of the
stock was held iu Charleston. At onn;
time the concern's headquarters were
In Charleston, with Morris Israel, of
that city, as its president. The ^Mjml
quarters were moved to Darlington, but
again transferred to Charleston, but
finally went back to Darlington on in
' tercets there acquiring control.
The affairs of the two concerns will
be thoroughly investigated by the re
ceivers. which Judge Watts appointed
Saturday. Messrs. L. IS. Williamson and
E. C. Llde have been appointed re
ceivers for the trust company, and Mr.
Bright Williamson for t tie oil com
pany.
The complaint in the oil company
cases alleges indebtedness aggregating
$r.20,000. The complaint urging the ap
point inent of a receiver says:
"The Independent Cotton Oil Com
pany owns eight oil mills, with ware
bouses and other appurtenances, num
erous ginneries, tank cars, live stock
and applicance, has valuable contracts
outstanding, is employing a large num
ber of hands, and has on hand large,
valuable stocks of raw material and
manufactured product, and il would be
disastrous to Hie business of the said
company and to its stockholders and
creditors for its operations to be sus
ptnded."
I
Americans in Mexico Celebrate.
Mexico City. Special. ? The Fourth
c> f July was celebrated by tho Ameri
can colony. Robert llarret read the
Declaration of Independence and Am
hassador Conger delivered, a patriotic,
address. President Diaz wan enter
tained by the Society of the AjnerieJin
Colony at lunch and mado brief ad
dress, paying a tribute to thcuUnitod i
States. lin was cheered lustily.
New Enterprises.
The socretary of state last week is
sued a charter to the Dynch-Letlon
company of this city, which lias
bought the drayage business conduct
ed for many years by Mr. 'I'. S. Har
per. The capital stock is $10,000.
The Kvening Post. Publishing com
pany of Charleston has increased its
capitalization from $10,000 to $15,000.
A commission was issued the Benov
olent and Kndownient association of
Columbia, a concern for the Insurance
of negroes.
Tho M. Iv. Sullivan company of An
derson was given a charter to conduct
a mercantile business, capital stock
$5,000.
South Carolina Itsma.
A farmer's institute, under the di
rection of Clems'on college, will be
held at Moore Spring, near Duncans,
Friday, July 21. The following pro
fessors will make nddresses on prac
tical subjects: Prof. Klein of the
veterinary department of Clemson,
Prof. D. W. Daniel of the Industrial
department. Prof. C. C. Chambllsa of
tho entomology department, and Prof.
C. L. <Xewman of Clem son will dlsfcuss
agriculture from the scientific aland
Ills Of PlUUin NEWS
Occurrence^ of Interest In Varlou?
Parts of the State. \
Geneal Cotton Market.
Middling
Cat voston, 11 >'in 10 7 8
Now Orleans, firm 10 3-4
Savannah, quiet 10 1-2
Norfolk, steady 10 3-4
Baltimore, nominal 11.00
Now York. <i ?? i<i t 11.10
Hofiton, fjulot 1 1 .1(1
Philadelphia, Mtoady 11.35
Houston, steady 10 3-4
Angus! a, firm 10 5-K
Memphis, firm 10 11-10
Si. Louis, llrm 10 3-4
Louisville, linn 10 3-4
Charlotte Cotton Market.
These figures represent prices paid
to wagons:
Ktiiei good middling 1<( 5-10
(!ood middling 10 1-4
Hiriti i n ) < I < 1 1 i ii k Id 1-4
Middling 10 1-H
Tinges X 1-2 to 9 3-4
Stains 7 12 to 9.00
Died After a Quarrel. *' i
Ian know. Sporial. -Mr. W. J. Rollins ,
died instantly Thursday at 12 o'clock,
death resulting from heart failure, ft
seems thai i ho cause was from a dis
pulo between ho and Dr. L. If. Peebles,
magistrate, while working on a ditch
In iho street. Some of (ho citizens
agreed to ( lean Iho dlfch and Rollins
was overseeing Iho work. Peebles de
eldod ho would hnlp and secured a hoo
and worked with tho rest of the crowd.
Somo I lino, about an hour before they
<iu!(, Peebles made a suggestion aa to
how ho thought 'the ditch Afcouhl bo
dug and uakod Rol M iih to Wand
the shovel. which Rollins did, PeflttM?
showing Rollins his Idea of how the
ditch should be dug. Ilollina said that
he would not have it that way, and
that It should ho finished aa started.
Peebles got offended at Rollins for tllO
manner in which he spoke and left
without further words. About 12:00
o'clock Rollins started for a bucket of
waler at a well at which ho and all
use out. of, and was obliged to pass Pee
bles house. Peebles was on his porch
and Rollins stopped and told Peebles
he had coma lo jell him about tho ditch
and commenced to exulain himself, la
Iho way he spoke to Peebles, Peebles,
being mad already, ordered him to get
away from his place. Rollins was
standing on the sidewalk, talking to
Peebles. Then Rollins went to the .
well talking back to Peebles, but. did
not curse, while Peebles used strong
language to him. When at the -tvell
I>ii t a few minutes Rollins fell and dle4
instantly. Rollins leaves a wife aud
many friends to survive him. ?
Palmetto Items.
Columbia, Special.? Dispensary In- -
spoctor C. I j. Rrown Is looking for
1 1,600 ho lost, or was robbed of be
tween hero and Charleston, where he
went, recently to look afCer Dispenser -
S. W. -Mat thews, wljo was behind in
accounts to this amount and who
squared himself with tho State dis
pensary people by turning over this
sum In cash to Mr. Brown, who gtfvej.
his receipt. Mr. IJrown did not dis
cover Iiis loss till ho reached Colum
bia. Ho reported to Commissioner,.
Tatum that he had lost/ tho money,
but just how, he was at. a loss to dis
cover. Tho law as to suing on an In
spector's bond seems to bo defective
and there was some rub here, but '
Commissioner Tatum insisted that the
Hi ale sfaould not be made tojQIfl and
Mr. Ilrown saw tho force of tho V
gument and made up the amount and ?
paid it over to tho State dispensary,
lirown has been suspended. Ho says
ho did not drink on his -way here
and does not see* how any on? could
have taken the money from his per
son.
Columbia, Special. ? Long-distance
'phono messages from Florence and
Darlington contkm the rumors current
here of the falluro of two big concerns
at the latter place. The one Is tho Inde
pendent Cotton Oil tympany, capital
ized at $ 1. 000,000, and operating half a
dozen branch plants in Hartsville, Tim
monsvlllo, In Williamsburg county, and '
elsewhere, and the other Is the Darling
ton Trust Company, which has author
ized capital of $200,000, of which fl20,- "
I 000 has been paid in. The trust concern
, conducted a bank in Darllngtou, whose
' doors were closed.
Negro Kilted at Celebration.
Florence, Special.? At a big negro
Fourth of July picnic at Mars Bluff,
about sijc nillca, from here, a difficulty
arose Uptjveen two imgroes.' Sam Wind
ham ami Crockett TmvIh, and aa a re
sult. Sam Wlndfiam' Is' (lead and Crock
ett. Davis is shot through the thigh.
The trouble aroso.over a negro woman.
Hoth negrnca were drinking. Several
nogro ni.cn were mixed up In the af
fair, but none got Into trouble except
tho two mentioned.
Negro Found Dead.
Florence, Special.? About 8 o'clock
Thurpday'' morning a negro man was
found dead on the railroad near the old
tobacco factory here. How "he came ?
to hia death is a mystery. It waa
thought at first that he came to hla
death by being run over by a train,
but the bruise* on his body are notr
sufficient to show that. Stilt some
think he did. He was Identified aa
Frank Henderson, and his home la
said to be at Hendersonvllle, N. C.,
he has been here and In this sect'?
of the State for several months,
the past few days he has been, w
at the poor farm*ts a paJnWr.
Bucket. Shop For Unlwv
Union 8peclal.? It Is underwtoe<
that In all probability anotker Tiaekafc
shop will be opened In Ifatoa.
Last week the Western
graph company had a Ml
look Into conditions. ""
probable that there t
kat wire established
bttaiaeaa, U4
^to