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* VOL. III. NO. 45. CAMDEN, 8* THURSDAY, DECEMBER 6, 1906. 81.SO Per Year! THE PRESIDENTS MESSAGE An Able Document Setting Forth Some Needed Legislation IS STRONG ON MORALITY Sir. Roosevelt writes a Particularly Strong Message In Which He Deals t With Live Issues, Such as Injunc 1 tions, Lynchings and Their Causes, and Other Matters of Vital Inter ? est to the Whole Country. The following is the substance of the annual messago of President Boose vol t to Congress, as read in bot'i Louses : Introductory. To the Senate and House of Repres entatives: As a nation wc still continue to en ^oy a literally unprecedented prosper ity ; and it is probable that only reck less speculation and disregard of ligi timate business methods on the part of tho business world can materially mar this prosperity. "No Congress in our time has done more good work of importance than the present Congress. There were ?everal matters left unfinished at your last session, however, which I most earnestly hope you will com plete before your adjournment. Corporation Campaign Contributions. I again recommend a law prohib iting all corporations from contribu ting to the campaign expenses of an> party. Such a bill has already past one House of Congress. Lot indivi duals contribute as thoy desire; but let us prohibit in effective fashion all corporations from making contribu tions for any political purpose, di rectly or indirectly. Government's Right to Appeal in Criminal Cases. Another bill which has past one House of the Congress which it is urgently necessary should bo enacted Into law is that conferring upon the Government the right of appeal in criminal cases on questions of law. This right exists in many of the States; it exists in tho District of Columbia by act of the Congress. It Is of course not proposed that in any case a verdict for the defendant on the merits should be set aside. Re cently in one district where the Gov ernment had indicted certain persoiu for conspiracy in connection with re bates, the court sustained the defen dant's demurrer; while in another ati indictment for conspiracy to obtain rebates has been sustained by the court, convictions obtained under it, a?d two defendants sentenced to im prisonment. The two eases referred to may not be in real conflict with each other, but it is unfortunate tha^ thero should even be an appearenr conflict. At present there is no way by which tho Government can cause such a conflict, when it occurs, to be solved by an appeal to a higher court, and the wheels of justico arc blocked without any real decision of tho ques tion. I can not too sironely urg? the passage of the bill in question. A failure to pass it will result in seriously hampering *thc Government in its effort to obtain justice, espec ially against wealthy individuals or corporations who do wrong; and ma/ also prevent the GctYernm.f.i from ob taining jmtice for wageworkers who are not themselves able effectively to contest a case where the judgment of an inferior court has been against them. I have specifically in view a recent decision by a district judg'j leaving railway employees without remedy for violation of certain so called labor statute. It seems un ab surdity to permit a district juedg against what may be the judgment of the immense majority of his col leagues on the bench, to declare 1 pclicy of resorting to the criminal law solemnly enacted by the Conpres ? to be "unconstitutional," and then to deny (he Government the right to have the Supreme Court definitely decide the question. It is well to recollect that the real efficiency of the law often depends rot upon the passage of acts as to which there is great public excite ment, but upon the passage of nets oC this nature as to which thero is not much public excitement, because there is little public understanding of their importance, while the interested par ties are kmilv alive to the desira bility of defeating them. The impor tance of enacting into law the par ticular bill in question is further in creased by the fact ? hn t the Govern ment has now definitely begun a law in those trust and interstate commerce cases where such n course offers a reasonable chance of success Betting Aside of Judgments and Granting of New Trials. In connection with this matter, 1 would like to call ' attention to the verv unsatisfactory state of our ciroi inn I law, resulting in lar^c part from the habit of setting aside the judg ments of inferior courts on technical ities absolutely unconnected with thj merits of the case, and where there is no attempt to show that there ha< been any failure of substantial jus tice. It would be well to ??aet ? lew providing something to the effect that : No judgment shall be set aside or new trial granted in any* case, civil or criminal, on the ground of misdi rection of the jury or the improper admission or rejection of evidence, or for error as to any matter of plead ing or procedure unless, in the opin ion of the court to which the appli cation is made, after an examina tion of the entire cause, it shall affir matively appear that the error cm plained of has resulted in a miscar riage of justice. Injunctions. In my last message I suggested the enactment of a law in connection with the issuance of injunctions, attention having been sharply drawn to the matter by the demand that the right of applying injunctions in labor cases should be wholly abolished. It is at least doubtful whether a law abolish ing altogether the use of injunctions in such cases would stand the test of the courts; in which case of course the legislation would be ineffective. Moreover, I believe it would be wrong altogether to prohibit the use of in junctions. It is criminal to permit sympathy for criminals to weaken our hands in upholding the law; and if men seek to destroy life or property by mob violence there should be no impairment of the power of the courts to deal with them in the most sum mary and effective way possible. But so far as possible the abuse of the power should be provided against by some such law as I advocated last year. In this matter of injunctions thore is lodged in the hands of the judiciary a necessary power which is neverthe less subject to the possibility of grave abuse. It is a-power that should be ex eiciscd with extreme care and should be subject to the jealous scrutiny of all men, and condemnation should be meted out as much to the pudge who fails to use it boldly when necessary as to the judge who uses it wantonly or oppressively. Of course a judge strong enough to be fit for his office will enjoin any resort to violence or intimidation, especially by conspir acy, no matter what his opinion may be of the rights of the original quar rel. There must be np hesitation in dealing with disorder. But thcro must likewise be 110 such abuse of the injunctive power as is implied in for bidding laboring men to strive foi their own betterment in peaceful and lawful ways; nor must the injunction be used merely to aid some big cor-, poration in carrying out sohemes for its own aggrandizement. Lynching. In connection with tho delays of the law, 1 call your attention and the attention of the nation to tho pre valence of crime among us, and above all to the epidemic of lynching and mob violence that springs up, now in one part of our country, now in an other. Each section, North, $outh, East, or West, has its own faults; no scction can with wisdom spend it* timo jeering at the faults of another : section; it should be* busy trying to amend its own shortcomings. To jdeal with the crime of corruption it i is necessary to have an awakened public conscience^ and to suppliment this by whatever legislation will add speed and certainty in the execution i of tho law. When we deal with lynching even inoro is necessary. A . groat many white men are lynchcd, but the crime is pecularW frequent in respect to black mon. . The greatest existing cause of lynching is the per petration, especially by black men, of tho hideous crime of rape? the | most abomiuablo in all the category of crimes, ever worse than murder. Mobs frequently avenge the commis sion of this crime by themselves tor turing to death the man commit ting it ; thus avenging in bestilo fashion a hostile deed, and reducing themselves* to a level with the criminal. Lawlessness grows by what it feeds upon ; and when mobs begin to lynch for rape they speedily extend the sphen? of their operations and lynch for many other kinds of crimes, so that two-thirds of the lynchings are not for rape at all; while a consider able proportion of the individuals I lynched are innocent of all crime. I Governor Candler, of Georgia, stated I on one occasion some years ago: "I can say of a varity that I have, with | in tho last month, saved the lives of | half a dozen innocent negroes who i were pursued by the mob, and brought tb^m to trial in a court of a ! law in which they were acquitted." ! As Kishop Oalloway, of Mississippi, has finely said: "When the rule of a mob obtains, that which distin guishes a high civilization is rurrend j ered. The mob which lynches a neyr.) charged with rape will in a little (while lynch u white man suspected of I crime. Every Christian patriot in America needs to lift up his voice in loud and eternal protest against the mob spirit that is threatening the in tegrity of this Hepublie." Governor .Tvlks, of Alabama, has recently spok en as follows \jil The lynching of any parton for *?>at?vcr crimo it inex cuaabl* anyirhere ? it is a defiance 01 orderly government; bnt the killing of innocent people under any provo cation ia infinitely more horrible ; and yet innocent people are likely to die when a mob 'a terrible lust is one.* aroused. The lesson in this: No good citiien can Afford to countenance a defiance ot the statutes, no matter what the provocation. The innocent frequently suffer, and) it is my obear vation) more usually suffer than the guilty. The White people of the South indict the whole colored race on the ground that even the better elements lend no assistance whatever in fer reting out criminals of their own col 01. The respectable colored people must leam not to harbor their crimi nals, but to assist the officers in bring ing them to justice. This is the larger crime, and it provokes such atrocious offenses as the one at At lanta. The two races can never get on until there is an understanding on the part of both to make common cause with the law-abiding against criminals of any color." Moreover where any crime commit ted by a member of one race against a member of another race is avenged in such fashion that it seems ns if not the individual criminal, but the whole race, is attacked, the result is to exasperate to tho highest degree racc feeling. There is but one rule in dealing with blaelc men as with white men ; it is the same rule that must be applied in dealing with rich men and poor men ; that is, to treat ?each man, whatever his color, his creed, or his social position, with even-handed justice on his veal worth as a man. White people owe it quite as mueh to themselves as to the col ored race to treat well the colored man who shows by his life that he de serves such treatment; fdr it is sure ly the highest wisdom to encourage in the colored race all those indivi duals who are honest, industrious, law-abiding, and who therefore make good and safe neighbors and citizens. Reward or punish the individual on his merits as an individual. 'Evil will surely come in tho end to both races if we substitute for" this' just rule the habit of treating all the mem bers of the race, good and bad, alike. There is no question of "social equal ity" or "negro domination" involv ed; only the question of relentlessly i punishing* bad men, and of securing to the good man the right of his life, his liberty, and the pursuit of his happiness as his own qualities of heprt, head, and hand enable him to achieve it. . Every colored Irian should realize ? hat the worst enemy of his race is the negro criminal, and above all the negro criminal who commits the dreadful crime of rape ; and it should be felt as in the highest degree, an offense against the whole country, and against the colored race in par ticular, for a colored man to fail to help the officers of the law. in hunt ing down with all possible earnest ness and zeal every such infamous of fender. Moreover, in my judgement, the orime of rape should always be pinished with death, as is the case with murder; asault with intent to commit rape should be made a capi tal crime, at least in the discretion of the court ; and provision should be made by which the punishment may follow immediately upon the heels of ? he offense; while the trial should Ik so conducted that the victim need not be wantonly shamed while giving tes timony, and that the least jwssihle publicity shall he given to the detail*. The members of the white race on the other hand should understand that every lynching represents by just so much a loosening of tho bonds of civilization; that tho spirit of lynching inevitably throws into prominence in the community all the foul and evil creatures who dwell therein. Ko man oan take part in the torture* of a human being without having bis own moral nature perman ently lowered. Every lynching means just so much moral deterioration in all the children who have any knowl edge of it, and therefore just so much additional trouble for tho next gen eration of Americans. Let. justice be both sure and swift; but let it be justice under the law, and not the wild and crooked sav agery of a mob. Capital and Labor. In dealing with both labor and cap ital, with the questions affecting botli corporations and trades unions, there i* one matter more important to fe member than aught else, and that io the infinite harm done by preachers of mere discontent. These are men who seek to exeite a violent class hat red against all men of wealth. They seek to turn wise and proper move ments for the Hotter control of cor poration* and for doing away with the abuses. eannected with wealth, in to a campaign of hysterical excite inent and falsehood in which the aim is t<> inflame to madness the brutal ; passions of mankind. The sinister | demagogs and foolish visionaries who are always eager to undertake such a camapigii of destruction sometime.-, seek t" associate themselves with those working for r. genuine reform in governmental and social method^, and sometimes masquerade as the reformers. In reality they are tht worst enemies of the cause they pro fe>s t?? advocate, just as the purvey I ors of neiisitnt ional slander iu news paper or magazine are the worst ?nemie* of all men who arc engaged in an honest effort to better what is had in our social and governmental conditions. To preach hatred of the rich man as such, to carry on a cam paign of slander and ipyectivo against mm, to seek to mislead end inflame 10 madness honest mtn whose lives are herd and who have not the kind of mental training which will permit them to appreciate the danger in the doctrines preached ? all this is to com mit A crime against the body politic and to be fSlse to every worthy prin ciple and tradition of American nat ional life. Moreover, while such (Reaching snd such agitation may give a livelihood and a certain noto riety to some of those who take part in it, and may result in the tempor ary political success of othres, in the long run every such movement will cither fail or else will provoke a vio lent reaction, which ^11 itself result not merely in undo iter the mischief wrought by the dema?>g and the agi tator, but also in nfidoing the good that the honest reformer, the true upholder of popular fights, has pain fully and laboriously achieved. Cor ruption is never ttfirife as in com munities where the demogog and the agitator bear full sway, because in such . communities* all ; moral bands become loosened, and hys teria and sensationalism replace the spirit of sound judgment and fair dealing as between man and man. In sheer revolt against the squalid anar chy thus produced men are sure in the end to run toward any leader who can restore order, and then their re lief at being free from the intoler able burdens of class hatred, violence, and demogogy is such that they can not for some time be aroused to in dignation against masdeeds by men of wealth; so that they permit a new growth of the very abuses which were in j>art responsible for the original outbreak. The one hope for success for our "people lies in a resolute and fearless, but sane and cool-headed, advance along the path marked out last year by this Congress. There must be a stern refusul to be misled into following either that base crea ture who appears and {Minders to the lowest iustincts' and passions in order lo arouse one set of Americans against their fellows, or that other creature, equally bose but no baser, who in a spirit of greed, or to accu mulate or add to an already huge fortune, seeks to exploit his fellow Americans with callous disregard to their welfare of soul and body. The mau who debauches others in order to obtain a high office stands on an evil equality of ? corruption with the man who debauches other for finaucial profit; and when hatred is sown the crop which springs up can only bo evil. The plain people who think ? the mechanics, fanners, m?rchante, work ers with head or hand, the men to whom America traditions arc dear, who love their country and try to act decently by their neighbors, owe it to themselves to remember that the most damaging blow that can be given popular government is to elect an unworthy and sinster agitator on a plattorm of violenco and hypocrisy. Whenever such an issue is raised in this country nothing can bo gained by flinching from it, for in such cahj democracy is iteself on trial. The triumph of the mob is just as evil a thing as the triumph of the pluto cracy, and to have escaped?one dangt; avails nothing whatever if we suc cumb to the other. Railroad Employees' Hours and Eight Hour Law. I call your attention to the need of passing a bill limiting the number of hours of employment of railroad em ployees. The measure is a very mod erate one and 1 can conceive of no serious objection to it. Indeed, bo far as it is in our power, it should be our aim steadily to reduce the mini her of hours of labor, with as a goul the general introduction of an eight hour day. There are industries in which it is not possible that the hours of labor should be reduced ; just a* there are communities not far enough advanced for such a movement to be for their good, or, if in the Tropics, so situated that there is no analogj between their needs and ours in this matter. On the Isthmus of Panama, for instance, the conditions are in every way so different from what they are here that an eight-hour day would be absurd; just as it is absurd, so far as the Isthmus is concerned, where white labor can not be employ ed, to bother as |o whether 1 ho neces sary work is done by alien black men or by alien yellow men. But the wageworkers of the United States are of so high a grado that alike fi ?om the merely industrial standpoint and from the civic standpoint it should be our object to do what we can in the direction of securing the general observance of an eight-hour day. Employers ' Liability. Amount he excellent laws which the Congress past ut the last'gession was an employers' liability law. .Jt was marked step in advanco to get th j recognition of employers' liability on the statute books; but the law ?li<] not j?o far enough. In spite of all preeau tions exercised bv employers there are unavoidable accidents' and even deaths envolved in nearly every lino of business connected with the me chanic nrta. This is inevitable sacri fice of life may be reduced to h' mini mum, but it can not be completely eliminated. Investigation 'of Disputes Between Capital and Labor. The commission appointed by the President October 16, 1002, at the re quest of both the anthricito coal np eiators and miners, to inquire into, <i nsidcr, and pass upon the questions i.i controversy in connection with the ?trike iu the' anthrifit* regions of Ff nnsylvania And the causes out of which the controversy arose, in their report, findings, and award exprest the belief "that the State and Fed eral governments should provide the machinery for what may be called th cumpulsory investigation of contro versies btween employers and employee* when they arise." Withdrawal of Coal Lands. It is not wise that the Nation should alienate its remaining coal lands. I have temporarily withdrawn from settlement all the lands which the Geological Survey has indicated aR containing, or in all probability containing, coal. The question, l10^ ever, can be properly settled only by legislation, which in my judgment should provide for the withdrawal of these lands from sale or from entry save in certain especial circumstances. The ownership would then remain in the United States, which should not, however, attempt to work them, but permit them to be worked by private individuals under a royalty system, the Government keeping such control as to permit it to see that no execs sive price was charged consumers. Corporations. The present Congress has taken long strides in the direction of seem ing proper supervision and contiol by the National ^Jovernnunt over corporations engaged in interstate business ? and the enormous majority of corporations of any size are engag ed in interstate business The pas scge of the railway rate bill, and onl) to a less decree the passage of the pure food bill, and tho provision for increasing and rendering more olTcc tivc national control over the beet packing industry, mark an important advance in the proper direction. In the short session it will perhaps b? difficult to do much further along this line; and it may be best to wait nut ? the laws have been in operation ior a number of months be f ore endeavoring t) increase their scope, because only operation will show with exactness their merits and their shortcomings end thus give opportunity to defin what further rcinidial legislation is needed. Yet in my judgment it will in the end be advisable in connection with the packing house inspection law t > provide for putting a date on the label and for charging the cost of in spection to the packers. All these laws have already justitied theii en actment. . Agriculture. The onlv other persons whose wel fare is as vital to the welfare of the whole country as is the welfare ot th;; wageworkars are the tillers ot ?he stil, the farmers. It is a mere truism to say that no growth of tirics, no growth of wealth, no industrial de velopment can ntono for any fulling ofC in the character and standing of the farming population. During the last few decades #this laet has been recognized with ever-increasing clear ness. There is no longer any failure to realize that farming, at least in certain branches, must become a tech nical and scientific profession. This means that thero must be open to fanners the chance for technical and scientific , training, not theoretical merely but of the most severely prac tical type. The fanner represents a peculiarly high type of American citizenship, and he must have the same chance to rise jnnd develop os other American citizens have. More over, it is exactly as true of the far mer, as it is of the business man and the wageworker, that the ultimate success of the Nation of which he forms a part must be founded not alone on material prosperity but upon high moral, mental, and physical de velopment. This education of the firmer ? self-education by preference, but also education from the outside, as with all other men? is pecularly necessary here in the 1 nited States, where the frontier conditions even in the newest States have now vanished, where there must be a substitution ot a more intensive system of cultiva tion for the old wasteful farm man agement, and where there must be a better business organization anion/ the farmers themselves. Marriago and Divorce. I am well aware of how difficult it is to pass a constitutional amendment. Nevertheless in my judgment tlur whole question of marriage ami di vorce should be relegated to the an thority of the National Congress. At present the wide difference in the laws of the different States on this srbject result in scandals and abuses; and surely there is nothing so vitally essential to the welfare of the nation, nothing around which the nation should so bend itself to throw every anfeguard, as the home life of the average citizen. The change would be- good from every standpoint. In particular it would be good because it would confer on the Congress the power at once to deal radically and efficiently with polygamy ; and this shouhl be done whether or not mar riage and divorce are dealt with, l! is neither safe nor proper to leave the question of polygamy to be dealt with by the several Slates. Power to deal with it .should be conferred oji the National Government. When home ties are loosened; when men and women eeusc to regard a j worthy family life, with all its du ties fully perforin i'd, and all its re sponsibilities liv^d up i (?. as the life best worth living; then evil days foi the commonwealth are at hand. There are regions in our land, and classes of our population* where the birth rate lifts sunk bfknv the death late. Surely it should netd no demonstra tion to show that wilful sterility is, from tho standpoint of the nation, from the standpoint of the human race, the one sin for which the penal ty is national death, race death; a sin for which there is no atonement; a sin which is tho more dreadful eractly in proportion as the men and women thereof are in other respects, in character, and bodily and mental powers, those whom for the sake of the state it would be well to see the fathers and mothers of many healthy children, well brought up in homes made happy by their presence. No man, uo woman, can shirk the pri mary duties of life, whether for lovo of ease and pleasure, or for any other cause, and retain his or her self respect. International Morality. On the question of International molality Mr. Roosevelt comes out strongly, advocating clean dealing be tween the nations of earth and also strongly advocates international arbi tration as a means of settling all di? licultios that may arise. American Shipping. Let me once again call the atten tion of the Congress to two subjects concerning which 1 have frequently before communicated with them. One ix the question of developing Ameri can shipping. I trust that a law em '??'dying in substance the views, or a major part of the views, exprest in the report on this subject laid before the Ilouse at its last session will be past. I , wHl aware that in former years | objectionable measures have been pro posal in reference to the encourage ment of American shipping; but it seems to me that the proposed mcas ure is as nearly unobjectionable as ?"> he. It will of course bene fit primarily our seaboard States, . laine, Louisiana, and Washington; but what benefits part of our people iu the end benefits all; just as Gov ernment aid to irrigation and forestry iu the West is really of benefit, not only to the Kocky Mountain States, but to all our country. If j8 prove impracticable to enact a law for the encouragement of shipping generally, then at least provision should be made lor hotter communication with South America, hotably for fast mail line, to the chief South American jx?rts. It is discreditable to us that our busi ness people, for lack of direct com munication in the shape of lines of steamers with South America, should in that great sister continent be at a disadvantage compared to the busi ness people of Europe. Currency Reform. I especially call your attention to I lie second subject, the condition of our currency laws. The national hank act has ably served a great pur pose in aiding the enormous busi es3 development of the country; and within ten years there lias been aJ4 increase in circulation per capita iiom $21.41 to $.13.08. For several jears evidence lias been accumulating that additional legislation is needed I ho recurenee .of each crop season emphasizes the defccts of the present laws. There must soon be a revision of. them, because to leave them as thev are means to incur liability of busi ness disaster. Since your body ad journed there has been a fluctuation iu the interest on call money from 2 per cent to 30 per edit ; and the flue" t nation was even greater during the preceding six months. The Secretary of the Treasury had to step in and by wise action put a stop to the most Molent period of oscillation. Even worse than such fluctuation is the ad vance in commercial rates and the un certainty felt in the sufficiency of credit even at high rates. All' com mercial interests suffer during each crop period. Excessive rates for call money in New York attract money from the interior hanks into the spe culative fields; this depletes the fund that would otherwise be available foi commercial uses, and commercial bor rowers are forced to pay abnormal rates; so that each fall a tax, in the shape of increased interest charges, is placed on the whole commerce of the country. Our Island Possessions. i It is urged that these shall receive "?(- ca if fnl e uisiderat ion of ('ou,rress and that tariffs, etc., shall be upon a I just basis. Army and Navy. The message goes at length into tho matter of the efficiency of <>nr army and navy. The President, is much gratified at the progress we are mak ing in both branches of our common defense. In the matter of rifle prac tice the President savs: The Congress has most wisely pro vided for a National Hoard for tho piomotion of rifle prictise. Kxcellent results have already come from this law, hut it does not go far enough. Our Regular Army is so small that in any great war we should have to trust mainly to volunteers ; and in such event these volunteers should already know how to sho.?t ; for if a soldier has the fighting edge, and al.'lity to take care of him olf in tho open, his ellieieney on the line of hi. t tie is almost directly proportion ate to excelhnee in markmanship. We should establish shooting crallar irs in the large public and military schools, should maintain rational tar get ranges in different parts of tho lountrv, and should in every wuy on* coiirag? the formation of rifle club* tl roughout all parts of the land. The little Republic of Switzerland offer* n an excellent example in all matters connected with building up an effi cient eitiz n soldiery. Tl I !?:< >1 M )RE ROOSEVKLT. The White House, Dec, 'i, 1P0Q. PALMETTO AFfAIRS Occurrcnces of Interest from All Over South Carolina MANY ITEMS OF STATE NEWS A Batch of Live Paragraphs Cover ing a Wide Range ? What is Going On in Oar State. General Cotton Market. Galveston, linn 11 3-1 fl New Orleans, steady 11 .'l-lt'? Mobile .. . . 10 1 1- 1 ?? Savannah, easy 10 11-1'i Charleston, tirm 10 .1-2 Wilmington, tirin 10 1-2 Norfolk, firm 10-14 Baltimore, nominal 11 1-1 New York, steady 10.40 Boston, steady 10.40 Philadelphia, steady 11.65 Houston, steady 11 .'l-lti August a, steady 11 1-4 Memphis, steady 10 1">-I(j St. Louis, tirm 11 Loisville, tirin 11 Charlotte Produce Market. Cliickcu ? Spring 12 at 2~> liens ? Per head 28 at 3.") Ducks 25 Kgg s 21 Rye SO Corn 72 at 7!? Cottonseed 24 Oats ? Feed .">0 at 55 Oats ? Seed 55 at 57 1-2 Charlotte Cotton Market. These prices represent the prices to wagons: (lood Middling 10.S5 Strict Middling 10.75 Middling 10.75 Tinges and stains 0 12 at 10 Clearing House Formed by Columbia Banks. Columbia hn*> taken another step forward. Tuesday night at a meet ing of representatives of all the banks and banking institutions of the city a clearing house association was form ed. The purpose is to organize the Columbia clearing house for the ad vancement of the banking interests of the city. After dan. 1, 1007, tho clearing house association will begin its work ami the new regulation will then be effective. The Columbia Clearing House as s(.ciatiou organized with the follow ing members: The Carolina National bank. TI.e Bank of Columbia. The National Loan and Exchange bunk. The State bank. The Palmetto National bank. The Columbia Trust Company. All seven of the banking institu tion* of the city went with the or ganization as charter members. The following o Ulcers were fleeted: Piesidcnt ? Cleorge \4, Baker of the Slate bank. Vice president ? W. 0. Childs of the Bank of Columbia, Each of the banks will have a mem. her of the executive committee. Mr. Leaphart will bo manager of tho clearing association, which is to effect daily settlements. Appointment Announced. Greenville, Special. ? Governor-el ect Martin F. Ansel announced the appointment of Mr. A. J. Bcthea, of Darlington, S. ('., as private secre tarv to the governor, and Miss Al ice Henderson as the private stenog rapher to the governor. Mr. Bcthea was highly recommended to Mr. An sel l>y many influential persons of the State, especially by those of the Pee Dee section. Mr. Heathen was born and raised in Marion and moved to Darlington several years ago, where he became editor of The Darlington Press, a weekly paper of mnch im portance in the l'ee Dee section. Town Springs Up As if By Magic. Marion, Special. ? A little town of several inhabitants Inis spruiig into existence within the past few months, just across Cut fish creek, the western boundary of the town of Marion. This new snbnrb lias been christened "West. Marion" by the postoffice de partment, and a postollice has been es tablished there. For some time the people of this little town, the majori ty of whom are employes of the Mar ion County Lumber Company and of Layton's big brick plant have been endeavoring without success to get Ibis office established, the difficulty being its proximity to Marion. The people had been so inconvenienced that they appealed to Congressman Kllcrbe, and he, after \isitiug the place, wjis ?i? impressed with their needs lie took the matter up with tie; postollice department in Washington ami West Marion is the result. ? Mr. E. I). MeClenney is t ho postmaster. A Negro Burned to Death. Cheraw, Special. ? -On Saturday night a negro house near the Steven* Lumber Company was burned. Thi* has been the second fire in this vicin ity this we?k. The other was the. -havings houK- of the door and sash company. A colored man, Walter Midden, ji \ery respectable employe of the lfickson \Lunibcr Company, was burned to death in this house. I Homo he* a water Rtipply of 200,000, 000 gallon* a day; London, only 160, ? 000,000 and I'arU DO, OOO.COO.