The Abbeville messenger. (Abbeville, S.C.) 1884-1887, November 23, 1886, Image 1
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VOL. B. ABBEVILLE. S. C., TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 23, 1886. NO. 8
*
The Eastern War Cloud.
I.onuon, November 13.?The British
lion having delivered himself of a most
stentorioun and free-shaking roar of defiance,
listens now for the echoing answers
which shall tell him he is not
alone in his desire to brave the Russian
bear. Thus far one only hears the yelping
of the jackals, eager to follow at a
safe distance and snatch up what the
a?.Atlo TKft Kl<y?vnr
A Ivll IvB ? ? O U 4 VUO DpVUO. 4 MV ^ 1 O D
beasts compliment him on the splendid
^ volume of his voice and the clearness of
his challenging note, but there is no
sign of that spontaneous rushing to aid
him in the fray which was expected on
their part, and the lion has no idea of
fighting alone.
The truth is that Austria is afraid.
The polyglot character of her dual monarchy
is not more marked than the mixture
of heroic aspirations and craven apprehensions
which paralyzes Austrian
action. The Emperor is a disappointed,
melancholy man. He dreamed in his
youth that he was to be a second Ciesar,
restoring and augmenting the ancient
glories of the Hapsburgs, and finds himself
instead a humiliated deputy of Bismarck,
forced to pocket alike warnings
from Berlin, sneers from Pesth, and
bullying insults from St. Petersburg,
and to pretend that he likes them all.
Vienna talks even more of the new
pamphlet declaring the Austrian army
.j, worthless than 01 ivainoicy's buttery
evasions of the point at issue. All the
reports I can get affirm that the army is
in a wretched state despite Bylandt's
official assertion that it can be mobilized
now in less than half the time it would j
have taken a decade ago. Six weeks
ago a journalistic friend of mine, a war
correspondent of repute, was asked by
the editor of a London daily to write
two articles on the state of the Austrian
army. The first has appeared and the
second has been suppressed at the request
of the Austrian minister here because
the showing is so bad and satisfactory
denials are impossible. Still it
remains possible that Austria will be
compelled to fight willy-nilly, but it is
clear that she will do all she can to
avoid it.
I hear from Berlin that it is believed
there that the Czar, while giving Germany
and Austria ccrtain conditional assurances,
intends taking steps to force
England into the position of a principal
in a duel with Russia. No doubt Lord
Salisbury's outspoken words afford abundant
opportunity for this. There are
rumors here in diplomatic circles,which
have already become open reports in
continental capitals, that de Staal called
on Lord Iddesleigh on Wednesday, immediately
after the Guild Hall speech,
and expressed formal disapproval of it
as discourteous and hostile. He then
added his personal characteristics of it,
which moved Lord Iddesleigh to a hot
retort, and sharp words were exchanged.
jlc wouia not ne surprising 11 tne result
was that the Russian minister is recalled
on an indeBnite leave of absence, just
as the Czar recalled Mohrenheim from
Paris when he wished to manifest displeasure
with the French Republic.
France was in too great a terror of complete
isolation to openly resent the
a treatment, but England would not be
an a1* a iS am -?
wt?buuviu ??j ou\>u m uuuomtri iftiiuii iruui
answering this indignity in kind with
interest. If the Czar is so minded he
can find it a very easy matter to provoke
England in her present temper into a
single-handed combat. If he can be
sure that it will remain single-handed
the temptation to do this will be very
great, but the balance of probabilities
still favor England's finding allies if the
worst comes to the worst.
It is difficult to recognize the fact,
that Bismarck's organ has veered around
to abuse of Russia and thr<.'?teu8 that her
insolent career in the Balkans will be
checked if she goes further, with the
reported accession of confidence on the
Berlin Bourse that peace will be maintained.
Bismarck's friendship, genuine
or otherwise, has heretofore been Rusai4(a
flKoaf annkAV Tt KA 4K?A??o
? ? ? UMVW MMVUVI* Am M?J IIV TT l*MB UTT O
off the mask it will seem to be clear
that Russia mast either hack down or
light. If there were a likelihood of the
former the confidence of the Bourse
would be intelligible, but nothing ih
more certain than th|t the Gear will re*
fuse to retrace a single step. He is resolute
in rejecting any and all candidates
proposed by the present Sobranje. Exactly
who his own candidate is it is hard
to say. The Russians for the week have
been talking of Nicholas of Mingrelia,
one of the swarm of Caucassian chicfs
whom poverty has driven to accept living
as subalterns in the Russian army
and clerks in government offices. Today
there is a report that the real favorite
of the Czar is Prince Blazo Petrovitch,
a cousin of the rulor of Montenegro.
It is safe to say that England and
Italy will veto either of these, even if
Russia allows the present Sobranje to
elect him. But I fancy that neither of
them is seriously put forward. Russia
has no plan save to create chaos, which
would compel an occupation.
London, November 15.?The Standurd
says: "The plain English of Count
Kalnoki's declaration is that Russia shall
*\nf aaaitmr R ill nrfl o T f rl aao pkn
JlVb uwup | UlgUI ICt . XI OI1V UVCO Oiiv
will have to reckon with Austria and
England, and, in case of need, with Germany."
The Sermon of an Infitlel.
The Free Thinker and Secular Unionists
closed their congress of the past week
at Ohickering Hall last evening. Col.
Ingersoll was introduced after the Chairman
had announced that the Union had
decided upon keeping up a regular Sunday
evening meeting in this city, to
open next week at No, 28 Lafayette
Place. The text of Mr. Ingersoll's talk,
as he described it, was in the grandest
prayer ever uttered by man, to be found
in the gravest tragedy ever written, {
"King Lear." It was when the demented
old King prayed for those out in the
storm and for those who had not felt the
smile of fortune. There was something
altogether wrong, thought Colonel Ingersoll,
when there was so much poverty
and so much wealth concentrated
in separate hands.
"No man can own five millions of dol
lara?tne dollars own him," said the
speaker. "He becomes the key to the ;
safe in which the shining pile is hoarded, i
He is up in the morning early to see I
that his fortune is safe and he stays up ]
late at night to sec that no one gathers <
it in. He loses his friend, his home be- i
comes a safe deposit vault, and he is i
miserable in his surroundings. What j
would you think of a man who should <
gather in a heap a million coats, and in \
another warehouse a few million hats, i
and then over the w ay another mountain 1
of a dozen million of cravats, and then, <
how ridiculous you would account hiin j
if he got up and worked all day long
for another necktie?[laughter]?and i
yet that is just what our rich men are
doing and just what the civilization of
the near future will say to them in no
uncertain tones, 4Thou shalt not do.'
We have in each of our cities the West
M 1 J il 1 * a. V J
jiiuu anu uie r^asi ruiu, mi; pari wnore
the proud palaces of the rich arc reared
in ostentation and the part far away removed
where the hovels and tenements
of the poor are huddled together in
wretchedness. This is wrong. The
poor have to learn that pity rather than
envy is what the rich need from them,
and the rich have to learn that true and
honest hearts beat beneath rags.
"Anarchism is the protest against
tyrann/, and that is out of place in this
country, where we have, despite all its
shortcomings, the greatest and grandest
Government the world has ever
seen. Here the rich and poor can and
do meet on one plane?it is the bench
where rests the ballot box. There the
questions of the future will be answered,
truthfully and quickly. It will speak
in no uncertain tones, saying that the
land which God put outdoors is free to
every child of nature. No man has a
right to own more land than he can use,
and no man who wants land to use ought
to be deprived of it. Why, I think if
the air about us could be bottled up we
would have a big syndicate forming the
great American air-bottling association
and thousands would die becauso they
had not money enough to pay for air to
breathe. That is what is going on with
the land, and it must stop, but not by
any rash means. When a man prcaches
justice and advocates robbery a* a way
to get it, I suspect him. I do not blame
tho rich for what they have, and would
not take a pennyworth from the richest
of thein except at a fair valuation, but I
would take it until every man and
woman born in the world had a chance
to live through hia or her days hore in
comfort and happiness.
"Great inventions were never intended
to pile up great fortunes and curse the
laborer. No, nor will strikes settle anything.
The first successful strike will
be the last, for the people will rise and
show that the grain of the laborer ty?
runt must bo kept from the thron^of
capital just as sure as the grinding heel
of monopoly must not he placed upon
the prostrate form of toil. I am an individualist,
and the majority has no
right to crush my manhood out of me.
When we have a nation of homes of
these centres where love reigns, where
the race is not for riches, but for happiness,
then the goal will be reached and
content prevail. The unfair test of supply
and demand will not be urged when
labor is to be paid, but the hired ma'n
will be given a living compensation and
be a free man among freemen, the peer
of any of his fellow-citizens."?_ZVcw
York World of Monday.
The Seed. Cotton Thieves.
To the Editor of the Neivs and
Courier: Q.ueslions of vital importance
to the agricultural interests of the btate
are boing almost daily discussed through
the columns of the News and Courier.
Ever since "Farmer Tillman" declared
himself to be the "Agricultural Moses,"
and assumed the task of leading the
over-burdened tillers of the soil out of
the land of Pharaoh and his burdensome
task masters, the agricultural question
has been especially prominent before
the public. Reduction in taxation,
the establishment of an agricultural collego,
the prices of fertilizers, the oppressive
system of the cotton faotorage
business, &c., have been, from time to
time, very forcibly brought to the attention
of the public, all going to prove
that the farmers of our State are beginning
to awake to their interests and are
willing to embark in any enterprise
which promises to belter their impoverished
condition.
In view of the fact, I beg to bring to
Lhe attention, not only of the farmer,
but of every citizen interested in the
material welfare and prosperity of his
State, a matter beside which all others,
previously discussed, pale into insignificance.
I refer to the growing evil of
the seed cotton traffic; it is essentially
a curse to th&sfotton planter. I think it
safe to assert that at least 5 per cent,
of the cotton made by the honest farmer
is stolen and goes to fill the cotters of i
these seed cotton buyers, who open
their shop^ at every road crossing in the
country about the first of September,
and offer inducements to the negroes on
the surrounding plantations to steal all
the cotton that they can. This, plainly,
is an enormous drain on the industry of
the country. Five per cent, of the gross
cotton production of any planter will
pay his taxes for at least two years, or
buy a ton of acid phosphate for every
plough he runs. But this is not the
only loss incurred. This seed cotton
traffic increases the price, and heightens
the independence of the laborer. When
the cotton field begins to array itself in
its robe of snowy whiteness, the darkey
draws the robe of idle dignity about his
shoulders and says, give me fifty cents
per hundred or your cotton will remain
unharvested. The farmer is forced to
concede to this unreasonable demand,
and then the probability is that he will
Incp a. lnrn?n nnrcflrfnoro frnm mocta fni>
.www ~ -ft- r Vl" |UI
what negro will hurry himself to gather
cotton at fifty cents per hundred in the
dapr when ho car gather it at night just
as easy, and by carrying it a half mile
to the nearest shop realize $2.50 per
hundred ?
This is not only a great evil, but a
growing evil. During the days of Radical
rule in the State there was a great
deal of cotton stolon, but even then it
was confined to sections very near to a
town or village. Dating from 187G, however,
it has steadily increased, until now
it begins to assume alarming proportions.
Even the negroes are beginning
to open shops. A negro will commence
with a capital of $10, with which he will
purchase a meagre supply of groceries,
which he takes to the plantation on
which he lives, and while the planter
sleeps and sweetly dreams of brighter
days that he will never see, unless he
stirs himself from tho lethargy into
which he has fallen, these groceries Are
exchanged for 500 or 600 pounds of his
cotton.
Now, what the people of this community
wish to know is, why is this condition
of affairs allowed to exist? Is the
law-making power of the land impotent i
to protect us from this system of plunder?
Is the midnight cotton thief and
his accessory, the midnight cotton buyer,
entitled to more consideration at tho
hands of the law than th6 honest, hardworking
farmer? The people of this
I
community say emphatically no ! Ami
unless some stringont law is enacted at
the next session of the Legislature to
put down this iniquitous traflie, our representatives
will not carry into effect the
wishes of their constituents.
On the 8th of last September the citizens
of this place and the surrounding
country held a meeting for the purpose
of considering some plan to abate this
evil. They formed an organization and
went earnestly to work. The associa
tion now numbers nearly two hundred
men. Every merchant in the plncc
stands pledged not to buy a pound of
seed cotton, and there are at least two
hundred square miles of territory surrounding,
on which there is not a seedcotton
shop.
"We feel highly gratified at the result
attained, but are not fully satisfied. We
do not think it just that we should bo
called upon to spend our time and
money to protect ourselves from robbery
when wo pay taxes to support a
Government for that purpose. B.
St. Matthews, Nov. 9, 188G.
The Colored Man in Congress.
jFrom the New York Enterprise Negro Organ.]
There is something significant in the
defeat of Messrs. Smalls, of South Carolina,
and O'llara, of North Carolina.
These two gentlemen have occupied
seats in Congress as representatives of
the African race a number of years.
Both Messrs. Satulls and O'Hara have
been until this year repeatedly returned
to Congress. Just why Mr. Smalls
should have not been defeated before
now lies in the fart that the black voters
this district are in the majority, and
it Smalls, though ignorant himself, was
justsmartcnough to gain their con fidenoe
and support by his outward seeming and
flattery. His record in Congress is anything
but complimentary. There is not
a single instance in his political history
.'as a member of Coogrese whore he has
ever put forth a measure to promote the
interest of his race. We are told he was
I
more of a target for ridicule than a
statesman; we are told also that he could
always be found in low grog shops
lounging around on lager beer kegs,
while the other representatives were
enjoying tho esteem of society at their
hotels, and other respectable places.
This is a nice record with which to seek
a re-election to a seat that a man of
learning and self-respect should occupy.
Mr. O'Hara's record was little better
than Mr. Small's. We do not know of
his patronizing grog-shop lunch counters,
and telling plantation yarns in
negro dialect. Although he did not do
much for the race while in Congres, he
commanded respect as a Representative.
A Congressman can do a great deal to
elevate the African race, and when we
elect one we oxpoct him to do what he
can toward that end. It appears that
whenever a representative of our race
is placed into office he forgets all about
the race until the time for re-election.
What did Bruce do either as a Senator
or Register of the Treasury?. What did
Smalls or O'Hara do? What have all
the rest done? Comparatively nothing
If that is to bo the order of things, it is
better to send white irien to represent
us and let the black men stay at home;
the white men will surely pity our
condition and help us some, as the record
shows. But we will not lose confidence
in our black Representatives,
bccauso wo believe if the right person
wne cont tn P.Ar.w?noo uotr n
T wv*> ?v wvM^a VOQ} a y 441/rv man
from New York, something will bo done
to better the condition of the AfricoAmericans.
Wo shall expect a little
more from Mr. Abbott, who was elected
to Congress from the Second district of
Nort Carolina, than we got from Bruce,
Smalls, O'Hara and'the rest. He will
be the only black man among the arfuy
of white men but he can make Rome
howl if he has a mind to.
A Fatal Bird Hunt.
Newbkrry, November 13.? Robert
B. Holland, a son of President Holland,
of Newberry College, while bird-hunting
near town this afternoon,nccidentally
shot himself. lie had just killed a bird
and was reloading the empty chamber
when the other barrel exploded and ho
received a load of shot near the naval.
He will possibly live tewenty-four hours.
He is an only son, about 13 years of ago.
The accident is deplored by the whole
community.
i Subscribe to Thk Mkbssnoer.
???wmu
The Andorer Controversy
The New York Times of Mondaj' says
The quarrel of the younger and older
theologians at Andover concerning the
proper way of converting the heathen
was discussed by the Rev. Dr. Robert
Collyer at the Church of the Messiah
yesterday morning in a sermon on
"Christ nnd Calvin at Andover." During
his sermon Dr. Collyer said that it had
been his busiuess to watch the course
of thejtrouble at Andovoer. "It is to be
carried into the courts, said he, but
whatever the law may sa)\ the Gospel,
as we understand it is to be the gainer
beyond all question. These men who
hold the new wine in new bottles, as I
take it, are there within the fortress that
was built to maintain the ancient rule of
faith. They will notfinaintain it because
they do not believe it true. Bright,
eager, and'honest men'can bo silent no
longer, nor hide their light, but set it in
the candlestick of the pulpit the teacher's
chair, wherever they cnn find a coign of
vantage. Tlicy who have begun to affirm
the new mode of believing say that,
after the way they call heresy, so
worship I the God of my fathers.'
"The trouble about the hapless heathen
seems of be the spark that has
struck the fire. The followers of the
old creed say there is no salvation except
through Christ. The heathen has no
konwledge of Christ, and is therefore to
be cast into hell. Our reply is that
such an idea is^a terrible impeachment
of the Divine goodness. Can wo use the
word theory for that which would consign
millions of mankind to everlasting
woe? We do not believe that, while the
heathen have not light enough to save
them thev have light enough.to damn
them.
"We believe that those who know not
of God's love in Christ here in the body
will have such knowledge after they die
not only those heathens, but all men. It
would not be just for God to condemn
men hopelessly when they have not
known Him as He really is. We will
not believe that a thing is right because
God wills it, and that, 1 may say in passing,
is the whole foundation of the old
stern faith, but that God wills it because
it is right. That is the stand they take
against the old cruel dogma, conviction
of the Divine sobriety?the sobriety,
say of loving kindness and mercy. In
the truth they try to tell, touching the
Christ again, they show us how very
far they have marched away from Calvin
and his school, and how near they stand
to unrist's own hurt and ours. 1 hey
hold that to deny the teachings of Jesus
is to deny the essential qualities ot His
humanity. They say that there is no divinity
in His words which does not find
expression through their humanity, and
to deny their humanity is ta^e away
their divinity, but the best medium for
canveying Gond's truth to the world is a
human life filled and inspired by the
truth."
The Coining: Stcrm.
[From the Washington (D. C.) Gazette. |
Massachusetts has a small area of territory,
but a very dense population?
much over two hundred to the square <
mile. Her people are intelligent and
educated, and the State contains a larger
number of thinking men than any other ]
in the country in proportion to the pop- j
ulation. Jt was a remark of Alexander i
Hamilton, well remembered in Massachusetts,
that the genius of the Repub- j
inctifMtinnu rlnmnntla fnr fKnir nrn.
........ ."? ?.?w. 1" V" ,
nervation a sparse population to the
square mile. The problem thus pre- '
sented to Massachusetts is whether a re- <
public can exist where there is a dense ]
population, and consequently where the
competition for existence is intensely j
strong and active. Massachusetts be- ]
lieves that in the proper administration <
of the Government lies the solution of i
this problem?that as Republican institutions
are sufficient in themselves for
existence and development in thinly
populated countries, so when the num- i
her of people has become great and '
dense, men must step in to aid the in- 1
slitulions. Under the "spoils system" 1
nil things might do as in 1860, when the i
United Stato had three mililon square i
miles and twenty-three millions of peo- 1
pie, and Massachusetts herself less than <
a million population, but the ''spoils
system" is fatal when the population of
the whole country has nearly trebled 1
th6 amount named, and Massachusetts 1
shows over two millions of people in i
her limited area of sevon thousand eight 1
hundred and fifty-six square miles. The i
first ailcmpt^to introduce purity in the
administration of the Government, to
remove the stain upon Republican institutions
consequent upon the corrupt and
bitter partisan "spoils system''?the first
attempt, I say, to purify the Government
in its political methods, was made by
Mr. Cleveland. That attempt was successful.
Tho thinking men of Massachusetts
see this and know that in Mr.
Cleveland they have that happy combination
of firmness, wisdom and practical
common sense necessary to eccompliah
tho result they are satisfied munt bn ???
aomplished if tho Republic shall live.'^Si
For this season, among others, did the
old Federalists blood of Massochustto,
through its best families, give Grover
Cleveland a reception worthy of tho
President of fhe United States and warm
enough to express to him the high
consideration and estimation with
which they regard him personaly. The
defender of" the Constution, the purifier
of the national politins. the champion of
the Republic as opposed to to a monarchy
or a despotism. Mr. Cleveland
cannot fail to see, by this enthusiastic
reception in the great metropolis of New
Kngland last Monday, that he struck tho
right key of the chords of the popular
heart, and that the people are with him
in the most earnest sincerity. High and
low, rich and uoor. nil nl<L-o --
! 7 ? ?"W #*11
interest in the perpetuity of th?> Republic,
and all alike welcome Clevland as
their representative men.
Use the Bayonet, Olonel.
In an article on Stonewall Jackson in
the Southern Bivouac for November,
Thomas M. Boyd tells of his appearance
on the field of battle:
I never was close to him on the field
of battle )but once; that was on the hill
not far from tho Henry House, at the
first battle of Manassas. He was ex"
tremely pale, but his eyes glared with
an unnatural brilliancy. It was on that
occasion that Colonel Baylor, of Augusta
County, rode hurriddly up to hiin and
said, 'General, my men arc armed with
the old flint lock musket, and not half
of them will fire.' He replied, if you
will examine it, you will find that old
musket has the best bayonet in the
world. Use the bayonet, Colonel.' In
a short while the Federal troops began
to give way and it is'possible that this
circumstance turned the tide of battle. 1
have seen the statement somewhere that
General
Bee said to him, 'General, they
are beating us back,' and Jackson's reply
was, we will give them the bayonet, sir.
This may be true, but it is probable that
the remark made to Colonel Baylor was
afterward claimed to have been made to
General Bee.
I will never forget the terrific fighting
that evening about three o'clock?
the roar of artillery, the screaming,
bursting shell, the rattle of small arms.
The smoke blinded me; I stopped lojr. _
to see how to lead my men. We were
almost exhausted, and burning with ^
thirst. Beauregard galloped by; this
gave U3 some hope, and we cheered hiin
nnd pressed on. The Federals fniicrhfc
O-- desperately.
At last I saw .Jaskson, and
1 felt safo, for his presence always inspired
his men with confidence.
That evening he wns shot through the
bridle-hand. General Imboden apnvnonKnil
V* 5 ? a ? A!_ - ' *
vaucu iito okveniiun to ine lact,
und suggested surgical aid. Jackson
*aid, 'It is a mere scratch, sir.' His hand
was bound up with a sash, he continuing
on the field until the engagement
ceased. He then repaired to the place
where the wounded had been collected.
The surgeons were busy, of course. One
of thein seeing General Jackson, approached
and offered his assistance.
The General insisted that the surareon
ittend to those who were more seriously
hurt than himself, soyingj he preferred
tvftiting until the private soldiers were
relieved. .
A Shower of Blood in Hampton; ""
A correspondent writes: On Tuesday
morning, 4th instant, just after sunriso,
Mr. Jeff Dowling was hoeing in a
Field, some distance from the house, '
when he heard something like rain falling
on him and on the grass around. He
nvestigated and found it to be blood.
He looked about him and overhead and
sould see no clouds, no bird flying, and
.A Ah- 1- - * '
IV ncu naa ill unjr ysrilH Oi 1110 BPOt.
rhe blood was thick and soon clottod on
bis hand and coat, when he went to his v,
bouse and his peoplo saw and examined
the substance. They pronounced it
blood, and no ono can explain the phenomenon.?Hampton
Guardian*