Historical Newspapers of South Carolina

Below is the OCR text representation for this newspapers page. It is also available as plain text as well as XML.

The Weekly Ledger. A Newspaper in all that the Word Implies and Devoted to the Best Interests of the People it Subserves. VOL. II, NO. '.Vi. GAFFNEY CITY, S. C., FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 30, 1895. $1.00 A YEAR. A REPRESENTATIVE BODY. THE CONSTITUTIONAL CON VENTION A CREDIT. The Sufferagc Question the Foremost in the Minds of the Members. The Heavy Work Not Yet Commenced. [Correspondence of The Ledger.1 Con'MBiA, S. C., Sept., lo. There has been a great deal of cheap talk in South Carolina in recent years of “men now doing their own thinking but however much demagoguery there has been in that general decla ration there is none in the assertion that the very large majority of the members of the constitutional con stitutional convention “do their own thinking,” and a newspaper man on duty In the hall curses the fates that brought such a hard headed set of men together, when his dinner hour has long since passed and he sees little chance of even a cold snack. As might be expected in any gather ing of IhO men there arc a number of “puddin’ heads” but the large mass of the members are men that any commonwealth might be proud of. And one good tiling about it that they represent all classes of the peo ple, they are men of great experience, many of them have pushed their way up in life against the severest bulTet- ings of fortune, and whether or not they can be said to be fully rounded they are men who remember what they have passed through, and who with the love of humanity in their hearts, will attempt to make the path smoother for those like conditioned that have to come after them. And one might go farther and say that the highest patriotism has thus far been shown on the floor of the assembly, and there seems to be an earnest search for the best way in every thing. As is to be expected the suffrage question is foremost in the minds of of the members, but so far as the committee on suffrage with Senator Tillman at its head is concerned, the best plan has not yet made its ap pearance. It is believed by some that the Mississippi plan is yet the choice of the committee, but there has been no public action that shows such to he the case. Each man who has presented a plan, of course, thinks his {dan to be the best, but the convention has not bud opportu nity to pass upon any as they are yet In the hands of the committee, which is determined to let this mat ter remain in soak for the longest possible time. The four plans sub mitted by Messrs. Efird. Johnstone, Patton and Aldrich a'l provide for al ternative property or educational qualifications. Mr. Efird adds the exception conferring sulferage upon all who were eligible to vote in 1800, practically saving all Confederate soldiers. Mr. Johnstone wants county hoards of examiners of elec tors who will he able to confer the right of suffrage upon persons not able to comply with the conditions, but who are otherwise fitted for the exercise of the right of suffrage. Mr. Patton wishes to make an exception of all who served in the confederate war, and their living descendants. Mr. Aldrich saves those who cannot comply but are thought to be fit to vote by the legislature, by allowing It to enfranchise them. He would disqualify negroes from holding seats in the General Assembly. So far as municipal suffrage is con cerned it seems to he very certain that the qualifications will be some what dilferent, and that women prop erty holders will be allowed to vote either through agents or directly. It is understood that the Cornmittee on Municipal Corporations has prac tically decided upon that, and there seems to be a general sentiment that only taxpayers siiall be allowed to vote in municipal elections. The women suffragists are much encour aged on account of this, and are hop ing for still further success. The matter of woman’s sufrago is now being considered in a non-sentimen- tal sense, and members of the Con vention are asking themselves the practical question why women of equal intelligence, paying taxes, and doing as much for the support of-the government as men should not be allowed to vote. The cry that Mrs. Neblett and the other wornam suf fragist have raised of “taxation without representation” is having its effect, and many members are considering the matter in a Hoberfand its true light. It is almost practi cally certain that the Convention will not prohibit woman’s suffrage, but will leave fbc question • open to be considered by the General Assem- There Is little doubt but that the Constitutional school fund is to he dltlded between the lwo races as thty fifty it. The fthites will sufi* pdrt thdr 6#h s6hf>olfc ahd the he* groes will do the same. There are indications that tho chances are in favor of making the Constitutional tax three instead of two mills and of adding the poll tax to the school fund. It seems to be decided too that the judicial system is to be remodeled, but how has not yet been indicated. The most favorably received plan is to constitute all of the circuit judges into a supreme court of appeals, and to provide for a system of county courts. The right of appeals is to be much abridged. There are a large number of anti corporation men in the Convention and it is probable that corporations will be put under strict laws, but the anti-corporation men will not have everything their own way. . It is not probable that any of the higher institutions of learning will be interfered with, and the proba bilities are that Clemson, the South Carolina College, and the Woman’s College will be incorporated in the constitution, and even the Citadel may be protected also. Tho heavy work of the convention has not yet commenced, and the most interesting proceedings are to come, but the indications are that whatever is done will be done with the best interests of the State at heart by the men who are intrusted with the framing of the organic law. F. H. M< Master. - ■ Mr. Picker Becomes Sentimental. [Correspondence of The Ledger.] Dkaytonvillk, K. C., Sept. 17.— For whom the Lord loreth he chas- teneth—Heb. 12 :<). I wish, if you please that you’d let me make a slight change in the above. If you do I’ll have it this way : For whom Flaw Picker loveth ho chasteneth. Xow^that sounds sorter like Flaw Picker loves the f—emilino sex, don’t it? Well, I—1 do. There’s nothin’ arrayed with more beauty, there’s nothin’ more noble, there’s nothin’in this world that God ever made that Flaw Picker prizes higher than a sweet woman in her proper place. I mean women. I’m not talkin’ about these stuck up pieces of God’s creation that won't notice you on the street nor nowhere else because they’ve got on puffs and rufllesand tucks, or because they’ve got more money and sich as that, nor I don’t mean that kind that’s alius talkin’ about their neighbors and raisin’ musses and rucuses with their neighbors and in their own family poutin’ and goin’ on. I mean women that tries to make home pleasant and happy and tries to make tho world better by their good examples. Without sich women this old world is without its crown. With sich women this old world is clothed in happiness and wrapped in comforts of glory. For one of sitch (Mrs. Picker), Flaw Picker is ever gladly and happily toilin' from morn- in' to night with the feelin’ that he can’t do too much for her; yea, if needs he I would work till the blood run from my hands and feel that I was doin’ only what God required at my hands for the noblest piece of his work. I expect I’ll git “strained” over this. Somebody’ll he ready to call me a turn-coat or somethin’ of the sort, hut, do you know how much I care for it? Just about as much as the lion cared for the donkey’s bray in’ and kickin’—not enough to no tice it. Flaw Picker. - — Probably a Juvenile Robbery. [Correspondence of The Ledger.] Thompson Mill, Sept., 17.—Miss Sal lie Ingham, whom we reported sick a few days ago is improving. Miss Mollie Kirby has been suffer ing with a rising on her (linger, hut she is better now. Your correspondent and W. C. Kirby was on the puny order lust week. Washie Childers, of tho Corinth section, was in our community last week. IL G. Clary, the beef market man of Gaffney, and S. If. Blanton, of Bowlinsville, were in our town last week. John Hughs and Pierce Pool, of Gowdeysville were in these parts last week. Somebody went under the store house of 0. H. H. Clary it Son and kqoeked up a plank and went in and took a box of candy and ten cents in money. It was probably a child as a man couldn’t have got under the house where the entrance was made. After looking around the house the ton cents was found where the intru- der had lost it in crawling out from under the house. ’•'u William Burgess, of Sheron, ' C., was in our town last week. Mr. and Mrs. J. J. Kendrick, of Skull Shoals, visited the family of W. C. Kirby last week. Your correspondent was at Skull Shoals church lust Sunday and heard Rev. A. I). Davidson preach a very able sermon. Now, Air. Flaw Picker, if you will come down to our little town and bring your old banjo we will see that you and Charley will get plenty in tat and fhat frhieh is good. FPXnV FrAnR. FINANCIAL LEGISLATION. WILL CONGRESS BE CALLED UPON TO ACT. The Civil Service Commission Defines “Pernicious Political Activity.” Senator Call Booming Cu ban Revolutionists. [Correspondence of The Ledger.] Washington, D. C., Sept., 10.—The ablests talkers among the politicians have assured the country many times during the last few months that finance would not figure at the com ing session of Congress, and that it would not he the leading issue in the presidental campaign. Notwith standing the those assurances, the finances of the government are again the livest issue now confronting the administration and the coming ses sion of Congress. The bond syndi cate says it will continue to give the treasury gold as long as “existing conditions make it feasahle to do so,” but at the same time it claims that it fulfiilled all of its obligations to the government last June when it made the last payment on those bonds. But what the syndicate says doesn’t count for half as much as the act of one of its members, who drew from the treasury and shipped to Europe more than one third of the $7,200,000 in gold sent last week. Acts are always more telling than words. Since January 1, 1894 the gold shipped from the United States to Europe aggregates the enormous sum of $1(19,284,:K)0. while our actual importations from Europe during the same period were less than $49,000, 000 in value. A man doesn’t have to he a great financier to grasp tho idea that this sort of thing has got to be stopped in someway. Thiscountry is rich, hut it can’t stand everything. \N ith this situation before the country it is ridiculous to say t hat congress will not touch financial legislation. Con gress has got to do something. It ir» admitted by everybody in Washing ton who is familiar with the situation that the question of another issue of bonds before Congress meets lies, not with President Cleveland and Secretary Carlisle, hut with the bond syndicate. Will Congress let that condition of affairs continue? Not unless it betrays the real interests of the people. The Civil Service Commision has given a partial definition of what it considers “pernicious political activ ity.” In reply to a letter charging that a member of a Cival Service hoard of examiners in one of the states, hud been guilty of improper partisan activity in connection with a recent political convention, the com mision in a letter to the accused ex aminer, asking him for an explana tion of the charge, wrote: “While attendance at a political convention as a delegate is not in itself a viola tion of the civil service rules, the com mission holds that partisan activity sufficient to impair usefulness as a representative of the civil service com mission is sufficient cause for removal from membership in any of its hoards of examiners.” It would he difficult to state the matter in a more unsatis factory manner than this, so far as those who believe that true civil ser vice reform means non-partisan Fed eral officials are concerned. When the commission decides that one of its examiners has been guilty of “par tisan activity sufficient” etc., it will remove him not from the Federal office he has to hold to he an exam iner. but from membership in the board of examiners, and the commis sion uses its direction entirely in de ciding. Lots of people had supposed that the spirit, if not the letter, of the civil service rules was against office holders attending political con ventions as delegates, hut the com mission says it isn’t. If there is any way of being more active in pc$9Mcs than being a delegate to a con *ilon the commission should lose m 'fbo in pointing it out, not only n »e benefit of the office holders, bik for the edification of those who are s\ lv- ing hard not to believe the whole cival service business to he a colos sal humbug. Senator Call, of Florida, is in V ’h- ington openly booming the ide. * this government recognizing the he* ligerency of the Cuban revolutionists. He says tho present position of this country makes it practically an ally of Spain, while the sympathy of our people is overwhelmingly with the (Julians. Mr. Call does not favor tho annexation of Culm, hut itsentire In dependence of Spanish Control, and he says he has no doubt that that would at once he accomplished if this county would recognize tho in surgents. For three or four days there have been rumors that the ad ministration was contemplating such recognition, hut they cannot f>o traced to any one in authority. The. Spanish minister, who returned* 'to Washington to turn over to the State Department the draft for $M4O,O0O, I in payment of the Mora claim, says the Cuban revolutionists are in no condition to ask for recognition from the United States or any other gov ernment, and that Spain will in a short time crush out the revolt. THE NEW COUNTY. Gowdeyville Wants it Together With a Telephone Line. [Correspondence of The Ledger.] Gowdeyville, S. C., Sept., 14.—I see that Mr. I’icker is having some more trouble. I think the editor should give him some money to help him out of trouble. If Mr. Picker don’t watch some one will do him like the dobber done the spider. The people around Gowdeyville are in high hopes about our new county. To have a courthouse at Gaffney and then have a telephone from Gaffney to T. I). Littlejohn’s, then to I. M. Peeler’s store at Skull Shoals, then to Kelton and then to Lockhart Shoals would be worth a great deal to the farmers that raise cotton, for when a fanner starts to the market he don’t know what cotton is worth. The merchants along the line could keep up with the prices of everything. In fact it would he worth a great deal to this part of the county. Mr. A. A. Surratt, who owns several plantations near Skull Shoals, could use the phone to great advantage, also I. M. Peeler, so let us hear from Brothers Surratt and Peeler. I have heard several farmers say they would give money to build the line. If the Gaff ney people would take hold of it we would soon have it up, for everything that she takes hold of prospers. Let us have a new county and a telephone and let us all swing together. The editor that says we don’t need a new county lies and the truth is not in him and I would not read his paper, for he is not a friend to his country. I think that Capt. Charles Petty, editor of the Spartan, knows enough about our country to know that we need a new county, and if our mem bers to the legislature don’t work for us I will work for them when they offer themselves for election. I will work for them to stay at home. I have not heard of hut four that would not sign the petition and they were only common clod-hoppers. The health of this community is very good. Cotton crops are very sorry, corn is very good. Jack Kendrick has the Gowdeyville saw mill and cotton gin for this sea son. Jack is a hustler and will do good work for his many customers. Clib. — -*•*- Skull Shoals Sketches. [Correspondence of The Ledger.] Ski ll Shoals, S. C., Sept., 10.— Cotton {deking is booming. Some people are ready for selling. It is hoped we will get nine or ten cents. We can live at nine and ten cents and no less. Crops are very short, cotton in particular. "Rev. A. I). Davidson filled his pul pit at Skull Shoals yesterday and preached a good sermon. The postoffice at Gowdeysville is nicely kept by Mrs. J. T. Brown who gives entire satisfaction to all. We get our paper promptly just as we do all mail at this office. If our community was filled with such ladies as Mrs. Brown we would have the happiest community in Union county. There is a great deal of talk about the new county at Gaffney. While we find a few opposing it we find the majority in favor of it. Rev. Mr. Hickson baptized fourteen at Elbetliol last Sunday. We can speak a word of endorse ment for The Ledger. It gives the people news of the country and is not always wrangling on politics. Big Ike. — — — Bowlinsville Budget. [Correspondence of The Ledger.] Bowlinsville, Sept. 18.—Mrs.Mary Clary has the mammoth pig of the season. It measures five feet long, fourteen inches across the hack and it,s, we don’t know how old it is. Mrs Hettie Brown and her son Hugh, of Asbury, were in our settle ment not long ago. Capt Clary is making some very fine molasses this season. Fodder pulling being done, picking cotton is the order of ^he day. Among the prominent visitors this week were Mrs. Ann Waters, of Mid way, Mrs. Mary Turner, of North Carolina, and Mrs. Tom Petty, of your city. Capt. W. II. Richardson is prepar ing to cuf nil the nice lumber and barrell staves you are lookihg for. His saw mill is situated near Sam P. Porter’s residence. Slim Sam. - Picnic At New Hope. [Correspondence of The Ledger,] Mt. Moriah, S. C. Sept., 14.—Joe Phillips and little daughter are quiet sick. Mrs. Hattie Byars is quiet sick with fever. iherc was a large picnic at New Ifcpc .yesterday, the occasion being the, closing of Prof. Alfred Davis’ singing, school. The singing was goqd and tlie attendnn^e large/ Tho dinnnr was n most glorlons sliccesfc. Jat Bird, COL. STRAIN TO MR. PICKER HE GIVES HIM A FEW HINTS TO HELP HIM ALONG. The Crops, Social Life and Sunday Schools Form the Basis of an Inter- ing Letter From Our Union County Correspondent. [Correspondence of The Ledger.] Etta Jane, S. C., Sept. 16.—The weather is several degrees cooler than it was last week and week before. Mr. Frank MeCluney whose sick ness I reported last week, is getting better, hut his sister, Miss Lois, is not. They both have typhoid fever. Mr. and Mrs. T. J. Estes are both sick. Mr. and Mrs William Fowler have a very sick child. One of the most contemptible sights to he seen in these closing years of the 19th century is a “dud- ish” coxcomb standing about the church grounds puffing tho fumes of a cigarette into the faces of respec table people. He ought to be tied to his mamma’s apron strings until he learns the elementary principles of politeness. A cigar is in a close place when it has fire at one end and a fool at the other. Brother Buster: In regard to the feet washing mentioned in your last week’s letter and upon which you ask my views, I refer you to “Holy W rit” for the Scriptural constitu tionality of the ordinance, and you can draw your own conclusions. It is a divinely appointed sacrament. No doubt of that. But from a social or worldly standpoint I will say: It will no doubt cure many church members of going to bed with stink ing feet; and I would recommend it as a good plan for all to adopt—pro vided he does his own washing. It will also prevent many otherwise gayly dressed people from wearing stockings with the toe and heel both out. Mr. and Mrs. R. A. Foster are re joicing over the event of a new comer to their home—it’s a hoy. As many as six such events havejTaken place within our bailiwick in the last month that we can recall, Our colored friends had quite an enjoyable time at their Odd Fellows’ Hall, near Sunnyside on the 7th in stant. They had the Mt. Tabor Brass Band, colored, Capt. Ben Smith, to furnish them music. Everything went well and t,he crowd was an exemplary one in point of good behavior. Maj. J. H. Littlejohn gave us a call last week and spent a few hours very pleasantly. He is a man of extraordinary mind and is far above the average in book learning and in telligence. Mr. John W. Alexander, of Lawn, also paid us a visit. He is a third descendant of the Alexanders of Mecklenburg, N. C., who form no small amount part in Revolutionary, history. For a long time he was thought to be “Flaw Picker,” and some still believe he is. We have too much cloudy weather for saving fodder. Much of it has burned up on the stalk. Brother Flaw I’icker, your dilemna at Blacksburg a few days ago sounds very much like a wail from the cala boose. Are you certain you didn’t go.over there and intrude upon some of their town ordinances? It may he possible that those people are preju diced against our new county move ment and wanted to wreak their ven geance on you. If they did, they are wrong for the people of your own town say it shan’t cost them nary red cent to build the court house and jail—Gaffney City will do that—it has the money. But Flaw it’s no more than I expected for you. You have been pitching into these new fashioned dresses and making war upon womans rights, generally, until they can’t stand any longer. When you get on the wrong side of the cook you will find rough sailing, always. But journalistic condemna tion is never eternal. I hope you will survive it, In many things I fully agree with you, but not in all. Whenever such a place as Blacks burg is to be canvassed in the inter est of The Ledger you let Jlr. DeCamp, or some one else go and do that work. Ho is a good looking man, and can pass without the aid of a banjo. Besides, The Ledger is its own advocate, and it wiK fortunately for you its \vW circulation has made tho pC the Piedmont belt too well ac^ ted with you and your denunciaW of styles and fashions of women-J^> say nothing of the habits of mdH^ to allow you to canvass for it suc cessfully except in the “coaling ground” or In c>omo other rural dis trict likewise where good banjo pick ing is more entertaining than good reading. I don’t mean to say that your success as a canvasser in tho country depends upon people’s likes or dislikes of the banjo. Not at all. People in tho country are Iheir own Jmlgput & good pnpw and whemcr The Ledger has gone it’s made friends for itself. It does so from its own worth. I have no objection to your taking the banjo along with you wherever you go. It is very conven ient in case you fall in with a fodder pulling frolic, a corn shucking, quilt ing or other social gatherings where the young folks wouldn’t care to in dulge in something like “twistifica- tion.” Prof. A. G. Davis closed his sing ing school at New Hope last Satur day. A large number of people were present to see and hear as well as to take part in the exercises. New Hope is the centre of attraction for our North Pacolet people and we have nothing but kind words for them. I had the pleasure of visiting the Flint Hill Sunday School yes terday. I enjoyed the music I heard at the home of my friend C. C. Da vis very much. Mrs. Lula Stroup performed on the organ while Mr. A. G. Davis and a corps of singers joined in the music. The people of that section are enthusiastic supporters of The Ledger and the new county movement. I took dinner with Mr. and Mrs. G. B. Wright and their family. They are good Sunday School workers and are proud they have such a promis ing outlook for their children’s re ligious training. To all such my heart goes out in sympathy and I can take them by the hand and from the bottom of my heart bid them God speed on their prosperous jour ney. The Flint Hill school was organ ized fifteen months ago as a Union Sabbath School with a total mem bership of 23. Since then it has re ported 11 of its members as having joined the various branches of the Christian church. j. l. s. ’Tis Funny To Uncle Jake. [Correspondence of The Ledger.] Lawn, S. C„ Sept., 17.—Isn’t It wonderful how many funny things there are to he seen while travelling around. There are enough funny things in this world to keep people laughing half the time and pleased the other half. But there are a great many people who can’t see the funny things, the good things and the pleas ant things because they are all the time trying to see the sad and the unpleasant things. But this is get ting off the subject. We started to tell some of the funny things that we’ve seen and heard lately. The funniest thing that we're heard of lately is that of a run-away couple. Jim Husky, who has been keeping bachelor’s hall all the year, ran away the other Sunday and went to Trough Shoals and married. We heard cf a lady who got mad twice when her daughter ran away and married. Mad because her daughter married and mad again be cause she would not come home when she, the old lady, sent for her. It'» funny how some of these old people “cutup.” They all like to have son- in-laws. It’s right funny to see what a pre dicament Flaw Picker got into at Blacksburg last week. But the moat amusing part to us is that the peo ple of Blacksburg did not subscribe for The Ledger. It is because, though, they are like a great many of us over here, they don’t know a good thing every time they see it. Uncle Jacob has had some “special ’sperience” about Cowpens lately, for Mr. Picker stayed at home and let him take The Ledger to Cowpens. Well when Charley and Uncle Jake drove into the little town the other day, although Uncle Jake’s hair was not two feet long, neither did he carry anything that looked like a “rusty fowling piece,” while his dress might have appeared a little uncouth(?) to the Cowpenians, they eyed him somewhat suspiciously as the villiagers did Old Rip when he returned from his nap. They did pot ask Uncle Jake “on which side he voted;” whether he was a Federal or a democrat or any such questions, jut they interrogated him closely as to whether or not he had a petition for a new county. Now isn’t it funny to see how hard i,hese places are fighting against our proposed new county. While per- laps these two cities have got every thing that they do not need and want nothing that they do need and are therefore satisfied. We are not, so wo want a new county. But while Cowpens may and does ;ake the wrong side of some questions she gets on the right side of others. Jnclo Jake was struck with the spirit of thrift, energy and growth which seemed to characterize the Cowpen- Several new r dwellings and one ck store are going up now. Of arse in such a growing villiage as is there are some broad minded men. /ill Moore is one of Cowpens’ broad ainded men. He does not make an igly face at Gaffney and surrounding country because they want a new county. It is funny, too, to notice that al most all of those in the county who object to the new county because they think it will raise taxes, are those who have very little to pay tax on. Tom Spencer, who was contlnod to his room last tceck, is able to be out Ustjle Jake.