The Laurens advertiser. (Laurens, S.C.) 1885-1973, February 13, 1901, Image 1
VOL. XVI.
NO. 2* .
TUE ?1CNERAI, ASSEMBLY
'I ho following summary of legisla
tive proceedings during the pasl weeli
gives some of the mi?st imporluui dh>
ciisdons upon peuding measures:
I II I ( IUI.n l.AiioK IjUJ'.sTlON IN Till-:
SKNATK.
The lull to piohihit child labor in
Ihe cotton mills was taken up, ami
Senator Henderson, of AiKcn, was the
lirst speaker. He said in substance :
This is surely an interesting, mo
mentous and irrepressible quest ion.
Hence, it is our duty as legislators to
approach it calmly and dispassionately,
and in whatever wo do to endeavor lo
act in a conservative a:.d prudent man
ner. It is simply the question which
has assumed so many phases, shapes
and forms in (he unnatural struggle
between labor and capital which has
always existed and always confronted
the lawiuaking power ever sin20 the
lirst law was made?Uli natural, because
labor cannot piosper without capital
and capital canuot thrive without labor.
Nevertheless, it is before us, not only
for the lirst time, and I am sad to fear
UOt for the last tune, and hence il is to
be met. That the legislature has the
inherent right to regulate and control
iho manufacturing industries ol the
State, I have no manner of doubt.
They del ive their franchises from the
Stale; aro creatures of it and aio sub
ject to its modifications. But it is un
questionable that any restrictions or
regulations which may be placed upon
such praiseworthy institutions should
be prudent, moderate and conserva
tive. We should look not only to the
interests of such members of the gen
eral public who are associated in the
discharge of labor with such corpora
tions, but to the interests of the cor
pOiatioUB as well, and always keeping
111 view that salutary democratic rule,
that the best guide in legislation is the
greatest good to the greatest number.
Railroads have been regulated: tele
graphs regulated; express companies
regulated; and every pbase of corpor
ate life, which has been created by the
representatives of the people, when
they infringe upon the rights of the
people, should be regulated. But a
due regard should lie taken to the
rights of the ctcature, as ?voll as those
who are llung with them in the dis
charge -)f the multiform duties which
come upon the human race.
There was a lime when we had very
few railroads in this .State. In the
old days before the war, when the
Smith Carolina railroad from Charles
toil to Augusta was the only railroad
in existence, when it took a da\ and a
half lo make the trip, with its peculiar
shaped engines ami cars, the trafllc of
the country and the number of people
employed thereon were too small to
demand of the Legislature Us interfer
ence for the protection of those asso
ciated with it, hut as in aller years,
that great industry progressed and our
country began lo be traversed by the
steam power to such an extent that
the entire State became interested, and
to a certain extent involved in th.*
enormous business, it became neces
sary to establish a railroad commission
for the protection of the people and
for the regulation of the railroads.
A great hue and cry was raised when
this was attempted, and it was claim
ed that such a step would be destruc
tive to the railroad interests of Iho
country, but we did not hesitate to
put the legislation into effect, and no
one can doubt that a railroad com ;s
8ion, properly conducted, is of the nioJt
beneficial effect to the people of the
country at large. We are to be con
gratulated that in this enlightened day
and lime in which wo live, our grand
old State stands in the front rank as a
manufacturing Stale. The increase of
cotton mills in our midst is prodigious.
When William Gregg first founded
the old Graniteville mill in my own
county many years before tho war, the
advance which we now perceive and
realize would hardly have been pre
dicted. The mills have come to the
cotton and all of use realize the fact
that they are of the greatest advantage
to the people of the State of South
Caro'ina. Building up our waste
places, rehabilitating our towns and
our cities, increasing our taxable pro
perty, giving CCUpatlOn and homes to
our own country people who were not
doing well in the sparsely populated
agricultural districts of our State. But
the very fact of the marvelous increase
in this grand department of human in
dustry and human development brings
with it tho necessity of protection to
Ihe vast number of human beings who
aro connected with this great industry.
That should be administered by the
legislature, not in any spirit of hos'i
lity, but with a kindly hand and a
fostering care lo these industries.
Nothing rash should be done, nothing
hostile should be enacted; but at the
same time proper measure should be
taken to insure that the laborers and
the corporate powers arc kept in a
friendly attitude, and with every temp
tation and invitation lo the enactment
of strikes and turmoils, to which other
States and other countries are subject,
Should be kept down.
The bill for discussion is 0110 of the
many questions which will inevitably
aviso out of the uicreasc of this grand
industry in our State, i favor the sub
stitute proposed by the minority of the
committee. That is not a drastic
measure; it is not radical; it is not
sweeping. It is unquestionably con
servative in its tenor and effect, it
simply provides that (luring this jear,
after a certain date fixed, all children
under the age of 10 years should bo
prohibited from working in tho cotton
mills. That next year all under 11
yours should he so prohibited, and the
next year all under 12 years. It furth
er provides that no children should he
permitted to work in the millsat night,
and as a further beneficent clause,
Which I had the honor to prepare my
self; that any widow who is depondent
upon the labor of her child or children
und has no other support should be
permitted to have those children con
tract with Ih ; mill company for then
work. Unless it is the determiner
policy of the State to shut tho doort
of the legislature lo the laboring classct
who arc working in these mills man]
of them from our own country district
and our own people, none of then
aliens and foreigners like many of tb
laboring classes at tho North, then
say that this measure is most moderat
and wise. I do not go t<> tho extent
of some of tlif sentimentalists oo child
? labor, aud cannot indulge i? point-, of
; tho llgurcs of speech which I have
? heard on the subject, but J submit to
all thinking people that no child under
lo years ol age thould be worked its
tho mills, u is not only bettor for the
chilil physically, morally ami intel
lectually, but it i? better for the eorpo
ration, for unquestionably sooner or
later witli such labor they will be sub
jeel to suits for damages for accidents.
Of course this imitier could be belter
solved in our Stale if under the exist
ing race conditions we < mid im
mediately put into effect compulsory
education, but '.o have compulsory ed
ucation for whites without the same
lor blacks would be unconstitutional,
ami to have compulsory education for
both i aces would soon deplete our
treasury, und we have to face the mat*
ter just as we lind it and solve it as
well as we can, and 1 think that the j
substitute offered by the minority is a
Step in the right direction to lead to a
proper solution thereof. My judgment ,
is that this matter will settle itself if ,
wise (.-onn.sei? prevail, but if passion ,
and pie judice arc heeded wo must ex- ,
pect conflict of opinions ami conflict of ,
interests in future, t
Tho child labor question is simply <
the tentative is3uc on the mailers I
which will in the future arise on this i
question. There remains for us to i
solve hereafter the larger, more por- ;
lentous, ami more troublesome qties- (
lion of hours of labor. It would seem (
that the vast strides that have been i
made in the improvement of machin
ery In the cotton mills, especially iflhe f
Draper looms, ami such other trachin- s
cry where the output of mills in a t
given time is vastly greater tbau what j
it used to be, that it would be a wise i
ami proper step on behalf of the manu- i
facturers thai some limit in modern- i
lion as lo the hours of wages should be ,
agreed upon by them in order to meet 1
the proper requests of those who work t
for them. It is claimed that any re- ']
duction in the hou 8 of labor or any 1
enactment on the child labor question \
would place the manufacturers of South i
Carolina at a disadvantage, because t
her sister States have no labor laws on
tho subject. It is always best to meet I
a storm before it comes. It is always j
best if you want peace to confer with t
yom adversary, and it is always best <j
on lln: part of capital if you wish coin- i
plete success ami the advancement of e
interest lo study the welfare of those j
who labor for the protection of capital. 1
The gicat manufacturing interests of
our Slate are in the hands of chosen n
sons of South Carolina, who have been (
trustctl in every station -such men as ?
Or, Smyth, Cleveland, Parker, \Vha? (
ley, Barrett ami Hicktuau?and we .,
submit to them that it is the part of c
wisdom, the part of prudence, and the
pan of good judgment, before the year j
passes loiiml, to call a conference of v
the manufacturers of North Carolina, j
South Carolina, Georgia and Alabama .
and enact prudent regulations as lo the
hours of labor ami the system of labor,
ami the fruit of euch a conference, ic
duccd to regulations ami agreement
ami afterwards put into law, will tell J
for years ami years !<> come in the fu? v
lure. '
No trouble so far to any appreciable ,
extent has existed bei ween the labor- ?
era and the manufacturers of tins coun
try, hut unless they are kept by wise
concessions upon an amicable basis, as
the industry grows, an we hope it will j
grow, in marvelous proportions, to thai j
extent the danger of friction will grow ;]
less. j
I tlo not know whether this substi- j
tute or any bill upon this question will '
pass this Legislature. 1 have my doubts t
about it from what I have heard upon t
the subject, but I do know that the ,
discussion of the question without pas- .
sion and without prejudice ought to
bring about some action by thom who j
have it within their power to bring .
peace and quiet in our midst.
THE OTHER stl>K. t
Senator Dean said that a law which 'J
is not based on the necessities of the I
people is an improper law. lie had s
listened to the different speeches in i
favor of the bill and had heard but
little teal argument showing the no- ?
ceesity for such legislation. From 1
thousands of people who have not yet I
lost their manhood and self-respect j
conies the plea to this body "let. us <
alone; let us manage our affairs as t
other free men." The conditions of \
the farm people in nio9t sections of the 1
country are far jvorse than around the i
mills, and in maoy sections of the i
State a cotton mill WOild be a god- i
send. I lo spoke of the mill people in <
the Piedmont section, and said that for <
morality and good citizenship they <
would compare favorably with any I
people in the Suite. lu his section
there was no such poverty and igno- i
ranee as that spokon of by snme of the I
Senators, anil he denied that there was i
any cruelly to children in the nulls in i
Ihc upper part of ihe State.
Kvcry man has the right to rogu- 1
late his affairs. Shall we legislate pa
rental care and affection into parents ?
The cotton mill operative loves his
children just as dearly as any Senator
on this floor loves his own, and he
loves them anil feels pride Ci them the
same as other people.
The demand for labor is so great now
that it is not a question on the part of
mill presidents as to how they can
grind and overwork their hands, but
the problem is how to mai.'1 their work
pleasant and attractive so tliey may
retain tluir help. South Carolina leads
in textile manufacturing because of
the fairness and jnslico of our laws,
but she cannot continue to lead if we
throw a fire hi and into those foiccs
which have don i so much to build up
our Slate.
, Referring to the charge that lliero
? had been lobbying on this question, he
i said there had been no undue lobbying,
i and he denied that the operatives
> were slaves or serfs who were afraid
? to oxpress themselves for tho bill if
r they desired it. Thero were inon here
I lobbying for the bill who admitted that
? their expenses were being paid by la
s bor unions. Thia whole movement
,? seems lo have originated in Augusta,
s tia , where thero havobecn strikes and
a lockouts innumerable. This should he
? sufllcicnt warning to us. Tho relations
I between labor and capital in this State
c aro pleasant and harmonious, and will
continue so if these unwise and frlc
ItOU-prodUCiDg laW8 are let alone. Wet
ate playing with dynamite when we |
go to putting such laws on our statute
i>ooks. They will bring about trouble
and friction which do not now exist.
In his judgment <> pass such a law.
wo ild lie the most unwise sli p the
Legislature ever took.
MKIMi At. STUDENT'S HILL.
Senator Dean moved lo strike out
the enacting words of the medical
student exemption hill and proceeded
to argue against it. lie said thitty
States in the Union had examining
hoards, ami there must he some neces
sity for it, and these hoards stand be
tween the people and incompetence.
The enact incut Ol this law would lower
tho standard of excellence m Ibis
State. Six students of ibis College
failed lasl year and with the law us
proposed there would bo six incom
peteut doctors turned loose in the !
State.
Senator Ciaydon favored the bill, ,
reviewing legislation on Ihe subject,
Haying that the proposed law had been
the law in South Carolina for nearly 1
tine hundred years, until comparatively 1
recent years, and no revolution or any
change will be made by the adoption '
of Ibis law. The board may ask a lot '
[>f theoretical questions, which they 1
themselves could net answer if they 1
were undergoing examination, and for 1
i student, who has graduated with au s
iverage of 75 per cent, to fail on such *
piestioas is no evidence that he is in- f
competent so far as practicing medicine :
s concerned.
Senator Blakeney opposed the bill, *
laying thai every medical college '
mould stand on its own footing, and 1
he passage of this law would be a con- '
ession of weakness on the part of the 1
acuity. When the faculty opposed 1
he bill it showed that they were will- 1
ng for their graduates to stand any '
way. The passage of the bill would 1
)c in the public mind an evidence s
hat the standard had been lowered. '
The State board is a safeguard against *
liunbuggery within and coining force
Vlthout the Stale and a restriction can. I
lot be too stringent in medical prac- ?
ice.
Senator Manning also opposed the a
)ill and regretted that he had to op- c
lose the wishes of his young friends, v
or the passage of this bill would be a v
lislinct backward sicp. In behalf ol |:
he State board he would say that the ?
ixaminatidD8 had been fair and on j
iractical questions. lie though I this
? ill was a lamentable error. '.
Senator May field favored the bill. ,
This institution is one that the Slate 1
night to be proud of. There is just ?
is much reason why a graduate of this
Jollege should be allowed lo practice
is student graduates in law at the
South Carolina College. The Medical "
Jollege is well equipped and the work .
s thorough ami wed done. He was
villing to aid the College to make it c
letter equipped, rather than do any
hing which would retard its growth *
nd usefulness.
SonalOl Henderson opposed the bill.
Ic could uot understand why these {,
roung gentlemen, with such great ad- ,
'untnges, should object to standing an ?
ixamlnalion. What objection can (
here be? This is not a Slide instilu- v
ton and why should laws be passed v
louccrning institutions which are be- e
?ond our jurisdiction? As to the 8
irgumont ahout lawyers being ad- v
nilted, there is a great difference t)
letween the two piofessions. The v
awyer's practice is in public and he r
advances or falls as he shows himself
it, but who knows what a physician j
s doing, whether the dose he gives 0
vill kill or not? Ho declared that ?j
he board was competent to examine 8
he graduates Of this eminent inslitu- s
ion. Mr. Henderson made a very a
trong speech. ^
Senator Glenn opposed the bill and
le could see no reason why the law .,
!u in It I be changed. The law as it j
iiaods is a Step forward in protecting -
he people against incompetent doctors.
The fact that the students seem to be I
if raid to stand the examination is a
itrong reason why this bill should be
lasscd. j
Senator Ilderton favoreil the bill, H
laying that the only opposition lo the
)ill came from the medical board, and
ic charged that they were actuated by f
jealously. He denied most omphati- .
?ally that the College turned out any
nen unlit to practice. Tho Senators ,
ivho have been preaching all these |
'uneral sermons don't know any Illing
nore ahout medicine than a cat does
ibout Sunday. He charged that i
most of the Stato board were not j
competent to examine these stu
dents. The rejcclion of this bill j
would aid the Medical Association in ,
killing Ihe College.
Senator Burnwr.ll had a resolution j
read from the faculty endorsing the
bill. He oppoSO.l Ihe bill last year hi- j
cause the faculty did. He supported .
it now because the College has for .
years without aid offered young men
an opportunity to become physicians. .
The faculty has lengthened the term ,
lo four years and in thus Strengthen- .
ing the standard they showed thoin- ,
selves worthy of confidence. Tlie
men who have prevented the College ,
from going down are the '.ion whose
judgment he respects ami he will vote
as they desire.
Senator Grubor said he hod been
oppose'. io this bill, but ^having been
aaaurfd that n > advantage would be
taken by Ibis legislation to lessen ihe
terms or lower the standard he had
changed his mind on being assured
that nothing of the kind would ever
bo done, ami he offered an ainendineiit
last week to that effect.
Sonator Stanland closed the debate,
paying a compliment to the faculty.
On a motion to strike out the enncting
clause tho Senato refused to do so by a
vote of 10 to 14. as follows:
Ayes?Aldrich, Appelt, Blakeney,
Brice, Dean, Douglass, Goodwin,
Henderson, Hcrndon, Manning,
Mower, JStackhousc, Sullivan, Walker.
Nnys?Barnwoll, Brantloy, Brown,
Caughmnn, Guinea, Grajdon, Grtibcr,
Hay, Hough, Hydrick, Ilderton, May
licld, Moore, Sharp, Stanland, Talbird.
Senator Gruber's amendment pre
venting the lowering the standard of
years for giaduation was adopted.
DOUBLING TDK PENSION FUND.
Capt. Brooks called up.lna Confeder
ate pension bill, which sought to in
crease the pent loa fund from ?100,000
to $160,000.
Gen.Jauies, of Darlluglou, for the
committee, fully explained the blM, and
in a business-like manner went over
the whole situation. The general
classes of pensioners have gotten the
following amounts; 1880, $2!l 40; 1800,
$24 20; 1801, $-2:i; 1802, $23; 189.-1,
$22; 1805, $21 76; 1800, Class C, $10
Ii?; 1897, Class C, $H> :i?; 1000, Class
C, $12 .!().
Mr. James said tins was the critical
period In the State pensions and he
felt the time would soon arrive when
no pensions at all would be needed,
lie paid a high tribute to the gallant
old soldiers and said the lists were now
increasing.
Mr. H?cker, of Anderson, wanted
Hie appropriation raised to $200,000.
lie did not believe any county would
'bject to the increase and it was need*
d. In Georgia the pension fund has
Jeen $494 000, and recently it was
raised to $004,000. He urged eloquent
y that tin- amendment be adopted.
Mr. Kit/. Hugh McMasler said when
,he soldiers rushed to the front they
lid not ask what would be the cost,
lie doubted if any one would oppose
he bill. Men like those in the Legis?
aturodo not need these pensions, but
here are those who do need them, lie
vas eure South Carolina and the sons
>1 the old soldiers would "do them*
iclvcs proud" by voting for the $'200,
)00 appropriation. Mr. McMastcr's
ipeech was bilef, but full of eloquonce
tud line sentiment.
The distinguished gentleman from i
jSreonwood, Capt. .1 II. Brooks, said ;
dr. McMastw, does not make this
cquost for himself, but for needy
el low veterans, whom he knows need I
he assistance asked for. In fact the I
inly thing that I have ever heard of
he gentleman from Greenwood asking I
or himself was, when on the Held of I
Kittle, mangled and bleeding from I
everal wounds, lie asked, with what 1
i'as thought to be Ins dying breath, '
hat his body be not borne to the rear, 1
ml that it be laid on the breastworks I
o aid in shielding his fellow soldiers j
rom Federal builds. i
Mr. EOrd suggested that debate be i
djourued until the supply bill was '
onsidorcd. It would be well to sec *
dlOther the additional appropriation
rould increase tholevy oi not. He was <
iOlOpposed to the bill, but wanted the 1
latter to go over. He moved load- 1
mini the debate. Lost. 1
Mr. Denn, of Spartanburg, was deep- ?
f interested in the bill and was de- :
ghlcd to sec the youm,' men standing 1
y the veterans. He was delighted t
r'ith the amendment increasing the I
und to s-JOlI,U(I0. t
Mr. IClird said he was not opposing ?
lie measure, lie simply wanted to call
llention to the. condition. He had 1
lie most intense love for tho old sol- i
icrs, bul al the same time wanted to I
onsider the taxpayers. t
Mr. .1. Harvey Wilsen, of Suintcr, 1
aid he wanted to stand on the side
rack and see the procession of young ?
ion go by. lie was delighted that t
raetical'.y every member was either i
D old soldier or Ihr son of one. When I
Iiis bill is passed it is the duly of the i
lOinbors to see that the money goes to I
tlOSO who need it, and not to those t
dio merely deserve it, for all who I
rorlhily wore the grey deserve il. He i
specially charged the young men to I
ee that the (und when appropriated is i
roll expend id. Next to his kin he es- (
Domed those who fought side by side
rilh him. He spoke with intense t
Deling. t
Mr. Galluchal said there was sonic- i
hing deep down in the heart of the I
Id soldier that made him eloquent, i
'he question was whether the levy i
houhl be raised or let the old soldier ?
tarveon, for he is too proud to beg
ml too noble to steal. He wanted i
he hill unanimously adopted. i
Mr. Strom said that even if the ap- I
iropriation necessitated an incieased i
avy he would favor the bill. As the i
on of a noble sire he wanted the <
oung men to take up the bill and pass
L. The hill was right and ought to i
iass at once. <
Mr. Nichols, of Laurcns, wanted the
?200,(10(1 given freely und willingly, i
ml lei the world know that it was I
;tven without a dissenting voice.
Mr. Bearagunrd,as a young member,
avored the bill and wanted it passed
without objection by the young men.
Mr. Robinson, of Anderson, wanted
omelhing done that would really help,
le thought something ought to be
lone for those who weio really de
litUtO. The old soldiers arc fast pass
ng away and this help will not long
le asked for.
Capt. Ilrooks, as the author of the
)ill, was deeply touched to see such a
pirit from the young men of the
\ssenibly, and to thank God the Stale
iad such noble sons of illustrious sires.
Mr. Hanks, ;.s an old soldier, was anx
ous for the bill to pass. He would
role for the $200,000, hut did not
vant the bill jeopardized.
Mr. Richardson, of Clarendon, favor
id giving tho full $200,000. He was
villing to vote for an increased levy if
lccesoary to pay this small sum to
,hoae noble soldiers.
Capt. Orum, of Bamberg, favored
ihe bill most heartily.
Mr. (ieorge K. l'rince wus a son of a
Tour-year soldier and a private. He
felt that the State owed these veterans
iv debt of gratitude and he always felt
as if lie ought to raise his hat to every
old soldier. The State should honor its
veterans, but the question now is wheth
er we should take two steps at once.
It would be well enough to go from
$100,000 to $150,000 to-day and later
on go higher if necessary. This fund
was not necessary for deserving vcto
rans, but for those who aro in need.
Those men cannot be paid for their
tine merit and deserts. The record
and glory m:ide cannot ho counted in
dollars and cents. All that can now
bo done is to help the needy. He
favored n l advaneo to $160,000 at this
lime aim if next winter more be need
ed it can be voted. He was not fright
ened with the eiy of a tux levy. It
wan always with him a question of ac
tual necossiiy and not to step too
rapidly.
Mr. Hill, of Colloton, made his lirat
speech to-day. Tho old veterana asked
him for such help. If thero waa any
one thing for which he would vote it
wn? for this appropriation.
Mr. Bichards, of Korshaw, favored
Iho most liberal appropriation for Iho
old soldiers. Tliore Beeinod to be no
economy in holding down ibo appro
priation for these old soldiers.
Mr. Cooper, of LaurcUS, sr.id tin
steps have beeu so slowly taken that it
was time now to step quickly. There
would never he more old soldiers than
there are to-day.
Mr. Bacol favored the amendment
and wanted the money heartily given. I
Mr. Bucket's amendment lo raise
tho pension appropriation from 8100,- 1
000 to ?200,000 was adopted bv a vote '
of !il to 24,
Scve.al members wanted t<> call the
yeas and nays, but the call was not .
made.
Mr. Brooks's bill sought lo raise the -
appropriation from $100,000 to $150,?
000, but Mr. H?cker raised tin: amount
to $200,000 and this amendment being
adopted the bill was passed lixirg the
appropriation at $200,000.
VANDERBILT KfcPT A HOTEL.
His Descendants are Now Worth
Many Millions of Dollars
The marriage of a young Vender
hilt bar. set all the gossips of New
Btunswick, N. J., talking about the
days when one of the millionaire's an
ces'.ors kept a very good hotel on the
llaritau river, near Unit classic city.
It was here that Commodore Vnu
derbilt,the great grandfather of Alfred
Gwynnc, who married Miss Elsie
French, was liiino host of tho old Bcl
lonia hotel. The great grandson hud
u half million dollar wedding. His
shrewd forbear dealt whiskey over the
bar at ten cents a glass, and in this
way helped lo make his lirst thousand
dollars and found the colossal family
Tot tune.
The old hotel is a New Brunswick
landmark now. Half the old liars and
most aged inhabitants in town will lell
!iow the}'drank wil b him, but rarely at
Iiis expense, for thai is not the way in
which fortunes are founded. The
11oiid is now a tenement house. Ii
ihow8 the wrinkles of age. its ancient
glory is gone. Its only use, except as
t tenement, is thai it serves to point a
moral and adorn Ihe tales of the chin
whiskered fraternity who retail remini?
sconces to al! coiners.
But in the old days when the Van
lerbilt w ho was to become commodore ?
?y and by, ran ii the Bellonia hotel
ivas one of the most important slopping
daces ami one of the best paying prop
?lies in the Slate. The New York
md New Brunswick Freight company
mi a line of passenger and freight
(loops between New Brunswick down
he Itaiitail liver to the. bay and thence
o New York city, landing at the Mat
cry every alternate day.
A trip by sloop from New York lo '
Urunswick in those days was almost as ,
nomcutotlS an event as is a jaunt lo
ICuropo now. Mr. Vanderbilt caught
he passengers going and coining and ,
)Uf them up at bis well-appointed inn. |
Travelers waited at the Bellonia for str
iving or departing boats or lor Ihe ?
mach lo Philadelphia, stretching their |\
egs before a big log lire or drank hot
:oddy in the barroom, mixed by the
good wife of the original Vandorbilt, a
mxom, homely soul *who knew how
o brew a punch that would warm the
icart of the weary guest. Klopillg
?ouples sojourned under the Vandcr
jilt roof, and statesmen of the Burr
uid Hamilton type who loved Hie cheer '
)f the Bellonia.
It was while conducting this hotel '
hat Commodore Vnndcrbilt took his
irst lessons in the held there was for a
railroad. He saw the demand for a
?etter mode of travel than couch and
doop. Be had taken the hotel by the
id vice of William Gibbons, president
?f the New York and New Brunswick
Freight company. The hotel was built
in ISO.", and bad passed into the hands
jf the company. Before he became a
boniface he dredged oysteis for a liv
ing in the llaritau bay. He was
noted for his skill and daring as an
t>y8terman.
Ono stormy night in winter Presi
dent Gibbons, of the Transportation
company, arrived at Berth Amboy and
wanted lo cross the Staten Island
sound to Toltonvillo. None of the
boatmen at Perth Amboy would con
sider nu offer to row him across until
Vandorbilt was seen. He said thai he
would take the job. The sea in the
sound was running high and the trip
was very dangerous, but both men
finally landed in safety on Ihe Stalen
Island shore. As it happened Gibbous
hud an appointment with a lady among
tho fashionable Stuten Islanders this
night and he appreciated the bravery
of young Vamlerbill in rowing him
across the dangerous waters in time
not to disappoint the lady, and there
upon made him the captain and part
owner of a small oyster sloop.
Ono successful season put young
Vanderbilt in control of a little capital,
and Gibbons, who had always remain
ed his firm friend, advised him lo as
sume the management of the Bellonia
hotel, which was then in need of a
manager. Vanderbilt did Ibis and be
gan to make money at once. His wife
attended Ihe hotel and served the in
creasing trade with good, well-cooked
food and enticing drinks, while Van
derbilt worked us captain on one of
the freight boats of the Transportation
company, this position, too, coming lo
him through Gibbon's patronage.
it was in 1825 that Vanderbilt as
sumed charge of tho Bellonia hotel.
For many years he conducted it, aided
by his wife. Then, with increasing
good foi tune, Mrs. Vandorbilt desired
to change the hotel quarters for a pri
vate residence, ami the family moved
to a house a few hundred yards north
of Ihe hotel. There they lived for
many years. N. Y. Journal?
The chief supply of drink to grow
ing plante is moist ire brought up from
below by capillary action, and therein
consists the necessity of pulverizing
the soil thoroughly before planting,
and continuous surface cultivation
afterward. WuCtls aro sometimes
counted as a blessing because their
presence compels the farmer to con
tinue really necessary cultivation which
ho might otherwise feel justified in
omitting lo the dcterlment of the crop.
OABTOniA.
?eaw the 1 ho Kind You Hars Always Bougtit
1111,1, ARP ON IGHORANCR.
An lvducution is Now Easy Old
Text Books Bring Back Old
I Daya.
Sixty yearn ago there was some ex
cuse lor ignorance; wc had l>u! few
Bchools in this Southern land and not a
do/on newspapers in the Stale. There
wore not half as many reading hooka
in all OUI town as I have now in my
small library of 100 volumes. In nur
schools wc had a blue hack spelling
hook, Smilcy'a arithmetic. Murray's
grammar, Smith's geography ami the
English reader. To master these was
considered a good old Iii Id educatio .
I have on my shelf a copy of that same
old English reader. A good lad, sent
it to me not long ago, am) I almost
wept over its delightful pages, for there
is no school hook now published that
has so choice a selection of varied
reading both it. prose and poetry. I
have a letter from tiu old gentleman in
Flotilla asking where he will lind a
litlle poem thai his mother taught him
and some of which he has forgotten.
" It begins," he said,
" l'ity llie sorrows of a poor old
man." 1 do not know where he will
lind it, except in the old English
reader. It was written in 17'iO by
Thomas Moss, and was quoted by Dr.
Johnsou and Goldsmith. Both loved
the pathetic, anil nothing more pathetic
was ever written.
Pity the sorrow of a poor old man
Whoso trembling limits have liorn him
lo your door,
Whose days are dwindled to the ?bortest
span ;
Ah! give relict and Heaven will Idess
your store.
Those tattered clothes my poverty be
speak ;
These hoary looks proclaim Illy length
ened years,
And many a furrow in my grlef-WOril
check
Has been the channel to a Hood of tears.
Oh. take me (<? your hospitable home,
Keen blows the wind and pierehm is the
cold ;
Short is my passage to the friendly tomb,
For I am poor and miserably old.
These are some of the verses, ami
in another occurs the line oflOU quoted :
" A pampered menial drove me from the
door.'
This copy of Murray's English
reader was printed in London two
years before OjUOOn Victoria was born.
It was the text book in most of the
schools when I was a boy, and from
it we got our speeches and learned
how to how ami gesture and gi e a< - '
cent and emphasis. This book, with
Iho teacher's aid, ga o us an idea ol
elocution and how to read impressively,
iit'.tl I wish it was in all our schools to
day. Wo have good scholars, but very
few good readers. It is rare lo (lud n
preacher who can emphasize his text
hi a chapter or a hymn. Every col
lege, ntld especially every theological
seminary, should have a ptofcssorshlp
of reading ami speaking. I remember .
hearing an eloquent divine preach a ;
sermon from the text, "My sin is ever (
before mo," and such was his utterance
i>f that Inmentalion of David and such
bin profound ami solemn rendering of ,
Iho enduring consequences of sin, that
all his hearers were deeply impressed.
1 My sin is ever before mo" still rings ,
in our mem rics.
I said that sixty years ago there was
some excuse for ignorance, but never
theless, thill age ami those schools pro
duced mauy very notable men. The
young people were eager for knowl
edge. A new book was a treasure in
the house, and there was more lime,
more lcisiue, and .Solomon says that
" in leisure there is wisdom."
But now the books arc almost in the
way. I'hcy crowd us ami surround
US, and " the cry is, still they conic."
Young people road an average of two
or three a week, ami forget the con
tents in a month. There arc maga
zines in every household, and they
contain our best literature- instruc
tive ami entertaining; newspapers
llood the country by the millions. The
New York World boasts that it
published 240 million copies last year.
Every county In our state has a coun
ty newspaper, and the editor of the
Carrollton paper says the children n ail
a great deal more than their fathers
did and keep up with wars ami politics
and murders ami suicides.
'I ben what is the matter. Bishop
Candlor wrote an excellent und in
structive article recently on "The pass
ing of great men." He never writes
anything that does not give us food for
thought, and I am thankful that he
has not passed. Yfct the day of great
men has passed, not only in GCOlgia,
but in all tho South. Eloquence in
the pulpit, the forum and the councils
of the nation forty and llfty years ago
was our pride and our boast, when we
had among our preachers such noble
and true men as GeorgO Pierce, Dr.
Means, Long6lrcot, JeSSO Mercer, Na
than Crawford, Dr. Tucker, Bishops
Elliott and Beckwilh, Josoph Stiles,
Dr. Nixson, Dr. Colliding, and such
lawyers and statesmen as Eotsyth,
Troup, tho two Cobbs, Jenkins,
Toombs, Stephens. Johnson, Walter
Colqtlitt and Ben Dill. There are
twenty names given, and many more
might be added, and it is a lamentable
truth that their equals do not exist in
Georgia today. This decay of great
men is apparent in every Southern
Slat:, ami as for the North, there is
nothing there now but plutocrats who
buy their way into public office and
defy trial or criticism. The struggle
for money is iho curse of Iho age. Ii
has smothered tho nobler aspirations
of our nature " Cot money; gel
money honestly if thou canst, but at all
I events get money " is now the tnolto. I
The common people want some, and
the plutocrats want more. The masses
of the people arc on a strain. I am
OHO of them, and I know how it is, for
I have been on a strain ever since the
war. It is buckle ami tongue to keep
in hailing distance of society. So
many of our class have a rich man's
Ways and a poor man's purse that We
have U) hang on lo the r igged edge of
gentility. There arc so many things
nowadays that we ate jusi obliged to
have?Illings that did not exist in our
antebellum days. Our boys must go
to college to get a smattering of books
and a full text of athletics. Our girls
must go to get polish and make college
friends ami receive vists ami return
visits aflor they gradualo, and it Inked
money for clothes ami money for rail
road fare, ami every now and then (I
girl vets married and chooses her col
lege mates for hor attendants, and thai
lakes more clothes and a wedding pre
sent, and so foith, a id so iiIt It mid
sixth, and so (>n.
Oh, my country 1 When will tins
strain stop? There ought to lie a
miser in every family, or a rich <>id
bachelor uuelo who carried a h'g li ??
[U8urance, and would <lu- jus? til the
right time and leave a fortune lo his
iinpecunio s sisters <>r his nieces'
Why. if I had a good hank account l<?
draw on, I could write a moie cheerful
letter and take a hopeful view of iIiiiil's
and keep calm and serene; hut as it Is,
1 lind myself lmu|.ning those Wi si
Poilll cadets, and I want those I'illg'
leaders I'.atiy, and Mockery, and
Duval? handed down to posterity as
the champion ha/.ers, and their names
put in a catalogue ulougside of the
Duke of Alvn to illustrate human htu
lality.
I Jut I didn't mean to say anythii g
hard about the Tech hoys who have
been suspended. I have great hope
for that institution, and admiration for
the manner in which the boys received
their discipline. Nobody thinks ai;\
less of ihem, for there was nothing
mean or cruel in I heir thoughtless con
duct, and every outside father sustains
Mr. Lymilll Hall and the faculty. Of
course, their molheis are deeply ag
grieved. They always are when their
sons aro punished; that is a natural j
and beautiful trait in a mother's
character, She clings to her boys, re
gardless of whether they are right or
wrong. She is like a llgre8S when
robbed of her whelps. I Iipvc received
several letters If mi the mothers of ,
those boys, and they defend them with
earnest indignation. 0.110 of them .
concludes with, -'.now, I am the moth
er of one of those boys you wrote about, i
and if you wish to play Diogenes, bring
on your c ue."' Hut we have made
friends, for she is a lady and a mother, ',
and the poet says:
?' A mother is a mother still,
The noiilcst thin?.' alive."
Hut 1 am not Diogenes, and it was i
not the mother, but the father that he <
caned, and 1 have I10l received a line t
from any of them. Itll.t. Altl*. (
I*. S.?We seo that General Charles I
King, ol the United Siu.es aimy, is j
not only apologizing lor the West I'oinl I
hazing, but is defending them, and i
says ii doseu't matter much, for boys t
Will be boys. lie writes in I lie Satin- <
day Kvening Post, audit is the poorest <
effort to excuse brutality 1 ever read, t
I reckon he was well paid for it. I
JEFFERSON AND MARSHALL.
The Antagonism Between the .
Two Statesmen?Trial of Aaron
Burr.
The celebration of the centennial '
anniversary ol the accession ol .Mar- ,
shal as Chief .Justice of the Supreme
Court of Ihe United States, writes W.
E. Curtis in ihe Chicago Record, re
vives interest m the circumstances j
eon nee ted with his appointment, and
llie bitter loud that existed between
JcffcrbOn and himself, .lefforsoi) was
about ten years older than Marshall;
they were born in the same neighbor
hood; both studied law with George
Wythe in WMhamsburg: Marshall was '
his student at the time Jefferson and
Wythe were engaged in the prepara
tion of a new code for Virginia. Jof- .
f01 soil took a great interest in men
younger than himself, particularly ,
Marshall, Madison and Monroe, who
were his neighbors. While Jefferson
was United states miuislcr in I'aris,
Marshall and Madison became mem
hers of the Virginia Assembly and the
most conspicuous politicians in the
State. Both were enthusiastic advo
cates of the new constitution, and
more than any oilier citizens were re
sponsible for its ratification by Vir- '
ginin. Jefferson did not like the con
stitution, although he objected more
to what was omitted than to what
was included in that instrument, and
from tin; legation ill I'aris he kept
thundering away at Madison, Marshall
and other friends on the subject. Madi
son was a very amiable man. Marshall
was not, and resented Jefferson's at
tempts to dictate. When Mr. J offer
sou returned to America to become
Secretary of Slate he resumed his in
IlllCllCO over Madison, but Marshall
had grown away from bun, and in the
cabinet quarrels that followed took the
part of Washington and Hamilton.
Pheir alienation became permanent,
while Marshall's criticisms of Jeffer
son's altitude and policy as Secretary
of State made them enemies.
When Marshall was sent to Paris,
during the Vice 1'residency of Jeffer
son, the latter was jealous, and criti
cised the manner in which lie. managed
is mission. When Marshall returned
to New York the leaders of Iho Federal
party gave bun an ovation, and Con
gress tendered him a public dinner, at
which Millions for Defense, but Not
a Cent for Tribute ' was one of the
sentiments in tho list of toasts, li was
the Iiisi time that this familiar phrase
appeared in print.
Mr. Jefferson wrote a spiteful letter
about Marshall, which made the hitler
very angry. Marshall went home ami
ran for C >ngto.<s, and was opposed by
Mr. Jefferson, who cubed him a '?mon
archist" nod "an unprincipled and
impudent Federal build.ig." Toward
the end of the. Adams administration
Mr, Marshall was appointed Secretary
I of Slate, and while occupying that of
I lice, a fow days before the inaugura
tion of Mr. Jcfforsou, was nominated
Chief Justice of the Supreme Court.
Mr. Jefferson considered this an inva
sion of his rights and prerogatives,
[to said it was >'an outrage on de
cency." He held that President Adams
should not have filled so Important an
Office just before the expiration of his
term, but should have left the appoint
ment lo be made by his successor. But
Mr. Adams never lost an OppOlliinily
lo put a friend in ollico, ami Judge
Marshall as Secretary of Stale assisted
and SlippOIled him lo the best of his
ability.
Mr. Jefferson also resented the ap
pointment of Mr. Marshall as Chief
OASTOIIIA.
I Bear* the yO 1tlB K|ful Ym Hub Always Bougfil
To produce the })(-st results
in fruit, vegetable or grain, the
fertilizer used must contain
enough Potash. For partic
ulars see our pamphlets. We
send thorn fi tie.
HERMAN K \l l \\'< >RKS|
Niitouu St., New V..rk.
Justice because ho ?v.ts uot ouly n po
litical but a personal enemy. He
came from his own stnto and neighbor
hood, and had formerly been one ol
his disciples. There was no man in
public life ai thai lime more obnoxious
lo him not oven Hamilton himself.
l-'Of these rens ns it was a dramatic
situation when John Marshall ap
peared for the lil'St time in the robes
of the Chief Justice, having boon
sworn in hut a few moments before,
lor his lirst olllcinl act to ad.ninislor I lie
nath of olllce as President of the United
states to his bitterest enemy. Jell'er
?on and Marshall were hull) men of
loo much dignity to allow their per
iounl nnitnosilies to interfere with a
solemn ceremonial of this kind, and
Lhoy treated each other with profound
respect.
During the eight years following the
1'rcsideut and Hie Churl Justice were
?onttnually at war. Mr. Jefferson \v.,s
ipposcd to a permanent jtuliciary: he
iViinled to amend the const it in ion by
:hanging the lile tenure of jutlges to
onus of lour ami six years and sub
ject IhciU to removal by the I'resitlenl,
ike all other ollicials of the govern?
nent, on the theory Ihn life ollloes
were contrary to the spirit of rcpub'.i
?an institutions, lie indulged in fre
pit ut criticisms of the court, ami par
ieulntiy Judge MaishulPs intcrprctn
itttis of the consliluiion, which were
not at all in accordance with Ins views.
He accused Marshall of Hying to over
awe Congress and td desiring "to l?e
?ome an itl(|Uisiloi' on the Ircedom ttl
speech, of writing and of principle."
Ho was compelled to com (be word
? lwistilications " to tlclllie Mar-hall's
construction of the constitution, ami
referred to'?the cuuniog sophistries
with which he is able to enshroud him
self." "The Supreme Court <d Iho
United stales,"' im said. '? can be com
pared lo a subtle corps of sappers ami
miners, constantly working under
ground io undermine the foundation
if our government and the imlcpcn
lent rights of the State and lo conceit,
rale ail power in the hands of thai
government in which they have so im
[lortnilt a freehold stake."
Naturally Judge Marshall did lud
relis!) these criticisms from the Proai
lont, but from his lofty posilion upon
he bond) he could afford lo forgot per
sonal animosities ami did not permit
Ins interpretation of (he constitution
[o be influenced by Mich considera
tions, but he. never lost a chance lo
make Mr. Jefferson unhappy, and ihc
trial Of Aaron Burr afforded an oppor
tunity lo torment him.
The apparent indilToroiicc of Presi
dent Jefferson lo the Burr conspiracy
when all the rest of the country was
excited and alarmed has never been
explained and probably never will be.
He made light of it in his message lo
Congress and in his private correspon
dence. He compared Burr to Don
Quixote, but when the crisis came the
President discovered, lo his chagrin
and alarm, thai his bitterest enemies
were to be the chief actors in Iho great
historic drama enacted In ihc courts at
Richmond. The rcntless liandolph of
Itoanokc was the foreman of the grand
jury, and nobody hated Jcfl'orson more
thai) he; John Marshall, who was even
more formidable as an enemy, although
n*t so vicious and vindictive, was the
presiding judge, and Jefferson believed
that they conspired lo lorco him into
the altitude of at) altomcy for the de
fense.
There is m> evidence that JctVei'SOII
had any sympathy with or knowledge
of Hun's plans, but he unconsciously
promoted them by the assignment of
(ion. Wilkinson, Burr's most intimate
friend, i<> tho governorship of Ihc now
Louisiana territory and by Iho ap
pointment of Burr's brother-in-law as
secretary to the new governineiil and
Ids stepson lo bo judge of the princi
pal court at New Orleans. These re
lations of the Vice President were ap
pointed to oiiice in dcllntice ol Jeffor
son's long ami loud Seinions ngniiisl
nepotism and his theoretical opposi
tion to the union of civil and military
authority. Marshall and Killldolpll
were easily able lo conned Jefferson's
appointees with BlUT, and there is no
doubt that they intended lo outran ihc
President himself in the conspiracy
jusl as Secretary Blistow III I.S7? inod
to involve President Uraht in Ihc
fra ids of the whisky ring at St. (.oil
Upon the application ol Bandolpli,
Justice Marshall issued a silbpociiu re
quiring the attendance of Iho Presi
dent of the United states as a witness
for tho prosecution ol Burr, and they
proposed by cross-examination l>> OX
tort from him admissions thai would
cause his political r.iin. Mr. Jefferson
refused to obey the subpoena, shield
ing himself behind his prerogatives
ami hoi.Img that the constitution made
the tin co coordinate branches ol I he
government independent of ouch other.
A careful study of Ihc incidents and
circumstances connected with this case
does not increase one's respect either
for Jefferson or Marshall, i>m politi
cians were very bitter ami had Very
bad manners in those days.
<_> ufk. m i' *o iT. x jn..
ll)tlM /) II.? Knal Vnii Ham Ai.s.i, i.