The Newberry herald and news. (Newberry, S.C.) 1884-1903, January 06, 1903, Image 1
jLABLTSlED 1865 NIWBE ~4Ry S.
0,9iWIC AES WY,EK.NU..50(A YEAR
qa-amufman zg , nn LitILATUR,
-4tt0 Over a Week Unttil the Members
Assemble--A Great Many
Changes Noted.
[The State.]
Within little over a week the legis
lattare will convene. The personnel
of the body will show many changes,
a number of the leading senators
and several of the most picturesque
Ngqrps; in the hopse passing off the
political atage-for a time at least.
whe sepate and the house will both
have new presiding officers. With
Lient. Gov. Jno. T. Sloan in the
chair there is expected to be no frio.
tion and -he business of the senate
will be discharged smoothly. Sena
tor Appelt, Graydon, Gruber, Blake
ly, Caughman, Bowen, Sullivan, Sar.
ratt, Livingston, Ilderton, Bardwell,
Glenn and Henderson are among
those who for various reasons will
not be members of the new legisla
"ture.
* Tho -personnel and the leadership
of. the house will be changed. The
speaker of the last house will not be
a member of the body this time and
it is probable that the robe of office
will fall upon Mr. Rainsford of Edge.
field, Mr. Smith of Kershaw or Mr.
Williams of Lancaster.
The house will lose some of its
strongest and most reliable members
as well as some of the picturesque
figures who have been handed down
from the uprising of a decade ago
and have been holding over ever
since. The ways and means com
mittee is by some considered the
most important working body of the
legislature. There will be a num
ber of names erased from this com.
mittee's roll this session. The chair.
man, Col. Harvey Wilson, was a can
didate for secretary of State; Mr.
Geo. E. Prince aspired to succeed
Qobgressman Latimer; Messrs. H. J.
Kinard and J. G. Wolling r an for
railroad commissioner, and the fol
lowing also will not return: Cosgrove
of Charleston, West of Spartanburg,
Weston of Richland and Estridge of
Lancaster. Mr. Altamont Moses of
Sumter is the senior member of those
,who will return.
The judiciary committee is also
'one of the most important and here
.too the changes will be marked.
Seven of the leading members will
not return. These are: the courte
ous chairman, Mr. Bacot of Charles
ton, who was a candidate for con
gress; Mr. Croft of Aiken who was
elected toQcongress; Mr. C. P. San.
ders of Spartanburg, Mr. F. P. Mc
Gowan of L4aurens, and T. B. Butler
who now becomes senator from
Cherokee, Mr. Spears of Darlington,
of free pass law fame, and Mr. Bos
tick of Bamberg. Of those who will
return Mr. T. Yancy Williams is the
senior member of the committee.
There will be many other faces
missed in the house. . Mr. Win. H.
Lockwood of Beaufort, chairman of
the committee on accounts, died dur
ing the summer; Mr. Henry B. Rich
ardson of. Clarendon was defeated
for the State senate; the venerable
Mr. Dean of Spartanburg will not be
here to raise. his voice in behalf of
the Confederate veterans; the jolly
Mr. Strom of Edgefleld will riot be
here; Mr. Elder of York is a book
S keeper at the State dispensary, Dr.
Wood of Olarendon will not be here
to make those funny and facetious
remarks in regard to "bug ology" or
the study of "mickrobes"; Josh Ash
ley, the irrepressible Josh with his
fog-horn voice and his lack of ven
eration fo'' custom and the usages of
S State bodies; Representative Bolt,
S the colored member from George
Stown; the venerable and dignified
r. Wm. Henry Parker of Abbeville,
dthe r@oinlseet Mr. Thompson
, ~om Oconee; Mr. Ivy Mauldin of
Vlckeris, Clemson's first graduate to
be elected to the general~ ssemnbly;
the earnetkand matnly Mr. McMaster
of Charleston, who ran for the State
r )nate; Mr. Blese, the young repre
sentative of Saluda who was a candi
date for the State senate. There
will be matiy of the former memnberv
who will be missed at this session.
The o 0ers of both houses will
,stand for rqelqtin, mad It is be
leved that. uone of them will have
serique opposition.
The election of speaker of the
house is exciting no little interest.
The friends of Mr. M. L. Smith of
Camden claim that he now has a suffi
cient number of pledges to elect, but
Mr. Williams' friends are pushing
his candidacy very vigorously. Mr.
Williams is one of the finest parlia
mentarians in the State, but Mr.
Smith is also a man of unusual abil
ity. Mr. Rainsford's strength is not
known, but he is regarded as a gran
of highest character and of attractive
personality.
Among other changes it may be
noted that at this gession Edgefield
County will have but two repreeenta
tives. Twenty five years ago this
county had seven representatives,
but tbree new counties have in part
been made of Edgefleld territory
since then.
The county of Lee will for the first
tinme have representetives upon the
floor of the house. Four years ago
Mr. Keels came over from Lee coun
ty with his certificate of election, but
the courts;decided that there was no
Lee county-and Mr. K9els retired.
There will be several important
questions to come up. The matter
of taxes is always the most impor
tant, although it sometimes attracts
less attention. This year the ques.
tion will be of greater significance
because the appropriations have ex
ceded the income.
The child labor bill will also be
fought to a finish. There are many
who assert that the bill will pass.
There are others who claim that they
will successfully oppose the bill.
The cotton mill presidents them
selves seem to have divided on the
question.
Anti-trust laws will be given some
attention by the General Assembly.
There will be other measures relat
ing to the management of corpora
tions, but none of -them will excite as
much interest and as much feeling
as the child labor bill.
RELIBFP PROM THE DOGS.
Citizens of York County Request Legisla
tion on the Subject.
[Yorkville Enquirer.]
To the General Assembly of South
Carolina:
We the undersigned citizens of
York county, respectfully uige such
legislation as will promise mitigation
of what is coming to be generally rec
ognized as the dog nuisance.
It gives us pleasure to say that
in his place the dog is a useful ani
mal, always a source of pleasure
to his owner, and and sometimes
a source of profit, and, +.herefore,
we would not he unaerstood as
asking anything like a general pro.
scription, or the enactment of anti
dog laws that would be either un
necessarily harsh or unjust.
However, there are too many dogs
in the country and too little respon
sibility for their ownership, and we
think that for the common benefit,
the ownership of the dog should be
subject to certain wholesome restric
Lions.
We would,. therefore, beg to aug
gest the advisability of an act pro
viding that all dogs in the State
must wear collars to be furnished by
the respective counties, at a certain
proper price per anLnum, to be fixed
by the general assembly; that the
revenue thus derived over the
above expenses to go to the public
road or public school fond, and that
the respective counties pay bounties,
to be fixed by the general assembly,
for the heads of all dogs found with
out collars, in accordance with the
requirements of law to b~e made and
provided.
Note-The foregoing is published
at the suggestion of a citizen who is
interested in this important subject.
It is the idea to have it signed as
extensively as possible, and to that
end we will be pleased to append the
signaturps of all qualified voters who
desire to be understood as endorsing
the proposition. Names should be
handed into this office without delay
by means of postal cards, letters and
otherwise In sofilcient num~bers to
give the gener,al assetnbly ari idea.of
what our people think about the
matter. - :d Ecuier
THE STATE'S FWAItCES.
1he (andtgon in 1ycb eay Werc.at t#e
-cginning.qtbe a atr.
(peoial,to News and Courier.]
Colarghbia, Jan. 1.--With 4ew
ginning of the New Year it is well
to look into quoe's financial oouditiop.
Tbis seetps to be the way of the w orId
apd it might therefore be well to get
some facts concerniug the financial
condition of the State of Soutih Caro
lina.
To begin with, the State is now
running on borrowed capital. The
money which was borrowed will be
due during the present month, and
the State will not have available
funds with which to. meet the notes
and they will have to be renewed.
The reason is that the' General As
sembly appropriated more money
than can possibly be raised on the
tax levy and all other sources.
The total taxable property for the
year 1908, which is an increase over
last year, is $198,000,000. At five
mills this would raise $968,000, if
all of the taxes were collected, which
is quite impossible.
The General Appropriation Act of
1902, in round numbers, voted the
expenditure of $1,186,000. The only
other source of the State is from the
insurance fees and corporation fees,
which will not run to $50,000 this
year. There you are. A simple
mathematical proposition which the
General Assembly will have to meet.
Over in Georgia the General As
sembly had pretty much the same
trouble and they passed an Act im
posing a State license on doctors and
lawyers and newspapers and every
one else in business, and in that way
hope to make up the difference. In
South Carolina something of the
same sort will have to be done or the
levy increased if the State is to be
operated on a cash basis.
Under the laws of the State the
State Treasurer is not allowe' to
borrow over $800,000 in the aggre
gate for any and all purposes. This
amount was borrowed by the lt of
November, not because it was a pleas
ure to draw it, but because the money
was needed to meet the obligations
of the State, and the likelihood now
is that overdrafts will have to be
asked for to meet all expenses prior
to the passage of the next general
appropriation bill, which will author.
ize the next loan.
The State Treasurer had on hand
this morning $192,729.47. Of this
about$70,000 will be used for the pay
ment of the semi annual interest on
State bonds. This will leave $122,
700, which, if applied to the out
standing notes would leave a balance
due of $173,800; but the ordinary
current expenses of the State Gov.
ernent are $41,000, which, if added,
would make a total of $218,800. No
allowance is made for the taxes
which will come in within the next
few weeks, but it is to be ~remem
bered that the taxes that have just
been collected will have to run the
State Government until next fall,
when there will be the next collec.
tion of taxes for State purposes.
The General Assembly will have
about as much as it can do if it
straightens out the financial matters
of the Stato and gets the State upon
a cash basis. There is abso.utely
nothing wrong with the State's f1
nances; the State treasurer has met
every obligation; no demands have
been made for money that have not
been paid; there have been no delays
and the State is all right, but this
thing of a State borrowing money
and paying interest on it is altogether
wrong.
It may be mentioned that durin
the y ear just ended the privilege tax
amounted to $81,744.94. All of this
privilege- tax goes directly and with
out interference to Clemson College,
and is expended by the trustees of
that college for the analyses, and, in
addition to the Morrill, Hatch, land
script, Clemson bequest and other
funds, for the ordinary operating ex
penses of Clemson College.
ANY young man or yung womnan
Awho would like to have a conve
nient pocket Aluminum Calendar or
House Calendar for 1903 write to Mac
feat's Business College,'U~olumbia, S. C.,
and you will receive one by return mail,
fre, of charge.itaw 4t
RBSIGNBD UNbR DUUSS.
Indianola, Miss. People will not Get Any
Mail Until They Accept Colored Post
master.
Washington, January 2. -- The
feature of the cabinet meeting today
was the decision to close perma
nently the postoffice at Indianola,
Miss., from which the postmaster,
Minnie M. pox, colored, resigned un
der compulsion, a few days ago,
since which time the office has been
closed. The bondsmen have brought
the matter to the attention of the
authorities here, with the view of
being relieved of the responsibility
of the nocumulated mail. The post.
master general has had a thorough
investigation made and has become
satisfied that the woman was obliged
to resign under duress-in fact, that
her life was endangered. Having
represented this state of affairs to
the .cabinet, efter .a long discussion
the decision above noted was reached
and the office will not be reopened
until the people in the district are
ready to accept this woman as their
postmaster.
During the afternoon the Presi
dent discussed with several members
of the cabinet other features of the
case of Mrs. Cox, Postmaster General
Payne being in conference with the
President for an hour or more. It
was decided finally to issue a formal
statement concerning the Indianola
case. Secretary Cortelyou, for the
President, made public the follow
ing:
"The postmaster at Indianola,
Miss., is Mrs Minnie M. Cox, a col
ored woman. She served three y ears
as postmaster under President Harri
son. When President McKinley
came in she was again appointed, in
1897, nearly six years ago. Her
character and standing in the com
munity are endorsed by the best and
most reputable people in the town.
Among those on her bond is the
present Democratic State Senator
from the district, together with the
leading banker of Indianola, and an
ex State Senator from the district,
also a Democrat. The postmaster
and her husband own from ten to
fifteen thousand dollars worth of
property in Sunflower County. The
reports of postoffice inspectors who
have investigated the office from time
to time show that she has given the
utmost satisfaction to all the patrons
of the office; that she is at all times
courteous, faithful, competent and
honest in the discharge of her dnJaes.
Her moral standing in the coma
nity is of the highest. Her reputa
tion is of the best. Few offices of
this grade in any State are conducted
better.
"The postmaster recently for.
warded her resignation, to take effect
on January 1, but the report of in
spectors and information received
from various reputab>le wihite citi
zens of the town and neighborhood
show that the resignation was forced
by a brutal and lawless element
purely upon upon the ground of her
color and was obtained under terror
of threats of physical violence. The
mayor of the town and the sheriff of
the county both told the postoffee
inspector that if she refused to re
sign they could not be answerable
for her safety, although at the same
time not one word was said against
her management of the office. On
January 1 the bondsen of the post
master telegraphed that the post
office was closed; that the postmaster
claimed that her resignation was in
the hands of the President, to take
effect January 1, and that there had
been no advice of the appointment of
her successor. The telegram closed
with this statement: 'Prompt action
necessary for relief of business in
terests.' In the view of the Presi
dent the relief of the business inter.
eats, which are being injured solely
by the action of the lawless element
of the town, is wholly secondary to
the preservation of law and order,
and the 5asertion of the fundamental
principle that this government will
not eonnive at or tolerate wrong and
outrage of such flagrant character.
"By direction of the President th(
following teleram was sen by th
postmaster general to the bondemen:
"''rho postmaster's resignation has
been received, but not accepted. In
view of the fact that the office at
Indianola ie'ylosed all mail addressed
to that offie will be forwarded to
Greenville.'
"The papers in the case have been
sent to the attorney general for so
tion."
TE WORLD OF TRADE.
1r$dstreet'-s Optjnistlc View ot the
Situation Siug(s 46 "Resglts of
Prosperity,
New York, December 29.-Brad
street's review of the business year,
to be issued on Saturday, will have
the following to say:
To say that 1902 was the best year
this country has ever experienced,
while truthful enough in the main,
does not suggest fully the enormous
strides which the United States took
in the year just closed Practically
every branch of ordinary trade and
manufactures showed an increase
above the best of previous years, and
yet this immense enlargement of out
put was not sufficient of itself to sat
isfy the growing, it might be termed
insatiable, demand for all kinds of
materials. In many cases the usual
foreign outlet for our products was,
perforce, neglected by American pro
ducers, who .confined their efforts to
supplying insistent domestic de
mands, while in others foreign pro
duction was called upon to reinforce
domestic output,-with the result that
new currents and channels were
created in our foreign trade. Our
export trade, therefore, shrunk,
while our imports expanded to un
precedented figures.
The railroads of the country, in
their efrts to handle the business
offered them, suffered as never be
fore from congestion, and complaint
of interference with production and
distribution of the products of the
farm, the mine, the shop and the
loom was practically universal. In
dustrial unrest vvas naturally marked,
as it always is in times either of pros
perity or of depression, and serious
disorganization of some of the coun
try's basic industries existed for a
time. In many cases, however, re
sort to extremes was avoided or ren
dered unnecessary by liberal recog
nition by employers of changes in the
standard of living, and it is safe to
say that two men obtained higher
wages or had their working time re
duced without resort to strikes for
every one who actually quit work.
Speculation, it is true, felt the
checks imposed upon it by conserva
tism, by short crops in the preceding
year and last, but not least, by high
rates for money, but despite the fact
that stock market operations were
only about one-half those of 1901,
bank clearings, those usnally relia.
ble guides of business, showed aggre
gates practically equal to the hith
erto unheard of totals of 1901. All
this was accomplished with a mini
mum of friction, as reflected in the
formn of business embarrassments.
SLAN~DBR ON THE GOVFRNOR.
Washington Post Prints a Story that the
Anderson Mall Charges McSweeney
With Taking Br-ibe.
Columbia Cor. News and Courier.]
A Colombia correspondent hs
sent to the Washington Post a story
that the Anderson Mail charges Gov.
McS weeney was paid for pardoning
McIntosh, and that Gov. McSweeney
intends to sue the Mail.
Giov. McSweeney bas no intention
of suing the Anderson Mail or any
one else. He feels that lhe did is
duty in jardoninig McTntosh and that
is all there is to it. As to any "un
due or improper iafluence" being
used he thinks, as he has every
reason to, that no one believes a word
of that, and he is only surprised that
anyone should have sent out 'uch an
absurd and cock and bull story to the
Washington Post or any other repu
table newspaper. Unprejudiced peo.
pie have written Gov. McSweeney
that he did exactly right in isnuug
the pau don and his entire course it
utmost publicity to every pardon ani
application shows the absolute ab
surdity of the whole thing.
LIQUOR PROFITS FOR THB YEAR.
Half a Million to Counties, Town, and
School Fund -The Report soon to be
filed.
[The State.]
The annual report of the State die.
pensary will soon be made, and the
exact figures as to the State's big
liquor business will be given for the
year just ended.
In round figures it is stated
that the report will show that the
rep.rt will show that the business has
paid $550,000 to the counties, towns
mnd cit .s and school fund this year,
over $400,000 of this having been
paid over to the counties, town and
cities. The total amount of profits
paid to the school fund is about
$140,000, this including the last
three quarterly payments required
by the new act.
The volume of business for the
year is considerably larger than that
of last year.
The experts who have boon ex
amining the books, accounts and all
affairs of the dispensary under the
act requiring such i xamination to be
made have not yet filed their report
with the Governor to be transmitted
to the general assembly.
The institution ended the year
witiits accounts more thoroughly
balanced up than for some years.
A NEW MANSION.
One of Gov. McSweeney's Forthcoming
Recommendations.
[Spartanburg Journal.]
One of the recommendations the
governor will make to the Legisla
ture in his last message will be that
a new executive mansicn be built.
It is admitted by everybody familiar
with conditions, that the present
mansion has long since passed be
yond its use for such a purpose, and
that for the sake of the health, not
to refer to the comfort of the occu.
pants, something ought to be done
about it. Gov. McSweeney has given
the question careful consideration,
and he believes a new mansion can
be erected in every way modern,
suitable and convenient without a
cent of cost to the State.
It is estimated that the prosent
buildings and grounds would bring
about $40,000, and that is not mere
guess work, for some of the local
capitalists who have been sounded
on the matter, think such a hum
would be brought. Not only that,
but there is almost a certainty that
if it is put on the market there would
be no trouble about getting a pur
chaser. That being accomplished,
the plan is to secure two acres fromt
the South Carolina College on Sum
ter street on the lot now owned by
that institution on which is the old
mess hall, some unsightly cow sheds
and a turnip patch. The college
might be given $10,000) of the pur
chase price for this hot, and leave
*80,000( with which to btuild a man
sion of a modernt character and ar
ranged for the special purpose of
being the residence of the chief ex.
ecut ive. This would hlp the col.
lege and the State, and besides that
put the present mansion property on
the tax list
This whole qnlestion has b)een
quietly agitated for several years,
but this will be thu first positive and
definire plan conceived or p)resented
to the Legislature.
The U. S. Civil Service Commis
sion reports that for the year ending
June 30, 1902, there were 14,988
persons appointed from its registers.
There was 4,692 more than was ever
before appointed in a single year.
Anyone wishing information about
these positions can secure it free by
writing for the Civil Service an
nouncement of the Columbian Cor
respondenco College, Washington,
D. C. The commission will hold ex
aminationis to secure young men and
women for these places during March
and April, at Charleston and Colum
bia.
Many people do not .now that
these appointmente are made without
political influence, and that a large
shiare of them are fillied by those hav.
ing only a common school education,
but such is now the cas
WIY IS CHINA POOR?
Natural and Artifcial Causes of the Chron
Ic Tragedy of a Great Nation.
(Wm. Durban, in Pall Mall Gazette.)
One of the greatest disabilities nn.
der which China labors as a DatiOn
is as simple as it is sad. Au immense
proportion of its population very rare
ly get a meal sufficient either in quan
tity or in nutritive power. Hundreds
of benevolent foreignere, both of the
mt r3ant ile and missionary orders,
are constantly seeking in scattered
spots throughout the vast realm to
mitigate the chronic dist ress of the
poorest sections. Especially has phil
anthropy been effective in relieving
the abnormal pressure consequent on
drought and floods. Obviously, how
ever, external help can do next to
nothing to meet a normal condition
of insufficient ailment extending over
a very extensive land and involving
an enormous population.
One of the causes of chronic and
massive indigence in China through
out most of the interior is the utter
stagnation for ages of civilization.
The development of this mighty race
was long since arrested, and though
the nation is not decadent, its condi
tions are stereotyped, and China is
in a state pf permanent childhood.
Ever) linguist well understands that,
this accounts for that col:ssal philo
logical curiosity, the Chinese langu
age. It has never got beyond the
monosyllabic stage, and is a mere
language of overgrown babies. ''his
condition of arrested development
lies at the root of the appalling pov
erty of the masses in a country
which nature designed to be inealcu
lably wealthy. China is not, like
Central Asia, a land of savage, howl.
ing wastes. It is one of the most for
tile and flowery parts of the eart.h's
surface almost throughout the entire
area. And, moreover, its people are
the most industrious agriculturists
in the world, and have ben so for
many centuries. Fruit and vegeta
bles are much more abundant and
exist in much greater variety than
we are favored with in our own coun
try.
Notwithstanding these magnificent
natural endowments, what is the
state of things in the Flowery King
dom I From lack of anything like
scientific cultivation the quality of
nearly all fruits is exceedingly poor,
an. )nly the the splendid sunshine
an( the atmospheric conditions com
pensate for the lack of skill. Apples,
pear, apricots, peaches, nectari nes,
plums, cherries, grapes and persim
mons are almost every where grown
in immense abundance, but no native
ever studlies improvement in their
culture. Wheat, millet, maize, sor
ghunm, sweet potatoes, peoanuts, indi
go, atnd a great variety of pea and
bean crops are produced with ease,
while rice is, of course, almost uni
versally found in cultivation. But
in nearly every province the output,
notwvithstandmg the indefatigable
toil of the people, as far short of .vhat
might be attained und(er better man
agemjent, while the quralit.y of the
foodstuffn is deficient iin nuatritivec
power. Vast tracts of soil have been
imJpoverished thirouigh cenituries of
uninterrupted production without any
adequate Jompensation. En1mrichmng
material is poor ini quality. Giraziing
is unknown, and in most of the pro
vi.ces the land never lies fallow, ti e
natives never having learned tIhe se
et of the rotation of crop~s. Yet
the land is still forced to produce
three crops in two years withotut in.
term ission.
The Chiinesce poverty prolem is
comp)licated(. Its secondlary causes
are manifold, but after all they are
only aggravations of the agrarian
stagnation. One of my friends resid
ing for a time in the interior asked
an official how many beggars he was
feeding. He replied 18,000. "T hese,
he explained, "are all tenant farmn"s
from e1~ north. F"ew people who
entirely own their land are so muisera
bly poor." Thus at every point the
agricultural question recurs. In the
province of Wuhu last year a large
relief work was initiated by foreign
ers. Here also the starving sufferers
were chiefly of that same large class
in Chins, the tenant farmers. Many
of them were from the immense
states of the late Li Hung Chang.
Where a man gives half he raises to
a landlord he can, even in a good
year, save little or nothing and a
poor year mansatmine