Historical Newspapers of South Carolina

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NEARLY FIGHT Brooker and Derham Get Belligerent. "LIF" PLAINLY SPOKEN BY DERHAM Circular Issued By Brookcr the Immediate Cause of :he Difficulty?Trouble Occarred at the Edgefield Heeling?Friends Prevented An Encounter Brooker's Circular Bore a Masonic Emblem. I Me Candidates at addiviiic. Abbeville. Special.?The Abbeville campaign meeting was quiet and orderly. it was unresponsive and tame. It would not enthuse. It barely thaed for Tillman. The f..;t speech was that of Tillman, who had to go home on an early trajn. He was feeling unwell and tired and did not speak with customary vigor. He did not hola his usual hand primary because he did not wish to do so until Col. Hovt spoke, he said, and when Col. Hoyt spoke he omitted the hand primary. The genera! run of speeches were as usual; Gov. McSweeney coming in for a good installment of criticism for his course as to Charleston and ^olumbia. And Gov. McSweeney in turn insisted that this seemed the entire argument against hi.; administration. The fight is now warm and seems to be narrow ing down. Mr. Frank B. Gary being at home, bad all arrangements pleasantly made , for ihe speaking and candidates. After the governatorial candidates had spoken the crowd began to thin out materially, and the last speakers had a mere handful to talk to. Senator Tillman was the first speak, er. He said he was not altogether well. He wouid not have come here ai all but for the fact that he did not like to give the county the go by. here is no county in the State that outstrips this in civilization and refinement, it is the only court house in the State where he was never subjected to harshness and where be was always well received. He had the sense of gratitude to a large extent, and tnat was his chief reason for being here. He then took up. as heretofore, why he had come here. He wished to emphasize that he was here as a public servant, and then took up the preachers and aid it was an unexpected incident and one not of his seeking or desire. At Greenwood. Greenwood, Special.?There was noW tViimr iiniiaiwil in the ramnaien meet ins. Col. Hoyt called down Mr. Patter-on for what he claimed to be p"rsisf-nt misrepresentation of his posi. tion. ..V. D.. Evans took a bold dash and waded right into Maj. B. B. Evans and Mr. Wharton, and there was a sharp colloquy between the two Evanses. Mr. lames M. Tillman was* absent because of.the. death of his father-in-lay". Air. A .1. Norrls. Tillman mad' his usual speech. V. hitman pitched 'Into McSweeney fo- 'aiinre to enforce the law. (lory reiterated his views on the dis pens .ry. \1 Sivpiitipv sfrvd hv his rrcord. Patterson wnt fe- Col. Hoyt as usual. The meeting was long. hot. and tedic?s. with nothing new to add intere-.t or itre-tk tin" monotony. Meeting at A ken. Aiiien. Special.?This ha^ been a t';< oughlj prosaic. meeting. No one got v.uited. There was no "jawing bo. k ' from . andiiai.es or audiene.. Th.'.e were no fights nor the symptoms of any scraps. It was a tame and w'il mannered meeting. The audience. S00 to SCO, sat and listened. Iii Timmerman and Capt. Jennings had 1 heir friendly boats and paid each o?h compliments. Air. Brooker end Mr. Derliam spoke peacw.b'y. Mr. Brooker has compiled his lit charges and Mr. Dcrham sai i h?- had tried to get them sinre .!;':? ? and would reply in detail. Mr. B'ooker regretted having made any personal ailr-ions, if he had done so, hut had said, nothing improper that he knew of and Mr. Derham said he confined himself to the records and had nothing to apologize for. Mr. Brooker Mid he reiterated his charges and wi. iM only stick to the record. Mr. 1> rhuin and Mr. Brooker differed as to rise law as to the duty of the conipt in making settlements. ,\ir. Eliison Capers. Jr., though, his being the her.d of a family, his opponent being .1 bachelor and his experience in 'maty schools bette; litied him for the office. He could concede to McMahen that he was hon it and earnest, but still he could urge that his administration had been a * failure because of his views and friction. He juirr d on McMahan's one man power, alleging that he ignored all county officers. Mr. McMahan insisted that he was not a self-seeker and in the performance of duty he did not fear making enemies. He claimed as a student and worker he was familiar with the needs of the State. He knew something of the cQuntrv schools from actual con \ tart with them. He had appreciation from all sides of the work already done. Mr. McMahan said Capar.s approved his county superintendents bill and Mr. Capers said this was a mistan-v Capers, he said, was running for advertising purposes. McMahan joked Capers for defeating a paralytic op. ponont in Richland and Capers said ..e v.culd paralyze McMahan 0:1 election day. (Jen. Floyd thanked Aiken for the jir.r vote gi'ccr. him two years ago. He wanted a comparison of ine rev ord or the office as conducted by the vete-ins and that of the younger men since 1876. Capt. Rouse said he had pitcheu his campaign on a high plane and would continue to do so, and spoke of the ambition of young men. Xlr. J. H. Wharton said freight rates had increased on the South Carolina end Georgia division since the puri base by the Southern. He said it losts more to ship cotton 32 miles in South Carolina than 60 miles in Georgia. quoting the rate from McCorjnick. He never thought railroads were chartered with the right io passing stations without stopping for passengers. He wanted sheds or stations built at ev?rv place where freignt La delivered. Barnard B. Evans first took up the rate from Aiken to Charleston. This has been drn'ed and he wanted the proof published that the rates had been increased. 1898. 1900 Rate from New York to Aiken on sugar 24 36 Rate New York to Augusta on sugar 26 27 Rate from Charleston to Aiken on commodities 51 59 The increases on this line he held were from 10 to 300 per (ent. He then took up the North Carolina and South Carolina comprrative local rates and insisted that t.ie North Carolina local rate was low r and that W. D. Evans had made jalsstatements on these rates. The board could not deny the figures he gave. Here he has a magnificent station for northern people, and at Warrenville he has a station shoved up. They have a regular }2 shanty there. Aiken has been put in the same class with Bath r.nd G-ranitevilio. which was not fair to Aiken's wholesale dealers. The merchants here hud to force the railroads to reduce any rates. The Cumberland Gap road mirses connections regardless of the public and this should be stopped. W. I). Evans, he said, had denied there was any Increase in the rates* to and from Aiken and on the South Carolina and Georgia railroad, but he had the records to prove the increased rates he | charged and he would do so. Mr. Thos..N. Berry spoke of his spe cial business qualifications and wanted to be elected as a business man for a KnylrtAcc j J. E. Pettigrew said he would do as j much as any one man could and he j would always be found struggling in the interests of the people. W. D. Mayfield said it would not be long before all the small roads are gobbled up by the larger ones. Congress is now controlled by railroads and it will be well to see that thu legislature is not so controlled. The j low rate on cotton seed lias brought .cotton seed mills. A tow ra-e on furniture will bring' mora .euch t factories. The b 1 each ery'was established here because of the water and not the rates, j The cotton rates to the Souta Carolina I ports bottled dp these ports and the { rates forces South Carolina <o..on j from this section to Savannah and Wilmington. Until the wholesale dealI ers here are given rates they cannot I compete. w n cwiin! said lip wanted to be . judged on his record and has served j the people honestly a. faithfully no j matter what was said. Then he took up the reduction on fertilizers, wood and cotton. The Piedmont, mills prefer net to buy cotton here but prefo: to buy cheaper cotton in Alabama where it is more plentiful and cheaper, j Me took up the reductions is liv? stock, wheat and tobacco. B. B. Evan? did not deal in personalities when he came after him and then he took up the insurance placed by B. B. in al1 leged "bogus" companies, and that the losses under the B. B. Evans po ? were never paid. If the rates were sc bad why is thf?re so much prosperity i uo ovnA,>^d over In Georgia some I demagogue is also talking about rates as here. He was willing for past reJ voids to b? considered. Aikrn under the manipulation of L ! A. Emerson was given the same rate as Augusta. B'ackville and Denmark and other places clamore? for the same rate and the old rate had to be restored. Aiken now has a rate based on mileage and is alike for all townt and cities and Aiken was on a pai with all other places. Senator Tillman was then graciously presented by State Senator Henderson. Senator Tillman first took up the charge of "boeslsm" id why he was in this campaign. He had sense enough to know any attempt from him to "boes" would be resented. Hampton cnmo here vears ago in entirely different circumstances and ue charged here that you wanted a repe uon ol the Mahone campaign and such things. Common consent then said Hampton was to be returned to the senate and he wa3 no candidate, and T..iman was here a* a candidate under the orders of the State committee. There would have been half a dozen candidates a*.-! anyone felt there was a show for them. The prohibitionists have started to draw factional lines. He asked whether he was expected to accept the / . bribe of universal support, to keep his mouth shut and not do his duty. Why then did they attack him and utter slanders against him. he asked. Then he took up the election of 1892 which was not conclusive for prohibition. he argued, and the dispensary has been endowed five times. Then he gave the history of how the dispensary was agreed upon. He reiterated the "alliance" statement and Incidentally said he heard there were no "blind-tigers," here but he did not know whether it waa so. Then he took up the preachers and said he was not afraid of them. It war- the truth t*at hurt ...em. As long as he told the truth he was indifferent as to who,it hit. There were no fly specks on Col. Hoyt, ana he had absolutely no candidate or favoiite, but he was defending his administration and the dispensary. Then he jumped the Rev. W. R. Richardson and his sermon, and then said way e needed no machine. Fifteen or twenty thousand would scratch him if Gonzales could miu3ter them, but be would rather be scratched than muzzled. He then took up the advantages ol the dispensary. He insisted on voters standing fo; principle and not friendship or admiration. He was thankful that party lines - ? -1 -- A/1 were very uettriy uumciaicu. Senator Tillman did not speak ue iong as usual, and held no hand primary. G. Walt Whitman alleged that Tillman stole his whole speech and then le fell into poetry on liquor, etc. He lOked about his opponents. Suppose Sol. Hoyt were elected, which would oe a miracle. It would be a victory in Setting the job. but it would be no viewy for anyone. EJven Tillman, the jre&t mogfil, does not tell you the vhole thing, but the fight is against .he reform party and the dispensary is he mark for the flgtft. He told of his experience with a drisk of beer 011 the Isle of Palms, which he said he got on Sunday. The Mquor people have more judgment and seise than the prohibi; tionists. Mr. Frank B. Gary took up a connected argument against prohibition ind then he took up the non-enforcement of the dispensary law and urged | ;hat this non-enforcement was the ; reason of all the opposition to the in1 u* vr?v aav ho was ! fJUUi LK^Il C. V/ v?-v* .?? .. oppose-d to the ditpensary and indeed Senator Tillman, at Greenwood, argu ed in favor of the same policy he advocates; that is a county may have prohibition or dispensary as it sees best. He then took up the advantages of the present system and distribution of profits. He spoke of the necessity of textile education an.? he would favor it and was glad he had made every one I t*kf> nn the argument for liberal ap I proprlations for veterans. He discussed j his right to make the race and wanted i the strictest test applied to him. He ' said the opposition must be in dasper: I ate straits when it harped on his beinf i a Gary. ' A. Howard Patterson took up tho proposed prohibition platform and insisted that men would love and drink liquor a^s long as they love women and that would be for all time. Col. Hoyt'e platform was chock full of politics. He then took up the "coalition" editorial 1 of Col. Hoyt and said If he was willj ing for coalition and compromise then , trhy not now? Prohibition, he thought. , would not last over a year. ?t least j that is whart-Gonzales-thought. Hoyt would leave on his tombstone: "Killed j by N. G. Gonzales." j Then he took up the charge that the I cn.orcement of the dispensary in Char: bstcn and Columbia was a farce. '1 he ; reason he did not talk about other i (ounties was because they did not need attention like Charleston and Co| 1 umbra ar.d they enforced the law. ne cer :ured McSweeney for turning over ' tho proseci:tions in Charleston to the ! nnlicp who were the enemies of the j law. He insisted that any man who ; ?ot Charleston's vote could not en| force the dispensary law. It was late in the day for Gary to talk about tne : old soldiers. He never offered a bill to increase the pensions in ten years. Thc-n he took up the Gary family in ' politii -> and office and said they were ! too many l.'id* for one nest. Governor Mi-Sweeney spoke of his o 0f i h;rp end wished to ; ;uvaou;c en. ~ ! give n full ami free account of his ! e.ery act. The dispensary law is beti it enforced and has more friends than ; ever, end this he fe.t came from hi'! j business administration. He explain| "i why he reduced the force and had .he records to show how well the law i was enforced. Th? people of the State j ?:re netting behind the law. He exl pLined the Charleston situation. He | d'J not believe there was a -,ane man ' who expected him to nose around and hum up timers and he would not do so. He couid not regulate the grand juries. Cnder previous administrations the custom house wa.j used as a contraband store house ar.d he and the constables broke it up. All knew that he was the man to beat. The people, he i'eit, appreciated a business administration and not a political humbug. He was proud of his record for peace and good will. He took up the Pons cast and his removal of the magistrates in Bamberg. He also took up the pensions or veterans and said the veterans of Anderson had endorsed him for his message and support of the veterans. Cole L. Dlease thought it a pity thai the educational issue was net tlic over-shadowing issue of mis campaign, instead of the whiskey question. and spoke of the importance ol lookii.g after educa-.onal matters. Mr. C. L. Winkler said he was in favor of the dispensary and had also favored the appropriation of 5100,000 for the Confederate soldiers. He closed his short speech with a sketCn of himself, showing his fitness for the position he aspired to. /-?~t Uk. T> Olnnn fsvllrvaroH U a V> CM. JU1IU I. oiwuu ivyiiv/ncu. ub thought he was competent to fill the portion to which he aspired. He had held the position of State Senator from Richland county, was a member of the constitutional convention and he felt competent to undertake the responsible position of lieutenant governor. He referred to his efforts in behalf of Clemson and Winthrop colleges, whic? he "Was proud of. Col. James H. Tillman criticised his opponents in turn and claimed that no one measured up to his standard of what a candidate for lieutenant governor should be. He alone could fill the bill. He said that he did not claim to be of superior ability to any of them, but the supreme court o. th? State would show that he was as good a lawyer. He had been a friend of the factory' operatives and was opposed to prohibition. Col. Knox Livingston said he aspired to one 01 the highest and most important offices in South Caro..na. and referring to himself tuought he was qualified to fill the office. Touching upon the chief issue of the day he said, in echoing the sentiment of his county on the subject, he had a. ..ays voted for prohibition. Col. Hoyt said that through no fault of his he had missed the train, but would not attempt to make his accustomed speech. He supposed he had been well advertised by the speakers who had preceded him. He then referred to Tillman's injecting himself juill/ iu.1s iouiii; 4uauci. Voice?Hurrah for Tillman. Hoyt? Tsay hurrah too. but hurrah for Tollman as a candidate for the United States Senate. He did not agree with Tillman that this liquor question had been properly settled by the people of South Carolina. He thought the dispensary morally wrong and politically unwise; referred to the election of 1892. when a separate box had been placed at the polls for prohibition votes. Col. Hoyt, on account, of being a late arrival, condensed his speech, especially as the crowd had very much thinned out before he arrived. Edgefield Meeting?Almost a Fight. Edgefield, Special.?There was another scene here in this great educational campaign. The campaigners were on historic grounds and the meet ing was n?JQ on Hie yuijuu aqumc. There was no actual clash but the participants no doubt felt very much like it and would no doubt now feel very much better had they been allowed to embrace each other and scrap it out For days and days the question has been whether Derham and Booker have fought it out. They have not yet done jo. but they talked it out and the unqualified "He" was passed. There was a little tempeet and everyone thought there would have to be an encounter hut the aj>proxlmation will no doubt answer at it ought. Everyone who has been reading the accounts knows that there has been frirtibn between Mr. Derham and Mr. Brooker and that they have been throwing rocks at each other in each qther's estimation. Sfr. Derham insists that Brooker started the mudslinging by dragging his father and his reputation into the conteet and Mr. Booker claims that Mr. Derham started the racket by publishing a card in which he spoke of his "pocketing" sinking funds and overdrawing his ac. counts. So they have been going from stump to stump. At a previous meeting they assumed a fighting posturs and here it took half a dozen on the stand to stop a genuine encount*?. At Aiken Mr. Brooker said he wotll'l ;o longer indulge in personalities and ill things quiet. He had nothing to opologize for but regretted having said anything uncalled-for but would not admit saying anything uncalled. At Aiken It was a pleasant cross-ffre but here it broke loose in good style. After the Aiken meeting Mr. Derham was handed a copy of a circular letter which he supposed had been given general circulation. Mr. Derham was the first speaker and when he got up he was trembling all over and he had the offending circular folded in his hand. Mr. Derham in starting out in his speech said h? wished first to say something about himself and then told that he was born in 1861 and how he was elected county superintendent, State Senator, member of the constitutional convention and to other places, continuously since 1888. This was to show the confidence of his people in him and then he reluted the story of his father, being a one-armed man and coming here from Ireland and turning over his funds to Hampton and that he was not responsible for his father. but had himself always been a Democrat. Then opening the folded circular he said Mr. Brooker had promised not to indulge in personalities yet here was a circular that had been handed him. In the corner of the circular was the Masonic emblem, by what authority he did not know. He did net care to read the whole circular, as he was too much wrought up. but just wanted to read this one paragraph, and then read the following from the circular: juanumc rviiiutem in corner. To Democratic Voters. Norton W. Brooker. Candidate for Comptroller General, fwo paragraphs omitted. Who is this man J. P. Derham who A \ V . *' ' nr ri mm m?r would now try to drag me down aad 1 ask to be continued in the highest office of the State? The people who hav? been deceived and defrauded by him have Just right to know. He wa? arm in arm with the negro against the white people in the dark days. As a matter of record (see State treasurer ? office) his father, J. H. Derham, not a native of South Carolina happened! here and was appointed treasurer of Horry county by Robt. K. Scott, governor, Jan. 7th, 1869, and served under Scott. Moses and Chamberlain until kicked out bv Governor Hampton ia 1876. Three paragraphs omitted. * * * (Signed) Norton W. Brooker. After reading the paragraph quoted Mr. Derham turned on Mr. Brooker, sitting near by. and cried out: "It is a slander; it is a lie: I say it is a lie. Mr. Brooker. who was sitting near by, jumped up, stepping forward and said "Now, sir." He said nothing more, but the evidences were he was making for Mr. Derham. but as he took one step forward Senator Tillman caught him on one shoulder and Mr. Wharton on the other and pressed him down. A dozen men rushed upon the stand and Chairman Rainsford told everyone to be quiet and sit down. Four or five out in the crowd cried for "Derham." and ' Go it. Derham." "Det him fight it out." and the like. Senator Sheppard was the first to speak and he said that it was always characteristic of Edgefield paople to show fair play and he hoped such would be the case now and ho begged everyone to sit down md listen. Then Mr. Derham wen: on lO say his heart was too full to sposm and then he broke down and began tr? cry and tears tri'kled down bis cheeks. Turning around he said he thanked God lie bad never dealt in such ?tenc-h and filth as this man. He wanted to tell these people and the pe:ple of the State he had been a faithful servant of the people and would slander no one and then he took his seat. Many went up and shook Derham's hand at what he had said or to restore his feelings or heart for he was still nervous and showed his feeling. Mr. Brooker was then presented and stepping up to the table was as quiet I unci couecieu as a man tau utr. rifr? oaiu I he was calm and deliberate, but he ; need not have said that, and then he j entered into his usual argument, that | Derham had absented himself from h;a I office beyond excuse, that the tax books I throughout the State, in many in, stancs were in a mess; that he had heen stopped more by Derham than j any one else in prosecuting his expert work in collecting back taxes and { then he went on to <ay he never court; ed a fight: that he was not a bellgerJ ant man. but that he would fight if i necessary and never ran from trouble, 1 but he wanted it understood for once i and for all time that he was not to be I intimidated by Mr. Derham or any one I else. On twenty-one stands he said that | he had called Mr. Derham a gentle; man, and so regarded him, but Der' ham ltad published a card about him > which he denounced as a slander. In that card he fras charged with "pock* ' eting" $86.46 and overdrawing his ac count. This was not true and at j Greenville he denounced the card and 1 these statements as slanders and false and this was. he urged, the starting ) point of the trouble. Had Derham noti published this vile slander he would j never had said anything about him. I As to the circular, it was prepared unI der the heat of the campaign, but afcer j thinking about the matter he had with 1 drawn the circular and not given it ! circulation. ' - ' J a-- t-" J ?ev*Kinor to | Mr. BrooKPr saia ae u&u uuiu,ue apoligize for. but wu sorry if he had I hurt ahy one's feelings. He insisted that he had confined himself to the records. If Derham was not satisfied let him say so here or elsewhere and ! he would try and satisfy him. He said j he thought he and Derham were about even as he had at Yorkvllle denounced the newspaper card of Derham and if Derham was satisfied it was all right. Mr. Brooker's time was then up and no further time to say anything more. Mr. Derham said nothing further and after tha speaking he soon afterwards had left the stand. There was nothing further said or done about the matter and the hope is. and the appearsnces are that the storm has blown over. Mr. Derham seems to have said about, all he wanted and Mr. Brooker said things are about even and quits The speeches of the other candidates were of the customary variety, and failed to create any excitement. * Hijh-Prictd Eg2s. Two specimens of the egg of the <?ivnt Auk were recently sold in a London auction room, and brought $1,075 and $<>50 respectively, says Nature. The more imj>ortanr. of the two eggs is an unrecorded one from a French collection. and Is described as the finest specimen known of a special type of marking. The price just obtained '"or it establishes a record, $1,000 having been, until tills snie, me inquest amount ever received. About geventytive eggs of the (Ireat Auk are known lie iu existence. The (Jure Fow\ or (.ireat Auk. was a bird about the size of the domestic goose. but with abnormally small win^s. formerly abundant 111 Xewfoundland. and is a visitor to Iceland and to some of the Scottish Isles. It is now extinct, the last specimen probaIb'.y having been hunted down for uiu.ie111ns about sixty years ago.