The watchman and southron. (Sumter, S.C.) 1881-1930, February 28, 1894, Image 1
THE 8UMTEB WATCHMAN, Established April, 1850.
"Be Just and Fear not-Let al?the Ends thou Aims't at, be thy Country's, thy God's and Truth's."
THE TKDE SOUTHKON? Established Jane, 1366
Consolidated Aug. 2,1881.
SUMTER, S. C., WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 28, 1894.
New Series-Vol. XIII. So. 31.
Published Bray Wednesday,
-BY
Ptf. Gr. Osteen,
SUMTER, S. C.
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Opinion for a Despot
The Attorney Genera?s ?ecent Effort
May Lead to Untold Mischief.
To the Editor of The State :
Io your issue of last Saturday, the
17th inst.. I read an opinion famished
by the Attorney General io response
to a call from Governor Tillman, wish?
ing, as it appears some legal light as to
tbe right nf bis constabulary force to
make arrests and seizures without any
written warrant for doing so. I was a
little astonished at such a call from
the Chief Executive at this late period
of bis reign. After taking the judges
of the Uoited States Court to task for
their blundering io their decisions and
pointing out their legal errors in their
interpretation of lue law. I thought we
bad a Governor who could evolve from
bis inner consciousness all the light
. required in tackling the most intricate
questions of law. Besides, I had sup?
posed that the right of the constabulary
force-high-minded gentlemen as they
are-to search houses, make seizures
and shoot down poor devils in the hum?
bler walks of life, was already a res
adjudicata io Governor Tillman's mind.
It never occurred to me that oar Gov?
ernor would care a drop cf dispensary
X for the opinion of any man or set of
xoeo. He has opinions of his own, on
all matters, most notably on matters
of law, perfectly staisfaotory to him?
self, however much at variance they
may be with those of men who have
. made Boob subjects a lifetime study.
The opinion evoked by the Governor,
is such as should delight bis heart. It
not only sanctions al] that be has
done bot all that be may yet do. It is
true that, as it nears its close, the
"opinion" seems to throw a somersault
' and present an attitude in which it may
be pleased to appear in the days yet to
come, when the present period of un?
reason is past, but in all else bat that
one paragraph it sustains the executive
io defying the Constitution and treat?
ing with contempt the birthright so
dear to every man with British blood
coursing in his veins. The opinion
rendered admits that "Section 22 of
the Constitution, our Bill of Rights, de?
clares that all persons have a right ti
be secare from unreasonable searches
or seizures of their persons, houses,
papers or possessions," but it is strange
and startling that, in the same breath,
the .'opinion" declares that 4'it is uni?
formly held that whatever powers au?
thorized by the Legislature in further?
ance of these provisions are not con?
sidered unreasonable or unlawful bat is
upheld as valid, reasonable and law?
ful."
It is refreshing to learn from this
official "opinion" that the Legislature is
so omnipotent and infalible, but it is a
sad thing that any lawyer in the once
law and liberty loving State
of Sooth Carolina should hold
and teach the doctrine, so de?
structive of the freedom of her citi?
zens, that our Bill of Rights is so feeble
and slender that it vanishes into smoke
before the breath of so august a body
as assembled in our State House in
December last.
The "opinion" admits that the Con?
stitution of the United States requires
that "all warrants shall be supported
by oath or affirmation and be accom?
panied with a special designation of
the persons or objects of arrest or seiz?
ure, and no warrants shall be issued
bnt in the cases and with the formal?
ities prescribed by the laws."
. But right here, the "opinion." see?
ing the Governor perturbed and about
to pour out a flood of characteristic
anathemas, soothes him with the kindly
assurance that these soecific designa
tions of persons and property are only
to be resorted to when written war?
rants are issued ; bat tb; t the govern?
ment does not require warrants in all
cases. Dispense with warrants is the
logical conclusion of the opinion, theo
ali these specifications can be dis?
pensed with and raids on private and
public houses can go on without let or
hindrance, except, much as the manly
spirit of a people born free will certain?
ly offer. The people of this mis?
governed State are submissive to law,
but they will not submit to a satellite
of power who comes to arrest
them or seize their property, without a
lawful warrant for bis work. Let bim
approach with that; their bands are
folded. Let him come without it ; he!
is an intruder and an enemy.
We all know there are times when I
arrests and seizures can be made with- !
oat a written warrant,- but these are ;
exceptions to the spirit of our laws,
and limited to great and unforeseen
emergencies, as the commission of fel?
onies when the perpeirator might oth?
erwise escape, or when men are found
openly and defiantly breaking the laws
of the land. Mere suspicion that one
is breaking a police regulation furnish?
es no cause or justification for an ar?
rest without a duly issued warrant.
Blood has already been unwarrant?
ably shed and if further action shall
take place, based on this .'opinion,"
worthy only to have been written for
the guide of a despotic government, the
mischief already accomplished will be
as nothing to that yet to come.
A PLAIN MAN.
Darlington, S. C. February 20.
April is the Time.
The Alliance-Reform Convention a
Certainty Now.
It was last Monday that The State
said that the political pot of reform in
this State was boiling merrily, that
some surprising things were going
on and that probably before the end
of the present week some af them,
showing a remarkable condition of
affairs would be made public. It was
impossible then to teil anything
definite, although the representatives
of The State were well informed and
are better informed now of the moves
and counter-moves that have been
made and are being made.
There has been a row going on in
the Reform ranks for some time
between the two factions kaown as
the hoy faction and the Aliiance
Reform faction. A good many have
been looking for it to be settled and
nothing come of it, but it doesn't look
now as if any such settlement is ever
to be. At any rate, the latter faction,
bead^J by Mr. Bowden, came out
?i*ong?y demanding a March or April
convention. Irby and his men, after
a conference in Washington, declared
jost as strongly against the holding
of such a convention, and Governor
Tillman did the same. Bot he soon
saw his error, glanced around, noticed
which way the wind was blowing and
clambered up on the fence. Well,
now, it can be stated as a fact that
this convention, which the Alliance
faction demanded, is going to be held
during the first or second week of
April-not later. And the call is
going to be issued in a few days. It
may be that it will -be made public
tomorrow or Monday. And it may
surprise the public to Know that
Governor Tillman has at last decided
which faction he will affiliate with,
for he will either directly or indirectly
issue this call. It will appear that
some kind of a compromise has been
made up. So it has, but the Alliance,
Reform people are the undoubted
masters of the situation. Just why
this statement is made, the public
cannot yet know through the columns
of this paper. The public is simply
asked to wait and see.
Although the fact that the Gov?
ernor was to issue the call has been
known for some days here, the
representatives of The State were so
situated that they would uo? make it
public, and yesterday a correspondent
sent out the fact from Washington.
When Governor Tillman was asked
about it, he characterized it as "that
lie. from Washington," and said he
"knew nothing about the calling of a
convention'' by himself. This ap?
pears as a d?niai on the part of the Gov?
ernor that he <vill call the convention,
but The State regards this as merely
a ruse on the part of the Governor,
and if he does not call the convention
directly he will indirectly do so, and
his name will appear affixed to the
call. .
It can be further stated, asa pretty
well settled fact, that the convention
when it assembles will make nomina?
tions for a State ticket, which will be
directly against the expressed desire
of the Irby faction. Just now it ap?
pears that Ellerbe is the man who will
head the ticket. He certainly seems to
have the strongest showing of any of
those meutioned. John Gary Evans
will hardly be in it, if the situatiou is
understood correctly. What effect
that will have remains to be seen.
The situation is interesting to say
the least, and there will doubtless be
further developments of a still more
interestingjnaturein the next few days*
And as to Irby and his men. Irby
carne from Washington a few days
ago. He must have received informa?
tion of the way affairs were going.
It is stated that he has been in
Columbia, but such is not thought to
be the case by those who are in a
position to know. He is doubtless
at home watching things with a
jealous eye. But if the writing on
the wall is read aright he might as
well have stayed in Washington for
the good he will do to his side.
Some of the things told above
would not have been mentioned, but
for the fact that several who saw the
dispatch from Washington were j
auxious to know what it meant. In j
consequence of this enough is 6aid j
to indicate which way the wind is
blowing, and the rest is left for the |
future to disclose.-The State,Feb. 23. j
He Slandered Southern Men.
A Young Virginian Proves a Form?
idable Roland.
New York, Feb. 22. What was
intended to be a celebration tonight
of Washington's birthday on an
elaborate scale had been planned by
the New York Southern Society.
Owing to a strange mischance, how?
ever, many of the guests of honor
expected did not put in their appear?
ance at the annual banquet given at
Sherry. She speakers invited includ?
ed such prominent persons as Secre?
tary John G. Carlisle, Speaker Crisp,
Congressman John Allen, of Mis
rissippi, and Isador Raynor, of Mary?
land.
At the last moment the officers be?
gan to hustle for speakers to take the
places of the absentees. Congress?
man Isadore Strauss consented to
take the place of Raynor, and Post?
master Drayton, of this city, that of
Col. McClelland. The other speakers
were President Charles Deshon, M.
J. Yerdery, and James and L. Gor?
don.
Among the guests were John A.
McCall, John C. Calhoun, Augustus
Healy, Eilis H. iloberts, Elihu Root,
Gustav Schwab, and Charles S. Whit?
ley.
While President Deshon was speak?
ing ex-Mayor Abram S. Hewitt en?
tered the banqueting hall. He was
asked to fill the place of Secretary
Carlisle, and responded to the toast
of "Our National Credit." After pre?
facing his remarks with a tribute to
Secretary Carlisle he proceeded to
lay out the Southern statesman.
"But the character of Southern
statesmanship has decreased from the
time before the war and her Senators
and Congressmen of today are as
pigmies compared with the intellec?
tual giants of that time. The states?
men of today show little .signs of hav?
ing studied the great economical
questions affecting the interests of
our country. The silver question was
at ihe very foundation of the public
credit. It was due to the adaption
of a currrency not based upon the
intrinsic value of coin that brought
about the silver crisis. The differ?
ence between the true and false value
of the silver dollar is called the seign?
iorage. The South wanted to coin
this seigniorage. They might as well
try to coin a vacuum. It was even
worse than that. It was trying to coin a
negative quautity on the other side
There is one thing the South wants to
learn; it is that public credit can not be
maintained until all concerned realize
that there is no royal road to value
and the Southern Representatives
must rise to the heights of the men
who represented the South in Con?
gress proviou8 to the war.
''There are other statesmen from
the South who have succumbed to the
fallacy that positions in. the Supreme
Court of the United States are local
questions to be settled on* demand
of local politicians It might be sup?
posed that the Supreme Court bench
represented the whole United States
and that everybody had a right to
demand that it be filled without
regard to politics or locality. It is !
uot a matter for ward politicans to
kick about, from one end of the
United States to the other. Such
men as Calhoun, Benton, Reeves and
Crawford would have resigned their
high positions in the Senate and gone
home in sack cloth and ashes, rather
than obey, on a principle such as this,
a man without character or worth and
who had no right to' speak for the
great State of New York."
At this point there was quite a sen?
sation among the guests. Of this Mr.
Hewitt took not the slightest notice,
but proceeded to ask :
"Are you less brave now than your
fathers were thirty years ago when
they sacrificed everything they pos?
sessed to their convictions, that you
will allow your congressmen and sen?
ators to misrepresent both their coun?
try and the South ?"
Proceeding, Mr Hewitt went on to
praise the Wilson tariff bill, particu?
larly thc provisions which place iron
and coal on the free list.
But it was in dealing with the tariff
question, he said, that Southern rep?
resentatives had displayed a lack of
intelligence away below the standard
of the men who preceded them. It
was hard to explain this, he said.
After the war many Southern men
came North. Those who remained
behind with brains devoted them?
selves to business with a view of re?
gaining their shattered fortunes, j
Possibly the remainder devoted them
selves to politics.
The course of the representatives
in Congress fron the South
could not be explained simply
by devotion to section or lo?
cality. It was the result of gross ig?
norance. The present staguant con?
dition cf trade was brought about by
the silver bill, and the South, in solid
phalanx, voted for that bill, thus mak?
ing themselves responsible for this
stagnation and demonstrating that
there was no greater enemy of the
public interests than the fool who
stepped in where angels feared to
tread.
HEWITT'S CRITICISMS ANSWERED.
The conclusion of Hewitt's speech
was received in silence. The gaunt?
let thus thrown down was immediate?
ly taken up by James Lyndsay Gor?
don, a young New York lawyer of
Virginian birth. He said:
"With all due deference to the
opinion of Mr. Hewitt, ? will venture
to say that the men who stand in
Congress to-day from the South are
as true, pure, upright and sincere in
their convictions and as well equip?
ped both mentally and intellectually,
aa any man there from the North,
East or West. It is possible-nay,
even probable, that the people of the
North may be unable to comprehend
the influences that mould the senti?
ments of Southern people. Those of
them who have roted for the silver
bill have done so with an eye to the
advancement of their constituents
and the honor of the country at
large. Nor must it be understood
that Southern statesmanship is at a
discount today. The treasury is
guarded by a Southern mau, the
great navy of Uncle Sam is under
the direction of a Southern states?
man : A Southern man is in charge
of the Interior Department, and a
Southern man presides, with dignity
and ability, over the deliberations of
the House of Representatives ; a
Southern mau, great pure and spot?
less, has been raised to the Supreme
Court bench, and a Southern man is
responsible for the new tariff bill
This is the record of the men of the
South to-day. They are Southerners;
they are statesmen, but above all
they are American citizens.
An Infamous Act.
A Spy Seizes and Opens a Lady's
Trunk.
DARLINGTON. Feb. 23.-Special to
The State.-One of the local spies,
King, seized and broke open a trunk
at the Coast Line station this morn
I ing. It belonged to a lady, Mrs.
Young, the wife of one of the
! employes of the C , S. & N. Rail?
road, and contained only clothing and
some household utensils. The trunk
was checked, and he seized it from
a backman. The seizure was infam?
ous and inexcusable in the highest
degree. The lady will try and
secure redress.
Planting Peanuts.
The Berry First Brought to North
Carolina by a Slace Ship.
There is much doubt as to the
original home of the peanut. Some
claim that it is indigenous to Africa,
others that it was a native of South
America and was carried by the !
earlier explorers of that country to
Spain and thence to Africa The
earliest authentic tradition tells of
its appearance in eastern North Caro?
lina, probably brought there by some
of the slave ships landiog cargoes
along the coast. The native
Africans recognized and used them.
Peanuts grow upon a trailing vine,
with leaves much resembling a small
four-Ieavad clover. The small yellow
flower it bears is shaped like the
blossom of all the pea family ; indeed,
the agricultural bureau in Washing
does not recognize the peanut as a j
nut at all, but class it among beans.
The soil in which it is cultivated j
must be light and sandy ; after
the flower falls away the flower stalk
elongates r.nd becomes rigid, curv?
ing in such a way as to push the
forming pod well below the surface
of the earth ; if by any accident this
is not done the nut never matures.
They are planted in rows about
three feet apart, and the vines spread
until the ground is covered by them.
Harvesting is done after the first
frost, and the yield is often 100
bushels to the acre, making this a
more profitable crop than wheat or
cotton. The vines, with the nuts
clinging to them, are torn up with
pronged hoes and allowed to dry in
the sun for a day or two, and then
stacked to cure. In about a fort- j
night the nuts are picked off, the
empty ones, which are technically
called "pops," being rejected. This
is done by hand, and is slow work,
as an expert laborer can pick only
three bushels a day. They come into
market in a rough, dirty state, unas?
sorted and with vine tendrils cling?
ing to the pods.
Eastern Virginia and North Caro?
lina produce all the peanuts con?
sumed in the United States and
Canada.-From the Blue and Gray.
A youDg man advertised for a wife,
aod his sister answered the advertise?
ment; aod the young mao tbioks tbere
is no balm io advertisements, aod the
old people think it is pretty hard to
have two fools in one family.
There will be DO more postal notes.
Mooey orders are substituted. .For or?
ders oot exceeding ?2 50 the charge
is three cents, and the fee increases
until it is fifty ceots for sums over
?75 and under ?100. The new sys?
tem is to take effect July 1st.
Rev. J. C. Galloway on Lynch
ing.
From the New York Indepeodent.
Lynchings io the Sooth are inflicted
for two classes of crimes-for murder
and house-burning aod for atrocities on
females. A large majority of those
lyoched are for the last-named crime.
These lynchings aie the gravest
question now confronting the people of
the Southern States. It is superfluous
to discuss the enormity of this evil.
Tho only question is, how can it be
prevented, or can it be prevented at all.
Let us divide the question, and look
first at those cases where lynching is
inflicted for murder and house-burning.
These constitute a decided minority of
those lynched. If these were the only
instances of lynching the problem
would not be so difficult, or require a
very great amount of time or effort to
solve it. I think it is not difficult for
one io this section to see that there is a
tide of public sentiment coming in
against lynching for murder and house
buring ; an increasing disposition to let
the law take its course in disposing of
such offenders. If it were not for
another disturbing circumstance, lynch?
ing for these offenses would likely
well-nigh disappear in the next ten
years.
What is this disturbing element? It
is that class of lynching which is visit?
ed on miscreants who assault helpless
women. Here is the core of the mat?
ter. Most of these crime's, both of the
first and second class, are committed by
persons of color; and as the wrongs
inflicted against white females are so
much more numerous, and engender
such fierce hate and race antagonism, it
constantly keeps alive and intensifies
the disposition to wreak vengeance on
colored persons for any grave offense
whatever, when done to a white per?
son. The? frequent occurrence of these
offenses never allows the caldron of pas?
sion to cool. The result ts the frequent
lynching of colored persons for any
grave offense. When a State is thrown
into excitement evory few days by crime
against helpless women, it is not very
surprising that naturally hot blood soon
boils over. It is the beat and passion
engendered by this beastly offense that
leads on to lynching for murder and
house-burning. Eliminate it and it
would not be difficult to deal with other
forms of lynching.
There are several things which act as
an ever-probing thorn to keep open
this ever running sore. One is the
presence in almost every county
throughout the South of some lady who
has been the victim, living year after
year as bue in a tomb, ever under the
shadow of that great horror, shut in,
hopeless and helpless. They have
friends and relatives who cannot forget
their deep humiliation, and who are
aroused to fury on the recurrence of
similar wrongs to others.
Another is the apprehension, terror
and nameless horror which has resulted
from the frequency of these outrages.
There are wide tracts of country where
there are a dozen blacks to one white,
where white families are miles apart.
The apprehension and fear created by
these outrages in the minds of this sparse
white population, and especially among
the females, is both pitiable and terri?
ble. If a neighbor is visited it is done
with "fear and trembling," peering
behind and before, scanning every
thicket, aud starting at the rustling of
every leaf. Many a girl is kept home
from school, and allowed to grow up in
ignorance, rather than expose her to
this risk.
Most of the protests which are being
made against lynching come from those
who are living io cities and towns,
where this apprehension is little felt.
In the country districts there is an om?
inous silence.
Another thing which has operated
very efficiently in taking the punish?
ment of this crime out of the hands of
the court, is the invincible repugnance
of the people to bringing the victim of
the crime before a crowded court room
and to be subjected to cross examina?
tion, to be a gazing stock to a curious
public-an ordeal more dreadful to a
refined woman, under the circumstan?
ces, that even death. It is hard to see
how a man can permit a wife or daugh?
ter to undergo such an ordeal. Hence
it is the settled purpose of the people
to make such a disposition of cases, as
not to require a public exposure of the
victim. It is useless to deny that race
prejudice also has much to do with this
swift and terrible infliction of mob
vengeance. Still it is only true to say
that any white man in the South, how?
ever high his position, who inflicts a
similar wrong, will die at the hands
Highest of all in Leavening Pov,
ABSOLU!
of a mob or that of husband or brother.
That mob vengeance bas bad a de?
terrent effect in regard to this crime is
unquestioned. Every mau who is
guilty, and who is discovered, knows
he will die at the end of a rope, or the
muzzle of a pistol. If the punishment
of this crime was left to the slow pro?
cess and uncertain penalties of consti?
tuted law, the crime would be far more
prevalent, how much more so, it is ap?
palling to coo templete. Of course, this
is not offered in justification of mob
law.
These are facts, and the present
enormous proportions of the evil. Can
it be prevented ? For twenty-seven
years the friends of Jaw and order have
striven to combat evil by appeals and
denunciations through the newspapers
-secular and religious-the magazine,
the platform and the pulpit. Yet the
end is no nearer in sight. I have no
hesitation in saying that this will not
eradicate the evil. Not one in a
thousand of those for whom these
articles are intended see them. Hence
they have been as futile as battering a
stone wall with paper pellets. A
quarter of a century has demonstrated
this.
This has. been realized, and recently
another plan has been proposed. The
appointment of a special court, to con*
vene immediately on the scene, in
case of an outrage, and hold speedy
trial. The practicability of such a plan
may well be questioned; but it is liable
to another objection which is insuper?
able in law. The constitution guaran?
tees to every man a fair and impartial
trial by jury. The trial of ono, charged
with such a crime by a court convening
within twenty-four hours after the
deed, would be a farce hardly second to
the mock trial held by a mob, and
would be promptly pronounced uucon
stitiooal by any competent court of
appeal.
A study of this question from every
available standpoint bas only strength?
ened me in the belief that the remedy
must (and will eventually) come from
the side of the colored people them?
selves. One may dam up a stream and
make the banks and dikes thick and
high ; but if the stream continues to
flow, somewhere and somehow the pent
up waters will eat through and leave
an ugly rent. Dry up the springs of
that stream and you will need no bar?
riers. Untii the torrent of lust is in
some way dried up, these terrible out?
breaks of mob fury will not cease any?
where in the near future.
How can the remedy come on the
side of the Negro? It can come
through the efforts of those who are the
leaders and teacher* of the colored
people. The solution of this problem
lies in the hands of the Christian
ministry of the Negro race, for they
are not the preachers only, but to a large
extent the teachers in their sehorls.
They are the leaders of their people in
every particular-in church, State and
school. No ont* has a tithe of the
influence they wield. They can, if they
will, impress on the leaders of their peo?
ple in every community the heinousness
of the crime of outrage, and these
leaders in turn can reach every indivi?
dual in the community. If, in their
expressive lanuage, "the word" should
"go out" from these leaders that these
crimes must cease, and impress this on
them year after year, it would avail
more than all other agencies.
Aud there are not wanting cheering
indications that the colored ministers
of the South are beginniug to realize
that this is true, and putting forth their
power and influence to compass this
end. If this view be correct, what an
argument for the education of the
colored ministry.
A Revelation.
HE. "At last we are alone, and I
have an opportunity to speak. I
have been, seeking this moment for
? days and days, for i have something
to say to you.''
SHE. "GO on, Mr. Harkins."
HE. "I will. Miss Jones, you
perhaps have not noticed that at
times I have been constrained,
uneasy, even awkward, in your pres
; ence, that I have had something on
! my mind that I felt I must say to
! you."
! SHE (softly). "Yes."
HE, "That constraint, that awk
? wardness, Miss Jones, was due to
due to- "
SHE "GO on, Mr. Harkins."
HE. "-was due to the fact that
I feared you were not aware that I
am engaged to your mother."-From
the "Editor's Drawer," in Harper's
Magazine for March.
fer.-Latest U. S. Gov't Report
fELY PURE