The watchman and southron. (Sumter, S.C.) 1881-1930, February 28, 1894, Image 2
e felic!
THC SUMTER WATCHMAN, Established April, IS50.
"Be Just and Fear not-Let alllthe Ends thou Aims't at, be thy Country's, thy God's and Truth's."
THE TRUE SOUTHRON, Established Jone, 1566
Consolidated Aug. 2,1881.
SUMTER, S. C., WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 28, 1894.
Sew Series -Yoi. XIII. No. 31.
I^blis??d E?ery Wednesday,
--BY
KT. Gr. Osteen,
SUMTER, S. C.
TERMS :
Two Dollars per an Dam-io advance.
ADVERTISERS KT:
One Square first insertion............$1 00
Every subsequent insertion..... 50
Contracts for three months, or longer will
be made at reduced rates.
All cominanicatioas which subserve private
interests will beebarged for as advertisements.
Obituaries and tributes of respect will be
charged for.
Opinion for a Despot
The Attorney Generous Recent Effort
May Lead to Untold Mischief.
To the Editor of The State :
In yocr issue of last Saturday, the
17th inst., I read an opinion furnished
by the Attorney General in response
to & call from Governor Tillman, wish?
ing, as it appears some legal light as to
the 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 his reign. After taking the judges
of the United States Court to task for
their blundering io their decisions and
pointing out their legal errors in their
interpretation of the law. I thought we
had a Governor who could evolve from
his inner consciousness all the light
J 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 bum?
bler walks of life, was already a res
adjudicate in Governor Tillman's mind.
It never occurred to me that our Gov?
ernor would care a drop of dispensary
X for the opinion of any man or set of
men. He has opinions of his own. on
al! matters, most notably on matters
of law, perfectly staisfactory to him?
self, however much at variance they
maj Be with those of men who have
. made snob subjects a lifetime study.
The opinion evoked by the Governor,
is snch as should delight his heart. It
not only sanctions all that be has
done but all that he may yet do. It ts
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 but that
one paragraph it sustains the executive
in defying the Constitution and treat?
ing with contempt the birthright so
dear to every man with British blood
coursing ta his veins. The opinion
rendered admits that * 'Section 'J.2 of
the Constitution, our Bill of Rights, de?
clares that all persons have a right f?
be secure 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 ??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 but is
upheld as valid, reasonable and kw- '
ful."
It is refreshing to learn from this
official "opinion" that toe Legislature is
so omnipotent and infalible, but it is a
sad thing that any lawyer in the once
law sod liberty loving State
of South Carol io a should hold
and teach the doctrine, so de?
structive of the freedom of her citi?
zen?, 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 io
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
but in the cases and with the formal?
ities prescribed by the laws."
. But right here, the "opinion." see?
ing tbe Governor perturbed and about
to pour out a flood cf characteristic
anathemas, soothes him with the kindly
assurance that these specific designa?
tions of persons and property are only
to be resorted to wheo writteo war?
rants are issued ; but that the govern?
ment does not require warrants in all
cases. Dispense with warrants is the
logical conclusion of the opinion, then
all 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 his work. Let bim
approach with that; their bands are
folded. Let bim come without it; he
is an intruder and an enemy.
We all know there are times when !
arrests and seizures can be made with- |
out a written warrant,- but these are i
exceptions to the spirit of our laws,
and limited to great and unforeseen
emergencies, as the commission of fel?
onies when the perpetrator might oth
'erwise escape, or when men are found
openly and defiantly breaking the laws
of the land. Mere suspiciou that ooe
is breaking a police regulation famish?
es no cause or justification for an ar*
rest without a daly issued warrant.
Blood has already been unwarrant?
ably shed and if farther 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 qf them,
showing a remarkable condition of
affairs would be made public, lt was
impossible then to tell anything
definite, although the representatives
of The State were well informed and
are better informed now of the moves
and counter-moves taat 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 known as
the Ii by faction and the Alliance
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,
headed by Mr. Bowdeu, came out
strongly demanding a March or April
convention. Irby and his men, after
a conference in Washington, declared
just as strongly against the holding
of such a convention, and Governor
Tillman did the same. But 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 thc undoubted
masters of the situation. Just why
j 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 "all has been
known for some days here, the
representatives of The State were so
situated that they would uot 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 rvill call the convention,
but The State regards this as merely
a ruse ou the part of the Governor,
aud 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, as a 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 mentioned. John Gary Evans
will hardly be in it, if the situation 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
interesting'tnature in the next few days*
And as to Irby and his men. Irby
came from Washington a few days
ago. He must have received inforraa
tiou 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
anxious to know what it meant. In
consequence of this enough is said
to indicate which way the wind is
blowing, and the rest is left for the
future to disclose.-The State,Feb. 23.
He Slandered Southern Men
A Young Virginian Proves a Form
idable Roland.
New York, Feb. 22. What wa
intended to be a celebration tonigh
of Washington's birthday on ai
elaborate scale had been planned b;
the New York Southern Society
Owing to a strange mischance, how
ever, many of the guests of bono
expected did not put in their appeal
ance at the annual banquet given a
Sherry. She speakers invited includ
ed such prominent persons as Secre
tary John G. Carlisle, Speaker Crisp
Congressman John Allen, of M?E
rissippi, and Isador Raynor, of Mary
land.
At the last moment the officers be
gan to hustle for speakers to take th*
places of the absentees. Congress
man I?adore Strauss consented ti
take the place of Raynor, and Post
master Drayton, of this city, that o
Col. McClelland. The other speaker
were President Charles Deshon, M
J. Verdery, and James and L. Gor
dou.
Among the guests were John A
McCall, John C. Calhoun, Augustu
Healy, Ellis H. Koberts, Elihu Root
Gustav Schwab, and Charles S. Whit
hey.
While President Deshon was speak
ing ex-Mayor Abram S. Hewitt en
tered the banqueting hall. He wai
asked to fill the place of Secretar}
Carlisle, and responded to the toas
of -'Our National Credit. " After pre
facing his remarks with a tribute t(
Secretary Carlisle he proceeded to
lay out the Southern statesman.
"But the character of Southen
statesmanship has decreased from thc
time before the war and her Senator?
and Congressmen of today are ai
pigmies compared with the intellec
tua! giants of that time. The states
men of today show little .signs of hav
ing studied the great econ?mica
questions affecting the interests o
our country. The silver question wai
at the very foundation of the public
credit. It was due to the adaptioi
of a currrency not based upon th(
intrinsic value of coin that brough
about the silver crisis. The differ?
ence between the true and false valu*
of the silver dollar is called the seign
iorage. The South wanted to coir
this seigniorage. They might as wei
try to coin a vacuum. It was ever
worse than that. It was trying to coin s
negative quantity on the other side
There is one thing the South wants tc
learn; it is that public credit can not bc
maintained until all concerned realize
that there is no royal toad to value
and the Southern Representatives
must rise to the heights of the mei;
who represented the South in Con?
gress provious 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 loca
questions to be settled on" demand
of local politicians It might be sup
posed that the Supreme Court benet
represented the whole United States
and that everybody had a right tc
demand that it be filled without
regard to politics or locality. It is
not a matter for ward politicans tc
kick about, from one end of the
United States to the other. Such
men as Calhoun, Benton, Reeves and
Crawford would have resigned theil
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 youl
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 tarifi
question, he said, that Southern rep?
resentatives had displayed a lack ol
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.
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 stagnant con?
dition cf trade was brought about by
the silver bill, and the South, in solid
phalanx, voted for that bill, thus mak
j ing themselves responsible for this
j stagnation and demonstrating that
j there was no greater enemy of the
public interests than the foul who
stepped in where angels teared to
j 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, I 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,
as 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 voted 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 to-day. 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 man, 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?
ing. It belonged to a lady, Mrs.
Youug, 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 hackman. 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 Slave 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 landing cargoes
along the coast. The native
Africans recognized and used them.
Peanuts grow upon a trailing vine,
with leaves much resembling a small
four-leavad 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
nut at all, but class it among beans.
The soil in which it is cultivated
must be light and sandy ; after
the flower falls away the flower stalk
elongates and 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?
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 p?anuts con?
sumed in the United States and
Canada.-From the Blue and Gray.
A young man advertised for a wife,
and his sister answered the advertise?
ment; and the young man thinks there
is no balm in advertisements, and the
old people think it is pretty hard to
have two fools in one family.
There will be no more postal notes.
Money orders are substituted. Ji'or or?
ders cot exceeding ?2 50 the charge
is three cents, and the fee increases
until it is fifty cents for sums over
$75 and under ?100. The new sys?
tem is to take effect July 1st.
Rev. J. C. Galloway on Lynch
lng.
From the Xew York Independent.
Lynchings in the South are inflicted
for two classes of crimes-for murder
and bouse-barniog and for atrocities on
females. A large majority of those
lynched are for the last-named crime.
Th ese lynchings art* the gravest
question now confronting the people of
the Southern States. It is superfluous
to discuss the enormity of this evil.
The only question is, how can it be
prevented, or can it be prevented at all.
Let us divide the question, and look
6rst at those cases where lyoching 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 cf public sentiment coming io
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 io the next ten
years.
What is this disturbing element? It
is that class of lyoching which is visit?
ed on miscreants who assault helpless
women. Here ts the core of the mat?
ter. Most of these crimes, 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 is 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 ts the beat and passion
engendered by this beastly offense that
leads on to lyoching for murder and
house-burning. Eliminate it and it
would not be difficult to deal with other
forms of lyoching.
There are several things which act as
an ever-probing thoro 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 one 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 io 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, and 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 ber to
this risk.
Most of the protests which are being
made against lynching come from those
who are living in 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
8wife 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 Poi
ABSOLU'
of a mob or that of husband or brother.
That mob vengeance has bad a de?
terrent effect, in regard to this crime is
unquestioned. Every man 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
palliog to contemplete. Of course, this
is sot 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
striveo 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 hat 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 coovening
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 has only strength?
ened me iu 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. Until 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 teachers uf the colored
people. The fttf'utiuu uf this problem
lies in the hands of the Christian
ministry of the Negro race, for they
are uot the preachers only, but to a large
! estent the teachers in their sehorls.
' They are the leaders of their people in
every particular-in church, State and
school. No one bas 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
crinies 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 ^ve are alone, and I
have an opportunity to sp vak. 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
j you."
SHE (softly). "Yes."
HE, "That constraint, that awk?
wardness, Miss Jones, was due to
due to-"
SHE "GO on, Mr. Harkins."
HE ?-wag due to the fact that
I feared you were not aware that I
am engaged to your mother."-From
j the "Editor's Drawer," in Harper's
I Magazine for March.
ver.-Latest U. S. Gov't Report
Baking
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