The watchman and southron. (Sumter, S.C.) 1881-1930, March 21, 1894, Image 1
li
ll
TBS SUMTER WATCHMAN, established April, 1850.
kBe Just and Fear not-Let algthe Ends thou Aims't at, be thy Country's, thy God's and Truth's."
THE TRUE SOUTHRON, Established Jone, 136 &
Consolidated Aug. 2,1881.
SUMTER, S. C., WEDNESDAY, MARCH 21, 1894.
Sew Series-Vol. XIII. No. 34
Published Erery "ffednesday,
-BY
IST. O. Osteen,
SUMTER, S. C.
TER??S :
Two Dollars per annum-io advance.
AOVSBTISBMSKT:
One Sq care first insert ?on................-$1 00
Every subsequeat insertion... 50
Cot:tracts for three months, or longer will
be made at reduced rates.
All communications which subserve private
interests will be charged for as advertisements.
Obituaries and tributes of respect will be
charged for.
NEW
MARBLE WORKS,
COMMANDER & RICHARDSON,
LIBERTY STREET, SUMTER, S. C.
WE EAVE FORMED A CO-PARTNERSHIP
For the purpose of working Marble and
Granite, manufacturing
lonniests, MK, Etc.,
And doing a General Business in that line.
A complete workshop bas been fitted op on
LIBERTY STREET, NEAR POST OFFICE
And we are now ready to execute with
promptness all orders consigned to ns. Satis?
faction guaranteed. Obtain our price before
placing an order elsewhere.
W. H. COMMANDER,
G. E. RICHARDSON.
Jone 16.
H. A. HOYT,
MAIN STREET.
SUMTER, S. C.
GOLD AND SILVER WATCHES,
FINE DIAMONDS,
Oreles, Jewelry, Spectacles,
MERIDEN BRITANIA SILVERWARE, Ac.
REPAIRING A SPECIALTY.
Feb. 1
WRIGHT'S HOTEL
COLUMBIA, S. C.
S. L. WRIGHT & SON,
Proprietors.
OTTOF. WEITERS,
WHOLESALE
GROCER,
AND
LIQUOR DEALER,
OFFICE AND SALESROOM:
183 East Bay, Charleston, S. C.
Nov. 7-o
Order Your
PROVISIONS AND GROCERIES
.FROM
GEO. f. STEFFENS &
Wholesale Agents, Charleston, S. C.
--Agents for
MOTTS cross,
BED SEAL CISABS,
and DOVE HAMS.
L. D. JOHNSTON,
SUMTER, S. C.
-THE
Practieal Carpenter.
Contractor and Builder,
WOULD RESPECTFULLY inform the
citizens of Sumter and surrounding
country that be is prepared to furnish plans,
and estimates on brick and wooden buildings.
All work entrusted to bim will be done
first cia*?.
SATISFACTION GUARANTEED.
Aug 19
REMOVAL.
LEVAN'S BARBER SHOP bas been
removed to the room over Mr. B. J.
Barnett'3 store, in bis new building oo Main
Street. Thanking my frieuds for past favors
I solicit their continued patronage in my
n?w Staad, where I am better prepared to
serve them with satisfaction to them, as weil
as myself. Respectfully.
JOSEPH LEVAN.
Dec. ?-4. ?
Why Tindal Didn't Speak at
the Abbeville Meeting
Messrs. John R. Blake, R. R. Hemp
hill, John H. Morrab, Isaac H.
McCalla, and John E Bradley, Oom
mittee. Abbeville, S. C. '
Gentlemen :
I bave tbe honor to acknowledge the
receipt of your invitation to address
tbe people of Abbeville as a candidate
for Governor. I desire to express my
thanks for the compliment, but I bad
never declared that I would or would
not be a candidate. I had not sup?
posed tbat the Reformers would again
place candidates before the people by a
convention ; but thought the people of
their own motion. would gravitate to
some man or men in sufficient numbers
to warrant him or them in entering
upon a canvass of the State with reason?
able bope of success.
At present our people are puzzled
and in a somewhat chaotic condition.
Unless we proceed wisely, discords and
danger are before us. My judgment
opposes any nominating convention,
either early or late. I am no schis?
matic and will cheerfully abide by the
decision of the majority, but I deem it
my duty to earnestly advise against
it.
I was one of the first promoters
of the Farmers' Movement, the aim
of which was an Agricultural College
We expanded that into the Reform
Party, and appealed to the people
of all classes against a political com?
bination called a "ring," which had
opposed and for a time defeated the
college and had practically deprived a
majority of tbe people of their proper
influence upon public affairs. Our ob?
ject was to secure to every Democratic
voter in the State the privilege of
casting his vote direct for every officer
from Governor down.
The farmers being removed and
scattered from the centres of political
information were practically disfran?
chised, because before they could be?
come aware of what was going on,
slates ?ere made, conventions packed
and nominees declared.
This was doe to the convention
plan of nomination in presence of a
negro majority, which prevented revolt.
The men who composed the so-called
ring were of no worse type of human
nature than politicians generally. No
one believes they were. But a ring
is inherent in the oomvention system
under our political conditions. If we,
therefore, return to it another ring
must inevitably evolve sooner or
latter in our iranks And who will
compose it? Evidently, the most
extreme and violent. The scare-crow
of the old ring was Radical rule. The
scare-crow of the future ring will be
"Anti rule." The people will throw
up their hats in honor of a victory a?
they suppose of their party, while in
fact they are re-enslaving themselves.
For what do they, when they commit
their rights, power, liberty and means of
self-defence to a few, who are auto?
cratic, absolute and responsible to no
body. There is no way to punish
them in case they bartered the offices
among themselves. There is but one
way for the people to maintain their
influence upon public affairs, and that
is to use intelligently their votes.
I am aware that true and unselfish
Reformers are advocating the Conven?
tion, although it is going back upon
oar principles. Why? 1st,-Because
we have not established a square
primary, but a primary, for electors.
2nd,-Because as several candidates
for Governor may be in the race, it is
feared (hat this will give the Conserva?
tives some supposed advantage.
This fear in face of our large
majority must arise from distrust of the
Reformers themselves, vrhich is ground?
less. This mistrust has grown out *of
unfortunate personal recriminations
between some influential Reformers.
All danger can be, and must be averted
by thorough organization of the Re?
form forces to secure their full strength
at the Democratic election.
Our real danger is from passions and
prejudices which exist. A violent minor?
ity in the State rakes a violent majority.
There are Reformers already, who, if
they could would not allow the Conser?
vatives to vote at the democratic prima?
ry ; and there are Conservatives who
would disfranchise the whole Reform
party.
It requires moral courage for a
Reformer to be just to a Conservative
and vice versa. Passion is supplanting
reason. Mud slinging and pulling
down one man to build up another is
low in politics, but it thrives where pas?
sion rules and where selfishness sap
plants patriotism. This is evil and
hurtful to both factions and dangerous
for the State. It is leading in a
short line to a split in the Democratic
party.
Prejudice and passion are the tools
used to defeat or to rob the people.
The Republican party has lived upon
sectional prejudice.
In 1833 when South Carolina tried
to nullify the tariff the manufacturers of
New England organized an abolition
society, and some years later flooded
the South with insurrectionary pamph?
lets like a thunder olap in a clear sky.
It was done to stir up passion in
the South, and divert the mind of the
people of the (Jolted States from the
tariff to slavery. War ensued and
resulted in transferring four thousand
millions of slave property to the
North in the shape of United States
Bonds, in creating a great national
debt, a high tariff, great State, city,
town and corportion debts, which to-day
are a mortgage upon all the products
of labor, and by me&ns of which the
South and West are mulched of seven
hundred millions annually in interest
alone. Hence it is that the farmers
who cwoed eighty per cent, of the
property of the United' States own but
twenty-five per cent.
The whole teaching cf the Alliance
is designed to allay passion and destroy
prejudice, sectional and local. And
why ? That reason and justice might
assert their power, that measures may
stand upon their merits, and men of
sincerity administer the laws with
"equal rights to all and special privi?
leges to none." I appeal to the whole
people against the passion and pre?
judices which threaten to invade the
Courts, the juries, the schools, the
colleges, the churches and the whole
social machinery. I appeal to Re?
formers especially, for harmony in onr
ricks. Shall men inspired with a
high purpose, who have worked together
nobly for popular rights and political
justice, bring reproach and possible
danger to their party by suspicion and
re-crimination ? We want unity in
our ranks and peace and justice for the
whole state. The principles of the
Reform party are right. They will
stand the test of all fair criticism. The
government is as honestly administered
as ever in the history of the State, and
it will continue to be as long as it
remains in the hands of the white peo?
ple, or any faction of them. But
should we divide into two political
parties, they will surely, in the end
appeal for negro votes, and then
corruption and disgrace will follow.
What are the Reformers contending
for ? To secure a fair consideration
of all measures affecting tbe interest of
the people uoder agreement that any
or all measures about which a difference
of opinion might arise, shall be settled
at tbe primary election. Tbe object
being to secure without danger to
honest government, free political action
and progress ; such as is secured to
states of homogeneous population, by
two political parties..
The farmers through the Alliance
seek to establish such a political status,
as will of itself develop the best talent
cot only of this class, but of the whole
population to aid in averting further
ruin to them and to the Republic it?
self.
They want men of humanity, and
men of sincerity.
The first step to this end is to get oat
of our old ruts, get rid of prejudice and
passion, and let men who aspire to
public honors know, they cannot
secure them by coquetting with a few
convention managers, but by winning
the confidence of the people. We
cannot go backwards, influenced by
any supposed plan or device of the
Conservatives. Neither fear of the
opposition nor mistrust of our friends
should deter us from doing right.
I know that some of my frieods say
that I am^too conservative, and perhaps
they are right. ? am more conser?
vative as I grow older. I risk less
in business enterprises, while forty
years effort to reform myself has given
me greater charity for my fellow men.
I may be therefore, too conservative
But my whole experience has taught
me that rashness is folly, that passion
is lunacy, that extremes are dangerous.
History shows that all great popular
movements have come short of their
aim by passion, by the extremes to
which they went and by the inordinate
ambition of men.
The Conservatives, although with
the advantage of a monopoly of
political experience and training, were
easily defeated, because passion bereft
them of reason, judgment and justice.
Let ii warn the Reformers.
A convention of ?be Col le ton plan
is right, not to make nominations, but
to lay down a platform on thc lines
we have been moving, to organize the
Reform forces, to secure their unity
and full strength, sad to devise some
means of avoiding confusion in choos?
ing electors at the Democratic primary.
Or if possible to secure a direct pri?
mary, wbicb io my judgement is the
only safety for the Demorratio party,
and for the unity of tbe white race io
the future. Yours Respectfully,
J. E. TINDAL.
The assets of the late Wo rld's Fair
at Chicago, deducting the net liabili?
ties, are officially reported at $1,424,
821. The total gate receipts were
$10,610,175.
The State authorities have been
informed that George H. Walter,- the
County Treasurer of Charleston, bas
been paid $1,296.83, the amount of
the shortage of John L. Weber, ex
School Commissioner of Charleston, the
story of whose crime bas been publish?
ed. The money was paid by Leland
Moore, a brother-in-law of Weber, but
one of the best and most honest men in
Charleston. For bim and the other
innocent ones there is the deepest sym?
pathy.
A Christian Soldier.
The following, by Mr. George H.
Mofiett in the Century Magazine for
December, upholds the position of
Rev. C. C. Brown in his sermon on
the negro, which was published in last
weeks issue of the Watchman and
Southron :
Stonewall Jackson openly deplored,
as did so many other great leaders of
the South, the institution of slavery.
Yet he was firmly convinced that its
existence was not only guaranteed by
the national Constitution but sanc?
tioned by a divinely inspired scrip?
ture I heard him say as much in the
only political speech he ever made.
It was st a meeting held in Lexington,
Va., in the election campaign of 1860,
his voice coming unexpectedly from
a seat in the rear of the house where
he had risen in support of an aggres?
sive resolution, fie was then Major
Jackson, a professor, as every one
knows, in the Lexington Military
Institute. He was a frequent visitor
in the house where, as a college
student I boarded, and I bad more
than once heard him express io pri?
vate conversation the same convic?
tions which he on that one occasion
only declared in public
My acquaintance with him was
only such as a boy of sixteen would
have with a man of mature years.
Our only point of intimate contact lay
in the fact that I taught a class io the
uow famous colored Sunday-school
which he had organized in connection
with the Presbyterian church of the
town. But I believe this Sunday
school of negro children of which he
was superintendent lay closer to his
heart than any other object on earth
except his home and family. In the
war, though much under legal age, I
became a private cavalryman. Some?
times I saw General Jackson.
In August, 1862, the day be?
fore he met aud drove back
Pope's army in the battle of
Cedar Bun, I was riding down the
road leading north from Orange Court
House, on my way from brigade head?
quarters to join my regiment on the
Kapidan, when I overtook a division
of infantry on the march, going
towards Culpeper. The active move?
ments of our forces indicated the
sharp work that was near at hand.
When I reached the head of the
column I found General Jackson, his
cap drawn down over his forehead,
riding alone and apparently buried in
deep meditation in his strategic plans.
I rode by with a silent salute, but
he recognized me, called to me to
halt, and, riding up by my side,
began to talk about the colored Sun?
day school in Lexington. It was a
great gratification to him, he said
that the school .was being kept up in
his absence. So we parted and he
rode?n to bloody victory.
And once again : it was the after?
noon of the first day of the second
Bull Run battle, and one of the most
critical moments of Jackson's whole
military career. He had come round
through Thoroughfare Gap, putting
the Bull Run Mountains and Pope's
whole army between himself and Lee.
Pope had turned, closed in upon him
and brought him to bay. The battle
had been raging for hours, and
though Longstreet bad come to
Jackson's aid, no one could
yet say that Jackson's hard pressed
lett would not be overwhelmed. Our
battalion of cavalry under Major Pat?
rick had been halted near Groveton
almost in the center of the field
of battle-and sharpshooters were de?
ployed to meet the enemy, who
were coming down the Warren -
ton pike At this moment General
Jackson rode up. There was
hard fighting everywhere. He con?
versed for a few moments with Major
Patrick, and then turned and spoke
to me. He said that certain of our
men on an eminence above the road
were needlessly exposed, aud bade
me ride to them and call them in.
I had started to obey, when he sud?
denly stopped me with :
"Oh ! 1 had a letter a few days ago
from Dr. White, and he tells me
that our Sunday-school is still kept
up."
That was well. I went my way
to execute his command, and he
rode back to his infantry. 1 never
saw him again.
The "Colleton" plan suggested as a
solution to the convention calling en?
tanglement is this. The farmers meet
at each county court bouse, elect one
delegate. These delegates meet in
Columbia and decide where the much
talked of convention shall he held.
This takes it out of the power of any
one mao to call a convention and
practically deposes Shell as President
of the State Farmer's Association,
which position would have given him
the power to call the convention.
The plan is clearly Tillman's, though
it purports to be the suggestion of the
farmers, and is in the effort of peace
and unity. We venture the assertion,
however, that the petty quarrels
among the Refawmers have by now
assumed such proportions that they
cannot be so easily healed.-Fairfield
Herald.
WASHINGTON LETTER.
WASHINGTON, March 12, 1894.
Democrats, even those who are
personally opposed to some of the
changes made, are glad that the Senate
Finance committee has at last got the
tariff bill in a shape to make its passage
by the Seoate certain. It is really
surprising, in view of the radical change
made by taking sugar, iron ore, coal
and lead ore from the free list and put?
ting a duty upon them, tb at the demo?
crats of the House are not louder in
their objections. Bot they regard the
matter from a common sense point of
view, knowing that the democrats of
the Senate Finance committee yielded
nothing that it was not absolutely
necessary to yield in order to get the
votes necessary to pass the bill, and also
that they will have another chance at
the changes when the bill goes to con?
ference after its passage by the Senate.
The republicans of the Finance com?
mittee would like to waste a month or
so by keeping the tariff bill in com?
mittee, but the democrats will not allow
any such time. If they will agree to
have the bill reported in a week the
democrats will allow them that much
time ; if not the bill will be reported
sooner without their consent.
Secretary Herbert's answer to the
House resolution asking by what authori?
ty he ordered Admiral Skerrett to obey
Mr. Blouot when he went to Hawaii
as Special Commissioner, was, in short,
that it came from the Commander-in
Chief of the Army and Navy-the Presi?
dent of the United States ; and he cited
seven precedents for the actioo, dating
from 1823 to 1881.
Senator Blanchard assumed his new
duties to-day and Justice White, bis
predecessor, was sworn iu as a member
of the Supreme Court. If Mr.
Blanchard makes as good a reputation
in the Senate as be leaves behind him
in the House the people of Louisiana
will doubtless ratify the selection of the
governor by keeping him there.
Representative Ki 1 gore, of Texas,
was not altogether wrong, although
rather too general, when be said in tbe
course of the debate on tbe District of
Columbia appropriation bill, concerning
the newspapers of Washington : "The
newspapers of Washington have never
failed to advocate any scheme, I don't
care how infamous it was, that looked
to the expenditure of the public money
in the interest of speculators in and
around the city. I never knew of an
instance in which they did not advocate
such schemes." In reply to a protest
from Representative Blair of N. H.,
Mr. Kilgore continued : "Well, I make
the distinct charge that the newspapers
are corrupt and that they advocate
every corrupt scheme that has been
introduced into Congress to plunder the
Treasury io the interest of private
interests.
Democrats in Congress are in
thorough sympathy with the Depart?
mental Congression Commission which
has been engaged for many months in
looking into the business methods of
the Government Departments, with a
view to recommending changes looking
to a reduction of unnecessary red tape
and of unnecessary officials. Every
recommendation of the Commission has
been promptly acted upon by Congress,
the last one-for abolishing the Bureau
of Customs of the Treasury Department
-having been passed by the House
without an hour's discussion. Slowly
but surely the leaven of reform is work?
ing. The results of thirty years of
extravagance and favoritism cannot be
overthrown io a day, or a year, but
they will be overhrown in the end.
This the democrats are determined upon.
Senator McPherson has this to say
about the charge that the sngar clause of
the revised tariff bill gives the sugar
trust undue advaotage : "As I drew
the sugar . schedule, I ought to
know what it means, and I
certainly know what it was intend to
mean. The entire discriminating duty,
according to my calculations, thas
refined sugar is accorded by the bill it
sixteen hundredths of one cent. Now,
when you take into account the
bounty paid by Germany for its export?
ed sugar, and the fact that German
sugar is shipped in bags which are not
dutiable, and which can be used over
and over again, it will be seen that the
American refiner is given oo advantage
over his German competitors. In truth,
the German exporter bas one hundredth
of a cent per pound advantage over the
American refiner after he has paid our
import duty. Now, if any one disputes
these figures of mine, and can show me
where the American refiner receives
any greater protection than I have
stated, I will see that the bill is chang?
ed."
Rice in the Piedmont.
Mr. 0. H.. Smith, who lives five
miles southwest of Yorkville. is one of
those farmers who last year ex peri?
mented with rice cuitare. He made a
success of it. From Mr. Robert Con?
rad, he bought five quarts of seed,
which he sowed on one quarter of an
acre. The yield was twenty bushels,
or at the rate of eighty bushels to the
acre. Mr. Smith was io the Enquirer
office last Monday, and told the story
of his experiment as follows :
.'I first selected a level piece of bot?
tom land, which measured a little less
than a quarter of an acre. After
broadcasting stable manure over the
patch, I broke it np and pulverized it
thoroughly with a disk harrow. Next?
about the 1st of April, I sowed the
rice, just as I would wheat or oats.
Then I built a dam and flooded the
patch, allowing the water to remain on
until the rice began to sprout. After
the rice sprouted, I theo let the water
off and kept the place dry until the rice
was about four or five inches high.
The weeds were from two to three
inches higher. I let the water on again
about up to the first barrel of th~ -'ce.
Within four or five days the weeds aud
grass began to turn red and die. Io
less than ten days more, the rice was
high enough to allow the weeds and
grass to be entirely covered with water.
Soon after this was done, the weeds and
grags died. I let the water off and
turned it on once or twice more during
the growing season as I thought the rice
seemed to require. As the rice began
to ripen, I Set the patch become
thoroughly dry, and when harvest
came, it was in first rate condition for
handling."
Mr. Smith also inform us that he
sowed some rice on a piece of upland,
and that it made i pretty fair crop. It
was sowed abo i;ke wheat and rs*
quired no more attention than sorghum
cane He says that be has been usiog
home-raised rice o o his table ever since
last summer, and still has plenty to
spare.-?orkville Enquirer.
Crime and Education.
It is an interesting question to see
what effect education has OD crime. It
has been shown from the last census
that with the education of the negro
crime has rapidly increased. This is
true. And yet crime is about as great
iu Massachusetts as it is in South Caro?
lina. In the former illiterates con?
stitute but 3.3 of the per centage of
population who cannot read, while
in South Carolina they amount to 48.2
per cent.-, or nearly one-half of tha.
population.
The Baltimore Herald noting this
close record as to crime in the two
States, says this :
"It is reasonable to suppose that the
proportion had not greatly varied in
1890;and yet the census of that year
showed that tbe percentage of criminals
in the penitentiaries and county jail to
population was almost exactly the same,
there being a difference of only 1-10
per cent. A similar state has been
observed in Illinois and Missouri,
where the difference in percentage of
those unable to read was 4.6 in favor
of Illinois, with 578 more convicts
than Missouri had."
In the penitentiaries of the South, of
the thousands of convicts, much more
than half are of the class that have
come to manhood under freedom, and
can read. Education has not proved,,
in either the South or the North, a
preventive or cure of crime. The
only cure for crime is moral teaching.
Unless men can .be changed in their
hearts and be made "new creatures in
Christ Jesus,'7 there is no chance for
radical changes of life and character.
The training of the mind possesses no
transforming power for criminals or
for sinners generally. The training
of the soul, of the moral nature, is the
only remedy for the suppression -of
crime. We have no confidence in
ball kicking as a moral elevator and
reformer. If we bad, we would insist
that all the criminals in thc peni?
tentiaries, reformatories and jails be
put to ball kiokiog early and late and
all the year round-Wilmington Mes?
senger.
The board of liquor control down at
Dillon, a little town in Marion County ?
appointed a Conservative as dispenser
of Tillman liquor. As soon as the Big
Boss heard of it be order the board to
meet again and appoint a Tillmanite
and of course tbe board did it ; they
wouldn't dare disobey the voice of the
boss. The Governor's, motto is : **No
Conservative need apply."-Newberry
Observer.
Highest of all in Leavening Power.-Latest U. S. Gov't Report
ABSOLUTELY PURE