The watchman and southron. (Sumter, S.C.) 1881-1930, June 17, 1896, Image 1
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Ms SUMTER WATCHMAN, Eetablished April, 1850. "Be Just and Fear n >t-Let ail the Ends thou Aims't at, be thy Country's, thy God's and Truth's.-' THE TRUE SOUTSKO:*, Established Juac.1266
Consolidated Aiig. 2,1881. SUMTER. S. C., WEDNESDAY. JUNE 17, 1896. New Scries-Yoi. XV. No 46
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cv
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Englished Sray Wednesday, j
IST. CS-. Osteen,
- SUMTER, S. C.
TERMS :
$1.50 per annum-in advance.
ADVBRTISSMSKT:
One-Square first insertion....SI 00
Every subs?quent insertion... 50
Contracts for three months, or longer will
be made at reduced rates.
AH communications which subserve private
interests will be charged for as advertisements.
Obituaries and tributes of respect will be
charged for.
Bates on Bond Issues.
The State Treasurer Blakes
His Statement.
From The State.
? Yesterday was the day on which
Governor Evans said he^and State
Treasurer Bates would make a state?
ment in regard to the bond matter.
When Dr. Bates was asked abont the
bond matter yesterday he gave the
statement below referring strictly to
his own connection with and account*
ing for the disposition of a little over
$2,000 of the commissions about
which there is so much talk. Dr.
Bates' statement is as follows :
"Yes, it is true that I received
from the syndicate the sum ?>f $2,
031.25. This was for acting as their
representative in making settlements
with their subscribers, collecting and
remitting their premiums and attend
ing to their expense account.
"For instance, there wers subscrib
ers in Charleston for $2,000,000 of
the new issue which the syndicate had
contracted to deliver in Charleston
These were to be paid for mostly in
^ Brown consols, but the holders of the
consols naturally would require the
syndicate to deliver to them the new
issue of bonds before they would
part with the possession of their
consols.
"Two courses were therefore open
to the syndicate. One was to pay
the Sute treasurer $2,000,000 in
v cash, receive tLe new. .bonds, and
then exchange them with the Charles
" ton subscribers The other was to
v secure some representative here in
Columbia whom the Charleston bond
-^holders Were willing to entrust with
their bonds and exchange them fot
bonds of the new issue. I suggested
to the syndicate the employment of
a Columbia banker as their represent?
ative, but they preferred that I should
do the work, and at the urgent re?
quest of the Baltimore Trust and
Guarantee company, the agent of the
syndicate, on or about the 21st of]
March, 1893, I consented to act for
them, as the bondholders in Charles?
ton and elsewhere were willing to
place their bonds in my hands for
* exchange.
"The public will understand that
there is a vast difference between :
First, myaccepting money as a con?
sideration for making a contract ?>r
? the sale of State bonds ; and secondly,
my accepting compensation tendered
by the syndicate for extra services
as their representative long after the
contract had been made. The first
would have been offered, of course,
and accepted prior to the contract,
and would have deserved severe
-? criticism The second was tendered
long after the contract bad been
made, and was for extra services that
I could not have been expected or
required to render as State treasurer.
The work necessitated the keeping of
a special, .difficult and extensive ac
^ count, and involved much respon?
sibility and trouble. A good portion
of the amount received went to pay
for extra and special clerical work.
"I am sure a reasonable public
^ will agree that the work I did was
unofficial, and did not conflict with
my duties as State treasurer. Nor
will I be expected to render respon?
sible and valuable services for a syn?
dicate of wealthy capitalists without
some reasonable compensation,
r especially as the compensation was
not paid by the State. Outside of
the ?2,031.25 I did not receive ono
cent from the syndicate or any one
else on account of ray connection
with the refunding of the bonds.
"W. T. 0 Bates. State Treas "
After Dr. Bates had given to the
press the above statement, he receiv?
ed the following letter from the presi
dent of the Baltimore Trust and
Guarantee company, the former may?
or of Ballimore, which he also gave
for publication :
% Baltimore, J une 9, 1896.
Hon. IV. T. C. Bates, State Treasurer
Columbia, S. C.
Dear Sir : I understand that some
question has arisen as to the propri
- ety of your having accepted com?
pensation from the syndicate which
purchased South Carolina bonds in
1893, and we think it not more than
fair to state that under the rigorous
terms imposed by your then governor,
the ?on Benj R Tillman, it would
have been exceedingly difficult for
a syndicate to have carried out the
terms of purchase without the con?
stant presence, in Columbia, of ?orne
competent and trustworthy person
charged with the duty of performing
the various acts of necessary clerical
labor which were incessantly re?
quired. It was not convenient for
this company, as the agent of the
syndicate, to have 6uch a representa?
tive continually on the spot, and you
were asked so to act, and the com
pensation paid you was only fair,
and said payment came from the
syndicate alone, and in no wise, even
remotely, affected the interests of
your State nor the interests of the
most insignificant of your taxpayers.
The payment for your services was
made upon the volition and by the
sanction of. the executive committee
of the syndicate. It was entirely
proper, and the engagement of your?
self in such capacity really proved
to be a safeguard to yoar people,
because in the execution of the
clericial duties which the syndicate
required, you invariably manifested
an unalterable zeal for the protection
of the interests of your State, and in
the exercise this quality, we think,
you often imposed upon the syndi
cate conditions which would have
been quite unnecessary in the con?
duct of any matters pertaining to
private business. These conditions,
however, were accepted in a cordial
spirit, because we thought we recog?
nized in you an officer whose crown?
ing ambition appeared to be directed
only in the channel of exercising
every scruple of prudence in the
conservation of the duties involved
by his official capacity.
Yours respectfully.
Robert C, Davidson, President
A GALLANT CAPTAIN.
The owners of the* little steamer
Commodore might, presumably, have
saved several days' ioterest on the ?4,
500 they had to deposit to secure the
release of their vessel from the custody
of the (Joited States marshal had they
beeo so mioded.
The curious looking little Newfound?
land banks Sshiog boat is still moored
at the Consumer's Coal Company's
wharf. Two days ago there were un?
mistakable signs of a preparation for de?
parture,but she has not yet left this port.
Wheo she will leave 'is a question
which no ope save her captain cao ans?
wer, and he has stated that the vessel
would leave when the time for her de?
parture arrived, and also that he did
now know what her destination is.
AmoDg all the men who go down to
the sea in ships there is none on the'
Atlantic coast who is a more able and
skillful navigator than Capt. Morton,
who has assumed command of the Com?
modore. He is a mau with a sea re?
cord, and one not confined to the mer?
chant marine, as he was a captain ia
the United States navy for many year3,
and resigned that position for tbs pur?
pose of engaging io commercial ven?
tures Ever since whenever there has
been a piece cf nautical work requiring
especial skill, the projectors have sought
tj obtain his services In additions
this Capt Morton is an unuually hand?
some man, of distinguished bearing and
polished manner. With all of these
things in his favor, however, he bas
the bad taste to dislike newspapers-at
any rate Charleston newspaper reports
and it is very evident that he intends
to furnish them with no news of what
he has done, or of what he intends to
do -News and Courier
Filing the Pledges.
The new constitution of the Demo?
cratic party in this State requires that
any man, in order to run for an office
in the Democratic primary election,
must file the required pledge with the
chairman of thc State committee on rr
before thc first meeting of the State
campaign in order to have his votes
counted. Yesterday Chairman Torarj
kins was asked if any pledges had been
filed so far. Restated that G- Walt
Whitman bad filed his pledge as a can?
didate for governor ; that Dr. Timajor
mao bad filed hts as a candidate for
State treasurer, and Mr. Cole L Kle&se
had filed his as ? candidate for solicitor
in his district against Solicitor Sohum
pert No ethers have yet come it).
The State.
A Roundabout Line.
PHILADELPHIA, June 3 -Th? steam?
er Bcrciud??., which ~a.s recall? de?
prived of her registry by the British
consul at this port because, ir is said,
of her aiifged 5Hbu9teriog expedition,
and which has siuce been lying at Cam
den, N J., was to-day seized by United
States Marshall Pfeffer of New Jersey
cn a libel filed by three seamen for un- !
paid wages The amount claimed by
the seamen is $27.75. it U said thai
the filing of the libel is part of a plan j
to eeeure a registry for the steamer !
ucder the Ame/ican flag.
Cotton Crop Conditions.
They are Generally Pavcrr
ble Except in Texas.
WASHINGTON, Jane 10 -Thc con?
solidated reports to the statistical di vi
sion of the department of agriculture
for the mooth of June shows the State
percentage cf cottoo* acreage as com
pared with last year to be a9 follows :
Virgioia 107, North Carolina 117,
South Carolina 111, Georgia 113, Ala?
bama 112, Mississippi 114, Louisiana
109, Texas 116, Arkansas 130, Ten?
nessee 128, Indian Territory 161, Mis?
souri 163, Oklahoma 194. The gene?
ral average is i. 16 2 beiog 1 3 per cent,
increase over the May statement. The
average conditions of the crop for June
1 was : Virginia 91, North Carolina
99, South Carolina 97, Georgia 9(5,
Florida 85, Alabama 103, Mississippi
104, Louisiana 94, Texas 92, Arkan?
sas 102, Tennessee 118, Missouri 92.
The general average i* 97 2.
Io the Atlantic States, io spite of
dry weather in early spring, the crop ia
a little earlier tbao usual. Poor stands,
on account of drought, are reported
from two counties io North Carolina
aod South Carolina aod from seven
counties io Georgia ; but the plaots are
io fioe condition as respect both culti?
vation aod growth throughout this
region.
Io Florida the crop is late and stands
are poor oo account of the excessive
drought. From Alabama, Mississippi,
Louieiaoa, Arkansas, Tennessee and In?
dian Territojy. the reports are unusual?
ly encouraging. The crop is not only
early but stands are good, the plaots
free from grass, and the outlook prom?
ising for a full crop. Io a few local?
i ios, however, there are complaints of
damage by cut worms and lice.
, In Texas the conditions have been
less favorable than in the Atlantic and
Gulf States. The cold and damp
weather at seeding time not only makes
the crop .late, but has resulted in in?
festing maoy fields ic a large area io
the southern part of the State with all
maooer of ioeeots that damage the
plaot. Considerable improvement,
however, has been made withio the past
mooth. First planting seems to be
doing much better than later OD, aod
in ncaoy of the heavy produoiog couo
tie* the laods are good aod ^indicate
close proximatioo to a foll cir op.
Duly Commissioned.
PHILADELPHIA, June 10.-The bat?
tleship Massachusetts wa9 pu?*ioto com
mission today. Since the successful
official ti ia! trip in April, the vessel has
been at Cramp's ship yard, receiving
the final touches that were to make ber
completely in trim for acceptance by the
government- This morning the ship
was taken to the League Island navy
yard in charge of Captain Sargent, the
Cramp's shipmaster, who theo made bis
"formal abdication in favor of the navy
yard's commandaot, Captain Far?
quhar. The crew and the officers as
seinblsd on deck, Commandant Farqu?
har turned the ship over te Capt. Fred?
erick Rodgers, and Captain Rodgers
read aloud the orders from the Davy de
partmeot, iu which be was instructed to
assume charge % The colors of the na?
tion went up gloriously and the ship
wa9 in duly commission, legally eoti
tied to join the Atlantic squadron, to
which she bas been detailed.
Pusu?dbya Gunboat.
KINGSTON, Ja , Jane 9.-The al?
leged filibustering steamer Laurada,
from New York, arrived from Port AB
tooio Saturday last A Spanish war
ship was in pusuit of her, but of course
did not enter the port io her effort to cap?
ture the Laurada. The war ship is still
off the port awaitiog for the Laurada to
leave. It is believed that the latter
landed a large quantity of munitions
of war in Cuba. If she should be pur?
sued after she leaves Port Antonio, she
will ruo along the coast, within the ma?
rine league limit until her superior
speed enabies her to stand out to sea in
advance of the Spanish warship.
Lee Looking Around.
NEW YORK, June lO.-^-Amocg the
pa^seogera on the steamer City of
Washington, which arrivvd this morning
tn rn Habana, were Judge Delgado and
his g."-n, J. Gr. Delgado. Both gentle?
men Lave suffered rnaoy indignities at
the bauds of the Spaoisb officials io
Cuba, and are on their way to Wash?
ington, whey they will lay their griev-*
anees before the President and Secre?
tary Olney.
Mr. Delgado had an interview with
Conbul Gcrjcr.il Lee previous io icaving
Habana. Thc City of Washington
pai-sreoge;-", io conversation this morl?
ing af quarantine,"stated that Fitzhugh
Lee war. rapidly familiarizing himself
with the routine du'i?\s of his cilice.
American residents in Ulbana are
much pleased with the aggressive spirit
sijown by thc consul general. There
was also on board the City of Washing?
ton Fe?s Cabello, an officer in the
Spanish service, who is said to bc on an
important ^-rand to this country.
Pledges of Politicians.
a Candidates Haven't
Much Time to File Them.
From Tue t?rate.
The Stare campaign is now about to
open. On Monday week the opening
meeting is to be held at Manning, and
then up to the time for the recess allow?
ing the candidates who are delegates to
the Chicago convention to attend that
gathering, the campaigning will be fast.
Eleven points will be covered by the
candidates. After the convention the
campaign will be resumed and there
will be practically no intermission until
the closiog meeting is held almost upon
the eve of the primary election io Au?
gust.
State Chairman Tompkins calls atten?
tion to the fact that no mea can be coo*
sidered a candidate before the primary
under the constitution of the party who
does not file hb pledge with the com?
mittee by midnight on the 22nd inst.
Up to date only four pledges have been
filed. In addition to these already
mentioned. Solicitor Ansel has filed his
pledge. There seems to be some dis?
satisfaction with this requirement,
many boldiog that candidates should be
allowed to come out at any time. The
committee put in the provision, how?
ever, in order to prevent a perfect flood
of caodida.es oomiog in towards the
last and thus avoiding the expensive
campaign of the State.
The bond matter, t J all appearances,
is likely to play a very important part
io the coming campaign, probably be?
ing brought up at the opening meeting.
State Treasurer Bates, who will not
be a candidate for re-election, has made
his statement, and declined yesterday
to have anything farther to say in re?
gard to the matter. Everybody is talk?
ing about bond matter, and Governor
Evan's has declared his intention to
take up any charges made against bim
by a "responsible party'7 upon the
stump. At present predictions as to
the result of the campaign-indeed,
even as to its character-are hard to
make. A week or so ago it was easy
to make predictions. The senatorial
fight promises to be the feature of the
whole campaign.^ There is now. con?
siderable talk about Judge Earle enter?
ing the race for senator. The rumor
cannot be traced to any source, but at
the same time it is heard.
Up to date no farther candidates
have cropped out for the other offices.
Dr. Timmerman and Mr. McSweeney
will scarcely have any opposition at all
for the State treasurership and lieuten?
ant governorship respectively. For
governor, Mr. Eile'rbe, Walt Whitman
and Mr. Harrison are likkely to be the
only candidates.
ATTENTION CANDIDATES
It is safe to say that nine out often
Democrats in South Carolina are not
aware that candidates for any office be?
fore the primary are required to file
their pledges, by the 22d inst. We
confess that it had escaped our notice,
although we had read the Constitution.
This requirement is onerous and ty?
rannical, and we cannot help thinking
that it was inserted by King influences
to choke off opposition to the "ins."
It is nobody else's business if a man
comes out late in the campaign. If he
is willing to take the chances of defeat
by announcing his candidacy at the
eleventh hour, that is his lookout.
We can see some sense in requiring
candidates for senator and governor to
come ont early, for they have to make
a canvass of the State, beginning this
month ; but candidates for the legisla?
ture and county offices have to cover
but a small area and a short canvas
suffices them. So it is outrageous to
bar out those who do not announce
themselves for such positions a month
before they are called upon to take the
Seid.
We have attained to a cast-iron sys?
tem which is destroying liberty of ac?
tion and unnecessary depriving even
the members of the majority of their
rights. If we did not have an election
scheme which enables the administra?
tion, through its appointees, to count
out anybeby who defies it, we would re
commend prospective candidates to
pay no attention to this unfair require?
ment-, enter the race when it suits them,
ana, if nominated and coi awarded the
nomination by thc county executive
committees, to go ro the general elec?
tion v?irh the backing si a majority be?
hind them. Bur, as ii stands, they aro
all at the mercy of Gary Evans and the
machine.
At any rate, v;e advise this: If there
are any fair-minded Reformers who are
opposed to a ccu tin un nco cf br?,$ rulo
and want to try their chances in tho
primarle?, let them announce themselves
and (ile their pied^ at once Provi?
ded there is anything practical to be
gained by i', a great many liActia"
will vote ir: the primarle?, and '.viii oust
their ballots against the Ring. ''He
formers" who oppose the Ringneed not
longer fear to present, themselves I;
they want to make a manly tight a^aint
the excesses aod abuses and of 1-Ivans
& Co. they can get support io plenty.
There arej:Jr-t reo day? io which to ;
determine whether the next legis!: ture ;
will be composed ut self-respecting
and broadminded ac en or mere cost-tail
swingers. Don't let thejnnebugs have
a walk-over!-The State.
A-Texas Calculating Freak.
Wolf Bluestine, who died at Hot
Springs and W3S buried atHoustOD,
came to Orange a very poor man in
1876. He began merchandising, and
while here acquired a capital estimated
at between ?60,000 and $75,000.
He conld neither read nor write, yet he
was a marvel in mental arithmetic.
Fractions nor interest bad any hard
places in them for him. He offered the
principal of the city schools at this
place $100 if be would teach him to
write his own came within a year. The
professor undertook the job and worked
with great energy, but discovered that
on each Monday morning every trace o?
the previous week's work had entirely
faded from the mind of bis pupil, and
after five months of close attention to
his undertaking abandoned it as a hope?
less case. Apeculiar constructed
"?XX" was the nearest approach he
ever made to penmanship, but that sig?
nature is attached to many valuable doo
uments now of record in this county,
and bas for several years passed current
at the banks in New York, Galveston
and Orange, often for large sums of
money. It was quite as difficult to
counterfeit the characters as affixed by
him as it would be to successfully imi?
tate the signature-Dallas News.
mm -?.."?.- mm
The First Session of the 54th
Congress Ended.
Washington, June ll.-The first
session of the fifty-fourth congress
gently and quietly, almost without
incident, glided into history to-day at
4 o'clock, the shortest "long" session
of congress, with two exceptions, in
the history of the government.
There was a marked difference be?
tween the close to-day and that of
the fifty-first congress, the last pre?
vious Republican congress. Then a
bitter conflict raged between Speaker
Reed and the minority, and no one
of the latter was found to introduce
the usual resolution of thanks to the
presiding officer.
To day Mr. Turner, the second
Democratic member of the committee
on ways and means, acting for the
minority in the absence of ex-Speakr
Crisp, offered a resolution thanking
Speaker Reed for the "ability, faith?
fulness and strict impartiality" with
which he had discharged the duties
of his difficult position ; and at the
suggestion of Mr. Dockery and other
D?mocrates there was a raising; vote,
that the expression of heartiness back
of the resolution might thereby be
emphasized.
in hie closing remares bpeaket
Reed offered his grateful recognition
for the honor, saying "the thanks of
the house of representatives is always
a high honor, but is especially so at
the end of a session where thc
speaker has been forced to say 'no'
more times perhaps than in the his?
tory of any other congress.
In the course of the session a num?
ber of private pension and relief bills
were passed, and Representative
Pitey (Rep ) of New Jersey, Blue
(Rep.) of Kansas and Dockery (Dem )
of Missouri were appainted members
on the part of the house on the com
mission to sit during the summer and
investigate the charities of the Dis?
trict of Columbia.
- i? a- mm
Skirmishing in Cuba.
HABANA, June VJ, -Several unimport?
ant skirmishes were reported today.
Rebels attacked and succeeded in enter?
ing the towns of Ceiba del Agua and
San Antonio de Rio Bianco in the pro?
vince of Habana. They burned sever?
al houses. The gunboat Hern?n Cor
tez landed at Cuevas, near Neuvas
Grades, and found an American
built boat that had evidently
been abandoned by a filibuster- j
ioff ezedition. The marines later saw j
another boat. cfT shore in which WOH? a j
number of meo. They fired upon the j
boat, whereupon the n??n in it jumped
overboard, swan ashore and made their
escape.
Thc Americoo coesul general. Ramco |
O. Williams, sailed today for New York j
cn the steamer Vigilancia.
it is raid tbs "cbc! leader Wilson, an j
American rh as died from the effects ora !
wound received in a recent engagement j
near Guantanamo, in tho province cf:
Santiago de Cuba. ;
Highest cf all in Leavening Pow
Silver (he Great Issue.
Committeeman Kerene Pre?
serves Significant Silence.
ST. LOUIS, June ll -McKinley is
not to be nominated without a strug*
gie. Twenty-four hours have so
changed the positions on the political
chess board that there is a fighting
chance for the field against McKinley.
The stumbling block in the road of
the letter is the divergent views of
the delegates on the financial plank
of the platform. These differences
are as wide as the continent, and at
present seem irreconcilable The
western delegates maintain their
adherence to silver with a frankness
that in former gatherings of the party
would have been punished as politi?
cal heresy. The other half of the
country is represented by sound
money advocates who will listen to
no suggestion of other platform de?
clarations. This issue, even in these
ante-convention days, has ranged the
delegates into two camps. The men =
from Maine and the far east still up?
hold the banner, for Reed, while
those from Iowa, supported by scat?
tering delegates from the middle
west, declare themselves for Allison.
Quay will, of course, receive nearly
the foll support of Pennsylvania, and
Morton is assured of arl but four of
the Mew York votes. Bradley has
not been side-tracked by the allure?
ment of the Vice Presidency. So
many tables have been complied
showing both that McKinley will or
not be nominated on the first ballot
that they are valueless. The mone?
tary plank of the platform will, un?
less a miracle supervenes, determine
the nomination for or against the
leaders The arrival of Thos. C.
Platt to night gave encourageme.it
and impetus to the opposition. While
he is not iu sympathy with the silver
wing of the party, it is thought he
will be the rallying point for a com?
bined opposition. There is no hint*
that other than an honorable fight
will be made against McKinley, but
political exigencies, as presented
here, demand the alliance of opposi?
tion for a, successful struggle against
the McKinley avalanche
Sentiment among the delegates al?
ready upon the ground appears to
be strongly crytalizing in favor of
the financial plank promulgated by
National Committeeman R: C. Kerene
of this city and which was given in
the dispatches of Wednesday. Mr
Kerene admits that he is not the
author cf the proposed plank, and
that it is the handiwork of "a promi?
nent Republican." Taken in con?
nection with his recent visit to Can?
ton, (Ohio) there have been sugges?
tions that the draft has been submit?
ted to and received the approval of
Major McKinley. Upon this point,
however, Mr. Kerene will not satisfy
his enquirers, while, in line with their
previous position, that the convention
rather than the candidate should
make the platform, Mark Hanna and
his lieutenants continue to regard the
topic as tabooed and will not touch it
even in generalities.
Cotton Futures^
NEW YORK, June 12 -The Sun
says : Cotton advanced 5 to 6 points on
this crop and 3 to 4 on the next, lost
the improvement and declined 4 to 6
points, recovered the loss and advanced
2 to 4 points, closing steady, with sales
of 138,900 bales.
To-day's features : Rains fell in
Southwestern Texas and for a time they
had a '.imewhat depressing efiect. So
also, no doubt, did unexpectedly large
gold exports, the depression in the spot
markets at the South and the stagna?
tion in the dry goods trade Still the
news on the whole was such tba' the
bulls took courage, and prices ultimate?
ly advanced The West Southwest
and Northwest sections of Tezas ?till
need a good deal of rain. At one time
there was considerable selling to-day
by locsl and Western operators, but
August recovered very rapidly, owing
to thc belief thar the leading cjtton
merchants here are b'.iil interested in
August and will put prices op '.vith a
rush if circumstances are favorable.
t?acSi?en'.-? .?.mica Salvo.
Tb; 2 :?; S tire io tire world for Ccia, J.': a iso s
SOTCS. i leers, 3 UEbeun. Fe per Sores," Tetter
Chapped Chilblains, Corns and all
r. irruptions, sad positively caros Files or
p.c Tixy required. Ir is guaranteed to ?ive per?
fect satisfaction, or sonoy refunded. Price
52 coate pe? boz. For sale cy Dr. J. F. VV.De
Lorcno. ^,
ex.-Latest U. S. Gov't Report