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LIVE QUESTIONS. v A Series of Articles Contributed ny Advanced Thinkers. y. ^ . .. . ' - .;' A FUNDAMENTAL QUESTION - SOME. EVSLS OF OUR PRESENT TAXING SYSTEM. y _ By Frederick JJ. Crcnden, Public libra? rian. St. Louis. 5 g| This would probably raise the Sota! to ,??00,000,000 ($1,000,000,000), which would bear all expenses of the govern ? ment and provide every child in the ??v} kingdom not only with free schooling, but-with food and clothes enough to prolong his attendance to at least 16 years of asre. If you want to regenerate f^h society, give to the people their birth? right in theran d, and yon may dispense with poor relief, outdoor and indoor. S&hskt a spectacle for a Christian coun? try-$1.000,000,000 taken from the peo? ple and $50,000,000? one-twenti?th of the amount, given back to tho!? who axe left usterly destitute! It is as if a band of robbers should "hold np" a train and, af ter securing $100,090 from the express car and the passengers, vol? untarily give $5,000 to.some aick and despairing passengers who represented that they had nothing left These knights cf the road would be'thought not such bad fellows after a?!L The English landowners ara not at all bad "Oh, but these poor people are lazy, thriftless and intemperate!" says Mr. Letalone, Are these dukes, then, such hsrd woriers? Do they work KJ much harder than the coal miners aud dock laborers cb? the clerks and seamstresses, of England? They may be hard working arid useful/ men, or they may be utterly worthless. This does not effect their power to take the earnings of their fel? low xrantrymen. Ju.5t reflect for a moment on some of the figures I gave you awhile aga Here are three men owning on an average over 600,000 acres apiece, a donen or more estates, with palaces, castles and town houses; to match, while millions of their fellow countrymen are without a foot of land or one decent room to shelter them and their families. They lieed nc^ give a'thought to the people who apport them in idleness and lux-** ury. They can have their rents collected by an agent and never see either the tenants or the estates. And what is their title to this land? I can best answer by telling a pertinent anecdote. I have shown you that in Great Brit? ain SS, 000.000 people are the slaves of 5,000. Mest of these slaves belong to 535 nobles, who, as Sir Anthony Abso? lute puts it, took "the estate with the live stock on lt as it stands. " In New Zealand 600,000 must .pay 2,000, some , cf them tho same old masters tbat they I left England to escape, for the privilege' of using the land and the air and the sun? shine there, "Lay not tho flattering unction to your soul" that it is differ? ent here, It is merely a matter of de? gree; and it is gradually but surely growing worse. I use the word "slave" advisedly. * "The ownership cf land in the south is the same pernicious thing it has come to be irv every civilized country in the world," 4'industrial slavery, a slavery : more excruciating in its exactions, more irresponsible in its machinations, than that other slavery which I once en? dured."-Thomas T. Fortune, an ex slave. It was through the acknowledgment cf the ownership of the soil that the Germans lost their political liberty. In a review of the change of the social con? ditions of Europe at the close of the tenth century Stubbs says: "The ideas of individual freedom and political rights have become so much bound up c,witi? the relations created, by the pos? session ?f land as to be actually subserr- ! ient to them. Land has become the sacramental tie of all public relations.^ The poor man depends on the rich, not j as his cnosen patron, but as the ownerfB of the land that he cultivates. " Of course it could not be otherwise. Through a contest of centuries, includ? ing four revolutions, the political lib? erty of the old German tribes has been regained, but political without indus? trial liberty is hollow and self destruc? tive. And to one who studies the sub? ject it becomes self evident that indus? trial freedom is absolutely incompatible with the private ownership of land val? ues. Some one may ask, "How does it happen that nobody perceived the injus? tice of this system and the evils pro? duced by it till Henry George pointed them out?" In so far as this is meant to cast; dis? credit on the reform it has no perti? nence. Some one has to take the initia? tive in every movement for progress and reform. But Henry George was not the first to point out the injustice of private ownership o?and. As the stearn engine and the locomotive were fore? shadowed before the inventions of Watts and Stevenson, as the germs of the Co? pernican theory may be traced back to classic philosophers, so the idea of the injustice inherent in the private owner? ship of land found expression long be? fore Henry George was born. In 1782 there was published a book entitled "An Essay on the Right of Property In Land." The author was William Ogil? vie, professor of philosophy in the Uni? versity of Aberdeen, himself a heredi? tary land owner. I quote from a page opened at random: "The public good requires thut every individual should be incited to employ his industry in increasing the public stock or to exert his talents in the pub? lic service by the certainty cf a due regard. Whoever enjoys any revenue not proportioned to such industry or ex? ertion of his own or of his ancestors is a freebooter, who has found means to cheat or to rob the public and moro es? pecially the indigent of that dis-trict in which he lives. But the hereditary revenue of a great land holder is wholly independent of his industry and se? cure from every danger that does not threaten the whole state, lt increases also without any effort of his and in I proportion to the industry of those who cultivate the soil. In respect of their industry, therefore, it is a taille, or progressive tax, of the most pernicious natur?, and in respect cf tbe land holder himself it is a premium given to idle? ness and inducement to refrain from any active employment and to with . hold his talents, whatever they are, from the service of his country. " She Won Her Bet. The efficiency of the employees of the Jacksonville postoffice was put to a se? vere test recently, when the distribut? ing clerk, came across a photograph with a postage stamp attached and the only direction on it as follows, says the Flor? ida Times-Union: "Deliver to-, Jacksonville, Fla." j Several of the employees were shown tbe picture, which was taken with a j small camera, and which did not show the face of the person photographed \ very distinctly. One of the carriers named Walter G. Coleman, the general traveling agent of the F. G and P. rail? way, was the person. Several of the clerks a5|1 carriers did sot think that it was intended for Mr. Coleman, while others sided with the Bay street carrier. Finally a wager of $1 was made, and the carrier started ont to deliver it When he reached Mr. Coleman's office, that gentleman at once claimed the photograph as one of himself. A week ago or more, while walking along Bay, street, he met & young lady with a kodak, who took a snap shot at him in frost of the Gardner building. She said that if the picture was a good one she would send it to him. It also appears that the young lady won a wager made with her father on the delivery of the photograph to Mr. Coleman with only . the directions above. . Yellow A1a?fc? Cedar. The durability of this timber is forci? bly illustrated by fallen trunks tjat are perfectly sound after lying in the damp woods for centuries. Soon after these trees fall they are overgrown with moss, in which seeds lodge and germinate an d grow up into vigorous saplings, which stand in a row on the backs of their dead ancestors. Of this company of young trees perhaps three or four will grow to fall stature, sending down straddling roots on each side and estab? lishing themselves in the soil, and after they have reached an age of 200 or 300 years the downtrodden trunk on which they are standing, when cut into, is found as fresh in the heart as when it felL-John Muir in Century. He Wa? a Bird. .v Aid (charging furiously up)-Gen? eral, the enemy has captured our left wing. What shall we do? The Commander-Fly with the other. -Philadelphia Inquirer. There is so much sympathy in this country that very often the under dog becomes a dangerous, impudent cur. Atcbison Globe. Magnolia News. MAGNOLIA, S. C., Augus^30. This modest little town is getting io first class trim for the fall trade, and ber live mer? chants have taken unusual paies and display? ed great judgment in selecting a class and j quality of merchandise tb at meet tbe de? mands of the most fastidious. In addi tiou to otherxew stores opened recently we now hare a separate furniture store. A big factory ?3 the next enterprise. The weather for saving forage and picking ' cotton, at this writing, cannot be improved oa, and good use is being made cf it ; but i our enterprising ginuer, Mr. S. Kilpatrick, in consequence of some additional work on his gin bouse, is not quite ready for the cotton yet, which is causing soxe muttering among the planters. 1 think the extreme hot weath? er for the laat four or fire ?eeks has serious? ly injared the cotton and early corn in this section. I call it about one-third off, at least. Mr and Mrs. Ly les Miller have again fa? vored us with the light of their smiling coun? tenances. Rev. Melvin McLeod is convalescing after several weeks illness, to the delight of his many friends and relatives Col. J A. Rbame bas been quite sick, but is much better, j To-morrow will, in all probability, 6ay j who our next senator will be. We hope the j mantle will fall on McLaurin, but just now j we don'f feel exactly comfortable about it, as j past experience teaches OB that people don't j act on their best judgment every time now-a ! days, but prejudice and malice insatiable j swallow np those higher impulses. Anyhow, j and at all events-burrah for McLaurin ! OCCASIONAL. The American Queen. Ian Maclareo bas a new story titled "A ! Scotch Carnival" in the September number of "The American Queen." It is an account of a Scotch fair witb farmers making their bargains, showmen exhibiting their shows, tbe ftkir plyin^-his trade ; worked into it is a charming stG?^ ?f a lover and his lass It is one of tbe best short stories tbat bas ever come from lao Mclaren's pen. Marguerite Meringtoo, the author of "Letterblair" and ? formerly professor of rhetoric and librarian, of Normal College of the City of New York, ? writes on "Old B?ok3 and New." This ar j tide is the first of a series oo tbe books ! women ought to read. Georgs R. Knapp, ! cf the United States Agricultural Bureau, j contributes a timely paper on flowers nod ! plants Mrs. Gesine Lemcke gives a first les I son OD economical cookery, and t?kes the position tbat food, to be good, tasteful and i nutritious, need not necessarily be expensive. \ Claia Louis* Burnham has a delightful short ' !t;ve story io this issue of "The Queen." Mi3S Eraiua M. Hooper edits the Dressmaking i Department, which fills an entire page. The : latest fashions occupy five pages ; the fashion illustrations are copious and treat of the Pail aud Winter styles. "Love Will Find a Way" is continued in this number ot "The Queen." Beside* the at:ove th?re is a de? partment o:' Art Embroidery, Home Deco? rating and Furnishing, a cover ir. colors t>y Irwin Moorhead, represe?t::;g a booting scene; a department on Beauty ar:d tte Toilet, by Mr3. Hull Winterburn ; "Repre? sentative Business Women," by Olive F. Guoby ; "The Guest Chamber," by Marion Laing; also Hmts on Bridal Presc-nts. This September number of "The Americ-tn Queen" is the most brilliant and interesting of tbe year. Copies free at Rettenberg & Sons. PROF. WOODWARD'S LEC . TURE. ! A Notable Address on the EDgush I Bible. j Prof. F. C. Woodward, President of the j South Carolina College, delivered aa able ! and sholarlj, a notable, a?d eioqoent lecture : on the English Bible last night. He spoke I to a large audience of :hs most cultured peo j pie of Sumter, wbo evinced the greatest interest and pleasure bj tbe closest and most absorbed attention while be was speaking and tbe heartiest applause wben be concluded after speaking for nearly an boor. Prof. Woodward introduced bis lecture by saying that be bad been a resident of tbe State for sixteen years and this was bis first visit to Sumter, bat added tbat he bad ac? cepted tbe first invitation-bad the invitation been extended earlier, be would have bad tbe pleasure of addressing the people of Sumter j befare. The speaker gave first a concise resume of the history of tbe Ecg?sb Bible from the ! earliest translation made io England to tbe : Authorized Version wbicb, after more tbao ; two hundred j ears of cse, bas come to be recognized as tbe English Bible of all time. , He showed *l at tbe Bible is not a translation merely, tbe work of one man or set of men of one period, but rather ?be result of a thou? sand years of growth and development in which the very life and strength of the lan? guage is embodied. From tbe historical as? pect of the subj ?ct Prof. Woodward, psseed to tbe . literary valne and great? ness of tbe Bible, and showed conclusively tbat the Bible ie oot only one of the English classics but the greatest aod most influential of them al!, a world classic in the widest ac? ceptation of the term. Tbe influence of tbe ; strong, vir i le,clear and coble style of tbe Bible English npon all English literature was traced j from Chaucer.to the present time. Tbe lecture was concluded with a noble tribute to the Bible, its influence on the spoken and written language io use by millions of English speak? ing people, its purity, its strength, its sim? plicity and its directness-the qualities that make the Eoglisb language great and perma? nent. Prof. Woodward is not only a master of the j subject be discussed, bot of tbe English lan i guage, and of this bis lecture was the most J conclusive proof. It bas never been tbe good i fortune, the pleasure of tbe people of this j city to bear an able, and a more scholarly lecture. Prof. E. P. Moses will lecture to-night in i tbe assembly hall of tbe Graded School, tbe ! lecture beginning at 8.30 o'clock. His sob I ject'wtU be "Tennyson." The public is in? vited to attend. Prof E. S. .Joynes, of tbe South Carolina College, will lecture to-mor? row nigbt at the same place. THE TEACHERS INSTITUTE. ! The Teachers of Sumter Cunty As? semble m Large Numbers. ! The Teachers Institute for the teachers of I Sumter county wa3 organized at 9 30 o'clock j MoBday morninjg^n the Graded School with a j enrollment of thirty five, and tb? regular iosti ? tute work was promptly begun. Supt. W. S. ! Thomson, of tbe Rock Hill Graded Schools ! is tbe director of the institute and bis assis? tants are Prof. E. P. Moses of Winthrop College and Mr. A. M. Rankin, Supt. of the Lancaster Graded Schools. Mr. Thomson lectures on English Grammar, Pref. Moses on Reading and Spelling and Mr. Rankin on Arithmetic. The exercises of the institute begin at 9 30 and continue until 12 o'clock each day. There are. also lectores each nigbt in the Graded School Assembly Hall. Tbe attendance at the institute is expected to be larger during ibe remainder of tbe week than it was Monday, as all of tbe teachers who have signified their intention to attend I bad not yet arrived. Tbe attendance of teachers at tbe Institute Tuesday was nearly fifty and a few others are still expected to arrive. Tbe session was full of interest and tbe teachers j present were greatly pleased with tbe practical I and instructive character of tbe institute { work. Tbe attendance is said to be folly as j; large, if not larger, tb?.u any institute yet ?j held by the gentlemen who are directing it, and great benefit is expected to result to the educational interests of tbe county from tbe institute. The following teachers are attending the Institute : Mrs J J Bronson, Mrs Rosa McLeod, Mrs Lizzie Player, Mrs C V Spann, Mrs L E Stein meyer, Misses Alice Baker, Sarah A Borkette, Julia Cuttino, Lizzie Cottino, Rosa Diokins, Willie Dinkins, Ulrica Dinkins, Mamie Dinkins, Aleine DuRant, Sallie G Ellis, Hannah B Fraser, D F Gaillard, C E Lynam, Evie A Mathis, Adele McLeod, .' eila McLeod, Leila Shaw, Dora M i ch au, Lilian Moses, L Ida Reames, Etta Lee Shaw, F C Sumter, Mamie Warren, Annie Graham, Una Wells, Maggie E Myers, Agnes McCallum, Eva Smith, Messrs JNM Dari?, G W Malooe, L D Spano, Silas Mellett, S M McLeod. E E Fraser, Geo L Dickson, S D I Cain, R B Cain and L V Brown. Running Down a Lie. The Daily Item received the following tele? gram from Manning this morling. Taking it oe its face it is apparent that some one bas been lying on Sheriff Bradbam in hope of injuring Senator McLaurin in the primary to? morrow. The telegram is published to set Sheriff Bradbam right in case he has been misrepresented in this corxmunity. j Manning, Aug. 30.-Sbetff Bradham de i nounces as false ?bat he will support Evans. 1 Says he is for McLaurin first ind last. Louis A F PELT ? ---^w^- -ma^ j September Ladies' Home Journal. The September Ladies' Home Journal, in the variety, interest arid timeliness of its ar? ticle?, and m the beauty of its illustrations, is a notable number of tba; magszice A spirited article by John F. Goyle. "When Henry Clay Said Farewell to the Senate,:' describes the most impressive and dramatic scene ever enacted ia Congress, and another, hy Cb {ford Howard, tells of "Destroyed r. Million Dollars a Day," the task of the re? demption division of our Treasury. Eliza? beth Bisland, in "'The Difference Between Mrs. A and Mrs. P>," defines the exactions that " The Four Hundred," or the domina? ting social circle of communities, imposes on an'aspirant for admission to its r a i< iv s. Protect yourself against sickness and suf feriog by keeping your blood rich and pure with Hood's Sarsaparilla Weak, thio. im? pure blood is sure to result in disease. Hood's Pill3 are easy to take, easy to oper? ate. Cure indigestion, biliousness. 25c. An Old Subscriber. We bad the pleasure S iturday of seeing Mr i Alpheus Baker, of Mayesvjlle. He is ooe of ; the original subscrifceis of the Watchman, ' bis name having never teen off the subscrip- ? tion book since tbe Sumter Watchman was es? tablished forty-seven years ago, and he is al- ? ways a welcome visitor at this office wbeo be is in the city. Mr. Baker is getting along inj ; ears, but he is still actively engaged in farm- ! ing. There are hundreds wno have been subscribers to the Watchman & Soutbron for j tweoty to thirty years, but the original sufc I scribers, wbo commeoced reading the paper with the first number, are not now as numer? ous as they were a few years ago. Lost an Arm. Mr. Tom Osteen, of the Privateer neigh? borhood, fell off a wagon last Thursday after? noon, breaking one arm between the wrist and elbow. Both bones were shattered and the arm was so severely mangled tbat ampu? tation was necessary. Tbe arm was ampu? tated just below the elbow. Base Ball. There was a farmer's picnic at Pocotaligo Friday, given by the colored people of that neighborhood. The event cf the day wes a game of ball between a Sumter nine, managed by Paul R. Moses, and the Pocataligo club-, F. G. Stoney, manager Tbe game was woo by the Sumter team, score 14 to 10. The council chamber on the second floor of the city ball building bas been rented for use as an exchange. The quotations of the New York and Chicago exchanges will be ported regularly, and options on cotton, grain, etc., may be bought. Several members of the council were opposed to renting the council chamber, although it is seldom used, all meetings being held in the clerk aed treasu? rer's office, but the majority ruled and the lease was executed. The exchange was opened for business to-day. Mr. R. H. Tay? lor representing H. W. Sibley & Co., bank? ers and commission brokers, of Richmond, Ya., has charge of the office. The arrangements for opening the tobacco warehouse have been practically consummated by Stuckey & Co., and it will probably be ready for business early next month. It is to be hoped that the warehouse will be re? opened with adequate financial support to conduct the business on a substantial basis. There is no concealing the fact, nor is there any use in denying that Somier bas lost trade by tbe failure to open the tobacco warehouse promptly at the beginning of the season. It will be an uphill business to re? gain the lost gronnd, but if tbe warehouse is conducted on business principles it is certain that tobacco will be brought here for sale, as a great many of the tobacco planters transact their business here and bave been accustomed to sell their crops and buy their goods in Sumter. As soon as -they are assured that they will be paid as much for their tobacco io Sumter as in other markets they will come to Sumter to sell it. The merchants and busi? ness men of tbe city will lend substantial backing to tbe warehouse and will use all of their influence to make the warehouse a suc? cess. Chief of Police Bradford captured two ne? groes Monday who have been systemati? cally robbing tbe stores during the last few days. They are expert sneak thieves and worked together very cleverly. They would go into a store and while one engaged the at? tention of a clerk the other stole whatever gooda came most handy. They got two nair of trousers from D J. Chandler's clothing store that morning, and after they were cap? tured two more pair were recovered, which were identified as tbe property of The Ducker &Bultmaa Co. The store of John Reid was also visited and a lot of caps appropriated. One of the negroes bas been identified by Mr. Murat DeLorme as the man he caught a few nights ago in tbe attempt to enter tbe resir dence of Mrs. B. K. DeLorme. The negroes are unknown here, and it is thought that they came last from Columbia, as some of tbe goods found at the bouse where they were staying bad evidently been stolen from Columbia merchants: They have been put in jail and will go up to the court of sessions for trial at the next term. Chief Bradford bad a loog and bot chase after them on wheel and afoot before be succeeded in runoiog them to earth, and one would have escaped had he not run almost into the arms of Al? bert Weeks, who happened along opportune? ly and arrested the fleeing miscreant in bis precipitate flight. The most recent information relative tb the Ohio River & Charleston Railroad does not give much encouragement to those wbo hope for the early completion of the project? ed extension from Camden to this city. Tbe Ohio River k Charleston railroad officials are treating with the South Carolina & Geor? gia railroad to conclude an agreement for close traffic arrangements between Camden and Charleston over the latter road. It is the purpose, it is said, to anange a through freight and passenger schedule over the two roads from tbe terminus of tbe O. R. & C. at Marion, N. C., to Charleston. If this agreement be made and is found to serve al! purposes for the Ohio River& Charleston, it is not probable tbat tbat system will incur the heavy out'ay for building an independent line from Camden to Sumter and Charleston. It is a significant coincidence that none of the prominent officials of the O. R. & C. bave stated that the road would be built ! through to Charleston from Camden, but that the assertions tc that effect have come from other sources. It has been stated more than once tbat the 0. R. and C. would estab? lish a line to Charleston, but this may be done at much less expense by means of a traffic agreement with the S. C. and Ga., R. R. It is to be boped, of course, that the road from Camdeu will be built, but it is too uncertain to build any calculations on nt present, and will be until the officials of the 0. R. and C. make a definite announcement of their inten? tion to build tbe extension in the near future. Tbe Gaffney City Ledger states in the last issue that a prominent official of tbe Ohio River and Charleston Railroad has announced that the road will complete tbe extension to Spartanburg via Gaffoey City from Blacks burg, on which work is now in progress, at oDce, and will thea proceed to build the Camden and Sumter extension. When the two extensions have been completed the en? tire road will be morigaged to raise money to build across the mountains from Marion, N. C. What the Shakers of Mount Lebanon know j more about than anybody eise, is the use of j herbs and bow to be healthy, j They have studied the power of food. ! j They nearly ali live to a ripe old age. The Shaker Digestive Cordial is prepared j I by the Shakers from herbs and plants with a i special tonic power over '.he stomach, j Ic helps the 3rcrnsch digest its food, and ! I digested food is the strength-maker. Strong muscles, strong brair), ali com' from properly digested food. A sick stomach can he CUP d and digestion j made etisy by Shaker Digestive Cordial. 11 cures the nausea, loss of appetite, pain n the stomach, headache, giddiness, weak? ness and ail the other symptoms ci" indiges? tion, certainly and permanently. Sold by druggists. Trial bottle 10 cents. D. M. YOUNG, ATTORNEY AT LAW. Prompt attention to all business entrusted; to him. Office on Court House Square, in ? Blanding office. i COTTON GINNERS ! Buyers ! You need specially ruled books to keep a correct record of your business. We have the books you need-the best made. We will sell them cheap and want to supply you. We have a full stock of all kinds of blank books, office supplies, stationery, school books, etc. New goods now being received. H. G. OSTEEN & CO, _LIBERTY STREET. SUMTER, S. C, JUST RECEIVED, AT H. Ila I?M \ EXTENSIVE STABLES AND WAREROOMS : One car load Wagons, One car load Lime, One car load Cement, One car load Fire Brick, One car load 4 ft. Standard Laths. One car load Hay, One car load Ship Stuff,1 One car load Cotton Seed Hulls. Persons needing any of the above mentioned goods can obtain lowest prices by calling on him, as he buys by the quantity for cash H. Barby. Sumter, 8. C., August 13, 1897. SHEPHERD SUPPLY CO. 232 Meeting Street, Charleston, S. G. STATE AGENTS FOR SALE OF J Over 200 different styles of Cooking and Heating Stover. Aiso Oil Cookers a?d Healers. We want tbe leading merchant in every town in the State to sell our lioes of Stoves. We guarantee full protection in bis territory to each agent we appoint If no: sold in your town seod direct to us for cuts and prices. Oct 27, Machinery SEE THE LATEST DEERING BALL BEARING MOWING MACHINE Buy none but the Deering ; it is the best up-to-date 3f ower. MACHINERY OF ALL DESCRIPTIONS. BL M. Bloom* Sumter, S, C,