Historical Newspapers of South Carolina

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WEDftES&AY, JANUARY 21, 1903. The Swatter Watchman was touhdec io 1850 and the True Southron in 1866. The Watchman and Southron now has the combis?d circulation and influence of both of the old papers, and is mani festly the best advertising medium in Simier. ?. a 60N2ALES. Ill To all who admire a manly man and respect true moral courage and devo tion to prakipie, the sad-, tragic and ?j&imery.defc&fa of N. G. Gonzales, founder a^:^editor of the Colxaabia; S&te, ^jw^fiiftcere? sorrow- And we. know tail ??here are thousands of South Carolinians, who, actuated by these seatj^eais, are today sad at. heart, fo^^jr-ies^Fae 'how great is the-loss^fcf^ ?feateisas sustained,, and a^;fa?5-^&^^-,^t:'<l^ict his lije been. ^^^p'e^S.d,''h^fh continued to be an ikj^cey; ?ealofls and forceful influeace)few 1?e '?jera^oii and better ment of ^$S<?tt& iQarQ&n a; politically and indas^a&y. His- ability 'was great* btftj^ar ?beo^ste honesty and siagleaessof purpose in. the advocacy of iprwc?!^}$^ sake, was greaier:; '.arid it was to this trait of character, and its recognition, even, by those wi?-.' j?ffered most- widely from hi^r.l?ai;.;his great influence was due.- '^.^^^ore'rCombiQ&i abil ity of a 'bi^H'- -.^qatdfir- imffeggiag indns try and c&aracteri and of --these1' the last coun*?e?-raostr and' was the bedrock" upon whw&.&is influence was firmly built. FoVda&re than ten years he has been the most prominent and forceful personality in the newspaper field of I this State^l and that he gained in strength and grew in public esteem is the truest testimonial that he acquit ted himse? well of the exacting duties that that position devolved upon him. His life and his record as a newspaper i man should be a lesson and an inspira tion. To^im journalism was a profes sion, a vocation, not a trade, and he lived up.tofcis high ideals of his call ing. He fcaew not how to "bend the pre^ant-Mngee of the knee that thrift . might f?ljbw. fawning.'' Expediency had no place in his rule of conduct, and neither hope of reward not fear ot consequences could swerve him from the path of duty as he saw it, or cause him to abjure a principle which ^seemed essential. What better tribute cam be paid any one than to say that he was' an honest man, a true friend, 3n open, i outspoken enemy, a public spriied citizen ;who gave his time, his talents aa<? ins life to the service of . &is State; IN. G. Gonzales was all this and more. He fought a good fight, he kept the faith; and he met death as a .brave man should, cool, unafraid' and defying his assassin to h.i& teeth: tot do his worst. To attempt to recite his services to ! the States''or to give his record as an editor would be to rewrite the history of . political affairs for the p?9t twelve years. But.; it is not needful that the effort be-made. It is not required that to obtain a biography of this man we should search among musty and for gotten records. He was & beacon light set upon .a hill: what he was and what he did was known to all people in South Carolina. The record speaks for itself; "that it is good and one to be- proud of there are thousands to testify. Thongh his faults were manvj. yet, when his virtues are set against them and a balance struck, the faults vanish and the virtues remain and shine out ail the brighter. A PRESSING NECESSITY. The time has already come in the history of education in Sumter when the demands for more school room are imperative. It is no longer pro blematical or conditional. The fact, stares us in the face. The Washing ton Street Graded School building is crowded. 1 Extra accommodations have been afforded by dividing tue assembly hall into recitation rooms: but already tbese rooms are full, and the capacity of the building in the primary and grammar grades is taxed to its ut most limit. Under the wise administration of the present -City Board of Education a debt that bss hung over the district has been lifted and now the school is running on a cash basis. Indeed, there will be hereafter a little surplus that will.be sufficient to meet the ex penses of a necessarily increased teach ng force. All that is needed now is more school room. In addition to having lifted this debt of $2,900 the - present board has made impovements in the school buildings that made this amount nearly S5.000. It will be seen, therefore, that the financial in? terests of the school are in safe bands. All public educational progress must cease in our city, however, unless there is made at once some provision for increased school room. As will be seen from our local columns, the City Board of Education after most careful consideration of the whole matter has decided to request the county delega tion to get permission from the Legis lature to allow, the voters of the city of Sumter to determine whether they will issue bonds for the purpose of building a new school bccse . r the j accommodation of the children of Sum , ter. This is the first step prescribed I by law for the issuing of bonds. While obtaining this additional scnoql room it is hoped that a large and commodious building will be erected. For it is only a question of time that this building will be filled also; for the present enrollment of the school is almost double what it was seven years ago, and it will be wise to build for the future. Sumter's schools have a good reputa tion and we feel safe in saying that if our school accommodations be made ample for all who move into our city, that Sumter's population will be very materially increased for this reason alone within the next few years. " -For commercial reasons only a new school building is an end devoutly to be wished and it is hoped for this rea son -and for many others higher and better than this that the people of Snmter will pu}i together without op position or! division for the immediate erection of a new school building; MILES 8. McSWEENEY. _ With the inauguration tomorrow of Go\\.-elect Hey ward the official career of Gov. McSweeney will end?tem porarily at least. We know not what ambitions he may entertain; nor what further honors, if any, await him. He retires ' now to private life among his friends and neighbors who will giadly welcome his return to their midst. As is the case with all public men, Gov. McSweeney has experienced a full share of criticism. He has had his friehds and his enemies?those who Jbave endorsed' his course in the ad ministration of public affairs as Chief Executive and those who have let pass no opportunity for opposition and ad verse- comment. Whatever his mis takes, whatever his weaknesses, they have been of the head and not of the heart. That is our honest conviction. Certain it is that South Carolina has had worse men to rule over her since 1876 than Miles B. McSweeney. Coming into political prominence and power, at a time of great factional strife; when partisan bitterness car ried men to extremes of thought and word and deed, Mr. McSweeney was among the- few who tried to maintain an equilibrium of fairness and justice. As Governor. be has manifested a patriotic purpose to advance the best interests of the State as he has under stood them. To this end he has given to the duties and responsibilities of his high office a breadth and import ance above mere considerations of factionalism. He has tried to be the Governor of the whole people. He has tried to give the people an honest, business-like administration. He has striven to heal factional strife and to bring peace and unity within our bor ders. For these efforts and for what ever measure of success has attended them South Carolina should be grate ful. Our best wishes attend our retir ing Governor. A Difference in Tillmans. A fact that should be distinctly borne in mind by all fair minded peo ple is that Senator B. R. Tillman has no connection with and is in no way responsible for the shooting of Editor Gonzales by JT H. Tillman in Colum bia last week. There is good reason to believe that Senator Tillman never took any stock in his nephew's politi cal aspirations, but be naturally re frained from expressing himself on the subject and has now the common de cency not to publicly condemn Jim Tillman for his cowardly and murder ous act, though he knows it to be such. Whatever may be the faults of Ben Tillman nobody ever charged him with any personal misconduct or at tacked bis private character, for morally and in his home life he is above reproach. People in South Car olina and the immediate vicinity un derstand this distinction all right, but it goeff'out through the North and West and to distant points that "Till man has assassinated Gonzales," "Till man/Shoots an Unarmed Man," etc. and B. R. Tillman bears the odium of it. It is a considerable hardship on him to be loaded with the disgrace of Jim Tillman and there are many people who have no sympathy with his nephew who sympathize deeply with the senator:?Spartanburg Journal. WILL IT BE DONE? Will the murderer of N. G. Gonzales be allowed liberty on bail? We hope not. Let not high position and high influence have so baneful an effect. Justice has been outraged. Lawless ness has been exalted. The second highest official in South Carolina has wantonly stained his hands with in nocent blood. An indignant common wealth cries aloud for, and an injured profession demands vengeance. Not to give it will mean a slap in the face of every duty-bound editor in the land. ?Greenwood Index. In reply to the offer of the citizens of Birmingahm, Ala., of twenty-five car-loads of coal for the poor of New York, Mayor Low has wired that New York can care for its poor, but the city does want anthracite coal. Funeral of Mr. Gonzales. The funeral of Mr. Gonzales at 4 o'clock yesterday afternoon, held from Trinity Episcopal Church was attend ed by one of the largest and most re presentative assemblages ever brought together upon such an occasion. It is estimated that about 1,500 people pack ed every available foot of space in the building, including ailes, vestibule and galleries. In addition to these several hundred, braving the cold and freezing ram, stood on the ground outside throughout the service. With the single exception of that of Gen eral Hampton last April, no larger as semblage has been seen at a funeral in Columbia, and none more representa tive of the city and State. The ex ceeding severity of the weather con sidered, it was remarkable. Gbv. McSweeney, ex-Gov. Shepard, the president pro tempore of the State senate, most'of the members of the general assembly and State officers and scores of leading men from every part of the State were present. Newspaper men from Charleston, Greenville, Sumter, Laurens, Newberry and other larger towns attended. All business places in Columbia were closed during the'funeral hours. Bishop Ellison Capers of the diocese of South X^aro Una, assisted by the Bev. Churchill Satterlee* rector of Trinity Church, and Rev. Dr. Samuel M. Smith, pastor of the First Presbyterian Church of Columbia officiated. The line of vehicles in the funeral procession stretched for five blocks. It was headed by a carriage containing four of the active pall bearers, close as sociates of Mr. Gonzales in his newspaper work. The hearse followed it and afterwards came the remaining pall bearers, family and friends in car riages. The honorary pall bearers were: Ex-Associate Justice A. C. Haskeli, D. J. W. Babcock, superin tendent of the State hospital of the insane; Prof. R. Means Davis of the South Carolina College; State Senator and Ex-Secretary of State J. Q. Mar shall: Dr. B. W. Taylor; John P. Thomas, Jr. ; W. H. Lyles, Charles Ellis, Julius H. Walker, and John A. Crawford, all residents of Columbia. The active pall bearers were ten mem bers of the editorial, business and mechanical departments of The State. Floral tributes were sent from in dividuals, cities, newspapers and organizations all over this State and from beyond the State. No greater number or more elaborate has ever been kown in the State. The funeral service was most im pressive and the great concourse was deeply and manifestly affected. The lesson from the 15th chapter of 1st Corinthians was read by Dr. Smith and the prayers were said by Mr. Sat terlee. Entering the church and pro ceeding the cortege the bishop at the proper time just before the rite was concluded at the church, pronounced part of the committal, later conclud ing it at the grave. This variation from the usual order was made on ac count of the severe weather conditions. The hymns sung during the service by the choir and congregation were: | "Lead Kindly Light," "Nearer My j God to Thee" and "Abide With Me." At the conclusion of the latter, the casket was again placed in the hearse and taken to Elmwood cemetery, one mile and a half distant, a large part of the assemblage attending the funer al party. There the services were con cluded and the interment made, the bishop pronouncing the benediction. | At the grave, "Asleep in Jesus,"; "Jesus Lover of My Soul" and: "Peace, Perfect Peace," were sung by the choir, ^nd a quartette from the Musurgia, which offered its services, ' sweetly rendered "God Be with You ] Till We Meet Again," and, finally,; "Goodnight." Then Mr. Asher P. j Browne of The State softly blew taps on the bugle. The Metropolitan club and Capital. Lodge, No. 10, K. of P., both of which Mr. Gonzales was a member, attended in a body. The members of the Metropolitan club after the ser-' vice in the church, marched to the cemetery in the procession. The oc casion was the second in the history of Columbia in which business has been entirely suspended. STORE CLOSED AND CHURCH BELLS TOLLED IN MANNING. Special to The State. Manning, Jan. 20.?This town is full of sympathy with the family of the lamented N. G. Gonzales and as a mark of respect at the hour of his fun eral all business was suspended, stores closed and the church bells tolled. Louis Applet. A Blot on Carolina's Fair Fame. The following is an extract from an article in the Augusta Chronicle re viewing the Tillman-Gonzales assas sination and the circumstance leading up to it: "While not endorsing homicide as an answer to damaging public arraign ment, candor compels us to say that, had the shooting of Editor Gonzales by Lieutenant Governor Tillman oc curred during the last campaign, there would have been no great wonder; but, having allowed the severe arraignment of The State to go unresented through out the campaign and for several months after it was over, the public had dropped- the matter, as it supposed Mr. Tillman had. The shooting was, therefore, wholly unexpected and came as a severe shock to the people. Hav ing failed to make a personal attack on Editor Gonzales during the cam paign, when, under the heat of excite ment and passion at the severity of The State's arraignment, his action might have been, to a considerable ex tent, excused if not justified, it does seem that when, at this late day, Mr. Tillman decided to take violent mea sures, he should have put Mr. Gon zales on notice. Months having elapsed without action on Mr. Tillman's part, Editor Gonzales had no warning of danger, so far as the public knows, and there is no evidence that he hhd the slighest apprehension of attack or preparation for defense. While, under the law, opprobrious epithets and offensive language are no justification for homicide, still allowance is al ways made for attacks in the heat of sudden passion produced by sucb lan guage. But in this case months had elapsed, when on last Thursday, they met on a prominent street in Colum bia, and without preliminaries of any kind Gonzales was shot down. The sim ple statement of the case carries with it its own condemnation. The day after the tragedy we commented on the horrors of this practice of carrying concealed weapons, and it is a sad commentary on our civilization that one high in authority in a great state not only went around like a walking arsenal, but shot down a political enemy without giving him a chance for his life, or calling him either to retract his charges or defend himself. Physically, Tillman is a much larger man than Gonzales and should not have hesitated to con front him, face to face and man to man, without weapons. Thursday's tragedy has not only cost South Caro lina a valuable life, but is a blot on her fair fame." Local Weather Report. For 24 hours ending 9 a. m., .January 21, 1903: Temperature: Maximum, 38: Mini mum, 34: Mean, 36. Precipitation; 0.1 inches. Character of day/ cloudy with light rains. Direction of wind, N. E. Forecast issued from Washington, D. C, for South Carolina: . Rain on Wednesday: Stationary temperature: Weather conditions: There are storms in the Gulf south west of Florida and in Western Texas, causing general rains over the South Atlantic, Gulf and lower Mississippi Valley States and snows in North Carolina and Western Texas. The ice formation is confined to western South Carolina and North Carolina. F. Prescott-Bullock. Local Observer, U. S. Weather Bureau. Pi i V. ^1 S3 Bj /f'^K? t^cjs >-"<??? 86553 L?RO? THE VE GETABLE F AT SUPEHIOR IN QUALITY AND PURITY TOALL OTHERS ?0 jcM um^yj -ADDRESS? ) '/v lAl'ANNAH.GA. ' .?5 If1 If 1 SOUTHERN COTTON.CHLGOl THE CAROLINAS*? GEORGIA. I i/>j -;-; ?,. : YTTENBERG'S Quantity 2,000 YOI^S Material m INCHES Sale starte TOHlOrrOW Actual values 3 tiO IOC PECIAL ALE ^^^^ A word to the wise, etc , etc. Sumter, S. C, Jam. 16, 1903. Our money-lo?ing sale will positively end on The 2<Mli. There is very little left that we care to lose money on, except some dress goods that Cost us 39 cents, we are selling for 25 cents. We also have several pieces of flannel waist ings That cost us 35 to 37 l-3cts. we are selling at 29cts. We are not anxious to lose any more money on this sale, hut it is your privilege to reduce our hank account as much as you wish in the limited time allowed.