The watchman and southron. (Sumter, S.C.) 1881-1930, April 12, 1905, Image 1

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?|e U?atci)m?? uub Soutfyron. ra? SUMTXB W?TCHHAK, established April, 1850? "Be Instand Fear not-Let all the Ends thoa Aims t at be thy Country's thy God's and Truth's. THE TRCS SOUTHRON, Established Jane, is? Cosolidated Aug. 2,1881. SUMTER. S. C. WEDNESDAY. APRIL 12, 1905. New Series-Vol. XXIV. No. 38 |r Ck M^t?^nan at? Sjuftrm -BY OSTEEL PUBLISHING COMPANY, SUMTER, 8. C, $1 50 per aaaam-io advance. Lt> VISTiei MS ET : Oae Square first insertion.......$1 00 Erery subsequent insertion ... 50 Contracts for three months, or longer will ^ b ' awde at reduced rates. All come; G cica tiona which subserve private interests will be charged for aa ad ver tiemen ts. Obituarios and tributes of respects will be iharged for. NEWS AND C??RBER CRITICISED Taken ?o Task for Editorial On Mc ILanrin's Sumter Speech. Editor News and Cornier: It is with sincere regret that I read your facetious and flippant editorial of industrial conditions and that your v., did speech of Senator McLaurin made ? ?in Sumter last Monday. It seems to me that Charleston has suffered enough at the hands of the News and Courier, which has always: antagonized the masses in every effort to better their condition; you op? posed ns in 1890 by criticising and abusing every man that the farmers -put to the front, with the result that Charleston and the balance of the state was put further and further out of touch, and you might as well un? derstand right now that this a great, hroad movement for the betterment of. industrial conditions, and that your petty flings and cheap wit will be as little appreciated as it was in 1890 Charleston is the seaport city of the State, but the cotton made in South Carolina is going to Savannah, Wiiiaington and Norfolk; they are belog built up and developed at the expense of Charleston and you are -??Tgfc?y responsible for this condition. When the Cotton Convention met in New Orleans the newspapers in that city took it ap and boomed it in ev? ery way they could. They are backing up the leaders and lending the -farm every aid they can. You are doing exactly the opposite, to the injury of the State and the city of Charleston. So far as I am concerned, I wish that every cotton planter would read i* McLaurin's Sumter speech, which you ' \ treat so lightly-in fact inconsistently, ^rvbecanse you admit his speech is pack? ed with truths, and then forget your ?j self and say, "its inferences fell of their own weight," somewhat para? doxical I.should think. How different your editorial from McLaurin's speech so full of good humor, common sense, ^ and through it all breathing much an T exalted spirit of patriotism. Contrast the utterance of this statesman with I your little cheap, flimsy and appar? ently malicious editorial. j I noticed, in your paper a few days ?. ago the quarterly statement from six af* ot the thirteen banks in 'Charleston. I The figures are not by me now, but my recollection is that less than half of the banks in the city showed a de? posit of something like $8,000,000. ' This is an unhealthy sign for your city. It ?hows a lack of business en g^. terprise that should employ this '% money in developing the country. It ; shows that from the accumulations of i past years when farmers did ship their - cotton to Charleston that there still remains enough under wise efforts, to make Charleston the business and banking centre of the State. Why doesn't the News and Courier adopt the broad, catholic spirit of the New Orleans Times-Democrat and Daily States? Why do not your bank? ers come to the front and utilize all this idle money in assisting the fann? ie ers in financing this great movement? ^ It is going to be done, and it will not j help you to "gnaw a*#le." Instead of being littte, why can't you for once be big? Why not take advantage of this sit? uation to put Charleston in closer jjttouch with the rest of the State? Chronic indigestion will wear out the best constitution after a while, and I did hope that yours was cured, and that in these latter days had come a clearer vision and a saner mind that ? would raiie you above petty personal ; ities, badly directed and feebly exe ?.cuted, E. D. HODGE, Coresident Cotton Growers Association, ? Clarendon County. ? A?te&lu, April 5. 1*35- ' Lynn, Mass., April 7.--The .? autopsy on the body of million? te David K. Phillips, who was in the ocean near his home __,y results in a finding death was caused by drown Tbis sets at rest the theory the millionaire met with LEE COUNTY WINS SUIT. SUPREME COURT SAYS DEBT TO SUMTER NEED NOT BE PAID NOW. The Claim of Sumter Declared to Be \ Just But It is Held That It Should Not Be Paid Until the Claim of Kershaw County is De? termined. Columbia, April 5.-In ?he case of the ..Sumter county" commissioners to compel Lee county to pay its part of the??ld c ourrty debt, the Supreme court today rendered an opinion re? versing the circuit court and dis? missing the petition for mandamus. T|? amount, with interest, due Sumter, is $7,434 and is found to be just^'but the court decides that, in asmuch as Kershaw's account, which has;<not been fully determined, will likely*exceed "$4,000, and that with the $10, Og Ot raised from the Lee county bond?t, the accounts of both counties cannot be paid in full and that, there forej^ft will be unjust to pay Sumter in f|S, wjfei the Kershaw bill is agreed upon^the court directs payment in full 4?. both, if this is possible, other wise^the fund is to be prorated. M FLEET AT "?SoR. ADMIRAL RODJESTVENSKY'S FLEET LOCATED OFF NANKI ISLAND. Reported in Tokio That the Russians Are Seeking to Avoid an Engage? ment With Admiral Togo's Fighters. London, April 10.-The news today of the Russian Baltic fleet is contained in a dispatch to Lloyds from Singa? pore. The steamer Gregory which has just arrived there repoits * 'passed at 1 a. m. today the Russian fleet an? chored twenty miles northeast of ?Canki, one of the Anamba Islands." There has been no contlrrrmt?onr of the report that Admiral Rojestvensky is not with the squadron. They Don't WTant a Fight. Special to^?he Daily Item. Tokio, April 10.-Messages received here say that Rojestvensky is seeking to avoid an engagement with Togo's fleet. Rojestvensky's Rendezvous. Special to The Daily Item. Singapore, April 10.-A confirma? tion of wthe report that Russian fleet is headed toward the Anamba group of islands was brought by the steamer Radnorshire on her arrival today. This vessel reports sighting the Baltic fleet at 1:40 p. m. yesterday afternoon five miles from Pulodamar, and pro? ceeding toward Pulomenti. Poloda mar is one of the Anamba group farthest southwest. Tre steamer also saw four warships, apparently Japa? nese war vessels, on! Cape St. James (Cochin China) on April 7. Rear Admiral Enkirst, who was in command of the Russian squadron, passed here Saturday. Anamba Isl? ands are in the China sea and lie about 150 miles northeast of Singa? pore. The pur pose of the Russians in anchoring near these islands is not clear. It is considered likely that Ad? miral Rojestvensky selected the isl? ands as a place of rendezvous. Amsterdam, April 10.-A telegram from Batavia, Island of Java, says the Russian fleet is reported ofJ Banca Island. It is expected this fleet will ar? rive at Batavia. It is bilieved that this fleet is Admiral Rojestvensky s squad? ron of battleships. PRRIVATEER NOTES. Privateer, April 10.-Privateer was visited by a light hail storm last Wednesday afternoon, but haven't heard of any damage being done by it. Oats are looking well, think there will be a good crop of them made this year. Cotton has the undivided attention of the farmers just now. Misses Tallulah and Edna Ramsey spent Friday in Sumter. Miss Daisy and Katy Lide are spending some time in Orangeburg. Mrs. S. M. Ramsey, of Statesburg, visited her mother, Mrs. Henrietta Lynam, last week. Miss Emma Geddings spent Saturday and Sunday at her home in Paxville. Mr. E. W. Rivers spent several days last week at Silver with his daughter, Mrs. I. E. Mires. Mrs. Jenkins' little daughter, Ma? rie, is reported quite sick. Mrs. Graham Pritchard was taken suddenly ill this afternoon. Newport, R. I?, April 8.-The exec? utors of the Gordon McKay estate to? day sold the place of Jekyl Island, Ga., to John D. Rockefeller. NEWS FROM THE STATE CAPITAL. COUNTY TREASURERS MUST NOT SHOW PARTIALITY. Attorney General Decides That It is Unlawful to Collect Taxes After March 15-Investigating the Wreck on the Southern. By W H. McCaw. Columbia, April 6.-Attorney Gen? eral Gunter has rendered Comptroller Jones an opinion in which he declares that it is unlawful for a county treas? urer to collect taxes after the 15th of March, at which.time the law says ex? ecutions shall be issued. The ruling effects practically every county in the State, as. the treasurers have for ? number of years fallen into the cus? tom of favoring taxpayers, particular? ly influential ones, by allowing pay? ment after the expiration of the time fixed by law. The penalty is only 7 per cent, all told, and many wait until the very last day to pay. The decision therefore affects many taxpayers. . * . The hearing before the railroad commission to determine the cause of the Sunday morning wreck on the Southern at Badham will be held on the 18th, when Superintendent Hecth er of the Charleston division, the crews of the tw trains, and the tele? graph operators at Branchtille, Reeves and St. George will testify. An interesting accounting for the collision came to your correspondent today from a member of the fi eight crew, who says that the freight con? ductor seeing that Engineer Reid was not going to stop at Reeves gave or? ders to sign him down and back back into the Reeves siding. In accordance with these orders the breaks were ap? plied at the rear* but some time was required getting by a number of cars of old make to the airbreaks cars to? ward the front of the train, and before the train could be stopped the crash came. According to this train man Engineer Refd acknowledged 'after the accident that he was to blame for the crash. The understanding among the crew was that the train would stop but it is supposed that Rei 1 surmis? ing by hv: v.atch which was slow that he had plentyof time to make the next station decided to pull, on by Reeves. The Saluda Power Company, capi? talized at $300,000, was chartered hy? the secretary of state today. The headquarters of the concern is to. be at Greenville. A. G. Furman is presi? dent, A. L. Scott secretary and E. F. Green treasurer. Mr. Lewis W. Par? ker is a member of the directorate. The scarcity of labor in the cotton mills of this state is becoming a se? rious matter. At a meeting of mill presidents in Spartanburg yesterday a committee was appointed to see what can be 'p e toward importing opera? tives fro various parts of North Carolina. THE END OF MAGNOLIA. The Town Has Been Incorporated Un? der the Name of Lynchburg. Mognolia, April ll.-As a result of the municipal election here on the 7th Mr. M. L. McIntosh as intendant and Messrs. S. C. Kilpatrick, T. Gor? don Griffin, J. A. Hickson and Geo. W. Stokes as wardens, were duly sworn in. They will elect a clerk or secre? tary and treasurer tonight. Appilca j tions are now in order for the position of policeman. There is so far only one applicant for that position the sal? ary for which is $30 per month. The vote for a change of nama to Lynchburg was unanimous, so the town is incorporated under the latter name-Lynchburg. The voting contest Saturday night resulted in the election of Miss Viola McIntosh, daughter of our intendant, as the prettiest young lady in town, for which a handsome diamond set gold ring was awarded to her. The young men paid dearly for that ring. Miss Viola appreciates the compliment paid her. The hail storm in this place Satur? day evening was the severest that we have had in a number of years, and while quantities of leaves were beat? en from the trees the damage to gar? dens and young fruit was insignificant. The oat crop' in this part of the country is certainly fine, so far. Messrs. Lee Kilpatrick, John and Ernest McIntosh, Clifford Hickson, Dr. Tennant and several others from this place are having a big fish fry on Lynch's river today. TKe numerous fish traps in the river are well patronized this season. Some times the wrong man goes to the trap and then-:-oh, then, the rightful owner is minus-the other fellow is plus-we have a feeling-a feeling for^ the poor over-burdened" trap,/ and...a feeling, a tender feeling for the con? tents and his portfolio.. - NO INCREASE. President Smith Nails the Tag Tax Story-Farmers are Reducing. The following was given ont for publication at the Columbia office of the Southen Cotton association. It is from the state president, M.r E. D, Smith ; "In view of the wide spread publi? cation and the impression made.on the public that the use of fertilizer has been increased rather than de? creased* and as it is the object and office of this association to keep the pubic informed as to the situation in reference to the reduction of acreage and fertilizers and all matters per? taining to the welfare of tue farmers we wish to state some facts : 1. As to the report of the increase use of fer? tilizer, II am in receipt of the follow? ing from H. M. S tack bo use, secretary of the fertilizer department, Clem? son Agricultural coHege^gwho has charge of the tag department. This letter ia .in resporse to the inquiry made bj?*ni9 of him in reference to the large sale of taffs. fie replies as follows : Clemson College, S. C., March 22, 1905. Hon. E. D. Smith, Magnolia, S. O Dear Sir: I see intfe.-views with you in the papers as to the amount of the tag tax'along the line of your "phone conversation in Columbia a few days ago, but the line was busy at the time and your voice very indistinct, was not sure I heard you correctly, and only press of work has hindered this writing earlier. Am getting frequent inquiries from boards of trade, cham? bers of commerce, etc., of other states as to the amount, but did not answer as I believed.it for speculative purposes. However, the news men get reports from state treasurer and incorrect reports sometimes get in the newspapers. Z The amount however is not less than stated and about the same as last year, we thins at least $110,000 of this comes from increased sales for cotton seed meal which for stock food pays the tax this season for the first time. Then the salesman and manufacturer i of fertilizers say that anticipating orders they supply them? selves with tags knowing that if not needed they can be redeemed with new ones after Nov. 1, and they admit aggregate sales to. date considerably less than last year. So you correctly say these sales are not reliable indica? tion of the fertilizers used any given season. In the effort to reduce cotton crop which means so much for the south, I shouldfbe sorry to think the farmers would not stand pat" on it or let narrow selfish considerations of supposed present gain wreck their own and best interests of entire coun? try for years to come. Yrs. very truly, H. M. Stackhouse. "As he states at least $10,000 or 40, 000 tons comes from increased sale of cotton seed meal foi feed purposes. Up to June, 1904 all meal fo? feed purposes was exempt from the privi? lege tags: Hundreds of tons were bought for fertilizer purposes shipped as feed stuff; thereby avoiding the tag tax His estimate in my estima? tion is a very conservative one. Again farmers this year have exchanged seed for meal in larger quantities than ever known before in the history of the state. One reason for this is because the price of cotton bas drop? ped so low and the price of guano re? maining the same'as it was last year that they have substituted meal for the ammoniated stuff. Then aeain we have made inquiries from the Pied? mont and Pee Dee sections of the state and from the middle sections and the replies indicate that the ac? tual amounts nf guano bought by the farmers for this year's consumption does not exceed 60 per cent, of last year. WEDGEFIELD NEWS. Local and Personal Items That Inter? est Our Neighbors. Wedgefield, S. C., April ll.-Mr. E. A. Jenkins, accompanied by Mr. Harby Moses and three ladies, came over in his automobile this morning; two negroes on mules brought up the rear as !f expecting a wreck, and some one remarked that it must be a "mulesmobile." Mrs. J. S. George and children, of Chicora, Berkley county, are visiting relatives. Miss Hallie Singleton is spending the week at Mr. W. O. Cain's in Pri? vateer. Mr. Joe Wilson, of Smithville, came down yesterday to inspect his home, which he had built on the ground where one was destroyed by fire last June. Dr. M. L. Parler left for Greenville today to attend the meeting of the State Medical Association. Mn J. D. Huggins stopped over with Mr. Peter Mellett last nigKt. on his way up the country. * - Mr. Virgil cPlatte, of Charleston, spent Saturday and Sunday with his j sister, Mrs. M. I*. Parler. Tokio, April 7.-?An impor? tant war conference; which last? ed five hours, was held today at the-fhouse of Premier - Katsura. Jtrfras attended by Marquis Ito, Field Marshal Y?fifagata, Counts Matsukata and Me? ine vye and the ministers of war, marine and foreign affairs. ttlflE JORDAN TALKS. Enlightening Review of the Whole Cotton Situation. What the World Needs and Will Use, and What Amount the South Can Produce at a Profit. . Atlanta, April 8.-President Harvie Jordan, of the Southern* Cotton Asso? ciation, bas prepared since his retnrn from Texas and the other western States, an article regarding the con? sumption of American cotton in the markets of the world, showing exactly the amount necessary to supply the demand. Mr. Jordan points cut that the southern people are still holding on to their cotton everywhere, and that this holding coupled with the vigorous campaign mad*) by the asso? ciation has helped keep the price up. He shows clearly that another such crop as the one of last year would re? sult disastrously to the South. Mr. Jordan says : "The American cotton crop of 1904, as recently estimated by the United States census bureau, amounts to practically 13,00,000 bales. Of this amount 200,000 are yet to be ginned and abont 250,000 bales are what is known as linters, or the lint ginned from the seed at the cotton oil mills. This amount of cotton is far in excess of any crop previously grown in the South. The last bumper crop was made in 1898 and amounted to 11,270, 000 bales. The crop of 1904 therefore, exceeds the crop of 1898 by fully 2J4 million bales. '1 The consumption of American cot? ton by the .ailis of the world at the present time will amount to 11,000 000 bales per annum. If the present rate of consnmption is maintained, we shall still have nearly 234 mililon bales from the crop of 1904 to carry over into the fall of 1905 and to be added to the crop which will be harvested during the present year. "The enormous crop of 13,600,000 bales recently reported from the census department is, no doubt practically correct as the bureau claims to have had reports from all the ginners operating in the south and the esti? mate of the crop was based upon those reports. If we have a surplus of 2 "4 million bales and the consumption of American cotton is not more than 11*4 million bales per annum. It is quite evident -th at a crop greater than 90. COO, - 000 bales the presentjear would sim? ply put the producers in a position of having surplc? and thereby depre? ciating the price of cotton next fall to a figure considerably below the cost of production. Even the production of a normal crop> in .1905, added to the sur? plus, would give cs another abnormi nally large crop. ? "We have been able to retard the downward tendency in the price cf cotton for the past two months be ! cause of the persistent holdings of spot cotton and the promise on the part of the prodncsrs that the acreage would be largely decreased in 1905. If, however, ou the 3d day of June, when tbe bureau report is issued by the United States government, the acreage in cotton for 1905 is shown to closely approximate that of 1904, it will be utterly impossible to mala? ta iu present prices for cotton, and tpe tendency will be downward the bal? ance of the year. In the face cf tie census bureau report and the undis? puted fact that a heavy surplus is to be carried over into the crop of 1905, it would appear foolhardy indeed for the growers of cotton to madly rush forward and recklessly engage in the planting of another large acreage of cotton during the present spring. "There is br.t one way out of the dilemma in which we are now placed. The task is not a difficult one if every man will do his full duty in the premises. That duty is tri reduce the cotton acreage on every farm planted in 1904 by at least 25 per cents for 1905, and at the same time make a corresponding reduction in the use of commercial fertilizers under cotton as compared with the quantity used in 1904. There is absolutely no other way of solving the present problem which confronts the cotton growers of the south and to meet the emergency as it at present exists. BUREAU REPORT ON ACKEAGE. "Under the present systematic method of gathering statistics by the United States government it will be utterly impossible for the cotton growers to deceive the public as to the amount of cotton acreage put into cultivation during the next 60 days. The United States department of agri? culture, through its thousands of cor? respondents in the cotton belt, will have prepared a carefully tabulated statement, which will be issued on June 3d, stating the namers of acres of cotton that will be planted in the south this year. If this report shows a general decrease in acreage of 25 per cent., then the problem of south? ern prosperity during the year 1905 will be solved. If, however, the re? port indicates but a small decrease, OT shows practically the same acreage as that of 1904, no power under heaven can stop the immediate downward tendency in the price of cotton, and financial ruin and disaster will pre? sent itself to every line of business and all the professions in the south within the next eight months. The attention of the entire cotton world is terned at this time upon the action of the cotton growers and they have now the practical control of the entire sit? uation. - The'demand for cotton goonda is un? precedented, and with a full supply of cotton on hand, every mill will be operated to ita fall capacity during the next twelve months. Therefore, if the acreage is reduced 25 per cent and the spot holders of cotton con? tinue in their present determination to refuse to sell their cotton ai exist? ing prices, there can be no question that as soon aa the acreage has been definitely ascertained showing the reduction which is ??ked the price of cotton will imm?diat ly advance to a figure which will give to every farmer A MATTER OF HEALTH ^^^^^ ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^ ^^^^ POWDER Absohrtely Pore Jt?$ MO SUBSTITUTE whe bas held bis cotton a fair profit upon its production. There is nc? business -sense in producing cotton at a loss. It;.would be better for the in? dividual to plant no cotton at all than to spend .' the energies of the year im producing; a staple which when placed uopn the. market will notbring enough money to* pay for the cost of its pro? duction, it is a well established fact that no material can be woven into cloth in? .competition with America!* cotton upNto 14 cents per ponnd. The southern .'cotton growers, therefore,: have a practical monopoly of the* clothing business of the world when the price* of their staple is not ad? vanced t?^a figure beyond ten or twelve cents per pound. The only s& tive competitor of American cotton* at this time is American cotton-in other words, our own staple is compet? ing against itself in the markets of the country, due to the fact that we* have raised more of it than the world can consume, and the surplus is be? ing used as a hammer to depess the price of that part of the>crop which is actually needed for-immediate con? sumption. Another important factor is that we * have pactically no system' of marketing the cotton crop, selling it with an utter disregard of the demand and putting an enormous over supply on the market during a short period of time and allowing the price to be controlled almost entirely by specula? tion. . ' We can successfully maet the first ' difficulty by curtailing toe production? in 1905 to meet the legitimate demand* for consumption in 1906 by decreasing* the acreage and not making the crop more than 9,OOO,COO bales the present ' year. Ve can successfully meet the second difficulty by encouraging the immediate construction of a first class system of modem up-to-date standard warehouses throughout all important points in tba cotton belt, where our cotton can be stored and handled at a minimum cost and sold slowly to meet the legitimate demands of the? mills. The cotton mills would|great ly prefer a stable price for cotton and are quite willing to pay a minimums price of 10 cents per ponnd for all the cotton they need for consumption. Every cotton grower must begin to> realize that the low price cf his cot? ton is largely fixed by the manner ia which be - sells it and that if we ex? pect to mantain prices at protfiable figures, -we must get rid of the olc> primitive methods of selling the crop* as fast as it is gathered and begin tc sell the staple as the wetsern wheat raisers sell their wheat, that is by placing the product upon-the market as it is demanded for consumption and not'sell it subject to the fluctuat? ing values brought about by specula? tion. LOVE AT FIRST SIGHT. Hotel Cierk Secretly Weds- Mil? lionaire's Daughter. Chicago, April 7.-A dispatch to? The Inter-Ocear? from Hot Springs, Ark., says: Miss Pearl M. White? daughter of former Congressman W_ J. White, the millionaire manufac^ turer of Cleveland bas been secretly marrried at St. Lukes Episcopal: church to James T. Bancroft, wbc* three weeks ago, was a clerk behind; the desk of one of the prominent hotels of Palm Beach, Fla., The wedding was the culmination off a romance which started with love at first sight. Bancroft gave np his posi? tion on the second day after meeting Miss White. His nome is in Brook line. Mass., and ho is 55 years of age,. His parents are poor. The couple have left for the bride's home. THE FIRST DOLLA? S1YED IS .THE BEST. The Sumter Banking and Mercan? tile Company, of Sumter, S. C., will open a saving department and receive deposits of one dollar and over on which 5 per cent, per annum will be allowed, payable quarterly. The way to have a bank account is to start, and you will find it easy : enough to keep it growing. Save your pennies and nickles and you will soon have dollars. Call and get particulars as to in? erest, deposita, etc. Deposits, subject te check solicited? SUMTER BANKING AND MERCAN* TILE COMPANY, Sumter, S. C. Mar 21-tf JL . ?