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GIVEN AWAY WLEY To the farmer who will haul to the front of our store on Saturday, May 6th, not later than 12 o'clock, the greatest number of people on one vehicle, whether said ve? hicle has two wheels, four wheels or a dozen wheels, drawn by horses, mules or oxen, we will present free, with our compliments, one S25.00 BUCK COOK STOVE The only condition of this offer is, that you halt in front of our door, 28 N. Main Street, Sumter, S. C., and allow us to count passengers in your vehicle. Let every farmer in the surrounding territory contend for this Buck Stove. Iff= Yours truly, BEWLEY HARDWARE CO. P. S.-=-Should there be a tie, the stove will be turned over to parties so tieing, and they can arrange that among themselves. Bewley Hardware Co. Cjp.S&tftj^ at? <^io%fliL WEDNESDAY, MAY 3, 1905. The Sumter Watchman was rounded in 1850 and the True Southron in 1866. The Watchman and Southron nov bas the com? bined circulation anu influence of both of thc ?id papers, and i? manifestly the best advertising medium in Sumter. What has become of the committee appointed by the Chamber of Com? merce to make a canvass of the city In the interest of the Uve Stock and Poultry Sohw to be held in this city this fail? * ? * Commissioner Watson should locate . aifew of the truck growing immigrants in Surnter county. They would sue ceed here and their success would be Plgttse best possible advertisement of the State and the Bureau of Immigration * * * "Our fire alarm system!" When a ' citizen'is away from home and makes . use of that expression he should stand .".-erect; throw his shoulders back and "'say lt in a deep base voice (on the hot air order)-it sounds good. * . . The Employers'. Association of Chicago say they have $1,000,000 with . ' which to fight the striking teamsters and break up their union. The gover? nor would hardly let them have the ose of the military for that amount. * . ? Already the name of Gen. Joe Wheeler has been metnioned to sue ? ceed the late Gen. Fitzhugh Lee as president of the Jamestown Exposi? tion. A better selection could not be reade. * ? <. ?t seems that the wreck of the Og? den special was due to gross negli? gence on the part of somebody. It is boped the railroad commission will ase every effort to find out just who is ' responsible and see to it that they are made to suffer. It was unfortunate ?hat it should have happened in this section of the South, as there arv, we are sorry to say, many enemies still in the North would be only too glad to make capital out of this unfortu? nate occurrence. * * * The only way that a consumers' ice factory could be made a success in competition with the cut-throat opposition, such as the People's Ice factory encountered during its brief j existence would be to secure contracts v with consumers for a term of years at s a. price that would give a margin of c profit on the cost of manufacturing, p In this way a consumers' factory tl would be made independent of ^com- "V petition and the public would obtain ice at a reasonable price. If a suf? ficient number of people will agree to enter into such contracts there will be no great difficulty in securing tho establishment of an indpeendent fac? tory in this city. . . ? The Ogdenite picnic in Columbia has passed into history and we can only hope that it has been productive of good results. Excellent addresses were delivered by a number of dis? tinguished gentlemen and their words of hope and cheer should prove in? spiring to the educational workers in the ranks who were fortunate enough to be able t o attend the conference. Nevertheless .the people of the South must always bear in mind that in the future, as in the past, the real work for the educational upbuilding of th? South must be done by Southern men, with Southern money raised by taxa? tion of Southern property. . .. . . Instead of forcing Governor Hey? ward to serve a third term it will be a good plan to have a general clear? ance of state house officers at the next election. It is time to discontinue the system of rotation from one office to another or from a clerkship to a state office. In recent years there has . ?rown up somewhat of a state house i ring and it is time to put it out of ? business entirely. Governor Hey- 1 ward's election broke the slate three 1 fears ago, but the rotation in office :rowd still has a pretty strong grip on ;he state house. ( . * * s The farmers of this country are x urning loose their cotton at a rapid ^ .ate the streets for some days bear- t ng a striking resemblance to the cot- \ on season from the many cotton- a aden wagons drawn up in front of he stores. The bottom seems to have iropped out of the holding movement md the speculators and others who c vant cotton are getting it at their own ^ >rice. The outlook is gloomy for the 1 Cotton Growers' Association. If the r :eason is propitious and a big crop of rotten is produced this year we look o see cotton selling for 5 cents in 3 September and October. The only sa.1- r 'ation of the South is a short crop of S rotton. It is not too late to reduce c he cotton acreage and plant other a reps that can be utilized at home. The election Wednesday proved con- f iusively that the peep).- of Sumter ia- t or the purchase of the waterworks e ystem and that they agree with the a ity council that if the city ever ex- ii ects to own the waterworks now is n iie tim? to purchase it. The vote e ?Tdenseday, coupled with the petition li of freeholders asking council to order the election, leaves no doubt of the almost unanimous sentiment in favor of municipal ownership. * . . There is no necessity for plan tins cotton in this country. There are many other crops that can be grown with less trouble and at greater profit If the farmers who are now scouring the country for hay and-fodder would plant enough pea vine hay for their own use they would be better off, but if they would plant enough to supply the demand that is now met by car? load after carload of Western hay they would make money. There is a profit in growing and selling hay at $15 to $18 a ton. * . . Strawberry culture is one of the neglected opportunities of this sec? tion. Some of the finest berries we have ever seen were grown right here in Sumter and the berries mature and are ready for shipment as early as they do in Chadbourne district. The season opened at Chadbourne last Saturday with the shipment of thirty seven cars of 300 crates each, and on Monday seventy-five cars were ship? ped. Strawberries are a very profita? ble crop when grown in sufficient . quantity to ship in car load lots. We | ( have seen it elsewhere that the aver- ! I ige profit in the Chadbourne district j , last season was $300 per acre. This < beats cotton at 10 cents a pound. . * * * ( Chairman Shonts of the Panama : ?anal Commission, has declared him- ' self to be too good a railroad man to : msettle railroad tariffs by interfering ? vith the excessive rates so long main- ? ained by the monopolistic agreement c >etween the transcontinental railroads \ md the Panama railroad. a * * * 1 President Roosevelt has been re- 1 ailed from his campaign against the l Colorado bears and bob cats to take lp thc Struggle with Castro, the wild nan of Venezuela. * . * The new railroad via Bishopville to ^ JcBee and Bethune will make Sumter g ?reeminently the railroad centre of louth Carolina and will increase the ^ otton recipts of this market at least . third. * * . 1) The city of Sumter can worry along r or thr next three or four years with c he electric light servier ii has endur- \\ d for the past six <>r seven without \ modification of the contract at an ti icreased expense. When a change is ti lade it should be as the result of the t< stablishment of a municipal electric u ght plant. a ? Governor Heyward is a good man and has made an excellent chief mag? istrate, but it borders cn the ridiculous to set up the claim that it is necessary to the well being of the State to give him a third term. We have too good an opinion of D. C. Heyward to imag? ino for an instant thal: he would con? sent to be a candidate for a third term, and we are too good a friend of his to urge him to do what would be not only improper but unnecessary. The State of South Carolina is not yet so poor that it possesses only one man suitable for governor and must work him over time. There are oth? ers besides the three Newberry can? didates who aspire to the governor? ship, and barring the aforementioned Newberry office-seekers, there is good material to select from. Richard I. Manning is our first choice, of course, but there are others who could and would fill the office acceptably. * * * A member of the legislature made an excellent suggestion today, viz: that th? city council set aside an? nually not less than $3,000 of the dis? pensary profits received by the city for the purpose of accumulating a fund sufficient to esta.blish an electric light plant in connection with the wa? terworks when the present contract with the Electric Light Company ex? pires. It is a suggestion worthy of jonsideration, for all disinterested ci :izens are agreed that the city must eventually own its own lighting plant, rhe amounts now paid to the Sumter ?Vater Company for hydrant rent and he Sumter Electric Light Company or street light rent, aggregating more han $6,000 per annum, will pay the >perating expenses pf a combined waterworks and electric light system md leave the receipts from private >arties to pay interest on the invest? irent and create a sinking fund for he retirement of the waterworks >onds at maturity. )EATH OF MK. FRANK N. WILSON Manning, April 30.-Mr. Frank N. Vilson. one of the most highly re pected citizens of this county, died t his home in Manning at an early ?our this morning after an illness of nly a few days. He was 60 years ld and for the past 25 years has een an active insurance agent, rep esenting a line of the strongest fire ompanies. He was an uncle of So citor Wilson, father of Mrs. Fred Williams of Columbia and has re?a- ? ves in Williamsburg and York coun es. He was an elder in the Presby ?rian church, a highly honorable and pright man and hid the esteem of ll who knew him. a The Art Pquare is rapidly taking the place of Carpets as a floor covering and rightly it should. It is easier to handle and much more economical. In ingrains we have a good selection of patterns in the popular sizes 3x2 1-2 at $3.50. 3 x 3 at $4.00. 3 x 3 1=2 at $4.50. In Wool ingrains the patterns are very handsome and prices ieasonable. 3x2 1-2 $4.50. 3x3 $5.50. 3 x 3 1=2 $6.50. 3x4 $7.50. MOQUET ART SQUARES 'The Patterns in these are very handsome, being of the rich red and green mixed in one size only 9 x 11 at $19.50. Tn the selection of our rugs we pay a great deal of attention to patterns, and the assortment will be found very attractive. Our stock comprises all sizes in moquettes and smyrnas. We are selling a 4x7 SOFA RUG AT $4.00. Fancy China Mattings in a choice selection of patterns at 16, 18, 20, 25 and 35 Cents. Our China Matting at 25 cents has no superior. Jap Mattings in White and Fancy at 20, 25 and 35 cents.