University of South Carolina Libraries
-;-7~ C|? i?attjrm?tt at?? &rrtjrm WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 18, 1905. ?<-?-a-^M^---i^-?-a The Sumter Watchman was founded in 1850 and the True Southron in 1866. The > Watchman and Scuthron now has the com? bined, circulation and influence of both of the odd papers, and is manifestly the best advertising medium in Sumter. . HOLD YOUTJR COTTOX. The meeting in the Opera House to? oday was surcharged with the fighting spirit, it could be felt in the atmos? ph?re like electricity*, and for the first time since the Southern Cotton Grow? ers' Association began the fight for fair prices for cotton have we been .conscious of a deep earnestness and .deadly determination in a meeting ?ie?d here. The fighting spirt has been \ aroused at last and there is now no "Tjiioubt of Sumter county doing her full ?hare in a fight to the finish. The j meeting was not 'demonstrative, had I there been more noise it would have j been less significant and impressive To ! one who has been an interested and i ?critical onlooker in all sorts .of pub? lic gatherings in Sumter for the past fifteen years, the meeting today was j the most significant in his experience, j 3t was a gathering of men whose j minds were ready for the reception j ?of an idea; the idea was fittingly put j into words by Daniel J. Sully and 'driven home by the dramatic earnest- j Ress and fervid ' eloquence of E. D. j Smith. The meeting was held at the oppor- j tune miment, the crowd was in sym pathy with the speakers. They had a personal and hard-bought knowledge Of the subject to be discussed and the "facts laid before- them and the argu? ments made in advocacy of a united j ?and determined fight to wrest from ! the hands of speculators and grasp- ! trig manufacturers the right to fix the. j ?price of cotton, served to crystalize the sentiments of the crowd and make .of them a fixed purpose. T^ie men who heard Messrs. Sully ?nd Smith speak today know far bet? ter than any man could tell them the results of being forced to sell cotton tor less than it costs in time and money and effort to produce it Some Of them have lost the land which was their's by inheritance and are now I tenants; others have struggled on j year after year burdened with debt, j cndnring poverty and the hardships that it entails, hoping against hopo for a better day that seemed too long ? in coming. The feeling that they -Jaare been the helpless victims of 3hssssh ?njustice and relentless oppres .'/.stor:, 3s ingrained in their conscious- j ."?ness and it needed only the occasion -?nd the eaijl to arouse them to discard ^?he attitude of passive endurance and - to sird themselves for a determined -fight for their rights. if every cotton grower in Sumter ?oonn?y could have been in the meet- j ?feg today there would be no more ? cotton sold on this market until the . prise of cotton advanced to a parity 9ith its real value. Wnile the speeches of Mr. Sully and ySx. Smith were excellent, their chief value and their undoubtedly great effect upon the audience were due .more to the fact that they came -at the right time than to the elo .cjotenc and logic with which the facts ' "were presented. THE MURRAY CASE. The case of George Washington Murray, former congressman, the largest land owner in Sumter county and the convicted forger, is one of more than ordinary importance. Dur? ing the pendency of the case in the "Court of General Sessions and while ii was in appeal before the Supreme ?Court we refrained from comment, publishing only the facts as devel? oped in the coursa of the triai, since ?t is not, in our opinion, the province . of a newspaper to express opinions respecting any cause that is before the courts, or may come before them, ?or determination, for the reason that ?opinions so publicly expressed may ?exert a prejudicial effect cither for or against the person or persons whose ?rights are involved. Kow. however, the Murray case leaving been passed upon by the court of iast resort, the issues nov/ involved are not the personal or property rigfc:-s of the defendant Murray, but a moral question affecting the public at i?irge. Consequently we feel that :1 ^ not only our right, but a duty wi owe the public, to record certain wei .defined views on the present status o: the case. Murray was tried and convicted ir the Court of General Session and sen tenced to a term of imprisonment. H< was ably defended and nothing wa: Seft undone by his counsel to mak the best showing and the stronges possible defense. The jury that sa in judgment on the case was compos ?od of as good men as the, county af fords and their verdict was rendere after careful^amd conscientious consid Miration of all the eridnce presente "tor and against the defendant. Th Supreme Court reviewed the testi morry and sustained the verdict of th Jjery, This would seem to establis: tise fact beyond cavil or doubt tha Murray was justly and legally con vk?ed of the crime 'of uttering tr: m *,'v M forged instrument, as charged in the indictment. Following the announcement of the' decision of the S?preme Court sus? taining the verdict of the lower court Murray's attorneys stated that an effort would be made to reopen the case, and failing in that, a petition for pardon would be presented to the governor. To pardon Murray, in the circum? stances, would be a miscarriage of i I justice and a slap in the face of the I courts, and would have a most un? fortunate effect upon Ahe public at large. If Murray is guilty as charged in the indictment, and as a jury of in? telligent and honorable citizens and the Supreme Court have declared him to be, then he should be punished as the law provides. So far as we are in? formed there are. no extenuating cir? cumstances nor is there any good and sufficient reason why he should be specially favored and allowed to es? cape the penalty the la\* of the State of South Carolina provides for the of? fense of which he stands convicted. That he has been for years a leader of his race, that he is a rich man. that he is the largest land owner in the county, that he has represented South Carolina in the Congress of the Utiited States, that he has large and important business interests, ar;e--not reasons sufficiently good to constitute grounds for his pardon by the gover? nor of the State. If convicted crimi? nals are to be pardoned for such rea? sons, then only the poor and obscure need fear the lash of the law . for crimes committed. We sympathize with Murray in the disgrace and mis? fortune which has befallen him as a consequence of his own wrong doing, but this is not a case to be deter? mined by sympathy or sentiment; :t is clearly and simply a matter of the enforcement or non-enforcement of a just sentence of a court of justice. Murray desrves high praise for what he "has accomplished by his own un? aided efforts in elevating himself from a sphere of poverty and ignorance to one of affluence, influence and intelli? gence. . But his offense is ali the more blameworthy and calls for more severe punishment in that it was com? mitted by a man of intelligence and wealth, who had neither the excuse of ignorance nor the stress of neces? sity to offer for his crime. Having foliowed the case carefully and given it serious consideration we are firmly convinced that for a pardon to be grafted George Washington Murray would be wrong and would have a far-reaching influence for evil in Sum? ter county. .WHERE TO HOLD COTTON. It is stated on reliable authority that quite a number of Sumter coun? ty farmers, who are holding cotton for higher prices, have shipped and are still shipping a large part of their crops to the ports ior storage. This is better than selling at present prices, of course, as it keeps the actual cotton out of the hands of the speculators .and spinners, but in one respect i: serves the purpose of those who arc manipulating the future market and beating down the price of cotton even better than if the cotton was sold by the farmers. Every bale ofN cotton shipped to the ports is counted in the port receipts and goes to swell the "visible supply" which is the all powerful bludgeon with which the speculators beat down the price. It makes no difference whether the cot? ton sent to the ports is held in storage subject to the order of the men who grew it or is sent directly to the mills to be spun into yarn and woven into cloth, the speculators count it as re? ceipts at the ports and it goes into the visible supply. Heavy port re? ceipts are followed usually by a break in prices, and the more cotton the farmers send to the ports for storage the longer it will be before the price will advance. Enough fjotton has been sold to supply the imm?diate needs of the " manufacturers and they do not have to purchase to keep their mills running. " It suits their purpose far better for the farmers to pay the stor? age and interest charges on the cotton than to pay it themselves and it suits the speculators for they have the "vis? ible supply" with which to hammer the market. The conclusion of the matter is that the farmers should store their cotton in local interior ware? houses, or keep it at homo, where there art no warehouses within reach, and thereby prevent thc speculators from counting their cotton as visible supply to the farmers' detriment. The way to force those who need cotton to pay the price that it is worth is to hold it until they must have it to keep mills running and the way to keep the speculators from hammering down the price is to keep the cottorj out of sight-keep it out of the "pori receipts." The Sumter cotton warehouse wi! be ready for the storage of cottor within thirty days, and those who an holding cotton can. a majority o: them, keep it al home that long Those who need money at one?- oi who do not wish to keep He ir cottoi on the farm for thirty ?lays ea M sid J lt to some other interior market tba now has warehouses for the storag of cotton. Meals served at all hour?, Gazes' fe stauraat and lunch counter. Wes Liberty street, next to postoffiee. 10-18-4t CHEAP EXCURSION RATES To Columbia, S. C., and Return Via. Southern Railway. The Southern Railway will sell ex? cursion tickets to Columbia, S. C., and return from all points within South Carolina, and from Charlotte, X. C.. Asheville, Wilmington, X. C.. Augusta, Ga., Savannah Ga., and in? termediate points, account State Ag? ricultural cind Mechanical Fair, Oc? tober 22d., to 26th. inclusive, and for morning trains scheduled to arrive Coulmbia before noon October 27th at rate of one first class fare plus 2 G cents plus 50 cents for round trip, the fifty cents covering one admission to Fair Grounds. For military companies and brass bands in uniform, 20 or more on one ticket, one cent per mile traveled in each direction plus arbitration per capita. Dates of sale same as for Civilians as shown above. Final limit all tickets October 29th 1905. Southern Railway, in addition to the regular passenger trains running on convenient schedules to Columbia j will operate special trains Octbber 25th and 26th between following points: Between Branchville, Camden Sumter and Columbia. Spartanburg and Columbia and in? termediate points Anderson, Belton and intermediate points to Columbia. For further information, apply to R. W. Hunt, Division Passenger Agent, Charles? ton, S. C. Genoa, Italy, .October 17.-As the result of an unusual accident today at the Sarena .steel works four per? sons were fatally injured and the factory destroyed. An enormous caldron containing a seething mass of metal broke and its contents falling upon the workmen, injuring several, four of them fataly. IT WILL BE Worth Tour While TO Visit Our Exhibit AT The State Fair. ! "We will have in operation on the grounds a number of machines an? engines, each the best and most mod? ern of its kind. Competent men will be in charge of the exhibit, and they will be glad to demonstrate any ma? chine, give full information and quote price.-. GIBBES MACHINERY GQfAPANY j 804 Gervais St., Columbia, S. C. WORKING FOR GALA WEEK. At a meeting last Fridal of the ex? ecutive committee of the Fall Festival to be given by the Sumter Light In? fantry many matters of importnce pertaining to the arrangements for gala week were discussed. One of the most important things determined upon was to request the assistance of some of the committee? men who helped to make last year's Fall Festival such a great success. The boys do not desire to entail any work upon these geneltmen, but they feei as if they need their advice and counsel in the management of the various phases of the enterprise that will pre? sent many new problems to the youth? ful members of the company. Several gentlemen have already signi?ed their willingness to lend their assistance, and there is no doubt entertained but that every business man in Sumte, will be willing to lend to this laudable cause his very best efforts. A committee will cad upon the merchants and professional men of the city and ask for financial aid. Ev? ery man that contributed to the Fall Festival last year regarded his money as well invested, and as the fruits of the former undertaking are still be? ing felt, there is reason to believe that the subscriptions to the gala week fund will be large and numerous. It will not be the company's festival alone, but a week of general rejoic? ing and meruw-makir.g for every man. woman and child on Sumter. There? fore, it is to your interest to see to it that the gala week of the , Sumter Light Infantry is a success. v The Carolina Sanitarium L. G. Corbett, M. D. Solely for the Treatment of Whiskey and Drug Habits and Nervous Troubles Detailed information upon application. 405 Perry Ave. Greenville, S. C. THE CHAMPION STUMP PULLER (Improved) Tho strunzem, the simnlesl arid most economical of ail Stump Pullers. Try it before you pay for it. Guaranteed* to pull your stumps or ::o pay asked. Be sure you write us before" you buy else? where. Write for Free Booklet giving terms and prices. THE CHAMPION STU WP PULLER COMPANY. Johnston S. C. Mention this paper. 10-11 -x JUST A Few Words To The Tr&xle Our unusually large and varied stock is no^ in and ready for criticism. The completeness of the various lines of merchandise handled by us is the result of many months' labor reaching back to the early spring-purchased when DRY GOODS Were cheaper than today, and the benefit goes tr .hose who trade with us. Heed this advice from us : Gall and get posted as to the newest Dress Goods Materials Both as to fabric and shadings. See the Plaid Taffeta Silks suggested for waists, petticoats and entire suits. Also the new black Chiffon and Spot-Proof Taffetas, all warranted, from 50c. up. Secure a Tailored Suit from our I^ady-to [ Weir Department, either in the Eton or Pad? dock design. These stylish, serviceable suits are shown in dark green, plum, garnet, grey : and black. Not elsewhere in Sumter is to be seen the ? large variety of Coats for Ladies, Misses and Children. And we s?y the same in reference to [* our Housefurnishing Department. Estimates cheerfully furnished on complete House and 1 Hotel equipment. Again we say, Heed Our Advice ! I SUMTER DRY HS CO. II ii ABOUT tins. Jack Frost paid us a flying visit last week he has temporarily disappeared, but is liable to return when we least expect him, and one of the best means of defending ourselves against has attacks is, to lay in a liberal supply of cov? ering for our beds. Mr. Sully, the great cotton bull, made the statement, when addressing us a few days ago, that wool today was worth 28 cents per pound on the sheep's back, as com? pared with 7 cents four years ago, an advance of 400 percent. It is hard to reconcile this statement with the fact that we are selling our famous "Tar Heel" Blankets At the same price we were four years ago. There is certainly no less wool in them, and each year the manufacturer shows a decided improvement in his finish/ We have Two Hundred Pairs Of this WQII known blanket in stock in 10-4, 11-4 and 12-4, and it matters not now high the price of wool goes they will be sold At the Old Price While They Last. They are no experiment, they are household words in Sumter and adjoining counties, and acknowledged by everybody to be the best Dlanket ever sold for the price. DIXIE BLANKETS. We think very well of this blanket and are selling quite a number of them to those who cannot alford a "Tar Heel." The gray in it makes a particularly nice blanket for A $3.00 Seller. We carry a very large stock of cotton blank? ets in white and colored, at 75, $1, $1.25, $1.50 and $2. Comfortables, at 75, $1, $125, $1.50, $2, $2.50. O'Donnell A NEW ENTERPRISE. Sumter Machinery Company (INCORPORATED) SUMTER, 5. C. W. B. BURNS, Pres. T. H. SIDDALL, Treas. & Gen. Mgr. DIRECTORS: W. B. Burns, C. G. Rowland. T. H. Sidda 1, Charles Dewry, Richard I Manning, Neill O'Donn.?li, Geo. D. Shore. First Class New Equipment for all Kinds Machinery Repairs. Iron and Brass Castings, Grate Bars and Building irons a Specialty. Agents for Winship, Pratt, Smith, Munger and Eagle Cotton Gins, Ginning Machinery and Presses. Steam Engines and Boilers in Stock. Give us a ca|l and you will be convinced that: our prices are right. Shop - situated on W. G. & A. ll. R., east ot* passenger depot-one block South of East Liberty Street. TAX NOTICE. R. B. BELSER. fi. D. EPPS. The County Treasurer's office in Court House building will be open for the collection of taxes, without pen? alty, from the 15th day of October to the 31st day of December, inclusive. 1905. Tho lew is ns follows: For Sta to. 5 1-2 mills: for county. 1-2 mills: Constitutional School. milis; Tolls. $1.00. Also. School District No. 1, Special. 2 mills; Xo. 2, 2 mills: No. 2 mills: Xo. 4. '2 milis: Xo. 1?:-. 2 mills; Xo. 17. 1 mill; No. IS, 2 mills. 50 cents capitation dog tax. A penalty ot" ? per cent, added for month January. 1906. Additional penalty of 1 per rent', for month Feb? ruary. 1906. Additional penalty of 5 per cent, for 15 days in March. 1906. T. W. LEE. County Treasurer. October 5th, 1905. Attorneys and Counsellors at Law. Phgne 309. SUMTER. S. C. Harby Bldg. HOLLISTER'S Rocky Mountain Tea Nuggets A Busy Medicine for Bnsy People. Brings Golden Health and Benewed Vigor. A specific for Constipation. Indigestion. Live and Kidney Troubles. Pimples. Eczema, Impure Blood, Bad Breath. Sluggish Bowels. Headache and Backache. It's Rocky Mountain Tea in tab? let form, 85 cents a box. Genuine made by EOLLISTER DRCG COMPANT, Madison. "Wis. GOLDEN NUGGETS FOR SALLOW PEOPLE