The watchman and southron. (Sumter, S.C.) 1881-1930, January 10, 1906, Image 1

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mb o uti) ron. THE SUMTES WATCHMAN, Established April, 1850. 'Be Jost and Fear not-Let all the ends Thon Aims't at be thy Country's, Thy God's and Troth's." THE TRUE SOUTHRON, Established Jute, 186? Mandated Aug. 2,1881. SUMTER. S. C.. WEDNESDAY. JANUARY 10, 190#. IQ New Series-Vol. XXT. No 25 Published Every Wednesday, -BY OSTEEH PUBLISHING COMPANY, ' SUMTES, S. C. Terms: $1.50 per annum-in advance. Advertisements : One Square first insertion. .....$1.50 Every subsequent insertion.50 . Contracts for three months, or j longer will be made at reduced rates, i All communications which sub- j serve private interests will b?~ charged ; far as advertisements. Obituaries and tributes. of respects will be charged for. ?? SiuT?BE MEET . THE eOVERSOR'S MESS?6L ! > '_ ? The Dispensary System Should Be Pu- j ... riffed and Needed Changes Made. Compulsory Education Law Rec :en?ed. ia, January 9.-The House j today did nothing- beyond hearing the j governor's message. Toole, of Aiken, age-in brought up j his bills providing that the legal hours of labor be ten instead of eleven hours j as at 'present. H? brought up a bill j making the legal fare on railroads . cents instead of three cents. The Senate. The usual routine characterized the session of the senate. Several mem? bers were absent when the roll was ! * * I i 12^4. Lieutenant Governor Sloan ! trie a brief address, after which i-. --. ? Senator Carlisle of Spartauburg, was sworn in and appointed to all commit? tee places formerly held by his pre? decessor, Judge Hydrick. An effort to recommit all old bills on the calendar failed, and while waiting for the gov? ernor's message the calendar was 'ded. However, most of them were ;ed over. The bill relative to giving the dis- ; pensary committee . more power will j be introduced until tomorrow. j g-J vernor's message was,--in part, ? '.ol lows: - - j o the Honorable, the Gentlemen of the General Assembly: It is my high, privilege to welcome ! you tp our "?Capital City and to our ' legislative halls,. where you are to j meet ?n annual session. Permit me, ! ttransmitting my message to you, J emphasize the grateful thoughts ? whicifc should be ours because of the j ?great I prosperity which has been j vouchsafed unto us as a people. Xot I only are we richer in the materia! j for wi lien mankind so ceaseiessiy j strives, but to these gifts have been j ?added the higher blessings which up- j lift arid help and which bring peace j and cc >ntent to those upon whom they 1 are bestowed/ We j will all unite in the hope and the bejiief that good to our State will ?-Continiie as the result of your delib reratioAs, even as you will be united ; in the/ fraternal bonds of true service and pf patriotic endeavor. [ State Finances. ^ I grateful to report an improved \ condition of our State finances. In my j last rnessage I called attention to the j pfaet ?hat, since the year 1900, the ex- j pendftures had exceeded the revenue ! of t?ie State by annual sums varying . from $10,045.42 to $20S,995.23. Dur- ! lng the past fiscal year the revnue has . exceeded the expenditures by about j $125,000, as is estimated by the Comp- j Stroller g?n?ral. This improved condition is empha- j sized by the fact that the State Treas- j urer has had to borrow less money this year than formerly. The corporation license tax, passeo j in 1904, went into effect last year and j thas operated most satisfactorily with j p very little additional expense to the j State for collection. From this tax j about $64,000 in round numbers bas I been realized. To this can be added j from insurance license fees, $37,000: j and from the Secretary of State $20,- j 000 has been received, making a total ^indirect revenue amounting to $121. OOO. The estimated, receipts for the past ^.fiscal year from the 5 1-2 mill levy. I aggregate $1,164,240, making a total j estimated revenue of $1,295,240 from : direct and* indirect taxes, fr The estimated expenditures for the past fiscal year show figures amount? ing to $1,171,000, leaving a surplus revenue over expenses amounting to $124,240. . Asessment of Property. It is a well known fact that the burden is not equally distributed, and it appears that a very large amount of personal property is escaping taxa? tion. Comptroller General Jones, wh.-> is a capable, thoroughly competent and conscientious officer, believes, af? ter careful study of the complex ques? tions involved, that our present laws, '.th a_few slight amendments, are sufficient to correct these evils, agree with him in this belief. This being- the year for the reasse: j ment of all property, the comptro?: general has made a determined eff( to enforce the tax laws. An increased assessment does r mean an increase in taxation, but sh ply means an equalizing of the bi; den. A certain amount of money necessary to meet the requirements the State government and a high assessment would necessarily mean corresponding decrease in the ra of taxation. I must repeat to you my recoi mendation of last yea? in referen to county auditors and treasure; These officers, for very good reasor should no longer be subjected to p Utica! influences and to the neglect their duty incident to political car paigns for re-election. There are now 8,804 'old soldiers > their widows upon the pensi?n roi of the State, to whom $200.000 is ai nually paid. It will be seen that wh< this appropriation is distributed amounts to very little" in individu cases. If the prosperity of the Sta continues I should be glad to see th appropriation for the brave d?fende: of their home- and country increase as much as possible. Permit me to mention here, with tr. sense of loss and the sadness whic we must all feel, the death of a value member of the sinking fund commii sion, and a faithful' servant of or State, the late Hon. Altamont Mose: Dispensary. The only * cloud which throws shadow over the State is the unsatis factory condition of the dispensar*. Great dissatisfaction has been mani fested by the people in many quarter.5 It exists, I believe, because of loss o confidence resulting from abuses i] connection with its operation. Xo on can deny that the present atmosphere surrounding the dispensary is a grav> reflection upon South Carolina, for i is a State institution, and any odiun whi,ch attaches to its operation neces' sarily attaches to the State. Sinc< last session a large number of countief have voted out dispensaries, but ] must say that the vote abolishing them I take- to be a rebuke to thi mode of operation rather than a re? pudiation of the system itself. Despite the event of the past yeai and the revelations which have at tended the investigations of your com? mittee, I am by no means hopeless. I still believe that the dispensary sys? tem has many strong points and ad? mirable features which commend it, but in saying this I am by no means blinded to its imperfections. It is imperative for the honor of the State that existing conditions should be immediately remedied by radical changes in the laws governing the dis? pensary or by the adoption of a differ? ent system for the. regulation of the liquor question. During r.he year that has passed since last session I have given this question my earnet consideration, hoping to devise some certain reme? dies for the evils complained, of but have been impressed with no better solution than was included in the recommendations I made to you last year. After mature reflection I am con? strained to recommend that the county "boards of control be abolished, and the dispensers appointed by the "State Eoard of Directors upon the rec? ommendation of the legislative dele? gations of the various counties. It should never be the policy of the State to force dispensaries upon coun? ties or communities desiring prohi? bition, nor to maintain them when it is the wish of the majority of the peo? ple to substitute prohibition in their stead. Legislation should be enacted at this session to free the system from tho abuses which have crept in, to em? phasize its restrictive features, and to ensure proper compliance with thc strict letter of the law. This matter will certainly be brought to your at? tention at this session of your body. I sincerely trust you will give it your most careful consideration, and thai you will, with a realization of your re? sponsibilities, make a fearless and de? termined effort to effect such changes as will at least relieve our State of the - reproach which certain features of the dispensary system have cast upon us. I need not assure you that in the dis? charge of this duty I am ready and : willing io aid you in every way that \ lies in my power. Enforcement of Prohibition. The enforcement of prohibition in ' counties which have voted out dis? pensaries presents a serious problem, j The present law, as I construe it. : makes it the duty of the governor, whenever he is satisfied that there are violations of law in such counties, to appoint constables; these constables to be paid from the special tax levied for that purpose. During the past j year I have lx*cn confronted with ! many difficulties because of local con ditions and diverse public sentime but have endeavored to do what considered my duty. My experience in the enforceme of this law has convinced me that c< tain changes are necessary for t mutual interests of all concern* "While I believe that special offic< are necessary to prevent violatio; and that such officers should be p? bv the count '.-v. ." ,->lso th'nk that thc officers should be selected by local a thorities and be under their directi and control. I, therefore, recommend that in f ture this course be adopted, and tri: you will so amend the law. The Ia as it now stands, will give rise to s rieus complications, and these shou be avoided as much as possible. Our Public School System. The annual report of our Stace,S perintendent of Education w promptly sent to me, and the tho ough manner .in which this most ir portant subject has been treated i: eludes some very gratifying stat ments. It cannot be urged too oft< that we have no more responsib duty than is involved in the full ar complete development of our educ< tional system. Not only doo s th mean the proper training for highe citizenship, but it means also ths South Carolina must and shall kee pace with the advance made througl out our country in educational ma ters. Better schools, more of them an school improvement generally, fro: the smallest old field schoolhouse t the last detail of our largest institt tions, these should command our tim< our personal attention and our morie: It .was a matter of sincere regret t me that the compulsory education bi: discussed at your last session did nc become a law. While I believe that schoolhouse should be within th reach of every child in South Carolin; I also believe that all children bc twee: the ages of eight and twelve year should be reciuired to attend schoo for a certain number of months dur ing each year, The distance from th< schoolhouse to which this law sh oui ( apply, is, for the -present, a matte: for your consideration. The State: which have not adopted compulsor] educational laws are today the excep? tions, and I feel that South Caroline cannot longer afford to delay in this matter. I recommend that you agair give this your consideration, with thc hope that you will pass a law meeting the requirements of the situation. Department cf Agric ulture. Commerce and Immigration. In my recommendation asking for the establishment of this department, to be in charge of a State Commis? sioner, I was firmly convinced of the necessity for such officiai action on the part of the State. I have con? stantly kept in close touch with, what has been done, and with this expe? rience I am more firmly convinced than ever of the absolute necessity for this work. South Carolina, as you know, was the first southern State to establish such a departmment, and this has widely advertised our resources. It has been the aim of Commissioner Watson to establish the work on Mast? ing foundations, and I believe he has donp so. The report of Adjutant and Inspec? tor General Frost sets forth clean> and concisely the condition and needs of our National Guard. It shows that we have 1.TS6 enlisted men. including officers, and it is a pleasure for me to say that from my own observation the efficiency of this military organi? zation is increasing each year The State Hospital fer the .Insane is the most important charitable insti? tution conducted by the S rat; and the eighty-second annual report of the superintendent and board of regents presents striking facts. The superin? tendent regrets that the growth of the Hospital and the demands made upon it continue to exceed the limitations of thc institution, both as to accommo? dations and means of support. Dur? ing the past thirty years the popula tion of the asylum has quadrupled, i while the appropriation has been only ? doubled, and. in addition to this, f:>od- ! i stuffs have increased 25 per cent in j cost. Formerly the per capita cost of j maintenance annually amounted to $210.00, and through the necessities of the -i'uation this has been reduced to .$105.00 per capita now. The officials of the asylum are thus confronted which requires your cooperation-u with a serious problem, the solving of problem which can only be relieved by an increased appropriation. The report suggests that the farm? ing lands owned by the asylum have so increased in value that it may be judicious to sell them and purchase land farther from the city at a much lower cost. It is also suggested that the present buildings and grounds ! could be used as a central reception j hospital for more acute cases of. in- j sanity, and that other classes cf pa- ] tients might be distributed in colonie on these farms. i These suggestions appear to me t be admirable and they, with the fu report of the excellent managemer: of this institution, should have you most thoughtful consideration. The South Carolina Penitentiary in stitution is conducted in a most creel table and satisfactory manner. Th discipline, while rigid, is consid?r?t and by no means severe. The greates care and attention is shown for th health and comfort of the convicts I am glad to report that the new hos pital foi; consumptives is now abou completed, and in recognition of th valuable services of Superinter.den Griffith, who was mainly responsibl for this humane undertaking, th board of directors have seen fit ti name this building the "Griffith Hos pital." The farms owned by the Stau are being constantly improved am brought tu a higher state of cultiva tion. These farms, in addition to yield ing a fine profit, are of great benefi ta the health of the convicts and ais< furnish, in connection with this profit the chief supply of provisions for th< use of the inmates of the penitentiary The reformatory for youthful crim inals is a valubale adjunct to your Stat? institution. This also is self-sustain? ing, and the youthful criminals ar< taught in rudimentary branches anc are given religious education and in? struction. State Beard of Health. The State board of health in their annual report make several impor? tant recommendations which should have your favorable attention. Report of the Historical Commission. On the'20th of last February it was my pleasure to sign the act passed by your body at the request of the His? torical Commission, this Act making much more suitable provisions and appropriations for the important work entrusted to this Commission. The in? teresting report of the work already accomplished reveals the wisdom of your action and contains some neces? sary suggestions concering the furth? er needs of this department. The work of this commission would embrace such matters a? the purclias ing of the valuable collection of ab? stracts and transcripts of European papers bearing cn America, made by tile late E. F. Stevens, of London, anc: now for sale by his successors. This particular collection of papers would be of inestimable benefit to the stu? dent of the Revolutionary history of South Carolina, as a large part of the papers bear directly on the struggle in this State, and the matter therein contained cannot be found elsewhere. The State Geologist. Since the establishment of this Dt_ patrment, the work has annually in? creased in magnitude and impo:-tance. Not only is the State geologist kepi occupied in his own State, but numer? ous calls fir information have been re? ceived from various sections of the United States and from abroad. Dur? ing the past year much valuable work has been accomplished by this depart? ment in various sections of the State. Railroad Commission. The report of this commission has been received and will be submitted to you. Full and complete details concerning work within our State is discussed and valuable statistical in? formation has beer, compiled and classified. Other subjects of interest are also treated, among these being railroad taxation, assessment per miie. value of all railroad property in the state. railroad construction, com? plaints, adjustment of claims, local and interstate rates, private car lines and demarra r.e. The building of new depots is considered also, and this situation shows improvement. Lawlessness. Tn my last two messages I thought it my duty to call your attention to tile abs- lute necessity of adopting more stringent measures for the proper en? forcement of law. and particularly for the prevention of lynchings. In re? sponse to my request, you appro? priated a special fund for this pur? pose. This fund has been practically exhausted in the prosecution of cases which occurred prior to your last ses? sion. Although I cannot report a sin? gle conviction of the parties supposed to be implicated. I am satisfied that the appropriation has not been used in vain. Investigations and prosecu? tions were possible only by means of this fund, and the results have strong? ly contributed to the upholding of law and order throughout the Sta to. Had I been able to report to you, as I had sincerely hoped to do. that our Stau-, since your last session at least, had been spared the shame of anoth? er lynching-that for this period no human life had been lawlessly and barbarously taken by an armed mob ? would have been deeply gratified at ?ueh a convincing evidence of the in- . creased respect shown for law and : order. While we have every reason ? for encouragement, the recent killing of two defenseless negroes by an arm- ; ed mob is for every reason to be plored and condemned. Such < rages are not only flagrant and ii cusable, but they inevitably lead the disregard of all law, the cheat, ing of human life and the undermir of our civilization, y As long as I am governor of State I shall use my strongest end? or for the suppression and punishn of those who disregard our laws, pecially in the matter of lynching shall not be deterred in the discha of this duty, however unpleasam may be, believing that in thus se ing to uphold the law, I am 'serv the best and highest interests of State. I have been actuated solely this motive in what I have done, ? I am firmly convinced that one com tion would not only materially crease the future record of the St in respect to lynchings, but would so encourage -the upbuilding of a b ter sentiment among our people. In this connection I am gratified report that during the past ye whenever necessity arose, the sol itors and sheriffs have shown ev? desire to discharge their full duty a to cooperate with me in every w possible for the enforcement of lc Special Courts. In increasing the number of jud ial circuits in the State I understo it to be your intention to abolish t holding of special courts for t transaction of civil business. The Ia however, providing for these cou: was not repealed at your last sessk and, in addition to this, you renew your former appropriation for t purpose of holding special courts, number of these courts have been he during the past year; the appropri tion has been entirely exhausted, a: an unpaid balance amounting to se oral hundred dollars will be present to your committee on claims for pa ment. Without discussing the serious o jections to special courts my e perience has convinced me that it unwise to maintain them as a part our judicial system, ami? I further b lieve that this is against the spirit the law, which established two adc tional circuits. Our tax problem is serious one. and it should be relieve whenever the interests of the Sta do not suffer. For this reason ar for other considerations which I lur referred to, I recommend . that ye make no appropriation for speci; courts, and. in addition to this, th; the law creating them be repealed. A Public Library. Tn the growing educational adva: tages of our State I have thought, fe some time, that the establishment, ui on a suitable and proper basis, of public library would be a most desire ble step. Hon. Wm. Courtenay, wh has done so much to preserve the his tory and literature of our State, ha submitted an interesting paper to m bearing upon this subject. Thc Catawba Indian Lands. Another matter which I think nee essary to call to your attention is th question raised by the remnant of th tribe of Catawba Indians, respectin? the tract of ISO square miles whicl they once held in the present countie of Lancaster and York, and the smal remnant of that tract, consisting o 20 acres, which they now occupy ii the county of York. These land; were formerly ceded to the Indians ir a legal manner, and until IS40 wer recognized by the State as their prop erty, but. in the above year, the Stat< made a treaty for the purchase o: these lands. The matter was not sat? isfactorily arranged, however, and hai been in an incomplete form ever since The Indians are now threatening tc sue the State for tho recovery of th?se lands, and have employed counsel foi the purpose of presenting the mattet to your body and for bringing action in the courts zn case no satisfactory arrangement is made. In view of these facts, and the im? portance of having the matter thor? oughly investigated, both for the pur? pose of rendering justice to the In? dians and defending a suit in case one is brought, I recommend that the matter be investigated, and such ac? tion taken as the facts warrant. River Navigation. It is a rna uer of prime importance to oui* State that our rivers, wherever possible, should, be made navigable. Tlio general government, in spite of the efforts, of our representatives in congress, has not dealt generously with us in this matter, considering tho great importance of these streams. I believe that you should aid our representatives by taking action upon this subject, going to the extent of memorializing congress to make the a> ce ssa ry appropriation. Xot only are tho rivers which flow through our Sta.tr of importance to us. but also of great importance is the , havannah river dividing us from Gcor- i gia, and running the entire length of j >ur State. An earnest effort is being ] made by thc representatives in con- ' rress from Georgia to deepen this I j river, and our representatives have j been requested to cooperate with ? them. It wuld be greatly to the mu? tual benefit of the interests involved to act together in the matter of se? curing an appropriation for the rivers of each State', and I hope this will be done. Biennial Sessions. At the general election of 1904 art amendment to the constitution provid? ing for biennial sessions of the Gen i eral Assembly was submitted to the j people, and was adopted. A commit j tee was appointed from both houses j at your last session to report what j amendments to the Constitution anti ? statutes of the State will be necessary ; and proper to provide for such ses I sions. I trust you will act upon the ! report of this committee, in order .! that the amendment may become ef ! fective as soon as possible. I believe that biennial sessions will ; afford ali necessary Iegis>ation, anti i the people of the State have expressed themselves in favor of the change. In this connection I renew my recom j mendation of last year that State offi? cers be elected for a term of four years, and not allowing them to suc? ceed themselves. Upon further re? flection. I would not include the of? fices of Comptroller general and state treasurer in this recommendation with reference to reelection to their respective officers. Incendiary Fires. The recent law requiring the comp? troller general to investigate incen? diary fires has not proved satisfactory, and no doubt this officer will suggest necessary changes to you. Since the enactment of this law I have, in many cases, refused to offer rewards believ? ing that it would be proper for me to I have the required legal investigation ? made. Considerable expense has been incurred in conducting these investiga? tions, and experience convinces me that this has been an unwise expen? diture. Many fires of supposed in? cendiary origin can easily be traced to some other cause, and in this connec? tion I beg to call attention to the fact that the State of Nev.- York has a law reouiring all dealers to ?eli noth ! ing but safety matches. I recommend j your favorable consideration of such, a law. especially as safety matchee sell at about the same price as the other variety. Industrial School and Refermator>. ' The bi1.! to establish an Industrial. Schooi and Reformatory was defeated at the last session cf your body be? cause you failed to agree upon minor differences which developed during j the discussion of this measure. I (trust that at this session these differ ! enees may D*e adjusted and the school ! established, for I feel that much good would be accomplished cy such a re? formatory. Thc Jamestown Exposition. Our sister State of Virginia has taken the initiatory steps to celebrate the establishment of the colony at Jamestown, the first permanent Eng? lish settlement made in the southern portion of the United tSates. This event will be of no ordianry importance, and the work already ac? complished in other States and abroad gives most auspicious promise of an appropriate observance of ail which it commemorates. I sincerly trust that your consideration will give to South Carolina the position she deserves in this celebration, and I recommend such an appropriation as you may deem necessary for this p?;rpose. Conclusion. I have sbumitted to you such infor? mation concerning affairs of State as I have deemed necessary for your consideration. Unto" you, the honored representatives of eur people belong; the responsible duties of your office as law makers for your State. Frome your consideration will give to South your deliberations results must inev? itably crme, and by these results you are to bc- judged. Believing that in the discharge of these grave responsibilities you will be guided and controlled by integrity of purpose and fidelity to your trusts in all that yon do, I commend the great interests of your people unte you and await the results with confi? dence and with hope. The State Firemen's Association was 1 chartered by the secretary of State Monday. Mr P. T. Wells has resigned as gen? eral manager of the Union and Glenn Springs railroad. The railroad commission meets- on Thursday to elect a secretary to suc? ceed Col. D. P. Duncan. A Coast Line train was stopped near" Lake City a few days ago by the con? ductor and the entire crew assisted ir* extinguishing a house that was on fire near the track. Wallace Thorne, colored, commit? ted suicide at Chester Sunday by drowning because he could not pro? cure thc release of his wife from the asylum.