Historical Newspapers of South Carolina

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tttftn ait THE SUMTER WATCHMAN, Established April, 1850. 'Be Just and Fear not-Let all the ends Thon Aims't at be thy Country's, Thy God's and Truth's.' THE TRUE SOUTHRON, Established June, 186* ?fcn undated Alis. 2,1881? SUMTER. S. WEDNESDAY, AP-IL ll -C6 eri^-Vol XXV. ?088 / Cl? Sla?rl??iuni ??? jp mtbxm. Published Every Wednesday, ?STEEN PUBLISHING COMPANY, SUMTER, S. a Terms: $1.50 per annum-in advance. Advertisements : One Square first insertion..... 50 Every subsequent insertion,.50 Contracts for three months, or longer will be made at reduced rates. All communications which sub? serve private interests will be charged for as advertisements. Obituaries and tributes of respects will he charged for. _ MR. FRASER LYON MAD. j SAYS THAT TILLMAN IS TRYING TO BELITTLE COMMITTEE. They Will Investigate Him--The Dis? pensary is so Corrupt That Even the Investigators Are Suspected, He Writes. From The-State. Senator Tillman in a manifesto which he gave to the public recently attacked a great many people and of? ficials, not even sparing the members of the committee appointed to inves? tigate the affairs of the State dispen? sary. That reference has been taken by Mr. J. Fraser Lyon as an effort to discredit the investigating committee and in a letter to the attorney for a liquor house Mr. Lyon has expressed himself rather forcibly in regard to Senator Tillman's statement. The letter of Mr. Lyon has been se x cured for publication after some ef? fort on the part of The State, but the attorney to whom it is addressed asks that his name he kept out of it Fol? lowing is the communication: Abbeville, S. C., April 3, 1906. My Dear Sir: Your two letters of re? cent date were received by meNupon my return home yesterday after an absence of about two weeks. You will, therefore, understand 'why you have not had an earlier reply. While it is true that I do not think there is any good reason for withholding payment of the claim of the Cook & Bernheim er company of New York still, as I have said heretofore, I will not give my consent to the payment of this or any other dispensary claim now held up until the matter of such payment is discussed at a public session of our committee. I feel sure that you will appreciate my position in this matter, especially since the publication of Senator Till? man's "Address to the People of South Carolina," in which he says: "Is there not plenty of opportunity for more graft and secret transactions in regard to the seetlement of these accounts? Will nbTThe legislative committee be suspected of corruption if it does not get in the middle of the road and stay there-that is, stand by the law, obey it itsfelf and require others to do so? Why so much delay?" , \ You see this additional reason for my position. It is unfortunate for your clients to have had dealings with an institution which no one can even in? vestigate without having it suggested or insinuated that he may be a graft? er, or at least has a good opportunity to steal. While I regard this reference to our committee as only a siirewd at? tempt to shake public confidence in us and intended to obstruct and interfere with our work, which is evidently be? coming distasteful to many of those who are irrevocably wedded to the-dis? pensary, still when I see this prone? ness to criticise us I wish to be espec? ially careful not to put myself in a position that could with even a color of justice be criticised. In your letter of March 26 you practically asked the question, and sincerely, "Why so much delay?" I know no fact that I have learned in the dispensary investigation that 1 shall intentionally hold from the pub? lic. Some times I do not think for the success of the investigation to reveal facts and suspicions as soon as they come to me. or to disclose our plans for the future, so in this case I will answer your question only so far as I think the present status of the inves? tigation justifies. We are trying to get the facts in gard to several suspicious matters which we think should be investigated. Among them is the statement, as I re? call it, of Senator Tillman that he returned certain rebates to a distillery. We wish to find the credits on the books of the distillery showing the amount of rebates which Senator Till? man said he returned as a gift for the gratitude he felt to the liquor concern crediting the State of South Carolina. Besides this there had come to my ears a rumor-the source of which I do not now recall, but a rumor which I think should be looked into-that Senator Tillman when governor was presented with a piano by a liquqor concern. It may be that receipts r be shown for the rebates which r have been returned and also for p ment of this piano which may h been received as was rumored to the satisfactory explanation in case of the Towill horse matter. Still we do not know the facts in gard to these things and think the 1 islature intended for us to investig such transactions as these as well other vague and uncertain matters which common rumor gives curren We must do. our duty in looking i: these things and you may pudge the above samples that we must hi much time in doing it. Furthermc it is not expedient and I would not '< prove of the committee h'olding a pi lie session every time Senator Chri enseri and I have done \ all we can, examining each claim. I recognize i fact that we may be chasing a "w o'-the-wisp" in all of these matt? arid that your clients may suffer the meantime, but, whether our effo be such a chase or not, it seems c tain that in all events our commit must walk through the mire. The opinion is so prevalent that 1 dispensary has been a breeder of much corruption that no one c touch it without the suspicion of so: one being aroused. Unfortunately, the case of our committee, the insir ation of this suspicion is cast upon in the public prints by one who, abc all others, may know of the innerm affairs of the dispensary as transact by its officers since ifs inception. I trust, however, that we will fin; ly emerge from our distasteful ta meriting the confidence and approx of all honest citizens. Believing tl this will satisfactorily explain our c lay, I am Yours very truly, J. Fraser Lyon. Senator Tillman Replies to Mr. Fras Lyon's Letter, j C. W. Moorman, the Greenville cc respondent of the State sends the f( lowing to that paper under Greenvi date: Senator B. R. Tillman was seen ye terday by a representative of T State as the senator was on his w; from Washington to Clemson colle to attend an important ^neet?vg-ef-?r board of trustees. He was asked if ' , had anything to say in reply to the li ter of Mr. J. Fraser Lyon, published the State Saturday. The senator h? not seen the letter, and when a co] of jt was handed to him, he read it ai grew wrathy as he read. Being und the impression that the publicat? shown him was only an outline of M Lyon's letter, he was at first disincli: ed to say much, but when he beean satisfied that he was in possession of ? complete copy of the letter, he thre off the silene'e and talked with cha acteristic freedom, denouncing the le ter as sneaking and Mr. Lyon's 'refe ence to the rumor that a whiski house had presented Senator Til?ni? with a piano, as <4a dirty, cowardly ia situation." The senator was first approached t the newspaper man as he sat in tl new passenger station at Charlot scanning a large number of South Ca: dina newspapers with which h traveling bag was packed. The int-e: view continued interruptedly on boar the Southern Southwestern Limited 2 far as Greenville. Grew Indignant. After reading the letter, Senate Tillman was indignant and grew m-o* so as he talked. "I am surprised," he said, ""that gentleman such as I thought M. L3ron to be wouid go in the papers i such a sneaking way as this. Eve the name of a lawyer to whom h wrote is not given, but whether h authorized its publicity or not. I as sume it to be authentic. *T have not attacked the investigat ing committee; I only warned it in 1 friendly spirit. And why? Either th $700.000 worth of claims against-th State board are valid and binding o they are not. I say they are not, be cause the whiskey was bought con trary to law and the State is not legal ly bound for payment. "The committee knows this now a; well as it will ever know it. Messrs L^-on and Christensen have blacklisted certain firms; the presumption is the> have discovered evidences of fraud. Il those firms have acted dishonestly the 3ld board cannot be clean; but leav? ing Messrs. Lyon and Christensen to hunt for proofs, to which I do not ob? ject, again I ask: 'Why the delay?' "Whether fraud is proven or not, no decent lawyer will contend that these large purchases of whiskey are legal: First, because there was not competi? tive bidding, as the law requires; sec? ond, because the law expressly limits the amount that may be on hand to $400.000 and instead of dickering with lawyers employed to collect the mon? ey, it is the investigating committee's plain duty to repudiate the whole transaction, forbid the new board to pay for any liquor and thus have an end tu it. Messrs. Lyon and Christen sen will be responsible to the taxpay? ers of the State if they O. X. a single purchase that was illegally bought." "What About the Piano?" "What about the piano," Senator Tillman was asked. "Well," he replied, "I have heard it said if you throw a rock in the dark and a dog howls you may swear he is hit. "I have not sought to discredit the investigating committee," the senator continued, "but to warn it, and when Mr. Lyon, without provocation, makes public its dirty and cowardly insinua? tions that a whiskey firm gave me a piano, it is pretty clear to my mind that he howls because he is hit. It was easy enough for him to have found out all about the piano. Mr. Malone, the music dealer in Colum? bia, knows to whom he sold it and who paid for it and he knows when it was bought. "I note also Mr. Lyon's pretext for delay is that he may look into the rec? ords of the Mill Creek Distilling com? pany to see whether there are any credits." Senator Tillman's reference to "cred? it" applied to that part of Mr. Lyon's letter which read as follows: "We wish to find the credits on the books of the distillery showing the amount of rebates which Senator Till? man said he returned as a gift for the gratitude he felt to the liquor concern crediting the State of South Carolina. Besides this there had come to my ears a rumor-the sources of which I do not nov.- recall, but a rumor which I think should be looked into-that Sen? ator Tillman when governor was pre? sented with a piano by a liquor con? cern. Yoht'ake lek-b-lyab ElToy'ocbtatat "It may be that receipts may be shown for the rebates which may have been returned and also for payment of this piano which may have been re? ceived, as was rumored, to be the sat? isfactory explanation in the case of the Towili horse matter." "Mr. Lyon heard my testimony in Columbia and he knows I said noth? ing about returning any money, for I never received any," said Senator Tillman. "If the books do not show TI?aT'*any mone^ was ever paid they certainly will not show that any was ever returned. "I want to reiterate and emphasize, in the most positive way my belief that the investigating committee, charged with such a great responsi? bility, should do its duty by deciding at once what is lawful to be done about these whiskey claims; the more lawyers they write letters to or see danger this matter, the greater is the ; danger that there will be a mean scan : dal. Advice to the New Board. "While I am on the dispensary," \ said the senator, "I want to give the . new board a friendly warning, too. It j cannot purchase liquor under the law unless the bidding is clearly competi? tive, and the lowest priced. Without defining the article to be bought by something other than 'X,' is not com? petitive bidding. "Then I notice that while 14 county dispensaries have been closed, there is no reduction in the force of salaried inspectors and other employes. "I am earnestly desirous, both for their own sake and the dispensary, that the new board's actions shall be approved by the people, but there can be no excuse for continuing to pay for men who are not needed. Either tho old force was overworked or one third of it ought to be dispensed with. "In my efforts to keep the dispen? sary from being assassinated. I shall spare no man, be he friend or foe, whose actions do not square with the law and indicate a desire to carry it out loyally." MK TATUM ISSUES STATEMENT. Columbia, April G.-Commissioner Tatum, of the State dispensary, ir, talking about the glass supply situa? tion at the dispensary today, said: "As my name has been used in connection with the glass situation at the State dispensary, I wish to make the follow? ing statement: We have on hand something like 10,000 cases of glass, which means ten or twelve cars. If I understand the resolution posted by the Legislature, the board is permitted to buy what glass they may need for 90 days, which time would expire the 17th day of May, at the lowest price of any outstanding contract with the ! Carolina Glass Company. The lowest ^standing contract I understand to ux: the unfinished contract made with the Flaccus people, which is for 22 cars. My idea is that if the board or? ders in this 22 cars of this unfinished contract, that, with the amount of sec? ond hand glass coming, and increasing each day, we will have enough to pull through the summer; but it will be necessary to make contract for late mummer and fall delivery before the i glass factories close for the summer." I LARGER COTTON CROP, VIEW OF THE BANKERS OX THE COTTON OUTLOOK. Tlie Acreage May Be Slightly Increas? ed This Year Over Last, But not Over 1901. Baltimore, April 5.-Summarizing 15 pages of letters on the cotton acre? age outlook from several hundred bankers in North Carolina, South Car? olina, Georgia, Alabama, Tennessee, Mississippi, Louisiana, Arkansas, Tex? as, Oklahoma and Indian Territory, the States practically embracing the cotton belt of the South the Manufac? turers' Record says this week: "The replies indicate a tendency to? ward a slight increase in acreage for the cotton belt as a whole, an in? crease, however, not overcoming the decrease in 1905 from the acreage of 1904, and a tendency to be restrained by certain natural factors. The re? plies show steady advance in diversifi? cation of crops, a firmer purpose than ever on the part of bankers and farm? ers to stand together for the common good and a greater degree of comfort among the growers. "There is a general purpose appa? rent all along the line for the bankers and the growers to continue, even with greater zeal, the policy of coope? ration which worked out so success? fully during the past season. This does not, of course, imply less acreage as a whole in 1906 than in 1905, although such a reduction is promised in a number of localities. Nor does it im? ply that the acreage in some states will not be increased. New lands in Texas, Oklahoma, Indian Territory and Arkansas, and, indeed, in such older States as Georgia, South Caroli? na and Mississippi, are being opened up and are going into cotton. In sec? tions like the delta of Mississippi, where no fertilizer is yet used, or where it is cheaper to buy supplies than to raise them with cotton at 10 or 12 cents, a moderate increase in acre? age may be expected and many indi? viduals will plant from 5 to 10 per cent, wider than last year. But in the main" the bankers are not encouraging any great expansion, but, on the other hand, are standing by the wisdom of the past 12 months and are receiving from the farmers hearty support. Some farmers are still holding, not because they expect much better prices, but because they do not need the mon3y, and those who may not be satisfied with the price at the time they gin the coming crop are assured that they will have no difficulty in. ob? taining accommodations from the banks and merchants who are back? ing up the growers in legitimate plans : to make their crop ? paying one. Al the same time c ^oice of caution is j raised against any combination to get . really excessive prices, that being held ? as censurable as are efforts of Wall Street bears to depress prices. Here and there, where experience has noi taught wisdom, the all-cotton idea is abroad, and some few planters really favor a permanent S-cent basis for the staple. "The readiness with which the growers favor conservatism in plant? ing this year and their determination to work along with the banks are due to steadily increasing comfort of the many. The day of the old credit sys? tem is passing, and now the growers are "found in various stages of pros? perity, from ability* to pay off to lend money themselves. Their bank ac? counts are greater than ever before and they are investing their surplus in permanent forms. They are buying more land and bringing their present holdings to a high state of cultivation. New homes with modern conveniences are being built and old ones are being improved. Up-to-date implements and machinery are being purchased, a bet? ter grade of live stock is appearing, some farmers are investing in town property and moving in so that their cl ildren may enjoy better school fa? cilities, the farms being rented, and more bank stock and cotton mill stock and cotton seed oil mill stock are be? ing held by the farmers, while better school buildings and better churches in divers country neighborhood bear witness to the prosperity growing out of better prices for cotton, and to the increasing ability to maintain a policy insuring even greater prosperity in the future. "Necessity to diversify, to divert some energies from cotton-growing in? to the raising of other crops, is giv? ing place to deliberateness in follow? ing the policy as this stronger finan? cial condition of the farmers permits them to enlarge upon the wisctom of not depending upon one crop. Diversi? fication, which implies more fertilizing and greater attention given to the crops, began primarily for thousands of growers in carrying out a "hog and-hominy" campaign-that is. in living on one's own farm, in making supplies at home. The growing in Made from Wure Grape Cream of Tartar In baking powder Royal is the standard, the powder of highest reputation ; found by the United States Government tests of greatest strength and purity. It renders the food more healthful and palat? able and is most economical in practical use. Housekeepers are sometimes importuned to buy alum powders because they are " cheap." Yet some of the cheapest made powders are sold to consumers at the highest price. Housekeepers should stop and think. Is it not better to buy the Royal and take no chances the powder whose goodness and honesty are never questioned ? - Is it economy to spoil your digestion by ari alum-phosphate or other adultered powder ta save a few pennies? ROYAL BAKING POWDER CO.; NEW YORK certain favored sections of early vege? tables and fruits for Northern mar? kets, the tobacco crop, as much a sta? ple in some sections of the south as cotton is in others, and rice and sugar planting have, of course, engaged the attention of many persons for years. Xow-iracts-once devoted to cotton, or . that ordinarily might have been plant ; ed in cotton, are being given over to a ? greater amount of cane, tobacco and rice while in many localities more ami more, attention is being given to . peaches, cantaloupes, melons, toma? toes, potatoes, peanuts, sorghum, beans, cowpeas,' alfalfa, corn, wheat, , hay. grapes, oats, pears, apples and berries; more cows and chickens and . hogs are being raised, more mules and . horses and more live stock generally for home use or for the market, as ; immigration is becoming more needed to meet the demand for labor and as : a larger and larger number of farm? ers are perforce driven to handle I crops that they may work themselves. I "Even where there might be a de . sire to depart from the safe and sane poney of last year and to yield to the : temptation to plant more cotton, un . der the impression that a greater crop ? would not affect the price, it faces the possibility that the supply of labor will > be insufficient to make even a crop . equal to that of last season. From ev? ery one of the States come complaints , of a scarcity of farm labor. Oklahoma ? joining in the chorus. The younger , negroes especially are loath to follow ; in the footsteps of their parents, and are either rendering inferior service or are quitting the farms entirely for idleness or desultory work in the towns and cities. Lumber mills, the naval , stores industry, mining, railroad build? ing, dam construction and building op? erations generally offer higher wages than the fa:ms. and. in the case of whites, the demands of the cotton mills are having somewhat similar crip? pling effect upon fa: m operations, in spite of the inclination noted here and there for operations under the spur of fair prices for cotton to attempt to make a little crop of their own: In? deed, such is the activity in lumbering that not a few farmers, as is reported I from L'iusiana are following the field ! hand to the lumber camp ard are turning out their cotton acreage for the year. "Another influence against extensive expansion in acreage is the backward? ness of the season in the Carolinas and | Georgia, as well as in Texas and Okla- j homa, the ground being still wet and ' cold, or the crop of corn, the success of which wall largely determine the acreage of cotton, not being sufficient? ly advanced to give a basis for any estimate. In a few spots, too, the boll weevil is regarded as a deterrent, though one correspondent takes a joc? ular view of the power of the cotton weevil against the cotton bear." The residence of Mr. Arthur J, j Brown, of Leo, twelve miles from Lake City, was burned Friday night. The fire was discovered about 12 o'clock and is supposed to have originated ' from a stove flue in the dining room. I THE STATE CAMPAIGN. Democratic Executive Committee j Meets in Colombia-County Conven I tion to Be Held on May 7 and the ! State Convention on May 16. l _ ______-? i Columbia, April 5-At the regular meeting of the State Democratic ex? ecutive committee here tonight, reso? lutions w?re adopted calling for the May State convention, to be held on the 16th of that month, and directing; che county chairmen throughout the State to call club meetings cn the 28th ot* April, for the purpose of electing delegates to the county conventions, I which will meet on May 7, to elect j delegates to the State convention, easfc ; county being entitled to a ou de*, the. representation it ha? in the General .Assembly. t .. # A resolution by D. H. McGill, of' Greenwood, caused some comment. It denounced as untrue the statement tn. Tom Watson's Magazine for March' that it makes no difference whether the South's representation in Congress and the Electoral College is reduced/ as proposed in the -bill of Congress? man Keifer, of Ohio, and went on to "denounce the author of those who go hand in hand with him along such lines, as enemies of the South and the Southern people, such declarations be? ing unbecoming a Southern white man." Mr. Magill defended his resolution* with warmth and earnestness, but oth? er members of the committee took the view that as Tom Watson is not st Democrat anyway, to adopt the reso? lution would be undignified and would give him undue prominence and his magazine undeserved advertising. A motion was made to table the res? olution, but Senator Cole I* Blease, of Newberry, wanted to save the com? mittee voting on the subject and mov? ed to adjourn. This inspired Mr. Ma? giii to relieve the situation by with? drawing the resolution. BRICE J A A PKOHI3?ITION.. Hie Seizures of Whiskey in Spartan burg County Reported. Spartanburg. April 5.-Chief Con? stable Fant of the Spartanburg divis? ion has submitted his report to Chief Constable Hammet. In ?he report is stated the number of gallons of whis? key seized during the month of March and the stills captured, the number of" convictions made and the amount paid in fines. The report shows that there were three stills destroyed. There were 4.000 gallons of still beer cap? tured and one team of mules and a wagon were confiscated. During the month there were three convictions, the fines aggregating $420.. Of this amount $120 was paid in and one of the prisoners was sent to the gang. The Drayton mills of Spartanburg have increased their capital to more than double the farmer amount. The former capitalization was $250,000 and this has now been raised to $600, 000.