The watchman and southron. (Sumter, S.C.) 1881-1930, January 30, 1907, Image 1
m
THE SUMTER WATCHMAN, Established April, 1850.
'Be Just and Fear not-~Let all the ends Thou Ahnst at be thy Country's, Thy God's and Truth's.'
THE TRUE SOUTHRON, Established June, 18?*
??n?o!!dated Aug. 2, ?88I.
SUMTER.. S. C . WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 30, 1907.
Sew Series-YoL XXVI. So 2&
$>k Wb??ptes? m?r Soatl;ro??.
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THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY.
REVIEW OF THE WORK DOXE
THUS FAR.
mznary of the Important Measures
That Have Been Debated and a
Forecast of the Probable Fate of
These Bills.
Columbia, Jan. 28.-The most sig?
nificant feature of the work of the
South Carolina legislature in the past
Cweek-in fact, the most important so
far this session-was the action the
senate took on Friday on the Smith
concurrent resolution, "that a joint
committee consisting of the judiciary
committee of each branch of the
general assembly shall prepare and
:r submit a bill to abolish the State dis
^?pensary, and to submit a bill for the
*~ handling of liquor, providing for lo?
cal option in the counties between
prohibition and county dispensaries."
This resolution was adopted by an
aye and nay vote of 19 to 16. The State
dispensary senators present, Mefssrs.
Raysor and Wells, were paired with
Messrs. McKeithan and Haynes, lo?
cal optionists, while two other State
dispensary men,. Senators Johnson
and Hough, were absent and riot pair?
ed. Had all been present the vote
would have been 21 to 20 for the res
' olution.
Senator Talbert, prohibitionist, vot
^ ed with the dispensary people. The
State dispensary people are counting
^* on him to stick, and they expect Mr.
Smith to come to them, which will
give them a majority. But their hope
appears to have scant foundation. It
seems a certainty that the senate,
which has been the State dispensary;
faction's only hope, is against the
system; and will vote for the Carey
* Cothrah local Option measure, which
J?k the dispensary leaders and all others
- admit will pass the house. In fact
in effect 21 out of the 41 senators
have already voted for such a meas?
ure.
The decisive battle in the dispensa- J
ry warfare-which now gives every j
promise of being carried to a conclu?
ra sion, probably in iavor of local op
*^ tkm-was opened in the senate to?
day, when all senate dispensary bills
were up for discussion by reason ol
theirJbeing made special orders. These
bills include Senator Raysor's bill
abolishing the State board of direc?
tors and carrying out the purification
scheme of last year as embodied ir.
the Tillman-Raysor-Mannmg bill,
which the senate passed and the houe?{
rejected; Senator Talbert's three bills
providing for prohibition, and Senator
Rogers' bill to abolish both the State
"board and the office of commissioner
and place the State dispensary in
charge of one man to be known as
"director of the State dispensary."
^ The thunders of the dispensary
?Pk conflict in the house will begin to roll
on Tuesday at noon, from which time
to the end of the chapter the Carey
Cothran bill and the Richards puri
ficaption bill have precendence over
all other business. The form?r has
received a majority favorable report
by the dispensary committee and the
?fr. latter a majority unfavorable re
T port, which was to be expected, the
house being anti-dispensary with an
anti-dispensary speaker.
The new dispensary investigating
committee has its report along with
a great volume of testimony in the
hands of the public printers and hope
to get the entire thing before the sen?
ate by tonight if the senate decides
|| on a session tonight. This report will
be of a sensational character.
As yet the house has sent nothing
to the senate on the subject o'f the
dispensary-in fact, has taken no ac?
tion itself. The Smith resolution
came to the house today. Whether
the house will pass it is altogether
, problematical. The local option house
r members already have their bill
prepared after careful, close study
extending through several months,
and it is not likely that they will rel?
ish the idea of the joint judiciary
committee sending in a substitute, the
senate judiciary committee being pro
State dispensary. Possibly the house
local optionists will be willing to
pass the Smith resolution and get
their friends on the two committees
to report the Carey-Cothran bili, as a
majority er minority measure as the
case may be.
The dispensary has been and will
continue to be the chief topic of in?
terest, but affecting the farmers and
rural business interests even more
vitally is the subject of the agricul?
tural lien law. The house by a vote
of 78 to 32 passed the Richards bill
on Thursday to repeal that portion of
the law which allows the merchant
to advance for the coming crops.
This is a fight Mr. Richards has been
prosecuting for ten long years, to
repeal a law which has been in exist?
ence for 41 years. Strange enough
the senate the very next day by a vote
of 27 to 10 killed a senate bill look?
ing to the same change. Mr. Rich?
ards, however, who never gives up,
says he is not beat, that his bill will j
pass the senate when all members are
present. He has counted noses. The
bill has been sent to the. senate, but it
does not yet appear on the senate cal?
endar which means that it might be
a week or so before it is reached in
that body.
So far there has been no Tegislation
on the subject of railroads, but the
house showed its temper toward them
a few days ago by the overwhelming?
ly large majority with which it pass?
ed the Frost resolution calling for a
joint inter-session commission to in?
vestigate the railroads. The resolu?
tion was looked upon as a railroad
method of gaining twelve months, and
was killed regardless. Representative
Frost, however, has not given up and
will bring the bill up again with, a
changed title. Personally, Mr. Frost
ia very popular, and his name carries
weight with any measure he en?
dorses.
The senate's decisive action on the
Carlisle anti-bucketshop bill seems to
mark the beginning of the end of
this business in the State. This is
the Sanders bill of last year, which
passed the house, but was killed in
the senate. It is a sweeping measure,
outlawing all forms of "future" busi?
ness.
The Toole ten hour labor bill has
been drawn to the front of the senate
calendar by being made a spe?ial or?
der, and may be called up at any
time. It has been favorably reported
and will likely . become law. Senator
Carlisle has a bill in the lead of sec?
ond reading bills in the senate, call?
ing for a limit to the hours railroad
people may work consecutively. The
railroad men make most of their
wages now on "overtime," and it is
also difficult to get the work done,
the bill will meet with decided oppo?
sition.
A subject cf far reaching import?
ance now up for discussion in the sen?
ate is compulsory education. The bill
under debate is Senator Raysoi's "to
require all parents or guardians to
cor-p^l their children or wards to
?attend school for 12 weeks in the
year."
.Another educational measure pend?
ing b?fore the senate is Mr. Raysor's
bill providing f~r a system of high
school? throrrhcut the State.
The Smith Resolution to Abolish the
Dispensary Voted Down and the
Battle is Pitched on Richards Bill
and the Carey-Cothran Measure.
* -
Columbia, Jan. 29.-The house
today by a vote of 65 to 45 passed ihe
Rucker bill increasing the pension ap?
propriation to $250,000.
The house, without opposition, to?
day tabled the Smith resolution call?
ing for the abolishment of the State
dispensary and calling on the joint
judiciary committees to report a
county dispensary-local-option bill
to take its place.
Both factions in the house prefer to
fight the dispensary battle along the
lines it has mapped out. It will choose
between the purification bill of Rich?
ards and the local option scheme of
the Carey-Cothran bill. The debate
began at noon.
NEW INVESTIGATING COMMIT?
TEE MAKES REPORT.
The Facts Brought Ont Prove That
Corruption is Encouraged by Pres?
ent Methods of Making Purchases
-The Raysor-Manning Bill Would
Have Killed This Graft.
[ Columbia, Jan. 29.-In the senate
! last night, Mr. Christensen presented
I the j report of the legislative investi?
gating committee appointed to in
! quire into financial conditions at the
State dispensary. The report came
unexpectedly as Capt. J. G. Richards,
a member of the committee, was out
of the city yesterday, but he return
at 9 o'cloc't last night.
No witnesses were examined except
officers and officials of the State dis?
pensary. Capt. John Black could not
be examined as he is very ill at Hot
Springs, Ark. The testimony begins
with Commissioner Tatum's letter to
dispensers and gives replies from 69
out of 108, who condemn the practice
of the several boards in projecing
with new brands-which- eventually
become hs~d stock. * "
The board several times acqiesced
in the commissioner's request to can?
cel orders, but in the last shuffle of
the cards he appears to have got lost,
for the stuff began to pour in by the
carload before he knew that the big
orders had been placed.
The report confirms Mr. Tatum's
report that whiskey was bought ir?
regularly and further shows up a
transaction in which Maj. Black in
person bought $125,000 worth of
whiskey. He was authorized to make
arrangements for a certain grade of
whiskey, but the legal methods of
purchase do not appear to have been
complied with. There is also sensa?
tional testimony in the evidence of
the new rectifier and blender, Nor?
folk, who swore that some of the
goods for which fancy prices had
been paid are of no substantial value.
The entire testimony will be given to
the senate today.
Following is the report of the com?
mittee:
To the General Assembly of the State
of So*?th Carolina:
In pursuance of the concurrent res?
olution passed by your honorable
body on January 15. 1907, for the in?
vestigation of the affairs of the State
dispensary, your committee beg leave
respectfully to report:
That your committee met and or?
ganized by the election of the Hon.
Niels Christensen as chairman and
the Hon. William X. Graydon to con?
duct the examination of the witnesses,
and the Hon. E. M. Rucker as secre?
tary. Mr. H. H. Glaze was appointed
stenographer for the committee.
Owing to the limited time allowed
the committee to report, we have not
attempted to go into any general in?
vestigation of the financial status of
the dispensary, but have rather con?
fined our attention to the manage?
ment of the affairs of the State dis
I p?nsary. We deem it just to say tl
I no obstacles were thrown in our v
I by the officers and employes of '
jinstitution, but they testified f e
I and freely as to all matters inquh
I about. Wc examined no one but
, ricers and employes. We have h
all the testimony taken in the inv
titration printed for the use of 1
members of the general assembly a
transmit the same herewith. We hi
refrained from making recommenc
tions, preferring to leave it to ye
honorable body to say" what acti
you desire to take on our repo
without any suggestion from yo
committee, contenting ourselves si:
ply with the findings of fact whi
we think the evidence demands.
We find as matters of fact:
1. That the State dispensary
overstocked, and that there was6
hand in the State dispensary on Ja
uary 15, 1907, about $669,000 wot
of stock.
2. That $400,000 worth of sto
is sufficient to run the State dispe
sary. We find that this overstocki;
has been going on both under the c
board of directors and under the n<
I board.
3. We further find that in the pu
chase of liquors for the dispensai
the law has not been observed in
number of instances, and that liquo
have been bought contrary to the ru
established by the board itself for tl
purchase of liquor.
4. We find that the present boai
of directors passed a rule on or abo
the 8th day of March, 1906, that 2
orders for the purchase of liquo
must be signed by at least two mer
bers of the board of directors, bi
said order was subsequently modifi<
so as to allow the clerk of the boai
to order the bulk goods.
5. We find that Mr. John Black,
member of the board of director
purchased a large amount of liquo
amounting to about 1,600 barrel
from Clark Bros. & Sons of Peon
UL, said Black making said pureba.*
in person in Peoria, 111. We also fin
that at the same time and place I
: made a purchase from Lehman & Cc
the amount of which we have bee
unable to ascertain, but 300 barre
were shipped to and received by tr.
State dispensary. We also find thi
Mr. Black made a purchase in perso
in Cincinnati, Ohio, of 600 cases c
liquor from Moyse Bros. These thre
lots of liquor thus purchased by M:
Black amounted to about $125,000.
6. We find from the testimony ths
the liquor thus purchased by M:
Black from Clark Bros. & Sons, a
$1.50 to $1.75 per galon, is a very in
ferior quality of liquor, being what i
known as high wine, and is not wort
more than .$1.33 Jp $1.35 cents . pe
gallon, "and "can be bought in the mai
ket at that price.
7. We find from the testimon
that Mr. Black is out of the Stat?
and we are informed that he is sic!
and hence it was impossible for th
! comimttee to get his testimony, . bu
! a letter of his in relation to sai
j Clark and Lehman purchases is i:
I evidence, and your attention is call
ed to the statement therein contain
ed.
8. We find from the testimony tha
the present board of directors ha
constantly substituted other goods t
be shipped out to the county dispen
saries, in place of the goods ordere*
by the county dispensers, and tha
the goods so substituted were not sat
isfactory to the county dispensers, o:
1 to the people, and that they wer<
shipped over the protest of the count;
dispensers, and over the protest of th<
State commissioner.
\. 9. We further find that the boarc
of directors failed or refused to bu:
in sufficient quantities X corn, X gil
and" X rye, although there was a bi?
demand for this class of goods, anc
frequent requests made to the boarc
to order that class of goods, and thal
the board claims that certain firmi
refused to ship out this das? of goods
when ordered, but we find on exami?
nation that there are on file man\
bids from other reputable firms of?
fering to furnish these goods.
10. We further find that the board
of directors have purchased large
quantities of objectionable case goods,
in which there was a very large profit
to the sellers, in many instances over
100 per cent., but that they failed or
refused to purchase the popular cheap
goods, in which the profit to the
sellers was very little.
11. We further find that a large
part of the overstock in the State
dispensary consists of case goods for
which there is little or no demand,
and which was bought over the pro?
test of the commissioner and the
county dispensers.
12. We further find that there has
been paid on the Clark purchase the
sum of -$30,000, and that the checks
for same were countersigned by Com?
missioner Tatum, although he had
been informed of the facts concern?
ing said purchase.
13. We find that since the meeting
of the general assembly, the board of
directors has adopted a resolution
that all orders for liquor must be
countersigned by Commissioner Ta?
tum.
14. In addition to the stock on
hand, we find that all of the Decem?
ber purchases have been ordered held
up by the board-that is, orders is?
sued not to ship the goods-except
the Clark and Lehman purchases,
which were held up by Mr. M. H.
Mobley, clerk, which action was con?
firmed by Mr. Black.
15. We have not been able to as?
certain the number of cars of liquor
on the sidetracks in the city or en
route to the dispensary at any par?
ticular time. Mr. Tatum stated in his
evidence that he was informed by the
railroad authorities that on a certain
day in the first week in January there
were 36 carloads on the tracks here.
Mr. Mobley testified that he made an
examination three or four days later
and found 12 cars on the tracks, some
of which was glass.
Under tho authority vested in your
committee .wo have instructed the
dispensary officials not to pay any
more money to Clark Bros. or to
yoar tongue to
ALUM
and look in the glass-you will see the effect
You can't help puckering-it makes you pucker
to think of tasting it
By the use o? so called cheap Baking
Powders you-take this ^puckering, injurious Alum
right into your system-you injure digestion,
and ruin your stomachs
AVOID ALVM
Sap plainly
BAKING
POWDER
Royal is made from pure, refined Grape Cream of Tartar-Costs more
^than Alum but you have the profit of quality, the profit of good health.
Lehman, and we submit the matter to
your honorable body for such action
as in your opinion may be necessary.
N. C. Christensen, Jr.,
W. N. Graydon,
. On the Part of the Senate;
E. M. Rucker,
J. P. Carey,
I J. G. Richards,
On the Part of the House.
! NEGROES CONDEMN LAZINESS
Race Conference Issues an Address to
the People.
Columbia, January 2?.-The Race
Conference today adopted unanimous?
ly the following address to the peo?
ple.
"We, the members of the Race Con?
ference of South Carolina, assembled
at Columbia, January 23-25, 1907,
desire to congratulate our people on
the interest shown by them in this,
the first negro Conference, that has
ever been held in this State to
consider the conditions and to ad?
vance the interests of the negro race.
We wish to congratulate also the
committee of arrangements and the
? earnest promoter of this Conference,
f the Rev. Richard Carroll, on this in?
teresting and successful meeting
j which has been attended by several
I thousands of persons, both white and
colored, and which has been address?
ed by several leading and distinguish?
ed men and women of both races.
"We desire to put ourselves on rec?
ord and to make the following decla?
ration.
"That this Conference expresses it?
self as being opposed to all idleness,
crime and shiftle?mess among the
lower element of our people every?
where, and that all thc members cf
the negro race be urged by us to cul?
tivate habits of industry, economy and
sobriety, and so endeavor to become
intelligent, orderly and law-abiding
citizens.
'.That while the confernece con?
demns in the strongest terms all
criminal assaults upon women, white
and black, and holds that all persons
guilty of such offenses should receive
the severest punishment by law, it
also condemns lynching, and all
forms of mob law, as vindictive and
unjust.
'.That we advise our people to stay
out of the cities as much as possible,
where they are exposed to evils and
temptations, and to remain on the
farms, purchase homes and property
in agricultural sections and to length?
en the school term by supplementing
the public school fund in order that
they may better educate their chil?
dren.
"That this confereree do appeal
to the whites to make a difference
between the good, intelligent, indus?
trious, law-abiding class and the bad,
ignorant and worthless element,in the
negro race, and that they do not at?
tempt to humiliate and punish the
respectable and thrifty negro along
with the vicious and shiftless ones.
"That this conference call upon Our
people everywhere in the south to do
all in their power to cultivate peace?
ful and fraternal relations between
the whites and blacks, and to en?
deavor to promote good feeling and
mutual respect, and confidence be?
tween the rajes
"That we entreat and invite the
better class of white citizens to join
hands with the better class of negro
citizens in every community, and thus
to make a strong and united effort
for the suppression of lawlessness and
crime, and the maintenance of law
and order and justice among the peo?
ple of both races;
"That our people do not wish any
social equality with any other race,
but we do insist that we be accorded
all the civil and legal rights guaran?
teed us by the lav.-, and that wherever
there is a separation of the races the
accommodations provided for our
people be equal and just.
"J. L. Dart, G. T. Dillard, L H. Ful?
ton, W. B. Romans, J. B. Middleton,
R. A. Cottingham and J. S. Sawyer."
There was a section of the above
address commendinb United States
Senator Foraker for his efforts in
the renate to_J>ring. about a full and
open inquiry" into" the Brownsville af?
fair, but, after a warm debate, it was
stricken out. The wiser and more
conservative men took . the ground
that that was a political measure, and
this was not a political convention,
therefore . it should have nothing to
do with it, and they carried their
point, and the section was stricken
out
REPORT ON RAILROADS.
The Interstate Commerce Commis?
sion Makes Its Report to Congress
Under Recent Law.
Washington, Jan. 25.-The inter?
state commerce commission today
transmitted to congress its first re?
port on its investigation on discrimi?
nation on monopolies under the joint
resolution . of congress of March 7,
1906, known as the Tillman-Gillespie !
resolution. The report deals with j
bituminous coal carried east of the
? Ohio river and in the teritory bound- |
ed on the south by the Norfolk and !
Western railway and on the north by j
Canada, and on the east by the At- !
lantic seaboard. The roads involved !
are the Norfolk and Western, Ch esa- j
peake and Ohio, Baltimore and Ohio, !
Pennsylvania, Buffalo and Pittsburg, !
Beech Creek division of the New, York !
Central and Hudson River, Pittsburg, j
Shawmut and Northern, Buffalo and j
Susquehana railroad and the Western ?
Maryland railroad. j
The report says that all of the !
above companies own, directly or by !
stock ownership companies, large in- J
tercsts in coal lands. The report con
eludes with recommendation for legis?
lative action based on the develop?
ments thus far. These recommenda?
tions are: *
"First. That every common carrier
engaged in interstate transportation
of coal be required to make public
the system of car distribution in ef?
fect on its railway and the several di?
visions thereof, showing how the j
equipment for coal service is divided
between the several divisions of its
road and how the same in til -, when
the supply of equipment d?. _s not
equal the demand is divided among
the several mining operations along
such road, and that the carrier fur?
ther be required to publish at stated
periods and at each divisional head?
quarters upon its line of road the sys?
tem of car distribution in effect and
the actual distribution made to each
mining operation under such sys?
tem.
"Second. That where the capacity
of the mines is the basis for the dis?
tribution of equipment, a fair, just
and equitable rating of the mines be
required.
"Third. That after reasonable time
carriers engaged in interstate com?
merce bc prohibited from using 'in?
dividual' or 'private cars' for the
handling of coal traffic.
"Fourth. That carriers engaged in
interstate commerce bo forbidden after
reasonable time to own or have any
interest in any operated coal proper?
ties, except such as are exclusively for
their own fuel supply, and that
ownership, either directly or indirect?
ly, by officers or employes of common
carriers of any coal properties or any
Of the stock of coal companies, along
the line of road by which they are
employed, be forbidden."
A summary is given, showing, as
developed during the investigation,
the interest of officials in corporations