The watchman and southron. (Sumter, S.C.) 1881-1930, January 30, 1907, Image 4
WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 30, 1907.
The Sumter Watchman was founded in
1850 and the True Southron in 1866. The
Watchman and Southron now has the com?
bined circulation and influence of both of
?the cid pap?is, and is manifestly the best
advertising medium in Sumter.
IMPORTANT NOTICE.
Subscribers are requested to ex?
amine the label on their papers,
which show the date to which the
subscription has been paid. Those
who find that they are in arrears are
Tequested to call and settle or remit
-at the earliest convenient date. The
.amount that each subscriber owes is
?mall, but in the aggregate the
amount due us for subscription is
oritp large-and we r.ee.l the money.
Charleston has invited President
Roosevelt to pay that city another
.vitit Has Crum been forgotten?
* ? .
Attorney General Lyon has been in
office a week, but no dispensary
grafters have been started on the
?road to the penitentiary.
* . *
President ' Roosevelt sent a special
message to congress Wednesday
boosting the ship-subsidy graft. This
is a party measure, and he probably
had to do it to propitiate the money?
ed friends of his friend Cortelyou.
* ? .
Mr. J. J. Kolb's letter to City Coun
.cil protesting against the failure of
the Sumter Telephone company to
furnish him with a telephone, for
which application was made nearly a
year ago, and at intervals since, puts
the; matter squarely up to that com?
pany. It looks like a case of "Shoot,
linke, or give up the gun."
* . . .
The dispensary fight in the house,
which begins next Tuesday, promises
to be interesting in some respects, but
the result is a foregone conclusion.
The anti-dispensary side is the
popular side now and the house can
be depended upon to do what appears
-to be the popular thing every tims.
* . .
"The trial of Harry Thaw, the mil?
lionaire degenerate, for the murder
.of Stanford White, was begun in
-New York Wednesday an dthe news
-agencies are giving it as much prom
'inence as a news feature as they gave
-the Kingston earthquake; and the
'worst of it is the trial will last long
>er than a dozen earthquakes.
? . .
"The charge against Senator Bailey
that he was a hireling of the
Standard Oil Trust and had used his
political influence to aid that concern
to circumvent the laws of Texas had
no more efl*ect upon the voters of
Texas than did the Hubbell rebate
charges against Senator Tillman in
*his State. A'majority of the Texans
are for Bailey against the world, the
flesh and the devil as South Caroli?
nians are for Tillman.
. ? .
If the South Carolina State Base?
ball League is organized on a business
basis the people of Sumter will give
the local club and the league enthu?
siastic support. Sumter wants good
ball and will go as far as the next
-town to get it, but the fans want to be
.assured cf clean sport and a fair deal.
This we believe we shall have under
the o 'ganization recommended by the
retiring president, Mr. H. S. Baird,
and directed by Mr. M. L. Smith, as
president. The selection of Mr. Smith
as president could not be improved
-upon.
? . .
Representative Mann had the right
to have his reasons for not voting for
Senator Tillman recorded, and the
vote of a majority of the members to
expunge his statement from the house
journal was an exhibition of sub?
serviency to Senator Tillman that sur?
passed their refusal to adopt the res?
olution endorsing President Roose?
velt's discharge of the negro trocps.
Senat T Tillman is an able man and
in ou- ? ri? n his services in the sen?
ate e: til rim to re-election, but he
is r. - . c criticism, and the house
does itself no credit by its truckling
?attitude.
. . o
Within the past thirty days three
persons have been painfully injured
and a little girl killed on the streets
of this city, and the preponderance of
evidence in each case indicates that
the accidents were the result of care?
lessness in greater or less degree. In
two cases, viz: the injury of Sergeant
Jenkins and that of Rev. F. y. Sat
terwhite, it is alleged, and there were
credible witnesses to sustain the al?
legation, that the accidents were un?
avoidable, owing to circumstances
over which the driver had no con?
trol at the instant the accidents oc?
curred; but the recurrence of such
accidents shows that due care has not
been exercised by the riders and
-drivers. There seems to be a spirit
of recklessness on the part of riders
.drivers of horses and the drivers of
automobiles, as well, that renders the
streets unsafe to pedestrians and
bicyclists. This condition has been
growing worse and worse for a long
time and we are of the opinion that
the ordinances against fast and reck?
less driving should be rigorously en?
forced. There is nothing to be said
against punishing those who drive
over and injure pedestrians, but it
would be far better to prevent such
accidents by putting a stop to fast
driving.
SOUTH CAROLINA WINS.
The Greatest Yield of Corn in the
World Per Acre Last Year Was
Gathered From a Farm in Claren?
don County.
South Carolina again wins the
championship in the matter of raising
the greatest yield of corn per acre.
The prize yield was 182 bushels to
j th? acre and Mr. A. J. Tindal of Clar
I enJun is the ouccefcsiui competitor. A
? few years ago in a similar contest.
South Carolina own the first prize, M.r
Drake of Marlboro having produced
254 bushels to the acre.
This is a great advertisement for
South Carolina and a great feather in
,the cap of the bureau of agriculture
and immigration which advertised the
contest and worked up interest there?
in. The bureau has achieved several
notable successes in the last 12
months, this and the arirval of the
Wittekind being the most conspicu?
ous.
j Notwithstanding he is pardonably
proud-of-the accomplishment of his
\ department' during this year in es?
tablishing the trans-Atlantic service
to Charleston and securing the far
reaching decision of Secretary Straus
in the matter of immigration, both
of which matters have brought South
Carolina so prominently to the front
in pioneer work and have accomplish?
ed so much in the way of widespread
advertising of the State, when the
news came oyer the wires yesterday
that South Carolina had won the na?
tional record of the production of
corn per acre in .the national contest
of the American Agriculturist, Com?
missioner Watson felt that this hap?
py result of the efforts made by the
department to have South Carolina
farmers in this contest would have as
far-reaching effect in the matter of
advertising the resources of this. State
as either of the other achievements.
He said that such a victory coming
at such an oupportune moment would
be the means of substantiating the
claims of this State as a desirable sec?
tion for agricultural settlers, and
when it is considered that aside from
any other publicity given it the full
details of the victory will be seen by
230,000 readers of the farming class
of one set of publications alone, cov?
ering this entire country, the value
of securing this record by a South
Carolina farmer cannot be estmated
too highly.
The following is a copy of the tel?
egram received by Commissioner
Watson yesterday morning:
Springfield, .Mass., Jan. 23, 1907.
To E. J. Watson, Comissioner, Co?
lumbia, S. C.
The largest in yield of corn 182
bushels net one acre in American Ag?
riculturist contest raised in your
State. Sweepstakes divided equally
among one crop each South Caralina,
Ohio, Iowa, Connecticut. Graduated
report your contestants follows: Con*
gratulations. Myrick,
President Board of Managers Grain
Contest.
Commissioner Watson at once wir?
ed to Mr. Myrick:
"Yours received. Information most
gratifying and welcome. Kindly wire
me at once name of man who raised
1S2 bushels. "Watson."
In the afternoon the answer
came:
"A. J. Tindall, Clarendon county,
182."
Mr. Tindal was given the news in
the folowing telegram. To him at
Manning in Clarendon county:
"You hold best record in national
contest corn growing. Congratula?
tions. "Watson."
Among the counties represented in
the contest were Orangeburg, Flor?
ence, Hampton, Kershaw, Colleton,
Marlboro, Clarendon, Anderson, Dar?
lington, Bamberg, Richland, Wil?
liamsburg. Chesterfield and Saluda.
In speaking of the result of the
contest and the victory of Mr. Tindall,
Commissioner Watson siad:
"I have realized ever since I began
this work the immense value of the
fact that in the last national contest
15 years ago the largest yield of corn
per acre :n the United States or else
wher was by Capt. Drake of
Marlboro county, in this State. When
it became known that there would be
another contest for this world's rec
cord this yeor I hastened to recom?
mend to the general assembly an ap?
propriation of $500 for the purpose of j
a State contest in corn raising, there?
by enabling contestants in the State
contest to participate in the national
contest, feeling . .ire that we could
win, ond knowing full well that if we
could we would reap a splendid har?
vest in the way of valuable advertis?
ing, such a victory recalling the pre?
vious victory in the minds of the
masses in this and other countries,
and accentuating the power of that
victory.
"It was gratifying when the legis
loture unhesitatingly made the appro?
priation and created the corn contest
commission, and it was more gratify?
ing when contestants representing the
majority of the counties of this State
filed their entries and began operat?
ions in a manner that bespoke a de?
termination to win. It is even more
of an advertisement to win in this
contest for the reason that the con?
test 15 years ago was based solely
upon yield per acre, while in this the
scale of points considered there has
been much more involved. The scale
has been: 1, purity and selection of
seed, 10 points; 2, methods of cul?
ture, 25 points; 3, records of manual
including clearness, completness, ac?
curacy, etc., 15 points; 4, yield, 25
-points; 5 quality, including market
grading, salability, feeding value, 10
points; 6, profits resulting from en?
tire acre, 15 points, making a total bf
100 points. Notwithstanding the
crops encountered storm in the late
summer and the early fall, we have
been able to once more surpass all
competitors in yield per acre.
"In this cereal contest the Ameri?
can Agriculturist offered $5,000 alto?
gether in cash prizes. Exactly how
much Mr. Tindall will receive of the
national side of the matter I cannot
say without carefully looking to the
records. There have been about 35
contestants from South Carolina par?
ticipating, and Mr. Tindall's report at
first indicated 191 pushels. Contest?
ants in Marlboro, Florence, and Bam?
berg counties have followed Mr. Tin?
dall very closely and in the order
named in the matter of number of
bushels. The State commission, of
which r>r. Mell, Prof. Harper and
myself are the members, has not yet
considered the reports filed, having
waited the grading records as com?
piled by the experts in charge of the
nationol contest. The commission will
doubtless meet very soon now and
distribute the prizes in the State con?
test as arranged and announced last
March. It is practically certain, how?
ever, that Mr. Tindall will receive
$200 from the State contest. It is
probable that the commission will
make some changes in the amounts
apportioned for prizes to school chil?
dren, as the feature of the contest
could not be satisfactorily developed
during the year.
"Before the gratifying news of Mr.
Tindall's victory had been received I
had already recommended in my an
nuol report the continuance of this
appropriation for entering the contest
during 1907 and had called particular
attention to the stimulation of inter?
est in corn growing by reason of the
successful demonstration of the re?
sults of the Williamson plan. In this
connection it is noteworthy also that
the corn in South Corolina has in?
creased from 13,129, 000 bushels in
1900 to 23,611,000 bushels last year."
THE STANDARD OIL DEBAUCHES
TRADE AND MORALS.
Interstate Commerce Commission
Charges System With Monopoly,
Bribery, Fraud, Corruption of the.
Press and Debauchery of State In?
spectors-Drastic Remedies Sug?
gested.
Washington, Jan. 2S.-The most
terrific arraignment of the Standard
Oil company yet made by either pri?
vate or public investigator was that
filed with congress today by the inter?
state commerce commission.
Every conceivable corporate crime,
discrimination and false pretenses,
corruption of the press and debauch?
ery of public officials, is contained in
the catalougue of charges.
After a long and painstaking in- !
vestigation, ordered by congress, in
which hundreds of witnesses were ex?
amined in various (pities of the coun?
try, and ample opportunity was given
the oil octopus to defend itself, the
commission makes a report that com?
pletely overshadows the sensational
disclosures revealed in the report of
Commissioner of Corporations Gar?
field on the same subject last May. !
Mr. Garfield's report was confined
largely to the relations of the Stand?
ard Oil company to the railroads of
the country; the interstate commerce
commission'M report goes into the
whole subject of monopolistic control
of the oil n arket. With a wealth of
detail, it de-scribes the devious meth?
ods employed by the Rockefeller com?
bine to crush competition.
Some of these methods are outlin?
ed by the commission as follows:
The Standard has sold different
grades of oil at different prices from
the same barrel.
"It has paid employes of independ?
ent oil companies for information as
to the business of those competitors,
and has paid employes of industrial
companies to secure the adoption of
its oil in preference to that of its com?
petitors.
"it has followed every barrel of
independent oil to destination. Its
agents are instructed to secure cus?
tomers at any sacrifice.
"It has tampered with the oil in?
spectors in different States. The laws
of several States concerning the in
sj ection of oil arr singularly defect?
ive, and this has been turned to profit
by the Standard.
"The Standard buys advertising
space in many newspapers which it
fills, not with advertisements, but
with reading matter prepared by
agents kept for that purpose and p .id
for at advertising rates, as ordinary
news. The assumption is that this
literature furnishes many of tho ideas
?ching the great benefits conferred
upon the public by the Standard Oil
company.
"The Standard has repeatedly, aft
becoming the? owner of a competi
company, continued to operate
under the old name, carrying the id
to iT.e public that the company w
still independent and competing wi
I the Standard.
"It has used such purchased or i
dependently organized companies
kill off competitors by such comp
nies reducing prices.
"The operation of such fake ind
pendent concerns has been one of i
most effective means of destroyi:
competition.
"The Standard has habitually r
duced the price against its competit
in a particular locality, while mai
faining its prices at other plac?
When competition was destroyed
restored or advanced former prices
The commission's only knowledj
of the competitive methods of tl
Standard Oil company, says the r
port, was obtained from evidence tal
en under oath. It is stated that tl
Standard was given permission to e:
plain or rebut the facts.
"This evidence if true," continu
the report, "demonstrates that tl
j competitive methods of the compar
in the past have been unfair and evi
disreputable. Its motto has been tl
destruction of competition at any eos
and this policy has been pursui
without much reference to decency (
conscience, and it is significant th;
the. larger independent refiners se
the greater part of their product
foreign countries. One independe:
testified that 75 per cent, of his pr?
duct went abroad, and said he cou!
compete with the Standard in Ge:
many, where its methods as followe
in this country would not be tolera
ed, but that he could not comnel
with it here."
It is the opinion of the commissio
that the existing law is inadequate t
cope with the evils complained of.
"It may become necessary,'.' sa3
the report, "for the uprooting of a
tablished wrongs and the preventio
of others that the government sha
fix in the first instance the rates an
regulations for the trasnportation c
oil. This method has been adopte
by the legislature of one State. It wi
probably be found necessary to dis
associate, in the case of oil, as in tha
of other commodities, the function c
trasportation from that of productio
and transportation."
The investigation by the commis
sion failed to disclose any instanc
where a railway company has bee
interested directly in oil lands or i
petroleum production. Only one in
stance was discov ^*ed where official
of a railway company were intereste
in the production and sale of oil. Thi
related to certain officials of the Bal
timor? and Ohio Southwestern rail
road who owned stock of the Argan
Refining company, which was o:
their recommendation afterwards sol<
to the Standard Oil company, and th
lubricating contract which the roa<
transferred to the Galena Oil compa
ny, a Standard concern.
Discussing in detail itc charge
against the Standard Oil company th
commission says, in part:
"The Standard Oil company largel;
monopolizes the handling of petro
leum from the mouth of the well un
til it is sold to the retailer, and some
times to the consumer, and under or
dinary circumstances its margin o
profit is very large.
"The evidence shows little basis fo:
the contention that the enormous div
idends of 'the Standard Oil ! compan:
are the legitimate result of ifs econo
mies. Except for its pipe lines, th<
Standard has but little legitimate ad
vantage over the independent refln
ers. At the basis of the monopoly
re~ts the pipe line. The Standard ma:
today pump oil from a well in Indiar
Territory to its refinery at Jersey City
The cost of piping a barrel of oil fron
the Kansas field to the Atlantic sea?
board would not be much, if any
above 30 cents. The independent re
finer is located usually near th<
source of the crude supply, but ih<
Standard locates its refineries nea:
the great centers of distribution. Th<
independent refiner in interior Kansai
finds it difficult to dispose of hii
residuum, such as fuel oil because th<
railroad rate is almost as much as it?
value; but the Standard has at th<
doors of its refinery in Kansas City ?
market at a favorable price for a
large part of this by-product, and this
is of itself an enormous advantage.
"Possession of the pipe lines en?
ables the Standard absolutely to con?
trol the price of crude petroleum and
the price which its competitors in a
given locality shall pay It can raise
the price in one locality and obtain
its own oil from another and reverse
the process when it desires to do so.
"The pipe line system of the Stan?
dard is not a natural, but rather an
artificial advantage. The reason why
long pipe lines competing with those
of the Standard have not been pro?
vided is found in obstacles thrown in
the way cf such undertakings, having
been opposed by the railways, whose
right of way has generally stood as a
Chinese wall against all attempts to
extend pipe lines. However; in cases
brought to the attention of the com?
mission every facility has been ex?
tended by railways to the Standard for
the construction of pipe lines.
"While the Standard has not rec?
eived rebates it has nevertheless
enjoyed secret rates possessing all' of
the elements of illegal rates and the
advantages so obtained over indepen?
dent shippers have been a very great
value to the company."
The commission then relates several
instances of this kind similar to those
detailed in the report o fthe com?
missioners of corporations, and pro?
ceeds.
"The ruin of its competitors has
been a distinct part of the policy of
the Standard Oil company in the past,
systematically and persistently per
sued. One method has been the
organisation of a perfect system of
espionage over the shipments of its
competitors: resulting in knowledge
as to the destination of every car of
oil leaving the refinery of an inde?
pendent. The standard agent at the
destination is held responsible if the
independent oil is sold. It does not
appear that the railroad companies
have directed thc furnishing of this
information or that the practice has
been sanctioned hy superior officials of
the road: but it does appear that such
information is systematically obtained
from railroad employes. The testi?
mony shows that the Standard at one
time, if it does not now, devoted a
fund to the purpose of obtaining this
information. It has frequently hap
pened when the supply of independ?
ent oil in a panlcu'ar territory was
low and a shipment was peculiarly
necessary, that the shipment has un?
accountably gone astray.
"Information also appears to have
been given the Union Tank Line, a
creature of the Standard, concerning
the whereabouts of its cars.while such
information was not furnished to
other owners of tank cars, and some
discrimination in tank-car mileage in
1 favor of the tank line is shown, for
one railroad. Many roads issued
passes on account of the Union Tank
L,ine which were in fact used by sell?
ing agents of the Standard. Many
local agents of roads have been in the
employ of the Standard, and this may
account for the unsatisfactory servi?
ces accorded to independent shippers.
"Most roads charge higher rates on
oil in tank cars destined to consign?
ees who do not have proper facilities
for unloading, such as storage tanks
so situated that the oil can be trans?
ferred by pipe from the tank car to
the storage tank.
This had brought about the erec?
tion of distribution tanks in all parts
of the country. Th-a tanks are neces?
sarily located near the railroad tracks,
and there was much complaint that
the railroads allowed the Standard to
erect its taks at convenient points on
the railroad right of way and declined
to accord this privilege to independ?
ent refiners. The commission is sat?
is fied that such discrimination has
been very generally practiced in the
past.
Closing its report with a discussion
of the difficulties confronting the gov- i
ernment in coping with all these evils,
the commission says:
"Since in the past petroleum rates
have not always been established to
promote, but often to check, traffic,
and the tariffs are more or less per?
meated with discriminations in favor
of the Standard Oil company, having
been built up during a series of years
in that view, it may be that this dis?
crimination will never be eliminated
by any process of complaint against
a specific rate or practice. Judging
by the past discriminations as to this
traffic may arise more frequently than
those now existing.can be routed out
by that method. In no other import?
ant traffic is there an approach to
the monopoly of the Standard Oil
company in that of oils. What other
remedies in addition to those already
provided it may be necessary to pre?
scribe can be better determined in the
near future by the result of experi?
ence in administering the present
law."
The lien law is not dead yet by any
means. The house has passed a bill
repealing it, but the senate has re?
fused to adopt a bill to the same ef?
fect.
FOR SALE-Sunflower and Southern
Hope Long Staple Cotton Seed. Ap?
ply to D. C. Richardson, Oswego, S.
C., R. F. D. No. 1. 1-23-lt*
FOR SALE-At Hagood, S. C., 100
acres of land that brings ove** a bale
of cotton to the acre. Address,
Miss Emmie Saunders, Hagood, S.
C. 10-17-tf
4
ertilizers
*
There is no item of expense connected with the making of a
crop that is of greater importance to farmers than that of fer?
tilizers. It seems practically a waste of time and energy to at?
tempt the planting of a crop without their use. In good years
they pay handsomely, but with unfavorable seasons, the results
are very disappointing. The year just closed was one of the
most disastrous that this immediat? section has ever experi
enced Fertilizers were used liberally, yes we might say,
extravagantly. The sellers were probably as much to blame
as the consumers We were all more or less inflated as the re?
sult of two or three years of good business, and were anxious
to spread our wings; they have been clipped. We have been
taught a lesson, a very expensive one, and let us hope a profit?
able one.
The conditions make it necessary that in 1907 we shall have
to practice economy. Banks will not be in a position to ex?
tend the liberal accommodations, which they have so cheerfully
done in the last few years, and merchants' resources will be
limited accordingly. We do not know whether it is economy
to curtail to a great extent the use of fertilizers or not, every
farmer will have to exercise his own judgment as to this; Our
observation has been that those who use fertilizers with a rea?
sonable degree of liberality and apply them intelligently, makes
the best showing at the end of the year. Many customers come
to our office, not knowing what to buy, and want us to make
suggestions. This shows ? lack of intelligence on their part.
Every farmer cugh^t to know what is best suited to his soil, it is
his duty to make a study of it, otherwise he is throwing his
money away. It sometimes happens that a certain grade of
fertilizer will give excellent results on one field, whereas on
another portion of the same plantation it would be practically
worthless. We never make suggestions as to the best fertil?
izers to use, it is not our business, we do not know, but we try
to give people what they want, and if the results are not satis?
factory, they have only themselves to blame. *
We are handling the same brand of acid and ammociated
goods that we ha\e been selling for the past ten y ears* and
based upon their analysis, we feel perfectly safe in saying that
4
Io Better Mi k
Our kainit, muriate of potash and nitrate of
soda we import direct. M
/ * 0. B. W% V
23
THE PEOPLE
like our fine SKID00 DROPS, 5 cents per measure. Every
householder should ask their dealer for them. Have you
tried them? MADE BY
23*
CHARLESTON BISCUIT WORKS, *
Charleston, S. C.
23 23
Jan. 23, 1907-3in