Historical Newspapers of South Carolina

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.RilMGE AHO IRRIGATION. WORK. ADVOCATKD BY PROM I NKNT KSi, INKERS. Water llewonroe* investigation* by thr> Geological Survey of the United HSetae> Tb? necessity for determining the ?Stent and character of the water re? sources of ths country, If such re? sources are to be wisely utilised, la emphasised by the Director of ths United Htatea Geological Survey In his annual report, no* tn press. It Is pointed oat that prominent engineers bave long advocated the extension of Government Investigations of water nsmurecs, and thit the work In the Called States Is not commensurate s1tk that doae U many European ountrtee If the Jnttsd States were to provide for the prosecution of wa? ter resources Invest igst ions on a scale of thoroughness equal to that of SwttserUnd. for axi.mple. It would ap? propriate $11.000.0)0 annually, a sum lit times greater than the present annual appropriation for similar v ork la this ccuntty. A brief statement of a few of the industrial and socUt problems of the present day In wtdoh the utilisation of watsr Is ths oon trolling factor Is made in ths report, as follows: ?Jhs average annual damage by goods to the UalUd States has never been accurately determined, but such Investigations as have been made In? dicate that the lose must be at least I lOS.SSS.SOS annually. It appears that la many parts of ths United IMatee the proper expenditure of an amount equal to nns year's flood loss would prevent future floods; In other I-arts of ths country the cost would probably equal the losses of two or tnors years; but Id every locality pre? vention could be accomplished by an expenditure equivalent to the losses from Use Hoods of a few yeara In-few flood regions, however, could this result be socompllshed except under f?deral acton, lfogt of the riven i are Interstate. Their basins were defined many thousanda of years beffoie Stats boundaries were con? ceive J. The proper treatment of the good question must therefore follow the ilsaMa imposed by nature rather than the artificial Unas defining the sovereignty of ths various States. Pre? vent/en of floods Is purely an engi? neering problem, and the engineers Who hare thoroughly investigated it realise fully ths necessity for federal regulatma. On another feature of this subject ths sssjtaesrtog profession Is also agreed, aamely, that whatever means may hs flnslly adopted to prevent this great devastation the results of Investigations of fivers must be avail? able Ss show their habits, flows, sea-1 social changes, snd eccentricities; and. moreover, such investigations must extend over a period of years and be practically completed before remedial measure* can be applied. Several hundred million dollsrs have been expended by the Govern? ment for river improvement, and it Is probable that ss much, if not more, must be expended during the next decade Whatever may be the system under which the United States shall make its Improvements, all eiiglnrcrn agree that thorough In? vestigation of the rivers Is absolutely necewsry to the final solution of the problem. The United States Is spending $40. 0SS.SS0 In the construction of irriga? tions system*.. The great factor that will determine the success or failure of this Investment is the water supply. Whether or not there Is water suffi? cient for soy Irrigation project can not be determined by mere Inspection or by measurements made over a short period of yeara. When the rec? lamation set wss passed, In 1901, it was possible for the Government to proceed st once with certain projects because the Oeologisal Survey had on Hie the reeulte of stream measure? ments showing that sufficient water was available for these projects. The Rsclsmatlon Service has no legal power t.? make general Investigations of etresm flow, and obviously it would be unjust to chsrge the cost of gen ersl laveutlaatlon* over all the arid Irtgationidlyv rofrotesnhyate pdlo.DW West against specific projects. In other words, the continued Investiga? tion of ths wster resources of the conutry will asfegusrd $40,000,000 of s v mm eat expenditure. More than 80.000.000 seres of the best agricultural landa In the United States sre unproductive because they need drainage. The lands are so wide? spread that their drainage la being agitated as s national Issue, for many believe that ths wet lands should be reels I wed under federal authority, as ars the srld lands of the West. To th?? *uri'.'*, of this work Ihr Investiga? tion of water resources, sa well aa ac? curate topographic mapping, la as nec? essary ss It la to the success of Irriga? tion enterprises. The United stales Government Is at ths present time s large owner of water-power privileges, and Investiga? tion of those privileges is a matter of public duty In the absence of specific Information concerning Its value, a Water power may bo easily acquired. and water-power rights have thus gone from the control of the Govern? ment for a fraction of their real val? ue, not for useful development, but for speculative holding, which In? volves keeping them for tong periods In a non-productive state. Enormous water powers outside of the public I domain are being procured at ex? tremely low valuations, and although the devlopment of these powers will undoubtedly be of ultimate val? ue to the people at large, their ex? tent and value should be matters of publio record. FA KM SCHOOLS ARE ADVOCATED. Dr. Seaman A. Knapp Throws Out Several Suggestions. The movement for the establishment of argicultural high sch' ols in South Carolina received consids able encour? agement yesterday moridng b;r a re? port mads by Dr. Seaman A. Knapp, who has charge of trie demonstration farm work In the South, under the di? rection of the department of agricul? ture, and who has recently returned from the Northwest, where there are a number of these schools. Dr. Knapp held a conference with Commissioner Watson. Superintendent Martin, Con? gressman Lever and several others, Including his assistants In this State. After going ovsr the demonstration work he epoks at length upon the ne? cessity of agricultural schools and outlined plans along a number of lines. In Iowa Dr. Knapp said, there are four of these schools and with similar conditions three schools would be enough In South Carolina. These schools could havs courses of three years and he so arranged that they would not conflict In any way with the plans of the agricultural colleges. Dr. Knapp also pointed out the neces? sity for short terms for farmers and others who wished soms Instruction along certain lines, these courses last? ing from SO to 10 days. Dr. Knapp approved of a farm in connection with the schools, about 200 acres In ex? tent His remarks were listened to with closest attention and several val? uable points were bruoght out for consideration by the general aesembly when the bill Is brough: up.?The 8tate. FEArHKHSTONE FOR GOVERNOR Will Bun on State-Wide Prohibition Platform. Laurens. Dec. I.*?Hon. C. C. Feath erstone of this city announced defi? nitely this morning that he would be a candidate for governor of South Carolina In the next campaign, 1910. It Is remembered that Mr. Feather stone declared his candidacy at the opening of this year's campaign, but withdrew because of the promised stand of Gov. Ansel on the liquor question; that is. the governor's ad? vocacy of a platform that was a step toward State-wide prohibition. Mr. Anse* had been governor for only one term, and there were thousands who deemed him worthy of a second term because of his successful fight against the old State dispensary. Consequent? ly Mr. Featherstone deemed It inad? visable to oppose Mr. Ansel at thai time and withdrew from the race, at the some time announcing his contin? ued advocacy of State-wide prohibi? tion and his willingness to keep up the fight. In view of the growing sentiment for Stnte-wlde prohibition, and the fact that one-half of the counties In the State have already voted prohibi? tion and believing that !no time has come in the political life of the State for such a campaign, Mr. Feather stone announces that he will make the race on a platform for State-wide pro? hibition. The announcement of Mr. Feather stone's candidacy so early in the cam pslgn Is In response to numberless in? quiries as to his intentions; he has re? ceived many Inquiries and has been persistently urged to make the race. While his withdrawal statement in July wax practically an announcement that he would make the race two years hence, the statement Is made to apprise the many friends of prohibi? tion as to Mr. Featherstone's inten? tions. Plowing by Steam. About the biggest thing near Rock Hill last week was the demonstration on the Winthrop farm of plowing by ateam?In fact, there were two big things going at the same time, for there was "Big John" McFadden sit? ting on the forward plow as happy as a king?Indeed It was a big thing all round. And the way that gnag of twelve plows made the dirt fly was a caution. The demonstration was In charge of Mr. McFadden, who Is the local agent of the Case Company, who furnished the traction ouflt and the plows. It Is something new here, but Is commonly used on the large farms In the wheat and corn belts out West. The plows can be made to go to a d. pth of fourteen Inches and they cut a swath through the earth about eight feet as clean as a whistle without a hitch. It Is worth seeing.?-Rock Hill Record. ADVERTISlXG SUMTER. E. I. Hcnrtfon, the Sumter Corres? pondent of the State, Never Loses An Opportunity to Advertise Our City?lie Hud the following in the State Today. Sumter, Dec. 1.?As predicted in this correspondence in a commercial letter of Nov. 23, the outlook for a heavy Christmas trade In Sumter Is fine. Christmas shopipng has already started and the Sumter merchants have never been better prepared to supply the demand, in all lines of busi? ness, dry goods, clothing, notions, hats, shoes, millinery, neckwear, gloves, cloaks, silver and goldware, fine cuttery, mechanical and other toys, and, In fact, anything you desire for a Christmas present, ornamental or substantial, or useful, for male or female, young and old, can be found In the many up-to-date mercantile es? tablishments of the Gamecock City. An Important feature of the mer? cantile business In Sumter Is that most of the leading firms not only buy for cash and then not only get their goods cheaper and are therefore able to meet competition, but the Sumter merchants go themselves and take also the heads of departments In their stores to the large markets of the North to see what is for sale and the latest styles and designs, etc. And in addition to this the Sumter merchants have local buyers in the leading mar? kets of the country on the look out for "Job lot" opportunities. There is no man who is in closer touch with the prevailing industrial, financial and general crop condition of the great Pee Dee agricultural section than the Sumter merchant. And he knows just what the men and women of the Pee Dee country want, and he keeps It In stock. A visit to the dry goods, clothing, furniture, hardwire, Jewelry, shoe, gent's furnishing, ladles' furnishing, millinery, toy, drug and other stores where Christmas presents are kept show that the largest, most varied and select stock ever seen In eastern Carolina are in the stock. And Sumter, widely known for years as a leading Carolina dry goods, clothing, hardware and shoe and gro? cery market and s tock market, is do? ing the business this season because sh i goes after business, and tries to increase her business prospects and to widen and to extend her trade ter? ritory by up-to-date business methods and competitive prices and fair deal? ings. A visit to Sumter mercantile estab? lishments between now and Christmas will open the eyes of every one and even those from a distance will be re? paid by their trip to Sumter. The Gamecock City merchants are out for business and they have the goods and the competitive prices. This article Is written for the In? formation of the thousands of The state's readers within a radius of 100 miles of Sumter who want a big and varied assortment of goods to select their Christmas goods and presents from. ACREAGE OP CROPS IN S. C. Interesting Table Prepared by Com niLssloncr Watson on Estimates In This State. Commissioner Watson yesterday produced some Interesting statistics on the acreage in South Carolina for a number of crops. The figures give a are for 1900, a portion for 1907 and an estimate for 1908, which will be of special value to the farmers. The acreage for each year Is as follows. 1900. 1907. 1908. Corn . .1.772,057 1,974,000 2,073,000 Wheat . 174,245 314,000 315,000 Oats. . . 222,544 195,000 201,000 Barley . 281 . 253 Rye. . . 4,256 4,000 5,000 Bnckwhe . 10. Pota. . 8,068 9,000 9,000 Hay . . 106,124 61,000 65,000 Cotton .2,074.081 2,426,000 2,463.000 Tobac . 25.993 23,300 25,868 Rico. . 77.657 19.100 20,260 Totals 4,465.316 6.042,400 6,177,321 The estimate by the government for 1908 Is 5,167.068. Muscular Pains Cured. ?"During the summer of 1903 I was troubled with muscular pains in the Instep of my foot," says Mr. S. Pedlar, of Toronto, Ont. "At times it was so painful I could hardly walk. Cham? berlain's Pain Balm was recommended to me, so I tried It and was complete? ly cured by one small bottle. I hav^ since recommended It to several of my friends, all of whom speAk highly of It." For sale by all Druggists. The United States and Germany have agreed upon a postage rate of 2 cents between the two countries In? stead of the five cent rate now prevail? ing. The new rate will go Into effect January 1st. Hcxnmethylenotetramlne. ?The above Is tho name of a Ger? man chemical, which Is one of the many valuable Ingredients of Foley's Kidney Remedy. Hexamethylenetetra mlne Is recognized by medical text books and authorities as a uric acid solvent and antiseptic for the urine. Take Foley's Kidney Remedy as soon as you notice any Irregularities, and avoid a serious malady. W. W. Si? nei*. TEXT OF DECLARATION. State Department Gives Out Ameri? can-Japanese Notes?A "Mutual Understanding." Washington, Dec. 1.?The notes ex? changed between the United States and Japan, "declaring their policy in the Far East," which have been the subject of correspondence between Secretary of State Root and Ambassa? dor Takahlra for some months, were made public at the state department tonight. Accompanying the declara? tion arc two letters, one from Mr. Takahlra and one from Mr. Root, the former expressing the belief that a frank avowal of the aim, policy and intention of the countries holding im? portant outlying possessions In the re? gion of the Pacific ocean would not only tend to strengthen the relations of friendship and good neighborhood between the two nations but would materially contribute to the preserva? tion of the general peace, and the lat? ter declaring that "this expression of mutual understanding is welcome to the government of the United States. Each letter, In which is included the declaration, Is dated November 30, the day on which the exchange took place. The purport of the five separ? ate notes was fully set forth In the Associated Press dispatches of Novem? ber 27 from Washington. The Declaration. In explicit terms they are as fol? lows: 1. It is the wish of the two govern? ments to encourage the free and i peaceful development of their com? merce on the Pacific ocean. 2. The policy of both governments, uninfluenced by any aggressive ten? dencies, is directed to the maintain ance of the existing status quo in the region above mentioned and to the de? fense of the principle of equal oppor? tunity for commerce and Industry in China. 3. They are accordingly firmly re? solved reciprocally to respect the ter? ritorial possessions belonging to each other in said region. 4. They are also determined to pre? serve the common interests of all pow? ers in China by supporting by all pacific means at their disposal the independence 1 and integrity of China and the principle of equal opportunity for commerce and industry of all na? tions in that empire. 5. Should any event occur threat? ening the status quo as above describ? ed or the principle of equal opportuni? ty as above defined, it remains for the two governments to communicate with each other in order to arrive at an understanding as to what measures they may consider it useful to take. Reaflrmation of Friendship. Ambassador Takahlra in a statement issued today declared they were simp? ly a reaftVrmatlon of what was declar? ed by the two governments years ago. It was "something like a transaction between trusted friends." The ambas? sador pointed out that the notes are not a treaty or agreement. "Japan." he said, " has entire confidence in the great moral strength of the United States government and the latter fully trusts In the strong good faith of the Japanese government, as has been amply proved by past experiences. It Is sincerely to be hoped that the peo? ple of each country will have the same confidence as their own government In respect to the declaration of the other and in doing so there will be everything to gain and nothing to lose and friendly Intercourse md commer? cial relations will be fully developed." The substance of the declaration furnished In advance of Its singing to the various governments Interested In Chinese affairs and cordial respon? ses of sympathy and support came from them. GOVERNMENTS POSTAGE COST Mails Transmitted oa Franks Amount? ed to Over $42,000,000. Washington, Dec. 2.?The cost to the government during the fiscal year ended June 30, 1908, In transmission through the mails of department pen? alty and congressional franks matter, was $42,544,047, according to the an? nual report of the third assistant post? master general made public today. This figure includes the matter car? ried by the postofflce department for Itself and the postal service. Added to this is $57,000,000 for uncompensa ted service In the handling and trans? porting of second class matter of pub? lishers of newspapers and periodicals. In view of the complaints from commercial envelope manufacturers, printers, lithographers and their or? ganizations, against the printing by the department of envelopes bearing business cards, the third assistant sug? gests legislation which will permit the embossing of postage stamps upon en? velope blanks furnished by the printer or consumer, "thus producing results beneficial alike to the department, the public and the printing and paper and trades." On the subject of abuses of the sec? ond class mailing pVivileges, It Is stat? ed that these cannot be reduced to the minimum until the practice of of? fering premiums and other entraneous Inducements for subscriptions Is effec? tually stopped. flbBler s great mm. THE KAJsT FLORIDA COAST RAIL WAY NBARING COMPLETION. I Solid Trains From Now York to Key West Will Then be Floated to and From Havana. New York, Dec. 2.?Hundreds of men are being rushed southward to work on the completion of the great Florida East Coast Railway, following the decision of Judge Hugh of the United States circuit court, in dismiss? ing, as without cause of action, the so called peonage cases that had been brought by the United States govern? ment against labor agents of the rail? road. While these actions were pending in the courts the men In charge of the construction work on this sea-go | ing railroad, which is to be Henry M. Flagler's greatest achievement, were loath to push forward with the same amount of energy that had been dis? played prior to the action of the at? torney general in taking cognizance I of the reckless charges of labor slav I cry that had been made. Every effort I to make up for lost time now will be I put forward by Vice President Joseph I R. Parrott, who has been in charge I personally since the work began In I June, 1905. Fully 2,000 men now are I employed south of Knight's Key and more workmen are being sent to the I field of operations each day. Vice President Parrott. who now is I in New York on business connected I with the great extension which is I Jumping over a stretch of thirty miles I of open ocean and over thirty miles I more of submerged keys and lagoons I to /connect Key West by direct line I with Maimi, now estimates that this, I one of the most novel engineering en I terprises of modern times, will be I completed and trains running for its I full length within a year. I Already the line is completed and I trains are running for eighty-four I miles south of Miami? right down to I Knight's Key. Work also is being I pushed forward from Key West up, I and forty miles of roadbed has been I constructed by the gangs that are I working northward to meet: the other workmen who rapidly are moving I south. This means that a total of 124 I miles has been completed out of the I 156 miles of road surveyed from Mia I mi to Key West. The greatest of all I engineering feats on this wonder! ul I line, however, is yet to be completed. I This is the eleven-mile gap from I Knight's Key to Bahia Honda where I the line is being carried over the open I ocean on concrete arches. The effect of the great extension on I traffic to Havana, however, already I has been felt because now the steam I ers for Havana meet the trains at I Knight's Key and take passengers and 1 freight from that point to the Cuban I capital instead of eighty-four miles I north at Miami. When the line Is I completed to Key West huge railroad I car floats will take entire trains across the Florida Straits to Havana, I a distance of ninety miles, without I compelling passengers to leave their I car seats or sleeping-car berths and I without the necessity of breaking bulk on a single consignment of freight. I This will mean that the Cuban sugar I planter will be enabled to load his product on a freight car side-tracked at his plantation, have the car hauled I by rail to Havana, floated to Key West I and then rail-hauled right to New I York or any other point without anj I of the expense, trouble or damag? I dangers of a second handling. This great project, which is being financed, from beginning to en3, by I Mr. Flagler personally, generally is I regarded by engineers as the most ex I pensive stretch of railroad ever built, I the average cost of construction, from I ?nd to end, exceeding $100,000 a mile, I while the additional capital require I ments for docks, channeling, car floats I and equipment will bring the total I cost approximately to $30,000.000. AI I ready Mr. Flagler has expended up? wards of $15,000.000 on the work. It was more than a year and i half I ago when this great work was inter? rupted by the United States attorney I general and charges were made that I laborers on the railroad work wer? I held in bondage, compelled to work practically without pay and were sub I Jected to various sorts of oppression. The case was presented to the Fed? eral grand Jury in New York and in? dictments, charging conspiracy, were found against Eduard J. Trlay, of Jacksonville, Fla., resident labor agent I for the road; against Francisco Sab bla, who has a private bank at 22 7? I Bowery in this city; and against Frank A. Hough and David E. Harley. who I were employed by the company to take south the gangs of workmen that were engaged in New York. At ar. I expense that has been estimated tC be as high as $500,000 the govern? ment's attorneys, after three years of preparation! had their cases literally thrown out of court, as being without foundation, Judge Hough not even re? quiring the attorneys for the railroai to present their defense. It since has been shown that the whole so-called "peonage" agitation was started by irresponsible workmen who had been sent south by the com? pany and then, after the usual man ner of "hoboes," had run away from their work and sought, by their tales of "slavery," to Justify tht ir h aving. Several of these nun had them? selves interviewed for newspaper pur? poses but later. Whoa it ca^r.e to mak? ing affidavits as to the truth of their statement*, they ware forced to recant woefully and to admit they were well treated while working on the keys. When the Florida East Coast ex? tension was projected, the Florida State authorities offered to the rail? road, which has done all its own con? struction work without sub-letting a single contract, the use of every con? vict under sentence. Had this offer been accepted the road would have hftd a sufficient number of men at work at forty cents a day without ths importation of a single bit of labor. When the proposition was outlined to Mr. Flagler by his representatives he declined to build the road by any hands other than free American labor, and the work of bringing in this labor was begun. At first the men were paid $1.25 a day and had to make their contributions toward their own commissary department. This, as was found early in the proceeding, was un? satisfactory and within a short time the railroad was paying a minimum of $1.50 a day to its men and was pro? viding them with their food and quar? ters. Figures connected with the work show that it has cost the company $1.08 a day to feed each man employ? ed and both Generals Shattuc and Brooke of the United States army, on tours of inspection of the work, de? clared that the sanitary conditions of the camps and of the commissariat for the men were better than was to be found in the regular United States army. It Is a significant fact that while ths so-called peonage cases were pending In the United States court fully 1,500 letters were received by the men In charge of the construction work and of the litigation, written by men who had been engaged in building the road and who voluntarily offered their services as witnesses to tell of the con? ditions of the camps and of the work. The government, on the other hand, had to pay expensive mileage charges \ and expense accounts for various wit? nesses that its attorneys brought from long distances, without even establish? ing so much as a semblance of sub? stantiation for its charges. It is noteworthy, In connection with all that has been said and written concerning the work on this great line, I that each fall, when construction work * is resumed after tht hot summer months, more than fifty per cent of the men who go to the camps are men who have worked on the line during previous winters. The camps in which the men live are provided with well-built bunk houses, each consisting of a large sleeping room with two tiers of bunks extending down the center and along each side. Each bunk is supplied with clean bedding and a clean mat? tress filled with cut sponges, and is covered with a mosquito netting. There is a Janitor employed at each house to make the beds and keep the place clean. Then there is a camp eat? ing-house where fresh meat is served at least twice a week, although In hot climates meat cannot be eaten so heartily as in the north. The houses of the superintendent and of the engineers are located la the camps and there also are libraries well-stocked with papers and maga? zines to which the men have free ac? cess, and hospitals, In charge of sur? geons, where all minor eases of Illness or injury are treated. The more seri? ous cases are sent to the main hos? pital of the road at Miami. All ->f these institution are maintained by the railroad, which already has spent upwards of $75,000 for medical ser? vices. What this vast enterprise will mean, when completed, to commercial Cu? ba, belongs to the realms of fancy, but It Is doubtful If Its important* could be exaggerated. Its utilisation also would give the United States a tremendous strategical advantage, from a military standpoint, were it necessary at any time to rush troops to the Island Republic. Furthermore, in view of the tremendous possibilities for the future of Cuba. Panama and South America, the Flagler road will supply the closest link connecting the United States with those csuntries. I ?Foley's Hsney and Tar clear the ' air passages, stops the irritation In the throat, sosthes ths Inflamed mem? branes, and the most obstinate cough disappears. Sore and inflamed lungs are healed and strengthened, and the cold is expelled from the system. Re? fuse any but the genuine In the yel? low package. W. W. Sibert. There's nothing that will help you to lead others more than being able to look back over a right life your? self. For that Bull lVeling After Eating. ?I have need Chamberlain's Stom? ach and Liver Tablets for some time, and can testify that they have done me more good than any tablets I have ever used. My trouble was a heavy dull feeling after eating.?David Free? man. Kempt. Nova Scotia. These tab? lets strengthen the stomach and Im? prove the digestion. They also regu? late the liver and bowels. They ars far superior to pills but cost no more. Get a free sample at all Druggists and see what a splendid medicine it is.