The watchman and southron. (Sumter, S.C.) 1881-1930, January 13, 1909, Image 4
WCONUOAY, JANUARY 13? 1909.
~:?'-=? ~"? ? A
The Afcimter Watchman was found?
ed tan 1860 and the True Southron In
186* The Watchman and Southr#t8
tftow has the combined circulation and
tafltreaoe of both of the old papera.
sued is manifestly the beat advertising
uaodturn in Sumter.
ill._ BB
No act of Chief Justice Pope's ca
reflects more credit upon him
hie resignation His recognition
?e>f the fact that the time had come
for blm to lay down the burden of
the Chlefjuatlceship, which he
aaa longer bad the strength to bear,
proves thai he has a proper appre?
ciation of the responsibility of the of
1 teUfttfti
e ? I
la Lealairton county they dispose
hy Inexplicable diaappear
Ia Lexington's lexicon there la
see auch word as lynching.
r ? ? ?
* Tlie very Idea of Theodore Roos.e
fceviag the temerity to put the
eervtos sleuths on Ben Tlllman's
as enough to make one's hair
at ouj end.
e e e
AH newspapers should put In rush
orders for a supply of asbestos paper.
They will need it when they print
ttor Tlllman's comments on
?velt's use of the secret service
to shadow him and. if post I
Me, connect hhn with the Oregon
land frauds.
TTs heartily Join In the hope that
'Senator Till men may still be possess?
ed ef hie full strength and vigor, men?
tal. nJiyefoal and linguistic when
Theodore Roosevelt takes hie seat in
'che Staate as the representative of
New York. A head-on collision be?
tween these two would draw better
than the laauguratloa?from South
Carolina anyhow.
? ' t a
When the Legislature comes to
-eh-ot the successor of Judge Pope It
8s te be devoutly hoped that the
?Chile* will fall upon some strong,
?stalle and learned Jurist and not upon
a ?mooth. affable politician with only
a superficial knowledge of the law.
We greatly rear, however, that the
politicians will have the inside track,
since the men best fitted for the su?
preme bench have neither the time
nor the taste for cultivating the favor
of politicians.
The expected has happened?
Greenville la first with an entry in the
race for the Chief Justiceship.
? e ?
sfe have always bellsved that Sena?
tor Ttllman was too smart to get
'?envaght In raecality. even though guil?
ty, but It begins to look as if Roose?
velt and his secret service agents have
the pitch fork stateemsn In mighty
close quarters. Senator Tllman may
eeiae clean, but thla land grabbing
episode will, nevertheleM. leave a bad
. taste la the mouth.
ff> . e ? e
' Sumter county cannot afford not
to go ahead with the Improvement of
the public roads. The work that has
been done ?tartng the p i?t eight years
has wrought a wonderful Improve?
ment, bet only a beginning has been
made Clay srd mi l roadways are
at beet but temporary In character
and reqslre <on*tant attention If
their efficiency Is to be maintained.
We now have a fairly good system of
eanri-'ley roads In some parts of the
ojety, but these roads are steadily
?deterioration for lack of systematic
artwntlon. The chalngang Is the sole
dependence for road building and It
la utterly Impossible for this force,
averaging about twsnty-Ave hands, to
perform the necessary work. Ten
cbatagangu equally as large would be
inadequate, and until some plan to
supplement the work of the chain
sjang la evolved this county will nev?
er be Able to maintain a system of
frood roK || If the mirplus that SI
new in the county treasury Is not ur?
gently needed for some other purpose,
81 should be spent on the roads, but
SM>t la a hspbasard manner. The
work should be planned and super
vlntd by a competent road engineer.
The surplus fund In the county treas?
ury Is no great sum. but. If properly
expended, would make a beginning
*>n a system of good roads. The work
enold then be continued with funds
ealaed by a special road tax. for If we
-are to have good roads we will have
to resort to a bond Issue or special
taxation. There Is no escape from It.
Jt is either bad roads or taxes.
? I I
The candidates for Associate Justice
io numerous that the Legislature
he embarraseed by over abund
of Judicial timber.
? ? i
We preeent today for the conslder
tton of our readers the full text of
Henator Tlllman's reply to President
atooeeveltt charges. We make no
aretegy for the great amount of
epaee allotted to It. f r. In our opin?
ion. It Is the most luiportent piece of
sasws of the day. livery cltlsen of
Carolina Is deeply Interestsd In
or Tlllman's defense and we be
Ileve that every Democrat has enter?
tained the sincere hope that he would
be able to refute each and; every
charge brought against him by the
President. Time has not permitted
a careful and searching analysis of
Senator Tlllman's reply, hut in so far
as we have been able to form an opin?
ion from a hurried reading, It appears
that he has made good his defense in
all Important particulars. He demands
a fuller and more searching investi?
gation and courts a comparison of hls
record as a public official and as a
private cUixen with Theodore Roose?
velt. The tone of the entire reply is
bold and fearless and does not sound
like the explanation of an exposed
grafter. Senator Tlllman's strongest
defense is the course he followed from
first to last in his dealing with the
promoters of this land deal. Through?
out he acted in an open above-board
manner and every step he made la a
matter of record. Had he deliberate?
ly engaged in an unlawful or Question?
able transaction he would not have
written so many letters, he would
have covered his tracks so well that
not even (the Secret agenta of the
President would have been able to un?
earth the proof*. President Roose?
velt has failed to destroy the man he
hates, and of the two Tlllman comes
out of the encounter with a better
reputation for decency of conduct and
honesty of purpose than the employer
of spies and ruthless violator of laws
and time honored precedents who oc?
cupies the White House.
see
The Legislature convened Tuesday
and will probably be in session less
than forty days, since the members are
now paid $200 for the session* be It
long or short, instead of $4 per day
for net more than forty days as here?
tofore.
see
If the Legislature gives heed to all
the recommendations of the State
House officials and others who hold
office under the State government, the
appropriation bill will be a record
breaker and the tax levy will of ne?
cessity be higher than ever before.,
see
The boot-licking of Taft that Is go?
ing on in Augusta is disgusting enough
in all conscience, but the mere thought
of what would have happened had he
made his winter home in Atlanta goes
far towards reconciling the remnant
of self-respecting Southern Democrats
to the performance of the Augusta
amatuers.
? ? ?
Senator Tlllman read his reply to
Roosevelt, hence the comparative ab?
sence of fireworks. But wo have an
Idea that he has not said all he want?
ed to say and at the first favorable
opportunity will give the "Big Stick"
a free-handed dressing-down.
? e ?
Sumter comity will have two strong
men In the race for the vacaney on
the Supreme Court bench, but the
mere fact that there are two candi?
dates from one county will weaken
both At the present stage of the
game Judge Watts appears to occupy
a point of vantage, having the unani?
mous endorsements of both Laurens
and Chesterfield counties.
1 ?
xwdio is KILLED.
Florence, Jan. 10.?Early Friday
morning a band of masked men took
Arthur Davis, a young negro, from
his home in the lower part of th>
county. kn<?wn as the Hymanvllle SSO?
tlon. and after beating him In brutal
fashion, shot him to death. The mag?
istrate at Hymanvllle held an Inquest
Saturday and adjourned the hearing
until Tuesday, that more evidence
might be obtained.
The young negro, who bears an ex?
cellent reputation In that section for
honesty and Industry, had had a dis?
agreement with certain parties short?
ly before, and it Is thought that the
brutal crime was the work of the
other parties to the contention. The
suspected parties are white men liv?
ing In the lower part of this county.
The negro, It seems, was taken
from his bouse Friday morning, drag?
ged Into the woods nearby and bru?
tally beaten, then shot. The lashes
were laid on with switches, taken
from bushes studded with thorns.
The magistrate has not yet ordered
any arrests, but developments are ex?
pected when the Inquest lr. concluded
on Tuesday with the appearance of
other witnesses.
The people of this county an> great?
ly Incensed at the crime.
Mr. W. E. Renneker, of this city,
commercial agent of the Atlantic
Coast Line, returned to Charleston
yesterday morning, bringing with him
hla bride, formerly Miss Nina E.
Dove, of Sumter, 8. C. The couple
were married at tho bride's home on
December 29, 1908, and have spent a
short honeymoon in visiting points of
interest In sunny Florida. Mr. and
Mrs. Renneker will take up their res?
idence in this city. Messrs. J. S.
Walpole and J. F. Magrath, of Char?
leston, who were present at the wed?
ding, stated on their return that it
had been ono of the prettiest affairs
they had ever attended. Mrs. Renne?
ker had, and has still, a host of ad?
miring friends in Sumter.?News and
Courier.
A Dentil Blow to the Small Town.
We live In an era of progress. We
are moving forward so rapidly that
there is danger that some proposed
so-called modern improvements may
be accepted as beneficial which in
their actual working out, when prac?
tically tried, would prove to be evils
in the* guise of benefits. An illustra?
tion of this Is the propisition to turn
the Post Office Department into a
carrier of all kinds of miscellaneous
merchandise by the adoption of a
parcels post system. From a national
point of view one of the most serious
dangers from this system is the in?
evitable effect that it would have, to
throw into mail order channels and
transfer to the great cities of the coun?
try a vast volume of trade now done
In the small cities, country towns and
vllllages. That this would be an evil
no one with a mind capable of thought
can deny. Stupendous changes 1.1
the methods of transacting the busi?
ness of distributing merchandise to
the consumers would result, and the
result of every change would be to
transfer trade and population to the
great cities. It would practically wipe
out the jobbing trade and the country
merchant would inevitably become, as
the Postmaster General says, in effect,
he has become In Germany, a sales
agent without any stock in trade, of?
fering specific goods as they are sold,
Just as a manufacturer's agent does
in this country, requiring no more of
the machinery of trade than is neces?
sary to transmit his orders to the
central factory or warehouse. Retail
merchants now engaged in trade in
thousands of the smaller trades cen?
ters In all arts of the country would
be forced out of their business, their
stores would be closed and some great
mall order concern In a great city
would do the business. The people
employed to transact It would neces?
sarily live in the cities where the
trade was done. In every European
country where the parcels post sys?
tem exists, It has had this effect. The
cities of those countries in Europe
have grown in population and trade
with stupendous strides, at the ex?
pense of the country, since the parcels
post system, has been In vogue. That
system has undoubtedly been one of
the great promoting influences to?
wards this centralization of trade and
population in the cities.
To break the effect of this funda?
mental objection to the parcels post,
the propronents of that scheme urge
that it will stimulate the settlement
of the rural regions, because It will
1 lcrease the conveniences of rural life.
So It would stiumlate rural settle?
ment, If the government would fur?
nish everyone who would move Into
the country with a donation of money
and a free supply of garden tools. If
the huge treasury deficit which would
be caused by the parcels post system
If inaugurated were applied directly
to such donations and gifts from the
government, It would undoubtedly re?
sult In creating many new country
homes, but the reaction from such a
scheme would far over-balance the
benefits from ft.
The fact is Incontrovertable that
the goods, wares and merchandise,
household goods, garden tools, dry
goods and clothing, groceries and all
food products not produced on the
farm must be purchased from some
source by the dwellers in the country.
Where are these goods to come from,
and where are the people with con
di:ct the trade of supplying them to
live? If the countless millions of dol?
lars expended by the dwellers in the
country for such things In the course
of a year are sent to the great cities,
and the goods ordered from there
huge mall order concernes, to be de?
livered by parcels post, then the fact
cannot be gainsaid that the people
who transact that Immense volume
of annual business will be concentrat?
ed in the cities. The large population
now transacting the business in the
small cities, the country towns and
country villages, will be transferred
to the cities. The eventful working
out of such a system would result, in
the end, in dividing our population
into two classes?those living in the
great cities and those living on farms,
whether they be large or small, in
the country. The intermediate popu?
lation, which now furnishes the so?
cial conter for the farmers* life, in
the nearby town or village, or In a
small city where practically every so?
cial advantage can be had that ex?
ists in the larger cities, would strug?
gle for existence against a constantly
Increasing industrial force that would
tend, like a mighty maelstrom, to
sweep into the larger cities year by
year a greater and greater proportion
of the population and trade of the en?
tire country.
It is this effect on the population
mgaged in commercial pursuits and
In the trade Of distributing to the
consumer countless millions of dollars
WOrth. Of merchandise every year that
is entlerly overlooked by the propon?
ent of the parcels post schema when
t.iey contend that the effect of that
?ysitM would be to move populatlc ?
from the cities to the country.?Max?
well's Talisman.
A negro fell from a trestle across
Congaree river, near Columbia, and
was killed.
MAD DOG BITES CHILD.
Little Girl. Daughter of Mr. W. L
Parrott, of Bishopvillc, Bitten by
Habid Dog.
Bishopvllle, Jan. 8.?While little
Florence Parrott, the five-year-old
daughter of Mr. W. L. Parrott, of this
place, was playing in the front yard
of their residence a large dog unper
celved by the child ran Into the yard
and bit her seriously upon the head.
Chief of Police Grooms soon dis?
patched the dog and Mr. Parrott at
once packed the head of the dog in
ice and forwarded it to the Pasteur
Institute in Atlanta for examination,
and after an anxious wait of 36 hours
the wires flashed the news that the
dog's brain indicated hydrophobia.
Mr. Parrott will at once rush the
child either to Ricamond, Va., or At?
lanta for treatment.
DISPENSARY SALES.
The Total Cash Receipts From the
Sale of Liquor Greater in 1908 Than
Ever Before.
The increased sales of the county
dispensary during the year just closed
were the largest since the dispensary
was established, and the increase is to
be credited in no small measure to
the fact that Clarendon county Is now
prohibition territory. Since the dis?
pensaries in that county were closed
there has been a noticeable growth in
the business of the local booze shop.
Dispenser Windham furnishes the fol?
lowing figures:
Gross sales 1908.$144,995.25
Gross sales 1907. 134,128.05
Increase.$ 10,867.20
The total sales by the beer dispen?
sary and Mayesville dispensary are
not included in the above figures, but
it is estimated that the addition of the
cash receipts from these two dispen?
saries would bring the total for the
county up to approximately $170,000.
ERASER FOR ASSOCIATE JUSTICE
Sumter Will Probably Have Two Can?
didates in the Race.
Yielding to the urging of his friends
Hon. T. B. Fr?ser has practically con?
sented to enter the race for Associate
Justice of the Supreme Court. He has
not positively authorized the use of
his name, but it is proabble he will do
so and that his name will be present?
ed to the legislature.
A meeting of the Sumter Bar Asso?
ciation was called Saturday afternoon
for the puTpose of endorsing the can?
didacy of Judge R. O. Purdy, but
when the meeting convened the state?
ment was made that Hon. T. B. Fr??
ser would also probably be a candi?
date, and it was therefore decided that
It would not be proper for the asso?
ciation to endorse either Judge Purdy
or Mr. Fr?ser. The meeting therefore
adjourned without taking any action.
SATURDAY NIGHT CLOSING.
The Rev. Messrs. H. H. Covington.
J. P. Marion and C. C. Brown, who
were appointed by the Ministerial As?
sociation as a committee to see the
merchants and business men in re?
gard to closing the stores and other
places of business by 10 o'clock Sat?
urday night, begun work today. They
circulated a petition and secured
about sixty signatures. They intend
to continue the work next week, and
when they complete their canvass of
the business district, will publish I
statement of the result.
JUSTICE JONES A CANDIDATE.
Columbia, Jan. 12.?It was stated
yesterday that Hon. Ira B. Jones
would be a candidate for chief justice
to succeed Hon. Y. J. Pope, resigned.
Justice Jones was asked if such a
statement were correct and authorizes
the publication that his friends will
use his name.
This complicates, the situation very
much. Justice Eugene B. Gary being
the ranking member of the supreme
court, there had been a sort of ac?
ceptance that he might be unopposed
for the position of chief justice, but
the friends of Justice Jones have se?
cured his consent to use his name.
Justice Jones said yesterday that
when Chief Justice Pope was elected,
his seniority was so marked that the
other Justices stood aside for him,
whereas in the present Instance the
seniority is not so marked and his
friends assure him that they see no
breach of etiquette or ethics in his
permitting the use of his name.
When it became known that Justice
Gary would have opposition there
was not a lltttle speculation us to
whether or not this would not let
down the bars for competitors from
tin' outside, and what effect would
come from such a complication.
It was decided at the meeting of
tho county board of commissioners
to have the Court House grounds
improved and beautified. Supervisor
Pitts and Clerk of Court Parrott were
authorized to ascertain the probable
cost, and to proceed with the work.
COUNTY BOARD MEETINS.
RESOLUTION TO PAY OFF BONDS
RESCINDED.
Surplus Funds Will Bo Kept for Bond
Improvement or Other Ordinary
County Expenses if the Emergency
Arises.
The annual meeting of the County
Board of Commissioners was held yes?
terday with Commissioners Brogdon,
Thomas, Young and Mims and Super?
visor Pitts.
The first matter to be taken up was
the agreement between the city and
county in reference to the exchange
of labor by the county chaingang for
city prisoners. The agreement that
has been in effect lor the past two
years by which the county takes all
city prisoners, feeds clothes and
guards them and gives the city in re?
turn, in labor, one-sixth the actual
time city prisoners serve on the gang.
City Clerk Hurst was present as the
representative of the city and an ad?
justment of the labor now due the city
by the county was made. It was de?
cided that the county is due the city,
up to January 1st. 30 days work by
the full chaingang.
Messrs. R. I. Manning and Xeill
O'Donnell appeared before the board
and urged that the decision of the
board to use a part of the surplus now
in the treasury for the payment of
$5,000 of the $30,000 Court House
bonds be reconsidered and that the
? surplus funds be devoted to road im?
provement. These gentlemen made
strong arguments In favor of a pro?
gressive policy In respect of road Im?
provement and laid great stress upon
the necessity of road improvement be?
ing undertaken at once. They point?
ed out that it is Impossible for the
chaingang to do the work that is
needed and that unless the work is
supplemented the roads will deterior?
ate Instead of being improved. They
also stated to the board that if it was
not found expedient to use the money
on road work immediately, the avail?
able surplus could be deposited in
bark and draw interest at 4 per cent,
until It is needed, both asserting that
the local banks would be glad to
make that arrangement.
Messrs. J. H. Clifton, T. B. Fr?ser
and C. E. Stubbs of the Legislative
delegation, who were present, also
discussed the proposition. Mr. Clifton
advised that the bonds be not paid
out of the surplus, but opposed a defi
nit appropriation of the surplus to
road work. In his opinion it would
1 be wiser to hold the surplus for emer?
gencies. He referred to the proba?
bility of the abolition of the dispen?
sary by the enactment of a State?
wide prohibition law, in which event
the Income of the county would be
materially reduced. Then all the sur?
plus would be needed for ordinary ex?
penses and a higher tax levy In addi?
tion would be Imperative.
Mr. Fraser took somewhat the
same view as Mr. Clifton, but did not
go so far as to urge the board to hold
the surplus Intact for prospective
emergencies. He said the delegation
had confidence in the board and
would be guided by the decision
the board reached after mature de?
liberation.
Mr. Stubbs said he would endorse
whatever action the board might see
fit to take.
A motion was made and adopted to
? consider the resolution adopted on
Tuesday to pay $5,000 of the 15
year Court House bonds, and it eras
decided to keep the surplus in the
treasury' for ordinary county purpose*
where it will be available for road
improvement and other purposes
when needed.
The bond of Sheriff W. H. Epperson
in the sum of $10.000, with Mrs. M.
A. Epperson, J. H. Sykes and A. C.
Durant as sureties, was received, ap?
proved and placed on record. Mrs.
Epperson justified for $10,000 and A.
C. Durant for $30,000.
Supervisor Pitts and Clerk J. R
Sumter were appointed a special com?
mittee to confer with the City Council
and adjust the debt due the county
for cement sidewalks constructed on
Main and Canal streets by the
county.
The Supervisor and Clerk of Court
were authorized to employ Mr. W. D.
Woods to supervise the improvemeut
of the Court House grounds, Mr.
Woods' compensation to be that pro?
posed by him. to wit: the boxwood
hedges and other shrubbery to be re?
moved from the grounds. The Su?
pervisor and Clerk wore also author?
ized to expend such sum as may be
necessaiy to put the grounds in good
condition and and to use the chain?
gang for such work as cm be done
by it.
The schedule for licenses for agents
for 1909 was adopted as follows:
Stoves and Ranges.$50..
Clocks.&?
Lightning Rods.50
Sewing Machines.15
Pianos.15
Peddlars, on foot.20
Peddlers, In vehicles.40
Stock Traders.100
Mr. L. D. Jennings was re-elected
county attorney.
The clerk \va3 Instructed to adver?
tise for physician fcr alms house, Jail
and chalngang and for contract for
supplying alms hou? e. Jail and chain
gang with drugs a?)G mediclneu,
Magistrate-elect H. Harby asked
permission to u?e the grand Jury
room as a court room when he has
Jury trials in his court. Action was
postpone!.
The following re < lution was adopt?
ed and made a part of the minutes,
and the clerk was directed to send
Mr. W. H. Sea'e a copy:
Resolved, That the retirement of
Mr. W. H. Seale, Supervisor, should
be marked by the writing upon our
minute book the explosion of our
sincere regard for Mr. Seale as a kind
and genial personal friend to the
members of the Board, and to com?
pliment Mr. Seale, as a county official,
upon his zeal and his efficient hand?
ling of the county business. We deem
it only Just to say that Mr. Seale has
during his eight years' administration
as County Supervisor shown his fit?
ness for the work intrusted to his
care, leaving the affairs of the county
financially as well as otherwise in a
condition that he may well be proud
of, and that we, the other members of
the Board, are proud of.
We wish for Mr. Seale In his new
duties that he may be as successful
there as he has been as County Su?
pervisor, and we feel sure that if he
carries intoh is new field of action the
same energy that he used In behalf
of county affairs our wishes will be
gratified by fulfillment.
A PRELIMINARY HEARING.
Warren Blanding is Cliarged With
tlie Murder of Charlotte Boulden.
Magistrate W. J. Rees, of Wedge
field, held the preliminary hearing
Friday in the case of the State
vs. Warren Blanding, who is charged
with the murder of Charlotte Boul?
den, the negro woman who was killed
in Stateburg township several weeks
ago. When the inquest was held no
evidence sufficient to make out a
probable case against Blanding could
be secured and the jury returned a
verdict that the woman was killed
by an unknown person. Since that
time the suspicion that then merely
pointed to Blanding has been strength?
ened by additional evidence, both
direct and circumstantial, and in con?
sequence a warrant charging him
with the murder was issued by Mag?
istrate Rees.
At the preliminary there were
several witnesses who did not testify
at the inquest, and while the proof
against Blanding is not conclusive, the
testmony ww? sufficient :o bind him
over for trial at the next term of the
Court of General Sessions
T. P. A. SMOKE R.
Poet G. Will Entertain on Night of
January 15 at Jackson Hotel.
P\>st G., T. P. A., will give a smoker
at the Jackson Hotel Friday night.
January 15th, that bids fair to be a<
largely attended and most enjoyable
affair. An elegant supper will be 8^rv
ed and the following gentlemen have
been invited to make speeches:
Mr. Frank Pegues. of Darlington.
President of the South Carolina Di?
vision, T. P. A.. Former President P.<]
J. Drew, of Columbia: Mr. John W.
Llllard, of Columbia; Rev. H. H. Cov
ington and Dr. Geo. W. Dick, of this
city.
All visiting T. P. A.'s are Invited to
attend.
?'-~<
A Positive Cure for IndlajcatsWa,
If you have Indigestion, your food
ferments in the stomach and bowel??.
It does more: it decays and the nutri?
tious matter which should go to
make new blood decays with it, and (
this leads to an impoverished condi?
tion of the blood, to nervousness, bil?
iousness, constipation, sick headache,
bad breath which disgusts your
friends, and other disagreeable and
unpleasant conditions.
And all this trouble Is caused by
the food that doesn't digest, but fer- *
ments and ofttlmes rots in the stom?
ach.
And fermentation is caused by the
stomach not being strong enough
and energetic enough to thoroughly
mix the food with the digestive Juices.
Mi-o-na is responsible for tens of
thousands of cures. In fact, it Is
such a positive cure for Indigestion
and all stomach troubles that it is
guaranteed by J. F. W. DeLorme to
cure or money back. The price of
a large box of Ml-o-na tablets is ^0
cents, and they are sure to promptly!
relieve the worst case of Indigestion
or gastritis. Try them.
1-12&14 09
CURES CATARRH, ASTHMA;
Bronchitis, Croup. Coughs and Colds, of
money back. Sold and guaranteed by
J. F. W. DeLorme,