University of South Carolina Libraries
8ATIMIOAY, MARCH t. 1909. Sumter Watchman was found On! la HtO and the True Southron In IMS'. The Watchman and Southron the combined circulation and Me of (both of the old papers. Is manifestly the best advertising isa I? Mu niter. The seat *H allied shade of a Pre ?aevoJutiewarr Journalist of Chsrles isaa. fi C. o<?ntrlbuted a special article ss the Sunday Newa. We conclude at must have been a shade, for It Is thinkable that one of the blight sg ?sen of the regular staff would BMew written of "Camden County"? Can den district having ceased to ex? ist as a political division of Soutl Carotis a something more than one SMiadi nd years sgo. ? ? ? Ose* ef the Important acts passed at SSM recent session if the General As anenbty changes, after May 1. the time in which mortgages and papers should a* recorded. The law now gives for? ty days In which such pspers can be Under the new statute are to b? recorded within ten a a %o Jahn T. Garlington and two of his ites In the Semlnole dea? have arrested on a charge of con? to defraud. Is an/thing go lag to happen to those excellent gen who. for a consideration, pcr tha use of their namea as id wrote letters endorsing vet-rich-quick scheme? Without ?>a Moral backing and personal In ftoence of Masers. Clark. Jones an 1 Garlington and hin gang of wo?Id never have succeeded In Hag the ktlllnir they did. ? ? s Mr. Taft has been Inaugurated we shall know In a short what Dr. Crum gets for ellml h Im self and tne ooliectorshlp <* aas port of Charleston ai> en Issue. ? I e Oov. Ansel gave Mnuun considera tteai to the suggestion of the News and Courier that he veto the prohibi? tion bll<? and then gave unanimous ? esssa to ths will of the majorltv. expressed by the Legislature, be rogtfag a law. see Fhe public officer who always yields r the will of the majority is always ' ht Is ths fractional part of a vote, see Attorney General Lyon has been hoard from at last. He think* the U. H 0apreme Court will order sn opin? ion favorable to the State dispensary ease. There is some ground for the thaaafht?hieasr*. Abney and Steven a Made strong arguments In behalf ?>f che Utahs. ? a. ? ? The cwlumns of the Dally Item and Watchman and Southron are open to ei| who have views to express on the prahMlHoa issue All that we ask Is that the articles be made ss brief as Ible. that they be confined to the tloa under discussion and that hey be written on one side of the only ? ? ? If. us the News and Courier fear blind tigers and their friends work and vote fo- prohibition. Char aasten will be added to the list of dry counties that will be dry only flgura Uvety. ? ? ? Rumter County should contribute MS eher?* towird the monument to the Women of the Coofederaoy. Camp Dirk Anderson. IJ. C. V.. and Camp James D. Blinding Hons of Veterans Mtould take the lead In raising Sum ter County's quto of the $7.500 need? ed Set Statutory prohibition In Sumter Coaaty will rhean an increase in taxes ?I probably 15 per cent. Last year the dispensary turned Into the county treaaury Ii4.no??. into the school fund 1*.*00; inte the treasury of the city of Neunter about $25.000 and into tat treasury of the town of \ Mayesville about IS.OSS Real prohibition would ho cheap at the price, but who will ?-r?r ?r< . the law so that we shall have prohibition In town and county? Rvery man who votes for prohibi? tion tacitly pledgee himself to aid in the enforcement of the law. Will ev? ery man who casts a \ote against the Maallsed sale of liquor through UM count) dispensary live up to this r?l. . Will lo? abst im Irom pat vwnlalsg blind tigers when he want* m deYnh? Will ht go before magl* traMMtd swear out a wan int against a very nv?n he knows Is violating the taw. Will he testify In court as free? ly and wllllnaly against a blind thjSf mm he would against ^a murderer or ahlelten thief? If the prohibition Water does not do these things, pro? hibition will b.. a fan,- In Sumter xSJounty. as it Is in Maine and Kan | ?nd practically everywhere else Hreauec a mm il???-.s 11<?t vote for prohibition he will not be free to vio? late the law himself and to aid and abet another In violating (t by pat rontsln* the blind tigers. He will lie ?m duty bound as a law-abiding and law-respecting citizen to refrain from violating the law as a principal or ac? complice, but It will not be his duty, as It will be of the prohibition voter, to be an active agent for the en? forcement of the law. THE PROHIBITION ISSUE. We trust that the campaign that Is to be waged In Sumter county on political prohibition will be kept free of personalities, and that arguments for and against prohibition will be based upon common sense and will appeal to reason rather than preju? dice. At the outset we desire to de? fine our position as accurately and de? finitely as possible, so that hereafter, should the campaign develop needless heat, there shall be no question as to the attitude of this newspaper. We admit that the liquor traffic in all Its forms is an evil, that the use of. liquor as a beverage Is Injurious, physically, mentally and morally to the person using It, that the country would be bettered by the abolition of the liquor business in all Its depart mentfi, that every dollar spent for al? coholic liquors is a dollar misspent, that even as a medicinal agent alco? hol is of doubtful value and that there are other remedies of equal or greater value and less harmful in ef? fect. Believing as we do, we would gladly see the use of liquor totally discontinued and the liquor traffic destroyed root and branch. So firmly ate these convictions grounded that were it within our power to cast the single and deciding vote that would give us absolute prohibition in place of the legalised sale of liquor, that vote would we cast for. prohibition most gladly. We would outlaw the manufacture and sale of liquor, the shipment and delivery of it by common carriers, and the ban would be put upon all social clubs that sell, serve or store liquors for Its members and guests. That Is our position, and were it possible to reduce the theory to practice In Its application to the public at large we would be willing to live up to our belief and neither sell, buy nor drink or aid another to sell, buy or drink. Is that strong enough for our prohibition friends who profess to be? lieve that this Ideal candltlon can be brought about by the enactment of a law forbldlng the sale of liquor? But. however strong our convic? tions may be, when we consider that conditions are antagonistic to our theory, as a reasonable man we must admit that it is Impossible to enforce a prohibitory law because public sentiment is not back of it. There Is a law against murder, an? other against arson, another against larceny, but none of them prevents absolutely the commission of the crime against which it Is directed. Neither will a law prohibiting the sale of liquor. This Is a stock argu? ment of those who demand a prohibi? tory law regardless of all facts and experiences. They either overlook or disregard the different attitudes as? sumed by ninety per cent of the peo? ple respecting the violation of the laws directed against crimes against person or property and the violation of a law forbidding the sale of liquor. When a murder Is committed public ntlmcnt demands the apprehension ? >f the suspected murderer and his trial. Every man's hand is against the murderer, the houae burner or the thief and omlf his nearest and dearest rally to his defense. It is the State?meaning all the people? ai-ainst the criminal. But what is the situation when a man sells liquor in violation of a law? Are all or a ma Jo'-lty of the people against the liquor seller? Do they demand his appre? hension and trial and punishment? Do the people really In their inmost souls regard liquor selling as a crime? Do they not shrug their shoulders and dismiss it from mind with the thought that liquor selling Is nothing more than the infraction of a man-made law and no great harm has been done? There is nev? er a hue and cry raised when a liquor seller breaks the law. The people do not demand his punishment, for there is no Ingrained feeling that society has suffered a grevlous wrong and the safety of life and property has been put In Jeopardy, and for this reason prohibitory laws have never been even approximately enforced any? where. An unenforced law Is worse than no law and breeds lawlessness, f-?r when any considerable element asjSjOfJsjsJ a people become accustomed to violating a man-mwde law with Im? punity, they soon lose respect for all law and proceed to break God-made laws. \Vb do not btlleVf that a prohibi? tory lau .it |1 Is time SfOttld be oclier than a snare and a delusion. We bo M? ve Uiat It would be a Hham and would lu the long run do far RlOra harm than ffOOd? Blind tigers, BOOlal Clubl and ;ill manner of devices for furnishing liquor to those people, proteased prohibitionists and others, who will buy liquor from a law? breaker, and claim to be taw-abiding eltlaens. will llourlsh to the gr? ater Injury of morals than the dispensary or the old bar-rooms. Blind tigers make hypocrites and law-breakers of our people and they, being accom? plices of the blind tiger, as well as Farmers' Union News ?AND ? Practical Thoughts for Practical Farmers (Conducted by K W. Dabbs, President Farmers' Union of Sumter County.) The Watchman and Southron having decided to double its service by semi-weekly publication, would improve that service by special features. The first to be inaugurated is this Department for the Farmers' Union and Practical Farmers which I have been requested to conduct. It will be my aim to give the Union news and official calls of the Union. To that end officers, and members of the Union are requested to use these columns. Also to publish such clippings from the agricultural papers and Govern? ment Bulletins as I think will be of practical benefit to our readers. Ori? ginal articles by any of our readers telling of their successes or failures will be appreciated and published. t Trusting this Department will be of mutual benefit to all concerned, THE EDITOR. All communications for this Department should be sent to E. W. Dabbs, Mayesville, S. C. The County Union unanimously re? solved to mke an effort to thoroughly canvass of Sumter County in the near future for a campaign of education and organization. The Clarendon coun? ty brethren will push the same work In their county. I to this end invite all farmers and truckers who have the best interests of our cause at heart to talk the matter over, get together in their respective neighborhoods, and write me where to send our lecturer and organizer, that he1 may reach the greatest number on each trip. E. W. D. Notes of County Union Meeting. The meeting of the County Union at Salem on Tuesday was the most hopeful one since the organization of the union in Sumter' County. It is greatly to be regretted that represen? tatives of the more distant unions al? lowed the disagreeable weather in the early morning to prevent them from coming. The president of Clarendon County Union, Bro. James Reeves, and some of his faithful lieutenants joined with us, and put us onto somo co-operative plans that they have proven. To those who think the Union is daft on cotton. I wisht to say we had a report from Trinity Union telling of their wheat growing and the flour mill that will be ready for this crop of wheat in' that live community. We also propose to systemitize the mar? keting of other farm products. One of the things that has done so much to discourage the growing of truck chickens, eggs, butter, potatoes, tur? nips, etc.. is the uncertain market for these things. One man gets 75 cts a bushel for potatoes, the same day another farmer sells at 45 cts, and swears he will never offer another bushel for sale. And so on with the entire list of country produce. While with cotton the difference is rarely a quarter of a cent a pound. You hear men say "I can always get money for cotton, while a load of sweet potates will glut the Sumter market." Why If this? Because as pooly as we have managed the cotton crop, we have made efforts to regulate it. We have concentrated all of our business cap? acity on the cotton crop to the utter exclusion of all these auxiliary crops. I trust a beginning has been made to better this state of affirs. In this connection I would Invite farmers and truckers who have experience In the marketing of country produce to meet with the union at the Alliance School house in Concord township Tuesday, April 6th. E. W. D. Now Is the Time to Regulate Cotton PKosjg, I suppose that with the coming sea? son we will hear the same old advice on all hands. "Decrease the cotton acreage," and that the same old re-* suit will be had. Every other follow who is simply planting cotton for a living will conclude that there Is go? ing to be a decrease in the acreage and hence a better price, and he will go to work to scratch over more land with a one-horse plow, and go in debt for more fertilizer, and the gen? eral aggregate will be another big crop, and then all sorts of schemes and meetings to control the price. In no other part of the eoirotry is there such a fit of hysterics over the h ading crop as there is in the South ?fter the making of every crop of cotton. The wheat farmers do not like to s< o the price of wheat go down of course, but It does not run them orasy, for they have corn, and oats, and cattle and hogs, and horses, and do not fear starvation if the price of wheat is low. his instigators, feel "honor" hound not to Inform on him or testify truth? fully when summoned as an unwill? ing witness. The best we can do Is to control In a measure, regulate as best We may. and police the liquor traffic. And for this reason WS can neither advocate nor vote for the so-called prohibition that is now a political Issue in South Car? olina. But the cotton grower, having all hi.s eggs in the one basket, is faced with a serious problem when colton Is low. He grows, it at a far larger cost than he would if he farmed right und developed the productive capaci? ty of his soil through a proper rota? tion of crops, for in nine cases out of ten he grows it on a credit basis, and pays a big percentage for the credit. If he farmed well ,he would not be obliged to borrow money or go In debt for fertilizers and everything else on the basis of only one crop; but would have other things to sell to bring In money at different seasons of the year. Thus he could reduce the cost of growing the cotton crop, so that he would have some profit at a price the all-cotton man would lose money at. What we need to learn Is not so much the simple reduction of the acreage, as the growing in a sysem atlc way of a series of crops planned so that the production of cotton per acre will be greatly increased, while fewer acres are planted. Simply plant? ing a smaller portion of the land to cotton In /the same old way, even If it could be accomplished, would be but a temporary relief. The pros? perity of the cotton country will not be assured until there la no corn sent here from the west, no hay hauled Into the South, no bacon shipped to the cotton farms, no, northern oats sold In southern cities. Right now, at this beginning of a new year and a new crop season Si the time to begin farming in a ration? al manner, to lay out a practical plan of work, to fix our Ideals higher than the mere making of a crop big enough to put us even with the world In the fall. We can make farming profit? able if we will. We can?not all In one year, of course, but In fewer years than we might think?make the South a land of fertile and fruitful fields, of well-filled barns and beau? tiful homes, of attractive school houses and good roads, of hopeful, prosperous, self-reliant farmers. Let us all go to work at the be? ginning of 1909 to do all this and to win our fair .share of the comforts and blessings of life. Make a Map of the Farm. Begin by making a map of the en? tire farm, showing each field and in? dicating its characteristics. Then a crop rotation should be planned. It matters not so much what this rota? tion is so long as It will add humus to the soil and Increase fertility. Nor should we attempt to adopt the same rotation for all the fields. We should consider market demands and suit? ability of the fields for growing the crops to be rotated upon them, always keeping in mind that with nine-tenths of Southern lands humus is the great? est need. Do not make the mistake of putting off this matter, nor the still more serious one of concluding that it is not necesssary to l^y out a regu? lar and intelligent crop rotation for all the farm. In general, you should know what crop will be grown on a certain field ten years from now as well as what crop will be grown on it next season. I wish to endorse the above clip? ping from the Progressive Farmer. We need to plan for more than one year at a time if we would achieve tiie highest results in our farming. Do not be discouraged if it should ?irn out that you can not carry out your 1 plans. Have some next best plan to fall back on. Like a good general. ! fail back to a stronger position, or march ni> your reserves to th i weak I place in the line, or gst there first I with the greatest force. And in the final result there will be no such word I as failure. six Tilings to Work For. One serious weakness of the farmer everywhere, but possibly more espe? cially of the gOUth, is that he has not more generally formed the habit of thinking out large schemes or plans to be followed and worked to W. F. MASSEY. B. W. D. ward them for a series of years. We must start then, right now, ev ery one of us who expects that $500 a year more farming, to plan? (1) To increase fertility. (2) To drain every acre that we cultivate that needs it. (3) To prevent washing and leaching. (4 To cheapen production by get? ting more work stock so that we can use larger and better implements. (5) To make every acre in which we ha ve money Invested and on which we p?.y taxes earn something. (6) To get better varieties of our staple crops and Improve them by seed selection. The barn of Mr. D. C. Shaw's stock farm, at Alcolu, was detroyed by Are Tuesday night. Chivalry in Wyoming. We can't understand why a man?a full-g:'own male person?should ob? ject to woman suffrage?if the wo? man wants it, says the Rawlings Re? publican. We are of the opinion that woman is entitled to just about any? thing her heart desires. If she wants to vote, for mercy's sake give her the ballot. If she wants to run for office the spectators should stand back and give her plenty of elbow room, and if necessary to her success in contests of this character let her costume be such as to interfere as little as pos? sible *vith her progress. We are for women first and other things after? ward. So is half the population nu? merically and seven-fifths of it in? trinsically. In other words, she is the whole blooming works, plus. If s ie is happy the rest of us guys ought to be tickled to death. There? fore we say franchise her if it will please her, if it will make her smile, If it vil give us common male mor SPRING STYLES ??WALK-OVER" OXFORDS. |i The Suinter Clothing Company. NOTICE. Estate of W. C. Dana Stiles, deceased. All persons having claims against said Estate, will present them duly attested, and all in any wise indebted to said Estate will kindly settle same with, WILLIAM C. STILES, Administrator. 2-15?W & S?4t. NOTICE. All persons having claims against the Estate of Mrs. Maude McBride Dabbs. deceased, will present their claims duly attested, and all persons indebted to the same will make pay? ment to E. W. DABBS, Qualified Executor. 2-17-W & S. 4t. "WALK OVER" Shoos $3.50 & : 1 The Sumter Clothing Company. tals a glimpse into Heaven through her sweetly curved lips; in the name of all that is good and holy, franchnv her. Give her the ballot if it will im? prove her already lovely disposition. Give it to her. and give it to her Quick. This world is too common? place and life too dull and short to deny woman anything that might pos? sibly enhance her many God-given graces. A new kind of self-operating lawn mower would help improve country life. ^ "WALK-OVERS" For Spring The Suniter Clothing Company. FOR SALE?Some very fine Pigs. Berkshire. Duroc-Jersey; Also some cross bred Sows with pigs. H. W. Beall, Sumter, g, C. 3-3-2t-W & S MONEYMAKER COTTON, improved by T. J. Kirven, makes one-third more than any other variety with same expense. Seed 60 cts per bushel; if sacked and shipped, 55 cts. bushel. T. J. Kirven, Provi? dence, S. C. 2-10-lm ' E. J. X W. L DUNNE, ARCHITECTS. Plans and Specifications for all Classes of Buildings. Personal attention given the Supervision of all Work. Law Range ephone 390. Sumter, S. C. 60 YEARS* EXPERIENCE Patents trade nsai Demons Copyrights Ac. Anyone tending a ?ketch and description mar onlckly ascertain our opinion free whether an Invention !? probably patentable. Coromnnlca U msVtrlcilyconndeMilal. HANDBOOK on Patent* ?urn free. Oldeat agem-yJ?r?ecuriMpel^nte. Patent* taken through Munn A Co. reoelT? $pecial notice without charge. In the Scientific American. A handsomely Ulnntrated weekly. UfSSSt ctr culatton of any solentlBc. Journal. Terms S3 a year: four montbt, *L Bold by all newsdealer*. MUNN Mo.36'*"*"- New M Branch Offlce, e&PSU Washington. D. C I I I I * E. P. REED LOW SHOES {"OR LADIES I JUST RIGHT LOW SHOES FOR MEN : O'DONNELL 6 COMPANY ? ? ? ? * ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? m m m u m * m m We take pleasure in announcing the arrivals of our new Spring and Summer line of the Celebrated E. P. Reed Low Shoes for Ladies, and the Just Right Low Shoe for Men. It will be our pleasure to have you call and inspect the new styles. Special! Special! A complete new stock of Neck Ruchings, all the very latest styles; worth 15c a^ Ruch, Special 10c a Ruch. 10 Dozen New Embroidered Collars, the 15c quality. Special while they are here at 10c each. Another 1,500 yards of those O'Donnell White Mercerized Waistings, worth up to 25c. Special 15c yard. YOURS, 5 O'DONNELL 6 COMPANY ? ? ? ? ? n HHMMHMMHMtmM NEW EMBROIDERED COLLARS NEW NECK RUCH? INGS.