University of South Carolina Libraries
HUMAN ON CLEMSON. NKNATOK 4.IVES KK?Mi.\S FOH life riu sTEE plan. Mr. Ttllmaii Issue* a Statement He viewing the Movement* That IahI to the Pounding of the College? Ufe Truatce Scheme wax Adopted. He Says, to Avoid the Possibility of An Adverse LcgsUaiurr Throwing the School Open to Negroes ami to Keep Politicians from Prostituting the Institution to End? Not Intend? ed by Its Founder. To the Editor of The News and Courier: In August 1886. I attended 0 Joint meeting of the South Carolina Agricultural Society and State Orange at Bennettevllle. 8. C. In Marlboro County, as a delegate from the Edge fteld Agricultural Society. The de? pressed condition of agriculture In South Carolina at the time, with the mil nigh bankrupt condition of s large majority >i the farmer*, includ? ing myself, had caused me to think very deeply on the subject of farming aa It was then conducted in our State. i had begun the active prsctice an.', atudy of agriculture In 18611. and had mads money up to 1881, but the lands which i was cultivating wer?) hilly and easily washed, snd It became very evident to me that our whole scheme of agriculture was wrong. The lack of rotation and the constant plowing of the soli?leaving It bate to the winter rains, could only result In final end complete Impoverishment, on hilly lands, with resulting pauperism t > the land owners. Knowing that 1 had dcvoted my best thought and energy tc agricul? ture aa a pursuit, I realised there was a lack of proper training In my own education, which had been cut short by the war; and while I was far bet? ter advanced than many college grad? uates i was woefully Ignorant In many essentlaI? relating to stock raising and the cultivation of the soil as a means of a livelihood. I arrived at the con? clusion that we needed In So ah Car? olina a different system to that in vogue, and above all the young men aad women of the State should be trained Industrially, keeping the fact In vlow, that the head alone could not supply the body, but that the hands aad ryes as well aa the Intellect must be trained together for the best re gejlts. I believed tho fslse system of gartaintf which our people had been 'Vettewlng must be changed. If there 'Wag to be eny Improvement In the gfoenetal condition of the agricultural mosses. i offered resolutions In the meeting advocating the establishment of a department of the South Car > Una University for this purpose. I Suade e speech In support of the reso? lution which attracted widespread at? tention at the time and which met the enthusiastic approval of a great majority of the farmers pre sen Marlboro at that time, as It Is now. was In the very forefront of progres? sive agriculture In the State. The resolutions were voted down by the delegates and I returned home very angry and much dlsguested. Having failed to obtain the support of the then leading farmers of the 8tate who were at the head of the Orange, the State Agricultural De? partment, and the State Agricultural Society. I set to work to map out a scheme for consummating the pur? poses I had been advocating. To-wit. the establishment of a technical and Industrial school In South Carolina and began the discussion of the ques? tion In the columns of The News and Courier In a series of letters advocat? ing a seiarate agricultural and me? chanical college. Puller Investigation and study had tauscht me that the jelnlng of an agricultural annex to an'older literary university had prov? en a failure In almost every case where tried In the I'nlted States. The Michigan Agricultural College, at Lansing, and the Mississippi Agr cul? tural College, at Starkvllle. were so far In advance of any of the other h) t rid Institutions, that I appealed wlto all the power I possessed for the founding of a similar institution lr? N.-uih Carolina. My letters In The News and Cou: ler. written November and December. 1SI?, received the endorsment of many hundreds of men from all over the State whom I had aevi t sc en. wrote me to i ige me; and the result was calling a Kamu-rv con? vention to ensemble In Columbia, to take Into consideration the wb??'<? question of the manag* merit of the fgrlcultur.il department and the hel? le-men t of the farming Interests. Tbl? fetvtention met In April. 18H6, and was attended by over two hundred delegates. A state organization formed, of which Capt. <?. W. Shell of Iaiurens. was made progUgSt, and 1 was elected chairman of the ex- < u ttve committee. Agitation for Separate College Take rVorm. The saltation for a separate ggrl cultural college thvis look form and the demur) I for It grew In volume. The people .if South Carolina w n always eager politicians and It Is al? most Impossible to start any mw99i merit for a:iy purpose now Into which po.itics will not eater sooner or Ister. So far as I was individually concern? ed there was no polities In this organt zatitn, but realizing that the legisla? ture alone could act, and that we could accomplish nothing except with tbe co-operation and assistance of the -State government, the movement nat? urally drifted into politics. At the same time there was a strong current of feeling looking towards reform In political conditions, which were un? healthy because of great dissatisfac? tion among the people, who believed that there was a "Ring ' in the State, in complete control of our politics, and disposed to ignore the common people or masses, and to direct and control affairs from headquarters in i Charleston and Columbia. The News and Courier at that time under the brilliant editorship of F. W. Dawson, was the leading newspaper In the state, and, In a way, the most potent factor in our public affairs. This con- I .dltlon therefore resulted In a dlsor-1 ganlzed movement, by the farmers to control the Democratic State conven? tion, which was to meet In July, 1886, for the nomination of State officers I Governor Thompson had resigned to I .ccept a place In the treasury under I Mr. Cleveland, and Lieut. Gov. J. C. I Sheppard had succeeded to the gov-1 ernor's office, and was naturally a I candidate to succeed himself as noml- ] nee of the Democratic convention. He I Was opposed by the Hon. John P. Richardson, who had been slated for the place by the political clique which we had come to consider as I the "Ring." The prominence into which I haJ sprung, by accident rather than de-1 sign, caused those of my friends in I various parts of the State, who were supporting my demand fcr technical I and Industrial education, to expect me to take a leading part In the struggle for the governor's office. I was en-1 tlrely green and wholly lacking In ex-1 pcrience as a manager of political I forces, but I lent what support I could command to my former school fellow and friend, J. C. Sheppard, a citizen of my own County of Edgefield. He In a way war. os closely aligned with what was called tbe Ring aa Richard son, and was so considered; but Rich-1 ordson opposed the Agricultural Col lege, while Sheppard promised to sup port the Idea, and this, together with I his own popularity, gave him a very I atrong vote, but not enough to pre vent Richardson's success, and he wr.s? 1 nominated by the convention. The! Ring thus triumphed. The Legislature which was elected I was u'Bo antagonistic to the separate I college Ides, hut the current of feel-1 lag was so strong that the politicians I who were In control of our Stato af-1 fairs felt compelled to do something. I with the result that the State Unlvei s'.ty was broadened to embrace an I agricultural and mechanical c iun*e. I llu- veiy thing which I had advocated! at Bennettaville, and which had been 1 disdainfully rejected by the Influence*! which controlled the Bennettaville I meeting. The original land script fund de-1 signed for agricultural and mechanl-1 ce' education under Act of Congress] of 1812, had already been donated I one-half to the South Carolina Uni-1 verslty and the other half to the Claf- J Im University, and the Hatch fund of | fifteen thousand dollars, domited fort experimental purposes by the United I States, was also given to that College. An officer of the United States' navy*, j L<eut. J. R. Edwards, was detailed toj establish and teach the mechanical coarse. His department was installed I In the large brick building southwest I of the S. C. C. campus, known as I science hall. I will say In passing that Mr. Edwards was a very worthy j and competent man, and as far as I could be done, made a fine start In I teaching the mechanic arts, but there j were none or few indications of any J change In the curriculum or develop? ment of the agricultural side in the University. Lands were purchased for experiment south of the city and j two other experiment stations were established, one nt Spartanburg and one at Darlington. The farmers ad? vocated a separate college, with one i Npt rlment station at It. supported by J :ne twenty-five cents tag tax on fer? tilizers. The establishment of three separate experiment stations and the pgrlcultural annex to the University e gave the opponents of the Agrlonl? tural College mvat satisfaction, as they believe*' that they had oouipletely hood-winked the people and ?UCOeSS' hilly side* tracked those of ui who ad I 0< Hted the separate s< honl. My ( rvocacy i?f -,\ nep:n i?< Vgricttl tnrai and Mechanical College which >hould be devoted exclusively to tech nl< J and Industrial training, com? bined with stu b I curriculum of Bnff? lieh, mat rurgaatk i and tin- applle I sciences, as would give tin- student i long start towardi Hanking i living* n? soon as he graduated! had taken ?. deep hold on the minds of the farm en of tb?> state, and also attracts I nideeproad attention among all ou?*? es of people, giving me great proinl* nence and popularity. Mr. i n 111 ui it Meets Mr. Clenisoit. I was ii'.iied to make ipSSOhOd in a great many counties of the State 10 which 1 hod 'never been and as op? portunity offered I accepted these and made eddrtsses, thus expanding my acquaintance and knowledge of con dltlons throughout the State, and 'n creasing the number of supporters of the Farmers* College Idea. Among those who had been reading the pa? pers and thus became tamiliar with the subject, was Mr. Thomas G. Clem son, who was then living the life of a recluse at Fort Hill, Calhoun's Oil1 home. As I afterwards learned upon visiting Mr. Clemson at his requesr, he had long had in mind the necessity fDr the State to do something hi the interest of industrial and scientific education, and on the occasion of that visit I went to Pendleton In the fall of 1896, was met by Mr. Clemson in his carriage, and carried to his his? toric home, "Fort Hill," where I spent the night. I wish I had the faculty of describ? ing the appearance of things at the old home of John C. Calhoun as It then appeared and contrasting it with what appears at Clemson College to? day. Col. D. K. Norrls, who had been one of my strongest supporters in the advocacy of a separate Agricultural College, and Col. R. W. Simpson me* me at Mr. Clemson's (being invited bv him to dinner,) and the four of us spent nearly the whole day in talk? ing over the new project, which Mr. C'emson had in mind, and which he unfolded to us. At that time Mr. Clemson had made a will which !?? showed me, In which the scheme was outlined, to make of Fort Hill a sort o! Mount Vernon, a place of pilgrim? age for those who admired and loved John C. Calhoun and his pollcal ideas. Col. James Rlon, of Winnsboro, as 1 remember, was the trustee, with a board of ladles as regents, to be chosen by Mrs. Rlon, to direct and control the property, and take care of It in perpetuity. Mr. Clemson talked over this scheme with me and mentioned his desire to establish a technical and in? dustrial school such as I had been advocating, and gave that as an ex? planation as to why he had invited me to visit him. His ideas were not clear or well denned as to which course he would pursue, but the thought of a great agricultural and technical Institution grew on him. Such was my conviction of the strength of ? the agricultural college Idea thai I felt willing to guarantee cept the property and begin the work of building a college in his life time should he make the donation at once, and I recall begging him to have his last years brightened and made hap? py watching the consummation of his cherished plan; but he waa the most suspicious man in regard to lawyers and the dangers of getting involved in lawsuits I have ever met, and noth? ing we could say made any impres? sion on him to take immediate action. Put he did accept our suggestion in regard to what disposition he should make of his property at his death, and we talked the whole matter over, Col. Simpson making memoranda, as he was requested to write the will and bring It to Mr. Clemson at his earliest convenience. Messrs. Simpson and Norrls joined with me in urging him to change his will, so as to carry out this new pur? pose, the same I had been advocating as they were so nearly similar that there were only slight differences as to details. Reasons for Life Trustee Plan. Having In view the possible danger of the negroes, who are so largely in the majority in our State, at some time getting control of the State gov? ernment, we suggested the scheme of seven trustees, who would be self perpetuating, and thus make It im? possible for an adverse legislature to shipwreck the College, or make it a, school to which negroes would be ad? mitted. Another reason which our recent experience with the legislature mad" us urge the life trustee idea Strongly, was the fear that a board wholly con? trolled by political inlluences might warp and twist the College from It purpose and finally cause it to drift back to the ordinary literary type. We were anxious to k.-ep down the l.tnuer of negro domination Of the school and at the game time to pre? vent the prostitution of the institu? tion to ends not intended o\ it founder. None of the iij> trueteei were known to Mr. Clemson. except the three men who were then advising with him. c.ds. Simpson and Stnrrls living in the neighborhood were well known to him. M. L Donaldson, John ES, Wann imaker and J. E, Brad? ley, all of whom had been pr ?mlnenl M the agitation for nn agricultural college, were suggested and accepted b) Mr, clemson, and Col. Bowcn, I piomlnenl farmer of Plckens Coun? ty, whom i had never seen, was the seventh man, it Is well to nots the i" rsonnel ol the ?u iginal seven lit'. membi i e an i t< remember thai at thai time there weir no factional differences In tin state, it happened In th?> alignment In lS??o three of these nun. were my supporters and three Were not, and It is worth remembering that in fining vacancies caused by death among the lite trustees since that one Reformer Carolina would ac and two Conservatives have been chosen. Xo political influences or feelings were considered or involved ,in the se? lection of trustees then or since, and while at times there have been tome political differences among the seven life trustees, I do not feel that I am speaking too strongly to say that no one of the seven has ever allowed his political bias to influence him in the slightest in any action affecting the College or its organization and man? agement. Those who are trying to inject politics into its management now are no friends to it and never have been. The establishment of the Agricul? tural and Mechanical Annex in Co? lumbia and two experiment stations had caused the separate school agita? tion to die down, but it was only smouldering. The fire was not extin? guished. The Farmers' Movement As? sociation continued to hold Its annual meetings, and reiterate Its demands. Mr. Clemson's will had become noised around among the leaders and his death, April 6, 1S88, with the knowledge that there was a large plantation and $60,000 in cash for the purpose for which we have been striving, was the signal for reviving the demand of the farmers for a sep? arate College in full vigor. In the meantime another State Democratic convention had been held in 1888, in which the battle between the farmers and the "Ring" was re? newed; the people were becoming aroused to the necessity of political organization and control of the Dem pcratic clubs. The Court House rings found their hitherto undisputed sway Jeopardized in many counties and ov? erthrown in many others, 30 that in the convention of 1883 nothing pre? vented Richardson's defeat, except the fact that the man whom we had chosen to oppose him, Joseph H. Earle, was under pledge to support Richardson's renomination, and his name was withdrawn after the bal? loting began by his own brother, one of the delegates from Greenville. Nevertheless we came within a dos-1 en votes of a victory, without even I having a candidate. The struggle then turned to the control of the legisla? ture, and In the primaries the oppos? ing factions were aligned, over the question of accepting or refusing to accept the Clemson bequest. It might as well be understood that the friends and supporters of the South Carolina College and Citadel, the two then ex sltlng State institutions of learning, were bitterly opposed to the separate Agricultural College idea, seeming to fear that It would result In the death of these two Institutions. Denominational Antagonism. Another explicable source of antag? onism arose among the friends of the denominational colleges, who argued that a school, such as we advocated, would inevitably militate against the support of those Institution*. 4They gavo as a reason that the University being better equipped and of a broad? er type than the denominational col? leges, was sufficient, and declared there was no need for another State College. They had attacked the South Carolina University after the overthrow of the carpet bag govern? ment In 1876, clamoring again:,: free tuition, but were unable to prevent its being reorganized and reopened. They lelt that as the proposed Agri? cultural College was intended mainly to teach poor boys along practical lines, It would prevent many students from attending denominational*, col? leges and thus destroy them. Tht "lUng" hnvUtgjg large number of the ni ld-over senators, the victory fo?* th? acceptance of the Clemson bequest, by the General Assembly was a diffi? cult thing to achieve, and the deciding rote for the bill which had passed the House, yeas. 67; nays. 48. was cast in the Senate In behalf of the accept? ance of the Clemson bequest by Lieut. Guv. Mauldin. It is well to state here that after the bequest was accepted by the Legislature Gov. Richardson withheld his approval by what Is known as a "pocket veto," thus pre? venting any action, looking (to work on the proposed new College for two years. The eeven life trustees had met at*Pendleton shortly after Mr. Clemson'a death, had organized, Big nifi? d their acceptance of the trust In legal form and set about getting th? ,-state into such sh ine is to take the necessary action to carry out Mr. Memson's purpose, with or without ?utte aid. The progress of the struggle for mastery between the two contending Ideas ol education, was watched with hop concern by all parties interested in public affairs In the state, and It became evident thai the choice of Governor Rlcttardson's successor would cause a bitter tight, it had hten the purpose and work of the ??Ring" to excite distrust of the Re? ft l iners and to cause timid people t I t.e very much alarmed over what was proclaimed as the Impending effort to "spilt the Democratic party," though the friends ot the Agricultural College always stood by the Democratic party organisation In every county. # ind when beaten as they were In 's?; ind 'ss, they had moved to make the nominations ununlmous and smilingly informed their antagonists that they w ? uid try again. The movement for the College had by this time broadened into many lines of reform in State affairs, and the agitation which had acted as a tonic, coupled with the organization of the Alliance, had taught the farm? ers their strength, as well as rights and the means of accomplishing their purposes. 11 is not my purpose nor is it neces? sary to enter into any details concern? ing the hot and bitter political fight in South Carolina in 1890. The Agricul? tural College was one of the burning issues In that campaign and the sig? nal triumph of the people with the transfer of all tne funds donated by the United States government to Clemson College, the abolition of the agricultural department, and the do? nation of the privilege tax to Clemson for agricultural and technical educa? tion are all of too recent occurrence to need recapitulation here. The great vork which the College has done is not denied by any one; and Its future usefulness is sure in spite of the op uostion of its old enemies, who seek t:> undermine and injure it, while pre? tending to be its friends. I would not have written this story to be pub "ished at this time, leaving It to see the light after I am dead, but the ac? tive agitation now going on in the St its caused me to feel that it is my duty to recall some facts which the young generation are unacquainted with. They will interest all our peo? ple. The legal status of Clemson College is well defined and understood by ev cry intelligent lawyer in the State. Th agitation for the change in this condi? tion has no good reason for its exist? ence, and the friends of the College will see to it that neither old or new enemies do it any injury. I B. R. TILLMAN. FOUND NEGRO IN BED ROOM. Chester Citizen Foils Daring Attempt At Robbery. Chester, June 22.?Monroe Mills, colored, is in jail on the charge of en? tering the home of Mr. John Woodle, on the Springstein Hill, yesterday morning at an early hour. When discovered he had made his way into the bed room of Mr. and Mrs. Woodle, and when the latter aroused her hus? band Mills darted under the bed. Mr. Woodle jumped out of bed and, while he was striking a light, Mills jumped out of the window and made off in the darkness. The authorities were summoned at once and Officer Williams, Sheriff Cor vlr and Deputy Sheriff Dye were soon on the scene. They had with them the hound that is kept at the county jail for trailing criminals, the dog be? ing put on the scent and trailing Mills out into the yard, but dropping the trail at this point. There was no way to Identify the criminal, it seemed, as he had made his escape before a light could be struck, and Mrs. Woodle had had only a fleeting look at him. How? ever, he had dropped his hat and a pint of liquor while scrambling around on the floor, and these helped to effect his capture. Officer Williams was on guard around the premises about 8 o'clock, when Mills came along, with his eyes on the ground, as if looking for something. Mr. Wil? liams asked what he was looking for, and he replied that he had lost his hat. Mr. Williams told him that there was a headpiece at the police station which might possibly be his. Mills accepted the Invitation an'd, on leaching the station and seeing the hat, readily said that it was his and started off. He was then placed un? der arrest and sent down to the coun? ty jail to await trial on the very se? rious charge of burglary. He denies his guilt, hut there is every reason to believe that he is the guilty man. There was a great deal of feeling yesterday in certain quarters over Mills' outrageous action, and it is hop? ed that he will receive the full limit of the law. He Is a big. black, burly ne? gro, and Is said to be a cocaine fiend <?t the woist type. Could Not be Retter. ?No one has ever made a salve, ointment, lotion or balm to compare with Bucklen's Arnica Salve. It's the one perfect healer of Cuts, Corns. Burns, Bruises, Sores, Scalds, Bolls. Ulcers, Eczema, Salt Rheum. For Sore Eyes, Cold Sores. Chipped Hands It's supreme. Infallible for PUSS. Only 2."c at Sibcrfs Drug Store. Mrs. Mary Ann Westbrooks, of Gaff? rev. who has been totally blind for five years, recovered her eyesight to* about two days, then went blind "gain The physicians cannot explain the phenomenon^ Men Past Fifty In Danger. "Men past middle life have found comfort and relief In FoU y's Kidney Remedy, especially for enlarged pros* tats gland, which is very common among elderly men. i.. BJ. Monis. Dexter, Kv? writes: MUp to a year ago my father Buffered from kidney and bladder troubls and several phy? sicians pronounced it enlargement of the prostate gland and advised en Operation, On account Of his age we were afraid he could not stand it and I recommended Folsy*e Kidney Rem? edy, and the first bottle relieved him, and after taking the second bottle he was no longer troubled with this complaint.' W. W. Sibert. KR. CADETS INVENTION. May Kcvolutionizc Tw|H oXlIng?Will Very Likely Sii|x-r<cde the Lin** typt) Machine. Is the lino*?;* machine soon to t come a back number? Undoubt*1iy If will if Rev. Baylus Cade, of North Carolina, is not wrong in his expecta? tions of the type-setting machine which he has invented. Reference to the machine has been made by a number of papers, but details have been rather vague. The Chronicle is? now able to supply these and to give a general idea of what Mr. Cade's typesetter will do. The claims may seem rather broad, but it must be re? membered that when the linotype machine was being conceived, the in? ventor was told that he was a dream? er. We have always held that the linotype machine, wonderful as it is, is really a crude machine and is des? tined to be superceded by a simpler, more perfect and cheaper machine. Is the honor of Inventing the succes? sor to the linotype to fall to a North Carolina man? It is quite within the range of possibility, as a study of a few points would indicate. Mr. Cade's type-setter is not run by power. Two men can carry it anil place it at any point desired as easily a3 they would handle an office desk. It Is operated by a small air compres? sor. It will set any face of type from nonpariel to job display. The opera? tor can read and correct the line be? fore it is cast. There is no cumber? some and complex machinery for the return of the matrices. They are turned automatically. The machine can be sold for $500, which will place it within the reach of newspaper pub? lishers all over the country. I Mr. Cade is a machinist from youth He has been working on this inven? tion for a period of twenty years. Bis? first machine is now being built irj Philadelphia and will be completed and given a test within three months It has been inspected and approved by the best mechanical experts in the country, who say that it win do what is claimed for it. We are drawing? this much from a conversation we' had with Mr. Cade this morning! Much that he said was not for the? public print at this time. Did' we feel privileged to say more, we might in-8 spire greater faith in this invention. It was suggested to Mr. Cade that it he has what he says he has, he will die a millionaire. His response, was that money-making was his last thought. He is working for the good of humanity, for in giving tb the world a type-setter of the character which he invented, he would certain? ly be conferring a blessing on the whole people. We believe that a pa? per in Shelby, his home town, is tt> have the honor of making the first run on his new machine. Mr. Cade and the machinists who have passed on his invention may find themselvesr mistaken in the expected performances; of the machine, but in case they kit it right, we may look for a slump in Mergenthaler stock. The next few months will tell the tale.?Charlotte Chronicle. t ?There are many Imitations of De-' Witt's Carbolized Witch Hazel Salve ?De Witt's is the original, fie sure you get De Witt's Carbellzed Witch" Hazel Salve when you ask for it. It is good for cuts, burns and bruises, and i3 especially good for Plies. Sold by all druggists. CURE YOUR KIDNEYS. Do Not Endanger Life When a Suru ter Citizen Shows You the Cure Why will people continue to suffer the agonies of kidney complaint, backache, urinary disorders, lame? ness, headaches, languor, why allow themselves to become chronic in? valids, when a certain i urt- is oft e rod them? Doan's Kidney Pills is the remedy to use. because it ^iws to the kidneys] the help they need to perform thets? work. If you have any. even one. of thv?v symptoms of kidney diseases, cure? yourself now. before diabetes, dropsy or Bright's disease sets in. Read this> Sumter testimony: J. H. Grady, 16 Wright St., Sum tar, S. C, savs: "1 have no hesitation in recommending Doan's Kidney Ptlln a** they proved beneficial to me. I used them for kidney trouble and they helped me more than any Other rem? edy I ha I previously taken. M> SSM k ached' nearly all ih?- time ami \ hat* severe pains in my kidneys, 'i ' ? , ney secretions w? re irregulat ;r. \>iv* sage and when si lowed to stund ??>n tain od a dark sed'ment. i RneAy nsesl Doan's Kidney E'tlle, procured at china's drug store end they regulated the passage ? I the kidm } secretions} and removed the lameness from my back, l nave had no return of th-e trouble since and i know Irons ?x perlence that they are a remedy that ran be relied upon/* For sale by all deal* rs. Price 5l> cents. Poster-Mllburn Co., iuffaio. New York, sole agents for the United. States, Remember the name?Doan's?and take no other._No. 1 Hotel Jackson Barber Slip Under New Management. T. D. Atkinson, Proprietor. The Best Service in the OfyV Your patronage solicited*