Historical Newspapers of South Carolina

Below is the OCR text representation for this newspapers page. It is also available as plain text as well as XML.

TY CORRESPONDENCE, T LETTKK8 FROM OUR SPE? CIAL CORRESPONDENTS. of Interest From ell Parts of and Adjoining Counties. 1CB TO CORRESPONDENTS. II your Isttsrs so that they will this office not later than Mon whsn Intsndsd for Wednesdays and not later than Thursday turday's lssus. This, of course, only to regular correspond In case of ttemi of unusual value, ssnd In Immediately by tslsphons or tsleicraph. Such stories ars acceptable up to ths of going to prsss. Wednesday's Is prlntsd Tuesday alte, noon Saturday's papsr Friday after OUR SUMMERTON LETTER. tammerton. Oct. 25.?Considerable at was seen here this morning, and i decided cool change in ths weath gives promlss of some more very m. Just what part the changed at her conditions ars playing In abllshing ths pries of cotton and ft how far ths government report of ? morning can bs said to havs ad It ws ars not In position to *sas7. but It Is very evident that there m* a moving fores somewhere. Cotton sold hers on Saturday at It 1-4 and Is today worth mors than Ths receipts ars still fair and seems yst to ha considerable In neide. Mr. i. R. Dingle, legislator and also m Tory prominent farmer of this lo saaMty. has recently contracted for a gsaeollne engine outfit to be Installed ass ale placs for the purposs of light -4bsj his premises. Ths Summerton I war? Co.. who ars agents for plants, ars gradually convincing psople of this vicinity of ths con mcs of owning their own light power. r4 I. M. Cantey, another of our >atful farmers, mst with quite % tnful accident on Friday afternoon* ] mm Jug* ping from a wagon, a board on -esttlcN he had stepped slipped, caus 4am ait. Cantsy to lose balance and mm\ Uk falling his wrist, receiving the ?is weight of his body, was broken sst above ths joint. We are glad to aar that hs la getting along nicely. 'Quite a number of Summsrtonians advantags of the excursion to iter on Thursday night and at "The Lion and ths Mouse.' pronounce it a splendid per ce, and one wsll worth the An officer of the local lodge of the ?sjlghts of Pythias states that they ssss succeeding In raising quits tssadsome sum as a contribution to sjse fund being secured for the pur mymam of sreetlng a suitable memorial Sjs the lets Dr. Thornwell. at Clinton, H. C. The membership of this lodge fa being Increased at every meeting, askd It appears to be among the most rieh Ing In the Stats. Irs. O. M. Bslser, of Columbia, it several days last week with her saa, Mr. R. H. Bslser at "Woodside." Mis* Kats Cantey who has charge as? the school at Wilson's Mill speht Maturday and Sunday at home. Mr. R. Kennedy Rutlsdgs. of Rocky int. N. Cm spent ths week-end th his parents. Mr. and Mrs. J. D. Hedge. i Lillian Cantey has returned after a visit to relatives In tesburg and Columbia. Messrs. Smith and Mullins. of Man? ag, wsrs in town today on business. Rsv. Mr O. A. Blsckburn. of Co ibla, wan a visitor in town last ik. John Laarens Honored. 8tateburg. Oct. 23.?Having seen by papers several accounts of the celebration of the 128th anniversary of America's victory over the British aft Torktown and not one hint that John Laurens contributed In any way ' ta the success of our arms, and the resultant capture of Cornwallls, the Folnsett and Ravenel Literary So? cieties of the Gen. Sumter Memorial Academy at once met and passed the following resolution: Resolved: That we spare no effeort to bring the services of Jobn Laurens to the attention of the American peo before the next annlversury of the ipture of Cornwallls at Yorktonw, it in the nest annual celebration of this great day in our nation's history, the name of Laurens may have its ?proper place and rearh its deserved honor In the annals of patriotism the world over. And we meun what w?* say In this resolution, for acmrdiiu: to the In? formation we have. Laurens is beyond all question the most Interesting fig? ure In the memories of that battle. Was It not Laurens who was sent by Congress at Washington's suggestion to secure French aid and did he not return in a few months, bringing that aid In money, men and ships? And, can any authority be found to the ef? fect that ths victory could have been won without ths presence and services of the French? And had not Frank lln failed to secure this indispensable aid? And does not this pat all the honor for the contribution to the suc? cess of the day by the Americans on the man who brought the French help? Now will some one tell us how much longer we have to wait than 128 years to see Laurens recognised properly for his matchless services at this most critical hour in American history? There is no uncertainty about Laur ens' services in the American cause during the Revolution; and there is no uncertainty about the ignorance of the American people in respect to his services. In such a case, there should be no uncertainty about the duty of South Carolinians to bring the world's attention to the character and far reaching consequences of those ser? vices. And this task will not be completed until a suitable monument is erected in the city of Washington to his mem? ory. We are glad to know that there are those in South Carolina who are mak? ing this achievement one of the ob? jects of their Uvea (Signed) RAVBNEL LITERARY 80CIBTY. COTTON MILLS MERGE. Duke, the Tobacco King, la Believed To be Planning to Control Number Of Southern Planta?Southern Power Company la Assisting the Project, The establishment of a string of cotton mills near the various develop? ments of the Southern Power Com? pany in South Carolina that will rival the manufacturing centres of New England and the eventual merger of these and other mills is believed to be the plans J. B. Duke of New York, and his associates in the Southern Power Company and a number of wealthy Carolina manufacturers. The Republic Cotton Mill, to cost $?00,000 and to be located at the Great Falls station of the develop? ment company will be the first of the string. It has been organised by some of the best known manufactur? ers of North Carolina and It is under? stood that Mr. Duke has figured In the deal. Messrs. Hal and Robert S. Mebane, of Graham, will be president and secretary-treasurer respectively and Mr. Thomas Fuller, of Durham, will be vice-president. The Southern Power Company has adopted the broad policy of offering large Inducements to manufacturers who establish plants near the power stations of the company as against the higher contracts with those mills for which transmission lines have to be built and the current transmitted scores of miles. The company now proposea to make concessions in re? gard to mill sites. It Is understood that the Southern Power Company will not take stock in any of these mills, confining its activ? ities to the development of waterpow ers and the sale of the power, but it is understood that Mr. J. B. Duke and his brother, Mr. B. N. Duke, the latter of Durham, with their associates, will Invest a large sum. The Dukes are already interested in the large Erwin mills at Durham, Duke and Coolee mee and recent developments, when taken in connection with the rumor a few months ago of a merger of South? ern mills being planned by the Dukes, furnishes interesting matter for spec? ulation. Many people here believe that the merger plan is being worked out even now and that the Republic and other mills to be established near the Southern Power Company's sta? tions will form an important addition to the mills to be Included. OLD KENTUCKY TO BE EDUCAT? ED. Club-Women Have Led a Remarkable | Campaign to Reduce Illiteracy In : the State. "Kentucky's Fight for an Educa? tion" is dramatically described by Ma? bel Potter Daggett In The Delineator for November. The 1900 census for the United States spread Kentucky's name in print as 37th down the line in point of literacy, with a population of 262.954 over ten years of age who could not read or write, says Mrs. Daggett. The people of the State found themselves left at the post educationally, and by rivals unknown to fame for either blue grass or corn whiskey! There were Kentucky gentlemen who, having looked into one another's eyes over those statistics of Illiteracy, Just looked away again. It was an unpleasant subject. No stranger In the State dared mention It in conver? sation, and no resident cared to. There followed a long period of si? lence about the matter. It was brok? en at length at the meeting of the State Federation of Women's Clubs. They had appointed a new commit? tee, a committee on education. The first word was spoken by its chairman. The committee made an investigation that was sweeping and complete. What they learned, the chairman told the Federation In her next report. She is Miss Martha Stephenson. What she said corroborated all she had said be? fore?and worse. Kentucky 37tbj down the line of States! Ladies, that is so only when you reckon by its en? tire population. It is not the negro that raises it to that rank. There are more white illiterates than black. On the basis alone of its white population who can not read or write, it drops to 42nd in the line. And on the ba? sis of the percentage of illiteracy among native white voters of native parentage, it ranks 49th, with only three States below it. The number of these illiterate white men in Ken? tucky is 65,717. In some counties ev? ery third man, as he steps into the voting booth, must look at the picture to know how he is casting his ballot. Each generation is adding to this crop of underslrable citizens. Less than 50 per cent, of the children of school age In Kentucky were attending school In 1900. And many of those that went were but little better off; for rural ed? ucational affairs in the State were be? ing administered by school trustees of whom five thousand could not even read or write. The Federation went home to form an education committee in every one of the local clubs. The women on those committees had usually sent their own children away to private schools to be educated. What kind of schools the neighborhood provided for less fortunate children pad never particularly concerned them. But now they went out to see. They dis? covered that in one hundred and nine? ty districts in Kentucky the public school had altogether faded away and there was no free school at all. Some had school for two or three or four months a year, as long as the allot? ment of money from the State held out. In twelve hundred and thirty eight districts the buildings were of logs like those of a century and a half ago. Some had shabby little one room shacks. Exhibits like these were not limited to the poor mountain sections. The richest blue-grass coun? ties had them in districts that sell their horses for from $500 to $100, 000 a piece. One of these pitiful edi? fices that the community raised to ed? ucation stands in the shadow of a $10,000 monument to a dead race? horse. It was plain that moi'e of the money that Kentucky made and spent on horses ought to be spent on children and on schools. There ought to be lo? cal taxes levied for this purpose, and the owners of the stately, widespread Ing estates ought to be made to help pay. The women said so and said it everywhere they went. In 1905, as the state department records relate, "a large body of citi? zens and educators" began to take no? tice, "recognizing the backwardness of Kentucky educationally." The Ken? tucky Educational Association was getting under way. A little later they invited the Federation to send dele? gates to meet them in a conference about what to do for Kentucky's schools. At no time in the history of the South have women been members of a more important conference for pub? lic eduacllon. Here was planned the legislation to be launched on the waves of the coming great education? al campaign of 1908. The plans were endorsed by the society of college men in a conference to which they, too, invited Federation delegates. When the General Assembly of 1908 met it enacted legislation that will give Kentucky the education It needs. The credit for the victory that carried it through, I have no doubt, would be variously claimed. The Ed? ucational Improvement Commission think they did it. The school men think they did it. And the politicians think they did it. But any one who looks can clearly see that it was wo? men's hands that were at the lever of public opinion, guiding and direct? ing the force in accordance with which all things happened. MODERN CHRISTIANS CARE LESS FOR HEAVEN. Character and Service Mean More Than Creed and Ceremony. The best Christians today think less of getting to heaven than of estab? lishing the kingdom of heaven on earth. Creed and ceremony are less valued than character and service. The truest children of God are more absorbed in doing the will of their Father than in telling Him, however sincerely and fittingly, that they love Him. Worship, Indeed, must never, can never, die! As well attempt to fill the ocean with a drop, as to satis? fy the heart of man with anything less than God. But if there be a real lack of piety and its manifestation publicly, this must not blind us to the undoubted' fact, well stated by that Christian magistrate, Mayor Logan of Worcester, "that there is more hon? esty, truth and charity, more real re? ligious power, in the world today than ever before, though it is not all in the church, and does not find expres? sion in the ecclesiastical language of the past,"?-Edward Tallmadge Root in The Delineator for November. Send us your J)b work. WEEKLY TRADE REVIEW. Favorable Development? Marked Dur lug Past Week. New York, Oct. 22.?Bradstreefs tomorrow will say: Trade and Indus? trial developments are largely favor? able. Continued cool weather fur? nishes a marked stimulus to demand for heavy wearing apparel, dry goods, clothing and shoes, and also benefits demand tor hardware, groceries, lumber and building materials at re? tail in most markets. Demand for coal has been perceptibly quickened for steam sizes. The liquor trades plso display more life, which may be variously attributed to weather in? fluences or to renewal of consump? tion made possible by improved pay roll In general industry. Jobbing trade is good for the saa son. There is still evidence of conser? vatism, bred of higher prices asked for cofcon goods for distant delivery, but the general tendency Is still up? ward and staples products are selling better at advanced prices. In general industry the previous full pace is maintained. Iron and steel easily lead with production records for the season. Business failures for the week end? ing October 21, were 244, against 220 last week, 231 in the like week of 1908; 220 in 1907, 184 in 1906, and 178 in 1905. MILL SHUT-DOWN SERIOUS. Step Amounts to Refusal of the Mills To Run at a Loss. Columbia, Oct. 24.?The news that a series of cotton mills in Spartanburg county have actually closed down is of serious import. It was expected that ther* wo d be more or less cur? tailment M \e cloth goods market responded . ;he cost of the raw cot? ton. It, however, appears that on many classes of goods, particularly the heavier products, that the buyers of the cloth do not want to pay more than they did when cotton was selling for 8 and 10 cents per pound. The cotton mills naturally prefer to see high price cotton, if they can get the cloth goods market to respond to the increase in cost. The buyers of cloth have for years been accustomed to let mills run at a dead loss, always be? lieving some mills would operate to let them buy what was needed in "hand-to-mouth" purchasing. The trouble is with the cloth market. It may be noted that most of the mills in the State, except in special instances, are running five days in the week. Saturday is a half holiday with cotton mills, and in Columbia, for instance the Parker mills are run? ning full time for five days and do not run on Saturday. The Arkwright Club, representing New England spinners, has agreed on this resolution: , "That it is the sense of the club that the production of cotton goods should be curtailed to an amount equivalent to that of the 224 working hours, between this time and Antust next, and that, as part of suci. cur? tailment, the Massachusetts mills should go upon a basis of 56 hours per ?week on November 1." ANTHRACNOSE SCARE CAUSE? LESS. Reports of Loss Caused by Disease Said to bo Exaggerated. Washington, Oct. 24.?Unnecesasry alarm, in the judgment of the cotton experts of the department of agricul? ture, is manifested by cotton planters ever the ravages of anthracnose. Re? cently it has been reported that the disease is costing the cotton growers of two States in the cotton belt about $19,000,000 a year. "This statement," said Prof. W. A. Orton, pathologist of the Bureau of Plant Industry of the Department of Agriculture, "manifestly is impossible. No such loss as that could occur in any one State, or in any two States, from anthracnose. In a sense, it is a sporadic disease, which is likely to affect seriously a limited territory, but .it is quite unlikely that it could affect any particular State to such an ex? tent. "The disease is prevalent in all cot? ton districts every season, but rarely causes serious injury. In wet seasons it does cause losses here and there, amounting sometimes to one-fourth or even one-half of the crop. The aggre? gate loss, while large when the whole country is considered, does not make in any one year a serious inroad on the total crop. "In Alabama, for instance, the loss in particular fields may be one-half of the crop; yet a few miles away there will be little, if any, evidence of it. The sections that sufTer from the losses usually are limited. "Anthracnose appears on the bolls as dark spots, which enlarge and be? come somewhat sunken in the centres, which are pink or reddish brown." W. A. Gilbert, of the Bureau of Plant Industry, is now in the South making a study of anthracnose .and it is expected that he will make a comprehensive report on the subject within a few weeks. BOLL WEEVIL'S BML COTTON CHOP IS LOSING BE? CAUSE OF ANTHRACNOSE. Exhaustive Report Made by Clemson College Expert on Work Done by HI in in South Carolina. Columbia, Oot. 23.?Startling In its nature and of vital importance is the announcement that comes from Clem son College to the effect that the cot? ton anthracnose is causing a loss to the State of nearly $5,000,000 annual? ly. More startling still is the state? ment that the disease is spreading rapidly and that many of the farmers of the State, in all sections, are los? ing from one-fourth to one-half of their crops. The announcement came yesterday In the nature of a letter from H. W. Barre, the botanist at Clemson, to Commissioner Watson, who made a request for a report on the investiga? tion of the cotton anthracnose while on a recent visit to the institution. During the past year the experi? ment station at Clemson has made a thorough and exhaustive study of the ravages of the antracnose and have collected data of a conclusive and convincing nature which shows that something must be done to check It and must be done at once. "In the majority of cases, ' says the latter, "the original infection can be traced to seed of some so-called im? proved variety purchased from seed houses or individual cotton breeders. In a number of cases antracnose has appeared this year where cotton has not been planted before. The seed which were used in planting the fields, when they could be obtained, were found to contain the anthracnose fun? gus. We have in this way traced a large number of cases of anthracnose to various seed houses." The estimated annual loss in Geor? gia from anthracnose is estimated at $14,500,000. "The remedy," states the report, "of course must be in the form of a preventive. The seed are acting as a distributing agent. This we are pre? paring to do and by co-operating with the various other agricultural inter? ests of the State, we hope that some plan can be perfected which will ac? complish this. First then we must induce the farmer to secure clean or diseases free seed." The following is the report as sub? mitted to Commissioner Watson: "In accordance with your request made in company with Prof. Harper this morning, am stating below in brief the present status of the cotton anthracnose investigation. "Owing to the spread of this dis? ease and the great losses which were bein.? sustained by farmers in differ? ent sections of the State, an investiga? tion was begun here last year. This investigation has been continued since that time and in it we have tried to study the different aspects of the dis? ease. We have investigated different phases and in doing this have ever kepi in mind the value of the results from a practical standpoint. This work has been laborious and tedious and at times discouraging, but we are pleased to report at present that we are about to be rewarded for our la? bor. While studying the seed taken from the field where the disease oc cured last year, I found the fungus filaments and spores inside of mature cotton seed. We then immediately set about to study the significance of this. Upon germinating large numbers of the seed it was noted that the dis? eased seed produced diseased seed? lings. Some of these diseased seed? lings seemed to struggle through the early part of their lives in spite of the disease, and upoh maturity pro? duced diseased fruit <?nd seed. Some of these seed matured sufficiently to germinate the next spring and thus continue to spread disease. Now, as you will readily see, this phase of the investigation is of an immense practical importance. Every one who has the disease in his cotton and sells or gives the seed to his neighbors or other farmers, aids in distributing the disease. Where it is once establish? ed it will remain indefinitely, as long as cotton is planted continually on the same land. Since I discovered the fungus on the inside of the seed, I have been using this as a clue and have found some very interesting things in relation to the history of the badly infected areas in different see tions of the State. In the majority of cases the original infection can readily be traced to seed of some so called improved variety purchased from seed houses or individual cotton breeders. In a number <>f eases an* thacnose has appeared this year where cotton has not been planted before. The seed which were used in planting thsc fields, when they could be obtained, were found to contain the anthracnose fungus. We have in this way traced a large number of cases of anthracnose to various seed houses. "Now, as I have said, this is some? thing that means a great deal to South Carolina farmers. The annual loss from anthracnose at present is great and it is sure to be greatly In? creased If present methods are con tinued. The estimated annual loss in Georgia is $14,500,000. A conserva? tive estimate of the loss of this State would be from $4,000,000 to $5,000, 000 annually. In various other South? ern states the loss is equally as great, or in some apparently greater. In many cases here we find farmers los? ing from one-fourth to one-half of their crops. It t >ems that with the results of this investigation at hand it is time to take some definite step with the view of eradicating this dis? ease. This we are preparing to do, and by cooperation with the various other agricultural interests of the State we hope that some plan can be perfected which will accomplish this. The remedy of course must he in the form of a preventive. The seed are acting as a distributing agent. First, then, we must induce the farmer to secure clean or disease free seed. This he can do if he takes the trouble to go into the field and pick only per? fectly healthy cotton for seed and then have this ginned separately. When he has secured disease free seed in this way he must plant them on land which was not in cotton the previous year as the fungus lives over winter in the soil and a mere selec? tion of clean seed would not of itself eadicate the disease. Our results have shown that the fungus will not live in the soil or on the old diseased bolls and stalks for more than a year so that with one year's rotation and absolutely clean seed, it seems that the disease can be eradicated. "You readily see, then, that com? bating this disease is made compara? tively simple and by instituting these practices every farmer in the State could free his place of this dread dis? ease. In this connection it seems that, in the near future it will be necessary to protect the farmers still further by having some sort of seed inspection law which will prevent the shipping into the State or the sale within the State of seed which are diseased. By the enforcement of such a law, we could compel those who are breeding cotton and selling seed to put on the market only seed which are free from disease. "The results of this investigation have been accumulating since the work was begun, but are just reach? ing the point wnere it seems advisable to publish them. The work will be published according to present ar- I rangements in the experiement sta? tion report, which goes to press short? ly. In this illustrations and photo? graphs wir be given, showing the va? rious phases of the life history of the fungus, its method of infection, dis? tribution, etc. This seed phase of the investigation we take pleasure in pre? senting in a popular way at present with the hope that it will be of ser? vice to the farmers in making seed se? lect o s this fall." BIG NEW COTTON MILL PLANNED Six Hundred Thousand Dollar Struc? ture to be Erected at Great fall". Lancaster, Oct. 22.?A $600,000 cot? ton mill, to be located at Great Falls, tributary to the monster power plant of the Southern Power Company, is the latest development for this sec? tion. The new mil;, the erection of which seems to be fully assured, will be known as "The Republic Cotton Mill." and will be one of the most modern textile plants in the South to? day. It is said that Messrs. Hal Me* bane and Robt. S. Mebane, of Gra? ham, N. C, and Thos. Fuller, of Dur? ham, are the prime movers in this en? terprise. Sometime ago it was rumor? ed that Mr. J. B. Duke and allied in? terests were considering a plan to build a chain of textile plants on the Catawba, near their big hydro-electric development, but the Republic Mill, it Is understood, will be in no wise connected with these inteests. COMPETES WITH CAROLINAS. Tobaeco Industry Gaining Fast lit Far East?Labor is Cheap liiere. Columbia. Oct. 22.?Tobacco sales? men who have recently been at head quartes say the rapid and successful development of the tobacco industry in Africa promises formidable compe tion for the bright tobacco growers in the Carolinas and Virginia. The American Tobacco Company and the Imperial Company have sent special agents to Central Africa to analyze the situation. Reports from I?MM men say an ominous feature of the African production is the fact that most of the labor is cheap, being per? formed by slaves. Labor cost is being further reduced by the use of all kinds of modern machinery. while free native workmen are glad to get as much as $1 per month wages. Land is cheap. Negro Homicide at llartsville. Hartsville, Oct. 24.?Ed Isaacs, a negro, killed Calvin Zimmerman, an? other negro, at noon today, as the re? sult of a quarrel which arose after the men had been drinking together. Zim? merman chased Isaacs out of the house, shooting at the latter several times, bit without effect, Isaacs then procured a shotgun and, returning, emptied both barrels into Zimmer? man, killing him instantly.