Historical Newspapers of South Carolina

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TWm SUMTUK WATCHMAN, Consolidated Aug- 8.188 Published Wednesday and Saturday ?BY? OSTEEN PUBLISHING COMPANY suifTBR. s. a $1.10 par annum?In advance. Ad vet taaamenta: One Square fir et Insertion.$1.00 Bhrery subsequent Insertion.10 Contrscts for three months, or leaser will be made at reduced rates. Ail communications which sub? serve private Interests will be char fed fee as advertisements. Obituaries and tributes of respects wUl be charged for. ) 9 MllTTEE IS DEFENDED. CAPT. W. K. GONZALES GIVES CO? LUMBIA'S SIDE. Senator Tlllman's Letter Criticised in Oawstlc Langaage and All Who Agreed With Him Respecting the Taft Lnncheon and the Ten-Dollar Assessment Get a Lambasting Over HU Shoulder?. Columbia. Nov. 14.?The attitude of the central committee in charge of the arrangements for the entertain? ment of Presldnt Taft during his visit to Columbia Is set forth in a state? ment made by William E. Gonxales. a member of thst committee. Capt. Gonsales was associated with Gov. Ansel and Mayor Reamer, of Colum? bia. In mapping out these plans and when the letter from Senator Tillman refusing to purchase a ticket to the banquet was received. It was felt that a discussion would be Inappropriate until the departure of Mr. Taft, who was to be a guest of the State of South Carolina as well as the city of Columbia. Twice since the publication of Hits letter Senator Tillman has made pub? lic reference to the method of the central commltiee. Mr. Gonzales has decided to ma'ce public the reasons for inviting certain South Carolinians to become contributors to the Taft iron. I" will be recalled that ktor Tillman, in a letter to Secre iny objected to the charge for that reason "Ae a member of the central com? mittee and as the individual primar? ily responsible for tho mrthod of President Taft's entertainment at luncheon In Columbia, a method characterised by B. R. Tillman as "Indvcent," and criticised In chorus by more or less thoughtless, unin? formed, or malicious newspapers, I make the subjoined statement of facta. The vicious assault upon Co? lumbia by Tillman, broadcast throughout the country In press dU patches Is a reflection uopn all South Carolina. 'Last winter the president-elect was Invited to Columbia by the governor, the president of the South Carolina Bar Association, and president of the Columbia Chamber of Commerce, llo could not then come. Late* the In \itui:on was renewed by the govtr n>r the m-iyor. and the president of the Chamber of Commerce. He ac? cepted that Invitation. Three months ago organisation for the care of the president and his entertainment was begun by the formation of a central committee, of which the governor, representing South Carolina. was chairman, Mayor Reamer and my? self being the other members. "The first suggestion for the presi? dent's entertainment was by Governor Ansel, who proposed tendering him a luncheon. I opposed that plan on the ground that the coming of the President to the Capital, on the In? vitation of the city and State, was State wide In Its significance, and his hosts should be the representa? tive men of the State; that any formal function at the Mansion must of necessity be restricted, and therefore the Idea of a State enter? tainment could not be carried out. As a substitute I sugested invttlng a number of representative men of South Carolina to participate In giv? ing this luncheon. The cost was es? timated at $10 for each host, there to be no 'guests' except the Presi? dent, his Immediate party and mem bers of his cabinet. That plan was aceepted, the Governor deciding to give tho President a breakfast. Mr. Taft at that time expecting to arrive here In the morning. "Members of committees Wejfl Igtet appointed and the committee on In? vitation forwarded to the thou.and persons selected to bo given the op? portunity to participate In entertain? ing the President, a card of Invita? tion. In stereotyped form, bearing as symbolical of tho scope, an engrav? ing of the flag of South Carolina. shed April, 1850. 'Bo Jost ai U . sumti There was absolutely nothing upon that suggesting Columbia as the host. Another card carried the information to South Carolinians invited that the first three hundred to avail them? selves of the invitation, and pay the amount fixed upon, would participate in the luncheon. "Invitations were essential because limitation and selection were neces? sary. No one was invited because he could pay his way. Official South Carolina, the press, the men of learn? ing and of worthy achievement were recognised as fully as possible in the effort to have assemble here a repre? sentative and distinguished body of South Carolinians to meet the coun? try's chief executive. Private enter? tainment in Columbia would have saved the committees infinite troubles and trials, but would necessarily have eliminated that State feature of the entertainment to which the president so feelingly referred in his address here. "Furthr carrying out the State? wide conception, a reception commit? tee was appointed, on which every county in South Carolina had repre? sentation; there were two aldermen from Columbia and probably a dozen members of the general assembly on that committee. "The design and inscription for the menu card, chosen by the luncheon committee a full month before the event, emphasized the scope of the function. In addition to the engrav? ings of the Capitol, the Coat of Arms of South Carolina, and a palmetto tree, the declaration that the lun? cheon was 'Oiven to President Taft by South Carolinians, was conclusive of its purpose. "At the beginning of the prepara? tion it was decreed that there should be no 'guests' at the luncheon except the president, his party, and mem? bers of the cabinet. And there was none. Every South Carolinian pres? ent was there as a host. The report? ers for The Columbia Record, The News and Courier, and The State, .ae members of all committees?the men who bore the responsibilities and did the arduous work of preparation? were hosts, each contributing his share toward making fitting South Carolina's hospitality to the nation's official head. "There are two practicable rneth o^jof a. fraying the expenses of public banquets. One is by using the taxpayers' money to pay for an en? tertainment from which more than 99 per centum of the taxpayers must of necessity be excluded, and the oth? er is that those acting :is hosts do tin part of hosts and defray the costs. By the first plan the many pay for the benefit of the few; by the latter there is equality and justice. And the lat? ter plan is practically universal. "After Tillman's ill-bred outbreak In the face Of Columbia's and South Carolina's approaching guest, I took the pains to Inquire of four towns that either had entertained the pres? ident or contemplated so doing, as to the plan followed. Here are extracts from the replies: "Washington: 'The dinner given to President Taft was arranged by a Joint committee of the Chamber of Commerce and the Board of Trade. The committee issued invitations to a few distinguished guests who, of course, paid nothing. All others who attended paid $20 a plate. The list was limited. The list, however, was not confined to Washlngtonlans. "New Orleans: 'At the banquet ten? dered President Taft here last Feb-1 riiary, Just before his inauguration, all those who attended were invited to pay $25, with the exception of Mr. Taft's party, the press (of New Or? leans) and possibly one or two guests of honor.' Those invitations to par? ticipate were not confined to citizens of Louisiana. "Atlanta: 'I have Just wired you that we did exactly the same thing here in Atlanta, and It is the usual custom not only here in the South but in every other city In the country .... It seems to me it is a very sen? sible custom.... Somebody has to pay, why not, therefore, those who are there |q the capacity of hosts?.. So far as i have heard this Ii the only instance of complaint of this kind on record.' "Savannah: 'The Taft banquet will be attended by 350 persons. About thirty will be guests of the city; the 320 who are not special guests will pay $20 per plate for the occasion. In : 8 years I do not recall a function of the sort in this city that was not similarly financed.' Invitations to participate in that banquet and its expetiee?a banquet glevn in the name of Savannah- were sent to At lanta and elsewhere in Georgia, ""he direct charge that Columbia Sfaj attempting to make the State at large pay for her frolic, and the Infa? mous insinuation that the plan of a Dommlttee of which the governor, the od Fear not??L*t m?\ the ende Thon Ali SR. S. 0., WEDNESI mayor and myself were the members had engaged in a money-making scheme, warrants reference to what was spent in Columbia aside from the luncheon?whose cost, by the way, was not covered by the estimat? ed $10 a plate. Aside from the en? tertainment in the State House, the outlay was, as accurately as I can now secure the figures, $5,800. 'I have no means of defining the motive prompting B. R. Tlllman to make the gross and insolent reply he did to the invitation to be a host in? stead of a guest at the luncheon to the president, and it is immaterial whether he imagined it an opportu? nity to hurt Columbia, or to embar? rass his political opponents on the committee, or to hood-wink gullible backwoodsmen. But his ill-bred ti? rade, his maliciously false statement of Columbia's position, his charge that our plan was a violation of hospital? ity, and 'indecent,' would have been ignored by me, had not newspapers in South Carolina, some of them perhaps mis interpreting the commit? tee's silence while the guest was ap? proaching, indulged in wholly injusti fled, and, as a distinguished Georgian writes me, unprecedented criticism of this city. "That Tlllman, v.ho has never balk? ed at the price of a dinner when paid for with the money of taxpayers, should essay the role of a Ward Mc? Allister is grotesque. The man who as a guest of honor in Charleston 'took the hide off his hosts and then 'rubbed in salt' and gave Charleston ians a stomach-turning from which they needed years to recover, the man whose coarse speech when mak? ing addresses by invitation has brought the blood to the faces of far? mers' wives and daughters in South Carolina, the man whose profanity before women has shocked in South Carolina and in Washington?this man's criticism, I say, of hospitality and etiquette is grotesque. The ani? mus is revealed when Tillmnn, notor? ious for lack of courtesy, lack of re? finement, and for general uncouth ness, and boastful of his disregard of the conventions, attempts to be men? tor of Columbia's manners. "And when it comes to maintaining the good name of South Carolina, for which he now eesays to be jealous, Tlllman's display of an appetite for getting something for nothing or much for little, which had its incip? ient manifestation when he was gov? ernor in the cultivation of a private oat crop at public expense, and its latest development In the Oregon land affair, might be detailed as Startling inconsistency between the word and the deed." HINTS OF A DEEP PLOT. Some Tuft Officials Scent a Roosevelt Conspiracy. Washington, Nov. 13.?Hints cur? rent in the capital of the existence of a pro-Roosevelt and anti-Taft cabal have kept the tongues of political gossips wagging today. Some take the suggestions serious? ly; others believe them a figment of imagination and jocularly couple the discusssion of the allaged anti-Taft cabal wtih that other "cabal" story which was sprung by the Roosevelt administration two years ago when the White House, during the latter days of the Roosevelt administration, startled the country one morning with its $5,000,000 conspiracy dinner story. Whatever ground exists for believ? ing there is now a "cabal" having as its motive the restoration of Mr. Roosevelt to power after 1912 the fact remains that Secretary Loeb "beat them to it" in the springing of cabal stories, and was more circumstantial about it, even mentioning names and figures. The fresh attacks on Secretary Bal llnger and others seem to have re? vived this talk of a Roosevelt restor? ation clique. The Glavis charges seem to be causing the Administration considerable anxiety. Secretary Ballinger will avail him sdf of the first opportunity to take up with President Taft the latest publi? cation of the Glavis charges affecting the attitude of his department toward the Alaska coal lands. Both may is? sue statements and denials. On the result of the consultation with the president will depend what the next step in the matter will be. Tomorrow Secretary Ballinger ex pects to hand to President Taft a c>py of his first annual report. *A great deal of interest attaches to this document, for the reason that it will contain Mr. Bellinger's views on the general treatment of the public land question.?Baltimore Sun. Calvin Bowden, the 15-year old son of Mr. Joe Bowden, of Anderson COUnty, was killed Saturday while working on his father's gin house. OHO I na't at be thy Country's, Thy God's an )AY. NOVEMBER 17 A SPRING FESTIVAL SHALL MEETING OF FIREMEN ASSOCIATION BE A BIG AFFAIR. The Suggestion is Made That the Annual Meeting of South Carolina Firemen Shall Be the Occasion of a Big Gatherinr of Firemen, Militia And Pleasure Seekers?What Do The People of Sumter Think of It? Editor Daily Item: The liberality and well known en? terprise of the publishers of the Daily Item in giivng space for discussions of public affairs, and the patience of your many subscribers, the latter of whom are protected by constitu? tional prerogatives which give them the right to refuse to read any news? paper article which they may con? sider not worthy of perusal or pub? lication, and the further delicious right, and pleasure, reserved by many people, of disagreeing, without in the least offending, with any opinions ad? vanced, tempts, or rather prompts the writer to risk making a fool of I himself in the following suggestions I and comments which are offered for I dlscusssion at the big Chamber of I Commerce rally, love feast, and reor I ganization, to be held next Thursday I evening, November 18th. Some time during the month of I May, 1910, the South Carolina Fire I men's Association is to hold its meet I ing in Sumter. There is to be held in I connection with that meeting an In I ter-State firemen's tournament which I will bring thousands of visitors to j this city from all over South Carolina I and most particularly from the great I Pee Dee section from which our mer ] chants, wholesale and retail, and our I factories draw hundreds of thousands I of dollars annually in trade. I There are in Sumter two organiza I tions composed of as fine, enterpris I ing, brave, and creditable young I South Carolinians as this State pro I duces, the officers and members of I the Sumter Light Infantry, and the I Sumter volunteer fire department. I The Sumter firemen have saved I hundreds of thousands of dollars of I property, risking their lives and their I health, and some of them have sacrl 1 ficed their lives, health and limbs, in la patriotic duty wh'ch has reflected I glory and credit upon the firemen, I and no less credit uopn the city of I Sumter. The gallant old Sumter Light In I fantry has "come down through the I years from 1ST2, to the present time, J reflecting credit upon the Gamecock I city and county, and upon that com j mand. This military company has I preserved order, and proved itself I efficient and to be composed of brave I men upon numerous occasions, and I during the dark days of 1876-78, this I command played an important part I in redeeming this State from corrupt j negro and carpet bag rule. J In times of war, as well as in times I of peace this company has ever been I to the front when called upon or vol I unteers were needed. The "S. L. I." I as It is more familiarly known to I many former as well as present mem I bers, is very dear to the hearts of I many Sumter men, some of the "old J guard" now having sons in the "S. L. I." Then sir, there are living in Sum I ter also many gray haired, and pity I it is, some bald heads, who were j members of the gallant old "Inde I pendent," and the old "Eagle" fire I companies during the days when we j had to haul our "hand engines" j through miles of sand, six inches, j deep, and when "elbow grease" was I the motive power that furnished the j "pressure" and water from the old J time fire well, to put out the fires. The memory of our bright red I shirts, red coats, and white pants the j latter starched as stiff as a "Cod fish j aristocrat's 'biled' shirt" is indelllbly j engraved upon the golden page of the memory of many an old fireman who ran with the "Independent," and the "Eagle" engine. Now, Mr. Editor, the "S. L. I." has but recently covered itself with glory by winning the first company drill prize, and one of the company win? ning the Individual drill prize. "The youngsters" as we old sol? diers and firemen call the present day firemen and soldiers, "the youngsters of the "S. L. 1." are very much en? thused over their recent victory, and 1 understand that they are very anxi? ous to have a big military day, pa? rade, prize drill, regimental review, etc., right in their own home, Sum? ter. The local firemen are looking for? ward with pleasant anticipation to tin- big tournament next May. And sumter should stv that the brave Are laddies, and the "youngsters'' of the old "S. L 1." get what they want. It goes without saying that Sumter South ? 1 Truth'*." ? THE TRU - ./ , 1909. New Ser will put >> e $1,600 that the local f.reme* -j?* require, for prise*, enter v> tain' ,f visiting teams, advertis inr incidental to the tournament anu .e State Firemen's Association meeting. But sir, the thought has occurred to me that while we are raising the $1,500 for the firemen we might Just as well go ahead and "raise the limit" to $3,000 and give the "S. L. I." boys enough money to pull off a big mili? tary day, prize drill, and parade, and allow the firemen and the soldiers to have a kind of "S. L. I." and Sum ter volunteer fire department "jubi? lee," embracing memories of the past and a reunion of the "old soldiers and firemen from 1865 to 1910." And also invite the "gallant old Confeds" who wore the gray, and any of the Grand Army of the Republic survivors who are "in our midst" in the Gamecock county, to be our guests, have a place in the parade, and feast with good things to eat and drink, served by Gamecock county fair women, the "old soldiers of the bue and gray." Let our ladies look after tfie "blue and the gray" veterans, and have President Tafc to review the military parade, and speak to the old and young solidere. From past experience with festival affairs, in tV.e collection and disburse? ment of funds even when Sumter had much less population, much less business establishments, and conse? quently les3 money, I am quite cer? tain that the $3,000 to be put up for the military feature and firemen's tournament, taken in connection with about $1,500 which will be added from collections for concessions, priv? ileges, and at the least $500 for votes for queen of the efstival, (the last contest for queen, in the 1904 Game? cock City Fall Festival gross recelots exceeded $1,000), will make $5,000 with which Sumter can have a mag? nificent spring festival with floral show, floral parade, horse show, horse races, military and firemen's ball, good roads meeting and road build? ing demonstration, and such other at? tractions as may be wanted. The Sumter merchants could have "merchant day" on which could be displayed in attractive style all of the latest spring styles in ladies dress goods, shoes, millinery, and other "flllagare'es" so dear to the feminine heart and aye, fond thousands of,.the "fair flowers of the Pee Dee" and Eastern Carolina would come over to the "Feminine Attire Exposition Limited." And thousands of men would come, or be brought, whether they v/ere^jnterested or not in the ex? position , by their wives. sisters, daughters, some other fellow sisters, and sweethearts. Then the merchants who sell the latest styles of gents furnishings, and have the biggest, choicest, and most select stocks, of clothing, hats, caps, shoes and the biggest stores, at the least cost to the wearer, and the hardware, grocery, furniture, baby carriage, carminative and soothing syrup dealers, drug, stationery, jewelery, fruit, bakeries, bicycle and automobile, sewing ma? chine, piano and organ, carpet and matting, lace curtain, merry widow and peach basket hat, drop stitch em? broidered hose, tailor made suit, and all of the other merchants and deal? ers, too numerous to mention, could have in their elaborately and artisti? cally decorated show windows, show cases, and in their stores, displays of different kinds of wares which would make merchants' day alone weil worth the $3,000 the business men, and others, would put up for the spring festival. The telephone, door sash and blind, building supply, coffin, cotton yarn, cotton seed oil, bottling plants auto? mobile specialty, lumber and hard wood, brick works, wagon, buggy, agricultural mach'nery harness, bay, grain wholesale ers, and packing house agencies, wholesale drug house and other manufacturers ami tiealers, could rent one large store or hall and have a very creditable trades' expo? sition, showing what is manufactured and sold in Burnt r wholesale. A monster parade by the more than 900 school children in our pub? lic schools, and St. Joseph's Academy, headed by the Sumter band, each scholar carrying a United States flag, and a bunch of flowers would look good, and be a good advertisement also for Sumter. And Mr. Editor, I am certain that we could secure the presence of Pres? ident Taft in Sumter for one day. ac? companied by Secretary of Agricul? ture James Wilson, and representa? tives of the good roads, soil and drainage bureaus of the department Of agriculture, congressmen, governor and other distinguished men during our spring festival. The farmers of the Pee Dee arc prosperous now as never before in years. Sumter's mer? chants and manufacturers enjoy large patronage from seven or eight ad E SOUTHRON, Established Jane, lMf ies?Vol. XXX. So. 24. Joining counties. People are going to have pleasure*. If Sumter does not provide pleasure for the many thou? sands, white and colored, who come here to trade, why these thousands will go to Florence, Orangeburg, Co? lumbia, Camden, Charleston and other cities and towns which provide public festivities. And the thousands from the Pee Dee who go to other cities for relaxation, and fun, spend many thousands of dollars that would be spent In Sumter If we had an annual festival of some kind. President Taft is desirous of seeing as much of the Southern people as he possibly can. He wants, I am reliably informed, to visit South Carolina again. It will help Mr. Taft, and will help Samter, and South Carolina, to have him come to Sumter. His presence will bring many thousand people here. If we get busy now, and decide to have the president, the spring festival, and trades exposition, and merchants day in connection with the firemen's tournament and military day, and will request Congressman Lever, and Senators Tillman and Smith, right now to invite the president to come here next May he will come beyond doubt. Sumter's merchants and other bus? iness men are wide awake. A re? cent somewhat incomplete canvas I among the business men in August proved that they were ready for a Sumter "blow out" of some kind. Ninety-eight per cent, of Sumter merchants and manufacturers believe In wholesome fun once or twice a year. And they are willing to put up their share of the money In conjunc? tion with the lawyers, doctors, bank? ers, mechanics, laborers, clerks, book? keepers, manufacturers, cotton buy? ers, meat dealers, contractors,' city and county officials, and others, be? cause I will say for the information I of all, that the merchants do not fur? nish all of the money for fun, char? ity or advertising Sumter, not so as I that you would notice it, but Sumter has about as liberal a lot of mer 1 chants, who treat their employees as well as any business men In the I world. But our professional men, manu? facturers, clerks, railroad men, and others, including the Sumter ladies, are live wires also when it comes to 1 "coming down" with the coir of the I reim to help ?urater entertain er.?**.- . vertise. You will find doubtless, sev? eral business men at the Chamber of Commerce smoker who will oppose a spring or fall festival, circus, or La? bor day celebration. But they don't have to "come in." Not so, however, with the ninety-eight per cent afore? said of merchants. It should be borne in mind that those who wish to con? tribute their hard earned money, or inherited money either, for that mat? ter, towards holding a festival, at? tending a circus in Sumter, or worse still going off to some other town to have fun which is not provided in Sumter, have a right to do so, and will do so regardless of what anybody else thinks. As an advertisement, a trade draw? er, and a new customer feature, it seems to me that the rrogramme above mentioned would pay the mer? chants, and every other business man in Sumter and also provide instruc? tive and wholesome amusement for thousands. The ladies of the Civic League, Daughters of the American Revolution, United Daughters of the Confederacy, and the numerous so? cieties of the different churches in Sumter could funish thousands of vis? itors with meals, and make a great deal of money for charitable, church and civic improvement purposes, as was done in Florence. I trust that the Chamber of Com? merce will take this matter up, and that the editor of The Daily Item, who is a veteran in festival work and a good editor and hustler when his spirit moves him, will endorse edi? torially what has been written here? in by, Yours truly, "Old Fireman and Soldier" who has "smelt" smoke, but never "smeit" powder, except on the 4th of July! TRAGEDY OF THE SKA. Singapore, Nov. 14.?The mail steamer La S> > ne ol the Messagerle* If art time's service, running between Java and Singapore, on h^r way to this port, was in c? llision early this morning with the steamer Onda of the Blistlah-Indla line and sank with? in two minutes. Scvtn European pas? sengers, including Baron and Baron? ess Teniezky. the captain of La Seyne, four European officers, and 88 others, comprising native passengers and members of the crew, were drowned. The rescue of 61 persons, practical? ly from the jaws of shoals of sharks, formed a thrilling incident of the wreck.