Historical Newspapers of South Carolina

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A gCafTKK WATCHMAN, hJemMt 1 t*'-rtr t n^olidatcd Aig. 2,188 r^bttatoed Woducmtay and Saturday ?BY PUBLISHING COMPANY SUMTKR, S. C. ?1.10 par annum?In advance. f. One Square flrst Insertion.$1.10 subsequent tnaertloa.It Can tracts for three months, or langer will be made at reduced rates. All eesasBanleatlons which ??b? ertr?te later seta will he charged aa advertisement Ohttmarlee aad tributes of he charged far. / leo.eee to fight the bell. t Telephone Companies Tall of Their Plana. New York. Dec. 1.?Independent phone Interssta have an avallab.e tlag fund of $100.000. subscribed do battle against the giant Bell telephone Interests wherever the lat? ter attempts to wipe out competition. This was the gist of a statement de today by D. A. Wilson, of New prominently Identified with the independent Interests, as he tes? tified before the State Inquiry Into telephone end telegraph companies now going on hers. "The disposition on the part of the U company la to annihilate the im? pendent companies all over the untry." aald Mr. Wilson. "The Nj Association of Independent lephone Companies has created a fund of 1100.000 to fight the Bui! le wherever they try to wipe out competition. This was formed three months ago. The way the Bell com? pany deterloratee the Independent: companies la to buy a company her? Heed there, thus breaking up the chain. There are some 3,000,00( telephones In New York, New Jersey and Connecticut that cannot enter ' Mew York city because there la no ? independent company here." ' The Inquiry, to which considerable |M0rtance Is attached In view of its laahle effect upon the shaping oi legislation having to do with service corporations, was be* aildahs telegraph and tele? vise dolnr* bu*n?e?| are the subjects of the inquiry, dch to being made by the Joint commission appointed at the last see? ing of the legislature. Every phase the telephone and telegraph situ ? in la to be examined Into, and the ?wers given the committee are auch to make the poasible scope of itn trestlgatlon equally aa unrestricted were the Insurance and gas In tigatlonK. By reason of the nation-embracing character of the buslnesa done by ie companies In the telephone and degraph field here the Investigation far more than local significance, id the preliminary Indications ar > lat It will awaken widespread Inter The committee Is presided over by Senator Oeorge A. Davla, of Buffalo. Prior to the beglnnnlng of Its ses elona In the City Hall here today. It had taken evidence in Buffalo on telephone conditions there. I Independent telephone Interests were represented today by Edward A. Halliard, an official of the New York and Eastern Telephone Com? pany, a corporation practSjally ab? sorbed, he said, by the Great Eastern Telephone Company. 9 Mr. Malllard declared that all the Independents wanted was a chance. They craved no mare thun that and did net want any State regulation, he added. It was announced* this evening that I Oeo. J. Gould, president of the Wae? tern Union Telegraph Company and Theodore X. Vail, president of the New York Telephone Company, w II be called ti? testify at an early day before the legislative committee now investigating the telephone and tele k graph business with a view to plac? ing these corporations under the con? trol of the Fehlte Setrlee commis? sion. Mr Gould r.nd Mr. Vail, who were prominent in the recent gigantic consolidation of telephone and tele? graph Interests, will be culled upon to testify as to the extent of the busi? ness In the city and State. Their opinions regarding the advlslablllty of placing the companies under the Jur? isdiction of the Public Service Corn mission will also be sought by t ie committee. Mies Jeanette ('aider, a pretty young women of Columbia, commit? ted suicide by swallowing bl-chlorlde or mercury tablets. Three days be? fore she took the poison she entered suit sgainst W. T. Meyers for breach of promise. ihed April, 1850. 'Be Jus I a L_SUMT THREE MILHON BALES SHORT. NATIONAL GINNKHS' RESORT PLACES \MOCNT AT 8,880, 000 RALES. Statement Gives Number This Year Aa Much Lew* Than Last?By States. Memphis, Tenn., Dec. 3.?The Na? tional Qlnners' Association, In Its monthly report, Issued late today, eetlmates that 8.880.000 bales of cot? ton have been ginned up to Decem? ber 1 of the present season, as com? pared with 11,008,000 during the aame period of last year. The report by Staten follows: Alabama 901.000; Arkansas 614, 000; Florida 55,000; Georgia 1,68 7. 000; Louisiana 241.000; Mississippi 878,000; Missouri and Virginia 50, 000; North Carolina 538,000; Oklaho? ma 609.000; South Carolina 990,000; Tennessee 203,000; Texas 2,210,000. Total. 8,880,000. SYSTEMATIC ROBBING. Washington, Dec. 6.?Both the producers of cotton and the dealers In that commodity are the victims of the system of trading in vogue on the cotton exchanges of the country. This Is the burden of parts 4 and 5 of the report of the commissioner of corporations, Herbert Knox Smith, on the conduct of such ex? changes. The practice of dealing in futures, as it Is carried on at pre? sent, is condemned, although the report does not condemn the exis? tence of the exchange. "The brief discussion of general speculation in this report," says Mr. Smith, 'recognizes the possibilities for good Inherent In a great central market like a cotton exchange, and the need that this good be developed and evils eliminated by regulations In line with economic law." The report is especially condemn? atory of the dealings in futures, branding this form of speculation as pure gambling and highly Injurious to legitimate trade. In quotations for "future" deliveries of cotton, the market la so uncertain and so many elements of chanoe enter Into :he transaction that all bids are made at p a much lower figure than those of? fered for cotton actually in exis? tence. The effect of these fictitious quo? tations, the report points out, te ids to mislead the cotton planter as to the true value of his crop, honettly grown. In addition, it leads brokers to "play" both sides of the market to protect themselves against loss In such trades, with the result tnat the producer is forced to pay in the end, while the farmer loses like? wise. The report, while recognizing that the exchanges In New Orleans md New York are necessary, does not mince words In criticizing the New York exchange. After declaring that the New Orleans methods of con? ducting the transactions In colton followed natural lines, the report draws attention to the fact tha? it has been proved that abnormal de? pressions In the future price in Mew York "were almost wholly due to Improper artificial conditions now maintained by the New York co ton exchange. By maintaining them, the New York exchange Is responsible for a very real Injury to the pro< uc s er and merchant." In closing the letter to President Taft which accompanied his report, Commissioner Smith again takes oc? casion to reprove the New York ex? change. Ho said: "After the publication Of the ear? lier parts Of this report, the New Orleans and New York cotton ex? changes established special commit? tees, Instructed to consider the sys t? in of their exchanges and to co operate therein with the com nls sloner of corporations. Conferences have been held by the commissioner vith both OOtnmltteeSt On the part of New Orleans this cooperation was very complete, resulting in ceitain Important Improvements In the tules of that exchange After more than a year's Investigation, the com? mittee of the New York exchange has not yet made any final report or taken any substantial action." The commissioner touches on the activities of the various organizat ions of cotton growers, all formed wl.h a view of controlling both price and production. He believes, however, that so numerous are the factors of supply and demand In determining the price of cotton that It Is Impos? sible to arrive at any satisfactory conclusion as to the extent ot In? fluence exerted by such organiza? tions. ad Fear not?Let all the ends Thon Alu ER. S. C WEDNES] IAUOUBON im KETII?. M. (). DAXTZLER, OF ORANGE BURG, ELECTED PRESIDEXT. Xeed for State Game and Fish Com minion Dtacussed?Bill Requir? ing Hunters to Take Out Licensee to be Presented to Legislature Work of Retiring President High? ly Commended. _ Columbia, Dec. 3.?The annual meeting of the Audubon Society was held here this afternoon, when plans for the coming year were dis? cussed and officers elected. One of th?> Important matters considered was that of placing before the Legis? lature the need of a fish and game commission. A bill along this line was introduced at the last session of the General Assembly, but all the Audobon Society bills were post? poned and have a place on the cal endar now. The commissioner that would act under such a bill would save a great amount of work and | would systematize the appointment of game wardens. Charleston has one of the largest memberships in the country in Au? dubon Society work. When Secre? tary Rice looked over the list last year there were 160 members regis? tered from Charleston. This is the largest number in one city in the South. Charleston's members, says Mr. Rice, have shown much Interest in the work of the Society. Officers of the Society. At the meeting of the Society to? day the following officers were nam? ed: President?M. O. Dantzler, Orange burg. Vice President?W. H. Gibbs, Co? lumbia. Secretary?James Henry Rice, Jr., Summerville. Treasurer?A. R. Heyward, Jr., Columbia. The directors are: B. F. Taylor, Columbia; Edward L. Wells, Char? leston; Samuel G. Stoney, Charles-j ton; Paul Sanders, Ritter; W. H. Andrews, Georgetown; W. G. Sirrine, Greenville; L. D. Jennings, Sumter; R. C. Burts, Easley; A. L. White, Spartanburg; D. Sam Cox, Columbia; G. W. Croft, Alken; W. H. Wallace, Xewberry; F. Perrin, Abbeville; R. P. Hamer, Jr., Hamer; Nells Chris? tensen, Beaufort. The Audubon Society of this State was chartered by the General Assembly In 1907, the Society was first organized January 4, 1900. Treasurer's Report. The treasurer's report showed that, although the membership dues were not as large as last year, the fines totalled up considerably more than In the previous year. The fact that the membership of the Society was not more Increased during the past year is due to the necessity for work to be done before the Legislature for nearly two months at the last session. This did not leave as much time for work throughout the State in the connec? tion with the gaining of new mem? bers. There were many convictions of violations of the law during the past year, and these fines are used by the Society is furthering its work. The game wardens were paid more money this year than last, but the cost of litigation in the courts was less. PROF. RIGOK IX CHARGE. Col. Ilttrdin Declines?Director of Chemical Department, Chosen to nil Gap, Refuses to Accept Posi? tion, Clemson College, Dee. 3.?Col. If. B. Hardln, director of the chemical department, who was last night sleeted acting president to succeed Dr. P, H. Moll on January 1, until the board can And a president, has declined to serve. At s second aes i?>n tills morning, the board elected Pr??r. \vm. M? Rlggi Instead. Prof. Itiggs is director of the me Ohanlcal department. The commit? tee of the board, consisting of Sena? tor Tillman, ( 11 . Alan Johnstone and R. I. Manning, was continued with instructions to resume its efforts to find a president. The new by-laws adopted tentatively In September were made permanent at this meet inr. These new by-laws give the president greater power and other? wise improve the regulations of the college. The trustees adjourned this morn? ing. The legislature will be asked to ap? propriate $4 0,000 to rebuild the dor? mitory of the State Colored College at Orangeburg, which was burned re? cently. is't at be thy Country's, Thy God's an DAY. DECEMBER 8, MAY FORFEIT THEIR CLAIMS. NEW DEVELOPMENT IN THE DISPENSARY SITUATION. Whiskey Firm*' Payment of Whose Claims Against County Dispensa? ries was Held Up by the Winding Up Board and Who Failed to Ap? peal to the State Supreme Court will Probably Loose Their Money. Columbia, Dec. 5.?The never end? ing dispensary web has developed another serious situation. Whiskey firms not appealing to the Supreme Court will likely forfeit their claims against the county dispensaries, if there have been over-judgments against them by the wlnding-up commission. This new phase of the claimants' run will mean at least $65,000 in over-judgments secured by the State if it pans out as ex? pected. There has been a great deal of speculation recently as to what method would be pursued by the State to recover the over-judgments or what the claimants were going to do to get their money from the county dispensaries. Not long ago Governor Ansel ordered the county | dispensary boards to hold up the claims of the firms named in the commission's findings against whom over-judgments had been found. The claims were also held up in dispen? sary counties, Charleston, RIchland, Beaufort, Alken, Georgetown and Florence. It ha3 been stated that the whiskey firms understood that the appeal would be to the Circuit Courts, but it now appears that the firms not appealing to the State Su? preme Court are in a bad way. COTTON GOODS TRADE. Imminence of Government Report . on Crop Cause Assigned for Slackening of Operations. New York, Dec. 5.?The immi? nence of the government bureau re? port on the cotton crop is a cause assigned for the light trading in the cotton goods and yarn markets. Buyers attach considerable impor ance to It and are operating in a hand-to-mouth "way, 'hoping that something will happen to prevent the further advance in cloths which must follow the sustained value of the staple. There has been considerable trad? ing between second hands In the primary markets at prices showing concessions from recent quotations, hut mills and commission houses are holding steady and are rot disposed to accept further contracts until there Is some assurance that values | will warrant cotton purchases and continued production. Retailers are Dusy with the holiday trade, | and are naturally paying the mini? mum of attention to piece goods. At the same time jobbers and selling! agents are charging many goods on old orders and mills are fairly well engaged for the balance of the year on medium count and fine yarn goods. The dullness In export circles continues and the coarser end of the market remains quiet. Yarn prices have declined a little and buyers are conservatively inclined. General trade In the West and South holds up better than In the metropolitan sections in the East. Prices remain nominally as when last Quoted, but en tranactlons be? tween second hands value are easier. run: in Baltimore. Flames, Starting Near Point of Origin Of 1904 Conflagration. Caused Damage Aggregating |800t000. Baltimore, Dec. '2.?Fire broke out late this afternoon in the building No. lat south Sharp street, within a block and a half of the point of ori? gin of the great fire of 1904. It spread rapidly and within a short time had done damage estimated roughly by an insurance man at $500.000. In its spread the the involved the establishment of C. J. Peed Shoe Company and the spear Brothers' Company, shoes, 104, MeCaddin and McElwee, house furnishings, 106 and 108, and firms occupying the upper floors of 100 and 102 Sharp street. The flames jumped a narrow alley in the rear and gained a momentary foothold In the big building occupied by the R. M. Sutton Company, dry goods and notions. A man by the name of Lanier was killed at Ninety-nine Islands by a dynamite blast. He was five hundred feet away, but was struck by a piece of flying rock. 1909. .*V 8er FORECAST Ol RECOMMEXDA Tioxs OF DEPARTMENT HEADS. Much Talk of Economy and Smaller Appropriations will be .Asked for ?Army and Navy are Full of Sore Heads, and They Resent Charges and Intent of Economy. Washington, Dec. 5.?The few days preceding the meeting of con? gress in Washington are not with? out interest. The President is im? mersed in his message to Congress, which, it is said, will not be as long as President Roosevelt's last mes? sage, Inasmuch, as it will contain not more than fifteen thousand words. This, however, will be of suf? ficient length and most readers will prefer to confine themselves to such epitomes as the press always fur? nishes. The Cabinet members are busy with their several reports and some of them have been completed. They are generally asking smaller ap? propriations than were demanded last year. Economy Is the watch? word of the present administration but it is not at all improbable that before the budget is made up it will exceed more than the billion dollar mark as did the last appropriation. It is difficult with the ambitious schemes of public improvement and betterment in almost every direction to see how appropriations can be kept down. There are many public plans and enterprises for Improvments of the public service but none of them are startlingly new although they are all increasingly urgent. The Secretary of the Navy has issued orders for the reorganization of the Navy De? partment which are looked upon by those whom It will affect as nothing short of revolutionary. If he Is suc? cessful In carrying out his plans much good will be accomplished. The keynote to the changes in the Naval establishment has been ex? pressed In the not novel truism that, the object of the Navy is to main? tain an effective war fleet on the seas. There, Is probably, not a school boy but knows .that this, is<| a self-evident proposition and not a. Senator who would maintain that there could be any other legitimate object for the Navy and, yet, there are Senators and members, admirals, commodores, captains and lieut? enants of the Navy with their wives, mothers-in-law, sisters, cousins and aunts who have for seventy-five or a hundred years lived, moved and had their being on the hypothesis that the object of the Navy was to maintain, first, a splendid Navy De? partment at Washington with dis? tinguished Naval officers at the heads of various bureaus and other Naval officers at a dozen Naval station and Navy Yards that are no longer used but are kept up at an im? mense expense anc that cannot he need for any legitimate Naval purpose because the entrance to these Navy Yards is to shallow for the admission of modern warships. The'r idea of the Navy is that it was created and It maintained, not for National de? fense but for the benefit of a bril? lant corps of Naval officers and their families and friends. These Naval of? ficers have intermarried into the families of senators and cabinet min? ivers, until they form the highsst social aristocracy in this country. They are sore hit by this order ->f Secretary Meyer. Senator Hale, of Mains, who has the sobriquet of the "Lord of the Navy," will, doubtless, 1 e heard from in opposition and other senators and members will, doubtless, speak in eulogy of the old Navy and the old system an 1 tell how much was accomplished at Ma? nila Bay ami Santigo. it may b. excusable to "point with pride." but naval experts and close students of naval progress know that many Im? provements in naval construction, naval equipment and naval practice have been made since the Spanish War and that if the American Navy is equal in strength, man for man and ship for ship, with the foremast naves of the world it is becau-M? It has made a great progress and im? provement since it sank the leaking lobster pot navies of Spain in Man'la Hay and at Santiago. ess The Postmaster-General is con? templating improvements In the Postal establishment, nothing new but several things urgent that have been long advocated and that would have been carried into effect in a more effective and less unwieldly Government than our own. Ali re? forms and governmental betterments here have to wait on legislation; legislation has to wait on a Con? gress that has been elected thirteen E SOUTHRON, Established June, 18M ies?Vol. XXX. 5o. 30. I M ICfttjj HEEDED. COMPTROLLER GENERAL JONES WILL MAKE SUGGESTIONS. Farmers Own Little Land and Con? tention is That They SlKHihi Favor Readjustment of Present Method of Making Returns. Columbia, Dec. 3.?In his annual report to the legislature Comptroller General Jones will call attention to some necessary tax reforms. This will be especially timely, as the year 1910 is the time for reassessment of real estate for taxation in this State and it has been suggested that there might be some improvement In the laws. It is not known whether the legislature will take a hand in the matter during the approaching ses? sion as the tax proposition was not considered at the last session and that was the first of the present two years' term. Mr. Jones is of the opinion that the bulk of the land in this State le not owned by farmers, that is those who actually superintendent the farm work. He calls those men far? mers who live on the farms and make the cultivation of crops their regular business and not those men who live in towns and plant crops from year to year through overseers or renters. Some time ago the press of the State carried the following signficant paragraph: "Mr. Jones came across some striking inequalities in tax assess? ments in Williamsburg county. Lands being sold at from $400 to $8u0 an acre are down on the tax books at from $5 to $10 an acre and other land farther from town, assess? ed at $2 an acre, has a ready mar? ket value at $50 an acre. Mr. Jones says the township and county equal? ization boards, Which fix these values, have got into the habit of guaglng assessments by the amount of taxes they think the property holder should pay. In this way the large property holders pay little taxes proportionaXely^^^yaj|a^?^^tt^jk| As to the inft?ua4ft4^?j Mr?^^ g| "sTaYiVlriaYTO counties in South Carolina. Refer? ring to the farmers he says he doesn't see why they should kick when the greater portion of the land, In his opinion, is not owned by the farmers but by men in other lines of work. He differentiates between the farmer and the planter. It Is pointed out in some of the county papers frcm time to time that these inequalities do exist. It is con? fer ded that the inequality should be remedied by either the taxpayer him? self or by the board of assessors. To evenly proportion the taxes appears to be quite a problem and will be discussed at length at the coming session of the general assembly. WARD'S WOUND PROVES FATAL. Young Georgetown Man Succumbs to Injuries Received while Hunting. Georgetown, December 2.?Arthur F. Ward died at 9.15 o'clock this morning as the result of gunshot wounds accidentally received while hunting ducks in the rice fields on the San tee River yesterday a'ternoon. His death was due primarily to shock and loss of blood and the long Interval of suffering from the fearful wound In his thigh before medical aid could be secured. He was consclrus through? out' the night and to within a few moments of the end. He exhibited an heroic cheerfulness, which caused those at his bedside to hope there was still a chance for life. But his vitality had received tee severe a strain and he breathed his last peacefully, surrounded by lovtBg tn< inhere of his family and devoted friends. Abraham Williams, a neuro, has been arrested in Alken on the charge of attempting to make a criminal assault on a colored woman, man. months before it meets, a CongTCSS that knows more about Dmr;c(, county or parochial affairs than about National affairs, a Congress composed of hundreds of men who by the time they learn their bus ness as National legislators have lost their places or rather have their places filled by men as green and untried as they themselves were when first sent to Washington. In other words, the legislative manage? ment of the United States Is not in the hands of seniors but of fresh? men who are responsible not so much to the Nation as to the pro? vincial homes from which they come.