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SAVING RURAL SOUTH TO WHITK RACE. Th* Hope of the South Is In Having a Great Body of Prosperous, Intelli? gent, Home-owning White Farmer* ?Our Great Plantation* Hold Rack Prog low Immigration Coming? Help Ambitious White Furniers Buy I*nd Now. Raleigh. N. C, Dec. I.?The Pro? gressive Farmer.* the moat largely cir? culated farm weekly In the South, prints a notable article this week urg? ing ambitious white tenant farmers to buy land now. and declaring thut the whole South must stand together to encourage the development of s class of prosperous small white farm? ers ss the backbone of the country. The big plantations. It declares hold back progress. The article says: "We hope we have seen about the last of Southern white farmers leav? ing the farm to take work In cotton mil la We are anxious to see the manufacturing enterprises of the South build up. but we are more anxi? ous to see the farm lands of 'he South held by prosperous small white farm era, and to see these small white far? mers have their part In the great agricultural awakening now going on. "Someone has wisely said that In all ages and all countries the men or the classes who own the land sooner or later make themselves the aristoc? racy of that country. We have not come to this condition so rapidly In America as In other countries, because of the abundance of cheap land re? sulting from the newness of the set? tlement and the sparseneas of popula? tion as yet; but In the long run the history of other countries must be repeated here. "These thoughts came very forcibly to mind as we rode through a cotton mill village the other day and saw Its hundred of white employes?men. women, and children?who have left the farm to become the homeless hirelings <if the cotton manufacturers. The negroes, finding no place In manufacturing for them, are left on the farm and are becoming land-holders In rapidly Increasing numbers. Prof. W. E. DuBols. a prominent Georgia negro educator, has Just published a map showing that since 1900 Georgia negroes have Increased their land-holdings from ?10.000 to 1.600.000 acres, and now own within the State of Georgia alone an area larger than the entire State of Delawsre. "Not only this, but the negro child? ren are going to school and develop? ing healthy bodies In the open air j and healthy surroundings of country life Instead of being shut up in the Icctton mill, over-worked, under-edu? cated, and poorly developed physical? ly?as the tendency must be in all cotton mills so long as the legislatures of the South are too subservient to the less humane mill owners to enact needed laws of restricting child labor in the mills?the less humane mill owners, we say, because there are many thoughtful and far-seeing mill owners who heartily favor stricter regulations. "Remember, we have no 111 wlli toward the cotton manufacturers; we have no 111 will toward the negro. We do realise very strongly, however, that the safety of the South depends upon the presence of a large white rural population. The drift to the towns and the cotton mills not only affects this directly, but also Indirect? ly, because when once the population of a community becomes predomi? nantly negro, the small number of white people left may be forced to move out In order to And sufficient numbers for a society of their own. "It was a wise saying of James Oliver's, "Happy Is the land that is tilled by the man who owns it," and the great need of the South today Is to encourage the holding of small farms by white farmers. We repeat, that we say this In no 111 will to the negro?In fact. It should not be neces? sary for us to say this, because no one else In the South has preached more persistently than we the doc? trine that It Is the Intelligent, pros? perous negro who helps, and the Ig norant poverty-breeding negro who makes us all poorer?but we say this ioi the i, ?od of white and bla< k alike because the best Interests of both races demand that the rural South mulntaln Its large white popu? lation. Unless this Is done the negro himself will not progress as rapidly as he will with white guidance, and unless this Is done, the cities of the South must also inevitably go back? ward "We urge every white tenant-far? mer, and especially every white man who for any reason Is thinking of be? coming somebody's hired man In town Instead of owning his home In the country, to buy land. The great plantations of the South, for the good of our section as a whole, must be broken up. We must encourage the spirit of home-owning. with every man sitting under his own vine, and fig tree, und we must especially en I "trage the development of a great class of sm ill white farmers. "The saving of the rural South to the white race Is one of the most Important problems now before the people of the cotton belt. "In thlg connection, there la an? other thing that ought to be men? tioned, and that la the problem of Immigration. The Farmers' Union und other farmers' organizations are right in protesting against the com? ing of large numbers of Ital ans, Russians, Hungarians, Poles, etc. This would only make a bad matter worse, and complicate matters still further. What *ould help, howeve?\ is the coming of a large number of wide-awake Northern and Western farmers, buying small farms among us and making; their farms object les? sons in stock raising and other lines of diversified agriculture. These Northern and Western farmers will also set a good example for our Southern people in that they are ready to do any and all kinds of work with their own hands, entirely inde? pendent of hired labor. As a South? erner, reared on the farm and a de? scendant of generations of Southern farmers, we must confess the need of our people at this point, and the help that we would get here from an in? creased number of wide-awake Wes tern settlers besides the - aid they would render in keeping up the bal? ance of population between the two races in the South and preventing the predominance of a colored farming population, which, we repeat, would be undesirable for both whites and blacks and ruinous to our section as a whole." The indications now seem to ' that the President's message will he more remarkable for what It does not contain that for what It does.? Indianapolis News. COOK'S SECRETARY IN NORWAY. Lonsdale Reaches Chiisttansaiul With The Records. Christian, Dec. ft.?Walter Lons dale. secretary to Dr. Frederick A. Cook, arrived today at Christiansand, aboard the steamer United States. He said that he had with him all of Dr. Cook's records and reports concern? ing his North Pole expedition. Mr. Lonsdale said that when he left New York Dr. Cook was suffering from overwork, but could not be described as 'broken down." He added that when Ydelivered the documents to the authorities of the University of Copenhagen he would be ready to glva information concerning Dr. Cook's fu? ture plans. Other passengers on board the Uni? ted States said thai they observed Dr. Cook giving directions to his secre? tary just before the steamer left New York. Fannie Try and her mother, color? ed, have been arrested in Edgeneld on the charge of infanticide. FIVE HUNDRED DOLLARS GIVEN AWAY! Great Voting Contest for Readers of : : : : : THE WATCMAN AND SOUTHRON AND THE DAILY ITEM A $400 Piano and Two Gold Watches Costing $50 Each are the Prizes. Contest Opens Monday, Nov. 29th and Closes February 28th. Do You Want the Piano? It is yours if you comply with the Easy Conditions and Make the proper Effort. Conditions and Prizes. The $400 Piano, the grand prize of this contest, will be ?,iven to the sub? scriber or a nominee of a subscriber of the Watchman and Southron or Sum ter Daily Item rece ving the greatest number of votes in this contest. No matter where you live you are eligible to enter this contest. One S50 Gold Watch, cither Gentle? man's or Lady's size, as the winner may select, will be awarded to the per? son, not a resident of the City of Sum ter, receiving the next largest number of votes. One 550 Gold Wai ch, either Gentle? man's or Lady's size, will be awarded to the person resident of the City of Sumter, receiving the next largest number of votes. The contest for the Grand Prize, the $400 Piano, is open to all readers of The Watchman and Southron or The Sumter Daily Item. It can be won by a resident of Sumter, Lee or Clarendon County, or some other County. One Gold Watch as a special second prize to be contested for by non-residents of the City of Sumter, while the other is a special second prize to be contest? ed for by residents of this city. This Magnificent Cote Piano, wbich we will give away, is 4 ft. 9 in. high J o ft. long and weighs, boxed, ready for shipment, over 800 lbs. The finest materials and most experienced workman have produced in the-Cote an in? strument excellent in tone, power, durability and appearance.HTbis piano Is installed in the best homes, conservatories and music halls in the land ; is Woll known and widely recommended hy the leading musicians and teachers. It Is positively guaranteed for ten years by the Manufacturers. Nominations. Each and every person entering the contest must be nominated on one of the Nomination Blanks published in both the Watchman and Southron and the Daily Item. The nomination counts as iooo votes, but only one nomination will be credited to a per? son. In ~ach issue of the Watchman and Southron and the Daily Item will be published a ballot which is good for the number of votes specified on the ballot. How to Obtain Voires Ev rery new subscriber paying in ad? vance, will be credited for ec.ch dollar paid, 200 votes. Every old subscriber paying up back dues will be credited for each dollar paid ioo votes, and on each dollar paid in advance 200 votes. No votes will be given on payments of less than $\.00. Every person or firm that brings or sends an order for ad? vertising or printing and pays for same in advance will be entitled to ioo votes for each dollar paid. For money paid on accounts 50 votes will be allowed for each dollar paid, if money is brought or sent to this office. No votes will be given for money paid collector. wishing to vote must send the money, for which a voting made out, signed and returned promptly to this office. Nominations will not be received later than December 24, therefore, i: is important that the blanks be mailed to this office at once. Remember every nomination blank counts for 1000 votes, but will not be counted twice for the same person. We have a supply of voting ballots at our office which must be filed 2 there, properly signed, as the cash is paid for subscription, advertising or printing. Those at a distance "oting ticket together with a receipt, will be mailed to the person making the remittance. The tickets must be THE WAY TO WIN Ask your friends and neighbors to subscribe for the Watchman and Southron or the Sumter Daily Item, and get them to vote for you as their candidate. Ask your friends and neighbors or the merchants with whom you deal to patronize the Osteen Publishing Company by advertising in Watchman and Southron and the Daily Item, and by giving us their printing, and get them to vote for you or your candidate. If you do not want the Piano or one of the Gold Watches yourself or have no friend you wish to win one of the elegant prizes, perhaps your Sunday School, or public school, or lodge needs a fine piano, and this will be the golden opportunity. It costs nothing to enter the race or to vote. If you are now a subscriber to cither of our newspapers the votes are given for payments you will make anyway. Il you are not a subscriber you ought to be, for you need your home paper. If you or your friends give us your printing, you get the best work at the lowestjjfprices consistent with good work and good material. We challenge and meet any and all competition on price and quality. Osteen Publishing Co. No 18 West Liberty St. Phone No. 30.- S 9 Sumter, So. Car. SEE PIANO ON DISPLAY AT THE SAVOY ICE CREAM PARLOR.