University of South Carolina Libraries
^I^TM'T-2^OFumoN r*cr*r<3?r"r" ttiv? r>'wr npi T "M M" "in /"N outsiosomhecity Av+Co4t?* Mill*, AM *?*"*?& v * - v B H , Im f ' I ' Im / 111 LI T/irea Cotton Milla, one KttUHag a^s in a INlOiV I IMth. gss# -r* II li I'll I i Til" -Hi III- ? ' " I I ' : VOL. LIU. NO. 14. ONION, SOUTH CAROLINA, FRI1|l?. APRIL 3. 1903. #1.00 A TEAR: LETTER FROM COLORADO. Heavy Snow in the Went?Doesn't Agree with Miss Garner. Reunion Rotes Continued. Denver, Colo, March 22, 1903. Editor Union Times: With sadness 1 note the death of , to many af onr beloved friends and citizens, and still the cruel hand of the monster Death reaches nearer and nearer to our home and our heart and takes from our circle onr ?1<W iat.v wKil. v.f in tk. mi/l.t vmfev j nuaiv J v* au www ailiuol of life, leaving a Urge family and aoany of tbo children wore yeung, thus repeating the story of our early life nearly twenty years ago, thereby reminding us of the only thing that we arc sure of while on earth, for death is our only sure reality, yet we believe its existence will be only, dream. Oh, why should the spirit of mortals be proud like a swift flying eagle, a fast flying cloud, like a break of the wave, we mortals must pass to our home in the grave. Rest on, rest on, in peaceful rest, Eternal life God gave; God in his mercy to us may give Our focdeet hopes beyond the grave. We have been having lot of spring weather the past week. The snow had nearly all disappeared along the streets and the weeds and grass had Started to grow and had got two inches high where the sun ceuld shine on them, though there were great banks of snow within a few feet of the weeds. But last Wednesday, the 18th inst., we had the worst weather of the winter. It was So warm that it began raining before daylight, and at 5:30 a. m. it began snowing little round balls about the size of a largo buckshot and by 7 a. m. there were great flakes Calling thick and fast with e???iJerab(e wind, the vfln* "v ^ which increased ??.uj uoon, bat tbe ?now bad got so thick before noon that most of tbe delivery wagons and all others pulled for places of shelter until after noon. 8ome ef the drivers who were delivering to the suburban towns about six miles east of the city say their boxes blew off the wagon and they could not get them again, and the snow got so thick they could not see ten feet ahead of them, so they got to a car line and followed it back to the city, where they arrived at night being six hours late.. Most of the street cars had to stop for an hour or so daring the heaviest fall of snow, but the numerous snow ploughs of up-to-date patterns were quickly sent to the center of the city where the drifts were the worst and soon all the cars were running as usual on schedule time. There was probably 18 inches of snow fell on that date, though much of it melted the same day. There was four inches of snow fell last night and a gentle fall all day to noon today, however the weather is very pleasant and has not been near down to iero since last month. I think Iley Denver's poetry, The Murderer, verv annronri?t? inst at tbis time. I than? flomo for his compliment. I think it an honor to be called brother of the many writers of Tub Times and regret that I hare not knowingly had the pleasure of seeing any of the many interesting correspondents of Tub Times. I appreciate the position taken by Justice Pope, of Columbia, in regard to the cowardly murderers and believe he has earned for himself and his State an honor of which every citisen should justly feel proud. as to social equality. The writer heartily agrees with the editor of The Times and with C. B. Metcalfe on the issues of negro equality and had hoped that Miss Garner would have explained her position to the satisfaction of the many readers of The Times without leaving the impression that she would like such equality, but sad to say she seems to be laboring under some false idea or else seeking notoriety. The writer has always avoided such controversies and with the utmost reluctancy now offers a few words 14-'" that may be of some benefit to those who have or may hereafter possess ideas as she teems to represent. She seems to be well educated and there fore she should not attempt to mislead the searchers for the truth. She . .t - presents a tneory that one Ueorge 4| Combe said that a sure way to extinguish the African race would be for the white people to hare social I equality, but according to hor own quotations she evidently means sexual equality. She certainly is not so ignorant as not to fully comprehend the different meaning of these words. She quotes the scripture where Gi?d in hi? wiadftm ?t?" ? M-w -? -wV?VU1 IV* UIU lliq Jewish people to have sexual relations with any other people, yet she uses that injunction of God as a command for the white people of this country to mix with tho negro, and all of this in defense of tho President in his attempt to establish social equality among the whites and blacks of our own country. We will admit that the visible testimony of so many mulattoes is positive proof of the violations of the laws of our land, and with a blush of shame any intelligent citizsn is bound t0 **dr? mit the Acts, yet the nuitftde of the President's seeming fondnerffe could be established by national laws so as to abolish the laws of South Carolina as well as the laws of the Southecn States, wlioreby whito and negro people aro not allowed to marry each other, then the mulatto, would not necessarily be proof of a broken, law because many who are of the same opinion as Miss G. cou'd marry a negro and thus exter>minate tho African race. We do not believe the President intends to attempt to establish social equality. We believe ho is too intelligent to lead his party and the African race to destruction, yet we believe he has shown a very weak political mind in trying to make votes out of tho ignorance of a very few people. I Neither do I believe Miss G. means ! what she says when she attempts to justify the President by heaping in' suit upon injury of the Southern people because they have broken the laws cf their lantf. She might as well say that the President is going to Indiana and Ohio to encourage the whitccaps of thoso States because they have broken the laws of the said States, or sho might as well say that the President will pay ns a visit on May 4th, nrtct, because we hanged an Italian hero in the heart of the city and then dragged the body through the streets of the city and hung it upon a telegraph pole at the corner of 17th and Curtice streets; and less than three years ago we burned a negro (a mere boy) at the stake GO miles cast of the city at Lemon Junction; it is with 6hame that I have to admit these as facts and I can't see hew Miss G. could acknowledge the crimes of her State without a blush of shame instead of a taunt of retaliation. While I can not accept Miss G's. theory as she accepts it from Georgo Combe, and if it should prove infallable it would be a very slow process, and I give notice that I have been in Missouri several times. Well the sun is shining again as the clouds have disappeared at 3 p. D. I will try to finise telling what T remember of tW rnnninn T? last letter you make me say T. Jeff Powell had been away from South Carolina 27 years when it should be 37 years. Also-I neglected to speak of one of the liveliest Union county soldiers at the reunion, that was Pack Bogan, of Bogansville township. lie was in the war with Jno. Henry Williams, and it was a great pleasure to see and hear them; it was really worth the price to Dallas to see these two alone, they certainly enjoyed themselvos as they entertained many others. Besides Pack had a younger brother with him, though 1 hardly think he was in the war. They had been away from South Carolina 3G years and live in Texas; they used to live- at Yfeat | Springs, S. C. I only went to the Convention I Hall twice and that was in the afterI noon when most of the soldiers had left the headquarters for the day, so I learned very little of what was going on in there, though I had the Eleasure of hearing the Governor of ionis:ana and the Mayor of New Orleans give the old soldiers a hearty invitation to meet at the above place this year and both these executives assured the soldiers that the citizens would treat them the best they could. I I think they meet in May this year and would be glad to be with them once more at least. There were a great many outside attractions for any one who did not care to see the soldiers, or whero anyane could spend a lot of time as well as money after the old sol diets had tired oat and gone hom< for the night. One plaee eras eatlec tho streets of Cairo. They had i lot of large pictures, a few camel and a lot of girls and men who looked eery much like they wen badly sunburnt; they had very fee clothes, all of which looked like wrj fine silk, with large flowers or fia urea all over them. The girls would ride the camels outside of the ahon grounds and a lot of the men and oys with things somewhat like drum* would fn1I*? knllarlno Un/1 as they oould and beating m hard aa possible on these instruments. These would quickly go back in the tents and one fellow would get on the ste^and singing and Chinaman band, the latter being here a few years ago. There was a modern Ferris wheel which would carry about fifty people; they would carry them about forty feet high and stop at the top for about one minute for the occupants to take a look at the tents and g> e it mass of people who were all around, and it would take about five minutes to go to the top. The committee in change ef the reunion had arranged to have a big buffalo dinner for the old soldiers at the fair grounds, but the dinner was put off until the last day of the reunion.' They had purohased five large buffaloes for the occasion, but the writer went to Fort Worth that forenoon consequently did not partake of the feast. The buffaloes wore purchased from Goodnight Ranch in the Panhandle of Texas, they were domesticated and were shipped down to Dallas at the beginning of the reunion, and nearly everybody went to the atock pen to see the buffaloes, the largest one;weighed . Z t 1,800 1 - * pvuuuo aiiu nuutucr WIS neiny M large, while the others were smaller. They were very gentle and lool^ * very much like the wild ones, except their horns were much longer, straighter and more smooth. While speaking of Goodnight'* Ranch it calls to mind the first time the writei ever saw the King of the plains as be was called at that time; it was at TIarrold, Texas, in Wilbarger county. The railroad had only built as far as Harrold and that was the terminus of the road for several rears, and in fact the promoters of the road owned all the land about the town and they sold it out at fancy prices as though they were going to make a city on the plains, although there was not a drop of water in six miles of the place except a few wells of salt water, which were very deep and a very slow flow ef salt water. The railroad company hauled water I dare sav for naoM than a Knni1r?J but they did not kick as they had to b^om the place to get more money. There was a spring six miles east ef llarrold called the Cottonwood spring, and a great many people made a living by hauling the water into town ana selling it oat by the bucketful or cupful as desired. The Cottonwood spring was fresh water, but was very warm by the time it was hauled into town. There was not a tree, hill or s'ream of water anywhere in sight of this town, and you could look as far as as your eyes were able to decern and yet the view appeared to be the same. The railroad was then called the Denver, Texas and Fort Worth. Well, the old man Goodnight had a ranch with a lot of cattle out in the country, am hot sure how far from Harrok' but that being the end of the railroaa ^ came in on the train one day and the whole town turned out to?see him, of course the writer followed the crowd. He was a short, heavy Duut, dark complected man of middle ago and wore a black broadcloth suit of very soft finish, long tail coat and high stiff hat, with rest buttoned close up to the chin. The entire rigging was very seldom seen on the plains in those days, though the writer knew verv little of the plains at that time, lie seemed to be very lively and sociable to those who were brave enough to tgeek to him, bat soon his carriage came for him; it had been at one of the outside stables for noon, though very few knew anything about it being there until the 5 J(fi| appeared. The carriage, I or ?or?yrly speaking the stage, ? aril iaBpemb!ed, eras palled by i four laiBf black horses, all nicely > groome^Bffat and sleek, with fine * klack Hktfs, and the stage was Jery pBy1* iet bl*ck 8t i3fc? (^ UP in front #f the ra,^nHa d Ine porters rushed I for the mpigo and Mr. Goodnight I to the few with whom he ' HP ' friendly acquaintance. The dritdkitting on top of the front I end of tH lltlM' An?l ilia 1.1y mm mm Km v??V V|/H liCU ,11 dancing in their one opened the door Ideh was in the refer Ok told the drirer to as he stepped inside ' door shut, then off lire!j gait. Jut u >d aroand the corner ne one said tnej were and sure enough thoee going as fast as they old onlj get a glimpse j passed from behind ; the dtfyer seemed to i business thoroughly, he had cleared the part of the town he his team to the right and sooq He bad them coming back to town, ho he took in the town, but could not go around the town on account of ike railroad, so he had to go through town, and as he passed near the Jotel, from where they Jiad just left,'?[r. Goodnight rolled out of the detr of the stage, at least be was rolling when the writer first saw him and Was'rolling still when sotq# of tin bystanders picked Bltn nni, but his black suit had completely changed to'* yellow one corresponding to the dust of the street. The dnrer had to make two trips around the town befjre he oould get his team cheeked, though he kept clear of all obstructions and no damage wu done other than the bruises to the old man and the dust an his clothes sag his hat was somewhat out of shape. Well it would be werth a whole yesrs work te go out on the plains | and see tbe life that all seem to pesI sess at all timeo. Sickness is almost ^ Ink now n, probably because they w .or get too mucn to eat and no malaria can stay there because of the swifc breeze always blowing. I mast close wishing to one and all peace and happiness and to The Timbs prosperity. W. G. Bailey. ?> TAXATION FOR LUXURIES. Shall Weffibte an Annnml Tax of $r,ooo\0r the Support of a Li' hrary and shoulder an everlasting Burden upon Our already Tax-Burdened Citizens. WHAT THIS MONEY COULD DO Ma Editor : I see by your issue of the 27th instant that an election has been ordered by the Town Council to be held on April Oth, next, for the purpose of tuuu| un mo qi'esuon whether Ike Town of Union shall rot? a subscription . of $1,000 annually and indefinitely for the maintenance of a Public Library in Union. This, Mr. Editor, is a matter which I think the public should consider well before voting such a sons for the purpose stated."-! desire to express my views through your pjtper, in the hope that it will bring about a general and salutatory consideration of the question. I am not opposed to public improvements; on the contrary I am decidedly in favor of all wise and really beneficial public improvements, and have always voted for t hem and expect to do so In the fqture. J am a subscriber to a private fund to procure a "Carnegie" Library at Union, and I would have those who read this communication to understand that I am not opposed to a public library at Union, bat am in favor of It, if it can be procured in the proper way and at the proper cost, and without mated ; ally affecting our right and capacity to make all farther public Improvements the town miy really need, and Wtii4h may be of much more value and improtance to its wellfare than a public library. I am opposed to procuring this library in the way and at the coat proposed. A publio library is the least beneficial and ^desirable of all public Improvements, if I may judge l>r my own ; observation and reasoning and from the opinions of otbeis whom I have heard express their views. There are very few In any town or community, who use 1 public libraries; the young men of the i town rarely visit them and I might ali most say never utilize them as placet of , reading and*improving themselves. The poorer and laboring classes, who are the 1 ones to be moot considered, and who the promoters of this library enterprise are ; supposed to more especially Intend to benefit (for all others have all the hooks and reading opportunities they need), - are so situated that they can not utilize i a publio library in the day time and but Utile, if at all, at night, and above al they have no inclination or desire to sc< to such places and use litem wisely, fo the purpose of real mental imjrovement, and, in fact, they have no deem or inclination to go to such places foi any purpose. The mere fact (and it ? such) that there places are patron:7.-s<l b\ a small number vf leading and intellectual ladies and girls of the town, re ode if such a place distasteful and uncon<rrnini to that clan, which the promoters of the library most deeire to please and benefit. This cannot be donbted. As an illustration, just take the cate of a church society. You cannot get the poorer onetof the church to attend them, because from the character of the dress, conversation and tastes of the more fortunate ones who do attend they are really mart* miserable in an uncongenial atmosphere, aud have the limited and needy state of their lives sadly impressed upon them. So too, in the Church itself, if any large number of the attending congregation become wealthy, and flaMi^d in manner, elegant in dress, and unde n< n staitive, in fact become all that wealth and o nsequent power makes men and women (what the clastefl referred to call **bigh-falulin") why the less fortunate once generally drift away to other churches, and if they do not (on account of Royalty), their children do, and for the reason stated, that the social feature is uncongenial and disagreeable to them and presses their needy state over on their consciousness. 80 it would be with the proposed library. Not one in a thousand would visit it after the novelty of the nice new public building bad worn oft and not one in five thonsand would attend it for intellectual pleasure or aelf-impr ivemant at sny tim?. 1 mean, of course of the class to which I have referred. Now, if the library will not Improve or benefit the young men of the town, and will only benefit (and that in a Wholly unnecessaty way) tbe ladies, young and old, of tho town, by giving them a fine library to feel proud of aud and to talk about, and where they can ootae together and talk matters (it don't signify what matters, l ist so Its t*lki over and seem important kind of business convention, you know, and tbai too, wV.en so many of tbsm have their elegant and delightful homes, where they could meet with their friends and discuss these very many important matters with which their ardent minds are nearly always burdened, and when they have already a central and most desirably situated library (the noble and generous donation of Oapt A. H. Foster) where they can and do meat and transact business most constantly, aattsfsotorily, and poeiibly peaceably; if all this Is true, Is It not unwise to squander the public money for this unnecessary and almost useless purpose, when in the near futuie we will need it for some public improvement which will be essential and of great public beneQl? The credit of the tow*' " -ited. We will soon exhaust It if we vote for suoh useless things, and every time one has an axe to grind gets some one to pass a law allowing the people to vote for this or that thing, and we help the scheme along by voting money for it just for the fun of the thing. It is time for the people to oall a halt, and know that every proposed public improvement, so called, Is In fact, a public improvement and for the great good, if not the essential good of the whole town and people, before they vote public money for it. This large amount of money represents the income on $25,000 annually, practically to be expended by a committee of sentimental library ladles for a strained idea and to make a te th for some favorite, all to be expended for a purpose which will bring no substantial or practical good to the oommaalty, only in so far as having a good looking building in the town may accomplish that end. Then again, what is a public library ? It is ore to the constant use of which all citizens both white and black are entitled. If public money is voted for this library It will be the first step towards giving the negro a chance to bis troublesome and to become discontented in this town. Who wants a library in this town, procured at enormous expense of public money, to which when wife, sister, mother or sweet heart goes she may likely meet on even terms any black stroller of the town. And I think, if a public library is established, the colored people will patronize it more than the whites, and as a consequence it will bcoome practically a negro publio library. The ladled have already over $4,000 subscribed, and it only needs about $700 to procure a donation of $10,000 f mm m r Carnegie, and thns secure a fifteen thousand dollar library, private. Let the men who have subscribed to this fund increase their subscriptions (I will if the otlierado) and get this private library, which is large enough for this town if it is of so much importance, and In thia form it will do the most good and give the most p'easure. The ladies manage to run the library now without any publio money and in an entire satisfactory manner, and really accomplish all that any library could aocomplish in this town, however much it might cost either of public or private money. But for sooth, not satisfied with the real good they are doing, they must needs have a large slice from the publio treasury to spend in fads. In pursuit of the ideal, and in the aiding ft lends not for a year but for ever and ever. This money would macadamise all the streets and asphalt all the pavements in this town from center to circumference. Who can doubt thit the money should be so spent, instead of upon a useless and demoralising publio library. It will also bulkl a splendid town ball and theatre, and a home for the needy who deserve. la twenty years If put at interest it would pay the sewerage bond debt of the town, IV *15,000, anil in fifty year* if put at ii ercst it would piy the entire debt of he town, in luding sewerage b>nd?. w.iter wotks and tleciric light, b in In and ill other purposes. I truit the sensible bu ?inef>8 men of the town, and ail conservative men will give this matter serious consideration and if they rear; i the same conclusion as I. make their disapprobation of the same felt at the polls, I by voting against this unwise appropriation of public money, as I shall do. J. C. W. OUR TEXAS LETTER. Our Correspondent Hears of a New Order?A Big Mortgage?Contemplates Patting np Stakes. m Prohibition Victory. Boniiam, Tex., March 29, 1903. Editor Union Times: Sometime ago something was said in this correspondence about the prohibition movement in this Sta'o. There has not been any abatement or reaction in the prohibition senti | raent; but the idea scorns to grow all the time, county after county is voting f ?r the law. Grayson county adjoining Fannin on the we3t, and I one of the richest and most prosperous in the Stato, voted on tlio subject recently and carried for prohibition by 700 or 800 majority with two good hized railroad towns, Denison and Sherman, in the county. The result in a county liko Grayson is very significant, becauso it points to the end upon which the people I have set their minds. I D o you know anything about the I "order" of goatu? I do not, and I I am seeking information. I may exI hauat every me ins at mv "^jnmand to learn something of tho\. ^ I [ saw an account of the organ>?. I tion of a society denominated an I "Order of Goats" down at Bailey, I my old home. I made dilligeat inqu?rie3 there as to the "order," I but failed to elicit the light upon the 1 subject that was satisfying. The I real name is the "Modern Order ef Goats." I am not sure, hut I think I the li*t of offieera cells lev a preeid I ing Billy and, a vice-presiding Billy, then possibly a sublime bleater, a sub bleater or a supernumerary bleater, or something akin to that and then there was out of I buttor," and a "Gr . nutter," etc. ^ The thing that abounded me most was that the names of some of my very warm friends prefixed these late and new (to me) titles. If you or any of the readers can give any information on the above order, why do not fail to do so. i [Sorry we cannot assist you. "The Order of Goats" is a new one on us though we have "rode the Goat" on several occasions. We suggest that you correspond with some of those I "warm friend*" ftw rj 1 .. ^ ?u4v? uinuv/J* JUU.j Recently, at Dallas, a mortgage was filed in the County Clerk's office by some company, a railway oompany maybe, lor $2,500,000, the subject matter of which covered 75 pages of type writing. The clerk charged a fee of fifty dollars for re* cording the same. That would mean several days work for one man. It is neoeesary to have negroes on the grand juries in this State hereafter, as it is not possible to convict a negro in the courts here unless one or more of his color is on the jury who indicts him. This is in accordance with a recent decision of the higher courts. It goes without saying that negroes will participate in proceedings of the grand juries in Texas hereafter. B. F. F., Jr's explanation relative to a former declaration of his is rather vague, but I accept it. My object was to deliver him from the hallucination under which he wae laboring, if he thought the correspondent here was picturing the bright side only of the subjects touched in this correspondence. There is still some cotton which will be gathered and sold jet. It will seem rather strange to jour many South Carolina readers to speak of picking cotton, but a gentleman well known told me Saturday morning, March 21st, that he had as much as two bales to gather. The staple is injured, and the grad* is very low; This brings to mind the fact that one man brought a bale * to Bonham recently with the grade so poor that he had to sell, or did sell for one cent per pound. After one more communication the chances are you will hear from Bonham but seld m. With kind regards for all J. S. 0. ? 1