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VOL. LI. WINNSBOEO, S. C., WEDNESDAY, APRIL 7, 1897. NO. 35. LET US HAVE A SHARE! W iF PROTECTION !S THE RULE, ALL ft SHOULD BE PRO~ECTEO. The Able Speech, o; Coagresfraw McLaurinou the DiDjjley Tariff The Sec tienaltsixi of the >I?ssare sad its Unfairness to the South Clearly Pointed Out. One of the features of the tariff debate -was the remarkable speech of Congressman McL^urin, of South Carolina, in which he takes the position now advocated by many of the younger Democrats, that for ten years. at least, protection, wiu continue to be the policy of this country, and therefore the representatives of the South should do what they can to obtain justice for Southern interests. The substance of Mr. McLaurin's speech as it related to the South's demand for reciprocity in protection is given below. After some preliminary remarks Mr. McLaurin said: Not long since I heard honorable I members of this body from the North. especially from New England, defend the single'gold standard on the ground Jthat free.coinage would cheapen tne , dollar and bring a loss to the laboring people of that section whose money was deposited in savings banks. This statement struck me with great force, acd I determined to investigate the causes which made such deposits possible. I was well aware that no such condition existed in my State; that instead of the laboring; people of my section having bank ac- j I _ counts, iney nac store accounts, ; which a majority of them were uaable to pay when due. BANK VS. STORE ACCOUNTS This statement?and I have no reason to doubt its truthfulness?that the laboring people of one section of this country could have bank accounts, while .a similar class in another section could not, forced the conclusion upon me that somothing somewhere was radically wr:>ng. In looking into the matter I discovered enough to con-1 vince me, at least, that the interests of' the laboring and producing classes of the South had to a certain extent been sacrificed to the doctrines of free raw j material. I imagined I detected tne fact that the enthusiasm and heat of debate, tsgether with an intense opposition to tie policy and principles of protection, had caused us to forget or neglect to demand a just reciprocity for our own people when at the beginning, as now, we fully realize that any and all opposition will fail. Under such circumstances, whatever consid erauon is given 10 coumern interests comes almost without a demand and is always of such a cha?aster as to interfere as little as possible with interests in the North and East. In other words, men who advocate the theory of free raw material and denounce a tariff zs robbery are not in a position to ask reciprocity for their own people who producc this free raw material k and then buy it back in the manufac ILc . tared article with a heavv duty added, j F; By reason of this unfortunate situa- j tion the people of the South have been | L compelled to stand the expense of a l|l|||sfv . practical test cf the cocrrine of free raw material. It is the only section that has not filled the corridors of this Capitol with lobbyists and beseiged j the ways and means committee for j protection to their industriesMr. Speaker, I am opposed to any j further experiments in that direction. It we are to have protection for fin- j ished products in New England, I de-1 mand a similar right for tne raw pre- j ducts in South Carolina and tne bal- j ance of the South. If we are to have j a protective duty for cotton cloth, lei] us have protection also foi the cotton out of which the cloth is manufactured. No one should deny the fairness of this proposition. Are those >vho manufacture cotton cloths more entitled to governmental favor than these who toil in the hot j sun to produce the raw cotton?^ 1? TTTT-./-v cT\ir? ttoo ir> PW wjiuot r> UV oyii; uuu v.m* v am England can nave bank accounts, are those who plant and make the cotton less worthy of a similar privilege? I undertake to say thai one is as worthy as the other* and that under a truly popular government there should be no specially favored class, section or individual, "but that all sections, all classes ana all industries should be placed upon the same footing, "with! equal .rights to all and spscial privileges to none" under the law. This is my contention and the purpose I would seek to accomplish. We know thai the people of the North and jKast during the past thirty years nave been piling up wealth almost beyond measure. We know that the people of the South are comparatively poor. "Whence this difference? * THE SOUTH THE ONLY VICTIM. As Democrats we have denounced the doctrines of protection and de clared that the protected industries of the North and East -were robbing the balance of the nation. Believiag this to be true, and knowing that in spite of all our efforts for thirty years this doctrine still eontinues in operation, is it wise, is it just to our people not to demand fair play for our section? Must cur people sutFer because of our obstinacy or pride? Let us demand j equal privileges for ali the products of j the South to the end that if the tariff | is robbery our own section will cease I to be its only victim. If protection j j really brings higher price?, as we claim, let the people of the South realize that fact when they ma rkes their I fH^ cotton, sugar, tobacco, rice, lumber,! . I am sure not one of them would object, but on the contrary wouid | > . make excellent use c? this additional o remuneration for their labor. / * That the surplus money of the ccun'" \ $?:*' ' try finds its ^vay to Nevr England and j .-'"C- the manufacturing centres, wnere all . ?-r the profits of production finally lodge, j ^ can be demonstrated beyond a clouot. & ^ ^nd last as long as cur people in the B y-'A-. South continue to produce the raw f .material at a loss and buy the manu' factured article back with a protective -vV l. duty added, just so long wiii they i-e* yrir main poor and dependent on the North ana Edst. ' The South needs factories and other -* J ! 1 I ouszness enterprises lu uevciw uk resources and manufacture her ravr ma1 leri&l. It requires money to do this, and money sne has not, neither vcili she ever have until she stops selling ner raw material at a loss ana oujmg it back from New Engiand at a high price. / If tlie raw products of the South could be protected equally with the manufactured products of New England, the South would soon be independent and ner laboring people in far more comfortable circumstances than they are now. | FROM THE NEWS AND COURIER j I am not discussing this question 1 from a theoretic or philanthropic j standpoint, but simplv demanding equal rights and a full share for my own section of the bsneSts which may accrue from legislation, whether such legislation accords with my no litical creed cr not. That I do 20! stand alone in this demand I quote from The News and Courier, of Charleston. S. C., one of the ablest journals of the South. In answer to a correspondent who demanded a duty on cotton, this journal, under date of December 31, 1896, says: (Eere Mr. McLiurin quoted the editorial in full.) Mr. Speaker, what this article demands for cotton should be demanded for every industry, agricultural or manufacturing, in the South. NOT A PROTECTIONIST. I say this net as a Protectionist, (since I believe in the practical application of a revenuB tariii",) but as a matter of justice and fair play among all the people, of all the sections oi cur country. At this point I propose to give some facts and statistics concerning the different sections of the country with reference to the increase of wealth, the accumulation of wealth, and the distribution, of cspital, and wefilth. I exnect to disclose such an unequal distribution in favor of New England and the North, as to force inquiry as to its cause and remedy from ail who love equity and despise favoritism. NEW ENGLAND AND ITS ALLIES. Out of tnese forty-tbree States and Territories only twelve show an increase of property valuation, while the remaining thirty-one show almost uniform decreases. The total increase for the twelv^ States is $337,S00,753. Of this amount $235,SS3,4S2 comes from New York alone. Seventy per cent, ic is seen comes from New York and 70 per cent, of the balance comes from Massachusetts and Pennsylvania. The total increase in the remaining nine States is $30,822,092. The thirty-one StattS and Territories show a falling eft. This decrease in property valuation amounts to the enormous sum of $500.1S5,795. It is widespread, there being: no such radical decrease as New York shows in op position. New Hampshire and Vermont show a decrease, but taken as a whole the entire New England and Middle Atlantic States show a net increase in property valuation for taxation of $312,110,555. Only two of the \ A 7 a. 4> ~ O^Attr Q Y> f vv esierjL ctixu iuiuuic cuu increase, and the net decrease from that vast territory foots up ?319,824,785. In the twelve Southern States ?:iven, four, North and South Carolina, Florida and Louisiana, show a small increase. I am at a loss to account for such an increase, unless it be from the same cause as in South Carolina, where a reassessment of railroad and j bank. properties was effected which j materially increased the taxable valua | tioa of the State. | But with this increase the net loss j for that section is $90,284,580. Bear i in mind that the year lay* is compared i -with the panic, year of 1S93. These ! figures are startling. It is a story of j stupendous losses the people have susj tained and of the extraordinary gains j that have been made by the money i and manufacturing centres of the East at the expense of the other sections, j It is a, story of increasing poverty j and lisaster on the one hand and i n! creasing power and wealth on the ! other. As I understand it this im| rnense sum refers to the loss in proper' - - L_J r 4.;^ ! ty values usuany nsreu iur (.K-\Anuii. j It does not refer to or include the dejpreciation of t&e products of labor, the depression in business and its I losses, or the enforced idleness or I waste of labor efforts. Such losses I cannot be approximated much less be given in detail. j Such a statement as this ought to rej veal quite clearly that a vast difference j of conditions and degrees of prosperity exists among the people of this {county. THE SECTIONS COMPARED. In order to sustain my contention | that the East is and has been pilling | up vast accumulations of wealth while I the great producing sections of the j nation barely holds their own, I will [give some comparative statements I taken from the census reports of 1SS0 | and 1S90. If the Sgures just given are surpris i ing these will be found more so. In j fact, to analyze them carefully is to j oiscover the most monstrous system of | exchange brigandage of this or any j other country. It is enough to conjvinceany right-minded man that this 1 ' - - -l l . - J - - ,7 system must dc cuangeu, ?uu uuau aw ! once, if we would preserve our free ! institutions or national integrity, j I shall quote, to some extent, from a | synopsis of the census bulletins by Mr. I S~. S 'King, found in his book entitled |1'Bond-holders and Bread Winners.'7 j I will begin with the States of Indiana, Illinois Iowa, Nebraska, Louisiana, j Mississippi, Alabama, Georgia and I North Carolina. These nine States I are those upon which the country de! pends for the production of wheat, ; corn, and othei cereals, meat, dairy I products, sugar, cotton, tobacco, rice j and almost everything that the agricultural portion of our country pro! duce. With these I will compare the | States of Maine, New Hampshire, Ver| mont, Massachusetts, Connecticut, I Rhode Island, New York, New Jersey and Pennsylvania. In these nine States is found the great manufacturing and money centres of the nation. Tne relative condition of these two groups of States should give a fair interpretation of the truth or falsity of my position. Ths first group of States has 436,040 square miles cf hand, while the second group of States has but 168,665 square miles about 3 to 1. The population of trie first group is 13,409,167 people, while the second is 14,507,407. During the ten years be ! tween 1SS0 and 1S90 the first group, or I producing States, gained in wealth !-$559,441,974. While the second group,! i or manufacturing and money loaning ! States, gained in wealth ?3,054,782,722. f In other words the nine manufacturing States, with but one-third as much I land, ana less than two millions more I people, gained in wealth five times as much as the producing States. The producing States gamed 22 per csnt. in the people and 20 per cent, in wsaith, while the manufacturing State gained 20 per cent, in people and 40 per cent, in wealth. OPPOSES FREE RAW MATERIAL. Mr. Speaker, 1 cannot endorse the doctrine of free ra^v material. Its application is unjust, and if continued will bring ruin and disaster. Just Tvhv the cloth out of which my snirt is made should be protected nve cents a yard and the shirt itself protected -iv [percent, ad valorem, -wnile the ra^ material out of which the cloth is t vroven is not protected at ail, and the j i plan considered fair and logical, is be! yond my comprehension. If my shirt is to be protected by & customs duty, 11 j say che cotton out of v?hich it is made i j should receive adequate protection also I and if this is impossible withhold pro- j taction from both. Tills ana this alone, can insure a j reciprocity between those who made j the shirts and those who made the cotton. It would be equal, honest and fair. This is a proposition which I emphatically endorse, and one which I believe would benefit the people I represent. It is said that free raw material j cheapens the manufactured article. As a business proposition this should ' be true, but it does not necessarily :ol-1 low that the consumer receives either J all or part of this benefit. The manu-1 facturer obtains all he can for his products, and in these days of pools and combines prices are, in many cases, established by boards of directors instead of legitimate competition. In i other words, free raw materials do cot of themselves insure lower pries for the manufactured product to the consumer, but only to the manufacturer. J The doctrine of free raw material j compels the producers of such raw j material to sell in competition with the whole world, and permits them to purchase in a restricted markst only, j They are forced to dispose of their pro- j ducts at a competitive price, and com- { | pelled to purchase the manufactured article at a fixed or arbitrary figure. I Such methods are neither legitimate j nor fair, and bring about unequal exI changes. In fact the oroducer of the ! i O ??- V J raw material is plundered for the benefit or the manufacturer and consumer. The manufacturer gets cheaper raw material with which to conjure trade, the consumer gets only the benefits || forced from the manufacture-, while the farmer waits in vain for the application of this theory to work him a profit. As an illustration of this theory take the wool grower, the man whose money crop is wool. His product was : protected by a customs duty until the { passage of the Wilson bill in IS93. j Since then he has produced and sold j what is called a raw material. How has he feared under this condition? He sells his product now for less than half what he received prior to 1S93. The same amount of wool which brought him $10,000 in 1S93 brings him about $5,000 now, making a loss of fully $5,000. This loss can be properly charged to the application, of the doctrine of free raw material, andj the question presents itseif as to how | j much and in what manner is this j | wool grower benefited. How much j o? this $5,000 loss is returned through j ! other channels? I venture to sayj that his net loss would exceed nine- j tenths of the vrhole. His la wyer fees, j doctor bills and taxes are no less, and ; quite likely to be more. The new j national mortgage of three hundred J and sixty-twc millions of peace bonds j include his property with*the balance I 5 of the country. He is compelled to ! f stand his share of billion dollar Con| gress and other expenses, just as when jj his products Drougnt twice as w.u~n. \ IU 'act he may scan his bills ever so closely and he -will find in its last analysis thai all his compensating credits come from other unfortunates | who produce other kinds of raw mateI rial. It is one class of labor competing against another class of labor, while the manufacturer and money j loaner thrives and fattens on their disaster. j Mr. Speaker, it is claimed that the i L U ? KlC TTITTPQI.- E J U Y I Vi U4WJ.MT , I ment in buildings, machinery, etc., I5 should be encouraged in his enterprise, and to a certain extent insured against loss. Jusfc wny this class I should b2 selected for Government fa- j vor I am unable to conceive. The census shows that there are more farmers than manufacturers and operatives, with nearly three times as much in- j vested in lands, buildings, etc. Why j nf nnft P.laSS mOre I iia LUC J.U>W>uav,u. ? sacred than that of another? Why j should one be favored by legislation and the other neglected? A glance at the real facts will disclose that the planter runs far more risk in his occupation than the manufacturer. There is no other business compelled to take as msny chances as that of agriculture. There is no other business that can adapt itself less to cir?. i?? TAT 'noiM ccirasiances taaa agriuuituLc. ..uvu prices advance the manufacturer can put on more help and run on double time. On the other hana, when prices decline, he can discharge pare of his help, lessen the hours of labc-r cr close down entirely, and thus guard against losses. Witb the planter he must decide at the season of planting how many acres he will cultivate, and whether prices go up or down, he can neither increase nor decrease his ac~eage, or in any manner protect himself against coming loss or take advantage of increased prices. The ; manufacturer turns his capital many | times during the year, and usually ! | with a profit each time. Tne planter on the contrary, can r use his capital but onse, and must j take his profit or loss upon a single least. We may examine the entire! 1 method of producing raw materials j ' * ? . i J | and nnisnea prouu^us, auu wc -ah. find that the manufacturer has the advantage at nearly every turn. Be sides tfite producer of raw material is not consulted, he has no voice in determining the price he is to receive for his product, or the pr:c3 he is to nay for the product of others. He takes | his cotton, wheat or wool to market 5 and the price is fixed by others, and [ he his only the choice of selling or j carting nis produce back hone. ! When he goes into the store to make | I a purchase the price is named which j he must pay or go without. Mr. Speaker, this bill favors ther manufacturer as agains! the producer |: of raw materia], which I contend is > not only harmful, but in the ultmate wiii bring disaster to both. It is claimed that manufacturing in vestments are entitled to special priv- 1 ileges because of their character; ; | that they are cash investments and largely employ ia^or. | I submit that the plantations of the [ SDuth and the farms of ihe West are i cash investments, and that they also employ labor. I have before me a ' letter from the superintendent of a r cotton mill in my State in which I am j1 41'?' fKof- tV>a n12m. I I iULCr^OLCU, VV UO OO.JT o buuv j--? | | cost about ?145,000, and consumes 15,000 bales of ?:otton annually. I w?il venture the assertion that the planta- 1 j tions upon which this amount oi cot- j ton is made are worth at least double j [ the cost of the cotton mill, and give j t employment to many times the amount | of labor. This win hold good in I nearly all cases. It is a grave mistake ( [CONTINUED ON J'AGE FOUR.] f1 ""almost blotted out. CHANDLER WITHOUT WARNING, TORN 3Y A CCYLONE. The Town I>smoU3li<j<l urnl .">Tany Lives I.o.st ?Not Kctougii Collins forme XJenu? Houses Hanging to Traei?A T<?rr35>Ie Calamity. Guthrie, Okla., March 31.?Chandler, an interior boom town fifty miles from G-athrie, is a mass of ruins. At G o'clock last eveaiug a cyclone, dealing death and destruction to everything in its path, swept down upon the town and almost completely wiped it off the face of the earth. Of the 1 Kf\(\ 1 y\T-> g fo v> f c f *Tror>tc-fi u"P? T'JP.TP JL? VMU IftJ) w ** VUH j ?* r w .. ? w killed, outright and fully 170 were, injured. Or the latter it is thought ten will die and twenty-four others are in a dangerous condition. The re raainder of the population, is homeless. The Presbyterian church, Mitchell's Hotel and two other buildings are all tnat remain standing. These have been turned into hospitals. The property loss will aggregate half a million dollars. There are not hatf coilins enough here to bury the dead. The storm came from the Southwest ftiTrrvif vrifhrtnt s mDment's warninc! and sweeping across ihe town, first demolished the business district, then: Jaid low the residence portion, and, passing on, spsnt itself into the open prairie. The wrecks of many of the build-1 iogs took fire and in a short time aa ! awful holocaust followed. Many ofj the injured buried i:i the ruins were j burned to death before help arrived, j Tue people were slow to recover from : f.hp shr?r>V nf the and not un- ! til noon today did anything like sjs- j tern prevail in the work of relief. At 11 o'clock tonight particulars are j still meagre. Save one slow working j telephone wire out of Chandler, and j but one telegraph wire from Guthrie, j the town is practically cut off from j the outside world. The storm broke : upon the ci;y suddenly. The sky was j clear an hour before. Shortly before j 6 o'clock a mass of dark cicuds &atn- \ ered in the southwest and whirled! north. It soon developed into a funnel-shaped monster and bare down upon the outskirts of the to^n. As the mass touched the ground the roar was deafening. The funnel splif;as it hit the southwest border of Chandler, which is situated on a hill overlooking the Cow Creek Valley, and then ! turned north. Before escape was: pos- j sible the cyclone had passed through j the town,tearing through the business j districts. Stores were hurled right j and left or lifted high into the air ana dashed into every direction. Chief Justice Dale of the Oidahoma Supreme Court was holding court in the court house, which was crowded. He ran with his wife to a hollow. The two were protected by a large boulder and were unhurtOthers in the court house did not fare so well. A moment later the 1 structure was twisted around and j hurled into the street, a com plete j wreck. One of the occupants was | killed outright and a dozen ethers j were injured. Further down Main street the Lincoln County Bank 1 oild- j iog was toppled over and was envel-! oped in flames. Before aid could reach j them five unfortunates were burned j to death. Still farther down the street j three children suffered a like fate. A mass of people, dead andiajared, s horses and wagons ana baggies of all j kinds, transformed Main street into a funeral pyre. Passing on into the residence district, the cyclone toppled ] over dwelling after dwelling, turned { houses on their tops and piled streets j high with debris. A two-days old baby was carried \ fcur blocks and not injured,while the j mother was crushed in her bed. When I an effort to send for aid was made it j was found that all communication j with Guthrie was secured. A brief idea of the nature of the devastation wrought, together with an appeal for aid, had been sent to the neighboring city, when the wires snapped and Chandler was again shut off. In the meantime, however, a train bearing physicians and others frw f The* TZT'T Y?A <3 VP- I lCXij X KJi. WUV TT li, \J T1 bw A V It stored and the appeals for aid met j prompt response and additional res- j cuing parties were sent out as the ex- J tent of the damage became known. | The night in Ohandier was one of j indescribable horror. With many of j its inhabitants, dead or dying, and s the remainder too badly injured ori unable from fright or because of the j darkness to render assistance no order j prevailed. Rain poured down in tor-1 rents. The injured in many cases lay 2 in the wrecks of their homes until! daylight made it possible for them to j help themselves, or when aid fromsurrounding towns arri7ed. At 1 o'clock,twenty dead bodies had! been taken from the rains, while doz- j ens more or less seriously injured had been removed to places of saiety. But j one of Chandler's physicians escaped j uninjured and even after aid fromi Guthrie arrived there wiis a scarcity j of surgeons. Oaly two were able to j do anj tiling last night, and one ci j these, Dr. Walcott, with blood strea- S mingfrom a sightless eye, worked? until he fainted. Daylight brought hundreds of peo-j pie from surrounding to wns and men, I women and children assisted in c jring for the injured. Little progress .is made, however, and it was not until noon that an organized effort foralle-j viating the sutferings of the injured 5 was begun. The four remaining build- j lone ot>u lnrnp? ir>tr? hnsriif-filt: arrl fil-i reeled by Major Kinney, the work proceeded as swiftly as possible. Queer sights greeted the eye on all sides. Ten trees have s, house hanging oa each; clothing and household ffoods are scattered in the streets. Llorses, cows and other animals are to be ssen everywhere while a pile of ruins has a tine piano perched oa top of it. Many of the citizens wander about the streets, dazed at the calamity, and almost on the verge of insanity at the loss of family ana homes, j Two or three have gone mad. Ten thousand people are in the cityJ tonight. Many of tnem came to res- j der aid but the majority ace there as | sip-ht-seers. A creat cuantitv of I clothing, bedding and provisions has been sen: in and ihe Guihrie Club has raised Si,500 in cash to send 10 morrow. Tne city has put to use ail its cash, about $700, for immediate aid. Hundreds of tents have been sent from Fort Reno and Guthrie and will provide temporary shelter for the unfortunates. All are homeless, however, ALU inure cuuoiAubiax aiu iiiuot i follow. Food is aiso scarce and prac-1 ticaiiy ail the town's supply of niedi* j cine has oeea destroyed. a thousand homeless. i .Chandler, Okla., April 1.?although the tornado struck Chandler forty-eight hours ago, a very little search of ruins has yet been made, and i if is feired that the death roll may be J considerably increased. Scores of in whohave come here from ail parts of Oklahoma. None of ihe wounded had succumbed today, though some of them cacnot possibly recover. Nearly all of the men slept in the streets last night where fires were kept blazing. The women were cared for in the few houses which were not destroyed or found shelter in the rents sent from I ? ? ~ T? ? Y\ft. SUXTUUUUliig tuvvita. JL' ii-jr OJJCV/iai ?J\J licemen effectually protected the property of the citizens. A tnousand people are homeless. Hjlp on a large scale is needed. Lawyer John Dawson and Edgar Damoss, the barber, who are numbered among the dead, wsry CitLJX'.g supper in. rrauaui/oo iw | turant when the tornado came up and j the building collapsed. Dawson, who I left a wife and two children ?* Alma, Neb., was instantly killed. Den >ss was pinioned by his right arm, but | was not .'injured. He cried for help, | but no one could reach him through | the fire. He begged for some one to i cut oif his arm, but the horror stricken | crowd was compelled to see him roast[ ed to death. Search in the ruins is ! n^psaarilr slrnv find :i true list of the [dead and iujured cannot be made for [ several days. The Western Floods. i Jackson, Miss., April 1.?Q-reenIville telegraphs at noon: Reports | come hourly from all paints in the j Hooded districts show the situation is [rapidly growing worse. There are | now some 25 towns and villages more i or less overflowed. Greenville will get considerable water, perhaps not as I much as in 1890, perhaps more. It is I all a matter of conjecture. The bottom lands are full or water from rains before the breaks occurred. This city is now an island, situated in a wiJder iies-s of water, which, surrounas it on ! ! every side. As yet the water is not j j in sight of the town, but is a; the j | Blanion gin, half a mile north, ana at j 11he Montgomery placa two miles! j south. Black bayou, Williams' ba-j i you, Ii?er creek and Fish lake are all ! out of their banks. A meeting of the j ; Cliy CJUUUll 15 UClUg JUC1U tib LU.1D YVXAO- a | ing at the mayor's office to take the j | necessary steps toward the safety of? the people, and for sucii relief as can bs afforded to the flood sufferers. Natchez at noon: There is little new to report with reference to levees this morning, but the constantly rising river is rendering the situation I more acute which acuteness will conj tinue to increase until the crest of the i flood wave. The rise here for the pei riod fronr4 last p. m. to 8 this mornj ing was 25-100, this making the guage | read 46.85 ~A terrific rainstorm 'with j [some wind swept over this section last night and it was feared its effect ! might be disastrous to the embank-! | raents, but no danger thus far has ! ! UttJLL rsjywrtcu.. -i-lAC Iiaj I I one and three-quarter inches, bat the ("weather now is clear and cool. No i further news has been received from [the 3urgel Asnley levee to thi^ hour. [ It is likely that the citizens of Conicordia parish will apply t3 the govI ernment for sacks with which to top | their lavee, as indications are the waI ter is goiag to rise high enough to run over them. Dr. Samps Fops Tamed Down. Washington, March 31.?Dr. Sampson Fooe was turned down by Presi dent McKinley today, and, therefore, he will not succeed Col. J. S:obo Farrow as second auditor of the treasury. Dr. Pope has made several visits to tlie White House since inauguration day, but not until this morning: did he have an opportunity to get in a few words with the President. Dr. Pone was accompanied by G. Washington Murray, A. T. Jennings, of Charleston, who wants to be collector of the port, and T. L. Gant. When Dr. Pope's case was brought to the attention of I the President today he informed Dr. Pope that the place he desired had already bsen assigned to another person. Dr. Pope -would have liked to have remarked that he would cheerfully accept "something equally as good," but the President's lime was! valuable, besides the members of the' Spain Carolina party wanted a few! words with him. The President re-j quested Mr. Jennings to hie his papers with the Secretary of the Treasury, adding that when the Charleston appointments are taken up, his claims will be considered with those of other applicants. Dr. Pope will look around and see what oilier place he will aspire to. He seems to be aiming quite high, but he may strike sometiling io w m the end. Sight Cairtc to the Blind. Baltimore, March 31.?Thomas Blue, a young man of 23, from Hoff- ! man, Richmond county, N. C, who ! TTT-ao V?r>T?n wi>s hrnnorht liprp about two weeks agro and put at the], Maryland General Hospital for blind-1 ness. Today the young man returned J1 to his home in Richmond county with j better eyesight than a great, many J' people and ihs nrospact of constants improvement. Hi is now able to count Azures at a distance of more ; than twenty feet and can see small objects near him. He will be able to read wiih the aid of glasses. Before , leaving the hospital young Blue went thir ough the institute thanking the j physicians, especially Dr. Geo. Reulmg, professor of opthalmology, for what they had done for him. Tne ^ j cung man's happiness, as he obtained , his first sight of tne) beauties of nature i ] heretofore nidden and unknown tcj, him, appeared to know no bounds- _ He said Jife felt as though he were en- jj tering an entirely new world, because, I \ with the aid of glasses, he could notL only see the faces of his friends, but j 1 his home and surroundings as well. , i?e was laKen out to me purs; in me afternoon and tiien shown about the city. TJie world as he saw it for ttie first time was a constant revelation of . wonders. I < 35aroec. 1:0 Death. : New York, March 30.?Throe per- ] sods were k 'led in a lira in an apart- } ment house at No. 01 West 105th , street this afternoon. They were < Tin j ? 4.1 ? Is iliss X-.uen. jy.orrissf!y auu. a turec-.yciu-1 < old boy and his mother, who, up to a j j late hsur toaight i:.ad not been identified. Escape was cut off by the j ilames, and in the too apartments on tne lit lb. lloor they were slowly sutfo- i cated to death. The fire starteu in tae 11 basement of the house, and burned so j i quickly that soan; of the occupants j1 had to be rescued on ladders. Tne j 1 house was damaged to the extent of | about $15,000 and the tenants iost 1 about $4,000 worth, of propert-v. ]i " TEXT BOOKS AT COST, j I i ATTORNEY GENERAL GIVES OPINION! ON THE NEW LAW. i I Matter Is Optional?A C<--inty i*Iay Pjir- | cnaae uookh or not ks ac unuo?c.s-nujm-1. Reports of State College*. Columbia, April 2.?Cor.cerniug the j i act of the last legislature that provides j; ior me lurmsning 01 oooxs ai cost prices to the pupils of public schools, a grood deal of doubt still exists in the -niuds of many persons. The following opinion by the assistant attorney general will elucidate the law: Columbia, S. C., March 27,1897. Hon. W. D. May field, State Superintendent Education. Dear Sir: The letter of Mr. L.L. Oopeland referred to this office has had due consideration. The question he asks is, ':Is it optional with the county board of educa- < tion as to the purchase of school j Section 1 of the act of 1807 is as fol* ! Jov7s: 4'That the county board of education of the several counties of this State be. and they are hereby, author- < ized and empowered to set aside from ' the public fund of their respective ' counties an amount not exceeding ' ?500 for the purpose of providing -he ; rmrvle o t t-<vn rl i n cr with T.ovf. books at actual cost or exchange . prices." 1 It will bs obseryed that the county board is not required but simply au- j thorized to set aside the fund. From j the language employed I am of the j opinion that the county board has ais- j cretion in this matter, and can set j aside such a fund, if in their judg- ] meat, it is advisable. < Yours very truly, 3 C. P. Townsend, j Assistant Attorney General. 3 The sections of the school law which ] provides for books at cost and to which | the above opinion aonlies reads as fol- < lows: |( Section 1. That the county board of j education of the several counties of j this State be, and they are hereby, au-1 thorizsd and empowered to set aside j from the public school funds of their! respective counties an amount not ex- j ceeding $500 for the purpose of provid- j < ing the pupils attending the free pub-! t iic schools of their counties with i school text books at actual cost or ex- * change prices. 1 Section 2. That the amount so set aside from the school funds shall be } paid to the county superintendent of i education by the county treasurer, c out of the unappropriated general i _i 1 f -1^ t-1^ I J 4."U ~ / scaooi iuhqs in nis xiauu, uit tuc wai- j<. rant of the said county board of edu- | c cation. t Section 3. That the amount to set " aside by the county board of education i shall be and remain a permanent mnd \ in the hands of the county superintendent of education to be used in pur- t chasing and keeping on hand school ^ text books for sale to pupils attending 1 the free public schools of his county, j i for cash, at actual cost or exchange ? prices, and to be used for no other t purpose and in no other manner. Section 4. That for the full and x inst accounting for said money and I books, and all his acts dealings relat- j t ing thereto, the county superinten-j dent of education shall be responsible: s on his official bond. Section 5. That no tax or license, { either State, county or municipal, s shall be imposed on or required of the t county superintendent of education t on account of the purchasing and fur- s nishing of said books to the pupils as { aforesaid. i s Section 6. That this act shall be a I cr^n era 1 ant. sinr? .onnlT? to all of thfi {= *"* rev ? counties of the State from and after; s its approval. t The following opinion explains the g law that provides for the publishing e of the reports of the different State in- c stitutions of higher learning. I Columbia, S. C., March 27,1897. \ Hon. W. D. Mayfieid, State Superin- *s tendent of Education: f Dear Sir?I have the honor to acknowledge the receipt of your letter, s ?+l>Af ^IrtTT TTrt/vAn^'c? on/ilr>c*Q^ v Vyi.IU. hLLCLL KJi* v?yy? 4-u^gvuu o vuvivov/uj ^ asking for a construction of that per- 1 tion of section 3 of the school act of i3896 relating to the reports of State t institutions of higher learning. h The section repeals the law in force p at the time of the passage of this act c requiring the institutions to make their t report to the general assembly, and c requires them to make reports to you. t In your annual report they are to be t included, and ia this way they reach a the general assembly. t Yours very truly, C. P. Townsend, Assistant Attorney General. I One Trust Surrenders- q Richmond, Va., March 31.?As an a effect of the decision ot the United fc States Supreme Court in the Railroad 0 Traffic Association case and the anti-1 h trust laws of the South, the American h Tobacco Company has adopted newjj contracts with its agents. Heretofore ? this corporation would * t sell their j a ornnH? rmfricrhf: hnt: spnt. t.npm m7t on is consignment. The condition they re- o quired was that the customer should r not sell the products of any. other fac- s Lory. Today they seat out a circular \ wihdrawing these conditions and ct- a fering to sell their goods outright, ti Ihey intimate tnat they will give a n present to liberal customers. |t( A Gruesome Request!:. j " Watkinsvills, March 31.?A por- |? Lion of the rope that encircled the neck jl the negro, George Elder, who was { btanged here Friday, was by his spe:ial request, presented to his mother, tie advised her to keep the gruesome tj relic ia a conspicuous place' and to e constantly remind his little brothers n 3f his fate, and to warn them against ri ihe bad conduct that led him to the ^ 'allows. d Lacy Cobl) Girls on a Lark. C Atlanta, April I.?A special from 1J Athens, Ga., to The Constitution says ;hat IS girls slipped away from Lucy "Snbh institute tnis morning and took ? ;n the town. Tney victimized a iium- * 3er of soda water fountain stores and merchants. Tnen they hired a taliyho md a band and paraded through the streets. The principal expelled every E *irl in the party. They belong to pro- 0 ninent lamilies all over the State. c: y Killed by Lightning. rj Atlanta, Ga,, March31.?A. special a :'rom Americus, G-a., to tiie (Jonstitu- j b ion says that two negroes we-e killed b ov lightning there yesterday. The j fi victims, Margaret Jones anc' herjp f-year-old son, vrere in a cabin j- ihe i p "homas plantation. Lightning struck c< ,he cabin, killed both inmates and set i j< lI on fire. jii TO CONTROL COTTON. Hott the Orowert) lilay Regulate tlie Price Year by Tear. Mr. George C. Munro, County correspondent, United States Department nf Aorirtiilturfi. in writing tn trio Af-1 lanta Evening Constitution about controlling the price of cotton says: I have been asked to ?ive my views on the subject of whether the cotton planter has it in his no .ver to control the price of cotton or not. In articles written to the agricultural journals over forty years &go I contended that the farmers had, and that the only way to ma?e cotton raising remunerative was to make our farms self-sustaining in every particular, to raise com, oats, wheat, rye, potatoes, chufas, ground peas, field peas?in short overy^hieg that was needed to sustain Ulan rtuu occwi, aixu. aiou tu laisa ULJ own horses ard mules. That if he pursued that plan it would not be possible to raise so much cotton and that the small crop would bring him in more clear cash than the larger oaes, which would glut the market and put him where,instead of being the master of the situation the situation would master him by forcing the sale of his crop at the dictation of speculators' prices, without enabling nim to have a ward in it; only to march tip like a lamb for the slaughter and JtlTT "Here is my cotton, do for conscience sake allow me enoagh for it to pay for the making of it. While, if he pursued the other policy tie would have the buyers to come to tiis doors and he could dictate his price and sell or hold as he thought Dest aad have it in his power to con- \ ircl not only the price for his cotton, j :>ut the pi*ice for his labor and their ifGeiency. He would have time to na?e necessary improvements on his 'arm, raise more lot and stable manure, terrace his land better and keep lis terraces in better repair, so that ;his continued washing away to the y~i which we see going ca during jvery big rain would be stepped and prevented; our lands would improve, ippreciate in value and those of the ^orta and Northwest which are sellng at $150 per acre, made hi?h by . aising stock, corn, wheat and meat to ;ell to us, would depreciate and the ;otton producing portion of our coun U I iL. ~ ,ry wuuiu uKcaiiis tuo xueai uumv ui ;he natives as well as the emigrant, ind the South would be built up a ad 3Scome the garden spot of the world. We have the most health "ul and feasant country on the globe to live a, free from extremes of heat and :old, blessed with never-failing springs md wells of the purest water; our Jhildren raised free from pulmonary rtr Ha.hilifT7 tn h> r?nt in .heir tender years by croup or malaria. vVe can raise the finest fruits and nelons, the most chickens, turkeys ; md ducks and the finest hogs and Jersey cattle, luxuriate in rich milk ' md butter and every variety of nice vegetables. We can live like princes, leither freeze to death in the winter ]or melt in the summer. Raise incugh potatoes on one acre or sirup : ;o feed fift, children for a year. , Now why can't we, the most independent and the happiest people on sarth, having eyes, see and Having trains, understand? Torn oil your X-rays, Mr. Editor, md let us ail see our innumerable ad- ( vantages over other sections and so , >itch our crops this year that we can < ell our cotton next fall for a good , >rice and have time to build up the , ?aste placss. Let us get some fine \ ;tallions and stop all this needless ex- , >enditure for stock that we can raise j o easily at home. Send men to the < jegislature that will have sens a mough to see that it is better to raise heep than dogs; that wool and mut- \ on will increase our revenues and ( ;ive us some of the best eating that . :ver tickled the palate of an epicure j \y> o Ttrill i ?A C* M j ertilize our lands keep down the . veeds and prove the cheapest as well ,s the most palatable diet we can raise j or our families. j I can't close without a word on free ] eed distribution. It is a malicious \ >ractice of paternalism that is a need- j ess tax on our public treasury, help- j tig to embarrass our government; that < enefits no body but a set of rascally . lorticulturists; that enables them to ;alm off millions of dollars' worth of dd worthless seed on our government hat seldom evsr germinate and are a ] urse> a delusion and aggravation to ] hie one.that receives them. I come to j ins conclusion alter trying: nunareas \ ,nd thousands of packages for the last 5 wenty years. ] J Confessed to Several ISIurders. , Charleston, W. Va., March 31.? Excitement is still high at Montgomry over tha murdered body found in n abandoned mine. Clark Lewis ias confessed that he choked Charles Hbson to death while Albert Voirs' ? .u v: /->:? i~ :r? ??? ?;?-u LSiU ilirn. VXiUSUU 5 W115 Wtl& Willi I Ler husband at the time. He says ohn Ccchran was murdered Februay 28, and the body placed in another bandoned mine. A dog was killed nd hung in a tree to account for any dor thai might be noticed. Cochan, he says, was held by John Hudon, while Wilbur Slaughter and Viley Lewis beat his brains cut with stone. When Lewis was arrested tie gang blew up the mouth of this line to prevent an entrance. Slaugher, who was arrested last week, is in ail here, but refuses to talk. The thers are in jail at Fayetville. < Kentucky Family Perished. Louisville, X!y., April 2.?A spec- ? li to The Post from Eddyville, Ky., { siys: News has been received here of A hie drowning in the Cumberland riv- , r last night of William Flick and is family of three. According to the sport Mr. Flick was trying to move .is family of wife and two little chil- ] ren from his Hooded house on the )umberland, near Triggs Furnace, c 1 this county. The skioverturned, r ^ /> n wlrv* f\o<n oil rr/iwA ^ y?A rrr nc/1 J.JJ. L-LLC UaiAUCOO UAX ntig UiUTTUUW. ^ 'he carrent there is very swift, and c o small boat could live in it. Mr. 'lick was a well-to-do farmer. t t Goes Damoratic Now. ^ Danbury, ilarch 31.?Danbury's r luricipal election resulted in an j ver whelming victory for the Demo- ^ ratic ticket. Even the nrst Ward, ^ rhich gives a normal Republican ^ lajoritj of 250. elected a Demorcrat s councilman. ?>anbury, last Novem er, gave SOO majority for McKialey, ut the promised of prosperity has I iiied to materialize. The election f laces the Democratic party in com- I iete control of the city, the common t Duncil being Democratic by two ma- j 1 )rity on joint ballot and all ot^er of-1 f: ces being filled by Democrats. j r j A GREAT FALLING OFF IN OUR PHOSPHATE INDUSTRY IN THE LAST FEW YEARS. Algerian sad Florida Phosphate Is JTow Put on the Market at a Price that *" mveg a Very Narrow Margin of Profit for South Carolina Miners, Augusta, April 2.?There are few people who fully appreciate the great falling off.there has been in the revenue to the State from the phosphate royalty. From an annual income of nearly $250,000 the royalties have dwindled and dwindled until the present year will hardly show an income of one-fifth of that amount What nas oeen me cause ot tne great loss or revenue from phosphate royalty? There has been no one main cause. There have been a combination of circumstances, chief among which was the discovery of phosphate rock in Florid a, Tennessee and Algiers. Boom Carolina rock as much as possible,and make it necessary to the trade, the fact cannot bs disguised that the Algerian and Florida rock have entered the foreign markets, and have forced the market price down to such a point that the prica has been barely sellsupporting to the industry, if that much can be said. Certain it is rock is not bringing six,eight and nine dollars, as it once did, but Algiers has furnished a rock that forces thato* South Carolina down to about 12.15 net per ton, out of which the royalty is be paid, and that is the situation in a. nutsheiL If South Carolina wants to remain :n the European markets she must meet competition, and that was the chief reason that induced the board of phosphate commissioners to make the reduction in the royalty to 25 cents per ton on all shipments after today. It will be an exceedingly interesting study to note the ups and downs of the phosphate industry as indicated in the statement of royalties received by the State, as shown in the reports of the phosphate inspectors. The figures are as follows: Tons of Rock Shipped by Companies Working Under State License. 187 0 1,989 1884....~.151,243 187 1 17,655 1885 ...?.^.171,671 1872.22,502 1886 ,.191,174 1873 45,777 1887 .,.202,757 1 Q*f a rtt v 1000 inn cvra Lot1*** ...... d(,(XO XOOO....... 187 5 37,969 1889.......212,101 187 6 81,912 1890 -.237,149 1S77 126,569 1891 169,292 187 8 , 97,700 1892 192,461 1879 98,5861893 ~.249,338 188 0 65,162 1894 114,281 188 1 124,5411895 .,.174,400 1882 140,772 1896 ..121,602 1883 129,318 Total shipments 1870 to August 31, 1896, 3.455,911 tons. Royalty at an average $1 per ton, 1870-92 $2,796,290 Royalty 1893-96, at 50c per ton...* 300,000 nrwoi nQK The estimate iigw is that the receipts from the phosphate royalty for the current year will be about $40,000,and this is rendered possible by the fact that the Coosaw Company now has 35,000 tons of rock on hand. a sole srbvivor. Talking about Coosaw reminds one of the fact that out of the score or more companies that have undertaken the phosphate mining business the oosaw Cormaanv is the lonesome survivor- It is a striking commentary Dn the vicissitudes of such, business tc aote that there is such a graveyard full of phosphate companies, with the simple legend, "Busted." BEAUFORT VISIT CUT SHOET. The phosphate commissioners and ;heir friands expected to "take a day iff" today and run down to Bay Point md see how many drum and other ish they could catch. The "Juno" aaa oee 11 renaerea ior me occasion md all were ready for a pleasant day kbout midnight, however, a rain sst :n and soon afterwards the wind rose, md by morning there was a heavy . alow?hard enough to knock the bot:om out of the proposed trip?and so ;he party decided to return to Columaia via the Charleston and Western Carolina Road and Augusta.?News md Courier. The Dingley BUI Passed. TXT . -\K V O-l XXTWi. VV -&?>niiXUlUiX, ilLiXl-VU OU *? XUI WJmorrow morning the duties imposed oy the Dingley tariff bill will t>e in force and the present law will be a thing of the past if the last amendment attached to the bill before its passage in the House today, fixing tomorrow as the day on which its provisions shall go into effect, should be in the bill when it is finally enacted md should be held to be legal by the iourt3. Ihe Republican victory tolay was complete. They presented in unbroken front to the opposition; ill the rumors that dissatisfaction with aarticular schedules of the bill might par? mm? nf thpm nvpr ihe sarty traces proved absolutely unbounded. On the other hand, five Democrats, one more than was anticipated, braved the party whip and ?ave the bill the approval of their rotes. These five Democrats are invested particularly in the sugar rtVmrlnlo Thow >jrowo> "RtwtiC. IVUV'UUAV't XUVJ TTWWi J^Avrvsv >ard and Davey of Louisiana and Kle>erg and Slayden of Texas, One ?opulist, Mr. Howard of Alabama, roted for the bill. Twenty-one other nembers of what is denominated 'the opoosition", consisting of Popuists, fusionists and silverites, declined o record themselves either for or igainst the measure. The vote on he final passage of the bill stood: * AA^ 4 AA J ^ X 1 a.yes, zuo; nays, ?zz; present ana not roting, 21?a majority of 83. Becomes a General. Washington, April 1.?CoL Wm. StLafcer, first infantry, has been sleeted for appointment as brigadier general by the President, but his nonination will act be sent to the senate mtil Brigadier G-eneral Wheatson is :onfirmed as major general to lill the -acancy casued by Gen. Roger's reirement tomorrow. General Wheaon's appointment is already prepared. )ol. Sbafter, who now gets his pronotion, has been at the head of the ist of colonels for a long time, but ras passed over three or four times a the selections made by Mr. Cleva and. May Come Together; Washington*, April 1.?Senator Carle has been confined to his bed for our days with tonsiletis and fever, t is likely that the Webster and Melon factions. will come together, and f they do Repubiicans expect some iouth Carolina appointments in the lcai iu uajro.?