The Manning times. [volume] (Manning, Clarendon County, S.C.) 1884-current, 1891-03-25
THE COOSAW WAR.
AN End TO THE EFFORTS TO CON-
PROMISE THE MATTER.

PROMISE THE MATTER.
The State Cannot Consent to the Resump
tion of Mining by the Coosaw Compan!
Unless the Lessees Of tho State are Per
mitted to Mine Also.
COLUMBIA, March 1S.-The phosphate
commission met to-day at II NJ; pres
ent, all the members. senator SmVthf
came up to represent the Coosaw Com
pany. Mr.. II. A. NJ. Smith and Mr. +
+. brotherhood also came up to-day
and had a hearing before the board.
The correspondent of The News anc
and Courier made proposition thai
he be permitted to be present and take
full stenographic notes of the proceed
inps. which would also be the property
of the commission. Governor Tillmar
announced this proposition, stating that
be personally had no objection. Sena-
tor Smythe also did not object. The
objection was, however, made oy mem
bers of the board that other newspaper
correspondents might ask the same
privilege, and that colored and lncor'
rect statements might go out TO the
press.
Senator Smythe said that ne had nc
objection to the presence before the
commission OF Mr.. H. a. NJ. Smith and
MIR. Brotherhood.
The commission has so far given out
all of it's proceedings to the press, and
the rule was not broken to-day. AT.
torney General Pope either reads the
minutes of the meeting to the report
ers or makes an abstract OF the same
The special business OF the commls,
sion today was to consider the reply OF
Mr.. Robert Adger to the last letter from
the commission ana also to hear Sena'
tor Smythe. The follc wing IS the let
ter of Mr. Adger:
OFFICE OF THE COOsAW MINING 20.
CHARLESTON, S. c., March II, 1891.
Hon. B. R. Tillman, Governor and
Chairman Board Of Phosphate Com
missioners, Columbia, S. C,-Dear Sir:
Your favor of the 10th instant, stating
that the board were not willing to ar
range withthe Coosaw Mining Company
to resume operations under your super
vision unless other companies were al,
lowed to mine in the territory claimed
by US, is received this morning.
I regret that We cannot consent to
the conditions imposed by the board,
The proposition of the Coosaw Com
pany was made in good faith as busi.
ness offer but to be entered into with.
out prejudice to the rights of any party
The Issue in the case is whether the
Coosaw Company has the continuing
right to exclusively occupy the terrific
ry in Coosaw River. This right we are
seeking to enforce IN the Courts. to
consent, pending the litigation, to
waive this right, and allow that to be
done which we are asking the Court tc
forbid, will, as am advised, practical
ly put US out of Court.
Another practical reason also goY'
erns our action.
You must bear in mind that the mil
lion and quarter Of dollars royalty
which we haye paid the State repre-
sents that many tons of phosphate rock
removed from Coosaw River, more than
the entire amount taken from all the
rest of the States territory: This has
of course, seriously diminished the
original deposit.
With careful management and pur-
suing the system we have always tol-
lowed we hope that there is enough
left to supply US our average produc,
ton for limited time to come. But
if other companies are allowed to mine
in it under general rights licenses the
result in Short tins will be to ruin
the remaining deposit.
The damage to US would be lrrepara.
bic, and we are sicere IN saying that II
such licenses are permitted to mine
until the end of the litigation, expedite
as we may. we would not care to ex-
pend the ama, Mt necessary to conduct
the suit to obtain decree securing US
the exclusive right we claim.
AS proof OF sincerity IN this opln'
ion we offered the board, before any
action was taken by them in this mat.
ter, the use of complete mining plant
| with which to make such a survey ano
examination Of our territory, under
their uncontrolled supervision, as they
might desire.
We are sincerely deslrous of making
some arrangement with the board. IL
appears to US from your letter that this
could be effected, but for the licenses
referred t0therein. We fail to see why
their interest should be the cause OF
preventing a satisfactory adjustment
by which. pending the litigation, loss
both to the State and the Coosaw Com
pany, could be avoided.
am yours very truly,
Robert Adger,
Chief Manager the Coosaw Mining Go
Mr.. Smythe was then heard, and at
terwards Mr.. H. a. NJ. Smith and MI
Brotherhood appeared before the com
mission. At nearly 3 o'clock the com
mission took recess until later IN tht
afternoon, the impression lett on ln'
press being that the negotiations hat
been broken off.
| The rock on which the negotiation:
we're wrecked appears to be that tn'
Legislature instructs the commission tt
perform a specific duty, /. e., to opel
up the Coosaw territory to miners gen
orally. Licenses have been granted u
several companies to mine IN CoosaV
territory under the Act, anc the Stat
cannot now revoke such licenses Win
out impairing its obligations with 1t
licenses.
The genesis of the difficulty ante
dates the phosphate commission: 1t
probably wasting time to crltlclse IN
phosphate commission, which is ere
alton of an Act of the Legislature de
ining both its powers and duties.
Mr.. II. A. NJ. Smith, afterthe session
would not or could not be interviewed
most probably would not Senate
Smythe said that the line Of what b
had to say was included IN the aboy
letter. Mr.. Brotherhood said that n
would probably have roasted cue
for supper, which he said he Woul
dichotomize, so to speak, with this COZ
respondent. The strutnio-camelu;
however, does not usually sup on ca
nards.
AN OFFICIAL REPORT.