The watchman and southron. [volume] (Sumter, S.C.) 1881-1930, 1895-03-27

near nowadays Oh Tue SIcdl lcilIPci
ance question. The d%ispensary sys
tenn seems to nave killed the temper
ance question beyond hope of an
early resurrection.
Would a foreign war be beneficial!
to this country !? Some people think
SC, but how or why they do not say
Perhaps they expect the American
soldiers to c~oniscate all the silver
spoons aud such things they a find
in the country they invade.
When Gov. Evans vents his wrath
by abusing the Charleston %juries, we
think of McLaurin's letter-''pranc-
ing around, squirting one eye, cuss-
ing. playing Ben Tillman."
When the Populist party is formed in
South Carolina there will be many
cbanges-in leaders most especially.
Col. Dargan may start with the move
meut, but some Tillman will lead it
aud get the Offices. Watch
Sumter County has sent four men to
the State Conference of the Forty, and
stands prepared to accept what is good
that results from the Conference, but
will not be bound by any action that
the Conference may take. The people
of Sumter are thoroughly independent.
and will never again be go foolish as to
tic their hands 10 advance. We stand
ready to accept what appears to be for
our best interests, or to reject what is
repuguaut to US. That is the sentiment
in Sumter County in a nutshell.
The rapid advance in the price of
cotton within the past ten days
should rot induce any farmer to in
crease his cotton acreage, for we are
satisfied that the price Of cotton is
controlled absolutely by spectators.
within certain limits. By combina-
tons they can depress the cotton
market from one to two cents per
pound or cause it to advance at their
pleasure. AS long as there is an
over production of cotton the spccu-
lators have the producers at their
mercy and can manipulate the market
with greater facility, therefore it is
to the interest of the spectators
that there be no material reduction
in the acreage. In consequence it
is the custom to advance the price of
cotton at the planting ease and by
every other means seek to induce
the planters to increase their acreage
rather than curtail it. The present
advance is believed by a great many
of the best informed to be purely
speculative and the farmers are
warned not to be deceived. A large
cotton crop will still further depress
the cotton market and will next fall
leave the country in even worse con.
dition than at present; while a re-
duced acreage and a much larger pro-
vision crop will place the cotton
market on better footing aud leave
the country more Independent OF cot
ton than at any time since the war.
The Charleston bar has ceased to
be a barrier to commerce, but the
city does not regain the position she
once held in the world of trade. What
Charleston will be in future depends
upon the business men of the city. If
they do not make a greater effort to
build up a larger importing and ex-
porting trade, and secure better rail
road connections with the interior,
the future of the city will be but a re.
petition of the present-a bare hold
ing on to what they get in the past.
The movement, originating in Knox
vile, Tenn to build a road from the
west direct to Charleston should be
met more than half way by Charles
ton. Charleston claims to have
plenty Of idle money in her banks
and her capitalists are said to be
seeking investments for their wealth.
The road from the west is what
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