The Newberry herald and news. (Newberry, S.C.) 1884-1903, 1897-04-02

REPORTING IN TIIF SOUTH.
"A Newspaper Mans Experiences in Gctting
News for his Paper.
From the Washington POST

A newspaper man who had worked
in the South was telling Star ro-
porter of some of his experiences.
IL notice." he said, "that tho
National Farmers Alliance has been
in session in this city. Now, that
was big political organization five
or six years ago, and its member
ship in Southern and Western
States was largo. Many states.
man wont undcr rs a result of pro
jecking' with tho alliance and rofus-
ing to heed it's demands. The von-
orable statesman from Georgia, Rep
resentativo Lconidas Livingston,
camo into Congress rs result Of
loving the alliance. Senator Till
man, Of South Carolina, rode tho
alliance horse until it carried him
INTO power [ could namo many
others, but it is not necessary to tho
story. What I am telling about
now is the distrust which tho order
and its members have always enter
tanned for newspaper men, especially
at timcs when they aro holding
meetings. Nothing is over givcn
out except through press committees,
rs tho Washington reporters have no
doubt asccrtainod. That used to be
tho fashion with tho county alliances
when they mot. Eight years ago,
when the alliance was nourishing in
a certain Southern State, dctcrmin-
cd to secure tho nows Of county
alliance meeting for tho paper was
thon working OH. Tho alliance mot
in n hall over the livery stable. Ad.
joining tho hall was hay and fod
der loft. | got into this and pro-
pared hole to listen to the p, oceed-
ings. L didn't care anything about
tho secret work, and merely wantod
tho proceedings Oh political subjects.
With hay under mo and haysocds in
front Of mo, | had great timo for
several hours, but got n full story of
what was done. Tho alliance NOM
borshlp in tho county were amazed
and mad. They boycottod my pa
per in every way possible for years
rs a result Of that trick, but the pa
per still exists. Thoro aro many
mon still in Congress-, however, who
still keep with the order, and in
secret way pat it on tho shoulder.
They aro afraid Of it.
"My experiences with this ordor
recalls the fun 1 had, when q very
young man, reporting Republican
ward meetings in tho South. Those
meetings wore attonGcd wholly by
colored citizons, and every man in tho
crowd had his razor with him. Asa
ruie, tho meetings wore held by tho
flicker of dim oil lamps. Two out of
throo timos tho mootings would
break up in row, tho lights would
bo put out and there would bo
scuffling, scrambling and tho scud..
dings of dark figures. At one of
these meetings, after tho scono do
scribod, tho police arrived, and with
lanterns asccrtainod tho situation.
Two or three mon wero lying on tho
hoor, badly whaclSed with razor cuts,
while undor every bench and behind
every box or chair were cltizens who
had sought those places of safety
until tho war was over. After tho
police arrived thoro was gonoral
demand to know who struc, mo on
the headf' and who done that foul
lick while I was trying to prosorvo
poaco" Representative George
Murray, tho colored member of tho
House, represents district whore
SUCH things occurred frequently years
ago. These disturbances often came
about over tho rulings of tho chair
man, but the colored citizen now un-
derstands the parliamentary tactics
better, and the chairman is never in
30 dangerous predicamont. This
also reminds mo that I have trayell-
ed through portions of Mr.. Murray's
district without seeing white face.
1t ls known as black district be-
cause Of the unusual predominanco
OF colored people. This is especially
so in the rice folds back from tho
coast This section is so full of ma
laria that the white man cannot live
in it. White ovorseers 90 to the