The times and democrat. [volume] (Orangeburg, S.C.) 1881-current, 1910-08-09
MEETING AT ELLOREE.
RICHARD CARROLL IN ORANGE.
BURG COUNTY.
aHe Tells Of the Colored and White
Farmers And Of the Good and
ne Editor of The State.
Bad Crops He Saw.

came in buggies, in wagons and on
the train from Orangeburg, Is miles
away, also from Paxville and Sum-
merton in Clarendon county, from
Holly Hill in Berkeley county, and
from Calhoun county. They came
from the. surrounding country for
25 miles.
1t was next to impossible for my
voice to reach this great crowd OF
people. There were, by proper esti-
nation, at.-least 5000 people pres
ent.
A policeman told me that he had
made only four arrests, and that the
men arrested were simply drunk.
There were two bands of music,
country bands they were, and the
crowd seemed so delighted to hear
the thrilling strains that if there
were any disposed to disorder they
were made to forget it, and the day
passed off without single distur-
bance. A more peaceful, orderly,
and contented audience have not
seen anywhere in South Carolina.
Nearly everybody here plant corn
on the Williamson style, and the
corn fields along the road are abun-
dant for the harvest. The lands in
this section of Orangeburg county
are good and easy to work. 1t is
unsurpassed by any in the State ex-
cepL that of Marlboro county. You
can meet several ,colored farmers
who make rs, 80 and so bales of
cotton. The man with whom I stop
ped, r. L. Williams, planted 60 acres
in cotton this year and expects to
get sixty bales. I met two colored
men each of whom owns 1000 acres
of land. These were Rev. John
Wright of Holly Hill and G. W. Jen-
kins Of Bowman. Each informed me
that not a scratch Of the pen is over
his land. Some boasted Of having
old corn. Peter Parlor, Of Ellorse,
says that he has enough of last years
corn to last until next April He
also has IN his smokehouse plenty OF
homemade bacon and lard.
After I had finished my speech
different farmers Of the county
took the stand and began to tell
their experience about farming, how
they made their crops. Peter Parler
handed me a stalk Of cotton half full
OF grown bolls and stalk Of corn
with two large ears on 1t These were
held !ap to thv crowd that they
might see what a crop he has. I
thought it the finest had seen this
year, but Josh Darby Of Calhoun
jumped upon the stage and point-
ing to Parler's cotton, said: Dat
cott'n is not es good es de poest cot
TN in my fell calls dat trash cott'n
to what Use got. I got tirty-five ak
ers, an most Of it is es high as my
mule. cultivated it wild manuer an
juaner and wild de sence dat God
gimme, an eff you niggers don be-
leve what I says ak de white folks
who lives close ter me-"
About this time many Of the far
mers began to put questions to Dar-
by and wanted to know how he
plowed his cotton. He replied, II
begins to cultivate my. cott'n by
plowin' in December. You niggers is
tryin' to pick on me terr-day, but
you won't git no fedders. didn't
came here to peece no. gyarment. "
This was one of the most interesting
conoquys from Industrious negroes
from negroes who really know
how to FARM have ever listened
to.
R. L. Williams, chairman Of the
meeting told me he was for several
ing told me that he was for several
years postmaster at Elloree at a SAL
ary Of $500 year, but gave it up for
bigger position-the "ofice Of
farming" as he called it. He said
to me, my Office is bigger than the
postofhce. So far as am concerned
the white people can have all the
Offices. Let me have my place on
the farm, where can live happy"
He took me for an early morning
drive, before the time for speaking,
and showed me fields cultivated, not
only by negroes, but by white people
also. He showed me some of the
finest cotton made in Orangeburg
county.
Like many other sections of South
Carolina the Elloree section has nc
groes who read the papers. The
Times and Democrat has a large cir
culation. The semi-weekly State, the
weekly News and Courier, and the
Among Colored papers The Peoples
Recorder has the majority of read
ers. They read also the Light and the
Southern Reporter. The Times and
Democrat has strong hold on the
negroes of Orangeburg county, as
well as The Peoples Recorder.
There is one colored merchant in
the town of Elloree, Robert Green,
who is doing thriving business.
Rev. d. A. Christie, presiding elder
in the A. NJ. E. Church, is a man
who breaches sound doctrine and is
doing all he can for the uplift of the
people of his race. He presides in this
district 'rhera are other Strono