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PAGE TEN MISS SARAH JANE CRAWFORD DIES AT THE AGE OF 94 YEARS. * Member of Noted Family Passes Away at Homestead Near Ap pling—Was Remarkable Woman. (Special Dispatch to The Journal.) Harlem, Ga. r Aug. 2.—Miss Sarah Jane Crawford died this morning at the Crawford homestead, near Ap pling, in Columbia county, at the age of 94 years. She is survived by her sister, Miss Pemelia, aged 88; her brother, Mr. Nathan Crawford, of Lincolnton, aged 84, and her nephews, Mr. Remsen Crawford, the author, and Dr. W. H. Crawford, of Lincoln ton, a physician. THhe death of Miss Sarah Jane Crawford removes the oldest and best loved person in Columbia county, and one of the most remarkable women in the state. The scene of her death was also the place of her birth. She was born in the Crawford homestead, which has been continuously occu ied by Crawfords for over 125 years. At the time of her death, Miss Crawford was surrounded by her im mediate kin, and a number of warm friends from all sections of the coun ty. She has been in failing health for some time, and her death was the result of a complication of trou bles too much for her old age. Miss Sarah Jane Crawford was a cousin of the late distinguished Wil liam Harris Crawford, who failed of election as president of the United States by a single vote, and whom Napoleon stamped as the greatest man he had ever met. Talked of Distinguished Cousin. “We remember William H. Craw ford very well,” said Miss Sarah Jane to Governor Hoke Smith, upon the occasion of his visit to the Craw ford homestead during the campaign. “He w T as our cousin, and lived in this county. He was getting along in years, however, when we —Pemelia and I —were young ladies, and died in Elbert county before we knew much of him or his doings as a statesman. ’ 1 When Governor Smith visited the Misses Crawford, April 23, 1906, he was en route from Lincolnton to Ap pling. He was accompanied by Dr. W. H. Crawford, and the pleasant stop at the Crawford homestead came as a pleasant surprise to him. The following is taken from an ac count of the governor’s visit to the Misses Crawford, written for The Journal at the time: As Dr. Crawford and Mr. Smith approached the house, the door opened and there, standing in the door, with her hands folded in front, was a beautiful woman —a woman nearly ninety years of age —with well preserved features, set off by pretty snow white hair. And she was so glad to see the doctor and to meet his distinguished friend. Inside the room, in an easy chair, was seated even a more remarkable woman—a woman ninety-three years of age, but still enjoying fairly good health, active and energetic enough to manage one of the largest planta tions in Columbia county. She, too, was glad to meet the doctor, and to make the acquaintance of his friend. The Misses Crawford. Mr. Smith himself expressed pleas ure at meeting two of the most re markable women in Georgia—the Misses Crawford. Miss Sarah Jane Crawford, aged ninety-three, and Miss Pemelia Crawford, aged eighty eight years —these were the women the candidate for governor had met, and these were the women, who, de spite their age and the remote loca tion of their home from a railroad,- sat for an hour or more and discussed the political campaign with interest. Dr. Crawford presented the wom en, one after the other. “I am so glad to meet you, Mr. Smith,” said Miss Sarah Jane, at tempting to arise from her chair. “I have been reading about your wonderful campaign, and I am for you. I have been lectioneering for you ever since you announced and you will get the five votes on my plantation.” “Yes, Mr. Smith,” added Miss Pemelia, “the Crawfords of Colum bia county are for you for governor, and you know we are all politicians. I think you will carry Columbia, all right. ’ ’ Dr. Crawford is the nephew of the Misses Crawford, the son of Uncle Nathan Crawford, who’ though eighty three years old, is one of the leading and most active men in the adjoin ing county of Lincoln, and he plan ned to agreeably surprise Mr. Smith by having him spend the night at the home of his remarkable aunts. He had informed them that Mr. Smith would be their guests on that partic ular Monday night. “We were afraid you were not coming,” remarked Miss Sarah Jane. “We waited supper a long time, but finally Pemelia and I became so hun gry we could wait no longer. How ever, w T e put something aside for you all, and if you haven’t had your sup per we will gladly sene you.” And that night Hoke Smith ate a delightful meal from a mahogany ta ble which had been in service for nearly one hundred years, from which the hostesses ate their meals when little children. And he slept in a bed, a big, old-fashioned mahogany bed, older than either of the women. An Old, Old Residence. The Crawford homestead is the oldest in Columbia county. It has been standing over 125 years, during all of which time a Crawford has occupied it. The house is a large one, and is still in first-class condition, the landlord, Miss Sarah Jane, de lighting in keeping it in repair. The residence sits at the top of a high hill, and from the broad veran da in front the scenery is grand. The road may be seen for miles winding its way in either direction until it seems a small ribbon and is finally lost in the woods on either side in the distance. Just across the road is the spring —the spring from which the Craw fords have for over a century been obtaining all of their water for do mestic use. It is at the bottom of a steep decline, and there about the spring may be seen the wash tuhs, the tops and the ash hooper. In the yard immediately In front* of the house flowers of many colors may be seen in profusion. Miss Pemelia takes a pride, a delight in cultivating flowers. Miss Sarah Jane, Farmer. The plantation is the property of WATSON’S WEEKLY JEFFERSONIAN. Miss Sarah Jane. Miss Pemelia has her money invested in Georgia rail road bonds. The former manages the farm and assumes all of the respon sibilities. She has an overseer to ex ecute her orders, but she attends to all the financing, says what shall be planted, the number of acres in cot ton, the number in corn, etc. And, too, she says when the cotton shall be sold, and directs the expenditures. Even while Mr. Smith was at the home, Miss Sarah Jane excused her self long enough to direct the pay ment of certain bills and to exam ine receipts for money she had had the overseer expend that day. Women Well Informed. “Yes, we are well informed,” said Miss Sarah Jane, “but not nearly so well as we w’ould like to be. You see, we are getting old —I am 93 and my sister is 88 —and we can’t see to read as in years gone by. We get The Atlanta Journal here, and man age to keep up with the times.” Miss Sarah Jane remarked that she felt very well, although she suf fered at times from rheumatism, and Mi«s Pemelia had a like complaint. Mr. Smith left the Crawford homestead the following morning, after a good breakfast, and the sis ters followed him to the front door to bid him goodby and wish him suc cess in his campaign. SOME GOOD THOUGHTS. To the Editor of The Georgian: As the Fourth of July is approach ing, the date when we celebrate an nually the birth of this nation, it seems appropriate to call attention to that document which converted the thirteen colonies into an independent, self-governing community. Os course, every schoolboy knows that the doc ument referred to is the “Declara tion of Independence.” But very few schoolboys, and, for that matter, very few grown citizens of this country, are as intimately acquainted as they ought to be with the principles laid down in that immortal document which created this nation. On the principles laid down in that immor tal declaration, this nation was found ed. It is for the realization of these principles that the Constitution of the United States was afterwards formulated. And it is for the real ization of these principles merely, that any constitution or laws of this countiy, whether state or national,"' ought to be enacted, and ought to serve. We have long’recognized the fact that any law enacted in conflict with the constitution of the state or na tion is void. The constitution of a state or of the nation purports to set forth and safeguard the rights and duties of the individual and of the community to each other. And any law’s, which are rules and regulations, enacted by the people through their delegates or representatives, must conform to the principles laid down in the constitu tion, and any law in conflict there with would be void. No law has any binding force if in conflict with the constitution; that is, with the rights and duties of the individuals and the community to each other, as laid down in the con stitution. It seems almost superfluous to call special attention to this well recog- nized principle, that any law in con flict with the constitution is void. In fact, it has gone so far, that we have made a fetich of our consti tution, especially of our national con stitution. We have lost sight of the fact that the constitution of the United States is merely a device for carrying into effect the principles of the “Decla ration of Independence.” As no creature can rise superior to its cre ator, so any interpretation of the provisions of the constitution, whether state or national, in conflict with the principles laid down In the “Declara tion of Independence,” is a perver sion of the spirit of this country, is against the safeguarded rights of the individual, fundamentally wrong and void. Not the constitution of the United States, but the “Declaration of In dependence,” and the principles laid down in that document, which called this nation into existence, is the fountain-head from which all con stitutions and laws in this land de rive their authority, and to whose spirit they must conform, to be in harmony with the spirit of this coun try and binding on its citizens, indi vidually and collectively. Never let us forget for a moment that the cit izens of this country are the country, and that there ought to be only real self-government “of the people, by the people, for the people ’’; and that interpretations of the constitution in any "ways conflicting with this, or with any of the principles of the “Declaration of Independence,” con stitute a usurpation of pow’er, a tyranny not to be tolerated in this republic. It is a curious fact that the “De claration of Independence” cannot be found in any text books of our primary schools. Every child, I sup pose (I am not certain) is taught that there was such an event as the declaration of independence, but of the real contents of this document, which ought to be the supreme law of the land, not one citizen in a hun dred, I may say, has any real concep tion, and net one in a thousand has any accurate, intimate knowledge. It is this shameful condition of things which prompts me to suggest that the full text of the “Declara tion of Independence” ought -to have a prominent place in the text books of our schools, and that the words and the spirit of that document ought to be in the zealous care of every teach er, to be made by him into an inte gral part of the brain and spirit of the future cititen of this republic. CARL HENRICH. —Atlanta Georgian It looks as if Tom Watson has about cornered Bishop Candler on the prohibition question. The bishop may have been a prohibitionist all of his life, but he has certainly made some great blunders. When the Willingham bill was up for passage, in the Senate a few years ago, a card from Bishop Candler in which he declared for local option, was used by one of the leaders who opposed the bill and made the text for his entire speech. He used what the bishop had said as an argument against a state prohibition bill.—Talbotton New Era.