The Sumter banner. [volume] (Sumterville, S.C.) 1846-1855, 1854-02-08

VIVA. lnc courtier Is 10 the King,
a shameless, selfish sycophant, pouring
"leProus dis,ilmcnt" into tho cars Of
vanity and lust, and bctaying the mas.
ter whose bread he eats. Let MS be.
ware, gentlemen, ofthe dcmaeouue at
home. lis coming bctidcs ruin to
the Republic, and his triumph is com
Plete when liberty, and honor have
descended TO the tomb. Against all
such it is the duty of the patriot to
raise his Constant voice. To 90, like
aged Solon, when the usurper Pcisistra.
tus destroyed the liberties Of Athens
into the: streets and market place, ex-
'horting the people to resistance, and
when this failed, he put on his armor,
and stood before the door Of his house
and nobly exclaimed, 81 have done my
duty, have sustane to the best of
my power, my country and the laws:
le have yourselves put force and do
minion into the hands of these men, and
have .hus drawn wretchcd slavery
upon yourselves"
Such is the position Of the North
consequent upon the condition into
which the absence Of an inferior race
has brought them. The people cor
rupt the politicians, and are in turn
corrupted by them, until society be-
comes radical, and government verges
towards anarchy.
Turn, then, to the South. See what
a grand part her in nial class performs
in social and political developments
True, their voices are not beard in
drunken shouts in our public meetings
and the galleries Of our Legislatures,
cheering on the. demagogue. They
cannot exercise the SO called frcemcn's
brthright, and vote down law, proper
ty and 'iod, and vote up anarchy, rob
berry and the devil. They cannot read
and write, and thus become no wiser,
ifno worse. They are not the blind
instruments. of the radical subvcrtcr.
They do not lower over society, like
mountain wolves, ready for blood
and destruction. No, gentlemen, the
slave of the South had higher priviEc
gcs and duties than these. Guided
and protected by a superior race, his
great product whitcns every quay. ard
shelters from san and snow the reno.
test nations of men. And while thus
filling the sphere in which God and
reason have placed them, he cngralts
upon the superior race, that high
spitit cf conservatism, which as before
stated, is SO esscnta. to the citizens of
a Republic.
This is the distinguishing attribute of
the South. In the language Of Burke,
"we are not the converts of Rousseau;
| we arc not the disciples Of Noltaire :;
/ llclvctius has made no progress among
MS. Atheists are not our preachers :;
madncn are not our law givcrs. We
know that are have made no discove-
ries and We think no discoveries are
to he made IL morality, nor many in
the great principles Of liberty, which
were understood long before we were
born, altogether Us well as they will
be after the grave has heapcd its mould
upon our presumption, and the silent
tomb shall have imposed lis law OH
our pert loqnacity."
But, gentlemen, there is another
conservatism, Of which it BELTS me to
speak. If the past is to be sacred
against reckless innovation. much more
arc the rights it has given us, to Lc
watched and defended. Cherish this
conservatism, and there is career
in the tu ire for the South, the like of
which the eye OF he prophet hath not
seen. nor poet sung. Let not the
coming student read of lis with mingled
sorrow and surprise, that there once
existed on this Continent, Il mighty and
free people, furnished with all the clc
mcnts of Il splcudid and lasting civili-
zt,inn, Yet for want of little vigilance
and courage, f"ititcd br,hright and
iorsook their trust. Let the History
of the South be quoted, not a< terror
and warning, but rather let it rise
like some tower Of rock. ia: out upon
the distant hcadland, whose light amid
storm and fog, shall guide the future
wanlercr.
ClassInatcs-a few years ago, there
stood upon n shore, little band Of
young travellers just preparing to en-
bark. fall of hope, and bounding i'm.
pulses. They lad slept and suppcd,
and journeyed together, and common
objects had vi ted them into close
brotherhood. They were about TO
part company. each to his own dcsti
nation. Their sails were set, and pro-
pit!ous breczes woocd thcm to be gone.
They stood awhile gazing into each
others faces, and in the spirit of the
OCCASION, they pledged to meet again,
on the spot Of sep ration, to refresh
old friendships. and tell over the Incl
dents and fortunes ofintervenng years.
Classmacs-This is the SPOT, this is
the day, and sca arc those travelIcrs.-
But they are not all here Some have
iuintcd BY the roadsiLc-some ply their
fortunes under distant skies, some are
bntlcttcd by rude winds and cannot
come, and some have passed away. !
Look among you and ask for Logan,
who left us with so many regrets, and
such high promise; for Rodgers, so well
estccne by those who knew hini; for
Sparks, the true hearted and generous;
for Butler who braveIy exchanged the