Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1885-08-27
5f1istellaueums &eading.
a VIOLENT SOUTH CAROLINIAN.

A
In the course of debate in the House in
MAY, 1886, on the fortification bill, Mr..
Cambreling, of New York, speaking of the
prevailing bloated condition of affairs, de-
clared that "the whole nation was now one
common gambling house." The next day
Mr.. Pickens, of South Carolina mounted
the rostrum and in speech of great ability,
abounding in historical illusions and "odo-
rOus" comparisons, alluded to Mr.. Cambre-
ling's remark, and inquired 'Who made it
soW Then he charged the administration
with the responsibility of all the ills with
which the country was afflicted. "Sycophan-
cy and servility," he said, have taken the
place of all the heroic and manly virtues.
The rocks, together with obscene birds have
perched themselves in the high places Of
the land, and we sit here beneath surround
ed daily with their filth and corruption.
Office holders (noW become miserable de-
pendents) and office seekers infest every
turn and corner; and let it be known thatan
man has influence, from his being the tool
of those who have patronage to confer, and
he is, overwhelmed with the bowling and
cringing of these slaves and beggars. Crowds
of miserable, hungry beings creepand crawl,
in the darkness of midnight, through the
hidden recesses and gloomy avenues that
lead up to the throne of royal favor. These
creatures, generated as they are in despot-
ism, are pervading the country and becom-
ing more Ioathsome than the creeping lice
days of Gods judgments. This, sir, is the
reform with which we are blessed" Far
ther on he declared that "this is the reign
of Cesar" and although he knew of no one
with the fine talents and requirements OF
Mark Anthony, he thought we had "many
with his profigracy and abandoned prlncl-
ples." For Lepidus he pointed to r. M.
Johnson, of Kentucky, for Octavlus to Mar
tin Van Buren, the Vice President land
chosen favorite of him who has trampled
upon the liberties of his country"
This, it must be admitted, was rather
strong language for man who was elected
to Congress as the supporter of the admin
istration. But those South Carolinians al
ways were queer people and ready to boil
over at moments notice, as they did at
Kings Mountain, and Ninety-Six, and the
EutaWs. For there is in South Carolina
vet, "for all that is come and gone," a great
deal of the fiery old blood of Touraine and
La Vendee, that, in the days Of the Froude
under the great Conde and the brave Colig-
nv, Waged such an internecine war against
the church and crown. Add to these fair
proportion of the descendants of the old
Scotch covenanters and sprinkling OF
Highlanders in the hill country to say
nothing of the Anglo-Americans pure and
simple, and we can easily perceive what an
explosive mixture is produced. The nitro
glycerine thus evolved generated old Moul-
ttrie, Sumter, Marion and Campbell, Hagen,
the rescuer of Lafayette, Wade Hampton,
Wigfall and the rest. AS a people they
have been full of intellect, full of culture
and full of ight-all premonitory symptoms
of insanity. When a stranger in Columbia
during the war inquired of Mr.. Pettigrew
the way to the lunatic asylum, he directed
him to the State House, where the Legisla-
ture was in session, with the remark !:
''They are all as mad as March hares there,
every devil of them."-Ben. Per(ey Poore.
u1zz=.&... T Of this