The Abbeville messenger. (Abbeville, S.C.) 1884-1887, 1886-07-20
A RARE SPEECH.

." u SSS" q WY "PSSN'
delivered before baskerville Grange, by
one Of it's members, upon The Condition
Of the Statc--February 18th, 1885,
AT least thus the title page runs.
We have rarely seen a more unique
production than this speech. The
writer apears to nave been laboring for
years under an accumulation Of gall
and bitterness which has found vent in
this curious illumination nov before MS.
He undertakes to show how horribly
poor degraded and corrupt South Caro-
lima is. Positively a stranger readin.
this document would look upon this
State US a Golgotha-a place Of skulls.
Now such q base SANDER shall not go
unanswered. This reckless speaker,
after depicting the natural advantages
Of the State proceeds to say. Yet in the
face Of all these great natural blessings.
your people are leaving the State by the
train load, md many thousands who are
left behind are hardly able to pay the
heavy taxes assessed upon them. You
are almost without schools. your chill
dren are growing up in ignorance and the
moral growth and intellectual develop
ment Of the masses are thus dwar(ed
and curbed. Your fine water power is
idle, your majestic forests stand unused ;
and your productive soil yields barely
enough to give the people a half liv-
ing"
A falser picture was never conceived
by human mind or drawn by human
hand than that. 1t is not true that the
people are leaving by the train load.
Nor was it true when this speech
was delivered. Many negroes deluded
by the artful stories Of railroad agents
went West. But their going was in no
wise an indication Of the dire straits
above depicted. 1t is not true that We
are without schools. Good schools.
public and private, abound all owe the
land, and he is a fool if not a knave,
who does not acknowledge that he per
centage Of educated people is largely
increased in this State. Our children
are not growing up in ignorance. South
Carolina does as much as almost any
State in the Union for the cause Of edu-
cation and the records prove it. 1t is
not true that our water power is idle.
Graniteville, Fairmont, Vaucluse, Lang
ley, Bath, Piedmont, Pelzer, Huguenot.
Clifton, Rock Hill, and many other
profitable manufacturing enterprises
prove how false is this charge. Nor is
our soil improductive. and our forests
unused? Industries Of the nature of
wagon, barrel and stave factories ale
using the one and labor saving machi-
merry, diversified agriculture and educa-
ted farmers are developing the other.
South" Carolina is on the road to pros
perity, and the people themselves will
admit it.
Apparently assuming that nobody
would deny his misstatements our ora.
tor proceeds to explain why "this is
thus" and how his explanation would
delight the soul of our brother Of the
Press and Banner. Indeed we think
tho latter must haye seen this remark
able efusion before he wrote those
Astounding, overwhelming, extraurdi-
nary and ridiculous editorials last week
on lawyers and a "Legalized Aristocracy'
This baskerville orator with a grandi-
iloquence Of style and language which
is appalling ; after working up the read
er to a point Of expectancy and curiosity
that is excruciating that the
cause of all his fancied evil is, "Bour.
bonism." YES" he says, This blood
sucking cepbalopod is verify your
trouble.''
Cephaiopod That's good Where did
you get it But he goes further and
says more. And its (the Cephalopod's.
we suppose) champions are principally
the legal fraternity, a set Of third class
lawyers, who can always find enough
Office hunting farmers that are willing TO
play the hyprocrite and %demagogue inl
each county to make up the necessary !
corps of local hench,nan.' What a wan
ton fling and insult at the farmer who
dares to offer for Office. He becomes at
once q henchman Of some "third class
lawyer" Al least no other inference is
to be deduced from the words of this
speaker
Bah how sick and tired we have