The Pickens sentinel. [volume] (Pickens, S.C.) 1871-1903, 1894-06-21
most part left behind-Lhe world has

oAuIlou Wy IHOSo WHO WlCKeQlY or from
want of sympathetic appreciation op-
pose the change its success involves the
more Is It's human passion lashed, its
flood tides Of wrath piled up, it's power
to overcome increased by mutation Of
more delicate energies into the resist
Less energy of rude violence. Could
the conscientious men who fight it at
every step until it's spent force bursts
with destructive fury see the good in
it and unite 20 strengthen tho hands of
the conservative revOlutionlsts who
seek only this good, the step forward in
the worlds progress would he taken
without lncurring the lameness that
usually results and impedes its making
the most of Its new vantage ground.
Since now we have reached point In
the progress Of the pending revolution
to see with some distinctness q worthy
goal, which must now soon become
more and more visible, it Is our duty
to speed its attainment In our own
State we shall remove fretting obsta-
Gle, we shall give counsel in friendship
(and In no other guise will 1T be heed.
ed) to discard cxcrescent fallacies, to
sooth brutal violence, to guide most
and with least possible Incl.
dental evil the great Truth to It's throne
O) When one has come to think,
then one cannot desire a complete re.
turn to the quiet, unenterprising lead.
ership that was succeeded by the pres
enC toment. The country is In the
throes Of travail to bring forth a better
order Of things, and there are now few
who 40 not look forward, more or less
vaguely, to now birth that will be
blessing We would not wholly change
doctors and risk a miscarriage. What
ever personal repugnaGce we NAV
still have for such doctors, (not of our
chooslnR) we feel certain unacknow-
Legged, but self-asserting faith that in
the divine Providence they are the
men for the time until better men
nave caught the proper inspiration. 1t
Is foolish, stitf-necked pride to refuse
TO recognize that great popular move
ments are due to the blind, but divine
ly guided instinct, of the masses, which.
In obedience to the law Of evolution,
directs them ON truer lines than the
reason of the wisest statesman could
have mapped out in advance. "The
people as mass, have DO understand.
ing, but an unfailing instinct" Yet,
especially. after the darkly cropping
stage has been passed, there Is need of
the light of all the Intelligence that
can be brought to bear. "ro recognizes.
try and guide this ins ;inct is the func
tlon Of a statesman" The "brain and
leadership" Of the minority" In our
State are like Achilles sulking in his
camp, If in this great crisis they fail to
put themselves in touch with the peo.
pie and to put forth their powers for a
victory that shall bring honor to the
whole State.
Ii the fore going find response in the
inner conscfousness Of once ardent
cleveland Democrats, once violent de-
nouncers OF the Alliance, once bitter
haters of Tillman and Tilimanism.
then it Is the part of honesty and cour.
age. of patriotism and self-interest
alike to speak out and work for the
success of these ideas. If the
national administration should
yet give ground for endorse
ment we can rally to 1t, but the best
hops of such action by it depends OF
widespread and out spoken detection
from 1t. At present, however, firmly
believe that a great movement for q
new party is surely coming, that our
Conservatives lind it now hard to re.
slst sympathy with 1t and cannot
much longer, and that it is now their
duty to examine themselves, to refuse
to be content with half-hearted with
me too's," to clarity their thoughts
and speedily and vigorously assume q
positive attitude. We are slaves to
TilIman If his attitude must determine
ours, II his choice precludeS our MAX
ing the same choice.
Another thought carries force and
qualification. a semi. superstition be-
lief often decides conviction, as does a
favorite prejudice. OF late we have
been ashamed of South Garolina-a
most unWonted and painful emotion
for a South Carolinian. Meantime, in
jest, a strange analogy was pointed out
as apparent law Of her history: "South
Carolina goes mad every thirty years.
After the laugh there has lurked a.
thought that brought twinge
lneXtricable from our minds
Is the association of 1880 and 1860 with
the glorious assertion OF great princi-
Piles. Could there be, hidden from our
view, q principle in the third "mad''
movement? In the midst of 80 much
that we abhor, can 1t be that our little
State is taking her stand Tin obedience
to fate, which has always assigned her
the van) as the leader in great struQ-
gle that shall become famed in history
and extolled by menp Could it bep
Should we have retarded 1t, have we no
share In winning for her her deserved
place Of honor? How was it in 1890
AS bitter differences of opinion prevail.
ed then AS now, but what tho majority
did was the act of the State
and, as her collective decis.
ion, 1t has been euloglzed by us
from State pride, if not from Intelligent
thought was the elimination OF
much the same fight, and in thirty
years the people had come to be nearly
unanimous. Yet there was still ear.
nest individual disapproval of tho act
of the majority, though private opinion
yielded to the public purpose. Peace
has Its duties as we'll as war, and this
may be time that demands of loyal
citizens concurrence in the general
purpose Of the State. ] admit that
these answers and this suggested
ground for concurrence are hardly to be
accepted by the mind until individual
opinion has come to degree or approy-
al Of general purpose
Let us snake ourselves together and
try to contribute to the correct solution
Of the problem that is before the
country--for we no longer doubt that
there is problem pressing for immedi-
ate solution. Let us join the great
South Carolina Movement to reform
l I..I .N....