The news and herald. (Winnsboro, S.C.) 1877-1900, 1895-12-12

They are going to let US alone and If
| We don't pile en- too much aain,!s Cpl
busoae pariti Il attempting TO assert
Our sovereignty they Will let US nave
considerable elbow room.
But they are E queer people, especl-
ally under the rule Of Tom Reed, who
at the present stands the best caanee
Of being the next President Of the
United States, and if be is, ! tremble
st what may happen. I was laughing
the other day with some gentlemen at
the idea Of anybody quoting the Con
stitution Of the United States to LON
Reed, if he were President. rs is
very ambitious man, but there is many
slip betwixt the cup and the lip aud
: better fate may be in store Tor this
country than to have such dangerous
man fer President.
T could go oa ana enlarge on this
theme Il I had drea-ned that it vas the
pleasure Of tbs convention to listen to
ne. II I ha5 had any idea that it vas
the pleasure of the gentlemen to call
on me I would have presented other
silver Innings to the cloud that hcTers
over us. I do not despair for the re-
public. I cannot believe that the great
God above US is going to desert this
people and turn 1t over to anarchy or
civil war. T believe in the sober Sec
ond thought CT the great ADglo-Sazon
race, who will decide their differences
at the ballot boxes rather than with
the cartridge. I believe that VIC are
going to have a new alignment Of po-
litical parties. There is no telling
what parties or factions We will have
in the fnture. None Of us need make
any rash promises or assume any ex-
treme positions as to where We Will be
one year hence il politics. Z believe
new political parties will be organized.
Democracy is rot dead. It's principles
are eternal, and the principles an
nounced by Jefferson, the great father
Of it, in his frst message in 1901, have
been the political bible Of freemen
Throughout the world; it IS their bible
to-day, and all that We have to do is to
teach our boys and young men those
principles and let them always refer to
them as the test Of every public man
and public measure. We may join the
Republican party down here for mo-
ti7es Of policy. I sometimes think
that if we had joined the Republican
party Just after the war it might have
been better for us, but We could not do
it. We were too honest and too proud.
We had to come down sorter by
degrees.
Now our party has been almost dis
banded by the treachery OF Cleveland,
and the policy oitbe Republican party.
There is 10 change Of heart il. them.
They never went back or the negro
from principle; it wss policy. Their
gold bugs would insist that SILVER
should be destroyed ss money, and
their own people revolted att because
they were rot willing to have white
slavery established by those who wish
ed to regulate wages by controlling the
amount Of money in circulation. Thet
is what saved US once; it is what saves
Us now. It is what will save us for
many years in the future, which shows
that God in his mysterious way works
out things to the right end in the long
run. There are general causes which,
under the same circumstances, with
the same men, will work out the same
results. Those causes have been at
work for our good as well as for our
harm in some respects.
Mr. President, this is perhaps the
last time I shall ever talk in celbera-
tive assembly Of my countrymen. I
am done with public life. As I re-
marked on previous occasion, I have
enjoyed far more than the average
share Of public honor. My ambitions
have been gratifed. have nothing
to regret except that could not do
more for ny country.
IN our debates here perhaps may,
in the heat Of the moment, hsve said
things in a tone Of irritation or made
remarks that lad better, not been
uttered There was no personal feel
ing if did so. Il was but the impulse
OF an honest heart trying 10 speak the
truth as it was understood by ne. II
7 have hurt any members feelings in
any way, either in debate Or in free
personal intercourse, I beg bis pardon.
For the few years that are LETT me-, Sir,
7 shall always cherish the renen-
brances Of this convention with pleas
ure. ! believe l speak what every
member on this floor feels in his heart
when I soy from the first day when We
met here to the present hour, the con-
vention has become more and more
consolidated as one man, and inspired
by one purpose, stimulated by one
effort, to do the best we could for our
old mother State, showing that We
never have been divided on principle
daring the last six yeors of strife, and
that our politics have been based upon
men ard not measures, personalities
and not principles, and true Democ-
racr rs defined by Jefferson demands
measures no! men.
It must be source of great gratifi-
cat;or to every member here and to
their constituents at home to see with
what unanimity. with what Courteous
ness and yet with what independence
of action their representatives in this
body have madethe Constitution which
We have just ratified. It is rainbow
Of lope that the State may hereafter
he united as in the past, as one nan.
For, remember, my countrymen, it
took ell the efforts We could lay forth
in IS, and foG many years thereafter,
to control this State; and ii we become.
divided. as I fear VIC may oe, and as l
r. &A