The watchman and southron. [volume] (Sumter, S.C.) 1881-1930, 1897-07-07

But when | discovered tnat no one
from the south was lifting hand in
her defense l was absolutely con-
founded Financially speaking, the
south was on her knees to the north
and east, and submitting without
protest to the most dastardly system
of plundering that Yankee shrewd
ness could devise l tried to con-
vince myself that was wrong. that
these conditions were natural and
right, but utterly failed in the at
tempt The more | thought of it the
more firmly was / convinced of the
outrage. Day after day, week after
week our committee room and the
corridors of the Capitol were crowd
ed with eastern and northern men
seeking government favors for their
different industries They were Gun
ming. bold and threatening, and they
usually carried their point. Was the
south represented No, indeed !;
from all appearances it mad neither
part nor lot in the proposed legis'a
ton. After time my southern
blood began to assert itself. | could
quietly submit no longer to see my
section and people l represented
plundered without making protest
| finally concluded 10 make stand
for the material interests of the south.
to make fight for the pocketbooks
of my constituents
"There are two ways of getting
equal rights one is to take away
from the other fellow the rights that
he ought not to have, the other is to
demand the same rights yourself
equality before the law, MIR Chair
man From that day until the pres
ent time | have made the best fight |
could upon these lines, aud so help
me God, if permitted. shall con.
tinue the contest until the people OF
the south are privileged to stand
upon an equality with the people OF
other sections under the laws of this
nation. The speech | made last
March was the first speech ever
made on that floor denouncing the
sectional features Of our tariff legis
lation and demanding equal and ex
act Justice for the south That
speech has not been answered, and |
predict that it will not be- very soon
The more | look into the matter the
more firmly I become convinced that
the material interests of the south
were being neglected and that her
people were being robbed without
objection That speech subjected
me to servere citicism here in South
Carolina. l refused to answer them,
but instead gave out an address on
e.The South and Rer Opportunities .
could hardly believe my own state
ment of the vast possibilities it con
tanned. That speech has gone
throughout the length and breadth OF
the land and fully established the
fact that the south had opportunities
that should be considered. follow
ed this with tie recent speech in the
senate. the first of It's kind ever
heard in the chamber.
s.There is on both sides of the sen
ate a sort of mutual admiration society
10 the discussion of this bill in the
senate, the speech CT Senator Bacon
was the first real dagger signal the Re
publican party received from the south,
followed up by my speech on the sec
tiep al;sm OF the tariff bill 1t was a
home thrust in vital spot and created
no little anxiety. The Republican
partyscared not snap of its finger for
the academic efforts Of Jones, Vest aud
Mills, spending hours discussing the
meaning of the word only x
So long as they con6oed the discussion
to the question Of free raw material or
the abstract theories of revenue or
revenue only tariff they listened iDdif
fereatls or lauguidly voted down our
motions, but when the unfair aud in
famous sectlooalism of the measure was
disclosed aud demand for justice aud
equality made there was a sudden
change The Republican leaders saw
the strength Of my position AID that
should my plan succeed the entire pro,
tective fabric would collapse
The success of their eys-
tenn depends upoo the contioued
pluuderiog Of the south. But with the
south secure 10 its rigts aud securing
its share # the benefits. this plunder-
ing would cease and the scheme fail.
For this reason | demanded a duty on
cotton. on rice. on lumber aud de-
noaoced the duty 90 jute baggipg and
introduced au amendment cutting down
the euty 90 wool aud woolens ooe.third
did this GOT as protectionist, since
Go not endorse the doctrine. but to give
these piuadefers dose their own med