Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1900-08-08

stitution. The Democratic party mas
always been the party of expansion;
but it has pever annexed territory ex-
cept practically unsettled wildernesses.
1t is opposed to the annexation of ter
ritory separated far from the main
land of North America, and populated
by people who can never become
homogeneous with the people of the
United States and whose children
cannot be expected to meet on
equal terms with our children in
the government of themselves. The
Democratic party upholds the Monroe
doctrine against entangling alliances
with foreign nations or admission of
the right of European governments to
exploit their policies on American soil.
The Democratic party believes that
trade follows the flag only when the
flag goes peaceably, and it believes
that this government should treat the
Philippines, Hawaii and Porto Rico as
it has promised to treat Cuba. He
said that the Democratic party, except
for small minority in the house and
senate, is united on these questions,
and he stands with his party. Refer
ring TO his record 10 the house, he said
that as member of the committee on
territories he had had much to do with
the incorporation of the South Carolina
suffrage law in the Hawaiian govern
ment bill, thus securing from the Re-
publicans a substantial recognition of
the principle of state rights, and COM
mitting them to precedent from which
they would find it difficult to depart.
He devoted sometime to discussion
of the Dingley tariff bill, and also to
the war tax, which, he held, would be
collected until the Democratic party
should be returned to power. He con-
fidently expressed the belief that Bry-
an would be elected this fall, and gave
as reasons the fact that the German
vote will 70 against militarism, and
the Irish vote, naturally Democratic,
but DETECTED four years ago, at the
instance of Bourke Cochran and Eagan,
would come back to Bryan. Some
feared that the Republicans would be
able to buy the election of Mckinley
but he had unbounded confidence in
the majority of the American people
and did not think they could be-
bought. Again, he held that since
Grant, largely because of disaffected
Office seekers, no president had been
elected to two consecutive terms, and
be had no idea that Mckinley would
be an exception. Getting back to his
own personal record in congress, he
said that out of 80 or 40 postofice cases,
he had been successful with all but
FIVE or six, which are still pending. In
six months he had answered nearly
1000 letters, and had given careful at
tention to every request that had come
from a constituent. He claimed credit
for the appointment of Democratic
census supervisor in this district to
this extent. The administration had
allowed the South Carolina senators
to divide the appointments with the
Republicans, and Senator Tillman had
the naming of the supervisor in the
Second or Fifth district. The senator
had named w. o. Tatum for. the Sec-
ond, and T. J. Cunningham for the
Fifth, leaving it to Mr.. Finley and DIR.
Stokes to settle which should have
Republican and which a Democrat.
Mr.. Finley said he got the best of DR..
Stokes, and thus secured for his dis
trict the satisfaction OF having the CEN
sus taken by white enumerators. A
large proportion of the enumerators in
the Second district were niggers. In
addition to the establishment of num-
ber of new postofices, he had secured
the granting of number of pensions
to people entitled to them living in the
district, including one in Lancaster
county. This was the widow of
Churchill B. Jones, Mexican war
veteran, and the case had been pend
ing for several years before Mr.. Finley,
went to congress. The applause, at
the conclusion of Mr.. Finley's speech,
indicated that the audience was COM
posed entirely of friends.
DIR. T. J. STRAIT.
DR.. Strait stepped forward with the
promise that he would not detain- the
audience quite so long as Mr.. Finley
had done, for the reason he did not
have so many explanations to make.
"You know my record" he said, "and
it is hardly worth my while to come
before you but the Democratic execu-
tive committee has appointed this time
and place to meet you and am here.
If I undertook to tell you how many
postoffices have established, it would
take me several hours to do it. I have
established, I don't know how many.
He said that be had done most of the
work in that Churchill B. Jones pen
sion case; but that papers had to be
sent back several times. He claimed
that the people were confronting the
greatest question with which they had
ever dealt. The constitution OF the
United States and the declaration of
independence are at stake. How
many of you have read the constitu-
ton of the United States and the
declaration of independence ?" he
asked solemnly. Then pausing for
reply, which he evidently did not ex-
pect to get, he continued, "Go home
and read 'em, and I'll answer for it
that the next generation will not
show up any Imperialism" The doc
tor said that the Cuban war was got
ten up for the purpose of taking the
attention of the people from the silver
question. They had been talking and
talking until somebody had blown up
the Maine and stirred the country
c.. o,o onJ to tho othor Thay mt