The people's journal. (Pickens, S.C.) 1891-1903, 1901-05-30

| VI pdFClSau ana ScCllOnal COntCnllOl
Out of changed Industrial and econ,
mic conditions have grown great nj
tional questions pertaining to the mi
/ terial inter est Of the country, whiC
must be considered and settled bv ths
silent force, the reserved patriotism {
the people.
FelloW-citizens: There is no create
menace to the stability of our govern
ment than a large minority in tn
American Congress voting upon broad
vital, ron-partisan American question
from purely sectional considerations
[ am Democrat, honestly lesirous 0
remaining so, and witnessing the tri
umph Of the party to which l am at
tachcd by association and heredty. l
was never contemplated by the foun
ders OF that party that 1t should become
a purely sectional affair, yet to-da,
there is no Democratic party capable
of making itself felt outside of tho
South. In the North and West, it is
permeated with socialism, and has
dwindled away into the party of sec
ton, not a nation. l do not propose
however, to pursue this line of thought
1T is painful and can accomplish nc
good purpose.
THE MONEY QUESTION.
Beginning with the panic of 1898
there has never been such rapid in
dustrial changes in any country. These
changes were in progress, and our war
with Spain served as a tlash-llght to
show us what was going on. In 1896,
we had campaign upon the money
question. Everything was depressed.
Men seeking employment, cotton under
five cents, wheat below the cost of pro-
duction, and idleness, discomfort dis
trust and misery everywhere. We
were told that the salvation of the
country depended upon the free coin
age Of silver. L believed then, and
believe now, that theoretically we were
right; but new and unforeseen forces
came into play, and l have enough
sense to recognize the fact that the
restoration Of confidence" about
which Mr.. Cleveland talked. and about
which l did not know enough at the
time to understand, the discovery of
gold in the Klondyke, the influx OF
money from abroad seeking invest
ment, and the increase in banking
facilities, for the time at least, have
settled the money question, and no.
body but fool would make free
silver" speech now. Instead of q
depleted treasury, there is in it to-day
the largest amount of gold in the his
tory Of the country, and actually the
Secretary of the Treasury, a few weeks
ago, deposited money in a Spartan
burg bank, something that has never
been done before in the history of our
State. l have been listening for some.
body to cry out Republicansm," be-
cause l was instrumental in beginning
a movement which hope in the future
may enable our farmers and merchants
to secure money at lower rate of in
terest.
Another great change as the result
the panic Of 1893, is the rapid dcvel-
opment of our export trade. Our
home markets failed us, manufacturers
found themselves with immense stocks
of goods on hand and nobody to buy
them, this forced them to seek markets
abroad, and one enterprising firm in
Birmingham, Ala, shipped $50 tons
of iron to Europe. At that time iron
could be bought for 5000 per ton in
Birmingham, and this small shipment
six years ago was the beginning of the
$l30, 100000 worth of iron that we
shipped abroad last year, 300 200 tons
gong from Alabama.
To-day, entire Europe is alarmed at
the development of our commerce, and
we see every day indications of a trade
combine on the part of Europe against
the United States. In the financial
world, instead of depending upon Eu-
rope as we did seven years ago for our
money, England, Germany and Russia
have recently had to come to New
York to place their government loans.
l have given nothing but mere out
line, and yet | ask any man within the
sound Of my voice ii these facts do not
present Il totally changed condition.
The Spanish war suddenly awokc us
to the fact that our country was one
Of the great commercial and political
powers of the world.
Believing as / do that there a'e vital
issues which, growing out of changed
industrial conditions, are higher and
broader than mere party questions, !
have, as your Senator, looking beyond
the line marked by sectionalism and
partisanship, striven to promote the
material, political and commercial in
tcrests of our common country-fOr in
so doing, can best serve the interests
of the State Of South Carolina. Fol
this | have been arraigned before the
people Of this State aid charged will
allying myself with the Republican
party. Criticism, abuse and gross mis-
representation has been INDUCED in
Not content with this unfair method o
attack, some of the papers in their viii
persecution have deceived the people
by withholding information on ON
side of these great national issues an'
emphasizing and publishing cvcrythln!
on the other. They have PERSISTENT,
held me up as renegade, and on NOR
than one occasion alleged that / in
tended to resign and accept a Fedora
} appointment. Amid all this persccl
ton / have maintained my silence