Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1901-09-04

raigned before you this day by men,
ber of this aggregation Of Office seekers,
who at Union constituted themselves
prosecutor, judge and jury, and upon
their own imaginary testimony render
ed a verdict against the cotton mill
presidents for violation Of almost every
crime in the decalogue. Though
learned in law, they did not open their
grand high tribunal with the usual GER
emonies Of a circuit court, namely:
Prisoner, look upon the juror; juror
look upon prisoner. What sayest thou
Guilty or not guilty?"
But the right Of appeal is vouchsafed
to every man in this country, and this
right I now exercise in behalf Of the
mill presidents and appeal to the people
and answer "Not Guilty" Are these
men traitors, tyrants, tools of dishon-
est men for base purposes? Political
agents of northern capitalists, who
have been furnished money with which
to build cotton mills for the purpose of
coercing freeborn white men and turn
ing them over to the Republican party
as has been charged?
I deny the accusation and brand 1t
as false and an insult, not only to the
mill presidents but to the people who
have trusted and conf1ded in them.
them birth; they are true to the people
who have honored them with seats in
the councils Of state and nation; true
to the people who have entrusted to
their care and management their
money: true to their neighbors; true to
their workers and co-workers, and true
to themselves. Their motto Is "To
thine own self be true and it must fol-
low as the night the day, thou canst
not then be false to any man."
The accusers say the principles some
of us advocate from a purely business
standpoint are Republican principles,
and therefore we are not Democrats;
and charge us, with the Republican par
ty, with all the blood, carnage and hor-
rors Of the Spanish-American war, and
even with trying to shoot the religion
Of the Lord Jesus Christ into the poor
heather. We are further charged by
this circulating library Of instruction
with all the bad results of the war. Let
us look into this little and see who Is
responsible for this war. You remem-
Der that during the Cuban insurrection,
the United States, regardless Of party,
Democrats or Republicans, all mixed
up together. cried for war while the
president and business portion Of the
country opposed 1t. The politicians
gave notice to Spain that she had to
end the war in a given time. and also
gave Mr.. Mckinley notice that he had
to begin the war, and after being
eoaded by members of his own party
and members Of the Democratic party
in congress. reluctantly declared war
and hostilities commenced.
I want to impress 1t upon you that
when the proposition was made in con-
gress to vote $50, ,0O0, 900 to start the war,
there was not one vote, Democratic or
Republican. cast against the PROPOSE
ton. and 1t has always been doubtful
in my mind whether the resolution was
legally passed. The members Of all
parties were so eager to vote for 1t, that
they could not wait for the usual for
malities to be compiled with. and some
say that the members voted in regular
South Carolina 1876 style-"early, often
and late" Then Joe Wheeler and the
boys did the fighting.
It Is said that Senator Morgan, of
Alabama, started the war, and Joe
Wheeler ended 1t, and + am not prepar-
ed to doubt it. Anyway. the war was
waged at the behest Of the politicians,
and the business men and the people
Of the country paid the cost. Now, I
submit, 1t iii becomes any one who
voted to bring this war on. and then
does not try to settle 1t up the best
terms possible after victory has been
won. To sulk and impede just settle
ment of the matter is not statesman
ship but partisanship. We had cause
when the Maine was blown up to go to
war with Spain and punish her. These
gentlemen now blame everybody for
these evils who do not think with them.
blood. destruction and DEATH" You
all know General Sherman's definition
of it. Now if these politicians made a
bad bargain by waging the war, they
should use every effort to correct the
wrong and not complain with others
who differ with them in the settlement
Of 1t.
This brings us to expansion, which in
the eyes of our friends, seems to be
such a crime against Democracy. Was
it not to be expected that these islands
should be protected by this country,
and in return for this care yield sover-
eighty to the United States under the
best form of government we could as
sist in devising for them? To leave
these people alone, without the ability
and means of protection, would be cruel
and wrong.
Expansion has ever been principle
of both Democratic and Republican
parties, and the people generally, ever
since the day Columbus set foot on this
continent. We have been land grab
bers from the foundation Of the govern
ment; and all the territory that has
been added to this country has been
under a Democratic administration
with the exception Of Alaska. While it
was not by conquest, some Of it was the
result of conquest. I do not believe
that any one gave much thought about