The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1901-07-03
SOUTHCAROLINA POLITICS
Notable Events in the History Of the State-ncidets Con
nected With Number Of Distinguished CitzensA

The Palmetto State which is just now con
yulsed by a senatorial feud, that between
Tillman and McLaurin, which has natlona
bearing, has been powerful lactor IN tn'
cnuutry's political LIE from the beginning
"If the convention thinks that North Carroll
ma. South Carolina and Georgia VIII eVei
agree to the plan unless their right TO I'm por
slaves be untouched, the expectation ID vain
The people OF those states Will not oe sucL
fools az TO give up SO important an interest.
These were the words OF John Rutleuge, one
one OF South Carolina's representatives. 10 tne
Philadelphia convention OF i1sI. whicn Iran
ed the constitution. Delivered in the con ven
tion, they sounded the warning 70 the North
ern and border states that the three states
which Rut,edge named would not enter tne
new Union which the constitution trainers
were aiming to create unless Congress snould
be forbidden TO prohibit the Importation OF
slaves or prevented from taxing lnem az q
higher rate than other imports. Ine co9Ven.
tion was thrown into consternatlon lot a
time, but the result was compromising
third OF the compromises OF the CONSTITUTION
whereby congress was forbidden 10 prouiolt
the Importation OF slaves prior 10 leVs, out
congress was allowed to Impose tax up
on them though not TO exceed $40 head.
with Rutledge's ultimatum back In the
summer OF 1857, almost TWO years before tne
wheels OF government under the constitution
started TO turn. South Carolina began 70 e3'
ert decisive influence on American polltics.
In every criais down TO and inclnalns Lne
civil war of ls6l.65, the voice Of South Carroll
ma was potent. Two OF the crises-nulllDca.
t,on wholly and secession largely-were OF
its own creation To South Carolina's credit
be 1t said that. after she had securea ner con
cesslon on slavery. she was proupt In accept,
ing the constitution, although she, nke sll
the rest OF the states, found many points ln
the charter which she did not isVor A
signed the constitution, while In some OF the
other states there were memners OF the CON
vention, who refused TO give their SANCTION 70
the work OF that body. Virginia, the leadlng
state in the Union at the outset In poPulati-
on and influence furp ished only three signers
to the OBSERVATION-DISCLOSURES the Presl'
dent of the convention, Madison and Jonn
Blair-out OF the seven members CHOSEN 0y
her to that assemblage. Moreover, while
some OF the other states, when the copstitu
tion In l7S7S8 was before them 1or actlon,
of ali commonwealths. would take, south
Carolina signed the constitution monl3 oe
fore Virginia, almost q montn oelote NeW
and Two s1hhs Se.ose S,a9s nep
ulation in the eginnipg, being led oy Eir
ginia and Pennsylvania only, reJecteo tne
constitution at first, and did not hnall ~ accept
1t until 1t bad been In operation elgnt montns
m eleven states, and Rhode Island remained
out OF the Union half year longer even IMAM
North Carolina.
alist party In South Carolina, with such lead
ers as Charles Cotesworth Pinckpey, hls
brother, Thomas Pinckney, Robert &. harper
and william Smith. The state gave an ar
ington, who leaned toward Federalism on al
the ISSUES which arose between the Federa!-
lat and the Jeffersonlsn Republican (tne preu'
ecessor of the democratic parties. The Whigs,
too. for time. had some prominent person.
ages in South Carolina. For few years Gal.
houn himself was clasSed as a whig, but to is
was because Of Jscks9n's sctivity IN a. dsains an,S
Carolinas senators, was wing, ana tnat
party in that state had several members IN
the house OF representatives..
~ Itv.a tfn a ne
st Jackson In 1882, though the state was nom,
nally democratic, and 1t declared In 1885
against Van Buren, the democratic nominee
for president. But this dlYergenoe was 0nLer oie
against Jackson's political protege, Van bnren
. the hostility which 1t had directed against
jackson himself four years earlier. In each
OF these canvasses 1t voted "in the all" CIV
ing its support in 1888 10 John Floyd, of Vir-
glnia, who was not y candidate, and who re-
celyed no other electoral votes than those
which South CsrGna saTs n ana Of N HosiS ,S1O
Carolina, whig. In that canvass, however.
the first in which the whig party appeared,
the wings were divided, four Of their aspir'
ster, Hugh L. White and While P. Mangam-
receiving electoral votes. Van Buren,, though
carried the country.
South Carolina, IL Will % poteo, olspiayeo
great courage and independence from the
start. On state questions there was virtually
no opposition to the democrats after the dis
appearance OF the federalist party until the
reconstruction days at the close OF the civil
war. Nevertheless the state In the presiden'
tial can vases OF 1882 and 1886 went against
the democratic nominees. Immediately al
ter the civil war South Carolina voted the re-
publican tickettn three presiden tial elections
giving It's support TO Grant In 1858 and 1872
and in the disputed count OF 1876 tts vote Waf
given TO Hayes by the electoral comtnissiop
s,atss .S Shich tIe had been held By Virginia, witt
its four presidents and It's predomlnance 1r
in population. along to that time, passed te
S,uth Carolina, and that state gave the law
civil war. South Carolina was the south's po
ntical mentor during all those years. Char
lesion was the south's political capital. Vir
ginis by 1880 had dropped from the first to the
both New York and Pennsylvania leading 1t.
South Carolina. which was seventh amonl
the states In population Isoa H. 11 sixth IN Is ssS
and IL Kept on dropping farther and 2rther ir
the scale, being eighteenth in 1850. 1t wat
surpassed in population, and thus In mem
bership In the house OF representatives ant
the electional college, by several OF the state
OF Its section. yet It's political pre- emlnenc
onward to 1851 in It's section was unquestion
Desplte its decline In population, relatively
to the majority of the states, South Caroiins
and It's chief city had industrial aspirations
At the close OF the first third OF the nineteen
Tn century that state had the LONGEST contin
where in the world. which led from Charles
ton to Hamburg. 1876 miles, which was com
pleted to the latter point In lS32. Baltimore
Philadelphia, New York nnd Boston were al
reaching out for con nnection with the grea
west, by railroad. then new in the word. bu
Charleston was ahead OF them all at that par
ticular date In the length OF the line OF tract
which she had laid down toward the interio
OF the continent.
In the character OF Its public men Sout
Carolina took high place from the begiI
NNk, hrnT Nf Nr
had, between the opening days OF the govern
ment and 1880, such distinguished parsonage
as Pierce Butler Ralph lizard. Charles Pinck
ney, William Smith, Robert 7; Hayne, WI
Thomas Pinckney, John RItledge, Langdo
Cheves, John G. Calhoun. William Lownde
aud George McDuttie, while Charles Cote
sons, was national party leader for man
years, was Its candidate for president sewers
times, and held conspicuous diplomatic Sta
tion. Calhoun, however, nn VINO ser served ia IN tn
as well as being In congress-, influenced tn
state more that any other OF Its sons, and III
period Of his pre-eminence dated from aroun
1850.
That year was an important datemark 4
Calhoun's career and In the history of Sout
Carolina and OF the United States. In ths
year occurred the Hayne' W eoster deoate IN
tsry Of war In Monroe's icabinet In 1875 ha
proposed TO censure jackson Tor exceedin
the letter Of his instructions IN the Semlnol
war in Florida, the elimination OF the ruptur
caused by the refusal OF the wife OF Calhou
and Of the wives of cabinet officers to social
recognize" the wife OF Eaton, Jackson's SCI
retary OF war; and the first divergence betWee
jackson and Calhoun on the nullihcatio
question.
The Hayne episode bad an innocent caus
Samuel A. Foot, q National Republican fror
c, nnecticut, introduced q resolution in th
senate looking to the restriction Of the salt
of western lands for certain period. Tb
was held by many Of the western members
AIl,I tt<,ra a6ai La