The Laurens advertiser. (Laurens, S.C.) 1885-1973, 1901-09-04
ireenville Mountaineer, Aug. 81.


Greenyillc on the 18th inst. was con-
Quoted in the most orderly manner, and
the audience showed thorough appre
citation of the calm, deliberate arguments
of the gentlemen who were appealing to
their reason and common sense, not un-
dcrtaking to intlame their passions or
excite their prejudices. |
The court house was well filled when |
the speakers entered at II o'clock, and
Immediately afterwards every seat was
occupied and many were standing in the
aisles. The meeting was called to order
by Hon. j. Thos. Austin, county chair
man, who requested DR.. II. M. Mcconnell,
pastor Of the First Presbyterian church,
to make the opening prayer, in which
the favor Of God was asked upon this
country and its people, and that all should
be guided to the selection Of God-fearing
and God -honoring men to administer the
affairs of this government.
Chairman Austin said 1t was matter
Of regret that the inclement weather had
kept SO many from attending today, but
he was glad to greet the large audience
here assembled who are ready to hear
argument upon the issues before them
The gentlemen who have come in an.
swer to our invitation will argue the
great questions with benefit to the
public, and they arc commended to
careful hearing Of these arguments.
Hon. John j. Hemphill was then in
troduced as the first speaker, who SAID
he was glad to meet the citizens or
Greenville The Piedmont section was
prosperous and had made great progress
in 25 years, and some argued that this
prosperity would make it necessary to
change our political principles because
we had moro dollars than formerly.
True, but why should we have less Dc.
mocracy on account OF having more
dollars? Is it necessary to join the
Republicans in order to keep our dollars!
Do we need expansion? Is this country
not large enough? Tho Philippine is
lands are 10000 miles away from the
capital Of the United States. They have
already cost us $50 to 800 millions, and
we arc spending $4,000, 900 in these
islands ovcry year. We are spending
81 900 every day Tor cablegrams to com
municate with the army we are support
ing there.
The race problem is insignificant here
compared with tho undertaking to gov
ern 100000 people who are ten thou
sand miles away from US. -Four genera
tions of Americans have been payina
pensions for the Revolutionary war an(
four moro generations will be paying th'
pensions for the Filipino war. One o
our Senators said that he changed hi
opinion in regard to the Paris treaty bo
cause the Filipinos fired upon the flag o
our country Our army was there tt
conquer them, and it is pusillamOus
contemplate and cowardly to claim tha
they had no right to resist the invasion
Of their native country. 1t was righ
and proper for them to resist under tn
circumstances.
Our friends say that expansion is
business proposition. The mills of tn
Piedmont are managed satisfactorily ant
their presidents deserve credit for th
development Of this industry. 80 lonl
as they use their own money and man
age their own affairs it is well, but whel
it comes to using the power OF the gov
ernment in their behalf the proposition
is very different. 1t becomes question
of great political Importance whethe
armies arc to be sent across the seas to
stimulate and protect these private inter
csts. The ono hundredth part Of a mil
is our share Of the profits in this treat,
action.
There are varieties in expansion
England, Holland and Belgium hav,
dense populations and they must expan,
their territory. The pressure Of subsis
lcnCc udIuIdlly ulBCo IuCul w ~ OuI
Europe has a population far in excess o
the Accommodations in its area, but W,
are not in that fix. All the area produc
ing cotton in the South at this tim,
would not cover one-sixth Of the terr
tory in Texas, and there is an almost un
limited opportunity for expansion Of this
kind on our continent within the United
States. A farmer with ten boys may not
have land upon which to settle them all
h,t thor 0f nth har md bo
have surplus lands to rent or sell. This
country can furnish homes for 400, ,000, 900
people, five times it's present population,
and not be at all crowded
Mr.. Hemphill related an anecdote Of a
church member who was arraigned upon
various charges, including drunkenness,
gambling, stealing and lying, to all Of
which he plead guilty, but in mitigation
Of his humorous offences he told the pas.
tor that through it all he had never lost
his religion. Mr.. Hemphill urged upon
those who were going astray in politics,
Notwithstanding their laxity and lrregu-
larities not to lose,their Democracy.
He started to discuss ship subsidies,
when Capt j. N. King asked him to tell
what we must douwith the Philippines.
In reply, Mr.. Hemphill said il Dewey
had sailed out of Manila harhor after he
destroyed the Spanish fleet, no one
would be saying now that we ought to
go back and take forcible possession Of
the city. He would,get out Of the islands
as soon as government Is established
that will suit the, Filipinos. He heard
of man saying that il we left there
France would bess..willing to give two
billions Of dollars. for their possession,
and yet there was! not day in the past
two hundred years. that any great nation
could not have obtained their control,
because Spain was. not in condition to
defend her title to the islands. England
did take possession Of them one hundred
and twenty five years ago, when 1t was
trying to subjugate tho American colon.
les then struggling for freedom, but
England sold outsfor 100000, just one
fourth Of the amount we paid for them
Mr.. Bryan said that in buying the Philip.
pines we had paid twenty millions Of
dollars for the option on fight, and we
got the fight. Mr.. McLaurin was in
favor ofholding on to the islands, let
the cost be what it will in blood and
treasure.
In concluding Mr.. Hemphill told the
story Of man who was informed by
telegraph that his mother-in.law was
dead, and his friend inquired of him
whether to embalm, cremate or bury the
body, and his reply was Embalm,
cremate and bury" This was what the
l.