The people's journal. (Pickens, S.C.) 1891-1903, 1902-08-14

olina division, United Confederate
Veterans, was held ON Wednesday
Aug. 9th, in the auditorium of Chicors
College, which had boon rendered fol-
this purpose. Every seat IN the spacious
building was occupied when the presid'
ing officer, Gen. Thos. w. Carwile, OF
Edgefield, called the convention to
order at IL o'clock. An earnest and
forvent prayer was made by Rev. T.
p. Taylor, of this city, invoking the
blessings of God upon the veterans and
their deliberations.
Hon. w. l.. Mauldm was then in
troduced and delivered an address Of
welcome on the part of the local camp
of eterans.
Mr.. b. A. Morgan, city attorney,
welcomed the veterans and other visi-
tors on tho part of the citizens of
Greenville.
To these welcoming speeches the
response was made by Gen. Carwile in
brief and happy manner, after which
he introduced the annual orator, Hon.
Robert A!dlich, of Barnwell, who was
received with much applause, and who
spoke as follows
ANNUAL GRAFTON BY COL. ALDRICII.
"AnOther year has come and gone
and We meet again to grasp hands that
have never faltered, to look into eyes
that have never faded and to commend
the cause in which we were i'm
perilled and III which many Of our fel.
lows gave up their lives; that cause
about which history has been written,
orators have spoken, poets have sung,
and yet the half has not been told nor
II ever will be told. Since last we met
sOmo of our brethren have crossed
over the river, and let us hope to rest
under the shade of the trees of eternal
life. Some havo not gone who, per-
haps 1t is not saying too much to say,
it would have been better for them If
they had gone.
l will endeavor to show you in
few words that in fighting for the
cause Of the Confederacy We were
right, in undertaking the struggle we
were wise and made no mistake and
that the greatest calamity that ever
befell this country occurred when we
did not win the victory. Our forefa-
theirs announced in 1776 that all peo-
pie are entitled to be free; thai all gov
ernment rested on the consent of the
governed and when the government
became destructive for the purpose for
which il was intended the governed
had q right to throw it off. That
principle they announced to the world
and with heroism unsurpassed they
caused that principle to triumph.
In 1860 we decided, as it was our
right to do, that the government had
become destructive and we reatiirmed
che right which came down to us from
our forefathers to throw it off and es-
tabish new one. The greatest
statesman of that time, Horace Greely,
said we had right to do it. The ma
jority of the statesmen said that
whether we had the right or not they
did not intend for US to exercise 1t.
Then it was that our State called upon
us to stand against desolation. How we
performed that duty has never been
told in full nor never will be. AS long
us the mountains stand, as long as the
rivers flow where Lee and Sackson
fought, as long as blood and ashes con-
secrate hthe soil, so long will that
cause stand as monument to South
ern soldiers. (Applause)
Colonel Aldrlch then referred to the
taxation of the South. The North
erners, he said, inaugurated system
characterized by us as the protective
tariff system by which they took the
greatest portion of our earnings. This
system made the most productive part
Of the country the poorest. What is
the condition today? The total re-
ceipts Of this section last year
amounted to $462, 100000. Where is
it? 1t is gone to enrich Northern
manufacturers. How did it go /?
Everything that you use, everything
that the Southern planters use in the
production of their crops is taxed from
3 to l60 per cent. which causea
the production of our section to
60 tosthe North. We are merely slaves
to the Northern portion of this cou1.
try.
Suppose we could keep this money
in Our"own quarters year after year
In ten years from today we would be
the richest and most prosperous people
under the sun. 1t was our right to bt
so and we fought for that right ant
s,ould have been bastards II we hat
not. Two hundred and fifty millior
dollars are paid out for pensions, W.
pay ene-third of that amount. Whel
I think of these things | can't agre,
with my countrymen that it woult
have been better to have failed. W.
had right, to establish q governmen
for ourselves, we had just cause AM
but forlaccidents would have succeed
ed, Our failure was not for the wan