The Laurens advertiser. (Laurens, S.C.) 1885-1973, 1903-02-11
LAURENs. 8. c., Feb. III, 1908.
AS SEEN IN

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COLUMBIA, Feb. 6.-When the general
assembly is In session Columbia is a
great place. The town is not without in
terest at any time-iti is a lively, bright
and working South Carolina town with
o population of good people. Native
Columbians are uncommon creatures.
suppose not more than a tenth OF the
people who live here were born here.
But they are all South Carolinians and
one may find "home-folks" at every
4 turn. One cannot be lonely in Column
bia.
But while the general assembly is in
session one sees whatever the state
possesses in the line Of human pro-
ducts. The hotels are full Of samples
of men from Oconee and Horny and
l Beaufort and Lancaster and all the
other counties. Mostly they are good
people and 1 do not wonder that q
young man likes to be elected to the
legislature, to come here and mingle
with and learn to know his fellow citi-
zens.
For eight years I have not been in CO.
lumbia for any length of time. In the
early nineties / was a reporter here and
/ knew the general assembly rather
well and all the politicians and public
men were familiar figures. The change
that has come about in this briefperiod
Is striking. Not only have the men
.l.0 .,o.o ool,, - tlo ,ld ro-,oo-
tive faction for the most passed away
or dropped out of politics but even the
majority of the men conspicuous among
the Reformers in that day, the men
who were the captains and ~lieutenants
under b. r.. Tillman's lead are no
longer in sight. 1t is a new genera
ton. The boys of 1892 are the settled.
middle-aged men of today and many of
them are gray heads now.
Ex-Lieutenant Governor Mauldin OF
Greenville Is a member of the lower
house. How far, far away in the dis
lance 1t seems when he was elected to
the second place on the ticket with
Governor Hugh s. Thompson! And If
that time seems distant, how more
faint is the picture Of the day, the
great historic champion Day" in '78
when with "Bunch" McBee he rode
from Greenville with 100 "Red Shirts"
to swell the determined legions of Lau-
rens Democrats! His years sit lightly
upon him. He is the same strong, Wig
orous, hard-headed and full under
standing man that he was in those
days. And he is q man whose intel
lectual force has never been appre-
ciated in South Carolina.
John @. Sheppard, ex-governor so
long that one scarcely thinks of him as
having been the chief magistrate of
the state, is senator from Edgefeld.-
and he is the man whom ''our crowd'
nominated for governor in 1892 and
who so ably led our 80, 900 In the hope
less struggle against Capt. Tillman. He
entered public life in 1875 when his
boyhood had not passed and he is still
In the prime of life and activity.
But the old leaders are few. When
General Butler came here two weeks
ago to speak at the memorial service to
General Gompton 1t was like a visit
from one OF another generation. Yet
General Butler WIS one Of the very
youngest of the general oNicers of the
Co%ufederacy. He was and is one of the
princeliest men in appearance of all
Americans but-but the years, relent-
less, cruel years-they have left their
mark. The time was that his word was
worth 10000 men In South Carolina but
emergencies and dangers and need are
past and long since we, we people of
South Carolina. we sons of Confederate
veterans, abandoned him because we
valued mere highly another type
OF craftsmanship. The people are
sovereign, "the voice of the people is
the voice of God'- and let them rule.
The time was, and since the War, when
Robert T.. Lee, had he been alive and
a citizen Of South Carolina, could not
have been elected q member of the leg.
islature.
Comparatively, and remembering
the more recent birth of the Reform
lection, the survivors are even less
numerous. In the general assembly
are many original Reformers,i 1t is true,
but as a rule they we're not ever in the
second class when Irby, Talbert, Tim
norman, McLaurin, Evans, Farley
Buchanan, the two Popes and Town
send were in the saddle.
w. W. B.
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