The watchman and southron. [volume] (Sumter, S.C.) 1881-1930, 1907-07-24
THE MEMORY OF CALHOUN.

Some Thoughts to Be Suggested b.,
south CsuoIin;S Statue at WASH
ngton.
The New York Mail graciously ad-
mits that the State Of South Carolina
has the right to set up a statue Of
John c. Calhoun in Statuary Hall AZ
Washington. Just SO. ard we Nigh,
add that it is really no ones business
but South Carolina's. And we might
go still further and say thar no Stdte
will be more creditably represented
than South Carolina will hy ha"ing
Calhoun in the hall. OF the great
mvirate-Calhoun Clay and Web
ster-more than one northaln writer
Of sound judgment has placed Cei-
houn at the head in all tnat tends 70
make a great man and great states
man. Referring to the proposed ac-
ton, the Mail says:
.Calhoun's efigy VIII stand in Stat
uarv Hall very much as Cleopatra 5
Y
obelisk, there. is c token and memo
rial Of the fact that power and glory
have departed from Egypt. The starue
Of Calhoun, at the Capitol, will bs
the costliest, perhaps the finest, OF
his monuments and it will grace the
seat and scene Of the federal power
which the South Carolina statesmen
so profoundly suspected"
The inference is not exactly Jus;
or fair. Carried TO its obvious con-
.clusion it would mean that the theory
OF government for which Calhoun
stood had departed from the Ameri-
can people, just as the glory mas DE-
parted from Egypt, but this is not
true, although we admit that the ten
dency Of the present administration
is towards making it true, If possible.
nor disunionist. He loved the I'm
ion as devoutly as did either Of ms
great colleague, but the union ne IoT-
ed was the union as the founders of
lliS iSpuOi1C CA1iCASCoOQ ~ 49, - ~ -
union which would make thc federal
government supreme.
It is easy and proper to admit that
his plan of guarding the rights Of t,le
State by nullifying the acts Of con-
gress was wholly untenable. anc we
suppose no sound statesman would
now stand for that doctrine, or advo-
cate resorting to it, for it was-or
would have been, if carried out-more
destructive Of the Union of the States
than secession If one State could
nulify or set aside an act Of con-
sress for any given reason any other
State could nullify another law for
any other reason, and the result must
have been anarchy or chaos. His the
ory Of dual government was no
sounder or safer. In short, some OF
the doctrines so ably and strenuously
held by the great South Carolinian
cannot be defended or palliated and
no one now upholds them
But we should bear in mind that
these theories for which Calhoun Ia
bored with the powers Of his great
mind were based on his intense devo-
ton to the south and TO the rights
Of the States which he believed to be
endangered. Some oss the acts Of
congress and the administration
would in his judgment, lead to
dangerous and unrepublican centra1l-
zation Of power and ultimately change
our form Of governments. Earnest,
honest and fearless in advocacy Of
what he believed to be right, as we
know him to have been, we may yet
admit that the successful succession
would have done. For all that, all
his alterations, if we may so term
them, were founded on devotion to
the reserved rights Of the States, and
we do not admit that this doctrine is
dead as the glory Of Egypt. And, by
the way, we wonder what Calhoun
would think and say Of federal en-
croachments and Capitalization now?
He would be ready to admit that what
happened in his own time and gave
him so much concern was really IN
significant when compared to later
happenings and tendencies.
By all means South Carolina should
honor John c. Calhoun.--Montgom
erv Advertiser.