The watchman and southron. [volume] (Sumter, S.C.) 1881-1930, 1907-08-21
i've interest in all affairs affecting his

"Befo-., mis- death the contest be-
tween The federal and state g.aversa-
ments, Which he pressaged 10 1T23s
had become intense. Th4 sz,2:en, AZ
tariff protection inaugurated in rs.E@
Intensified in 1878, carried to grea lse
length IN 1924, had eliminated liz
1928 ir a series of statute; which Es-@
suited in laying a most burdensoa aoe
and oppressive taxation upon TIE,
southern portion Of the Uniled States
This lead to great discoa1ent through
out the south ard in South Carolina
especially, to the formation Of the
party which advocated active meas:
ures to nullify statutes they declared
to be unjust and unconstitutional in
vasions of the liberties of the State
Mr.. Calhoun was the exponent leader.
in the south of this party, which NUM-
bered among its war1nest supporters
Gen. Sumter. He was still in the act-
i've possession of his faculties, hoNs
physical and mental. His son, Thorn
as Sumter, Jr., in a letter to ms
daughter, dated 26th December; 1926
says:
LAS to the health of your grand
father I saw him yesterday and, IN
his SSth year, he mounts and rides
-: 49,. o,..o.4 1;J-o . ..o.,,or s,,sS,,,ss =
Member of State Rights Party r.
The State Rights party claImsa
him as a member, as indeed he hIrn-
self declared. In 1880 he had writer
a letter unequivocally denouncing as
unconstitutional the tariff acts pass
ed by congress and supporting the
construction of the constitution Which
reserved to the States, if these rights
were invaded by unconstitutional leg
islation, the power to resist its en-
forcement or withdraw from the I'm
ion. Some contention arose in 1882
as to his position. A newspaper Hs
the State, The Camden Journal. gub-
lished an item stating that he had
changed his views. This misstate-
ment was quickly corrected. Cen
Sumter wrote a letter to his. grand.
son, which was published in he
Charleston Mercury for I'd SEPTEMBER
1881. This letter is written with ,algs1
the clearness and vigor Of his early
davs In the letter he ridicules the
statement in. the Camden Journal
declares his views not only unchang-
ed but to be what they had always
been. and calls attention to letter OF
his dated 2sth October, 1880, which
had previously been published and in
which he had set out his opinion aRo
convictions
Supports Notification; -.
81 this last mentioned letter he
had referred to as expressing the tEyae.
| construction of the constitution tie.
Virginia and Kentucky resolutions of
1898, and Nh. Calhoun's (the then
vice president of the United States9f;
letter maintaining and defending the
| principle and enforcement of nu1llf1-
cation. Gen. Sumter declared in has.
letter that the principle that the Leg
islature as a sovereign power can nus--
lily the unconstitutional acts Of the
general government is the primary
and principal doctrine Of the State
Righats party.
..At meeting of the States Rights
! party, held in Charleston IN Septem-
Der. 1881, a series Of resolutions are
| adopted thanking Gen. Sumter for his
expressed support and declaring thaE
! he stood by State rights then as he
did in the hot times OF 1888.
This is the last public utterance OF.
the aged soldier and statesman thaes
we find. He died the 1st Ju.is, 1882.
at his home at South Mount, in Sum
ter county, the last survivius officer.
of his rank in the continental army.
Notwithstanding the einbitterea state
| of public feeling then, when the
| struggle between the State Rights
and the Union parties in the States
was at its height. VIC mourning over
the State was universal and deep,
Gen Sumter left but one child>
Thomas Sumter, Jr.. who was born in
1853. He entered the diplomatic SER
vice first as secretary of legation 20
France. appointed by President JEFF
ferson, and afterwards served as
United States minister to Portugal. He
| married Mdie Natalie de Delage and
left several children at his death in
1910.
II have now finished the task thar
l allotted to myself. l am conscious
deeply conscious that my perforfsS