Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1909-10-08

zress from the Fifth South Carolina
district, made an interesting and in
structive address in response to the
toast 1.-The United States" The ad-
dress was listened to carefully by thou
| sands of people, and the approval OF
the big audience was manifested In
liberal applause. Congressman Fin
i leys address was as follows
The United States Of America.
The United States. Her entrance
into the family Of nations was as
sured by the victory gained mere py
the patriot fathers, one hundred ana
twenty-nine years ago today. 1t mas
been claimed that the cause OF the
| American Revolution, was taxation
without representation. Practically
| speaking, this statement Is untrue.
| Who Is there that belives that had
the British government admitted to
| parliament a few members from the
| American colonies in proportion TO
the population, that America Wouid
have continued a colony? In truth,
the American colonies objected to the
sovereign authority claimed and ex-
ercised by Great Britain. Sovereign
authority carries with 1t the power
Of taxation. The power to tax Is tne
power to destroy. So that In !no'
the time had arrived when the 1atn-
er's of the Revolution had the right
to declare for national freedom, and
by a solemn declaration the act Of
/ the representatives Of the people
to throw off the British yoke.
| I have never believed that 1t was
possible for England, under any cir
cumstances, to have retained the
American colonies as a part OF her
dominion. In many respects the
American colonies constituted the
cream of the old worlds population In
the matter of qualification necessary
in those settling, as this country was
at that time a wilderness. The great
majority Of the early settlers le1t
their native lands on account OF re-
ligious and political prosecutions.
Men Of this, type were not calculated
to submit to the rule Of the old world
sovereign longer than weakness on
their part required. The population
of the colonies at that time exceeded
three million. In natural resources
| the country was rich. Many Of the
colonists were men Of great wealth.
| Some Of the colonies had no cause
of complaint on the score OF oppres-
sion against the British crown. The
colony Of South Carolina is an Illus
tration of this. On the contrary, this
colony was favored in every way by
the British government. And ac-
cordingly her people had grown In
numbers and Increased in material
wealth. The same Is in a large
measure true of Georgia
North Carolina and Virginia;
Yet, when it was attempted
to set the heel Of the oppressor upon
the colony Of Massachusetts,, these
colonies Immediately declared Tor
war and hastened the declaration
for national independence. during
the seven years struggle for inde-
pendence the fortune Of the young
nation more than once hung In the
balances, but the God Of battles, the
arbiter of the destiny Of men and ma
tions. was on the side of the Ameri-
can people.
| We are proud of the history of our
country. The first seven years of our
national existence was period or
sanguinary and desperate struggle:
The thirteen colonies had constituted
governments of their own. Local
Commonwealth, the continental con-
gress held national sway. 1 have
not the time, and the occasion does
not require, that l speak OF tne
great men, intellectual giants, ana
patriots, having charge OF the govern
ment at that time.
The first resort to arms In 1r5,
was but the beginning of a long and
bitter struggle. For the Americans
the issue was clean cut; that they
were to be free men, or subjects OF
the British crown. 1t is remarka-
BILE historical fact that there are three
battles of greatest importance in the
seven years war that followed
Saratoga, Kings Mountain, York
town. 1t would be difficult to reason
out logically how the Americans
could have succeeded without taxing
into consideration these three VIC
tories.
On April 10th, the battles of Lex
Iinston and Concord were fought.
These engagements were important
because 1t was the beginning of the
war for independence. Then fol-
flowed the siege Of Boston by the
American forces, the attack on IL
conderoga and Crown Point, the
Battle of Bunker Hill, and the evacu-
alton of Boston brought the first
year Of the war to a reasonably fay
orable close.
| Great Britain was now convinced
that the war was now on in earnest,
and she proceeded to hire thousands
| of mercenary soldiers in Germany.
In 1875, the British were signally de-
feated at Charleston. The battle or
Long Island resulted disastrously to
the Americans. Too much praise,
however, cannot be bestowed on the
great Washington for his mastery
retreat through New Jersey and re-
turn movement, resulting in victo-
ries at Trenton and Princeton. BY
those victories, the Americans were
encouraged, and the British forced
to retreat on New York.
The battles of Germantown and
Brandywine following, were indecis-
live. The capture of General Eur
goyne at Saratoga by the American
| forces under General Gates must be
/ considered one Of the three most i'm
portant battles of the Revolution.
In July, 1777, the struggle for the
control of the Hudson river was COM
menced. General Burgoyne set out
from Canada with a splendid army
of eight thousand men. His purpose
was to retake Ticonderoga, advance
upon Albany and New York, and
lthen with the British in possession of
the City of New York, the control of
1.-The Hudson river would be complete.
This would isolate New England
from the middle and southern colo
mics; and, if the undertaking had been
successful, would no doubt have re-
suited most disastrously to the
Americans.
The battle of Saratoga was preced-
ed by the battle of Bennington in
New Hampshire. History informs
us that to secure supplies, and with
the hope of finding discomfort and
Tories among the settlers of New
Hampshire, General Burgoyne de-
spatched 500 men, under Col. Baum
where, on August 18th, 1777, al
Bennington, they were defeated by
the New Hampshire and Vermont
patriots, under the command Of Col
John Stark. The British lost in bat
tie about 200 men, and about 6OC
, prisoners. The American loss was
IA killed and AZ wounded.
The struggle between the Ameri.
can and British forces which ended
lin the surrender of Burgoyne or
the 18th of October, was begun Sep
tember 18th, at Bemis Heights
With Burgoyne, $50 men were sur
rendered prisoners of war. This VIC
tory was the most important one OF
the war up to that time in every re-
Spept