The times and democrat. [volume] (Orangeburg, S.C.) 1881-current, 1909-09-09


along with others and made his way
to his home in the direction of the
Santee river. After the fail of the
city, which was surrendered on ac-
count of the lack of provisions, there
was no organized body of patriots
left in the State and Camden and
Ninety-Six were soon occupied by the
enemy. Marion called a meeting of
the principal men Of the eastern sec
ton, among them Colonel Peter Nor
ry and Major Lacy, and after long
discussion of the apparent hopeless
ness of the cause, he with a small
number of patriots Joined each other
in pledgIng their lives to a continua-
ton of the struggle as long as there
was a British soldier left in the
State. If he had not sprained his
ankle he would have surrendered
with Moultrie and the others, and
who can tell what would have been
the result upon the fortunes of the
war? Moultrie's parole kept him
inactive the remainder of the war.
Marion's band of guerfilas kept alive
the torch of liberty and together
with other similar troops under
Sumter and Pickens led to Kings
Mountain and Cowpens and made
Yorktown possible.
Commercial Democracy.
Now we all know that President
Taft is coming to South Carolina and
other Southern States to see what
he can do towards breaking up the
solid South. I know the presidents
purpose is not bad and | give him
credit for wanting to do what he
thinks is right, but he in a measure
seems to have placed himself under
the influence of some of the shrewd-
est and most unscrupulous polite
ians in this country, whose purpose
it is to mobolize the negroes and
bring them back into our politics.
It is most fortunate circumstance
that the younger generation Of Caro-
linians who knew nothing except
from hearsay about the horrors and
dangers through which we passed
during reconstruction, should have
their attention called to it at this
particular time. Under the lead Of
those editors who were many of
them in knee breeches when we were
in the throes of the Reconstruction
era, the rising generation has been
| taught that we have no race prob
lem and that there is no possible
danger from the negroes now; and
many young men and some old ones
need to be told of the 1tyrannies,
expressions, and robberies to which
the white people of the State had to
submit because of the bad govern
ment put in power by northern bay
onets, using ignorant negro votes.
1t is therefore, good thing to have
some of the actors in those scenes
appear here and remind you, as has
! been done by Judge Aldrich and Gov
ernor Sheppard, of the sufferings
and dangers through which we pass
ed in that dark and gloomy period
of the States history.
l make the assertion from my own
personal knowledge that II it had
not been for the death Of William
Mckinley, eight years ago, the efforts
of John l.. McLaurin to organize a
commercial Democratic party
would have succeeded to dangerous
degree. You would have seen a
large number of the white people
of South Carolina fall in behind him
and 20 off after that Trojan Horse.
know many good men who had
their grips packed to take up the
! line of march and the scheme only
| fell through because of the death
of President Mckinley followed by
| the invitation of Theodore Roosevelt
! to Booker Washington to dine with
him. Many of those men who are
! in control of our capitalistic enter
prises, cotton mills, banks, etc., were
prepared to fall in behind McLaurin,
not as republicans, but as CONNER
cial Democrats But what differ
ence does it make about name
If the movement divides the whites?
Our only salvation in South Caro-
lima has been the Democratic pri-
mary which permits absolute liberty
of action and the rule of the ma
jority in our politics, and any move
ment, which will tempt one faction
of white men to use the negroes
against another faction will bring
about the result so much desired
by Mr.. Taft He wants "independ-
ence of action by two political par
ties in the South and commercial
Democratic party or Taft Demo-
cratic party will answer his purpose
equally we'll.
want to say to you that Presi-
dent Taft has not been as generous
as even Mckinley was in dealing
| with the South in the matter Of
census supervisorships. He made a
speech in Atlanta last year in which
he said he would not impose fed
eral office holders on our people who
were obnoxious to them. Accord