The Bamberg herald. [volume] (Bamberg, S.C.) 1891-1972, 1913-07-10
SPEECH OF HON.
JOHN L. McLAURIN
Delivered at Elloree July 4th-Woman Suffrage,
the Labor Question and Currency
Problem Discussed.
Ladies and Gentlemen:

The fourth of July, ITS, was the
date of the declaration of indepen-
dence, but the 4th of July 1901, was
the date upon which it was carried
into full effect by the establishment
of our National Capital. Then we
were but thirteen States struggling
along the Atlantic seaboard, with
population of three million: to day
union and independence are watch
words for ninety million people,
continent teeming with industry, and
then stretching across the Pacific to
the far off Orient where millions live
under the stars and stripes. 1t was
no empty jingle of words when the
revolutionary fathers pledged their
lives, their fortunes, and their sacred
honor in defense of a young republic.
This was peculiarly true of Virginia
and South Carolina, the favored, pet
ted children of the mother country,
settled with her best blood. Every
one of these self-sacrifcing leaders
who so nobly broke the way for
higher civilization could have aligned
himself on the side of English
rule and gained wealth and high posi-
tion. Marion and Sumter; Wash
ington and Patrick Henry could have
been sharers in the profit which came
from England's oppression. 1t would
not have touched them, for all OF It's
exactions would have fallen on the
working masses, just as the burden
of the present unjust taxation and
currency system falls upon produc-
tive labor.
It was not with these men a ques-
ton of money, but of principle, Volc-
ed in these words, "Give me liberty
or give me DEATH" and ''No taxation
without representation.
Foundation of Republic.
The American republic was found
ed by two classes working together
harmoniously to a common end.
One was made up from the large
landed proprietors, professional and
commercial men.
The other from small farmers, me-
chanics and laborers.
The first named were the dream
ers gifted with political vision:
nation builders, whom God sends to
the earth when his mighty tasks are
to be done. Washington and Jeffer-
son, Franklin. and Thomas Paine,
these had eyes to see the pillar OF
cloud by day and the pillar of fire by
night and lead a chosen people
dry shod through the depths OF Red
Sea into the Promised Land"
The beautiful unselfshness of
these grand men was even more
sublime than their heroism. Our in
.ternal trade amounted to very little,
because England had prevented man
ufacturing development so as to force
the colonies to buy from her. We
were absolutely dependent upon the
sale of our raw products abroad. This
was peculiarly true in the South,
where indigo, rice, cotton and tobac-
co were sold exclusively in London.
The rich planters around Charleston
and the city itself were dependent
for all the comforts of life on these
products, and rebellion meant poverty
and hardship. Yet Charleston was
one of the first to respond by send
ing supplies and words of encourage
ment to Boston South Carolina in
proportion to population contributed
more in men and money than any
state in the union. The record shows
that at the end of the war the gerer-
al government owed her more mon
ey, advanced for the common cause.
In the North, New York, Philadel-
phia. and all of the large cities were
in the hands of the British, and were
crying out to stop the war, but Mari
on and Sumter kept it alive, and
hanging like wolf hounds on the
tanks Of the enemy from Eutawville
to Camden, until at Cowpens and
then at Kings Mountain, the brave
men of the hills gave him such a
staggering blow that the surrender
at Yorktown ended the war.
England seemed to be more deter
mined to hold on to South Carolina
than any other colony, and concen-
trated more effort in men and money.
Not only in war, but in the more in
sidious form of creating sentiment
for the crown. She had been so kind
to the colony that the Tories were
formidable in number. They played
not only upon greed, but also fears
and the lesson of the Scotch outbreak