Edgefield advertiser. [volume] (Edgefield, S.C.) 1836-current, 1917-06-27
INTERESTING ADDRESS.
Address Delivered by Hon
Walter r. Mcdonald Upon
dwelling of Marker at
Cherokee Ford.

Madam Regent and Ladies of the
Daughters of the American Revo'
luton:
1t is indeed a pleasure to meet
here today with so many truly
noble Americans, who can, with
just pride, look back for genera
tions to honored, patriotic fore
fathers whose heroic and lofty re,
cords of service, both civil and
military, stand out in the worlds
history without parallel aud whose
glorious and splendid service to
mankind reflects distinction and
credit upon you here assembled.
| cannot say that | am altogether
comfortable before so distinguished
an audience, but l wish to tell you
that l do feel honored to come here
at the request of your Regent, to
tell you in my feeble way of that
high and noble spirit which actuat-
ed and strengthened the hearts and
kept alive the hopes of the partici-
pants in that terrible and bloody
struggle, until it's victorious close,
which meant, and. still means, so
very much to America and the en-
tire world.
The American Revolution was
caused by the righteous, forceful
resistance of a free-born and free
thinking people, against a high
handed and tyrannical rule of des-
potic few.
The colonies in the early days
had fought their own battles, con-
trolled their own meager commerce,
sending their ships whenever and
where ever they chose, and in large
measure governed themselves. The
mother country left them to scufie
for themselves and gave them little
or no assistance in their struggles
for their very existence, and such
treatment made of them aFsteady,
self-reliant, self-governing pees.t g
and lovers of liberty pooplerwke
had enjoyed and possessed the per-
negatives of kings.
At the beginning of the Revolu,
tion, they had not thought of Inde-
pendence, nor was it publicly men
toned for nearly year after the
Concord Incident in April l775.
Dependence upon the mother
country and loyalty to the king
were deep rooted. They we're des,
cendants of the men who had wrest-
ed from reluctant sovereign the
magma carta. They were fighting
for their inalienable rights of life
liberty aud property. When the
commerce of the colonies grew II
such proportions as to be of value
and to be desired, Great Britain By
parliamentary acts, sought to direct
all American imports to her owr
ports, and at the same time prohl'
bited commercial intercourse be-
tween the colonies themselves, and
finally sought to tax that commerce
which she tyranically forced upon
the submissive colonies.
Commodities which the colonist:
were forced to import, and which
could not be supplied by Grea
Britain were, under the policy o.
the colonial Proprietorys, required t<
be carried ir English ships, and
tax imposed upon them.
The British subjects right o.
trial by a jury of piers of his lane
was denied. The right of a tria
before Jury of their own land
where the accused and witnesses
were we'll known and the evidence
so given could be considered ano
given its proper weight, was ruth
lessly disregarded, and the accused
and such witness as they chose
were summarily arrested and trans
ported across to sea to be tried
among strangers and denied the ad
vantage of friends and money. II
death should unJustly result, the
accuser was protected from Civil
prosecution by an act of the British
| Parliament which protected the ac'
euser from prosecution at common
law upon the judges certificate OF
there having been probable cause OF
prosecution.
The Colonial Proprietors had fol
more than ten years forced upon
the protesting colonist, this relent'
less policy. Denying the right OF
habeas corpus, which right thell
forefather's had bought with thell
blood, imposing and enforcing
taxes in various forms by Parlla
mentary acts, in which body they