The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1917-08-22


back? Here was Germany profess
ing to be our friend and at the same
time trying to employ other nations
to make war upon us. Even then
after knowing these facts, the presi-
dent gave Germany an opportunity
to explain. He went a great deal
further than l would have gone and
a great deal further than the patri-
otto citizens of Union County would
have gone in order to avoid this war.
"South Carolina has never sought
= conflict, but no man can tell me
~truthfully that South Carolina ever
went so far as to allow her most sa-
cred rights to be invaded without ris-
ing up to defend them. These matters
which I have told you about are what
forced US into the a
81 do not want you to overlook the
fact that this country has never de-
clared war on Germany. We have not
declared war on Germany. Your
congress has not declared war on
Germany. We have declared that a
state of war existed between Ger
many and the United States. 1t did
not take senators and members of
the house to come to this conclusion.
War Without Declaration.
: "Any man that had two grains of
sense knows that when our citizens
are being murdered and our property
destroyed a state of war did exist,
and therefore it makes me tired, sick
and disguised when people go over
this country stating that your rep
re~sentatives should not have taken
the action which they did.
"The proposition is simply this:
Under the law any neutral nation is
entitled to the use Of the high e
Citizens of the United States have as
much right to travel them as you
have to travel the roads in front OF
your homes or the streets in your
city. Germany has never been able
to deny that this is the law in the
case.
when, however, we sought to use
the right given us under internation-
al law Germany said to us there are
certain streets and highways that you
can not use, even though you have
the right to use them, because you
are engaging in commerce with our,
enemies.
Lets get the proposition down to
a plain case: Suppose any of you had
business with one of your neighbors.
and suppose in order to, transact this
business you wished to use the public
raad, when there was no question as
to your right to use it and suppose
some man, who did not like your
neighbor with whom you were doing
business, stood at the side of the
road with a shotgun and told you
that you could not pass along this
road, because he was an enemy Of
the man with whom you wanted to
conduct your relations.
Would Enforce Rights.
what would have been the result:
Knowing you as I do, I know you
would have said to him: 4 have a
right to use this road, and you have
no right to stop me, and I am going
to arm myself and protect my rights
and if you interfere with me we will
shoot this thing OUT
"That is a rather crude illustration,
but that is exactly what we have told
Germany, and W. are arming our
selves and we r going to shoot it
out, and when we get through the
shooting you may rest assured that
Germany won't block any more roads.
"War is a terrible thing. None of
us wanted to get into it. I opposed
it as long as there was a chance for
US to avoid it honorably. The cost
in men and money, the broken hearts
the bloodshed, the suffering of those
at home who do not have to 60, is ap-
palling. I could not but shudder and
sigh when / cast my vote as I did.
"This war was brought home to me
two years ago, when the only brother
1 had, realizing earlier than we have
realized the ruthlessness of these
German tyrants, went to England to
do his bit to stop them in their MUIR
derous curse. He today fills a SOL
dier's grave on the battlefields of
France, but I do not feel that his
work was in vain. I only wish that
he could have lived to have served his
country in this time of stress. l hope
you will pardon this personal allu-
sion. ! merely mention it to show
to you how we'll I knew the suffering
that this war would bring to our peo-