The watchman and southron. [volume] (Sumter, S.C.) 1881-1930, 1918-07-03

stressed the Importance OF foreign
trade. and the necessity OF u ware
house system backed by the fedora
! government to protect the farmers OF
the country. lie closed with a per.
sonai reference, for which he apollo.
gized. To show that he had done what
he could I'm the past to put into prac.
uce theories he advocated, having es.
tablished bonded warehouse twen.
~ years ago to help the farmers OF
his county.
Chairman Clifton stated that there
are four candidates for the seat in
congress-Mr. Lever who seeks re-
election and Messrs. Mcleod. Tim
norman and Brantly. Mr.. Lever was
not present. but had sent a letter
which the chairman would read. This
letter announced Mr.. Levers candi-
dacy and then reproduced the corre-
spondence between Mr.. Lever and
President Wilson. all of which has been
printed heretofore.
MIR. Thomas G.. Mcleod. of Lee
county was the first OF the congress
sional candidates. He was received
with considerable applause. for SUM
ter Is his old home and everybody here
knows him. His speech was well re-
ceived and was applauded at inter-
walls. "A synopsis of his speech fol-
lows:
1 appear before you. the democratic
voters OF the Seventh Congressional
District as n candidate for member of
Congress. l have neither explana-
tions TO offer nor apologies to make
for appearing before you as a candi-
date. God help us IL the day should
come when a free born American cit
izen. knowing he has the character
and feeling he has the ability, is estop-
ped from aspiring TO this honor at the
hands of his people.
The War.
IL is impossible at this day and time
10 think other than i'm the terms of
this struggle which is convulsng the
world. l want you to understand
that the same purpose which has DOM
mated my life and claimed almost my
undivided attention since this war be-
gan, Is still the dominating purpose
and will be until IL happily ends. and
that Is TO win the war. l am not one
OF those who say that since We are in
this war we must win il. | am one
OF those who believe we are in this
war because we ought to- be in it. We
are In this war because II is n right
eous war. and because as u. self-re-
specting nation we could no longer re-
main with our swords sheathcd.
The rights of humanity have been
trampled upon. and Germany i'm an
endcavor TO carry out the well formed
plan OF conquest OF the earth has vio-
lotcd her sacred treaties with the ma
tons of the earth. Gcrmany's course
has been marked with duplicity and
double dealing. and when she thought
she could with safety do so. she vio-
lated the rights OF this nation and
trampled CV' flag under foot. The
United State vas neutral. and Ger
many thinking we were unprepared
md believing that tho struggle was
soon TO terminate I'm her favor. renew
ed her submarine depredations and
issued to us her orders to quit the
seas. intending to involve us I'm this
struggle. and thinking that the con-
quest was soon TO terminate in her
favor. make us pay the penalty OF her
depredations. When Germany sought
to wrench from us the freedom of the
seas she struck at the vital spot of our
existence. I wish / had time to go
fully into this with you as have from
other platforms in the State. but so
limited Is the time and so much
there Is TO say that I cannot do so.
A man said To me sometime since,
one OF these men who had proflted by
the war and sacrlnced nothing for II.
IL hope we will win the war. but we
did not have TO fight" 1 said TO him
IA I say To you. No. we did not have
TO fight. IL man spits I'm your face
and siaps your wife over. you do not
have to hght, but what kind OF a
speciman OF "a man are you If you
don't do II. What do mean by that?
j mean this. that this great democracy
or ours Is made up OF individuals 1t
but expresses I'm the concrete as n ma
uon the character OF the individuals
going To make up the nation. No
self respecting man will subuoi, ,,.i,h