The county record. [volume] (Kingstree, S.C.) 1885-1975, 1921-05-12
REV. E. A. MCDOWELL
ADDRESSES VETERANS
Continued from page One.

Continued from page One.
ing the lawleSs effort of the coercer.
What becomes of our boasted Ameri-
can liberty, ask, when coercion takes
the place of the consent of the govern
ed?
One of the fundamental principles,
yea, the very corner stone of Ameri-
canism is that one written by Thomas
Jefferson in the Constitution, "that all
free government is based upon the
consent of the governed"
If YOU had not fired upon the flag
that waved over Fort Sumter, if you
had not thrown yourselves into the
malstrom of the tide of four years
bloody war, you would have proven
yourselves unworthy Americans, for
you fought for the Constitution. |
declare that you had no other choice.
You had either to fight, or to tamely
lay down your necks under the grind
ing heel of the coercer and oppres-
sor. Had you done this, you would
have been unworthy of hte blood that
coursed in your veins. Unworthy of
your fathers, who at Hobkirk Hill, and
Eautaw Springs and Camden, and
CowpenS, poured cut their blood to
beoueathe to you the sacred rights of
sef-government.
You have heard it said chat it is
better to have loved and lost, than
never to have loved at ALI, So, We may
say, that you did better to have fought
and lost, than not to have fought at
all.
But | want to say to you, honor
ed veterans, that you did not lose.
for the truth and the principles for
which you fought, and for which your
honored comrades fell in battle, are
still marching on. The beat of the
drum calling you to battle is no Longer
heard, but there is force, mightler
than an army with banners, still
marching on.
"For truth crushed 10 earth
Will rise again,
The eternal years Of God are hers,
While error, wounded, withes
in vain,
And dies among her worskiperS."
1t is the truth the eternal princi-
Piles of liberty for which you fought,
and for which your comrades died,
that are still marching on today and
will continue to march as long as there
are lovers and exponents of liberty
left on the cath. You lost the battle,
but you did not lose your cause, for,
you fought for principles that IRE
etelnaily right. Jefferson Davis
parting words in the United States
senate were: 1--WE arc being depr!v-
ed in the Union of the rights which
this is done, there is but one thing
left for US to do, and, that is to de-
clare our independence 2nd take the
hazard. Putting our trust in God. We
shall vindicate the right as best we
may
Having said .his mach in defense
of the Justice of your cause, now ask
YOU to consider with me. the honor
that the whole world acknowledges
should be accorded YOU for the cour-
age and self-sacrifcirg devotion that
YOU displayed in tackling your job.
Perhaps never before in the history
of the world, was there ever war,
of 50 great magnitude, fought under
circumstances so diSpropotiorate, un-
| less it was Gideons'
As to the comparative populations
of the two sections, there were fifteen
millions in the North against five mil
lions in the South. Two and a half
millions of fighting men in the field
to a little more than half-milllon
on the part of the South. The North
had the standing army and navy OF
the United States, the United States
treasury, nine-tenths Of the factories
of the country and access to all foreign
powers. The South had absolutely
nothing, as a preparation for war, but