The Clinton chronicle. (Clinton, S.C.) 1901-current, May 21, 1964, Image 20
r
Calhoun had
emerged as one
of the nation's giants during the
quarter century, 1814-39, but sac
rificed his Presidential ambitions
for his and his state's beliefs in
the rights of the minority (or, if
you like, state’s rights).
Having served as a U. S. Rep
resentative, U. S. Senator, Sec
retary of War, and twice Vice
President, Calhoun could look
back in 1839 to his crushed Pres
idential hopes and forward to his
moderate Southern leadership
which may have delayed the
Civil War. A strong unionist all
his life, Calhoun tried nobly to
press the Southern cause within
the halls of Congress in his final
decade of life. Upon his death
in 1850, following a lifetime of
public service, it was necessary
for friends to rally to his wid
ow's financial support. He never
used his office for private gain.
The Calhoun mantle of state
leadership passed to Robert Barn
well Rhett who preached South
ern rights or secession. This ul
timately came in 1861, and as the
nation entered its fourth quarter
in 1864, the North and the South
were at war.
The census of 1860 showed
South Carolina to have a popula
tion of 703,708 and the nation 31,-
443,321. As the nation complet
ed its first century of Federal
government in 1889, in spite of
Civil War and the monstrous Re
construction Period, South Caro
lina’s population was 1,151,142
and that of the United States 62,-
947,714.
■ Wade Hamp
ton, with quali
ties not unlike
those of Robert
E. Lee, came out
of the War as
comman ding
general of Lee’s
cavalry. He suf-
Hampion fered through
the Reconstruction period and
ultimately provided the leader
ship needed for South Carolina to
make a relatively peaceful ad
justment out of this period and
back into the Union as a respon
sible and equal member. Follow
ing a term as Governor, he was
elected to the United States Sen
ate where he served two full
terms — 1879-1891. He might
BymM (right) at height of influenco with Pmidont Truman, Gonoral Marmhall daft)
have served longer except for
Benjamin Ryan (Pitchfork Ben)
Tillman, the state's acknowledg
ed leader of the quarter century,
1889-1914.
Tillman was a successful farm
er in Edgefield County during
the period of Hampton leader,
ship, but he soon came to deplore
what he felt was a return to “rule
of the aristocracy.” The census^
of 1890 showed*
that 90 per cent
of the state’s
population was
rural, and Till
man’s appeal to
this group car
ried him into the
Grovemor’s man-
Tiiiman sion for four
years, 1890-94, and to the most
remarkable record as Governor
in the state’s history. He is cred
ited with starting both Clemson
and Winthrop and with writing
the state’s then new Constitution
by which we are still governed.
As a U. S. Senator for 24 years,
Federal costs go up, up, up
1897-1918, he perhaps accurately
interpreted the state’s sentiments
in Washington, though he never
achieved national recognition as
had so many of his predecessors.
He was joined in Washington
in 1908 by another agrarian, Elli
son (Cotton Ed) Smith. Smith,
like Tillman, set records in being
elected to consecutive terms, and
probably represented the pre
dominantly farm interests of the
state well. However, his influ
ence on national affairs was lim
ited.
In 1914, the
beginning of the
sixth quarter
century, the
s t a t e’s popula
tion had climbed
to a largely ru
ral 1,515,400; of
Smith the nation’s 91,-
972,266, half were now city
dwellers.
Change was everywhere. Sen
ators were now elected by the
people rather than by the state
legislatures; income tax was le
galized; and government regula
tion was coming into being for
the first time in strength. We
had fought and won the Spanish-
American skirmish and were now
watching with interest the Ger
man activities in Europe. We en
tered this war in 1917, experi
enced prosperity and depression
in the 1920’s, underwent revolu
tionary change during the New
Deal of the 1930’s and were
watching Germany again in Eur
ope before the 25-year period
ended in 1989.
In 1939, the nation’s population
had climbed to 139 million, a
large majority of which was now
urban. In South Carolina, of a
population of 1,800,000, two-
thirds of the people remained on
the farms.
A non-aristocratic, self-educat
ed Charlestonian entered the
limelight in Washington during
the latter part of the 1930’s as a
key Roosevelt-man in the U. S.
Senate. His quiet leadership in
Congress (14 years in The House
and 12 in The Senate) proved in
valuable to Franklin Roosevelt
nation's
civilian
military
fadaral
federal
defense
interest
veterans
other
in winning over both reluctant
yw
population
•mployaos
forc*s
income*
expenses*
costs*
on debt*
benefits*
costs •
Southerners and others to New
1789 —
3,929,214
unknown
718
$4,419
$4,269
$634
$2,349
$1,286
$176
"Deal programs.
1814 —
7,239,881
4,837
12,631
11,182
34,721
27,662
4,593
90
2,466
In 1941, he was appointed to
1839 —
17,069,453
18,038
19,317
31,483
26,899
15,099
400
3,143
11,400
the United States Supreme Court,
1860 —
31,443,321
36,672
27,958
56,065
63,131
27,925
3,177
1,103
32,029
the first South Carolinian to re
1889 —
62,947,714
157,442
39,452
387,050
299,289
65,814
41,001
87,625
192,473
ceive such an appointment since
1914 —
91,972,266
401,887
165,519
734,673
735,081
348,032
22,864
173,440
364,186
John Rutledge. Passing up this
1939 —
131,669,275
953,891
334,473
4,996,300
8,858,458
1,367,978
940,540
- 416,721
6,549,939
lifetime security a year later, he
1964 —
190,000,000
2,500,000
2,686,821
114,400,000
119,100,000
55,300,000
10,700,000
5,100,000
49,000,000
accepted the job as director of
. u. thousands dollar. the office of Economic Stabiliza-
4 ' ' MAY, 1964
Busiest judge in country
Federal District Judge J. Rob
ert Martin, Jr. of Greenville was
in all likelihood the hardest work
ing, most productive judge in the
nation last year.
While the state did without
two of its judges as a result of
vacancies caused by the death of
Ashton Williams on February 25,
1962, and the retirement of
George Bell Timmerman on Oc
tober 10,1962, Martin carried the
brunt of the load in traveling all
over the state. For the most part
he held his ground.
Through June 30, 1963, the
number of cases per judgeship
in the Eastern District of the
state came to 433, third highest
in the nation. The rub is that
there was only one judge on duty
most of the time — Judge Mar
tin.
Through June 30, 1963, the
number of cases per judgeship in
the Western District of the state
came to 166, 75th highest in the
nation. Judge Martin also helped
out here as well.
As indicated in the preceding
story, the courts of South Caro
lina lost only a negligible amount
of ground in staying up with the
varied court dockets. A major
part of the credit belongs to
Judge Martin, a relative new
comer to the Federal bench, as
suming this position in Septem
ber of 1961, but a veteran of 17
years service as a state Circuit
Court judge (13th Circuit —
Greenville and Pickens Coun
ties).
Other District Judge, C. Cecil
Wyche, is nearing 80 years of age
and is expected soon to retire,
creating another vacancy for
South Carolina - perhaps not
long after current nominees Rob
ert Hemphill and Charles Simons
are confirmed.
PATRIOTIC QUOTATIONS OF PAST
*
"If I had a vein that did not beat with the love of my country,
I myself would open it. If I had a drop of blood that could flow
dishonorably, I myself would let it out.**
C. C. Pinckney
‘The Union, next to our liberty most dear. May we all re
member that it can only be preserved by respecting the rights
of the States and distributing equally the burden of the Union.”
John C. Calhoun
(in answer to President Andrew
Jackson’s toast: "Our Union, it
must be preserved.”—1830)
"Bad men will sometimes get in (speaking of Presidency)
and with such immense patronage, may make great progress in
corrupting the public mind and principles. This is a subject
with which wisdom and patriotism should be occupied.”
Thomas Jefferson
"Let us deserve well of our country by making her interests
the end of all our plans, skid not our own pomp, patronage and
irresponsibility.”
Thomas Jefferson
"Influence is not government.” — George Washington.
“The basis of our government being the opinion of the people,
the very first object should be to keep that right; and were it left
to me to decide whether we should have a government without
newspapers, or newspapers without a government, I should not
hesitate a moment to prefer the latter . . .”
Thomas Jefferson
"Though the people support the government the government
should not support the people.”
Grover Cleveland
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Utkllalii
THE SOUTH CAROLINIAN
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