Speaking Out

DR. ABNER LANDRUM, 1831

 

As a defender of the Union,

I can no longer stay in Edgefield,

where the Nullifiers surround me

and drown out my voice.

Don’t misunderstand me;

I am not against the South.

But this country is one,

and I must speak out more forcefully

for the Unionist cause.

Columbia, the capital of our state,

beckons me

to defend our land with words.

I will send copies

of my renamed newspaper,

The Columbia Free Press and Hive,

to Harvey Drake

for all in Edgefield and Pottersville

to read,

so they may know

that the Constitution of the United States

will stand forever.

 

Dave,

you will go back

to the pottery works,

and while your hands

are wet with clay,

remember this:

a man must stand up

for what he thinks is right

even when

he stands alone.