Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1858-08-12
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SPEECH OF HON. J..HHAMMOND.

IN T~NNVS~Vsv$
SPEECH OF HON. J.-H. HAMMOND.
rive take from the Charleston Mercury, the
following report of the Speech Of Hon. J. H.
Hammond, at Beech Island, on the 22nd ufinso,
at the diuner given him BY his friends and neight
bors. =. q.
Mr.. HAMMOND alluded to. the grateful
pleasure it gave him to be in the midst of
his friends Among them he had spent
nearly the whole of his manhood. He bad
lived as their co.laborer in the obscure fields
of agriculture, and was yet ardently attached
to their company and to the absorbing tolls
of the field. It was known. that, when cal
led by the voices of many in the State to
leave his peaceful ayocation Of agriculture,
he was 10th to relineuish his labors in fact,
he had almost an aversion. to. being taken
from the handles of the plough, as it we're,
and placed by his beloved State in che. au-
gust council of the confederacy'of this vast
nation-a council in the keepingof whose
wisdom and power was. all the honor and
safety of our country a council composed
Of the elite. of the lands intelligence, .and
equal to that of any other country in the
world. Taken somewhat unprepared, on this
occasion, while feeling the arduous duties
aud iabors of the last six months, and
returning home to enjoy rural quiet, he was
not forgetful of the esteem of his friends aud
tte complimentary illusions to his services.
These he would accept as the evidence of
good will on their part, rather than anygreat
merit of his. He would frankly say he was
no orator. Orators are not, like poets, born;
they are made by practice aud he was not
skilled in the consummate' art. For twen.
ty years be had been devoted to agriculture,
and agriculture and oratory were not in the
same line of pursuits. He. would, therefore,
make but plain speech, giving an account
of his stewardship and the results Of his OBJ
aervations. =:
When he,went to the federal Congress six
months ago, he found the admission Of Kan
sas, under the Lecomptou Constitution, the
all.absorbing and exciting subject before the
representatives of the people and the gov
eminent. To him the whole theory and
scheme of squatter sovereignty was matter
of disgust. The Kansas.N Nebraska bill was
a delusiou and deception framthe beginning
He felt satisfied that on that basis the South
would never unite. The President plead and
tried to do his best, North and South but
it was evident that it was single good fea-
ture in it, it was that it allowed the people,
free from interference, to frame principles
for themselves after their own fashion. 1t
was snare to those at the South. 1t was
rotten with fraud, and those who made it
Hinched from its consequences. Its only
effect was to add another State to the Union.
His hearers knew that Kansas, so far as Con-
gress can admit it, was now admitted, with
the Lecompton Constitution, and without
the Green proviso. Mr.. H., reviewing brief
ly the admission of Kansas; under tho Con.
ference bill, questioned if Congress can call
State Convention, and considers it dan
gerous precedent. He alluded to his own
position and that of Mr.. BonKam, the Rep
resehtative of Edge6eld. He found no fault
with the honorable gentleman. Mr.. Bon
ham, may have been right, aud he may have
been wrong. If Mr. Bonham erred. his er.
ror was on the safe side. He was worthy
of all confidence, since he acted from the
honesty of his convictions, and such a man
should be honored and cherished by his con-
stituents.. ...- = -
Mr.. Hammond then ALLUDED to other top.
les before Congress during the session. He
voted for the increase of the Army and Ma
Wy. He had heard number of sophomore
speeches against increasing these arms Of
the national defence. They were worthy Of
college students, rather than grave Senators
of.the nation. He apprehended little dam
ser from standing army and, aS to, the
extravaganza Of these measures, he replied
to Senators that if the expenses Of the de-
partments had been examined, they would
be found double that of the army. The na-
Wy should be increased, because the, South
was utterly indefensible in its present con-
ditiop. In the port of Charleston there was
but one naval steamer of light draught.-
The Southern coast needed for its protection
a numerous feet of small vessels. The fact
is, our navy was now what it was forty.fve
years ago, and is in sad and disgracefui
candition.
Senator Hammond said he would now ad-
dress himself to the great question of the re-
lations of the North and South. He would
speak as he thought, and it would give him
pleasure for his hearers to take what he said
in the spirit of which it was uttered. In
his opinion there were many grounds for ap.
prehension at the South but there were al
so strong reasons for hope and confidence
Whatever relations might eventuate between
the North and the South, they would be in
the end consistent with the rights and secu-
rity of this section. Under the present as
pect of affairs the South would have to re.
main 10 the Union. He would rather see
the game played out between the North and
South, than see the Union brought to an
end. If we had dissolved the Union and
engaged ina brush with some people (Which
must occur in setting up for ourselves and
lawfully establishing our institutions), it
would have been best for US. But now if
We can rule in the Union, let us remain. BY