The Anderson intelligencer. [volume] (Anderson Court House, S.C.) 1860-1914, 1860-08-21
Letter from Senator Hammond.


We are privileged to place before our readers the
following letter from Senator HAMMOND, which viii
no doubt receive careful pcrusal. The letter is
addressed in response to an invitation to attend
the meeting at Williamson on the 9th inst, and
has been furnished by the courtesy of the editor
of the Gazette to whom it was sent for publication
REDcLrrrE, Aug. 6, 1860.
Dear Sir have just received your polite in
vitation to dinner to be given on the 9th inst. at
Williamson to my esteemed friend and your able
Representative, Col. Ashmorc. If the weather
was not so unusually hot, my engagements would
not permit me, on so short q notice to do more
than thank you very sincerely for your kind re-
membrnnce. The shortness of the notice, howev-
err is not due to you, for your letter is dated
week ago. and might have reached me in "a hours.
But this humbug of " cheap postage" so crafty
ing to those who live on railroads, and are not
aware that by other methods of taxation they pay
twice the nominal charges-in the South four
times-has, Under a system of economy which
strikes down the weak rural routes reduced this
route, once daily, to weekly one.
The political exigency of the day is the election
of the next President. 1t gives me great pleasure
to find that South Carolina, having with her usual
promptness and unanimity made her choice, is
properly and consistently pursuing the same quiet
course III reference to it that she has so long fol-
lowed. 1t never WAS sounder policy than at this
time Every man in America knows where she
stands, and the whole influence of her, undivided
support of Messrs. Breckenridge and Lane is as
fully felt though she says nothing, it would be
were she ever so vociferous; while any departure
from the course she has so long followed and any
unusual expression of interest would be damaging
to the candidates of her choice. South Carolina
is notoriously charged with disunion proclivites
and the charge cannot be well denied, though real
ly it is not true in regard to constitutional Union
Ii is loudly proclaimed that the ticket she supports
is therefore disunion ticket and any uncommon
effort in its behalf her part will have the effect
of sustaining this charge. have had the pleas
ure of somewhat intimate acquaintance with the
President and Gen. Lane during the last
three sessions of Congress, and while deem them
eminently qualified for the exalted positions for
which they have been named, l do not believe that
any two men could be found in America, who
would so promptly, and without q second thought,
lay down their lives, if needed, fer the preserva-
ton of the Union. 1 confess l am myself very
far behind them in that particular. In my humble
Judgment every vote given to them is vote for the
Union, and every vote given to any other candi-
date in the field is whether intended or not, vote
against the Union And it is to passing strange
that, while every sensible man in this country
must know that the election of Mr.. Lincoln will
put the Union at imminent and instant hazard, and
that neither Mr.. Bell nor Mr.. Douglas can lay
claim to one single authenticated and assured elec-
toral votc any Southern man, or any Northern,
Eastern or Western patriot, should under any pre-
tencc, Withhold his ardent support from the only
men who in this greatest of all the crises which
our country has known since the adoption of tho
Constitution, can, under the circumstances, pro-
long and perhaps make permanent this Confedera-
cy cannot help believing that they will be elec-
ted 1t is the best next step for the success Of
which everything but principle should be sacri,
feed. Very truly yours,
]. II. HAMMOND.
T. r. BROYLEs ESQ