The evening telegraph. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1864-1918, 1868-10-20

doesn't.
General Hampton was a member of the late
Democratic National Convention and of its
Platform Committee. Returning directly to
Charleston, he there made speech (July 24)
to a Sey mOur and Blair ratification meeting,
which was duly reported in that chivalric
organ, the Charleston Mercury. In that speech
he claimed the credit of having engrafted in
the Democratic platform the momentous decla-
ration that the Recon. truction acts OF Congress
unconstitutional, revolutionary, and void"
We reprinted fully the Hercury's report of
that portion of his speech in our last, so We
will here reproduce only the gst of it, as fol-
lows:-
81 must say that our felIow.citizens OF the
North met as in that committee, as everywhere
else, with the utmost corilality aud goodwill
They expressed their Willingness 10 afford US
All tnat we might desire in restoring our states
To the Union. (CheerS) AS we were met H.
such kindly spirit, could not but reciprocate.
and knew that represented the feelings of my
people by so doing; and when the resOluupns
offered by the senator from Maryland, which
declared that The right of suffrage belong ID 10
sldered, begged TO add few simple words
They agreed, and took the resolutions, which
you VIII nnd emO0dled 10 the platform and
added to them, and we declare that the Recon.
struction acts Of Congress are uuconstilu'ional,
revolutionary, and void (Jheers) That was
my plank in the platform. L wanted nothing
else; for, when the great Democratic party had
pledged themselves to that-when they had
declared that these acts were unconstitutional
leNOlulOnary, and yUlu'--I was willing to- walt
in patience until that party would be trlumpl.
ant and apply the remedy in their own good
time"
This is plain, frank, and 1--WE doubt not)
true. General Hampton thought he had done
q good thing in fOisting these ominous words
into the platform, and claimed the credit
from his Rebel friends. But, as it is now plain
that this Revolutionary" issue will not 90
down, General Hampton sees fit to change his
He ttrDara as Iv a
dove-as it We're nightingale" Here is his
version of the same transaction, given at an
ovation to John Quincy Adams at Columbia
5. c., on the 18th inst, and reported in the
Charleston Courier
"a word in relation to myself [ have been
the victim of great wiful, and malicious mis-
repre- sentaJlon. The radical papers ana leaders
nave accused me OF dlslOyalty, and TO su tan
tiate their charges, they have taken up and
garbed my alleged statement that the clause,
IScOnSiruct1On acts are Revolutionary, nul,
and void in the Democratic platform, was my
plank; that dictated II. 70 this point refer
because our distinguished and esteemed guest
hasTeferred To il in his very able address, Now
/ here deny that l made any such statement
did not dictate IT,. l ala say that IL was my
plank in the platform, and IT, is the plank of
every Southern gentleman. was on the Com
mtttee TO frame the platform, and the Southern
delegates on that Com nittee felt themselves as
guests only, anu resolved to express no prefer
ence in the nomination going on, and to take
no steps in the lnlerpoauon of any plank in
the platform. We were willing to leave the
entlie matter IN the hands of She great
Democracy of the North, feeling assured
that they would do US at least full
justice. The only resolution L offered in that
Committee was one ple8giDg the support of the
South to the Judiciary of Jhs United States and
proposing IT, leave the matter of the status of
the Southern Sta es in their hands for final ad-
Justmeni and settlement. In the progress of the
debate which arose upon this, Northern dele
gate eSpr essed the hope thsJ we would not press
tue point upon which every Southern delegate
Withdrew whatever resolution he might have
offered. y gentleman from Michigan uttered
the assurance that, in the event OF success of
the Democracy. the South would find relief
from her troubles; that The reconstruction acts
of Congress would he declared revolutionary,
null. and Void.' l then said, If those three
words were inserted in the platform 1t would
ne all we would ask; we would be satisfied ,
These words were inserted by distinguished
son of that glorious little State, Connecticut
and were unanimously adopted That was the
extent of my revolutionary action in New
York"
Having thus given in juxtaposition both of
General Hampton's versions of the matter in
his own words, we submit that his charge OF
garbling is ill-advised. The only authority
with regard to his doings in that Platform
Committee is Wade Hampton; the only au-
thority for the statement that the "revolu-
tionary" plank in that platform was his is
that same Wade Hampton; and it is fortunate
that his two speeches were both reported for
and printed in South Carolina journals OF his
own faith, and, if there has been any "great,
wilful, and malicious Misrepresentation, i" its
author is still Wade Hampton. We respect
fully advise him to think twice before he
speaks again.