Abbeville press. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1860-1869, 1869-02-12
ANSWER OF
j ACOB p. REED.
Member Elect from the Third Congress
ional District of South Carolina, to
the Forty-First Congress of the
United States of America,
to the Protest Of his
Competitor, Solo,
mon L. Hoge.

Ias" We make the following extrac
from the able reply of Mr.. Reed
the slanderous charges of Hoge:
ANDERSON, S. G. Jan. 81, 1869.
The undersigned, member elect, q
the election held on the third day
November A. D. 1868, from the 3
Congressional District of South Car.
lima to the Forty First Congress (
the United States of America, rcspec
fully submits to the House of Repro
scntatives the following answer to tn
very extraordinary paper purportin
to be a protest of his said election
which has been served on him b,
Solomon L. IIoge, his competitor
viz:
I. I admit that the charges mad
against me in the specifications 1, 2,
4, 5, 6, Z, s and Of said protest, Will
the exception of the latter clause o.
specification 8, are substantially true
was member Of the Legislature o
South Carolina in 1888 ard 1899, and
again in 1913, 1919 and 1850. was
elected Solicitor Of the Western Cir.
cult Of South Carolinn blythe Legis!a.
ture on or about the Sth day OF De-
cembcr, 1850, and reelected at the
end of every four years up 10 and inclu-
sivc of December, 1866, ani continued
to discharge the duties o said office,
without intcrmission, up b the 18th
of December last, 1868. At my sew
eral elections rs member O the Lcgis-
lature, and at my election Us Solicitor
in 1850, 1854 and 1853, I tolz an oath
to support the Constitution of the
United States Of America, and Of the
State Of South Carolina. 1t my re-
election as Solicitorin Deccaber, 1862,
did take an oath to suppct the Con-
ktitution Of what was then known as
the Confederate States o; America,
and of the State Of Soutf Carolina;
and at my reelection t the same
Office in December, 1866, hgain took
I'LL oath to support the Costitution Of
the United States, and ( Ey own
Statc-having previously in 1865,
took the oath Of allegianq and am
nesty rendered to tho p.ple of the
South by the President, rsarding it
whether enormously or no alike the
duty and interest of evcrritizen to
yield true faith and allcgiace to the
Government to which he isu1j jcctcd,
and to which alone he cal look for
protection for the time beir. I also
admit that I was a memf of the
Secession Convention of thiState in
1860, and voted for and advtated the
measures of said Convention But I
affirm that my political projections
have always been eminentlyonserva.
tive. 1 was an ardent fried of the
American Union under heonstitu-
tion, and accepted the policyf seces-
sion with greatreluctance, aft almost
every other citizen of the Ste had
given in his adhesion to theAeasure:
And being once in, I suppeed the
issues involved with all the ehnsiasm
of my nature, and during ti greatly
to be regretted and to me VI Expected
war that ensued, gave all tt sympa-
thy, aid and encouragement in my
power, short Of actually beaag arms,
which as civilian, and on aount Of
my age and habits of life, ncr did
to the Confederate cause. admit
that I was ineligible to Office tate or
Federal, under the 14th Am dment
of the Constitution of theUnited |.
States, at the date of my ell don to
Congress; that my political Fsabili-
ties have not yet been rem ed by
Congress, and that portioHf the
electors of the Congressional tstrict
doubtless knew, when they ct their
votes for me, that I was at time
ineligible But | affirm thatlmost
the entire adult white male poAation
of the: Congressional DistrictSncur-
red in the opinion, that as ourppula.
ton had acquiesced in the station
,peaceably, Loyalty and in goo9faith,
and the State had been restoret 10 the
Union under the sCongression plan
of reconstruction, with it's entihduit,
male population, without refd to
raca color pr former conditl, adj
mittsa 20 tie ballot box, that e die |
abilities of the person eleo. ID to |
represent them in Congress Wild be |
remo6ed .an1s thst be would hpsr-]
mitssdtS take his scat, ind F rbect
fully suggest, that such will D the
action of thsl Amsrican yColress
But it is rot true, as IL charged \ the
latter 'clakss of thsl5 5sth spsciac|ion,
that ! shs staal opposed tc tho Issed
sstates-s sovsrhnsnss and a tHs Non.
ssxnetien acts of Congress- .inthe
,senss "a which the charge is mada I
affirm that my Allegiance II the UHed
States 'Goverumsnt has long sinae He'd