Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1869-03-11
CONGRESSIONAL Gltetinu.

Congressional Eleettnt1.
REPLY Of COL. ". D. SIMPSON,
To the Grounds of Contest OF, A. s. Wallace
Esq, to a Seat in the forty-first Con.
gress, from the 4th Congressional
/ District of 8. Carolina.
LAURENs, c. H., S. c., January 20, 1869.
Ron the End of January last, the under
signed received paper notifying him that yo'
would contest his ''election and right to seat as'
member of the House of Representatives, in th
forty-frst Congress, from the fourth Congressiona
District of the State of South Carolina, on twen
ty-eight grounds therein specified.
The first seven charges embrace matters, touch
ing the qualifications of the undersigned as mem
ber, and have no relevancy to the election itself
and inasmucb as the forty-6rst Congress WILL in al
probability, pass upon these matters without re
gard to suggestions from the contestant they Nigh
: be passed over in this reply unnoticed. But tn
undersigned has nothing to disguise as to his pas
course. He, therefore, admits that he was mem
Der of the General Assembly Of South Carolina il
1858, 1859 and ls6O-frst of the Lower House
and lastly Of the Senate; that he took the oatl
alluded to by contestant; that he voted for tn
call of the Convention which passed the ordinanc
of secession that he voluntarily entered the arm.
of the Confederate States of America that b
held, in said army, at different times, the commits
sions of Major and Lieutenant Colonel; that b
took an oath to support the Constitution Of tn
said Confederate States; that he continued in salt
army until the close of the year 1868, when he wa
elected to the Confederate Congress to 6l al
unexpired term, and afterwards full term-ant
that he continued as said member until the clos'
of the war that while an officer, he did engage
in open war against the government Of the United
States and as member of the Confederate Con
gress, did all he could in fair and honorable way
to advance the cause in which he was engaged.
He has no recollection of making speeches be
tween 1860 and 1865, urging the people of thu
State to enter thearmy. He has understood, how
ever, that the contestant was thus engaged abou
that time, and be will probably offer some proc
upon that subject
He denies that he is opposed to the Government
of the United States. Onthe contrary, he believes
that, as government it is the best that has evel
been permanently established in the world, anc
that if it could be administered according to tht
true intent and meaning of the Constitution, il
would promote, forever the peace, happiness anc
prosperity of our entire people.
As to the Reconstruction Acts of Congress- the
undersigned admits that he would have opposed
their passage, as unwise unjust and unnecessarily
oppressive to the people of the South; and whilt
being willing to use all legitimate means to have
them repealed, yet he has at no time engaged il
any factious opposition thereto. On the contrary
he has yielded them obedience, and expects to con
tinue to do so as long as they continue the laws O.
the land
The charges from eight to twenty-five, inclusive
are mostly against the people of nine out of the
ten counties embraced in the Congressional Dis
trict These charges are excepted to as too vague
times, places, and names of parties, with partlcu
larity, before any distinct issue can be raised; ane
the contestant is hereby notified, that the under
signed will object to their being considered, on tht
grounds above stated. Should this exception o
the undersigned be overruled, he would then state
that he has no knowledge of the matters therein
charged Asto three of the counties, to wit I'm
ion, Oconee and Pickens, it so happened that the
undersigned was not within the limits of either O
said counties during the canvass nor did he have
communication, either verbal or written, with 6
single citizen Of either of said countless during sale
time, on the subject of the election, except to re-
spond to some three or four invitations to public
meetings, which the undersigned did not find il
convenient to accept.
As to the other counties, to wit Greenville
Laureus, Spartanburg, York and Chester, the un
dersigned again repeats that he knows nothing
whatever Of the matters charged against said coun
ties. He attended one public meeting in Green
vile, three in Spartanburg three in York, andone
in Chester, all of which he addressed in neither
of which addresses did the undersigned mention
the name of the contestant-or allude to him in
any way whatever, as the undersigned now re-
MEMBERSHIPS remarks being confined entirely to
the political issues involved.
AS to Laurens, of which county the undersi gneo
is resident he knows nothing of the charges en-
braced in contestants notice. The undersigned
heard that on some night several days before the
election, negro man Harry McDanieD was wound
ed by being shot in the shoulder at his own house
some ten miles from the county seat and on the
night before the election, white man (Dr. E. G.
SHELLY was shot and killed, from the road side
while riding from the village in company with 9TH
ers-one or two of whom were wounded-there
being six or eight shots fired at the same time but
the undersigned never understood or'heard thai
these acts of violence had any connection whatever
with the Compassionate election; but the undersign'
ed knows nothing whatever Of the facts, the causes
or the parties engaged. The undersigned was at
the county site on the day Of election, at which
three out of the five boxes of the county were
opened, and he heard nothing of armed parties Of
men attending the different precincts. There was
company of United States soldiers in the village
at the time-Company -, under the command
of Major Wells; but their conduct was unexcep.
tionabe The officer in command seemed to be
impressed with the desire that the election should
be conducted with perfect fairness to all parties,
and nothing occurred, so far as the undersigned
has any knowledge, to induce interference on his
part On the contrary, he expressed the opinion,
as the undersigned has understood, that the entire
election, which came under his observation, was
conducted as fairly as any he ever witnessed. As
to the charges against the managers and parties
who were allowed to challenge votes, the reception
of illegal votes, the giving Of certificates to demo.
cratic voters, the undersigned knows nothing.
As to so much of charge No. "a, as states that
acts of fraud, illegality intimidation, threats VIC
lence. and outrages, we're practced by the friends