The Portland daily press., 1876-12-13
Chamberlain's Inaugural Address.

The address Of Gov. Chamberlain of South
Carolina, given at the inaugural ceremonies
last week, is presented below. 1t deserves
careful perusal by all thinking people. Gov.
Chamberlain made his appearance before the
Legislature and said:
Gentlemen ofthe Senate and House Of Represent.
dtiUeS:
accept the office to which, by a voice Of the
majority OF the people of this state, 1 have
second time been called, with full knowledge
OF the grave responsibilities and difficulties By
wnich 1t is now attended. No considerations
except the olearest conviction of duty would be
sumcient to induce me to accept this great
trust under the circumstances which now sur
round us. regard the present hour In South
Carolina as a crisis in which no patriotic citi-
zen should shrink from any part to which the
public may call him. In my sober judgment,
our present struggle is in defence OF the foun-
dations OF our Government and institutions. III
we fail now our Governmsnt-the government
OF South Carolina will no longer rest on the
consent OF the governed, expressed by Q free
vote OF majority of the people. II our oppo-
nents triumph, care not under what Ruise Of
legal forms, We shall witness the overthrow of
free government in our state My chief perso-
nal anxiety is that may have the firmness and
WISDOM to act in manner worthy of the great
interests SO largely committed to my keeping.
MY chlef public care shall be to contribute my
utmost efforts to defend the rights to guard the
peace and to promote the welfare of all the
people of our state.
The constant occupation of my time with
other duties which could not postpone has
prevented me from preparing the usual state
ments and recommendations respecting our
public affairs. AT the earliest practicable day
will discharge this duty. Our greatest inter-
est, our most commanding duty, now is to
stand firmly each in his appointed place against
the aggression and allurement of our political
opponents. Our position mp to the present
time has been within the clear limits of our
Constitution and laws. Nothing except the
cowardice or weakness or treachery OF our own
friends can rob us of the victory.
state what facts show, what overwhelming
evidence proves, when say that IL we yield
now we shall witness the consummation of q
deliberate and cruel conspiracy on the part Of
the Democratic party OF this stale to overcome
by brute force the will of a majority of 1000 Of
over public abuses which have heretofore aris-
en- here. l have, according to the measure Of
my ability, labored to make the conduct OF our
pnblIc affairs honest and honorable. But
stand appalled, at the crimes against freedom,
against public order, against good government,
nay, against government itself, which our re-
cent political experience here has presented;
and am the more appalled, when see ths
North, that portion Of our country which is Sc
cure in its freedom and civil order, and the
great political party which has controlled the
Republic for sixteen years, divided 10 its sym
pathies and judgment upon such questions. II
is written in blood on the pages of our recent
national history that no government can rest
with safety upon the enforced slavery or degra-
datien of race In the full blaze Of the great
example OF retfibutive justice which swept
away half million of the best lives of our
country, we see the American people divided BY
party lines upon the question of the disfrsn-
chisement and degradation of the same race
whose physical freedom was purchased at such
a cost. And what is more astonishing, there
are Republicans who permit tho errors which
have attended the first efforts of this race 10
self-government to chill their sympathy 10 such
an extent that they stand coldly by and practi-
cslly say that the peace of political servitude is
better than the abuse and disguiet which new
ly-aequred freedom has brought.
denounce the conduct of the recent election
on the part oil our political opponents in this
State as vast outrage Fraud. proscrip-
tiOn in all forms, violence ranging through all
its degrees up to wanton murder, were its ef-
fective methods, The circumstances under
which we have assembled to-day show US how
nearly successful has been this great conspira-
cy. 1t is for as in the face of all dangers, in
the face Of false or timd friends, in the face of
open enemies, to show that we understand the
cause in which we are engaged, and that no
earthly sacrifice is too great to secure its tri-
umph.
The gentleman who was my opponent for
this office In the late election has recently de-
clared, as am creditably informed, that he
holds not only the peace OF this city and State
but my life in his hand. Neither the public
peace nor the life of any man who now opposes
the contamination of this policy of fraud and
violence is safe from the assaults of those who
have enforced that policy. My life can easily
be taken. have held ii, in the judgment Of
my friends here, by frail tenure for the last
three months. But there is one thing no man
in South Carolina can do, however powerful or
desperate he may be, and that is to cause me TO
abate my hatred or cease my most vigorous re-
sistance to this attempted overthrow and en-
slavement of a majority of the people of South
Carolina. Here L stand. can do no other
wise. God be my helper. Wife and children,
dearer to me than are the ruddy drops that
visit my sad heart, and all other Considerations
must give way before the solemn d.ty to resist
that monstrous outrage under whose black
shadow we are assembled to-day.