National Republican., 1876-10-26
WELLINGTON DE BOOTS HAMPTON.

Wade Hampton Is at present endeayor-
ing to lay aside his old role of coward
and brsggarb" as Gen. Sherman dubbed
him In his Memoirs, and assume that of a
sucking dove. After melting his ignorant
and deluded followers into acts of murder
and lawlessness, which have dlsgraced our
civilization, he now calls upon his supple
tools to ''bare their breasts and receive the
fire of the Federal soldiers" who are at
present in South Carolina to prevent the
wholesale mass Icre of defenseless and In
offensive Republicans. Such "gush" as
the above is entirely worthy of the man
who fired the cotton, thereby resulting in
the destruction of the city which he was
expected by the JEFF. Davis Government
to defend. When Hampton struck that
dramatic attitude and gave utterance to the
above sentiment he had in his minds eye
the quondam Northern doughface. Sun
set Cox or Sam Randall could not have
been more bypocritical on such an occa-
sion. Hampton and his minions in the
South are endeaToring most strenuously to
create deep sympathy in the North, and
thus influence voters in doubtful States.
No one knows better than Hampton that
there is not the slightest danger that he or
his followers will be molested by Federal
soldiers 80 long as they refrain from muir
dering Republicans. The Government
very Justly demands that Mr.. Hampton
and his political friends behave them
selves and obey the laws. Until quite
recently these men intended to defy the
Federal authority, as the uttersnces of their
press and public speakers clearly indicated,
and now, upon the discovery that Presi-
dent Grant has resolved to nip this new
conspiracy against human rights in the
bud, Hampton has become frightened, and,
as an excuse for the ''braggsrt" utterances
which have characterized his speeches
throughout the campaign, he calls upon the
''people" to "bare their breasts, &c. There
is not more presumptuous demagogue in
South Carolina, or anywhere else, than
Wade Hampton. Having been subsisted
for years prior to the war from the South
Carolina exchequer, he now has an eye
single to the spoils of office. 1t matters not
to him how his depleted purse is reflled
80 he sccomplishes his end. He and his
followers started the campaign by murder
and iptimidation-the same ends resorted
to in 186C-and are now sorely chagrined
because the President has bid them cease
their hellish intrigues. This modern VEL
lington De Boots would excite our pity
we're it not that by his teachings he has in
the space of sixty days been the prime
cause of the murder Of over seventy Re-
publicans, who refused to embrace his "re-
form" teneis. As il Is, we regard him as
being q man dangerous TO the peace OF the
country, that should be indicted for his
many recent attempts to incite instruction
in one of the States Of the Union. Let
Hampton be taught that the rights of the
South Carolina negroes are inviolate; that
South Carolina Is member Of the Federal
Union, subject to the same national laws
as Maine or New Jersey, and that he may
not attempt to disregard those laws with
impunity. The recipient of an.undeserved
clemency at the end of the war, he should
have hid his head through sheer shame,
and his re-advent into political affairs at
this early day after his 'twar exploits"
shows that he possesses an smount of cheek
only exceeded by the fabled hotel clerk.