Wilmington journal., 1876-10-06
Correspondence of the Journal.
General Leach I'm south Carolina
Hampton Forever
3ENNETrsvILLE. S. c., I
Sept. %, 1876. (

Sept. %. 1876.
DEAR JoURNAL:-Thisp pleasant little
village, of about Ave hundred inhab bi-
tants, is in Marlboro county, s. c., of
from the railroad, fourteen miles from
| Cheraw, thirteen miles from Society
Hill six miles from Gardeners Bluff.
on the Pee Dee and twenty miles from
Laurlnburg, N. O., q oepot on the
q. O. Railway. 'Tis a gala day here
for the surrounding country. The
merchants have all closed their places
of business and the village is wild with
excitement, for arrangements have
been made to listen TO the political
arguments of the day, and shake han is
with that most honored son Of South
Carolina. Gen. Wade Hampton.
On the public square has been
erected a large platform over aud
around is seen flying the stars and
stripes. Union, Reform and Gen.
Wade Hampton" is the watch word and
reply on every hand. At 10 O'Clock
| the General and other prominent and
honored speakers made their appear
ance, escorted by mounted horsemen
and band of music, and Immediately
proceeded to the public square.
On the platform We noticed Gen.
Wade Hampton, Gen. J. B. Kershaw,
Col. j. d. Kennaday, Col. J. F. You
man, Gen. J. M. LIE .ch, of N. c., and
other speakers.
dred people from the country are al
ready on the grounds, and before the
speaking closed there were over five
thousand attentive listeners, of whom
some twenty five hundred were colored
men.
At the appearance of Gen. Wade
Hampton, the widest enthusiasm
seized the people, and for at least
twenty five minutes the very air seemed
to echo his name, while ths General
remained perfectly placid until silence
could be restored. What old Zeb
Vance is to North Carolina 80 il Wade
Hampton to our sister State. In his
opening remarks when he reminded
his hearers that he stood there as
candidate for reform, one that desir ed
TO again see peace, happiness, union
and harmony, once again restored to
his own dear beloved and native State;
and that, as token of his sincerity,
he was assured that the colored vote
of South Carolina, to the amount OF
fifteen thousand, would be cast for
him, the air was soon filed with hats
and cries from the colored voters. "we
will; we will." Such a political state
of feeling, such harmony and una
nimity between the whites and blacks
[ have never before witnessed, and if
this be but an index of what the peo-
plo of soush Carolina are doing we NAV
certainly put South Carolina down as
by twenty five thousand majority. In
oil oSt of
but one sentiment seems to prevail;
no drunkenness. no abusive language,
but that one all-exciting. all-impor-
tant theme" Union, usiOn-13edce,
peace " ade Hampton, Wade Hanap-
tOn''
We must be pardoned II calling at
tention to the speech OF that gallant
son of old North Carolina, Gen. Jas.
Nj. Leach, who for over two hours car
ried his audience from q cry to a
laugh, from feelings of the most sym
pathetic nature 10 those of most jolly
disposition.
The speech of Gen. Leach had
most happy effect. It was good in
every particular, and full of sound
logic At the close, three rou sing
cheers were given him by the colored
voters, of whom hundreds have come
out and publicly y expressed themselves
that they intend to vote the full Dem
ocratic ticket, and we are reliably in
formed that some five 60 eight hundred
colored voters in this district will cast |
their votes for Gen. Wade Hampton, the
noble and popular son of South Caro-
lima. Such word as fail they know
not, it is not to be found in their vo-
cabulary. To still further show how
enthusiastic, how determined and how
sanguine they are, at the close of the
speaking, by actual count, one hun
dred and sixty eight horsemen fell into
line as the column moved off with
the many hundreds of colored Demo-
cratic voters on foot-some of the
more influential and educated ones
were in carriages. This is no fairy
tale, but tells the story in truth. which
is that the people of South Carolina
are in earnest, Yours, MAC.