The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1876-10-11
GOV. CTIAMBERLAIN'S ANSWER
To COZ. HASH Eli.

! A. Z. HASKELL, iLSti., LiaIllli"ii bS''i'
ocratic State Executive Committee,
Columbia. >. Z.
SrE:-I have received your cOmmu-
rica,ion Of the 2Sth ultimo, covering
! several matters connected with the pO-
Iitical canvass now in progress in this
State and the general condition Of our
! public affairs. You first invite me
and the nominees on the republican
state ticket 'to attend the democratic
mass meetings which are being held
in succession in each county in the
state" This part of your communl-
cation would have heen addressed
! more naturally-aud | trust you will
permit nc to add, more properly-to
the chairman of the republican state
committee, whose function 1T Is, rs the
organ of that committee, to consider
and determine the methods and order
Of the canvass on the part OF the re-
! publican party. In anSWe r, therefore,
to your invitation, | am unable to say
! more than that | have informed the
chairman of the republican state com
mjttce that rs sOOn rs the duties OF my
Office, which now imperativcly require
nv presence at the capital, shall per
nit it, I shall be ready to meet Ciener-
al Hampton at any suitable points IN
state. not i'm democratic mass meet
inrs.n but i'm mass meetings to be call
cd by both parties for the purpose OF
Joint discussions, upon terms OF per-
fest equality in all respects OF the po-
liticai issues now before our people.
You will doubtless receive ut an early
| Jay q proposition of such 4 nature
from the republican state committee,
with such suggestions regarding details
q $ will commend themselves to your
sense of fairness and secure the objects
which you profess to seek in your IN
vitation-the removal of 1.-THE bitter
ness of race feeling, which We (you)
attribute to the predudices and errone'
Gus views which have been instilled
into the colored race" anda peaceful
and untrammelcd discussion, that the
neoplc may become enlightened on the
issues of the day" In saying this, l
am confident 1 faithfully represent al
50 the wishes and purposes Of all my
associates on the republican state TICK
ct.
The remainder Of your communlca,
ton is occupied with statements OF
what You claim to be the spirit ana
conduct and purposes of the democrat,
ic party in the state, with a special cal
upon me "as governor and candidate"
to contradict certain alleged statements
respecting the present condition OF the
state and the action of men who be-
long to the democratic party, which
YOU call ''slanderOus charges" or to
"look into them by going in person to
ascertain the truth" You say that
INV appearance before the democracy
throughout the state will be to me as
governor a most pleasing refutation OF
| the slanderous charges which constant.
lv are published against your party in
some newspapers which claim to be
nv political organs, and also in the
northern papers, backed by the name
of Senator Patterson or some other per.
son who claims to be my political
friend and exponent" You say that
[ am las governor and candidate,
bound by my gubernatorial pledge and
honor, to prevent my followers using
the sanction Of my official silence to
sustain these charges against my oppo-
nents, when these charges allcgc the
overthrow of the peace and dignity OF
thcstate which / am sworn to Defend
You present three examples of the
charges to which You refer, ale taken
from the Washington correspondence,
respectively, Of the New York Sun,
New York World and New York Trib-
unc. You say that ''these utterances,
i'm the instances above cited, arc totally
false, and affect the character OF the
State" and that if l "believe them to
be rue it is my duty to restore peace
and order. and to do so it is my sworn
duty to call upon the citizens to sustain
me and enforce the law"
You proceed further to say that II,
and no one better, know that the white
people of South Carolina are struggling
as few people Eel have done to cast OIL
q burthcn of corruption and wrong,
such as yet fewer people have ever
borne SO long" and you proceed to
make extended quotations from for
mer remarks of mine respecting our
public affairs, and to say that the men
who committed the wrongs which l
denounced "are the same men who
control the ticket upon which my
name stands, who devised my party
platform and are to-day my political
eXponents.n You say that l know
that it is against all this that our un-
fortunate people are struggling, and
vet that l know full well that their
efforts, although in the warmth of
canvass, are orderly and within the
law" You say that my "nlanho"l
compels me to approve your course"
and finally you declare that "as gov
ernor Of the state am called upon to
either contradict the assertion that the
law is ovcrthrown, and that terrorism
prevails, or to suppress this lawlesS-
ness" and that lit is your right that |
call upon you before l appeal to the
government of the United States"
| am pleased to observe and ac-
knowledge the respectful terms in
which your statements and charges are
framed, 50 far as they affect me.
These statements and charges cover in
substance the whole field Of III pres
ent political . controversy, together
with the matters growing out of that
controversy, and effecting the pub
lie peace and the common civil rights
of our citizens. In addition to your
direct call upon me-, in your character
as the official representative of the
democratic party, to express my views
upon the matters presented by you,
the nature of your communication and
the statements and charges which you
make seem to compel ME 20 speak. |
do this with profound reluctance.
Not only will the expression of my
views disclose how widely you and |
stand apart upon all the questions in
volved, but it will, in my sober judy
ment, disclose to the world a condition
of things ineXpressibly d~isgraceful to
the good name of our state. Though
General Hampton is reported to have
said substantially, in recent public
speeches, that l could not, by reason
of my nativity, feel such an interest
and pride in the fame of South Caro-
lima as becomes her governor, and,
though you may share in this opinion,
I still venture to say to you that l
have regretted deeply the receipt of
your communication, because It forces
inc, while l hold my present high Of
flee, to present views and convictions
which, if correct, reflect infinite dis
credit upon a large portion Of the
people of this state. 1t is, however,
as your communication show, no new
experience to me TO find myself COM
PEELED by a sense of duty to pursue a
course which has subjected me, not
only rs in the present instance, to the
increased hostility of political oppo-