The Wheeling daily register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1864-1878, 1877-09-14
speech Of Wade Hampton.

! brings me here to-day, II would surely
be found in the fact that have Travelled
more than one thousand miles that
may make my Acknowledgements for the
honor you have conferred, in person
TApplsuse.l And let me say to you, and
/ say it with infinite pleasure, that had
that Journey been tar longer, had III
fatigues been greater, the sight that greet:
me here, the cordislity OF the welcome
given me by the people of Illinois, would
Eave amply compensated me. Ap
plause.1 Under ordinary circumstances,
| should scarcely have felt at liberty 10
have left my official daties to participate
in an occasion OF this sort, however graft
tying the honor might have been, but
the invitation of the Winuebago Agri-
cultural Society carried with it such
weight that it imposed on me an obligs-
tion which l could not neglect. 1t was
this society, year sgo, before the politi-
cal spirit which has now so happily sub.
sided, that was among the first TO inaugu-
rate that spirit of reconstruction which is
now spreading with such Wholesome
torce over the land. Therefore when
they made call upon me l, southern
man, felt that 1t was not
only my pleasure but my duty to
90 and make response in person,
and thank them for their course in the
interest OF harmony, and to pledge my
cordial cooperation in this patriotic and
noble work. Applause Ii | compre-
hend the purpose OF your invitation to
me, it was not that / should speak to
you merely on an agricultural subject,
| but that | should discuss those graver
| and broader Issues which are interesting
the country, but, my friends, in doing
that you need not fear that | shall vio-
late the proprietles of the occasion by
giving political speech. | shall
speak to you Tor no man, no
party, no section, but tor this
whole country [Applsusel, and in doing
that | shall strive truthtuliy TO sink ali
men and all partlsanship and TO place
myself on that grand, high plane where
true and pure patriotism can be found.
Applause :. As L construe the motives
Of this movement, my .rlends, it Is in the
interests OF peace, and understanding 1t
so it was that which brought me here, and
if by anything | can say or do-it | can
IN the slightest degree aid these geEtle-
men in the noble work they have begun
then, my friends, shall feel that my
mission has not altogether failed. The
chief thing | had i'll view in
coming here was TO promote u
true and correct understanding
between the people of the North and
South. You must admit that very many
OF the evils which have fallen on the
country have come from misConception
OF purposes, each. OF the other. You re-
membor that there Is truth rs well as q
knowledge OF human nature embodied
in the fable where it is told that in
| olden times n shield, white one side and
black on the other, was hung at the inter
! section OF two roads and two
knights, approaching in opposite
directions disputed as to the color
of the shield. Finally their lances
were put to the test, and they perrIlled
life, each to support his own convictions.
| II has seemed TO me that, in looking
over these questions, something of the
same sort has happened between the
| North and the South. The Constitution
WAS the shield; and viewed as 1t WAS
| from different points and construction,
| dispute on the points waxed warmer and
warmer until the sword was called in,
and under It's srbitrament many brave
and true and knightly soldier lsId down
his lite IN support OF his conviction.
What might have happened my friends,
had prudence and not passion ruled
| the hour, 1t Is useless tor us
TO say now; that the states man looks to
the past perils OF hi country, simply
that he may guard against them. We OF
the South have had not only enough, but
too much OF the war. Laughter. We
seek peace; we come now 10 plead in the
interest of peace, and ii is for that | am
here to-day. Cheers. Can you doubt,
my friends, that the South wants peace;
20 lock ut her ruined fields, the way in
which she has lived tor twelve Years, and
you will doubt it no longer. Do you men
oi Illinois doubt her sincerity; she has
been charged with faults, but among
these faults her worst enemies have
never SAID she WAS hypoCrltical,
or she spoke with n double tongue. Inn
petuous, rash she may have been; but,
thank God, false never. Cheers Do
you want proof of her sincerity? Look
III the recent past and tell me II You can
find sympathy more conclusive than is
gwen by your conduct, Need lteIl you
to look back TO those trying days when
the Presidential contest was unsettled?
"a ~, no ,t ba 81
Governor Hampton alluded to the
possibility OF a civil war IN which families
would have been divided had not the
South stood firm Tor peace, and
said | tell you OF Illinois,
and speak DO. as a Dem
ocrat, l do not know and do not
care whether l speak 10 Democrats or
Republicans | speak rs III American
to Americans and say TO you to-day.
that you owe debt OF credit 10 the peu-
pie Of the South. Cheers. In Congress
to what. some OF the North have called
the Confederate brigsdes, preventing I'll
lbustering and stood by the result OF the
Electoral Commission work. During
the recent strikes and riots. too, she
evinced her feeling oy upholdlng the
Iaws and standing conservative. She has
given bonds 10 the State 10 preserve the
peace, and she wants peace, she wants YOU
people ol the north to understand her
condition. She wants you to realize
precisely what she accepts SIS the result
ot the war. She wants you 10 under
stand the motives which have sctuated her,
no. only before and during but since the
war. |, for myself, my friends, have no
concea.meuts to make for the past.
have taken part in the WAT, nor would
your respect for me be increased were
to offer any unmsnly apology for it.
dit what you did. obeyed the COM
mand OF my own State as you dId yours
and You men OF the north
were guided by your consciences IS We OF
the south were guided by ours, and l say
to YOU that up 10 the beginning OF that
war used ~! my influence 10 preserve
the Union. Daeers. wss u Union
,,,, Tpapaua1 nha,.rs IA oil 7