The Anderson intelligencer. [volume] (Anderson Court House, S.C.) 1860-1914, 1877-09-20
Governor Hampton interviewed.
From the New York Herald.
CuTcAGo Sent 70.

UOtcTuOT HatupVOu AuCoN vloWcus
From the New York Herald.
CHICAGO, Sept. II, 1877.
Governor Wade Hampton, of South
Carolina, will address the Agricultural
Society of Winnebago county at Rock
ford, ILL.,, tomorrow night. On his jour-
ney to that point he stopped here short
time to-day, and during his sojourn was
waited on by Herald representative.
The Governor was not much inclined to
touch upon political topics, and remarked
that he would much prefer conversing on
agriculture than the political situation.
He- then mentioned the fact that JEFF
Davis had been invited two years ago to
address this same agricultural association
at Rockford, and the Grand Army of the
Republic would not permit him to speak.
Anonymous letters were sent to Mr..
Davis, in which threats were made
against his life should he make the at
tempt to accept the invitation.
THREATS OF ASSASSINATION.
"I have been threatened myself anony-
mously," said the Governor. II have
letters now in which I am threatened with
assassination if I dare attempt to address
a crowd at Rockford, but these letters are
written by towards. The meanest anon
ymous letter ever written, I think, was
mailed from Chicago. 1t was addressed
thus:
"To Wade Hampton, Columbia, S. c.,
or wherever else the damned villain may
be. Curses on his soul.'"
CARPET-BAG INIQUITIEs.
The Governor then said: "I see by
the papers to-day that Miles G. Parker
has made confession touching the iniqui-
ties of the Chamberlain administration.
They are all confessing now. Parker
used to be State treasurer. He was once
arrested, tried and convicted, but escaped
from the State. By the way, you know,
secret investigation is being made into
the crimes committed by ex-oficeholders
in the State of South Carolina. Some of
the papers are striving to create the i'm.
preston that this inquiry amounts to a
systematic persecution of innocent par
ties. This is great injustice to the peo.
pie of our State and to the administration
of which am the head.
THE GOVERNOR GIVES THE FACTS.
"Now let me give you the facts" said
the Governor. "a committee was ap-
pointed by the Legislature to ascertain
whether any funds had been misappro-
priated by officials or the credit of the
State Improperly employed. The resolu-
ton for the appointment of the commit
tee was offered by Republican. A ma
jority of the committee itself are Repub-
Gcans. The Grand Jury, before whom
the facts are being laid are nearly all
Republicans, if am not mistaken. The
inquiry, in short, is essentially Repub-
lican measure, and when all the evidence
against the ringsters is brought out there
will not be a Republican in the State
who will not sustain the committee and
the Grand Jury.
CATALOGUE OF CRIMES.
"The crimes of which these fellows
have been guilty embrace bribery, forgery,
perjury and all the forms of downright
thievery, and I tell you, sir, the official
corruption and roguery of Tammany or
of Tweedism were not conceived on a
more liberal or magnificent scale than
that which characterized the Republican
administration in South Carolina. Why,
sir, Just look at some of the evidence
brought out by this Investigation !"
Before the war it cost about $450, 900 d
year to run the machinery of our State
government. When these bad men came
into power they had the Legislature,
which they manipulated at pleasure. In
the Legislature one session there were
ninety negroes who had been originally
field hands and who could neither read
nor write. This body appropriated
$3.50, 900 to pay for public printing for
one session. That was nearly as much
as it had formerly cost to run the whole
State government. This $350,000 was
put into the hands of ring styled The
Republican Printing Company which
kept two complete sets or books-one set
designed to deceive the public, and the
other showing just where the stealings
went.
DISCOVERIES MADE.
"The Investigating Committee have
discovered that of this $35O,OO0 the sum
of $4,000 was paid out in bribes to pro-
cure the passage of bill for the appro-
priation. I have recently been shown a
list of thirty or forty legislators who had
accepted bribes. Opposite each name
was the amount asked by the bribe taker
and also the sum paid him. Under the
single head of legislative expenses over
$4,000 was disbursed in the interest of
corruption. There is plenty of evidence
that faces of warrants were tampered
with. For example, one warrant issued
by the State called for $1l 900; the trst
two figures were deity converted to A.
A fellow named B. F. Whittemore, who,
you will recollect, was expelled from
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