Orangeburg news and times. [volume] (Orangeburg, S.C.) 1875-1877, 1877-04-14
Governor Hampton's Return to
Columbia.

i
Charlotte by special train, anil
arrived in Columbia Friday after
noon, G inst. An immense concoursc
Of people had gathered to hear him,
and were repaid for t! cir trip by the
following speech from the peoples
Governor:
TIE GovnRNoR's SpEEcII.
ar. lhoi'mo" and my to"m',y-
wonrn amd Conni,ymcn IF .Snnh Cnro-
l'"": Travel worn and weary, have
come back amongst you to make my
report TO my constituents. Those
constituents are the true pc ,plc Of
South Carolina; and coming here to
my surprise, find welcome whicI,
has stirred my heart 10 lis inmost
depths. It is not II we leone that !,
conquered people would give to II
conqueror. bring no blood stainc.l
ensign. I bring no trophies fro II,
The battle field, but 1 come To say that
the cause in which we fought, the
cause in which you made me your
Standard bearer, the cause of truth,
has hccn victorious, and once III ore
the banner Of South Carolina, no
carried through. bloody fields, but
through those more glorious ones Of
peace, floats ovcra State, free, Olsen
thrnllcd, regcncrated and redeemed.
And how has it been redeemed (? Nv
friends not by blood, not by violence,
but by the potential agency ofthc
ballot 1t has l.ccn redeemed because
the honest men Of South Carolina, of
ali races and Of all parties, dctermin-
cd to wipe away the scandal which
Lad hung 50 long over her history. II
was because NC saw that we would
have tn fight for very existence; that
nll we hclu dear in The past was sink
Ing or beng swept away; hat the
civilization Of hundrc':s Of years was
hring hlolted ml; We saw that our
government was passing into the
hands Of aliens and Of strangers; and
p!ncin,, our cause in the hands Of
God on high, We determined We
would make one more effort to re-
deem South Carolina, and i we should
90 down it WOULD be with our banners
Il atng, and with no stain to disgrace
that cause.
You fought battle that has never
been cquallcd on the American Cont
ncnt. | scarcely realized in those
days Of peril and gloom, The grave
issues Which were hanging on this
contest. | did not realize them until
| went to Washington. tell YOU
that q nuSkct shot in this town
would have meant civil war on This
Continent; and what stopped il :?
i.Crics of"lou stopped - from the
crowd. No! my co,,ntiymcn, it was
bccnuse the people Of South Carana
were the most law-abilins people in
tbs country, and because they had
risen above considerations ni party
had determined to save their State.
tell you that though y,u have yon
this fight, though the men, or rather,
TIC women - for it was the women OF
South Carolina who won Tic victory
there was not Il woman in th. State
who would look upon II man who
turned lis back upon our cause Che
remainder Of this remark was lost in
prolonged cheers for the women. }
You won the victory at the ballot
box; but then came in the more in
s,dious attacks upon us by fraud.
From ihc 7th day Of November until
this tine the viIdict Of the people Of
South Carolina expressed at The bal
lot box has been stifcd. We have
appealed, as peaceful citizens should,
"of to violence; for yon know, there is
not man in Columbia who dues not
know, that when that crowd was
standing out there, night after night,
it required but worl to have them
sweep, ms lie storm drives the leaves
before it, every vestigc of opposition
away But | felt | was safe in trust.