The Stark County Democrat. [volume] (Canton, Ohio) 1833-1912, 1877-04-26
WADE HAMPTON.
His Speech to the COlOred Men OfCharles
ton Last Week.

Wade Hampton made a speech in
Charleston on Monday last to colored
delegation, in which he said;
my friends of Charleston: 1t gives
me eat,pleasure to meet you and parti-
cularly SO to meet so many ofthe colored
citizens of Charleston on this occasion,
want you particularly, not only here
but throughout the whole State, to un-
derstand precisely the condition Of affairs
and the policy represented in the late
election. know that it is very natural
for you to suppose, having been misled
in so many instances, that although
man who is a candidate for office may
make promises you cannot know what
will be the result of those pledges until
you see how the the policy has been car
ried out, All that have to say to you
now-and l say it when victory has
crowned our efforts-is that stand now
precisely where | stood twelve years ago.
was the first man in Misunderstanding
ly the first in the South who advocated
the granting of the right to vote to the
colored man.
During the late canvas | made pre-
diction that the colored people would
very soon find that the only protection
they had for their elective franchise
would be from the white men of the
South. You will live to see it. | want
to tell you an incident which has hap
pened since my election. When | was
in Washington recently, FIVE or six or
more promine ent Republicans, men high
position, actually consulted me as to how
the vote of the colored man could best
be restricted. | tell you what is true.
NV answer was: we do not want the
vote of the colored man taken away or
restricted, for, aside from the friendship
we bear the race, their rights to vote
gives us thirty more votes in Congress,
and when peace comes we are satisfied
that the best men in both races and par
ties will vote together for the common
wealth. We don't want to take that right
away, [Great applause stand precise
ly in the position that took twelve
years ago.
al want to see the colored people edu-
Gated and renew here the pledges that
| have heretofore made that we will give
the colored people better facilities for
education than they have hitherto enjoy
ed. Applause. | shall use all my in
Auence to see to it that the means ofedu-
cation are placed within the reach of
every citizen of South Carolina and
when | say every citizen | do not limit
or qualify expression.
II call every man Carolinian, wheth-
er he is white or black, whether he is
born here, at the North or in Europe,
who is a goo d citizen ind has the inter-
ests of the State at heait, frd he is en-
titled to all the protection that the laws
of the State and Of the United States can
give him. am pledged to fulfill every
promise made in the last canvass, | can
only do that if the people of South Caro-
lima will help me. can do nothing Of
myself may indicate to the legislature
what consider a proper course for them
to pursue, but it is for them 10 make the
laws. My duty is to execute them and
your duty is to send the best men to the
Legislature irrespective of race or party.
6Select no man for public office who
is not fit to fill the position, care not
what may be his politics or his race.
Make it your rule that you will place no
man in office unless he is competent. If
you elect good men to make the laws. |
pledge to you my honor that those laws
Shall be framed so as to place every man
and woman of both races and parties up
on an equal footing before the law.