The Pickens sentinel. [volume] (Pickens, S.C.) 1871-1903, 1877-01-18
South CarOlina's Vote.
FACTS ELIoIrED BY THE CoNaREssIoE~
AL COMMITTEES.

WASHINGTON, Jan. 4.-The South
Carolina committee returned to WASH
ing early this morning, after an alb
sence of about q month. A vast
amount Of tostimoney has been taken,
most OF which is still in the notes Of
the stenographer. 1t has not, thore-
fore, been fully examined by the COM
mittee; hence no formal action has
been taken as to what conclusions will
be reported to the House. The ru-
NOR, therefore, that the committee
will report that tho Hayes electors
wero legally elected has no foundation
in any action the committee has TAX
on, and must have been based merely
upon remark by individual mem>
bers of the committee. Mr.. Saylor,
the chairman, says that the testimo-
ny taken by the committee will do
nonstrate, to the satisfaction of all
reasonable men, three facts.
First-That Wade Hampton and
the entire Democratic State ticket,
and majority of the mombers of the
House of Representatives, were elect
cd by majorities ranging from 200 to
l,10O.
Second-That the intimidation was
almost exclusively on tho part of Rad
ical negroes against those of their
own color, who announced their in
tention to vote for Wade Hampton
and other Democratic candidates for
State offices.
Third-That the riots at Cainhoy
and other places were instigatod by
the Radical leaders, their object bo~
ing to arouse Northern prejudices
against tho Southern people.
So far as he was able to asc ertain
from the precinct returns, Mr.. Saylor
is OF opinion that the Hayes electors
were elected. He says, however, that
there is some doubt about this, be-
cause of the difficulty Of determining
whether or not certain precinct re-
turns shou}d be regarded. There
were about forty precinct returns
missing, Apd they had to 60 TO eec-
ondary sources to ascertain what the
vote was in those precincts. He thinks
they approximated tho result at these
missing polls, and in order that what
ever doubt there was might be given
to tho Republican side, his committee
would doubtless admit the choice Of
the Hayes electors. About tho cleo
ticn of Hampton, however, there could
be no doubt. Ali of the decent Re-
publicans in South Carolina admit his
election, and say that is for the best
interests of the State and the people
that he should be recognized as the
legitimate Governor. The witnesses
produced by Chamberlain and United
States District Attorney Corbin wore,
with ono or two exceptions, negroes,
and before they were sent to Saylor's
committee they were instructed in
Corbin's Office. They all camo with
stories committed to momory, and
some ludicrous scenes occurred when
they got their tales mixed up. The
army officers who were called as witt
nesses'by the Democrats, without ex-
ception, testified that within their
knowledge not single outrage had
been committed upon negroes by the
Democrats on election day. In almost
every instance whero negroes testified
to acts of violence by the whites,
army officers commanding in the
neighborhood, who were present at
the time these occurrences were said
to have taken place, testified hatthoy
had neither seon nor heard of any
such outrages.
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