Watertown republican. [volume] (Watertown, Wis.) 1860-1906, 1877-04-18
Chamberlaln's letter Of Withdrawal.

COLUMBIA, S. c., April 1O.-The
United States troops were formed in
line, and moved out of the State House
at noon to-day.
Governor Chamberlain has lust
issued the following address, retiring
from the contest for Governorship:
To the Republicans of South Carolina:
by your choice | was made Govern
or OF this State in 1874. At The cleo
ton on the 7th of November last
was again by your votes elected to the
same Office. My title to the office,
upon every legal and moral ground, is
to-day clear and perfect. BY the re-
cent decision and action of the Presl.
dent of the United States, [ find N.Y.
self unable longer to maintain any
official rights with the prospect of final
success, and | hereby announce to you
that [ am unwilling to prolong
struggle which can only bring further
suffering upon those who engage in it.
La announcing this conclusion it is my
duty to say for you that the Republi-
cans Of South Carolina entered upon
their recent political struggle for the
maintenance of their political and civil
rights, constituting beyond question
large majority of the lawful voters of
the State. You allied yourselves with
that political party whose central and
inspiring principle has hitherto been
the civil and political freedom of all
men under the constitution and laws
CT our country. By heroic efforts and
sacrifices, which the just verdict of
history will rescue from the cowardly
scorn now cast upon them by political
placemen and traders, you secured the
electoral vote of South Carolina for
Hayes and Wheeler. In accomplish
ing this result you became the victims
of every form OF persecution and in
| jury. From authentic evidence it is
shown that no less than 100 of your
number were murdered because they
were faithful to their principles and
exercised the rights solemnly euaran-
teed to them by the nation. You
were denied employment, driven from
your homes, robbed of the earnings of
years of honest industry, hunted for
your lives like wild beasts and your
families outraged and scattered for no
offense except your peaceful and firm
determination to exercise your political
rights. You trusted. as you had a
right to trust, that if by such efforts
you established the lawful supremacy
of your political party iu the nation,
the Government of the United States,
in discharge of its constitutional duty,
would protect the lawful Government
Of the State from overthrow at the
hands of your political enemies. From
causes patent to all men, and ques-
toned by none who regard truth, you
have been unable to overcome the un-
lawful combinations and obstacles
which have opposed the practical su-
premacy of the Government which
your votes have established. For
many weary months you have waited
tor your deliverance while the long
struggle for the Presidency was in
progress. You were exhorted by every
representative and organ of the national
Republican party to keep your allie
glance true to that party in order that
your deliverance from the hands of
your oppressors might be certain and
complete. Not the faintest whisper of
a possibility of disappointment in these
hopes and promises evei reached you
while the struggle was pending. To-
day, April lC, 1877, by order of the
President, whom your votes alone res
cued from overwhelming defeat, the
Government of the United States
abandops you deliberately withdraws
from you It's support. with the full
knowledge that the lawful Government
of the State will be speedily overthrown
Dy a new Interpretation of the consti-
tuition of the United States, at variance
alike with the practices OF the gov
ernment and with the decisions of the
Supreme Court. The Executive of
the United States evades the duty Of
] ascertaining which of two rival State
Governments is tie lawful one, and by
the withdrawal Of the troops now pro-
tectlng the State from domestic vio-
lence, abandons the lawful State Gov
ernment to struggle with an insutrec-
tlonary force too powerful to be re.
sisted The grounds of Of policy upon
which such action IS defended are
startling. 1t ia said that the North is
weary Of the Southern troubles. 1t
was weary, too, of the long troubles
which sprung from the stupendous
! crime of chattel slavery, and longed
for repose. 1t sought to cover them
from sight by wicked compromises
with the wrong which disturbed it's
peace, but God held it to its duty unit!
through conflict which rocked and
agonized the nation, the great crime
was put away and freedom was or
dained for all.
It is said that if majority of the