Lexington weekly intelligencer., 1877-04-14
FEr states His Reasons in an a address
The people.

| Ntt III CAROLINA NJ FAIRS.
CnluMBIA. April lo.-The unitec
! States troops were formed in line anC
moved ont of the state-housc At moon
to-tiay Chamberlain has Just ISSUED
the following address retiring from the
contest tor the GovernorShip
"HE ADDRESS.
10 the republicans OF South Carolina
| Ey Your choice WAS made governor
OF this state in 1874 At the election on
the 9TH OF November last. | was again.
by your votes, elected 10 the same
! Office Ny title to office, upon every
legal and moral ground. is to-day
clear and perfect. BY the recent decis-
ion and action of the president of the
United States. lind myself unable Ion
ger to maintain nv official rights with
prospect Ot tiual success, and ! hereby
announce To YOU that am unwilling 10
proiong II struggle which can only bring
inrther suffering upon those VIII" engage
III II. Announcing this conclusion, it is
my duty to- say To YOU that the repubii-
cans OF South Carolina entered upon
their recent political struggle for the
maintenance OF :hcir political and Civi!
rights. constituting beyond question I
large majority of the lawful votes OF the
state. You allied yourselves with that
political party whose central and in
spring principle has hitherto been the
civil and political freedom of all men
under the constitution and laws OF our
country. Bv hcroi efforts and sacrifice
which the uS, verdict ot history will
rescue from the cuwardly scorn now
east upon tltcin bN political place-men
and traders YOU secured the electoral
vote oi South Carolina for Hayes and
Wheeler. In accomplishing this result
You became victims of every form OF
persecution and injury. From authcm-
tic evidence ii - shown that no less
than one hundred ot your member, We're
murdered brcausc they wer" faithful TO
their principles and exercised the rights
>olcmnly guaranteed 10 them hy the
nation. You were denied employment,
driven from Your homes. robbed OF the
earnings of Years oi honest industry,
hunted for your lives like wild beasts,
your families outraged and scattered for
no Oilemse except YOUR peaceful and
firm determination to exercise your
political rights You trusted, as YOU
had the right to trust. that il by such
efforts YOU established the lawful su-
premacy of Your political party in the
nation. the government of the United
States. in the discharge OF its cOnstltu-
tional 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 hr,n unable To overcome the un-
Iawtul combinations and obstacles which
have opvo,rL the practical supremacy
of ,royrrnm.ut which yuur votes have
established. For many weary months
ynu have waitpI for your ,ciiycraucr.
While rho Ionr str1lmUIe for the nre,i-
,lency wa, in progress, YOU were eXhort-
ed bv every representative and organ ot
the Nationa! RepubIiran party to keep
YOUR allegiance true to that party IN or
der that vour de.iverance from the
tain and cnmultte. No, the lainteSt
whisper OF possibility of q disappoint-
mrnt in these hopes lad promises ever
reached vou while the struggle was
pendiLg.
To-day. Apm, 10. 1877, hv order If
the uresi,leut whom your votes alone
rescued from overwhelming. defeat. the
government ut the United States aban-
don> YOU. Deliberately withdraws from
you lis SupDcrt. with the full knowleGre
that the lawful government of the state
Will be speedily Ovcrthrown. Bv
new Interpretation of the constitution
OF the -nited States. at variance alike,
with the previous practices of the gov
ernment and with the decisions of the
supreme court, an executive of the
United States cvadcs the duty OF uscer-
tanning which Of the two rival state
governments Is the Lawful one. and by
the Withdrawal! of the troops now pro
tecting the state from domestic violence,
abandons the Lawful. Government TO
struggle with an insurrectionary force
too powerful To he resisted. The
grounds OF policy upon which such ac-
ton is defended are startling. 1t is said
that the north is weary OF the long
southern troubles. Ii was weary. too
of the long troubles which sprang from
the -tupendous crime of chattel slavery
cover them from Sirht hy wicked COM
promises with the wrong which disturb
ed its peace. But God held 1t to its
duty until through = conflict which rock
ed and a~nuiZ"d the nation. the great
crime was pat away and freedom was
ordained f"rlll.
1t Is said that Il a maiorii, OF tile pco-
pie of the state are unable by ph, steal
force to maintain their rights. they must
be left To political >crvitudr l. this Il
doctrine ever before heard in our histo-
rv? II ii shall prevail. its consequences
will not lonm br confined to South Car
olina or Louisiana. 1t is said demo
cratic huil-,. Of representatives will re-
fuse ;tn appropriation for the army of
the nitcd States il the lawful govern
ment of South Carolina is maintained
by military force The submission to
such coercion marks the degcueracv of
the political party or people which en-
dureS il. \ government worthy of the
name. or a p0litica, party III to WELD
power never before bianched at such Il
threat But the cdict has gone forth
No argument or consideration which
YOUR friend could present has sufiiced
to avert disaster. No effective means
of resistance to the consummatOn of the
wrong are left The struggle can be
PROLONGED Nv strict IeuaI riphts are
OF course wholly unaffected bv the as-
ton OF the president No court Of the
state has Jurisdiction to mass upon the
title to NV Office. No lawful leoisla-
turc can be convened eycept upon nv
call Ifthe use OF these bowers prom
ised ultimate success to our cause |