Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1877-03-15
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A COLORED MANS PLATFORM.
Open Letter of Representative Hamilton to
Mr.. Speaker Wallace.

| A CULOkEU MANS fLAIFUhms
Open Letter of Representative Hamilton to
Mr.. Speaker Wallace.
BEAUFORT March l, 1877.
To the Hon. ". H. Wallace, Speaker Of the
House Of Representatives
DEAR S1R-I regret not being present at
the hour Of adjournment, to congratulate you,
by resolution, for the able manner in which
you presided over the Constitutional House OF
Representatives. And you seem to have moth
ing in view but to sustain the laws and con-
qtitution of our country. I would not wish
to vote you gratuity of thousand dollars,
as the Bayonet House voted their Speaker,
but to vote you the well-done of good and
faithful leader. I see that the Democrats in
| Washington are disturbed by the news that
Mr.. Sherman brought from Mr.. Hayes, but
the supporters of the Hampton Government
between Beaufort and Colleton are not at all
alarmed they are paying their ten per cent.
tax cheerfully, and are willing to pay the
whole if called for. My advice to those who
are paying their taxes to the Hampton gov.
ernment is that as we have rights that our
enemies must respect, and that we will main.
tain, to say to the American people Chat we
| will not pay our taxes to or obey any other
government but Hampton's; that the Con-
gress of the United States may ignore the
laws and Constitution of the United States,
but We in South Carolina are determined to
sustain the laws and the Constitution of. our
State, even though we be exterminated by the
United States army that we have resolved
| in this section not to allow the Chamberlain
trial justices to execute warrant, or to allow
any of his constables to arrest any of our
hands; nor will We pay any tax to his gov
ernment; and if our employees sustain Cham
berlain they will be promptly discharged.
This mode of procedure is stronger than force,
and will wear out all the United States ar
mics.
You will notice that when the memorial to
Congress was on it's passage in the House, l
spoke and voted against it. did so because
do not depend upon the National Govern
ment for our support; but l rely entirely up
on the good people of South Carolina that
they will not allow any Congress or any Pres
ident to change the verdict that was given by
the people on the 7th of November, or to ig-
more the Constitution of the State, without
exterminating over a hundred thousand ma
tive South Carolipians of both races, who are
willing to give themselves up to the cause.
Some of our people are worried about the
Inauguration of Mr.. Hayes, but I am not at
all uneasy, because I believe that he is one Of
those with too much integrity, who loves his
reputation, and, if be does, he cannot recog.
nize any other government in the State but
that of Hampton. He cannot afford to count
in government which died at the ballot-box
of its own rottenness. He knows that no par
ty can live for any length of time when the
| representatives of the people, with salaries of
six hundred dollars per year, with no other
employment, lose in one night over fifty thous-
and dollars playing "seven-up." He knows
that no country can prosper with Leglsla.
ture that would pledge the faith and credit of
the State, as they have done in this State, for
the amount of four million dollars in the case
of the Blue Ridge Railroad, knowing at the
time that the security they had from the rail-
road was not worth the paper it was written
upon.
Mr.. Hayes ought to know that; the support
ers of the Hampton government are the tax
paying citizens. And, above all, we do not
ask anybody to support Governor Hampton,
but we ask them to support the Constitution
and laws of the State, and then he is Cover
nor. We desire to say to Mr.. Hayes that we
ask nothing but to allow US to support and sus-
tain the laws and constitution of our country,
and we intend to take nothing less. In my
Judgment the contest between Gov. Hampton
and Mr.. Chamberlain was settled on the 7th
of November by the highest court in the land,
and that is the people, and it has also been
ratified by them by the prompt payment of
their taxes to the Hampton government. In
my Judgment, no Court, no Congress, or no
President can revoke this decision.
As you know, was once strong supporter
of Mr.. Chamberlain. In that was actuated
BY numerous reasons, and the greatest of all
was that he recognized the wealth and intelli-
gence of my State, and because he shut the
door of the treasury on the political thieves at
that time. When he went back on these prin-
ciples, the Conservatives, men Of both colors,
dropped him, which they had right to do,
because he was opposed then by the same men
Who are supporting him now.
Now let US say to Mr.. Hayes, in an un-
questionable manner, that we will have
Hampton and his government, peaceably If
we can, but forcibly if We must, and if we
find any judge or any jury trying to take
away our rights, we will be compelled to take
for our guide the 9th chapter of St. Matthew
commencing at the 29th verse, which says !:
"And if thy right eye offend thee, pluck it
out, cast it from thee; for it is profitable for
thee that one Of thy members should perish,
and not that thy whole body should be cast
into hell" In other words, it will be better
for the people of South Carolina to have no
jury and no judge than to allow them to ig-
more the laws and constitution of the State.
Let this policy be firmly followed in our
State, and our government must live.
Yours respectfully, 7. HAMILTON.