The Anderson intelligencer. [volume] (Anderson Court House, S.C.) 1860-1914, 1877-03-15
A COLORED MANS PLATFORM.
OPEN LETTER OF REPRESENTATIVE HAM
ILToN TO MIR. SPEAKER WALLACE.

4 COLORED MANS PLAEFUhm.
OPEN LETTER OF REPRESENTATIVE HAM
ILToN TO MR.. SPEAKER WALLACE.
BEAUFORT, March ], 1877.
To the Hon. ". III. Wallace, Speaker ct
the House Of Representatives:
DEAR SIR-I regret not being present
at the hour of adjournment to congratu-
late you by resolution for the able man.
her in which you presided over the Con-
stitutional House of Representatives.
And YOU seem to have nothing in view
but to sustain the laws and constitution
of our country. l would not wish to vote
YOU a gratuity of thousand dollars, as
the Bayonet House voted their Speaker,
but to vote you the well-done of good
and faithful leader. see that the Dem
ocrats in Washington are disturbed by
the news that Mr.. Sherman brought from
Mr.. Hayes, but the supporters of the
Hampton Government between Beau
fort and Colleton are not at all alarmed {;
they are paying their ten per cent. tax
chcerfully, and are willing to pay the
whole if called for. My advice to those
who are paying their taxes to the Hamp-
ton Government is that, as we have rights
that our enemies must respect, and that
we will maintain, to say to the American
people that we will not pay our taxes to
or obey any other government but Hamp-
toms; that the Congress of the United
States may ignore the laws and Constitu-
tion of the United States, but we in South
Carolina are determined to sustain the
laws and 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 the constables to arrest any
of our hands; nor will we pay any tax
to his government; and if our employees
sustain Chamberlain they will be prompt
ly discharged. This mode of procedure
is stronger than force, and will wear out
all the United States armies.
You will notice that when the memori-
al to Congress was on its passage in the
House I spoke and voted against it. I
did so because do not depend upon the
National Government for our support;
but rely entirely upon the good people
of South Carolina that they will not al
low any Congress or any President to
change the verdict that was given by the
people on the 7th of November, or to
ignore the Constitution of the State,
without exterminating over hundred
thousand native South Carolinians of
both races, who are willing to give them
selves up to the cause.
Some of our people are worried about
the Inauguration of Mr.. Hayes, but am
not at all uneasy, because 1 believe that
he is one of those with too much integ-
rity, who loves his reputation, and, if he
does, he cannot recognize any other gov
mcnt in the State but that Of Hampton.
He cannot afford to count in govern
ment which died at the ballot-box of its
own rottenness. He knows that no party
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 thousand dollars playing Seyen-up.
He knows that no country can prosper
with Legislature 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 paperit was writ
ten upon.
Mr.. Hayes ought to know that the sup
portcrs of the Hampton government are
the tax-paying citizens. And, above all,
we do not ask anybody to support Cover
nor Hampton, but we ask them to sup
port the Constitution and laws of the
State, and then he is Governor. We de-
sire to say to Mr.. Hayes that we ask
nothing but to allow US to support and
sustain the laws and constitution of our
country, and we intend to take nothing
less. In my judgment the contest be-
tween Governor Hampton and Mr.. Cham
berlain was settled on the 7th of Novem-
Der 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 Govern
ment. In my Judgment no Court, no
Congress or no President can revoke this
decision.
As you know I was once strong sup
porter of Mr.. Chamberlain. In that |
was actuated by numerous reasons, and
the greatest of all was that he recognized
the wealth and intelligence of my State,
and because he shut the door of the treas
ury on the political thieves at that time.
When he went back on these principles
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
unquestionablc manner, that we will have
Hampton and his government, peaceably
if VIC can, but forcibly if we must, and
if we find any judge or any jury trying
to take away our rights, we will be COM
PEELED to take for our guide the 5th
chapter of St. Matthew, commencing at
the 29th verse, which says: "And if thy
right eye offend thee, pluck it out, and
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 ignore the laws and
constitution of the State.
Let this policy be firmly followed in
our State, and our government must live.
Yours respectfully,
T. HAMILTON.
A man cannot expect half loaf
L Il I;,oo