Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1877-09-20
HAMPTON In ILLINOIS.

The following is brief synopsis of Cover.
nor Hampton's address before the Winnebago
(Ill.) county fair on the 18th instant: n.,f
"The chief thing had in view in coming
here was to promote true and correct UNDER
standing between the people of the North and
South. You must admit that very many of
the evils which have fallen on, the, country
have come from misconception of the pur-
poses, each of the other. You remember there
is profound truth as we'll as knowledge Of
human nature embodied in the fable, where it
is told that in olden times shield, white on
one side and black on the other, was hung at
the intersection of two roads, and two knights
approaching in opposite directions, disputed as
to the color of the shield. Finally their Ian
ces were put in rest, and they periled life, each
10 support his own convictions"
Referring to the days when the Presidential
contest was unsettled, Governor Hampton al
luded to the possibility ofa civil war in which
families would have been divided, had not
the South stood frm for peace, and said:
II tell you, men of Illinois-and speak not
as Democrat; don't know and don't care
whether speak to Democrats or Republi-
cans-I speak as an American tc Americans,
and say to you to-day, you owe 9, debt of
credit to the people Of the South [Cheers1 in
Congress, to what some of the North have
called the Confederate brigadiers They pre-
vented fillibustering and stood by the result
of the Electoral Commissions work. During
the recent strikes and riots, too, she evidenced
her feeling by upholding the laws and stand.
ing conservative. She has given bonds to
fate to preserve the peace, and she wants
peace. She wants you people of the North to
understand her condition. She wants you to
realize what she accepts as the result of the
war. She wants you to understand the mo.
tives which have actuated her, not only be-
fore and during, but since the war. I myself,
my friends have no concealments to make for
the past. l have taken part in the war, nor
would your respect for me be increased were I
to offer any unmanly apology for it. did
what you did. obeyed the command of my
own State, as you did yours, and you men of
the North were guided by " own con.
science, as we of the South were guided by
ours, and I say to you that up to the begin
ming of that war 1 used all my influence to
preserve the Union. [Cheers.] I was Un-
ion man. Renewed cheers did all l could
to preserve it, did all could to avoid
war, and when South Carolina called her
sons, as Illinois called here, I obeyed her COM
mand, and, men of Illinois, I fought you as
long and az hard as I could, and have no
apologies to make for it. Loud cheers and
laughter.] l remember especially that
foug ght the Eighth Illinois, and thought it
one of the best regiments in the Federal army.
I fought them very hard. indeed. [Great
cheering and laughter.l Now, my friends,
we went into the war believing We we're right,
but when the war ended, we surrendered, and,
I want to impress it upon you, we surrendered
in good faith. We accept the Constitution
of the United States with the amendments,
though we once opposed the latter. We ac-
cept them now and propose to obey them,
right or wrong, that the Constitution shall
stand equal for the protection Of South Caro-