New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1877-07-14
GOV. CHAMBERLAIN'S SPEECH
LErrER FROM pR. lEONARD BACON.


HIM TO ACT.
To The Editor OF The Tribune.
SIR have mach respect for Gov. Chamberlain.
| confess my sympathy with hun III the triais
through which he has passed and in the defeat OF
his cherished hopes. | know that he went 10 South
Carolina at the close OF the war; with the honest
and hearty intention of making that State bis home
and of Identifying his work and success IN ne win
the then and thencefOTward free State. IN weh hi'
citizenship was rs authentic as that oil any othoT
man. As a brother of his event West and settled
in Chicago so he, by the same right. and with the
same integrity of purpose, went Sonth,' and set
tied in Charleston 1t is easy to call him carpet
Dagger" and rs mean as it is easy-one OF the
meancst tricks of party malice. If he - a carpet
Dagger so is bis brother, the eminent pastor at
Chicago. and is every man who goes lor'h 10
make his home at distance from his birthplace
If ne is a carpet Dagger because though born ut
Worcester he chose to establish himself as lawyer
at Charleston. so is Mr.. Eyarts who, though BON
in Boston, chose to establish himself At New-fork
and some three ont of five Of al the most eminent
men in every employment whose places OF business or
ofabode are within five miles of The Tribune Build
ing If he Is carpet Dagger then there is hardly
MANN California. out of his minority, who Is not
carp,t-baggcr. By the same rule the Plymouth
Pilgrims. in 1920 Che Puritan founders OF Salem and
Boston. and the IIuguenot fathers Of the South
Carolina chyalry carpet-baegers, one ana all.
Nor can ] see why Abraham, The father of the
faithful" who began, almost four thousand years
ago the great westward movement which is now so
rapidly completing It's circuit ought not 10 be
named. also, the father Of the carpet-baggers.
That Gov Chamberlain has been conspicuous in
the political affairs of his adopted state Is not his
fault. We all remember how it happened that the
former leaders of that State, the old masters of
South Carolina, took no part in the reconstruction.
The task of rebuilding the State. after the pough-
share had passed through its foundations, was
thrown by an unhappy necessity, into the hands OF
the freedmen more numerous there, and probably
less competent. than III any other State and they
must needs put their trust in the men whom they
recognized as the authors of their freedom. In such
a condition Of affair. it was impossible for a man
with the ability of Daniel II. Chamberlain not to
become conspicuous. Equally impossible was 1t IN
him. with his intelligence and his integrity, not to
become a rcformer of the abuses which came III with
reconstruction, and an adversary Of the knavish
adyenturers. white black, native or from other
States of Jewish of Gentle lineage who were
plundcrng the commonwealth. we all remember
how he gained the confidence, as we thought, OF the
so-caed Conservatives, or white people in that
State We remember, too, land cannot but be indig-
nant az we remembcT, how ungcnerOusly they
turned against him. Gen. Hampton had made
visit IN NJ ssissppi He had seen the operation of
the Mississippi PLAN and was charmed with IT,
lie came back and viii not ay.that he violated
any promises formal informal, but only that the
Mississippi plan was adopted by HIM and his friends
rs better for south Carolina 0r at least for them
than tie political reformation which GOV. Chomber-
lain had so hopefully begun, and which might have
been completed but for their turning against him.
The Mississippi plan. with its atrocities oi which
the Hamburg slaughter is a specimen, has made
Gen Hampton Governor NlclOfOus ilrst IN Miasls-
sippi then in Georgia, it has conquered IN South
Carolina: and the government which ought to have
been sustained by the great negro majority has been
Superseded by what is called a white mans govern
mrnt." Nv sympathy is with Gov. Chamberlain.
He ourbt to be Governor of South Carolina; yet he
* not The negro majority, after twelve years
apprenticeship in personal and political freedom.
ana in the use OF arms ough to have sustained hlm
but it did not For Gov. Hampton and the govern
ment behind him my respect is of The slightest
lie onght not 10 be Governor Of South Carolina
Yet DE is.
Now. with all my regard for Gov. Chamberlain
and with all my lack of confidence in the patriotism
OF Gov Hampton as a citizen of the United states,
desire to record my protest against that woodstock
speech. hold that the President in dealing with
tlc two States Of south Carolina and Louisiana, has
has done what the Republican party or its nominal
inc convention expected of him, neither know nor
car, 10 know. The only question with me Is,
whcthor he has acted ia accordance with the letter
and meaning Of the Constitution. There Is 10 need
of nv repying in detail to Gov. Chamberlans clah-
orato and cloment Grafton. Any man may dissent
from it without undertaking to answer IT, Holding
that The Constitution of the United States is doeu
meul level TO the intelligence of ali intelligent c:ti-
zers offer my own Interpretation Of the section Oh
which the complaint against the President Is
founded
The United States shall guarantee TO every State in this
iect each Of trem against INVASION, and, application
OF the Legislature, or oi tie executive ("h. 'e icso-
ture cannot be conNcnen)' against uomoa'c No'H'o'
lArt. ", see. /.
This section was intended to tell just what power
or duty of interference in the government OF stare,
in this Union," is among the powers and duties Of
the United States-that is Of the National Govern
mept What is the extent of the duty-what, the
limit of the pOwersf
l. 70 each state in the Union there Is guaranteed
BY the United states republican form of govern
mcnt OF course. the National Government is in
vested with the Constitutional power of performing
that duty. The phrase republican form Of govern
meln" must be taken in the sense which those words
had when the Constitution was formed and adopted.
Therefore the phrase does not mean what some
people seem to think is somehow included in NJ
Government by or for the Republican party, which
came into existence about twenty five years ago.
Nor does il mean government by universal suffrage;
for what we now mean 10y universal suffrage did not
exist in an7 of the States which adopted the Con-
stitution and instituted the National Government.
Nor does it mean government by honest votes
honestly counted for it would be preposrcrous 10
suppose that any State in 80 would or could have