Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1878-10-31
GAGGING GEN. GARY.
THE REPLY OF THE CHAIRMAN OF THE
STATE DEMOCRATIC COMMITTEE.

THE REPLY OF THE CHAlRMAN OF IttE
STATE DEMOCRATIC COMMITTEE.
The Columbia Register has interviewed Gen.
j. D. Kennedy, the chairman of the State
Gen. M. w. Gary's statement published in
the Edgefeld Advertiser. The interview is as
follows:
Reporter-"Have you read the interview of
Gen. M. w. Gary, published in the Edge6eld
advertiser and copied by the Register; and If
so, what do you think of it?''
General K--I would not notice the article
you refer to were it not so direct and personal;
nor do deem it necessary to state what l
Hthink of it;'' but, in justice to myself and
the State Executive Committee, l do regard it
my duty to state few facts i'll reply to your
question. At the second meeting of the State
Executive Committee a list of speakers was
made out to supply vacancies for the campaign
which might occur by the absence of State and
Congressional nominees. Gen. Gary's name
was placed on that list. At a subsequent
meeting of the State Committee, he requested
to be assigned, as speaker, to Darlington, Ben
nettsville, and several other places, or, as he
says in his own interview, to the "eastern and
southern counties" His request was read to
the meeting Certain of the members of the
committee from those parts of the State being
then presently, and it was not deemed advisable
to send him there. At the same meeting,
however, he was assigned to Aiken, where it
was thought he would be Of service went
to Aiken myself, and in conversation with
General Gary, as to his being sent to certain
places, said, in effect, among other things,
that Governor Hampton was dissatisfied with
his speech at Greenville, and also at his sneer
of what he termed the Hampton Democracy"
and that, under the circumstances, it would
be unpleasant for him to speak at the same
place, and at the same time, with one who diff
fered with him so widely upon the issues of
the day. Governor Hampton, on the 18th Of
September, in his speech at Greenville, had
said, among other things: 81 must enter my
most emphatic dissent to the views expressed
by General Gary, at the recent meeting here,
and in his card in reply to Gen. Gray. These
views believe to be inconsistent with the true
policy of the Democratic party. say they do
not represent the opinions of cur standard
bearers, nor of the Democratic party of South
Carolina, and that he was not authorized to
speak for your nominees" At a. meeting OF
the committee, on the 21st of August, resO-
luton was offered and adopted authorizing the
chairman to designate speakers at meetings
-af4.eintod
in no spirit Of dictation, but simply to estab-
lish rule for the assignment of speakers, and
because it was thought that the chairman
being at headquarters, and hearing from all
parts of the State, might the better judge who
would be the most available speakers at the re-
spective meetings.
Reporter Gary speaks of being
gagged. =,
General K.-What of that? I have stated
the facts. From them it appears that General
Gary was selected by the State Committee as
one of the campaign speakers. He had spoken
o4 opI Graonyi11p TT not
deemed polite, as have stated, to send him,
at his own request, to Charleston, Colleton,
Darlington, Bennettsville, and other places
that is, to the "eastern and southern cOun-
ties' Besides that, the speakers selected by
the committee were written to as the occasion
required and requested to address such and
such meetings. and did not themselves ask, as
did General Gary, that they might be sent here
and there; moreover, he did speak at Darling
ton and Bennettsville, although the commit
tee HAD not, at his own request, sent him there;
and if General Gary was not sent where he
asked the State Committee to send him. it was
simply because it was not deemed advisable
A further answer to this talk about being
''gagged' will be found in the fact that he
spoke at Spartanburg and Greenvllle before the
campaign opened, and at Darlington, Ben
nettsville and Aiken afterwards and |, as
chairman, asked him to speak at York. Some
of the speakers appointed at the same time
with General Gary, though among. the ablest
men in the State, have never spoken at al,
most of them only once or twice. None OF
them, not even the State and county nominees,
have asked to be assigned by the committee to
''the eastern and southern countless" cOmpri-
sing dozen or more places, but have waited
to he requested to 60 where the committee
thought they could be Of most service to the
State 1 cannot see of what General Gary has
to complain, and regret that his allusions to
me have been, as 1 have said, so direct and
personal as to force me to utter single word
in replv.