The Anderson intelligencer. [volume] (Anderson Court House, S.C.) 1860-1914, 1878-08-22
HAMPTON AT EDGEFIELD.

do all OF the W0rk OF Lne ReDefal gov
ernment. A. Is. WILLIAMS.
HAMPTON AT EDGEFIELD.
Second Anniversary of Chamberlain's Dis
com6ture.
EDaEFIELD, August IL.
The circumstances Of Gov. Hampton's
reception at Edgefeld have been already
detailed with sufficient particularly to
inform all your readers familiar with the
conduct of the last campaign as to its
general features, and what is omitted to
Be mentioned may readily be supplied
from imagination in the recollection of
any one familiar with the events and
scenes of 1876.
The speaking took place at the Old
Academy Green, about a mile from the
Village of Edgefeld, which spot had
been appropriately chosen, as it was the
scene Of Chamberlain's discontinue in
'76, and of the numerous Radical pow
vows which have been held in the coun-
ty since the wsr. A substantial platform
had been erected (great care having been
taken to secure it against the possibility
of such an ominous fall as Chamberlain
experienced at the same spot,) and this
was filled with representative gentlemen
of the county, and surrounded by q
crowd of "both races and all ages" who
had assembled to see the campaign we'll
opened. At 11:30 the Governor ascend
ed the stand, and after introduction by
the Hon. J. G. Sheppard, he said:
HAMpToN's sREEcH.
Mn Fslzov- Citizens of Edgsfela:
Your distinguished representative has
Just we'll said that in all civilized coun.
tries, in all ages, the custom has obtained
of celebrating the anniversary Of those
events which have brought triumph or
prosperity or deliverance to q people,
and in accordance with this time-honored
usage you meet here to-day to commem-
crate, with pride and with gratitude, this
day on which two years ago the great
contests for honest government and
Home Rule was inaugurated in South
Carolina. You come, too, to pledge
afresh your faith to those everything
principles which not only gave life and
truth and power to hatmemorable strug-
gle, but won for us victory unparalleled
in the annals of political history. 1t is,
therefore, not only natural but proper
that the brave SONS and fair daughters Of
old Edgefeld should hail the recurrence
of this day with patriotic ardor, and
claim with justi6able pride that it was
the first day of that new revolution which
lifted the "Prostrate State" from the
abyss of shame and ruin into which
alien hands had plunged her, to restore
her to her proud hereditary place amid
the sisterhood of equal States.
1t is right, too, while the light Of our
last great victory still glows upon our
banner that we should, as we unfold it
once again, inscribe upon it the watch
words which led US to triumph. We
give it again to-day "to the battle and
the breeze" with Right, Truth and JUS
tice emblazoned on its folds, and with
our old battle cry, "God and our Father
land" we go forth conguering and to
conquerl Applause.] No more appro-
pirate time could have been chosen to
display our houored banner than this
day. No more fitting place than here
Our Convention, with harmony augur-
ing success, and with a unanimity as
rare as it was gratifying, have selected as
our standard bearers the same who had
the good fortune to bear our flag to VIC
tory in '76. For myself, recognize and
appreciate the honor done me, and, in
accepting the unanimous nomination
rendered me, do SO with profound
sense of the grave responsibility i'm
posed, with firm determination to carry
out in good faith the principles first reit,
Grated by the Democratic party, and
with the assured and fervent hope that
the men who proved in '76 that they
could rescue State from ruin, will show
in '7S that they intend to preserve it. It
is useless for me to renew the pledges |
have given, for I would fain hope that
my official record of the past is the best
guaranty I can give my fellow-citizens
for the future. Their continued conf
dence in the rectitude of my purposes
has been the highest honor Of my life
the greatest support amid the response
bilitfes of MY position, and the most
cherished reward of my labors.
A PICTURE OF GRANT.
We enter this contest under far differ
ent and more auspicious circumstances
than the last. Then, the whole power OF
the Federal and State governments was
brought to bear to crush us. All the po.
litical machinery of the State, welded
by men totally unscrupulous in the use
of it. was directed to the sole end of per-
petuating a rule which was disgrace to
civilization and an offence to Heaven.
Bayonets in the hands of the paid SOL
diery of the common country CLEANED,
in palpable violation of the Constitution
of that country, at every polling place in
our State. Our people, broken by years
of misrule and oppression, were almost
hopeless. We had as the Chief Execu-
tive of the United States a man whose
highest conception of the law was en-
bodied in the findings of court-martial,
and whose disgraceful ignorance of the
Constitution Of the country was only
equalled by his shameless disregard of its
most sacred obligations. Brutal, igno-
rant and drunken, he hesitated not to
crush the people of the South by the
power of paid soldiery. With an arm.
ed e hand upon their throats he attempted
to stihe the breath of their liberty, and
placing the iron heel of military oppres.
sion upon one of the thirteen original
States of the Union, he reduced it to
military satrapy. We were con-
fronted at home by an enemy bold, con.
fident and defiant, thoroughly disciplined
and bound compactly together by the
cobeeive mower Of public piunder. Driv-