The Anderson intelligencer. [volume] (Anderson Court House, S.C.) 1860-1914, 1878-07-11
GOVERNOR HAMPfON'S VIEWS.
He Stands Upon the Platform of 1876


At the reunion of Harris Battery on
the 4th instant, in the town of Blackville,
the Grafton of the day was delivered by
Gen. James Conner, who was followed
BY Gov. Hampton in straight-oht une-
quivocal declaration of his political -prin-
ciples, which cannot be misunderstood.
We quote from the report in the Netcs
and Courier:
At the conclusion of Gen. Conner's
oration, and as soon as the applause
which followed it had died away, q hum
dred voices called out Hampton" The
cry socn became general, and the Gov.
ernor, finding. escape impossible, came to
the front amid q perfect thunder of chsers
and shower of bou9ets.
After assuring the audience that he
came to Blackville merely as locker on
and not as a speechmaker, the Governor
said: And I am sure that / could say
nothing better than to repeat the remark
made BY gentleman who was called
upon to speak after Burke. He got up
and said: II say ditto to all Mr.. Burke
has said." Now I would say, to-day,
"ditto" to everything that Gen. Conner
has said. would say to you that when
/ sat here and listened to the advice of
that man who made as great sacrifice to
become a candidate IS any man in the
State, who came in and devoted all his
time and energy and great ability to the
cause of freedom and home rule-who,
when we were successful, gave to our gov
eminent that sound judgment and that
conservatism which have marked his
course throughout-when heard him
give to the people to-day; and through
them to the whole State those pregnant
words; when / heard him tell the young
men that there was something more than
office; when I heard him tell the people
to scorp the office-seekers and to look for
men who subordinated self to the feel
ing of patriotism for South Carolina
when I heard him appeal to you to send
the best men to the Legislature when /
heard him tell you of the struggles we
had gone through, and the grave respon-
sibilities that rested upon us as the vic
tors Of this campaign, ! felt that if there
was one man whose voice should be the
texponent Of the sentiment of the, best
people of South Carolina, it is the man
Ewho has just addressed you to-day.
| llCheers.li If / could reinforce anything
chat he has said to you I would tell you
that the dangers are still impending. L
would assure you that tie victory is not
get woa. I would tell you that your con-
duct in the next. two years depends
whether the fruits 9f that victory shall
be enjoyed by our children and chill
dren's children for generations TO come,
or whether you will allow it to pass. from
you like worthless bauble. would
tell you. that it depends upon you
whether You will serve God or Mammon.
It is for you to choose. =.
eff you listen to demagogues, if you
listen to men who subordinate everything
to Office, to wealth, to place and to power; !;
if you will hearken to extreme men, who
will tell you that the glorious platform of
lists was very well as promise to be
kept only to the ear and broken to the
heart; if you listen to those men, then 1
say you may as a0eN at once relinguish the
fqht, for South Carolina will soon pass
again under the rule and to the ruin from
which she has just emerged, and in the
great Presidential contest of 1880 we
shall not only lose our own election but
we, the people of South Carolina, will be
the cause of. breaking down the national
Democracy. Ia voice: eve will never
do oitl"]
You have it all in your own hands.
You claim to be the banner county of the
State, and your claim is not without right.
| l[Cheera You carried your election by
an overwhelming majority, because you
came before the people, white and black,
recognizing the rights of every citizen
and saying, "You shall all be equal under
the law" You went to the colored peo-
pie and told them that their rights would
be protected. You told them that we
had pledged ourselves that the constitu-
ton and laws of South Carolina should
give equal protection to all. You ap-
Epealed to them to come and help you
work out the redemption of the State.
They came by hundreds and did help
you. And now would you turn your
back upon them, and, after trying for ten
years to convince the colored man that
his true interests lay with the Democratic
party, would you say, "Now we have no
use for you. You shall not vote even at
1.-THE primary elections?" If this be the
policy of South Carolina, then am sadly
mistaken in the people of South Carolina
ard the people are mistaken in me, be-
cause I can carry outao such policy asthat.
7 stand aofere you put me in 1876. I'have
not deviated one iota, and despite the
criticisms against me, I defy any man to
place his finger upon one single act of
mine that is not in strict accord with the
policy of the Democratic party in con-
Yention assembled in 1876. They gave
me chart and compass by which l was
to conduct that campaign. Taking it as
my guide, went before the people, black
and white, and in the name of the people
/ held up that platform and 1 said to
! them :,"Rere is what the white people
of South Carolina have said to the world:
'We have accepted the national Demo-
cratic platform which recognizes the
equality of every citizen before the law.
We have adopted our own platform of
1876, which endorses the national plat
form and guarantees equality to all men
before the law" Cheers
From where. the blue capped noun
tains kiss the sky to where old ocean
rolls upon the coast, from North to
South, from East to West, 1 went before
the people, white and black, and told
them that if they elected US, they would
out men in office who would recognize
all the pledgs and would carry them
out in good faith, and I tell you the men
you have placed in power toouM cut off
their right arms before they pouM violate
their pledges. Prolonged applause.
|. Ifit is thought that we can be success
full in the election by fraud, land have
heard rumors floating throughout the
ckato- aaaan;oaall4z ;at;naatinn that NO