The Anderson intelligencer. [volume] (Anderson Court House, S.C.) 1860-1914, 1879-12-25
Letter to the Ne,u York Herald.
COLUMBIA, S. c., December

COLUMBIA, >. u, december D.
Gen. Mart Gary, of Edgefeld county
now "the peoples man" for Governor of
South Carolina-was captain under
Hampton Legion, in the civil war. At
the first battle of Manassas, after Hamp-
ton and others were wounded, Gary took
command and captured Ricketts, bat
terry. His distinguished gallantry won
the applause of the Legion, the Confed-
crate army and the Southern people.
Subsequently he is said to have resented
Hampton's attempt to promote one of his
favorite officers over him as Major, with
the declaration that he had "stood the
test of battle as well as he (Hampton) or
any other man." and that if Hampton
promoted another over him ''it would be
the last time that he would treat an Off
Ger so." These incidents afforded an
early test of Gary's quality, and were sig
niicant besides of his ultimate future re-
latiops to Hampton in politics. He sup.
ported Hampton on principle for Cover.
nor as the most available candidate at
the close of the carpet-bag reign, conduct
ing the canvass with such vigor that, on
sJing to Columbia after the election, he
was greeted by the new Governor with
the exclamation:
"Well, Gary, Edge6eld has saved the
State !"
His subsequent opposition in the State
Senate to the policy of Hampton and
those who acted with him raised General
Gary into extraordinary prominence, so
that one morning, to use his own rather
shy expression, he "awoke, like Byron,
and found himself famous throughout the
South"
AN INTERVIEW WITH GEN. GARY.
called on the General this afternoon
at his hotel, and found him to be of finer
mettle than his mere popular vogue i'm.
plies. 1.-the, wiry, with features thin
but handsome, short gray hair, close
clipped gray mustache, sparkling eyes
and q candid smile, he displayed charm
of manner and frenkness Of speech which
would in themselves account for a con-
siderable part of the public favor he las
won. 1t was with the utmost difficulty
that led him into the following discus
sion of political topics:
sis there anything of real meaning in
the talk, in South Carolina and else
where, of adopting Grant as the South
ern' candidate for President?" was the
next question I asked Gen. Gary, as a
diversion.
Nothing. If there is a real feeling in
favor of such project Except, of course,
among the scalawags and niggers, I hav-
emit heard of it. spent two months of
the summer at White Sulphur Springs,
meeting there men from all parts of the
South, and didn't hear the scheme
broached drumming Grant in connection
with the Democratic party. But I did
hear this-and from the lips of public
men from whom should have least ex.
pected 1.-THE statement that if Grant
wants to be Emperorof this country, or
even to head constitutional monarchy,
! he would find plenty of Southern back
ing"
"Was this deliberate statement? It
seems incredible"
EMPEROR Ulysses.
'sNot bit incredible. Why, my
friend, you can't understand the straits
in which some of the Southern people
fnd themselves. They are willing to
take almost any way out of the rut.
Besides, many of them believe,
as they have long believed, that
the British Constitution is the best
the world ever saw. To save themselves
from the present and possible future ty-
ranny of a Republican majority in the
North, they would be honestly willing
not only to exchange the Federal Consti-
tuition for that one, but to do away with
the Constitution and establish Imperial
ism for the mere sake, or hope at least,
of securing justice through the enjoy
ment of equal rights and privileges. The
gentlemen with whom I have spoken on
this subject haven't gone 80 far as to say
they would actively help to plant Grant
dynasty. They have merely said they
would not hinder any move Grant and
his friends might make to set it up, and
that they would stand by the Empire it
declared. A
CONSTITUTIONAL GOVERNMENT, BY GoDl
''Such, however" said Gen. Gary,
walking up and down the floor, sis not
my plan or policy. I'm in favor, by
God! Of constitutional government--a
Republican government, and in favor of
perpetuating it. If the time ever comes,
Pm ready to throw my sword into the
scale for this, and against any monarchi-
cal innovation whatsoever"
BAYARD-TILDEN.
"Who," put to him at last, sis the
candidate of the Southern Democrats for
President?"
"Take the leaders-Bayard is their
choice, undoubtedly. Take the people
Tilden would be theirs. lam not myself
Bayard man. Thomas -H. Ewing is my
preference. His financial principles are
my own. Bayard's are not. I can't un-
derstand the Democratic fidelity of man
who stands, as Bayard does, on Radical
Republican financial platform. Pm a
Jackson Democrat, and can understand
the position in this respect of Gen. Ew-
ing. To my mind Jackson was the
greatest man the Democratic party ever
had-greater than Colhoun, or Webster
either-in brains, in nerves, in far-seeing
craftsmanship"
GLOW do you associate his financial
ideas with those of Ewing?"
"In this way: Jackson, in his day,
was opposed to national bank. He
was opposed to the consolidation of the
money power-the grandest, most ab-
sorbiDg of modern powers-into hands
outside the peoples. So is General Ew-
ing.
THE PoPULAcE AND TILDEN.
GAS to the popular preference for Til
den-what of that?"
"Well, now, that is comprehensive
question. The people of our State-that
Is TO saw. the masses of them-haye been