The Anderson intelligencer. [volume] (Anderson Court House, S.C.) 1860-1914, 1879-06-19
A TALK WITH SENATOR HAMPTON.
Feeling of tho Southern PcupIe-views OF
southerners as To Presidential Candi.
dates-The Negro Exodus.

To attend the funeral Of D-. John L. Dar-
by, who, the Senator said yesterday, was
not merely n connection Of his, but q
warm personal friend, having been with
him during the war and having saved his
life on more than one occasion. Senator
Hampton says that his health is slowly
improving, and Of late he has been getting
stronger, although still suffering from oc-
casional pains. In reference to his recent
speech in the Senate concerning he ac-
tion Of the National Government. toward
the South, Mr.. Hampton said;
am adverse to making public utter
teranccs. ! think it is the business of
Southern men to show by their actions,
not their professions what course they
intend to pursue. And hope we will
be able to do that in little while.
made my recent speech without consulta-
ton with any one, and took the stand |
therein did simply because / believed it
was right ! intendcd delivering some
such speech more than two weeks ago,
but was called to New York by the illness
OF DIR. Darby. | think the Southern peo-
pressed in the Senate, and they will be
generally adopted. Judging from the
letters | have received and the Southern
men i have seen, | can safely say be-
licve they are in full accord with my
views. The South is emincntiy conser-
yative, and has always been so. 1t wants
to be quiet, and does not want tC be the
victim nor the mover in anything that
will create trouble or mistrust. AS to the
laws permitting the presence Of troops at
the polls, they we're war measures, and
all wish them repealed. would never
have delivdred the speech l did but for
| q speech Of Mr.. Thurman's some time
| ago, in which he denied, and truthfully
denied, the charge that the South was
debating the policy of the Democratic
party.
If the Northern papers would try to
get ut the true disposition Of the Southern
people it would promote reconciliation.
| know that they have sent able cores
pondents through the South, many of
whom | have met and whose correspond
ence l have read. But 1 do not think
they have seen with impartial eyes. They
have felt constrained to write to suit the
| politics of the papers they represented.
| refer as much to the correspondents of
the Democratic press as of the Republi-
can. AT least they have mistaken the
true feeling of the South. It did not at.
| tempt to seccde for war, and it does rot
follow that, because it did not succeed in
| leaving the Union, it still wishes to injure
| it. This is the only country the Southern
people now have, and they wish to make
it AZ great and prosperous as possible
| The South ought to be credited with hay
| ing prevented a war in 1876, when the
whole country was at fever heat over the
Presidential election. a gun fired in
South Carolina then would have prccipi-
tated n general war. The South is strong
or to-day than i'll 1866. There is no feel
ing of timidty actuating her present pol
icy. There is no desire for another war.
The South wants peace. This know to
be the feeling of the whole people there.
THE SOUTH ON PRESIDENTIAL CANDI-
DATES.
There is another thing which ought
not to be overlooked = that while the
South is wholly Democratic and consti-
tutes tEo strength of the Democratic par
ty, we DO not intend to ask Il place upon
the Presidential ticket for Southern
man. We want the party in the North
to place two good men on the ticket, and
we will support it for the National sue
cess of the Democratic party. With re-
ference to the personal choice of the
South for particular Presidential candi-
dates, do not think the South has made
any. l believe that there has been feel
ing that in justice to the old ticket it
should be renominated. There are many
reasons, however, which may be urged
against this, and the refusal of Mr.. Hen
kricks to be put in nomination again
seems to render it Impossible. I don't
think the South cares copper who the
next Presidential candidate may be, as
long as he is a strong National man.
They do not care where he comes from
or what his financial views may be.
Some of the papers have transposed
my position iii the vote on Senator Coke's
resolution to discharge the finance COM
mittee, in their reports of Tuesdays pro-
ccedings in Washington on the Warner
silver bill. was opposed to the Warner
bill, and should have voted against it (as
reported in the 7ri6unc). was paired
with my colleague, who is in favor Of the
bill. 7 think it was indscreet to bring
the subject up during the present short
session Of Congress. am perfectly will
ing to have n bi-metallic currency when
we can establish q proper ratio between
gold and silver. | have been consist
ent hard-money man. This is the posi-
ton L have always taken, and which
announced when nominated rs Governor
of South Carolina.
POSITION OF THE NEGROES.
There is great deal of misapprehen-
sion ut the North rs to the political con-
d::ion of the negroes in the South. They
seem to think that colored man is bound
to be a Republican because he is n colored
man. But know personally many color
ed men IL South Carolina who have always
been consistent Democrats, and have suf-
fered in consequence. There are only
10000 white voters in my State, and 9O,-
600 colored voters. The latter, there
fore, hold the balance of power. When l
was elected Governor there were only
ll9,5O0 votes cast, and only 2l3 scatter
ing votes thrown against me, and l was
undoubtedly elected by the colored vo-
tiers, who at that time had all the ma
chinery of elections in their own hands.
There was not a quarrel or fist fight in
that election. The Republicans could not
put ticket in the field. because the color
ed people were satisfied.
81 think it will be great misfortune
for the negroes to migrate in large num-
bers to Kansas. The climate is not suit
able for them. My old field hands in
Mississippi, where cultivated planta-
tion, sent to me and asked my advice
aoout going :o Kansas. tol! .hc., they
were freemen now, and had the right to
go if they thought beet, but that / did
not think they would find the climate
suitable. / advised them to send dele
CATION of one or two of their most intel
lipent men on whom thav conld dnnopd