The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1879-12-31
A Big Talk With Hampton.

A Big Talk With Hampton.
LIGHT THROWN UPON DIVERS
DARK SUBJECTS.
The Proposition of Judges Settle and
Denny to Sell out Chamberlain In
ls76..Hampton's Rcpiy.-The Way
South Carolina was Carried Three
Years Ago--Two Policies for 1880,
Cancellation or Fraud..Five Thou.
sand Dollars that the National De.
mocracy did not Pay..South Caro-
lima Bears the Whole Cost Of Her
Dellyerunce..A Final Word to Gen.
Gary.
[Ncws and Conricr.]
WAsn1SGToN,. December 2.LThe evident
and widespread Interest which has been man.
Tested In regard to the matter OF an alleged
bargain for the withdrawal or the lilucn
electors from the Democratic ticker IN ooutn
Carolina during the campaign OF 1871, IN
duccd me to apply to Senator Hampton q
few days ago, for n statement OF the actual
facts In the case as known to nm. IN Ing
course Of several con ycrs'ttionssliiGc mao Will
him upon this subject, other facts were
brought out incidentally, which l requcstcu
to be allowed TO make known also as THROW
Ing new light upon Il subject III which Tue
people of the State willalways ieel the deep-
est interest.
The following narrative Ii the result OF my
application, and must DO understood ns pre-
scnting only the substance Of his replies TO
my numerous inquiries.
TIE CAMPAIGN OF 1850.
Senator Hampton said that, In the absence
OF all his papers, and utter SO long Il lnpae OF
Time. n great many details must have escaped
his memory, and lie could, therefore, only give
tho general fnctS as far as lic could rccoilcct
them. 1 regret exceedingly, he continueu,
TINT these questions concerning the Illden
muttcr have been reOpened. l can sec no
good that can arise from the discussion nj q
Time when the Democratic party IN south
Carolina requires to be united In order 10 pc
successful. MY position with reference 70 iss
duty and interest has been that oil the gen
tlcnlcn who had been nominated. either
for Governor or FIR amy other Office, for the
next canvass should have their names fhtrly
the Convention. Tile duty Of selecting the
standard bearers would dcvolVe upon thai
Convention and It's action should be olndihg.
| have not expressed In publican preference
for any man In the State to fill any particular
office. and have only Indicated, III gcnernl
terms. nv views, that we should hold to the
policy which was 81 successful IN ,io'o: IL is
io longer IN experimental one; 1t Is the only
one bllJ Il(lS ever CalllSu III o".S
one that could have carried II, and Is tho only
one that can carry 1t In future.
W WAYS TO CARRY TIE STATE.
We hive n majority of fifteen thousand col.
ored voters, and it must be pnlpable to every
sensible man that there are but two ways 10
carry the election. The first IL to secure
enough Of these cOIored votes-is we dld IN
lS7G-to give success to the Democratic party.
The second IL to suppress that majority by
fraud. Between these alternatives l think
there can be no question, not only as 10 the
duty, but the wisdom OF choosing the frst. II
Is tho only one that has been successiul; IL is
the only one that Is right or tbut Gun be made
right.
NV belief in the can vass Of 1876 was that by
appealing to the colored people, and showing
them that their Interests were identical with
those of the white people. we could secure
the allegiance OF Il large numbero Of them, and
the result Justified that belief. Many colored
men In every county cxerted their pest enorts
to promote the Democratic cause, and nun
drcds voted the Democratic ticket nj the eirc-
lion. My hope was that when / should be
| Governor the administration OF the laws
would be SO impartial and the Improvement
in the affairs of tie state be SO marked, that
the colorcd men would recognize the fact that
their Interests were 6urs, and u large numocr
of them bc thus won TO give the Democratic
party their cordial and steady support, That
This hope, too, was Justified Is proved by the
ticket in the field In 1878. and gave me tile
a.salance-which WAS the strongest induce
mcnt 70 me TO become Il candidate again,
that IL | would allow my name to be used
there should be no opposition to me, ana IL
was further proved by the fact that nearly
Is ,uU negroes voted for Tic In the election Of
that year. There are only about T5,UN white
voters In the state, ana as There was Dut one
ticket and IL received over 10000 votes. IL Is
manifest that nearly i5,0W colored men ynteu
| with us OF their Own good Will. bellcve
that by pursuing In 10 the same policy as III
4 .-. -, ,..xyy tt,1 n,nl Nrn NypIn IN
FRAUD y IT'S CONSTITUENCIES.
As to the other alternative. In the first
| place, It would he clearly wrong; and in tho
next place, would ultimately react on our
own people to such m extent that everything
like purity of elections would become II farce
and mockcry: and. In the third place. II
would inevitably subject all who perpctratea
by the United States Government. For these
reasons, while not expressing q preference for
thought 1t OF the last consequence that we
should nominate 4 ticket fully representing
the conservative ideas that gave us success IN
the anvassO OF 1876. These being my genera
views rs to It's policy and recognizing the NIB
suiutc necessity for our pnrty TO remain unit.
cd and harmonious. S,vc earnestly dcpTe.
rntc,l and TO ticprecatc nll agitation that
could tend TO disiulcsratc the party, and nj,
issues which would seem to be mere personal
ones.
Acting upon these considerations, I have
studiul,sly rcirLincl from replying to any oil
tho attacks that have been nude upon my
self. and I should have remained silent sc
long rs they were confined to South CitrOltn;
or were given currency only In that Stare
But when the charge was made directly ny
Gen. Gary In the .Nc,U IDrk Herald, that !
had proposed to him to sell out Tilden;
that the shameful proposition had bcc'
nude by Inc with n view 10 securingmy ow'
election. and that I had necn unllithful t.
Tho Democratic party or Mt. Illucl, ]
thought 1t Incumbent upon me. IN justice !,
MIR. ridden. the Democratic party, and myself
personally, 10 pronounce 1t untrue, as l nave
done. The same charges hud been made bs
"a Til.eD Democrat" In an Augusta pnp:r
by y, ' cuIomel A. a. e. mi Haskell &eii ch"irtnsn Of the
State Democratic Committee, and Gel!era
Mc(iownn who related what really had occur
rcd and cxoner,tc,l me from amy possible
jmputatiOn OF infldelity 10 the Nutloha
Democratic party.
ment, then published. that | had written &c
Ing what were his wishes on The subject. anu
expressing our willingness TO Withdraw oul
electors II there way my possibility OF oui
can %injuring the National Democracy
ton to form any alliance, direct or Indirect
with the Republican party. All that was
said or done was In the interest OF MI. Illdcn
and the Democratic party, ana Win ms
| KnOWl CuEC, NNot llittI VI " AVA 80 wa so
reply, I wrote to Mr.. Marble. who answered
promptly, saying that we had conducted The
canvass well, and he hoped we would con-
tlnue 1t on the same line.
HAMpTOS'S observation-disclosures.
In further evidence Of my disposition re.
pordinr this matter, II should be
that before | was nominated In 1876 l dcclar'
ed in the Convention that I considered 1t o
more Importance to secure the SUCCESS OF tn.
National ticket than that Of the State, and
nation would be preJudicial TO the National
Democratic party I would not accept 1t. J
urged the Convention not to nominate mt
under such circumstances, and withdrawing
from the body In order to leave them entirely
untrammclled in their action. did not return
until the nomination was unanimously ten
dcrcd TO MO.
II %ADBEvILLE CONFERENCE.
AS to this specific charge OF time and place
Col, Haskell gives the explanation that Mt the
mass meeting we held in Abbevllle the exec
utive committee sent word to US that o prop
the withdrawal of the Electors, and one o.
committee. Col. ]. A. Hoyt, came up TO con
suit with us I'm reference to 1t. Neither Judge
Cooke nor Judge Mackey had ever saba wore
to me on the subject. Judge Mackey had no
vet so much as announced his adherence u
our party, and II l remember Alright. was mol
at Abbeville, Judge Cooke, as Is well known
had only Joined us that afternoon. Coming
out to our meeting ut q late hour he announc'
proposed to sustain our ticket. No one know
OF his position towards us until that moment
and he certainly took no part In any consul
tation. do not n by whom the PROPOSE