The comet. [volume] (Jackson, Miss.) 1877-1882, 1879-07-05
WADE HAMPTON.


agraphs of Wade Hampton's pat
'i and manly speech in the United
Senate
But, Mr.. President, unjust as have
the assumptions against the South, to
have alluded, there are others no
grave. There has run through this
discussion the strong and steady
rent of insinuation that the South j
5 true to the Union that It's object in
ing the repeal of these measures whi,
deem dangerous to our liberties is tc
us freer field for conspiracy and |
opportunity to suppress by force and
the real voice of the Southern people.
are tauntingly told that the proof of
charges is found III the presence on
floor of twenty-five members who serv
the Confederate army, and the South
preached, nay denounced, for sending
men TO represent her here. Sir, the an
to this charge is simple
Nearly every man in the South who
bear arms was in her armies, she can scf
ly be reproached with justice for trus
and honoring in peace the men who ri
their fortunes and their lives for her in
And when the fact is cited that while
South sends SO many of her old soldier
represent her in this august assembly,
| North sends but four, I submit that the
proach, if reproach rests anywhere, belo
rather to the North than to the South.
feel that but speak the sentiments of ey
man here who was in the Confederate Sc
ice, when [ express my deep regret t
there are not in this chamber more of
men who met us in battle, for if opposet
us politically, they would, if true sold
and gentlemen, treat us with the resp
that brave men never fail to accord to ei
other. And, sir. had these great oppos
armies, which for four years confront
each other in death grapple been left
make and enforce the terms of peace, !
only would the country have been spal
much of the suffering and the humiliati
it has experienced, but it would have
joyed peace honorable alike to conqut
ors and conquered. We should long
this have seen union re>establishad on
basis of fraternal reconciliation and
whole people bound together by the ind
soluble bonds of mutual respect, comm
interest, and a common destiny. Such,
least, is the firm conviction of every tr
soldier in the South, and all her sons we
soldiers. Nor is this conviction wanil
among the brave soldiers of the North,
l have heard it expressed by them time al
again.
That the men who truly represent Il
South are here to. day is due mainly to o.
friends on the other side. When you il
sisted that the States should return to IL
Union; whan you called upon them to sci
back their Representatives, did you mea
what you said or did you mean the Souther
States to be rotten boroughs TO be filled b
of the Republican party
Indeed, did you not, for fifteen years, max
them SO? And will leave it to the candc
of Republican Senators to say whether the
are satisfied with the result of the exper
ment they made at such frightful cost
us and to the whole country. We are her
because we represent the popular majority
the character, the intelligence, and til
of the States which have sent us
We are here because left to themselves tn,
Instincts of the recently enfranchised voter
nave taught them that their interests ar,
IDENTICAL with ours. We are here because
belonging to your own race, trained in the
'ame political experience as your own,
aught by years of rule how to govern, we
could no be subordinated, and the people OF
he country did not wish us to be subordi-
lated, to such mass of voters as you had
ashly and suddenly created We are here,
We trust, for the good of the whole country.
What we were you knew when you insist
d that we should still be part and parcel of
his Union.
For the past you cannot expect us to
pologize; to do so would be to sacrifice
ur own self-respect and to forfeit the re-
pect of all honorable men. In heat of
onAict we struck hard blows, and doubt
9ss we spoke hard words. But does re-
lembering or repeating them now bring
= any nearer to the peace and harmony for
'hich the whole country 80 ardently longs?
he men who served in the opposing armies
re now the strongest advocates of true
We learned in a common
,hool how to respect our enemies; we
armed that personal courage and honor
i'd truth were better guarantees of patri-
ism than constitutional learning or elo-
lent speech; we learned at least that in
ute of differences, even unto death, there
as II common country which We could
stter serve in friendship than in hatred,
id were our antagonists of the late war
re toNday, in the contests on this floor as
fiercer battles of yore, whoever might .
the victor, we should be assured of a
ir field and an honest surrender. APP !
ause in the galleries Judge us more by
r acts
The Presiding Officer, (Mr. Wallace in
0 chair.) The Senator will suspend. The
lair gives notice that if further applause
ours in the galleries, he will order them
be cleared. Order must be preserved.
MIR. Hampton. Judge us now by our
ts; and again 1 ask what are they to pro-
Ike distrust ? We ask you to strike from
, statute book legislation, which was as
lch the instrument of war, the express
N of distrust, as were armies and navies
] military districts. We say, if you bring
back as States, treat us as States We
you to remove the disability which for
Is citizen to serve on jury when it
Is not forbid him to serve on the bench.
, ask you to leave the ballot-box free, as
las been through nearly the whole Of our
tical existence. You may refuse. You
re the right to refuse if You hold our
nands to be unwise or unconstitutional
But surely, in the face of the recent de-
on of the Supreme Court, in regard to
Jurors oath, in face of the legislation
nearly century, in reference to military
srference at the polls, you cannot charge ;
with revolution or treason in making ,
Sc requests. Upon these issues we are I
ling to stand. If the people are with us
shall prevail. and this war legislation l
be repealed. If the people are with
!, then this Legislation will stand, and we
learn to adapt ourselves TO these changes
,ur old constitutional thoughts and hab- {
as we have learned to adapt ourselves Q
'thers. In the great contest in which 1
failed. we lost much. We lost power v
wealth and precious lives. But when e
people of the United States declare that n
right of fself-gOvernment is eNtinguished u
he States; that the prerogative of free "