The weekly Union times. [volume] (Union C.H., South Carolina) 1871-1894, 1879-04-04

spite OF the Establishments and Skillfu
diplomacy Of Gov Chamberlain, who de-
sired reelection, determined they would
no longer vote for any member of o party
that had become 80 Infamous, and resolved
that they would put a full ticket of their
purest and best men in the field and call
upon every honest voter of the State, with.
out distinction of color or party, to unite 10
supreme effort to wrest the government
from the hands Of the public thieves and
piundereres who had gotten possession oft.
Gen. Wade Hampton, man whose
reputation was without stain and every
Spplaation Of. Hhesesh sheeyt ytsUsplGer thu ahapcr
OF the State aud the good 6i k9< " kksls peo-
pie, was nominated for Governof, and upon
the same ticket were placed the names of
those who were in every respect worthy to
be his conductors in this good work. The
wild enthusiasm kindled amoag all GLASSES
by this new departure and the loud acslaims
with which Hampton's nomination was
greeted from the mountains to the seaboard
was presage of certain victory, which at
once filled Chamberlain and his confedcrates
in misrule with dsmay They saw the
Handwriting on the wall" and the peniten.
tiary opening to receive them, and in their
despair determined by every means within
their power to stife the voice Of an irdig-
nant and outraged people at the ballot. box,
and save themselves from the just fate that
awaited them.
The republican convention soon followed.
Chamberlain was re-nominated, aud on the
ticket with him were placed those whom
he had denounced as the greatest villains
who had ever disgraced civilization, and
who, in their turn, had spoken in quite as
complimentary terms of him. The strus.
gle on the one side was to redeem the State
and save her people from social anarchy
and irretrievahle bankruptcy; on the other,
the sole purpose of the leaders was to main
tain their hold upon the public treasury,
with view to further schemes of spoliation
and to save themselves from the sure pun.
ishment which they knew their crimes de-
served.
CHAMBERLAIN CALLS FOR THE MILITARY.
Thus was inaugurated the campaign out
of which has grown the contest now under
consideration. propose, in tho first place,
to examine very briefly the grounds upon
which Gov. Chamberlain and President
Grant issued their procamations declaring
that "insurrection and domestic violence"
existed in several counties of the State, and
that "certain combinations of men against
law existed in many counties of the State"
Never was there grosser libel uttered
against any people than is contained in the
words OF these proclamations. There was
absolutely no "unlawful Instructions and
combinations and assemblagcs of persons
in the counties of Aiken and Barnwell," or
elsewhere, which made it impracticable "to
enforce, by the ordinary course of iudcia.
proceeding, the laws of the State; p there
was no insurrcction and no domestic violence
to give the slightest warrant of authority
for the interference Of the President, even
if he had been applied to in the manner
prescribed by the Constitution.
The Circuit judges (all republicans with
one cxception) declared that there was s.no
lawlessncss, no violence, which the courts
could not remedy, and that the law was
administered without difficulty"
In reference to the condition of things in
the first congressional district which the
contestee claims to represent on this floor,
| assert without the fear Of successful con.
tradiction, that during the whole canvass,
with the exception Of one or two attempts
on the part OF the republicans to prevent
democratic speakers from being heard, there
was as little lawlessness or violence as in
any other congressional district in the
Union. Although the canvass wass a
most earnest one ON both sides, almost
the only cases Of lawlessness which oc-
Cured grew out OF the violent efforts
made by the black race TO prevent persons
OF their own color from cooperating with
the whites or voting the democratci ticket.
The law was wholly unobstructed, and the
authority of the courts was respected aud
obeyed as in days of profoundest quiet
The testimony of the two judges, (Shaw
and Townsend,) whose circuits embraced
every county in this district, is conclusive on
this subject. **
DIsBANDING WHITE CLUBS AND ARMINo
NEGRO MILITIA.
The so.called rifle clubs in this district
with the exception, perhaps, of two or three
which had existed for years with the full
knowledge and sanction of Governor Cham
berlain, are abundantly shown to have been
political organizations, such as existed
every where throughout the country, without
any military feature whatever, except thai
in one or two localities the memhas;.of these
clubs, with their private arms, were some
times forced by the disorderly and threaten
ing demonstrations of the well.armed nogrc
militia companies to do police duty to say,
their property from the torch of the incen
diary.