The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1879-12-17
THE OUTBREAK OF A L0NG.SUP.
PRESSED QUARREL.
A Lively Interview with Gen. Gary
He Charges Senator Hampton with
Having Sold Out Tilden in 1875.
LETTER TO ute Ne,y York I[cru

available candidate Ut the close OF the carpet
bag reign conducting the canvass with sucl
vigor that, on going to Columbia after thu
election, be was greeted by the new Governor
with the exclamation /:
"Well, Gary, Edseiicld has saved tho
His subsequent opposition In the State Sen
ate to the policy OF Hampton and those who
acted with him raised Gen. Gary into cXtraor
binary prominence. SO that one morning, tc
use his W rather shy expression, he "awokc
like Byron, aud found himself famous
throughout the South"
AN INTEItAIEw WITH GEN. GARY.
] called on tho General this afternoon ut hi!
hotel, and found him to be of finer metll,
than his mere popular vogue implies. 1.-the
wiry, with features thin but handsome, sllor
gray hair. n close clipped gray mustache
sparkling eyes and Il candid smile, he dis
played Il charm Of manner and frunkIess o
speech which would In themselves account
for d considerable part of the public fnvor n,
has won. 1t was With tho utmost difficulty
that l led him into the following discussion
or political topics:
"Is there anything of real meaning in tho
talk in South Carolina and elsewhere OIL
adopting Grant as the Southern candidate fOI
President 2" was, tho next question 1 asked
Gen. Gary. as d diversion.
Nothing. If there Is u real feeling ~in:.favor
OF such a projGct, Except, OF course, among
the scalawags and nlggcrs,) / haven't heard OF
II. | spent two months of the ummer at
White Sulphur Springs, meeting there men
from nll parts of the South. and didn't heal
the scheme broached OF running Grnntin con.
~nection with the Democratic party. But I did
hear thiS-and from the lips of public men
from whom 1 should nav least expected it
the statement that If Grant wants TO be En-.
peror OF this country, or even TO head q con-
stitutional monarchy, he would find plenty
of Southern backing"
"Was this adelibcrate statement? 1t seems
Incredible"
EMPEROR ULYSSES.
":Not n bit incredible. Why, my friend,
you can't understand the straits In which
some of the Southern people find 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 pos;
siblc future tyranny Of q Republican majari-
ty in the North, they would be honestly will
ing not only to exchange the Federal COnsti-
tuition for that one, but to do away with the
Constitution and establish Imperialism for
the mere sake, or hope Mt least. of securing
and privileges. The gentlemen with whom /
have spoken on this subject haven't gone SO
far Us to say they would actively help to
said they would not hinder any move Grant
and his friends might make to set 1t up, and
that they would stand by the Empire If de-
clared.
A CONSTITUTIONAL GOVERNMENT, BY COB
"Such. however," said Gen: Gary, walking
up and down the floor, ''is not my plan or pol
Icy. I'm In favor, by God of constitutional
governmental Republican government, and
in favor Of perpetuating 1t. If the time ever
comes, I'm ready to throw my sword into the
scale for this, and against any monarcliicai
innovation whatsoever"
BAYARD-TILDEN.
"Who," I put to him at last. "is the candi.-
date of the Southern Democrats for Prdsl-
don't 81
'Take the leaders -Bayard is their choice,
undoubtedly. Take the p~eople-Tilden Would
be theirs. l am not myself a Bnyard man.
Thomas II. Ewing is my preference. His H.
not. I can't understand the Democratic fldcl-
ity of q man who stands, as Baynrd does, on n
Radical Republican financial platform. Tin
q Jackson Democrat, and can understand the
position In his rcspcctOf Gen. Ewing: TO
my mind Jackson was the greatest man the
Democratic party ever kindergarten than CAL
houn, or Webster eithcr-in brains, in nerves,
In fnr-seeing craftsmanship"
"How do YOU associate his financial Ideas
with those OF Ewlng?"
"In this way: Jackson, In his day. was OPP
posed To a rational bank. He would, there.
fore, be opposed to-day to the present national
of the money power-the grandest; most Abb
sorbing Of modern powers-into hands dut-
side the peoples. So Is Gen. Ewing:
THE %ropULACE AMI TILDEN.
SAs to 2 the the popular preference for 7ildcn-
tIon. The people of our S%tatc-that Is to say
the masses of thcm-havc been so absorbed
by their own troubles that they have not di-
gested questions involving national finance.
nor inquired how these questions would De
affected by this or that President to como
into power. All are Democrats Of the strict
est type, willing to abide by the decision OF
the National Democratic Convention. All,
too, pretty well recognizes the doctrine that
South Carolina, which was so active IN stir
ring up the late civil war, ought to be a little
modest Just at p~resent-ought not to attempt
to control matters when the former attempt
and suffering. Therefore: say, our people
have not yet formulated their preference. and
It's only u feeling In the air which leads me
TO describe 1t as for Tildcn."
"Why, General exclaimed a confidential
friend, who stood near during the convtrsa-
ton, don't you know very well there ANITA
man, womano or white child In South Carolina
that wouldn't 60 for Tlldeh If he was nomi-
mated again?"
BADLY TREATED-DAMN HIM:
"Just o hold on. I'm coming to that
said Gen. Gary: ''Tilden, If he gets noinlna.
OF the Southern people. It's idle to dispute
that solidcst of oil solid facts In tho so-called
Solid South. Damn him p proceeded the
General. now warming to the theme. "rin
SOTTy lOT UlIu, UNI. i Guiuh 1iiuSh III OSSii
badly treated. He was sold out by Southern
leaders. He ought not. however, To have snf-
fered himself to be sold out by anybody. He
should have claimed his rights. That's why,
even while I say I'm sorry for him, / add that
l don't like his sort Of q man. He has moth.
Ing Of the Andrew Jackson kin In him. Yet
I would support him heartily again, because |
believe he was sacrificed TO the South and that
the South owes shin an atOnement. Moreover,
I believe that, being the greatest political tao.
tician OF the time, having immense ma-
chinery which he has organized at his dlspo-
sal, having still the most powerful of his
friends In 1876 to back him, and, perhaps, hav-
Ing besides the commodity he Is reported to
have by the barrelful, he may be nominated
In 1880, and, If nominated, will certainly he
elected"
AMI SOLD U by II SOUTH.
"But you say TIlden was sold out by South
ern leaders. That's n new phase. How I"
"Oh. 1 know it will raise the DEVIL said
Gen. Gary, "butit might rs we'll como out.
The long and short Of 1t Is that q proposition
was made TO me ut the well known mass
meeting at Abbeville In 1875 to withdraw the
Tildcn electors of this State !"
THE SHAMEFUL PROPOSITION.
"By Gen. Hampton, at the time when he ha
been nominated but not elected tor the Go
ernorship. He, ToombS md myself spoke
that meeting. Hampton approached Inc {
the platform with that proposition"
Now asked Gen; Gary, please expla'
for wn serr reasG its alas sIsse Wo9id I Saye a'I 5. en- al
Hampton's cause"
Nv ell, sir, at that time we wanted to redee
South Carolina from carpet-bag rule, and son
of us didn't care q damn how Il was to con
about. Hampton knew that the Radicals he
wouldn't vote for Tilden and Hendricks and
the same time they hated chamberlain, u
Republican candidate for Governor like Il
devil. 1t was understood that cooke and Ma
,oy cold fhay Vnull holt the HImOfnn Sta
ticket If Hampton would withdraw the Tildt
electors and thus insure the State for the K
publican Sat %nn t1Gk Ta;, a Hampton 1a G yirtrni
w ! asR wh sa he g sa@e TO SG me t # Ab HassIneh with II Il
proposition l have mentioned"
SHARP ANSWER TO HAMPTON.
"What did you say to it?"
II said, in the first place, that rs South caro-
ma had sent delegates TO and fairly participant
} in the National Convention which nominal
ITilden, the withdrawal of the electors would
q piece of bad faith. In the next place, l said
couldn't be done without calling mother co
vention. TO this Hampton responded that
might be done through the state EXECUTE
!. committee. Without acquiescing, l answer
Hampton that If he and the rest were resolv
To do 1t 1 wouldn't make war upon the concl
} sion. I've since heard that at 1, meeting he
that night, which I didn't attend, but ut Will
Hampton. Toonbs, Gen. MCGOWAN and G.
Cothran were present, there was n hot tin
, MCGOWAN wouldn't agree. nohow. and the pr
iect fell through. Nevertheless, I've always
! garded 1t in the light ofa 'raitorous disatiecti
TO Tilden before his election, showing q disp
] sition to sacrifice MIN In this State
WHY ~AToNEMENT Is NECESSARY.
: "ItIwas nothing more nor less than at offer
. surrender the State to Hayes In order TO sect
! the election of Hampton; hence my willin
| ness to see atonement make in case Tilden
;. again nominated. That nomination, I rcpt
Ignoring my preference for Ewing, would u
T dnnhtedlY be received by our people with [