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


H., SOUTH CAROLINA, API
avail, the good people of the State In the
summer OF 1875 met in convention, and in
spite OF the Establishments and skillful
diplomacy Of Gov. Chamberlain, who do.
sired re.elsction. determined they would
9o longer vote for any member of party
tnat mad become % Infamous, and resolved
that they would put full ticket of their
parest aud best men 10 the field and call
upon every honest voter of the State, with.
out distinction Of color or party, to unite in
a supreme effort to wrest the government
from the hands Of the public thieves and
piundereres who had gotten possession Of IL.
Gen. Wade Hampton, a man whose
reputation was without stain and Jevery
pptnAia afHheeesk knart< ss,cnr 49,
o. The State aud t66 eoas q -:
pie, was nominated for aoverS6f Ana upon
the same ticket were placed the names of
those who we're in every respect worthy to
% his coadjutors in this good work. The
wild enthusiasm kindled amoag all classes
by this new departure and the loud ac,laims
With which Hampton's nomination was
greeted from the mountains to the seaboard
was a presage Of certain victory, which at
once filled Chamberlrin and his confedcrates
in misrule with dismay 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 stifle 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, 10 their turn, had spoken in quite as
complimentary terms of him. The struc
gle on the one side was to redeem the State
and save her people from social anarchy
and irretrievable bankruptcy; on the other,
the sole purpose of the leaders was to main.
tain their hold upon the public treasury,
with view to further schomes of spoliation'
and to save themselves from the sure nun.
ishment which they knew their crimes de.
aerved
CHAMBERLAIN CALLS FOR Tue MILITARY.
Thus was inaugurated the campaign out
OF which has grown the contest now under
consideration. / propose, in she, first place.
to examine very briefly the grounds upon
which Gov. Chamberlain and President
Grant issued their proclamations 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 o grosser libel uttered
against any people than is contained in the
words OF these proclamations. There was
absolutely no "unlawful obstructions and
combinations and assemblages of persons
10 the counties Of Aiken and Barnwell," or
elsewhere, which made it impracticable "to
enforce, by the ordinary course of judicial
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
it he had been applied to ia the manner
prescribed by the Constitution. *s
The Circuit judges (all republicans with
one cxceptiop) declared that there was mo
lawlessness, no violence, which TIE courts
could not remedy, and that the law was
oN1sihsSsOASu WiSuOut uItuCuNy.
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 lawlsssness or violence as iu
any other congressional district in the
Union. Although the canvass was,
most earnest one on both sides, almost
tho only cases Of lawlessness which oc-
CURED grew out Of the violent efforts
made by tho black race TO prevent persons
Of their own color from cooperating with
the whites or voting the democratci tickes.
The law was wholly unobstructed, and the
authority of the courts was respected and
oboyed as in days of profoundest quiet
Tho testimony Of the two judges, (Shaw
and Townsend,) whose circuits embraced
every county in this district, is conclusive on
this subject. *s* n H*
DEMANDING WHITE CLUBS AND ARMINo
80 g,a. NEGRO MILITIA.
The sooalled rife 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 10 have been