The Elk County advocate. [volume] (Ridgway, Pa.) 1868-1883, 1880-08-26
Hamnton,s staunton Speech.

Nearly month after General Wade
Hampton has made his famous speech
to the Confederate Democracy of
Staunton, Virginia, an attempt is
made to deny that he uttered the Ian
guage attributed to him. In the
speech, as originally reported, the fol-
lowing occurred:
Consider what Lee and Jackson
would do were they alive. These are
the same principles for which they
fought for four years. Remember the
men who poured forth their life blood
} on Virginia's soil, and do not abandon
them now. Remember that upon
your vote depends the success of the
Democratic ticket.
This language was quoted far and
wide by the Republican press through
out the north, as fair illustration of
the spirit pervading the Southern
Democ racy, and the means being re
sorted to by desperate leaders like
| Hampton to arouse the old COnfeder-
atcs to the support of General Han
cock. The effect upon the Northern
people was electrical and attended
with undoubted damage to the cause
of the Democratic party. Appeals
have been showered upon Hampton
| from Northern leaders to deny that he
used the language above quoted. Up
! to this time all he has done in re-
sponse to the supplications was to send
to the New York Hcruld what he calls
'the only report of his speech that
"has received his personal endorse
"ment." But he does not deny that
he made use Of the words above quoted
| nor could lie do so without pub
fishing himself as a falsifier. There
were many Republicans present at
the Staunton meeting who are testify
| ing that the extract published was a
correct version of his language. But
! there is other evidence more difficult
to dispose of. On the morning after
! the Staunton meeting, the Staunton
Valley Tirginidn, the leading Demo
cratic paper of that State, contained q
very full report of Hampton's speech
| and giving the peroration in full,
word for word, rs printed above
Docs any body believe that the Vi"-
giRidn falsified General Hampton:
Not bit of it. Like genuine Con.
lederate- Democratic organ, and as 4
| true representive of Southern Con.
federate sentiment it applauded the
outburst Of the South Carolina cavalry
leader as the correct thing. 1t 'tired
the Southern heart and that is what
General Hampton went to Virginia
for. The old rebel feeling had to bC
aroused, and the Palmcnto leader
knew how to do it. General Chalm.
ers, Wade Hampton and the rest OF
these Southern men of prominence
are us meek as lambs and gentle rs
kittens when they come in contact
with Northern people, but let them
get before Southern audiences uno
their sentiments undergo Il very radi
cal change. The trouble is 90 kecI
their Southern speeches out of tn,
hands OF Northern readers. 1t is sale
that measures have been adopted 10y
Chairman Barnum to prevent Demo
cratic speeches in the South being too
graphically printed in the papers o
that section, thus compelling versions
of such speeches to come through
Republican channels, when it will b,
easy to brand them as "Repub!icnl
campaign lies"
Hampton, unfortunately for hin
and his party, is floored. The langu
age attributed to him originally ap
pcared in Virginia Democratic pa
per whose editor addressed the Sam
ng.-Wilkes-barrc Times.