The Anderson intelligencer. [volume] (Anderson Court House, S.C.) 1860-1914, 1880-02-05

following communication 10 Inc ADOe'
vile Medium, indulges in some very
plain language in reply to certain state
ments concerning Senator Hampton
made to a correspondent of that journal
by Senator Gary, of Edgefeld. The
charges were simply q reiteration oi
those heretofore made by Senator Gary
and with which our readers are familiar
THE COMMUNICATION.
COLUMBIA, S. c., Jan. %, 1880.
To the Editor Of the AJbevile Medium.
SIR have seen to-day for the first
time copy of your paper of date Jan.
uary 7th containing an interview between
your correspondent "Hampden" and Gen
NJ. w. Gary, which is entitled "Gen
Gary again-He sticks to his statements
and gives the evidence" Now his state
ments are repetitions Of the charges made
to a New York Herald correspondent that
"Gen. Hampton in 1876 advocated the
withdrawal Of the Tilden and Hendricks
electors, and that he was not true in his
support of their ticket" lie goes further
and says that by the rule that silence is
admission Gen. Hampton stands convict
ed, not having denied his second repeti-
ton of the charge.
Now newspaper interview is always
unsatisfactory matter to deal with, as
Gen. Gary may repudiate, explain away
or evade in any other way such part OF
"Hampden's" interview as he pleases
but even with that difficulty in my way
l hope / can make my points clear.
1st. AS to Gen. Gary's claim, as repre-
sented by the interviewer, that General
Hampton by his silence has admitted the
charge, 1 would say that Gen. Hampton
pronounced his charge to be utterly and
absolutely false" and that his answer ap-
plies as well to the second, third and
every other repetition as it did to the
original. But that there may be no ques-
ton / will say that, if Gen. Gary will
over his own signature repeat what he
has said in the published interview or
simply say that it is true, namely, "that
Governor Hampton advocated the with
drawal of the Tilden and Hendricks elec-
tors, l will, by the very gentlemen whose
names he gives as his witnesses, prove his
statement false. will use no other tes-
timony. Out of the mouth of his own
witnesses will convict him of .falsehood.
will 20 further. l will undertake to
prove that Gen. Gary did the very thing
with which he has falsely charged Gen.
Hampton. That when Settle and Dem
ny, the emissaries of President Grant,
offered if Gen. Hampton's party would
egree to admit that the State had gone
for Hayes and Wheeler, the Hampton
government should be recognized, Gen.
Hampton refused the offer while Gen.
Gary urged that it should be accepted.
Gen. Gary has in the interview further
stated that Gen. Hampton sent Judge
Mackey to Hayes, in Ohio, and gives
Judge Mackey as his authority. Now, if
Gen. Gary will repeat this over his own
signature, I will repeat my offer to prove
by his own witnesses that it is false.
Further in the interview he says: "But
Hampton met with the misfortune of
breaking his leg, and of.course l could
not strike him when he was down." Let
him repeat this, and 1 will prove that it,
too, is false, and that Gen. Gary made
the most indecent assault on General
Hampton at the rery time he was thought
to be dying. He shall not now lay claim
to magnanimity which he did not show.
think I have made my points clear,
and, unless Gen. Gary "admits them by
silence" 1 shall prove each and every
one of them.
might we'll stop here, but I shall add
a few words on Gen. Gary himself He
utterly misunderstands his own position
or he nnisstates it as grossly, as he does
that of others. He is entirely mistaken
in holding that any one has stood be-
tween him and the people, and kept him
from his rights. The people always have,
and always will, choose for themselves
who shall serve them. The whole trou-
BILE has been that they would not take
Gen. Gary at his own valuation. They
have not thought him worth the price.
Whenever they want him they will un-
doubtedly take him, but not before.
1 frankly admit that l do not think
Gen. Gary is fit for the high places to
which he has aspired and will give as
some of the reasons for my opinion the
following facts, which. if Gen. Gary will
deny, l will prove to be true:
1st. In 1871 Gen. Gary did agree for
pay "to use his best efforts TO get the Tar.
pavers' Convention TO endorse the achole
bonded debt of the State" both the honest
and the fraudulent. "Picture it, think
of it."
Cd. That he did about the same time
engage with the advocates of the Blue
Ridge Railroad ito aid in securing" the
approval of the same Convention to the
REIMBURSEMENT by the State of its first
mortgage on the Blue Ridge Railroad to
private parties. 1t is true that when
Major Marley denounced the scheme in
the Convention, and Gen. Gary was called
on to redeem his pledge, he refused to do
it, but he took his pay all the same.
Sd. That he was the constant defender
of McDevitt, the Radical Treasurer Of
Edgefeld, and that one of the indict-
ments against McDevitt was for fraudu-
lently paying to Gen. Gary large sum
of county money.
4th. That in 1876 after he had been
defeated for the United States Senate by
Gen. Butler he did advocate that Gen.
Butler should be withdrawn, and that
Whittemore (who had been expelled by
the Radical Congress for bribe-taking)
put in his place.
Ihave long known these facts, but have
not cared to use them, and do so now only
to convince Gen. Gary that he cannot
with impunity indulge in abuse of those
who have never injured him except by
too clearly seeing the ASS ears under the
lions skin.
l have addressed this communication
to your paper because it circulated the
charges. 1t is only justice that it should
carry the denial to the same audience.
That there may be no misapprehension,
I will add that General Hampton knows
nothing of this communication, General
Gary, with his usual taste, having made
the last assault while he was absent in
Mississippi at the death-bed Of his son.
am, sir, your obedient servant,
JOHN G. HASKELL.