National Republican., 1880-08-24
WHAT WOULD LEE AND JACKSON Do9

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WHAT WOULD LEE AND JACKSON DO?
When Mr.. WADE HAMPTON asked this
question he struck the democratic keynote
of this campaign. 1t is true Mr.. HAMPTON
has said he does not indorse that version Of
his speech which includes those words, and
he sends version which he stands by. In
looking the latter oververy carefully we do |
not find that he appealed to his hearers to |
consider what GRANT and THOMAS and E. |
NJ. STANTON would do, so the mistake was |
not in changing the names of the patriots |
whose opinions he would have accepted MS
guides at the present juncture. Wenoticed |
also that he did not in the revised version |
condemn the opinions Of LEE and JACKSON |
The wrong done him therefore is not in |
misrepresenting his real sentiments, but in
making it appear that he had uttered them
when he had merely kept them back.
Mr.. HAMPTON can settle the main point
Of Misrepresentation by at once frankly de-
claring that he thinks LEE and JACKSON
if alive would vote for GARFIELD. If they
would, he would have had very good
reason for not asking his friends to consider
what they would do. If they would not he
has no reason to be ashamed of making the
appeal except that their support of HAM
COCK would show combination between
HANCOCK and the confederate cause, which
would damage the superb generals chances.
The revised speech came therefore from
this consideration.
There can be no doubt that HAMPTON
believes LEE and JACKSON would do pre-
cisely as he is doing. He is still true to
the confederate cause-why should he sus-
pect they would not be? No, Mr.. WADE
HAMPTON, your back-down does not let
you out The keynote for you is TO con-
slider what LEE and JACKSON would do, and
you know it. Whatever your language was,
that was the spirit of your speech; that is
the spirit which sends you to make
speeches that is the true way to fire the
southern heart that is the only way to
keep the south solid.
AS gentleman of average sagacity, you,
WADE HAMPTON, must perceive that to
appeal to the intense patriotism Of con-
federate soldiers in this scampaign by asking
them to consider what the undoubted
friends of the union would do, such men as
BEN WADE, HENRY WILSON, JOHN A.
ANDREW and ABRAHAM LINCOLN would
not accomplish a single purpose that you
now have in view. 1t would fire up your
friends in n way not pleasant to endure,
II it started the rebel yell, the missiles
hurled would be rotten eggs and other
offensive compounds, such as are used to
cement the solid south. You have no
saints to use in thrilling appeals on the
stump but LEE and JACKSON. They are
your best. They are representative, and to
throw in BARKsDALE, FORREST and Pill
Low would increase the number without
increasing the thrill. This southern cam
paign cannot get along without the names
of LEE aud JACKSON. The whole thing
centres upon what they would do, they
nnd their set and drop that consideration
and the bottom drops out of the democratic
vehicle.
But what would LEE aud JACKSON do
It is we'll to have this understood. We
thank you, Mr.. HAMPTON, for calling
attention TO it. We can answer the ques-
tion. Unless they have been converted
since leaving us they would strive to put in
power q party that would seek to undo al
that was done by the brave army whicl
conquered the rebellion. They would insis
that the states arc sovereign; the nation {
compact or rope Of sand. They wOulj
insist that we should have a congress in
doctrinated with the idea that state can.
not be coelced, They would favor payinl
Rll southern men who lost anything by tht
war. They would hold that the boys VIII,
wore the gray are rs much entitled to pen
sions as the boys who wore the blue, They
would say that the abolition Of slavery b,
LINCOLN was monstrous usurpation
which can only be righted by paying 70
the slaves liberated, They would say tha
the southern brain is the ouly brail
qualified to rule the nation, and that tn
cabinet, the committees Of congress and al
important officers must be southern men o
men willing to do as the south demands
They would say that the only possible wa,
to accomplish these things OF any portion
of them would be to vote for HANCOCK
They would say with long continued un
earthly shout; "YoTE FOR HANCOCK.
With such tremendous interests to b
secured it is unchantable to think the.
would say Not only vote for HANCocl
but count for him also" The election o
HANCOCK would be the vindcation of LEE
JACKSON and JEFF DAVIS, and yindlcatiol
they sadly need, Ia it possible they do
not desire it.
What would LEE and JACKSON do is thu
necessarily the keynote of this campaign
We will give it further consideration.
THE force of truth can never be over