New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1880-08-18
HIDE H1NrroNS SpELcH.

We give Senator Wade Hampton most I'M
usual privileges this morning. we pnbi!sll liS
Stanton speech twice III the same column. IL
is seldom so great courtesy Is extended TO
public man, but Mr. liamptons extraordinary
behavior entities him to the distinct II. In the
first half Of the column we print the sech aS
il was originally reported. Il was delivered
on Monday afternoon, July 20, at the Opera
House in Staunton, Virginia The occasion was
q ueculiar one The Readjustcr wing Of the
DemocIa ic party had called Hancock and
English ratification meeting for that time. AS
soon rs thcir call was issued, the funGei Wing
Amounted similar meeting for the same day
and hour and announced as speakers Senator
HAMPTON. and Senator Vance, Of North Caro-
lima. There was great rivalry to see which wing
would colleen the larger crowd Tie FundeTs
carried of the honOrs, assembling tie largest
political audience ever known in the city. 1t
was to this audience that Wade Hampton spoke.
He knew that the 81 init of rivalry between the
two factions of the party was intense, ana the
main purpose OF his speech was to secure re-
cancellation and harmonious support OF the
National Democratic ticket. 10 do this III The
most effective way he appealed to them as ex-
ConfederaIes, and declared himself a Southern
soldier who had fought side 10y side with them.
This is the tone OF the whole speech.
On the following Thursday a nearly full re-
poft of the speech was published in The
Stanton Valley Yirginidn. 1t is this report
which appears in the first half of the column
we have elsewhere ASST gned to Mr.. Hampton.
Two DAVIS later it came into the hands of
THE TRIBUNE through the mails, when the ex-
4 .ai,- al ! .rnt
and commented upon. A few days later,
August 7, this passage was placed at the head
of our editorial columns, where it stood for a
week uncOntradiced and unquestioned. On
Monday last The Herald announced that it had
received from Mr.. Hampton the only version OF
the speech which had received his personal in
"dorsement." This version We reproduce i'll the
second half of the column. The passages in
italics in the first half are the Sc winch do not
appear ut all in tie second half. The most
careless reader cannot fail to observe thai the
eliminated passages all have the same strong
Confederate flayor-they oil led up to the final
one winch was the climax OF tie SPEECH / he
question is, How did these passages get into The
speech if Mr.. Hampton did not utter them
Mr. Hampton might impugn the accuracy of the
report, were it not that the passages which re-
main in bis personally Endorsed version are
precisely the same in punctuation and phrase
as those in The VUginidns report There are
a few additions in his version which are not III
the other bat these are not of any significance
in or out 1t is easy TO see that both reports
were originally made by the same hand. If il
also easy to see that the eliminated passages are
in entire harmony with the spirit of the address.
In making the speech Mr.. Hampton did
verv "indscreetn thing, as his Democratic
friends admit In attempting 10 escape from
his blunder by a seeming denial, which denies
nothing. he has gone further and done stupid
thing 1t had already been said of him, by
Northern defenders. that all he meant was that
the Sonth was fighting now for local self-gOv-
eminent, as Lee and Jackson fought for four
years. He would have been wiser to have
adopted that defence. As il is he confesses that
he meant something much worse than this, for
he is afrai d to own the declaration at all The
North will make its own Interpretation.