The Stark County Democrat. [volume] (Canton, Ohio) 1833-1912, 1880-08-26
WADE HAMPTON's VIEWS.
What He Really Said at stanton, Va.-NO Words
Of Reasonable Import,

The speech Of Senator Wade Hampton at staun.
ton Va, on the 26!h Of July has been the subject
OF much partisan animadversion, and pretended
quotations from 1t have placed the ex Confeder'
ate warrior in the unenViable light Of encourag
ing the perpetuauon Of the extreme sentiments
which led the Souther people into rebellion,
The only report Of General Hampton 3 words that
has received his personal endorsement is the fol-
lowing which he enclosed to the editor Of the
N. Y. Herald:-
Resolutions indorsIng the Cincinnati platform
and nominees having been adopted, Capt, James
Bumgardner Jr., introduced to the audience Gen.
Wade Hampton who said;-
Friends OF Virginia-I have responded to your
call to be with you to day, not only for the rea.
son that my heart is enlisted in the cause which
you advance, but also because claim some right
to speak here and to Virgnians. A hundred
years ago my ancestor, Virgniau, left this State
to fight the Indians in South Carolina and fell
there. Nearly century later almost every male
descendant of his who could then buckle sword
came hither to fight and die for Virginia and Vir-
gInians. Do not understand that come here to
dictate policy to you or to advise you what you
must do. Rither am here to consult with you
as a Democrat, as a man, and as a Southern sol.
dier-as one who looks back to the time when he
shared with you privatiOns and sufferings and de.
feat in the Army of Northern Virginia. l am
here to voice the earnest hope that feel to utter
the fervent prayer OF my heart, that Virginia. the
mother of States and statesmen, Of heroes and pa
triotsthe State that gsYe the head that conceived
and the head that penned the Declaration of In.
dependence-the State that gave the sword that
made that independence a fact-Will not prove
recusant to all her high traditions.
What is Yirginia's duty now? You hardly real.
lie, my friends, how much depends on the action
of your State. You do not bring home to your
thought what responsibility you carry in this
contest. We OF the South, who, having been so
long plunged into outer darkness, have at last
emerged from the blackness of despair and carried
forward our States to where they belong in the
splendid sisterhood, come to you to-day and tell
you that we mean victory We intend to subor.
dinate every selfish personal consideration; we
| intend to look solely and only to the Democratic
platform and the Democratic standard hearers
and with Gods help we intend to win this fight
for that platform and those standard bearers.
VIII Virginia, when we have success IN our very
grasp; will men who were born free men who
were reared under the doctrines Of Jefferson and
Of Madison; will men who followed Lee and
Jackson-will you sacrifice the Democratic party,
will you sacrifice the South, will you sacrifice the
National government by aiding, indirectly though
1t be, to elect a Republican President? | cannot
believe it, Realize, If you can what will follow
a Republican triumph in November. You have
all seen what strides that party has made toward
centraliz tion; you have seen your judges strick
en- down by the mailed hand of the National
government; you have seen the Republican party
mass troops at your polls to nVeIawe your free
suffrage; you have seen their deputy marshals,
their supervisors, their returning boards, the in.
struments TO an overthrow of the last vestige of
| State rights tell you my countrymen, the fate
| of the South will be harder than ever If the Re.
publican party is successful In this campaign.
We shall behold no more free elections, no more
untTammeled expression OF political sentiment,
and no one of ns now living will ever again see a
restoration Of Democratic rule and principle.
II we elect the Democratic nominees the Repub.
lican party will go to pieces like rope Of sand.
Their mission is ended If they ever had mission,
There is nothing that holds them together to day
save 1.-THE cohesive power Of public punder."
The Republican party is the party of hate the
party of rank and rabid sectionalism. The D5m-
ocratic party is the party OF peace and union that
would blot out all sectional differences forever.
and 1t has proven this in the nomination Of Gen
eral Hancock at Cincinnati. There was but one
feeling there among the Southern delegates. That
feeling was expressed when we said to our North
ern Democratic brethren, "give us Northern
Democrat who can be elected. We bring you lSS
votes and we ask YOU to give us q man who can
bring us 30 more" They gave us the man; his
name Is Hancock That name took like wldfire
at Cincinnati az 1t has taken like wildfre from
one end Of this Union to the other Since that
nomination was made every man who was IN that
convention has come to the conclusion that we
could not possibly have made wiser or a better,
When Hancock was nominated Bayard wrote to
me that he was perfectly satis6ed-that Hancock
was the only man who had no opponents In the
party; and Furthermore that he was one against
whom the bloody shirt could not be waved. We
have put 1t in the power Of the people to elect
this ticket They can elect 1t If they will. You
will hear to day from one who can speak better
than any other man alive for North Carolina
nay, for the whole South Governor Vance will
confirm my words and tell you that we can carry
our States, that we can carry the South, If you
will only carry Virginia. He has come, like me,
to appeal to you not to forsake us in this the hour
of need. appeal to you In the name Of the great
men Of Virginia l know that both sides are sin.
cere in this local fight l know that there are
honest and true men In both your factions, but
whether you be aduster or funder, whether you
be greenbaGker or hard money ma1, l adiure
you, In Gods name, remember that you are Vir
ginians,