Perrysburg journal. (Perrysburg, Wood Co., O. [Ohio]) 186?-1965, 1880-10-29

you did so, aid you mean to connect me d.
rectly or indirectly, with what was known as
the kukluX klanI Requesting an early reply
addressed to me, care Of Augustus Schell, ESQ,
New York am, very respectfully, your obe-
dent servant, WADE HAMPTON.
sHERMAN's ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS.
WASHINGTON, d. c., Sept q.
Hon. Wade Hampton, care Augustus Schell,
SIR;-Your note of the 18th inst. Is received,
in which you inquire whether, mt the confer
once held 10y the National Republican Com
mittee at the Fifth Avenue Hotel, New York,
/ used language attributed To me, rs follows:
And now YOU are asked to surrender all
you have done into the hands OF Wade Hanp
ton and the kultlux and the little segment IN
the North called the democratic party"
In reply, have TO alvisc you that, while
do not remember the p ecse language, pre-
sumo the reporter correctly stated in a CON
densed way his idea of what said. no doubt
spoke of you as leading representative of
the Democratic party in the South, aud re-
ferred tO the Ku<lux Klan as representative
OF the barbarous agencies by which Democrats
have subYeited the civil aud political rights
connect you personally with the kukluX
Khan. Indeed | knew that you had in
one or two important instances resisted and
defeated its worst impulses L appreciate the
sense of honor which makes you shrink from
being named in connection with it. still you
and your associates, leading men in the south,
now enjoy the benefits of political power
derived from the atrocities of the KulIlux klan:
in which phrase | include all the numerous
aliases by WnlC0 IL mas from Time llIllc Deen
known in the South. Your power in the
Southern States rests upon actual crimes of
every grade in the code of crimes, from muir
der to the meauest form of ballJt-bOx stutling
committed by the KukluX Klan and its kim
dred associates, and, as you know, some of the
worst of them committed since 1871, when you
and they gave most solemn assurances of pro-
lection to the freedmen of the South. These
crimes are all aimed at the civil and political
rights of RepuOlicans in the South, and, as
| believe, but for those agencies, the state that
az n
| the SOUTH would be represented both in the
| Senate and House by Republicans. But for
| these crimes the boast attributed to you that
| one hundred and thirty-eight solid Southern
votes would be cast for the Democratic ticket
! would be but idle vaporing; but now we feel
| that it is sober truth. While | have no rea-
| son to believe that you or your Northern aSSO-
cates personally participated in the otfenscs I
have named, yet while you and they enjoy the
| fruits of these crimes, you may, in logic and
morals, be claSsed, as | claSsed you, rs joint
| co-partners with the Kuklux klan in the policy
which thus far has been successful in seizing
political power in the South, AMI which 1t is
| hoped by the aid of the small segment of the
| Democratic party in the North may be eX-
tended to all departments of the Government.
| IL is in this sense that / spoke of you, the
| kukluX' klan, and the Northern Democratic
party.
Permit me in conclusion, while frankly an
swering your question, to say the most fatal
| policy for the South would be, by such agen-
cies as l have mentioned, to secure again po-
ltical ascendency in this country; for assure
| you that the manhood and independence OF
the North will certainly continue the struggle
until every Republican in the south shall have
free and unrestricted enjoyment of equal civi
and political privileges including fair vote
a fair count, Tree speech and free press; ant
the agitation made necessary to secure suct
results may greatly affect inJuriously the in
terestS of the people of the South. Very re
spectfully, your obedent servant,
JOHN SHERMAN.
A BELLIGERENT BILLET.
CHARLoTTEsvILLE, Va, Oct. l, 1880.
l.,Nf i,.n,
you do not dsclaim the language to which
called your attention, have only to say tina
in using it, YOU uttered what was absolutely
false, and what you knew 10 he false. My al
dress will be Columbia, $. q: amyour obedi
ent servant, WADE HAMPTON.
To Hon. John sherman.
REFERRED TO THE PUBLIC.
TREAsY DEPARTMENT, WASHINGTON, d. O..
October Is, 1850.
To Hon. Wade Hampton, Columbia, s. c.:
have to acknowledge receipt of your not,
of the lst inst, handed me unopened by Mr.
q. Mckindiey, u few minutes ago, after my re
| turn from the West. | had this morning reat
what purported to be an extract of speecl
made by you, published in he Charleston
| NeiUs aud Courier, and upon your general rep
utatiOn MS u gentleman had denied that yol
had made such speech or written such let
, ter as is attributed to you In that paper. Wha
| stated To you in my letter of september II
believe to be true, Notwithstanding your dc
nial, and it can be shown 70 be true by pubi
records, and as matter of history. As yo
had, long before your letter was delivered 4
me- seen proper 10 make public statemen
of your views of the correspondence, | vii
give it to the press without note or comment
| and let the public decide between us. Yer
respectfully, JOIN SHERMAN.
HAMPToN's oRAToRICAL ONSLAUGHT.
The extract from Wade Hampton
speech referred to by Secretary Sher
man in his closing letter to Hampton i
as follows, as reported in the Charles
ton NeUS and Courier:
, Mr. John Sherman, the Secretary of tn
Treasury, said some time ago that the peopl
, were called upon to surrender all they po:
sessed to Wade Hampton and the Kullu
and the small segment of the Democratic pa
' ty at the North" / wrote asking him if b
used this language His answer was som,
what equivocal, and he did not deny associa
ing my name with the kukluX; and | say no.
in public, as | wrote him in private, that whe
| he made that statement he said what wa
false, and what he knew at the time was falls,
II has come to be a pretty pass, my country
2 men, when man elected to Congress an
honestly striving 10 do his duty under tn
: | Constitution. can have those base and grOun,
, less assaults made on him. When ma
G | strikes ut South Carolina through me l sha
| only say 10 him as l did TO Sherman, that
. tells a lie.
|