Belmont chronicle. [volume] (St. Clairsville, Ohio) 1855-1973, 1880-09-02
Wade Hampton in 1868 and 1880.

OliCo VI HIS IeIlldThdDl6 Sp6ecneS III Ine
campaign of 1868. Gen. Hampton was
one OF the delegates from South Carolina
to the National Democratic Convention.
held il the city of New York, that NOM
mated Seymour and Blair. 1t is safe to
say these nominations inspired more en-
thusiasm in the Democratic heart than
the nominations of the Cincinnati Con-
vention. Mr.. Seymour then, as now,
was the idol Of the Northern Democra-
cy, and his nomination, which he reluct-
autly accepted, was considered equiva-
lent to an election.
The Southern delegates went home in
high feather, and the South CarOlinians
were received in the city of Charleston
with every demonstration of delight and
satisfaction when they arrived there on
TIE 25th OF July. The delegation was
received by local committees at the de-
pot, and Gen. Hampton proceeded to the
grand stand, opposite the Charleston
Hotel, in carriage. drawn by four
horses, and amidst the huzzaS and ho-
Zannas of admiring thousands. Arrived
there, he was introduced to great au-
dlence by the Hon. Alfred Huger, and
Immediately proceeded to give an ac-
count of his stewardship" as he said, to
delighted audience. The speech was re-
ported in full, and copy of it is before
US.
After referring to the part borne in
the civil war, and cOmplimenting the
South Carolinians on their endurance
and valor, and the distinguished part
they had borne in past that was with
out reproach," he proceeded to assure
his audience that the great heart of the
Democracy was fully aroused and "beat
in full sympathy with the South" The
g. h. had been beating that way all
through the war, and it was not surpri-
slug it continued to throb in the same
way in 1868, as it continues to do in
1880. They swore to him with clasped
hands, in New York, that they would
never cease fighting until their objects
were accomplished-one of the objects
being, according to distinguished Ken
lucky Democrat, to "wipe out the last
vestige of the war legislatiOnw and an
other being, according to Gen. Hampton
himself, to restore in administration and
government the principles for which
Lee and Jackson fought.
But there are passages in this speech
so significant that they must be reprodu-
ced to do Gen. Hampton justice, as well
as to make clear the fact that there is
perfect consistency between what he
said at StauntOn i'll 1880 and what he
uttered twelve years age. Having spo-
ken in some detail of the action of the
National Convention, he turned to the
Lost Cause" itself, and said:
81 Weld to none in my devotion to the lost
cause for which we fought Never shall l ad-
nit that the cause itself failed; and that the
principles which gave it life were therefore
wrong"
[iltu ILSlClOlC IL ID IllCtC lO-udI VIC
hear Gen. Hampton assuring the Eir-
ginians that these principles are still
alive, and have the sympathy and ap-
prOval Of the great Democratic heart.
Were they not alive, and still, as in 1865,
the principles of the Democratic party,
| it is not likely the General wo'd be as en-
thusiastic for Hancock and English as
| lie then was for Seymour and Blair.
Gen. Hampton was member of the
Committee on Resolutions, and referring
to its action, he said, with reference to
the proposition, that the right of suf
frage belongs to the States:
81 agreed to the proposition, but at the same
time said it seemed to me that they had omitted
one very vital point, which was to declare to
what States the doctrine applied. l thought it
was necessary to guard and limit that declara-
tion and to the end that we might know at
what time we would go back and say who were
| the citizens of the States. l askek that they
would declare that these questions belonged to
the States under their Constitutions up to the
year 1865.
In plain words, Gen. Hampton wanted
| to commit the party to the doctrine
and in defiance of the amendments to
the ConstitutiOn-that negroes are not
citizens, and under the State ConstitIl-
tionS need not be so recognized. But
what answer did the Northern repre-
SentativeS of the party make to him
Did they tell him there must first be
obedience to the Constitution and
sworn recognition of its supremacy and
binding force? Was he assured that
the party was in harmony with the
proposition chat all men are free and
equal before the law, and entitled to all
the rights and immunities of citizenship,
and that no step would be taken to re-
woke these rights, and reduce the freed
men to the condition of chattels, with
the consent of the great Democratic par
ty? Not much! But he was told that
the Northern Democracy were willing
to give "us"-that is, the Solid South
everything that it desired, but
ave of the South must remember that they
had great fight to make, and 1T WOULD NOT BE
PoIIcY to place in that platform that which
would engender prejudices in the other States
They, however, pledged themselves to do all in
their power to relieve the Southern States, and
restore TO US the Constitution as 1t had existed.
What palmer manifestation of pur-
pose when in power to render null and
void the amendments to the COnstitu-
ton abolishing slavery, and clothing the
free blacks with citizenship and civil
and political rights. That pledge given
| in 1868 remains unfultilled, because of
circumstances over which the Democrat
ic party had no control. Read in the
| light of the year 1880 and the course of
the South during the past twelve years
| in its efforts to practically nnllify the
amendments, who can doubt if Hancock
is elected that the South will exact the
fulfillment of that pledge, thus wiping
out not only every vestige of war legis-
lation, but the amendments in accord
ance with which the legislation was
had? The Northern Democracy are
just as willing to-day to give the South
everything they desire as in 1865, and