The Valley Virginian. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1865-1895, 1880-09-02
Action Of Hanoook and English Club

were adopted:
WHEREAS. Gov. Wade Hampton, of South Carroll
ma, who, by the invitation of this Club, delivered
speech In this city the 26th July last which, In
the opinion of this Club from the information now
IN Its possession has been wlfulIy and malicious
| ~ misrepresented by the Valley Virgini"", Re-
publican newspaper of this city, and the correspon
dent of the New York Tribune for the purpose OF
making party capital: therefore be it
| Resoloed 1st, That the construction which has
been attempted to be put upon the language Of Gen.
Hampton by these parties is unwarranted by any
special uterances and entirely at variance with the
whole tenor of his speech
RESOLVED End, That the attempt, for partisan pur-
poses In the face Of his denial and the denial OF
| hundreds of those who heard him, to put him In a
false position before the country is nexcusable In
| morals or politics.
There were speeches delivered on the occa-
sion but we know nothing of their substance.
All we do know is that some, at least of the
speakers are not famed for discretion, and
Judging from the tenor of the resolutions we
imagine the oral utterauces were not charac-
terized by extreme temperance.
| There are hot heads in this community from
whom we could have expected nothing less,
but that staid, sober men, such as some of the
gentlemen in the meeting are, should have al
| lowed their calm Judgment to be thus subor-
| dnated to the passion of q moment, does sur
| prise us.
| Now let us look at the facts 1t is sheernon-
sense to say that the majority of those who
| participated in that meeting believed for one
moment that the reports of Gen. Hampton's
speech, as published in the VIRGINIAN and
| Vaadacator, were incorrect To assert that
| either of these reports was made with the
purpose of ''willfully misrepresenting" Gov.
Hampton, is simply absurd. There is not,
nor can there be, any question as to what the
speaker said in substance.
The VIRGINIAN placed upon Gov Hamp-
toms speech what it believed then and believes
now to be a legitimate construction. 1t be-
Ieyed then that it was re-assertion of the
doctrine of State soveignty, and believes now
that it was. We used no language OF sentence
that warranted the inference that we intended
to charge purpose to repeat the act of prac-
tical secession. Under the idea of State SOW
ereignty, ifaccepted by the people of the coun-
try, secession, or something of like import, is
possible. mot, however, that we believe this peo-
pie would accept it with that understanding.
Our whole object has been to educate the
popular mind up to the dangers which lie
in the womb Of the future from the adop-
ton and encouragement of q political dogma
which we may appropriately style 'Pando-
ra's box" To this extent has been our Of
tending and no more, and for this we are
charged with 'Willful and malicious misrepre-
sentation." The calm judgment of nine-tenths
of this community, we believe, would bear us
out in the correctness of this statement.-
Those who prepared the programme for the
Hancock Club and formulated the intern per-
ate sentence to which we refer, do not pre-
tend to discuss the question at issue. In
stead of argument they flood out passionate
epithets and attempt to arouse feeling and
prejudice for passing effect, and attain by this
means, what they have not yet been able
to do by legitimate and rational methods-tha
confidence of the people in their political
sagacity.
This charge of 'willfll and malicious mis-
representation" was not preferred, nor could
1t possibly have been predicated upon any state
ment of ours, until the z59bune's correspon-
dent came to Staunton, and in letter to that
paper gave what we regarded as an unjust
and unwarranted representation of the senti-
ment of this people. For that the editors of
the VIRGINIAN are in no wise responsible,
and it is gratuitious assumption for parti- |
Fan purposes to state that they are. AS soon
as we read the letter, we announced our in
tention to publicly correct its misstatements
and that evening the following was addressed
to the Tribune.
Editor Tribune-The Staunton letter from the
lrt5u1e's correspondent published in the Issue of
yesterday, contains so many Inaccuracies both OF
fact and deduction that ask leave mako correct
statement In regard to the matter about which he
wrote.
Your correspondent was sent here, as 1 under |
Stood to collect facts in reference the speech Of
Senator Hampton, delivered in this city on the 26th
OF July. He must have been peculiarly unfortunate
In the selection of the parties interviewed If the
result his interviews was faithfuIIv renresented
in the letter in question. That letter does I'M ustce
TO the citizens of Stanton 1t places them in posi-
ton tney 90 not occupy, and attributes them sem
tlments which feel warranted in saying are not |
entertained by them 1t misrepresents the motives
which actuated the gentlemen who signed the paper
certifying to the accuracy of the VIRGINIANS report
and which governed Mr.. Gordon in the statement |
he furnished. |
The facts or Hampton's speech the deniaJ go
are these -
Almost every sentence of that speech was ap-
plauded until about the Close when he made the |
declaration that the principles for which the war
was fought were again at issue to-day. When that
declarauon was made 1t seemed to str Ike many |
as extraordinary, anu a dead calm prevailed Upon |
the adjournment of the meeting that particular sem
tence was freely discussed and it's injudiciousness
commented upon. very largo majority of those |
VINO heafd 1t did not regard 1t Significant nor did
they accept 1t as intending convey the idea that
the right of secession was again to be con ended for
Speaking for the citizens of Staunton and commun
ty, though differ politically with large majority
OF them, feel perfectly safe In saving that as a
people they have honestly accepted the results of
the war,and would oppose any attempt knowingly or
Intentionally to re-introduce the issues decided by
four
neither learn nor forget, but they without sig
niilcance in numbers and wholly without influence
when the report of Senator Hampton's speech ap- |
peared in the VIRGINIAN no one questioned its acc-
racy, When the alleged denial published in |
which 1t was charged that the language attributed
to him 'was the forgery of an obscure newspaper |
writer, the whole matter resolved into q cues
ton as 70 the veracty OF the editors of the VIRGIN
lam 10 sustain themselves under such q charge |
one of the editors of the VIRGINIAN asked prominent
Democrats to sign a certificate substantiatlng the
correctness OF the report. He based tho request |
solely upon personal grounds, saying to those gen
temen that he came to them to vindicate him from
the charge of classifying. Without hesitation they
signed Not because they approved of the use being
made of Gen'l Hamptons utterances, for they did |
not approve it, but as simple act of Justice to the
editors of the vIRGINIAN, whose personal integrity
had been impugned. At the time they affixed their
signatures each of them declared that Hampton's |
words We're, In his opinion, being mIsconstrued |
and having attached to them a meaning not war. |
ranted, but in as much as there question OF
his having used them they were willing to certify
to the bare fact of their use in order to shield
friend from an unjust accusation Your correspond
lowed to copy 1t with the distinct understanding
that the circumstances under which it was given
should be stated. The Tribune published the GER |
hcate but failed to conform to the agreement made
with its representative. Mr.. Gordon's statement |
was furnished under similar circumstances and |
your correspondents assertion that he was dis |
gusted with Hampton is entirely gratuitous Your
correspondent did not see Mr. Gordon whilst In |
stanton. Senator Hampton is not censured here |
By the majority of those who heard his speech and
have read his letter addressed to the editor of the
fIRGINIAN. They accept his version without uues-
t1oning the accuracy Of the VIRGINIANs report.
There are details mentioned by your correspond |
ent which are unwarranted by facts but shall not
dwell upon them.
ask that you publish this act of Justice to
the people of Staunton, and especially those gem
temen who signed the VIRGINIAN certificate. The |
accuracy of the VIRGINIANS report is established
and 1t Is established in part upon the testimony OF
those whom am unwilling to see misrepresented |
in any particular.
Very respectfully,
j. YoST.
Staunton, Va, Aug 9th.
We intended to send this letter by tele- |
graph. The Tribune was asked if it would |
publish q correction of its misstatements in
Sotur1ov'c No