The Anderson intelligencer. [volume] (Anderson Court House, S.C.) 1860-1914, 1880-01-08
Correspondence Me,rs aud Courier.
WASHINGTON, Dec. 81, 1879

WASHINGTON, dec. Il, 1919.
The evident and widespread interest
which has been manifested in regard to
the matter of an alleged bargain for the
withdrawal of the Tlden electors from
theD Democratic ticket in South Carolina
during the campaign of 1876, induced
me to apply to Senator Hampton, few
days ago, for q statement of the actual
facts in the case as known to him. In
the course of several conversations since
had with him upon this subject, other
facts were brought out incidentally,
which / requested to be allowed to make
known also as throwing new light upon
subject in which the people of the State
will always feel the deepest interest.
The following narrative is the result OF
my application, and must be understood
rs presenting only the substance of his
replies to my numerous inquiries.
THE CAMPAIGN OF 1880.
Senator Hampton said that, in the alb
sence Of all his papers, and after so long
a lapse OF, time, q great many details
must have escaped his memory, and he
could, therefore, only give the general
facts as far as he could recollect them. |
regret exceedingly, he continued, that
these questions concerning the 'Tilden
matter have been re-opened.. can see
no good that can arise from the discus
sion at time when tina Democratic
party in South Carolina requires to- be
united IN order to be successful. My po-
sitioR with reference to its. duty and in
terest has been that all the gentlemen
who had been nominated, either for Gov
5 ernor or for any other Office, for the next
canvass should have their names fairly
brought before the public and presented
to the Convention. The duty of select
ing the standard bearers would devolve
uponSthat Convention, and Its action
should be binding. I have notexpressed
in public any preference for any man in
the State to fiji any particular Office, and
have only indicated, in general terms,
my views, that we should hold to the
policy which was so successful in 1876.
1t is no longer an experimental one; it
is-the only one that has ever carried the
State-the only one that could have car
riedit, and is the only one that can carry
it in future.
TWO WAYS TO CARRY THE STATE.
We have majority of fifteen thou
sand colored voters, and it must be pal
pable to every sensible man that there
are but two ways to carry the election.
The first is TO secure enough of these col
ored yotes-as we did in 1S76-to give
success to the Democratic party. The
second IS to suppress that majority by
fraud. Between these alternatives I
think there can be no question, not only
as 10 the duty, but the wisdom of choos-
ing the first. It is the only one that has
; been successful; it is the only one that
is right or that can be made right.
My belief in the canvass of 1876 was
that by appealing to the colored people,
and showing them that their interests
were identical with those of the white
people, we could secure the allegiance Of
a large number of them, and the result
justified that belief. Many colored men
in every county exerted their best efforts
s to promote the Democratic cause, and
hundreds voted the Democratic ticket at
the election. My hope was that when l
should be Governor the administration of
the laws would be so impartial and the
improvement in the affairs of the State
be SO marked, that the colored men would
recognize the fact that their interests
were ears, and large Enmber of them
be thus won to give the Democratic par
ty their cordial and steady support.
That this hope, too, was justified is
proved by the fact that the Republicans
placed no State ticket in the field in
1878, and gave me the assurance-which
was the strongest inducement to me to
become candidate again-that if I
would allow my name to be used there
should be no opposition to me, and it
was further proved by the fact that near
ly $4,000 negroes voted for me In the
election of that year. There are only
about $4,000 white voters in the State,
and as there was but one ticket, and it
received over 100000 votes, tits manifest
that nearly $4,000 colored men voted
with s.of their own good will. believe
that by pursuing in rs the same policy
as in '76, we would be successful, and we
were so.
FRAUD AND ITS CONSEQUENCES.
As to the other alternative. In the
first place, it would be clearly wrong; /;
and in the next place, would ultimately
react on our own people to such an ex-
tent that everything like purity of elec-
tions would become farce and mockery /;
and, in the third place, it would inevi-
tably subject all who perpetrated any
fraud to persecution and punishment by
the United States Government. For
these reasons, while not expressing q
, preference for any particular men as can
didates, have thought it of the last con-
sequence that We should nominate a
ticket fully representing the conservative
ideas that gave US success In the canvass
of 1876. These being my general views
as to its policy, and recognizing the ab-
solute necessity for our party to remain
united and harmonious, / have earnest
ly deprecated and do deprecate all agita-
ton that could tend to disintegrate the
party, and sill issues which would seem
to be mere personal ones.
THE ATTACK ON HAMPTON.
Acting upon these considerations, l
have studiously ref-aiued from replying
to any of the attacks that have been made
upon myself, and l should have remained
silent so long as they were confined to
South Carolina or were given currency
only in that State. But when the charge
was made directly by Gen. Gary in the
New York Herald, that had proposed
to him to "sell out Tilden;" that "the
shameful proposition" had been made by
me with view to securing my own elec-
ton, and that I had been unfaithfui to
the Democratic party or Mr.. Tilden,
thought it incumbent upon me, In justice
tn Mr.. Tilden, the Democratic party, and
myself personally, to pronounce it un-
true, as have done. The same charges
had been made by ga Tilden Democrat" )"
in an Augusta paper, in January, 1877,
and were promptly refuted by Colonel A.
c. Haskell, chairman of the State Demo
cratic Committee, and General Nc
Gowan, who related what really had oc-