The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1880-06-23
Matters in the State.
GEN. GARY'S ANSWER TO COL
RION,S SPEECH AGAINST HIM.
What Gen. Gary Really Thinks OF
Mrs. Grant, and What Gen. Lee Did
for Gen. Gary.

ftSOO wv
Allow me spncc In your paper TO reply to
ths extraordinary attack upon meDy Coi.J: II:
Rion In Il speech he made before your recent
county convention. ,.L.
Ny attention WAS called 10 u curing tne
scssion of the Democratic State Convention.
lie begins by saying: II have no croSA WORDS
with Gen. Gary" and proceeds ~ repeat a
stale Radical Islander In regard 70 zen. HraH.
anu his wife In these words: .uary, VIII ~,
a public meeting, at n WRONG time, ma wrong
place, before the wrong persons. niauc an at,
tack upon Grant and upon HIS wife. nat drani
can never forgive" As 10 thc tine. piata aua
prOpricty of my speech, which was before
the Taxi aye. s. Convention at Columbia, on
the 18th ol FEBRUARY, 1874, ! shall not discuss
| with the gentleman, but shall SIMPLY re .Ite
the false and miserable slanueI tnat nn,a r
made an attack upon Gen. Grants VIE or inc
wife of any other man. nave hiwhHs [e,
yurded Mrs. Grant as one OF the pest women
In the United States, and l think she IL so 81,
tceimed by every one. In the speech referred
to by Col. Rlon. before Taxpayers Convention
/ did use the following Language. - ior one
am unwilling to be KNOCKING at Inc do0r OF
I am willing u conGtde that Grnnt y n great
soldier" Ill 10 have stood by Cesar, Napoleon.
William the COnqueror, or Washington u
need be, and give directions IN oa'te. Eut
by accepting presents OF great value. IN viola
ton OF his oath Of office In throwing me
responsibility OF his speculation with FISK
and Gould, whereby he made TWENTY-FIVE
thousand dollars. upon his VIE, nc mas tarn,
ishcd md thrown AWAY q fame tnht might
have perpetnnted his name for 81 lime,
How. Col. Rion, or my other uir-ninded
man, can construe this Into al. tt!ck upon
more of defence for her, against the I'M
knightly action OF her huSoanu. Futher IN
his specSh, he uses the GLOWING language:
.'Gtn. Lee suid Of him during the war. tiak
Gen. Gary IL working for Gen. Gary, not ior
South Carolina" can but reply tn what he
repeats us having BEEN said OF me by, Gen.
Lee, by briefly stating what Gen: Lee dld lor
me as my general. was, upon t oneo, red0' Fan
tenant-colonel ofthe light Infantry companies
that formed n part Of that command. l was
at once assigned to Hoods Texas Brigedc.
or Antietam, Gen. Lee sent for me to come TO
his headquarters, and upon my ARRIVAL mere
informed mo that he intended TO make me a
full colonel for my ser %aI,is IN IN s In nv b doneof q.
dating the four companies OF the Fourth
South Carolina Battalion into the two com:
panies, and order them to the Hampton Legion
thereby making ten companies oil OF Which
he did.
At the battle of Riddles Shop, below Rich.
mond, | prevented Gen. Grants Army from
o~ccupyins Nal Hern Hill, and held his advan,
ced troops in check until Gen. Lee arrived
brigade as colonel. Gen. Lee, MS q recognition
for my services OIL the occasion, sent Inc my
commission as O brigadier-general on the
After tie battle OF Darby Town; the plan of
which battle submitted at a council OF war
presided over by Gen. Lee, Gen. Lee. as Il re.
cognlti on Of my services IN mat Dattic; VOL
artillery permanently TO my brigade. He also,
In addition TO that, had me made a major-gen-
eral of cavalry. Tine last order / ever receive
ed from him was to oeSTpy ian ana aT n1IS H cppiS
II viii be seen from the above facts that
Gen. Leo promoted me on three occasions,
which was the only promoter aiat ! t, rec aa-
pie to decide II the remark attributed 10 Gen.
Lee squares with his act; and whether 1t is IN
keeping with his character as q man and as
q soldier. l do not believe that Gen. Lee
would promote ne and Islander me ut the
same time. Your obcdient seryant. Adv
"rhe speech to which Gen; Gary refers in his
letter was reported by. the Wth'Goro NcNsand
publihhed as follows:
Col. James H. Rion next spoke rs follows :
MY first choice Is Gen. Bratton. My sec
ond choice is my old gcneral-Hagood; In no
Instructed TO vote for him / should decline to
Servo. / have no CT oss words with Gen. Gary.
I q appreciate him personally, but | feel that
my duty az a citizen wonld not ne snoserved
all the other good qualities claimed for him
but he has no prudence ut oil. They talk
about his being the under dog In this fight.
He never was inc ullutT Jug II uhS uSuG-Iui
ways the upper dog. and the bigger the dog
the bigger Tic fight. Gary Ia not the man to
guide the helm or State In these times. We
need a man OF more prudence. Imagine u
Won can the conditions OF things with Grant
is President and Gary for Governor-Gary,
who In IL public meeting, Mt wrong time. In n
wrong ptice, before the wrong persons made
an attack upon Grant and upon his wife that
Grant can never forgive. IL Gen. Gary the
man to be our leader In such a crisis ms the
present Again, aS becomes d good Citizen
To do his duty. not for office, but for duty'a
sake. In ull elections Gen. Gary has put
forward Gen. Gary-claming position as n
reward for services I: first, United. States Sci :
ntor, then again United States Senator. and
now Governor clearly showing, az Gen. Lee
said Of him during the war, that "Gen. Gary
Carolina. / don't admit his claim to such
great services In 1870. 1t is extreme arrogance
for any mar to assert such @ claim. We oil
did what we could No man not even Hamp-
ton himself, has the right to make such q
claim. Gen. Gary GLAZING to be the original
pantentee of straight :outism. But We AZ
remember that Gen. Gary, Just after tho
Ferguson to teach us the mississippi, plan"
the plan on which our great campaign was
conducted. AM as for straight.outism, "
there IL one man who can clnim to be the
orginator-the patentee Of 1t. that man is
Stoke Of Grecnville. Next TO him l would
put our old colored friend Willis Goode, OF
Winsboro.' I cInnot admit the Justice OF
Gen. Gary's claim. Besides. do not think
him n tit leader In q crisis. Suppose Gen.
Gary had been Mt the helm In '76. We may
this year have need Of n man.at the helm 70
to guide us throughijust as turbid waters.
For the reasons given, ] repeat TINT cannot
Gen. Gary for the Democntic nomi-