Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1882-09-21
A RECKLESS CANDIDATE.


We would not deny Captain John c. With
erspoon all the cheap notorety he hopes to
gain by his ca,lseless and groundless attacks
upon the ENQUIRER and it's editor. He has
publicly assailed this paper without any just
provocation, and he seeks to make his abuse
more offensive by applying it personally to the
editor and proprietor, and imputing to him i'm
proper motives, simply because the EDITORS
views on an important public question do not
coincide with his own
But while Captain Witherspoon is indulg-
ing in his wholesale abuse and vituperation,
if we do not see proper to return it in kind,
we may at least reserve the right to correct
any discrepancies of statement he may make
charitably ascribing said discrepancies to lapse
of time, or may be defective memory.
At Rock Hill, last Saturday, he was willing
to have his hearers believe that in 1876, while
he and Hampton were gallantly bearing aloft
the standard of Home Rule and Honest t'Gov-
ernment, and while his voice was raised in
behalf of the oppressed people of South Caro-
lima not one line of encouragement did he
find in the columns of the Yorkville ENQUIR-
Ek.
that in the memorable contest of 1876, which
was to decide, probably for a generation, the
fate of the people of South Carolina, the EN-
QUIRER was false to the manhood and civili-
zation of the State.
Now, as regards his self-instituted juxta-
position of Capt. John G. Witherspoon and
Gen. Wade Hampton in the Herculean task
of cleansing the Augean stables, we may
possibly have been like the old maid whose
age it was desired to arrive at by testing her
sense of vision. A man was placed close to
barn and she was then requested to point
out the barn. Looking in the proper direc-
ton, she readily enough discerned the man.
but the barn she couldn't see at all. BY some
strange fatality, it would seem that in 1876
we overlooked the larger object and saw only
Hampton And Hampton we do, with par
donable degree of pride, claim to have seen.
Whether in those days Capt John G. Wither-
spoon looked to the ENQUIRER for an occa-
sonal ''line of encouragement" we do not
know, nor are we going to devote great deal
of research and investigation in the attempt
to ascertain. But if he would examine the
files of the ENQUIRER, he would there learn
that it was this paper that first brought that
gallant chieftain prominently before the peo-
ple of the State We paid the best biographi-
cal writer then in South Carolina for care
fully prepared and exhaustive sketch OF Wade
Hampton, and accompanied the publication
with portrait. 1t was copied into several pa
pers at the time, and after Hampton's nomi-
nation for Governor we reproduced it, and
from our columns, where it originally appear
ed. written to our order byJ. Wood Davidson,
ESQ.,, then of Columbia, it went the rounds of
the State press. How we happened to over
look Capt. John G. Witherspoon in this crisis
of our States history. we are unable just now
to explain. But by some gorgeous blunder,
he was not yet discovered, though the ENQUI-
RER took all active part in the canvass. The
County Democratic Convention was held on
Tuesday, the 29th of August. On that night
grand ratification meeting was held in the
grove near the depot, and this was the first
appearance in York county of mounted Red
Shirt Democracy After the torch-light pro-
cession, speeches were made by County Chair
man Hart, Col. w. B. Wilson, Col. j. II.
Ron, COL J. H. Evins, Gen. Kennedy, Leroy
F. Youmans and I. D. Witherspoon, the last
named of whom was on that day nominated
for State Senator. The ENQUIRER appeared
the next morning with a full report of the
proceedings of the Convention, and report
of each speech at the ratification meeting
Speaking of the demonstration we then char
acterized it "as grand day for the Democracy
of York;
The next Democratic meeting in the county
was at Clover, on the night of the 18th OF
September. Our own reporter attended this
meeting, and Oh returning home the same
night, Immediately went to work, to secure it
prompt insertion, and wrote out three-column
report, including synopses of the speeches of
T. c. CASTOR, Esq., II. j. Bell, Esq, Major
Hart, Capt. w. r. R. Bell, COL Wilson and
the nominee for State Senator.
On the following Saturday, September 10Th,
a meeting was held at Hickory Grove, at
which number of Democratic speakers ap-
peared, among them Col. Evins, candidate for
Congress. Our own reporter furnished alive
column report of this meeting, and after IT..
appeared, Col. Evins was heard to remarF that
so elaborate and complete was the report of
his own speech, coupled with the fact that
the ENQUIRER seemed to reach every house
in York county, it seemed to be work OF
supererogation for him to canvass the county
any further.
But he did 60 to Pride's Old Mill, now Nc
'Elwee's Mill, on the following Saturday, and
at the same place was our inevitable reporter
Speeches were made here by the nominee for
State Senator COL Evins, w. B. Wilson, Jr.,
Major julius Mills, and-O for an ounce of
ciyet, kind Apothecary Capt. John Z. With
erspoon, whose remarks were faithfully re-
ported along with the other speeches.
The next discussion in the county was at
Wilson'S Chapel, on the 25th of September,
the Democrats claiming division of time at
this place, it being a Republican appointment.
The Democratic speakers here were Col. l. ID.
Witherspoon, Major Hart and Major T. J.
Bell. We gave full report of what each one
said.
The next Democratic meeting was at Blacks
Station, on the 9th of October, a full report
of which we gave.
October 18th was Hamptons day i'll York,
but on the preceding night he spoke to large
and enthusiastic meeting at Rock Hill. Our
reporter was sent there, and in addition to
his report of that meeting, the report of the
following day in Yorkville filled seven columns
of the ENQUIRER, including a verbatim re-
port of Hampton's speech, of Co.. Noise, Col.
I. D. Witherspoon, Col. Evins and Colonel