Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1883-08-16
THE SOUTH OF TO-DAY.
4 TALK WITH WADE HAMPTON ON IND Us
TRY IND POLITICS.
PHILADELPHIA Press, August +.

General Wade Hampton, of South Carroll
ma, broke his journey from Cape May to New
York, as he himself expressed it, by resting
lastnight in Philadelphia. The distinguish
ed Southerner registered ut the Girard early
in the evening, and soon after received nu-
merous callers. He has materially aged
since he was the leader Of the famous Black
Horse Cavalry during the late war. His
Burnside whiskers, which were then jet
black, are now almost white with the frost
of years, and he is in appearance striking
reminder of Emperor William of Germany.
He looks we'll and speaks of his health as
being exceedingly good. Hewalks wit ithout
crutches now, and you would hardly know
that he had lost a leg, so well does he get
along upon his wooden substitute.
"The South is prospering Wonderfully,"'
said he, after greeting me cordially and
leading the way to a seat on the sofa. I'VE
are getting new manufactures constantly"
"What kind?"
"NIostly cotton mills. Last Winter the
Legislature of South Carolina chartered sew
eral new companies, having an aggregate
capital of nearly million and a half Of dol
lars. You would hardly believe how rap
idly all our industries are improving"
"Howare the mills at Graniteville doing?"
"Splendidly. l think every cotton mill
in South Carolina is earning big dividends,
with possibly the single exception Of the
one in Charleston"
"Does this boom in manufacturing create
feeling favorable to protective TARIFF"
II think not. The feeling of our people
upon the tariff question is that, having
cheap and good labor at home, and the cot
ton practically at the door of the mills, they
can compete with any one. They are, there
fore, not in favor Of high protective tariff,
+lox, e nf fraa trol "
position upon that question is that there
should be a gradual revision Of the tariff,
keeping in view the business interests of
the country, and the necessities of such in
dustries as need protection to enable them
to reach substantial basis. No man in the
South that know of is in favor Of an assault
upon the tariff question that will rob any
American industry of such protection as it
really needs. Certainly no man in South
Carolina is"
"Would your constituency be in favor Of
making the tariff question an issue between
the two great parties in the coming Con-
gress and in the national contest OF next
yearw
"Not to the extent of advocating free
trade; but to the limit l have indicated /
think they would. Your Democratic Con-
vention, held this present week, adopted a
very well-tempered plank in their platform
upon the tariff question. l think it very
well timed. / was rather surprised that a
Pennsylvania convention would deal so
equitably, or L might say, conservatively,
upon that question"
"You expect it, then, to be made an issue
in the coming political contest between the
Republican and Democratic parties?"
'FI think there is no doubt Of it. Tariff
revision is popular idea with the Democ-
racy; but not free trade. The South has
too many growing industries to be in favor
Of striking down the tariff and absolutely
opening the doors to foreign competition.
Our mining and manufacturing interests,
YOU know, are but in their infancy, and we
must have an equitable protection for them."
care your people contented under the
| present condition ?'
"Our people are prospering.. They are
building up the waste places with wonder
blacks and the whites are satisfactory. The
colored people, as we'll as the whites, are
accumulating something. Many of the ne
groes are getting property; buying little
homes and improving them. AS they do
they are becoming better citizens, interest
ed in preserving the peace and in punish
ing crime. I doubt whether their labor has
improved, and it is problem whether it
ever will. But they are improving, and
time and opportunity may, correct every
thing that needs correction"
care your people much interested in pol
itics ?"
II am glad to say they are not. They are
now simply attending to their business and
trying to improve their material condition.
We have had altogether too much of poll
tics. Elections naturally create frictions
and resentments that it takes time to
mend. I wish we had fewer of them. l
| l. ol, fox
dental term so as to bring contests farther
apart, and would apply the same rule to
State and even county politics."
"Would the old ticket of Tilden and
Hendricks find favor in your section %
"It would not. Mr.. Tilden is no longer
strong in the South. If he had been renom-
mated at the last election, he would have
polled the entire party vote. There was
then a feeling that he was entitled to con-
sideration. Thatsentimenth has died out, and
| there is no call for the old ticket from the