Year: 1877

!


General Hampton, Governor of Soutl
Carolina was present at the reception giver
to President Hayes at Chattanooga anc
made the following noble speech.


scarcely feel that | am authorized ia
detain you one moment when those of you
out there standing in the rain. But
will at least have the comfort of knowing
if do 80, that my speech will not be dry
one. | come to you, my friends. having
met the President of the United States
when he first came upon Southern soil The
authorities in Louisville did me the honor
to invite me to join bm there, and that
gentleman himself added to that honor by
expressing the wish that | should come.
went there expecting to remain only few
hours to greet him on Southern soil as a
Southern man, and | recognize in him a
man higher than a party man Tapplausel; a
man who had forgotten that he was party
man as he rose to be patriot Applause
and it has been my additional good fortune
to accompany him as he journeyed south
ward, and | think we may say to Kentucky
that he has struck the ''Solid South" ;" He
is here in Chattanooga, standing upon your
battle Scared plains, looking and seeing
every hillside crowded with the evidences
of war, remembering that your soil has
been stained by precious blood poured out
by brave men who were fighting honestly
for their convictions on each side. | am
glad to come here with him and see the
motto that you have written there of peace
and harmony once moro restored in our
beloved country, and, my friends in the few
marks I that have had the honor Of max
ing, as ] have been in this triumphant
procession of the President | have
studiously avoided any allusion to politics.
| have tried to subordinate them cnirely to
feeling of patriotism, and | urge upon
you now, men of the South, as far as pos
sible to forget the past differences between
our people, to devote yourselves to develop
ing and opening up the best resources of
this country. | want to urge upon you
this thing, and you will have power and
peace and happiness evermorc. have not
spoken of politics. 1t was my misfortune,
perhaps, to differ in politics from the Pres
ident of the United States, but Democrat
as | have been there is no man in America
to whom | more chocrfully, cordially and
willingly do honor than to the Republican
President of the United States. do that
my friends, because he is showing that he
is the President Of the whole United States
do that because he, in the very first act
of his Administration, lifted that great
pressure which was upon the neck of my
! e b., lt,t
did his duty Many of them had never
smelt powder. Show me the man who
will do his duty without fear and with
out favor, and who, will not do more
than his duty, and clasp hands with him
and viii stand upon the same. Applause !
lie has brought back peace to our people
He has shown that the men who fought
each other can meet in peace and fraternity
without any loss Of respect. We could not
do it when the State was pinned down by
bayonets, and my right arm should have
dropped from my shoulder before | would
have given my hand in peace while my
State was pinned down by bayonets. -
/ Applause When we felt that every
State was the equal Of every other, that
every man in every State was equal white
ana Dlack, Wuen Ine great RepuDHcar
party, the dominant party, the representa-
tivcs of the men whom we fought, camC
forward and said sc respect you as mci
who fought for your convictions, as men
who fought braycly and as long as they
could fight when they come forward ant
said that TO us of the South and extended
to us the hand Of peace and said we wer,
Only fighting to restore the Union-com,
into the household of States, come back I,
the hearthstones of your fathers-I felt tha


better things would be accomplished.


could come back Applause told th'
men in Illinois that had fought them a
long and as hard as | could, and | woul'
have been fighting them now if had beel
ordered to do so. They honored and res
pected me for it, aud that is the way 70


us to meet, as brave men should meet;
not forgetting the past, at least drawing


a curtain over it, looking not at the blood,
past, which is full of sorrow to all of us
but looking forward to brighter and high
er future, when all Of US can march q
bravely, honestly, truthfully, each one do
| ing his duty to the whole country, leayin


the consequences to God. Long and con


tinued applause.


r \ judicious silence is always better than