Year: 1876

CoLUMBIA, October ..


The majority OF the Republican party


in South Carolina is at least p, 900 votes


This fact is admitted by every one in the


State. The most violent Democratic


leaders do not dispute it. In spite oi


this majority, however. the Democrats


with General Wade Hampton at their


head, have declared by the eternal
God II use the Generals own words


that they will elect their ticket and


carry the State for Tilden and Hen.


dricks in November next. They make


no secret of their determination to do


this indeed, they boast of it loudly and


upon every possible occasion. Three days
/ ago General Gary, one of the most effec-
\ tive orators. and a Gentleman Of high
/ position and influence said in public
/ speech: South Carolina is a white man S
State, and in spite OF niger msiorities
the Democrats are going to rule il. This
we swear to you by Heaven and in the


face OF God. Reading this. the law
abiding citizens of the North and West


may ask in surprise: But how are they
| going to rule it if the Republicans have
an undoubted majority OF al least twenty
five thousand General Gary, the same
Democratic orator to whom | have re-
ferred above, answered this question at q
Hampton ratification meeting, held in
Aiken, a few days since He said "The
Edgefeld policy, that is the shotgun
policy, won in the State Convention, and
will win in the present campaign. That
policy is to plainly tell the negroes that
the whites are again in command of the
State. We Democrats 90 not want their
votes, but they will vote against US at
their peril. We must warn the leaders
that the tall poppies will tail first for
one would shoot first Chamber
lain, Elliot, Patterson, and such carpet
baggers; second, the miserable white
native scalawags, and lastly, the black
leaders generally" In another part of
his speech General Gary said: go armed
to the ballot t-box, and meet force with
force. If any one tries to prevent you
from carrying the State for Tilden and
Hampton, the person or persoIs who so
try must be removed out of the way by
the use of sufficient force, and if it be-
comes necessary to shoot them in order
to remove them, then we must be D. G.
pared to shoot rather than be prevented
from redeeming the State from Radical
rule"


THE DEMOCRATS OBEY ORDERS.


The Democrats of South Carolina are
not ashamed Of these words, as every
true Al ierican should be- They do not
claim to be Americans, however; they
proudly boast they are South Cafolinians,
and they are fully prepared to follow
General Gary's instructions. ] do not
write this for political effect | do not
exagge.ate-I tell the simple unvarnish-
ed truth-when / say that they are again
animated by the same spirit Of disorder
and rebellion which brought on the civil
war sixteen years ago. They are better
organized than they were then, and they
are better armed. All their campaign
clubs bear rifles, instead of banners or
torches, and they are every one of them
commanded and drilled by officers bear
ing military titles, and respected and
obeyed as military leaders. have no
doubt that these statements will seeIL
almost like fables to many Northern
readers, and yet they are true, every one
of them. They are all capable of the /
most exact proof Perhaps no better
evidence of their accuracy need be adj /
vanced than the following paragraph,
cut from an account of a Democratic |





in the Columbia Register Wade Hamp- /
tons organ, in the upper part of the |
State:


During the speaking news reached the |
meeting of a slight disturbance in the /
village. In a few moments the mounted |
hundred strong and fully /
in line, cool, steady and 4
quiet, Colonel Law commanding The 4
difficulty was soon settled. when the bu- 4
siness OF the meeting was resumed. All /
was quiet in thirty minutes. The ladies I
behaved splendidly, there being no panic [
or confusion. The difficulty originated .
in the shooting OF a negro by white man
in selfdelense. The negro was shot in
the arm, but the wound is not serious
The white man gave bal"


So far as this account relates to the
coolness and good order of the armed,
drilled and mounted rifle clubs it is
entirely accurate. The statement i'm re
gard to the cause OF the disturbance,
however, is not correct. An impartial
eyewitness gives me the following ac-
count of the affair: "A white man, a
member of a Democratic campaign club,
was riding through thestreets of Darling.
ton, shouting for Tilden and Hampton.
A negro, crossing the street. was met by
this man, who, without any provocation,
slashed him across the face with heavy
riding whip, at the same time crying,
Get out of the way, you - - Radi-
cal niggerp The black man, wild with
pain, was thoughtless enough to assert I
his manhood-mad enough to exercise
the right of an American citizen. He /
had a stick in his hand, and he was about /
to return the blow he had received, when 4
a pistol bullet passed through his arm,
and it fell, broken and nerveless by his 4
side Then the white man put his pistol .
in his pocket, gave bail, and returned to 4
the street to shout for Tilden and Hamp-
ton. Again, to repeat the admirably cool /
and collected language of the Demo ,
cratic Register, "All was quiet in /
thirty minutes. The ladies behaved /
splendidly, there being no panic or con.
fusion"
GENERAL PLAN OF THE HAMPTON CANVASS /


1t is by strictly obeying General Gary's !
order. it is by such acts of violence as the f!
above, that the Democrats hope to over
come the Republican majority and carry
South Carolina for Tilden and Hampton
The general plan of their campaign is
very simple, yet it promises to be most
effective. In all parts of the State they
have organized campaign clubs that
operate under the direction of one gen
eral head. Every cross road, every ham
let, has its company or squad, command
ed by a captain or some subordinate
officer These clubs are organized for
the purpose of intimidating negro voters
and keeping them away from the polls.
They have no other object. They exist
for no other purpose How well they do
the duty which has been assigned to
them may be inferred from the fact that