Year: 1876

OENILEMEN Of The CENAIE AND
HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES, Il accept
the Office to which, by the voice of ma
jority of the people of this State, have
a second time been called, with a full
knowledge of the grave responsibilities
and difficulties by which it is now attend
ed. No considerations except the clear
est conviction of duty would be sufficient
to induce me to accept the great trust
under the circumstances which now sur
round US. / regard the present hour in
South Carolina as crisis at which no
patriotic citizen should shrink from any
post to which public duty may call him.


In my judgment, our present struggle


GOVERNMENT AND INSTITUTIONS.


If we fail now our government, the
government of South Carolina, will no
longer rest on the consent of the govern
ed, expressed by free vote of majority
of our people. IF our opponents triumph,
l care not under what guise of legal
forms, we shall witness the overthrow of
free government in our State. My
chief personal anxiety is that l may
have the frmness and wisdom to act in a
manner worthy of the great interests SO
largely committed to my keeping. My
chief public care shall be to contribute
my utmost efforts to defend the rights Of
the people, to guard the peace and pro-
mote the welfare of all the citizens of our
State. The constant occupation of my
time, with other duties which / could not
postpone, has prevented me from prepar-
ing the usual statements and recemmenda-
tions respecting our public affairs. At
the earliest practicable day / shall dis
charge this duty. Our greatest interest,
our most commanding duty now, is to
stand firmly each to his appointed place,
AGAINST THE AGGRESSION AND ALLUR-


MENTs OF OUR POLITICAL OPPONENTS.
Our position up to the present time has
been within the clear limits of our consti-
tuition and laws. Nothing but the cow
ardice or weakness or treachery of our
friends can rob us of the victory. state
what the facts show, what overwhelming
evidence proves, when l say that if we
yield now we shall witness the consumma-
ton of deliberate and cruel conspiracy
on the part of the Democratic party of
State to overcome by brute force the po-
litical will of majority of 10000 of the
lawful voters Of this State. I have
mourned over public abuses which have
heretofore arisen here. | have, according
to the measure of my ability, labored to
make the conduct of our public affairs
honest and honorable, but stand appalled,
at the crimes against freedom, against
public order, against good government,
nay, against government itself, which our
recent political experience here has pre-
sentsd, and am the more appalled, when
| see the North, that portion Of country
which is secure in its freedom and civil
order, and the great political party which
has controlled the Republic for sixteen
years, divided in its sympathies and judg-
ments upon such questions.


IT Is WRITTEN IN BLOOD ON THE PAGES


OF OUR RECENT NATIONAL HISTORY
that no government can rest in safety on
the enforced slavery or degradation of a
race. In the full blaze of that example
of retributive justice which swept away a
half millisn of the best lives of our coun-
try, we sec the American people divided
in party lines upon the question of dis.
reimbursement and degradation of the
same race, whose physical freedom was
purchased at such cost; and what is
more astonishing still, there are Republi-
cans who permit the errors which have
attended the first efforts of this race in
self government to chill their sympathies
to such an extent that they stand coldly
by and practically


SAY THAT THE PEACE OF POLITICAL SER
yrTUDE is BETTER THAN THE ABUSES Oh


DIsoUIET


which newly acquired freedom ha.
brought. / denounce the conduct of the
recent election on the part of our politi
cad opponents in this State as a vast
brutal outrage. Fraud, prescription, out
rage, intimidation in all forms, violenc,
ranging through all its degrees up tc
wanton murder, were its effective meth
iods.


| The circumstances under which VIZ
have assembled to-day show US how near
, ly successful has been this great conspir
acy. 1t is for US in the face OF al
dangers, in the face of false or timid
friends, in the face of open enemies, Il
show that we understand the cause il
which we are engaged, and tnat no earth
ly sacrifice is too great to secure it
triumph.


| The gentleman who was my opponen
| for this Office in the late election has re
Gently declared, as was credibly informed
THAT HE HOLDS NOT ONLY THE PEACE Of
THIS CITY AND STATE, BUT MY LIFE Il


HIS HAND.


/ do not doubt the truth of his statement
, Neither the public peace nor the life O
any man who now opposes the oonsumma
ton of this policy of fraud and violence il
safe from the assaults OF those who hav,
enforced that policy. My life can easil,
/ be taken. / have held it, in the judg
ment Of all my friends here, by q frai
tenure for the last three months; bul
there is one thing no man in South Caro-
lima can do, however powerful or desper
ate he may be, and that is, to cause me L
abate my hstred or cease my most vigor
fous resistance TO this