Page:Southern Historical Society Papers volume 13.djvu/77

 *76 Southern Historical Society Papers.

him, and this time he determined with great reluctance that Hampton was Governor of South Carolina, and all Chamberlain's appoint- ments void. This long period of a divided government was the direct effect of the influences which had been brought to bear upon the negro, Wright. Had he not tried to retract his consent to the order which the court had agreed upon, that order would have been the final judgment of the Supreme Court. His tergiversation gave the weak and the malignant an excuse for indecision, on the ground that the court had not decided. When Judge Read pronounced in favor of Hampton, all the colored judges had concurred, and Hampton was everywhere acknowledged as the lawful Governor of the State.

But there was one spot in South Carolina which he could not touch. One house into which he could not enter. He found the State House closed against him by the black myrmidons whom Chamberlain had posted there to defend it against him, and whose power, contemptible in itself, was supported by the army of the United States, which had been sent to South Carolina to obey the orders of Chamberlain. It is this exclusion from the Capitol and the Executive Chamber which makes it impossible for me to stop, now that I have shown how everywhere else the machinery of gov- ernment was moving in obedience to his will. I must make brief notice of the connection between the election of Governor and of President of the United States.

STATE OF FEELING IN SOUTH CAROLINA JUSTIFIED.

To one unacquainted with the condition of South Carolina, it would seem a matter of little personal interest whether a Governor should be chosen from our party, and, still less, whether the Presi- dent should be a Democrat or a Republican. It is reasonable to expect in both parties a fair proportion of intelligence and integrity, a fair amount of conscientious regard for right, and a fair effort to act justly, and to secure to all citizens the blessings of peace, order and liberty. Political parties are generally supported by a senti- ment, not by a sense of personal interest. But it was not so here. When the war came to an end, and the Southern States lay prostrate at the feet of their conqueror, they experienced the bitterest conse- quences of the humiliation of defeat.

Viewed from abroad, and from an ordinary standpoint, the pro- ceedings of Congress might be regarded as full of humanity, of mercy and of charity. There were no revengeful prosecutions (a