, 1865-05-10
RECONSTRUCTION.
The Drift Of Public sentiment
in the South.
important Meeting Of Southern
Men In Memphis

|
thousand persons present, about two-thlrd
OF whom were from places outside our arm,
lines. The Memphis Bullttin says:
Among the widely known Southern gentlemen
Tao ~ere present. We observed John Mcdowell
/ Etq, OF Fa5et'e county: Mr. Morrison, frum neal
dsiperea sfimapt9Th r; Judge svsyns who 1seo
Colonel 2. D. Eaoere, Wno made aoma remark
hple pubic speeches In seceBh times COL Or ace
| Wno oa Grew the resolutions for the secession d
we're aioretme eeeeeh IN their symplthtes; and
] me Denhams, the HARNESS, and the A1nolds, and
| many others from the country
Colonel B. D. Nabers called the meeting ia
order. Judge swayne WINS announced 6
Chairman, and nude a speech. He said that
the time mas one of great sotemnlty, and he
wanted to forget the last four years. The
question was, what should they do. The war
vas Substantially ended in favor Of the Fed.
cral government" He added:
And now comes the confirmed intellfeence
Of The surrender Of the command Of General
Johnston, almost finale to the fearful drama,
AS t1gu M 8 of mculnluatfng m peace, broad peace,
over the fair land Of my sunny South, / hail
It in the very 1a geness Of joy. It is i crate
ful assurance that no more useless war shall
be Eaged, no more blood bat1e fields. Nv
countrynen, that bright form Of peace, which
I am now expecting hourly to break upon our
TERI vtslon; 2n;n inslnss me- at this moment,
of the hope;eseness Of fu' ther strife aud the
consequent duty IT teaches. As nv I,eart
mourned when the war began, 1t Is ready to
Leap with rapture when 1t ends. y =
What Is tue lesson Of a1l this, my country
msns 11si1 ask you not, where are your sympa-
sJmgathts are where those of the people i Of
tue North would Rbtless be il similar ~ cir-
Gun O. anccd, aud g96r preferences whst fheJrs
would be; Tor the springs nt human action
ase tas same among az people,
people; The Lesson, briefly, Is, 1t is Gods
will. He sctteth up one and pulleth tiown
another. He relgneth in the armies Of man
And what Is this will in detail? Answer the
question IN answering, what were the Issues
1atton In international law, It Is nsithsr IN
fnsnrrectie nor rebellion, but a civil wary
j. That TVS country must be and remain
9. That property In the negro shall cesse
do not think that more than these were ths
objects Of the War, or viii be insisted upon
: Ae you prepared to accept these az the H.
sues decided BY WAT? Can You change tham
Acceptable or not, they must be accepted
They are the arbitraments Of war, whose de.
Gees are as st+fn and nurelcnttng as it's voice
The opinions and customs of men aud nations
they may be ais the apple OF the eye-are up.
TUNED ard rooted out and utterly set aside
By war. It is naught against u that yye
yield what We cannot prevent, No honor is
lost by the South OF any in the South. bY so
doing, 1fshe felt wronged aud justified in
Gated BY the use Of the sword, and in that
gal1antry displayed, which wilf hereafter he
The boast aud praise Of the common country
making it, vt b that like gallantry Of tie
North, supremely respected and dreaded Of
al tie nations of the earth i; vindcated.
ted, thonsh loalrg forever the independence
she sought, and all hope Tor it,.
/ may nots believe that the abolition Of
slavery Was for the good of the negro or the
white man, especially not Of the former; but
what Of that? I mnJ not believe that that
measure was not necessarily involved In the
war, OF should have been but what Of thatY
may know that slavery Was one Of the con
dittons Of the Constitution, Indispensable to
It's acceptance, and guaranteed by It. a. il
also existed by common Law; but ,o}sqt Of
thalf 1t may be unjust to take my ackaowf.
edged property from ne without compensa.
tiLn, whether Of one kind or another: but
what Of that! I say ngain, the iron heel OF
var b' caketh rudcly, retentlcssly.
. care not tor my property In my servant,
though my peeuniary interest involved ought
TO be respected.
Rather than have had the Government Of
my fathers impalred-rather than have had
this; fearful frat:icidal war; would have
given, If worth It. the value of seventy times
seven slaves. And If now, this occasion Of
ceasefess agitation be gone, and that will efre
us peace, lasting peace, the Government in
It's purity and harmony, as our fathers made
1t and Intended 1t to be, this price l have
paid aye, all the treasure expended, and the
blood that hath flown, above tho value Of
gold-we1e given not in vain. Your children
and mine, and our race will be blessed. by tho |
vast consideration given, in an amount of |
coed exceeding. the consideration. Let nv
servants 60, ard God b1ees them, as believe
their future condition will not, Jet, as pray
to God, !: may. 1w.Q not quarrel with des-
tiny / will not 1uairel with inevitable cyents.
Nor. will I asB, Of our cous-ns across The |
waters, or our bro'hcra Of The North, who !
init odnctd slavery into this country? Nor |
will dispute whether negro labor will not |
yet continue In the South, OF whether With |
greater or less advantage Fur the present. |
no d. ubt, there will be deficiency or labor. |
ewing to the many nfgioes who have been ta-
ken, Or have prematuFely died, or will be ha- |
hltua11y idle and less efficient. But ere long,
I doubt not, the more reliable will take the
place Of the negro, either as hired hand or q
1nlsr OF 8 own acquired soil. The white
man, as 1atorer, In this part Of the South |
ESPECIALLY, ard to q considerable extent else
Where, has proved adequate, and generally
more successful than the negro. I think
more e1tt MD experiment wifi satisfy Us MI
that the white man from Ireland or Germany.
or OF our own country, will accomplish IS
much as the negro 1aborer In culuvat1ug the
lands Of the South aye, mole, because be
will be directed BY an amount OF intelligence
OF which the negro, every other way inferior,
Is incapable. In short, under the necessity Of
the ease. ms king virtue of that,neccsslty,
It is ccm1o' table il We can believe that, torr
The future, except the present pecunfayy loss.
the eoutb will not be the loser by the loss
ot her property In slayea. -
And, in1he saue Bphit, Il submit to YOU the |
propricty Of yielding to the other issue Of tile
and remain one, undivided. -
But the question is. Is 1t not wise to yield
to this conc1usions Ia 1t hard to do 90? Is
It hard to sing the koDgs we used to sing. the
songs we loved? Though We hare Seen and
heard and felt enough to make us bitter, as
work. Was the Government made too faulty
by thtmY Are there not memories behind
these dark days aeor to us all L. there nbt
3 hietoEy that is ours as much as others
AYE, was not that OLD. flag the flag Of our
fathers, the same. that waved over them, TINT
tooY May We not 60 back to these again,
md claim them STILL the Government those
mi mories, that history, that t1aE that |
w1onge1 us never, and beneath which. it may
be, and beneath 1t only, all this noble vator
should have been, If War must needs have
been at MI?
And let. US lore again the things that
Washington loved, md 60 forward rs peo-
ple, TO aErander and loftier destiny, purified
IN the very fires that have seemed as If they
would consume US. Awny with longer strife,
with further contention ;woo the spirit Of
and not: of vengeance and vim
1icttTeness be brothers agatu, and, to all
Ibis invoke the aid Of the Prince Of Peace,
md lean upon the arm that enclr:les men
md nations. -
'rEEcu oF COLONEL GRACE, OF ARKANSAS.
Col. Grace Of Arkansas, follwed in speech,
Is follows:
HLow-ClT1zEEs - am the man Y who drew
1p the ordinance Of recession In the LeeisIa-
ure Of Arkansas;l [ have been in the field
ears, but now nm conquered and whip
'ed man. [Laughter.]. AS was gallant IN
,ofDg out to fight, now propose TO be gal
ant ut eurrcndering, and submitting to the
rms Of the Government. Let Us have re-
Esct for tho Government that we canoot
shjp. tLauehter:] have no contempt for
federal authority now, If I ever had; Edo
,ot think there is o manly bosom In the
south but thathas higher Te:ped for Northern
lalantry than 4e7<sa he seetat into Lae fight. The
truct the Union, that they will give us hon
'rable terms. Do you think that people as
,rayc as the North are, that they are going
o risk their reputation IN war, to turn around
lfter VIC have disperscd our armies, and give
IS any thing but honorable terms There t
nny be come men In the North who NAV
link that the South had hand in the death |
# our 1Amented :dent, but I know that the
1eople OF the South mourn over his death, and |
eel that they hayelost friend. The North have I
this conflict nobly, and the South
lave nothing to be ashamed Of am proud
If the South there is something in the very
II t1nns1ht that ma kfs meu Gfeat.. Whan |