Daily Ohio statesman. [volume] (Columbus, Ohio) 1855-1870, 1865-11-01
man heart as well as those which most


al sentiment of the South, and moulded the
bullet with which this deed was done.
The act accords with the sentiment OF the
South, for the voice of the South was the
gibbet and the torch for any man who calls
In question the right of the master to the
slave. 1t aceords well with the attempt to
burn our hotels with their repeated threats
before Mr.. Lincoln went to Washington;
with that nameess crime of ornamenting
their houses with the bones of our soldiers;
with the starvation and murder at Ander-
sonville, and with the attempt to introduce
the yellow fever into the Northern cities.
lt aceords well with their cruelties all
the way through. 1t leads to the suspicion
that this Is not the first similar crime of the
South. twill be remembered that President
Harrison died within a month after he
took the Presidential cabir, and that
he was succeeded by that tool of the South
john Tyler; and that Gen. Taylor died
early In office, to be followed by syco-
phant whose name should only be mention
ed with the fugitive slaVel law. 1t was not
too much to believe that the South hadmade
way with them, and that it had repeated
the attempt upon the life OF President
Buchanan, that firmer friend of the South
might take his place. Tne lecturer then
referred to the recent sermon OfRev. IL. w.
Beecher, and said: In this gospel of for
giveness there Is "a new advocate. Thought
President johnson stood alone high above
the New Testament. But lately there has
sprung up another preacher in Brooklyn
who seems to be equally in the forgiving
and forgetting mood. | believe Christian
ity to be liberal enough in this direction,
but Beecher is more liberal than Chriltiani-
y,and so is President Johnson. In the Chris
tian religion we are required to forgive our
enemies and forgive them that trespass
againstus, even seven times a day and sew
enty times seven, but upon one condition,
and this seems to be entirely omitted in the
present case-if they repent. That is the
condition. Applause lwould cherisha
spirit OF forgiveness, but / demand that
the man that shall receive forgiveness at
my hands shall repent of the crime ofwhich
he asks forgiveness. But i am not bound
to believe him if he says-"I repent" and
acts as though he didn't. l may require
that he shall bring forth fruits meet for
repentance. [Applause.l Until he doe:
that he has no claim upon Inc for forgive
ness. cannot forgive that of another
which that other retains to himself. AS a
mere mental process the thing is impossi-
bic. L. cannot forgive you that feeling
which YOU cherish in your heart, for for
giveness is to place you as though you had
not fallen--as though the rebellion were
out of yolI--as though you had repented of
your treason. The only repentance that
the South gives proof of having is the re-
pentance which the burglar feels when the
strong hand of the officer is on his collar.
[Applause. He isn't sorry he committed
the burglary; he is only sorry that he didn't
succeed. And that is what Gov. Perry
says--he isn't sorry for the crime; he only
lament5 the bad success that attended it,
And these are the men--these murdererS OF
our sons, brothers and fathers-these are
the men who in their heart of hearts regret
the failure of the war; these are the men
whose plantations (these twenty thousand
dollar men) are being restored to them
from which the freedmen are being driven;
these are the men to whom the reins of
government in these States are given, and
who are to make laws for the South.
said at the beginning OF my remarks that
the year now drawing to a close was
marked by certain features, and that
it might still take upon itself an
other feature, darker and more to
be regretted than either rebellion or assas-
sination. believe that we are on the verge,
my friends, of being surrendered to the
conquered rebels, that we are on the verge
of losing that for which this war was
waged, and am inclined to think that we
are to lose it, IL not through imbecility,
through treachery On-the part of the very
man that sits at the head of the Govern
ment. Jefferson Davis is a great criminal
would not say a word in mitigation of his
crime or eXtenuation of his punishment
Punishment! he'll never be punished! no
danger of his being punished-not the
least in the world. He's only waiting to
come under the head of the twenty thou
sand dollar pardon. He was traitor, but
he played his role of traitor fairly, OPEN
ly, honestly. He was a wolf but not a
wolf In sleeps clothing, though he was
found, l believe, in lady's dress! Laugh
teri Whatever else may be said of him,
he did not steal the FURNISHED livery Of the
great heavens to serve the devil in. He
did not by loud and furious devotion to this
rebel cause get himself placed at the head
of it merely to betray it and destroy it,
Whatever else may haunt his conscienceiin
his cell, yonder at Fort ,Monroe-wh whatever
else, the thought can never come TO him
there that he betrayed the friends who
trusted him with power. He did what he
could. and whatever consolation can be de-
rived from devotion to u bad cause, must be
HIS But whatshall be said of the man at
Washing gton who was so loud and SO furi-
Gus a few months ago in his denunciations
of treason and traitors, and slavery
and aristocracy, and every form of
class legislation; who was only impatient
with our good President Lincoln because
he was too lenient to the traitors; what
shall we think of him, If, after these pro-
fessions--professing his determination to
punish traitors and make treason odiousby
punishment, declaring that treason is a
crime and not a ditference;of opinion, that
traitors must be punished not pardoned,
that slavery in every root oand fibre must
be destroyed, THAT the liberties of the negro
must be secured-whati shall we think of
him, after getting possession OF this Govt
eminent and this causes il he shall finally
betray it into the hands of the men who
have tried to destroy 1t; If he shall select
those who are gultiest of this rebellion
the rich men Of the Souths-ff he shall SCI
lect these men who led the bloody hoStthat
sought to destroy this country; what shall
be said Of him If lie shall betray us by giv-
ing the power to these SHAREHOLDERS, taking
it away from our friends, by giving the
elective franchise to these rebels and taking
It away from the brave black man, who,
with iron. arms and steel fingers, stond up
in defense of our flag at the South? Loud
1abplause.l What shall be said of this man
IL he shall thus betray US, demoralize the
Republican party, deaden the moral senti-
ment of the North, and leave to our child
rem another negro question to breed war
and disturbance IN the future? Why, we