La sentinelle de Thibodaux. [volume] (Thibodaux, La.) 1861-1866, 1865-10-21
Il)e Gl)ibnOalls 5rlltiuc!.
EXTRACTS FROM THE SPEECH OF GEN.
SLGCEaI.
Delivered at Syracuse, New-Vork, on the
20 September.
HIS SYMPATHY WITH THE SOUTH.


~ September. 81
HIS SYMPATHY WITH THE SOUTH.
| Thousands of families at tile South who
have never heretofore kiinwn want-neyer
lacked any Of the. Injuries OF life are
| now reduced to poverty. Thousands of
Iwomen and children reared iii. else and
| aHiuence, have not only lost their proper
| ty, but their natural protectors have been
| taken away from them III this terrible
| conflict. Rlame the leaders as you may,
no generous man can find in his heart
/ anything but feeling Of pity and compass
sion toward these. lnfortunate victims.
reduced to a state worse than death itself.
TIE DUTY OF THE GOVERNMENT r
RIGHTS OF TIE STATES.
| The only impedement has now been re-
moved, which has heretofore prevented
l as from having true Union-one of in
terest and feeling as well as of law. |
believe that the Union is now permanent
Ily established, and that ms a people we
are to enter upon brilliant career.
Weather this career is to commence at
once, Or be deferred twenty or thirty years.
depends very much upon the course pur-
sued by the General Government toward
| the Southern States. If the General
Governmentis is to assume powers which it
T has never before claimed to possess-and
| is to attempt to decide who sha be enti-
tied to the elective franchise in certain
States-if it Is to continue to interfere in
tile domestic affairs of the Southern
States, keeping military officers in the
L e tl,,ap AZ,
| all eases of dispute between different
Iclasses of eiti2ens-then the dawn of
peace and prosperity Is yet far in the dis
tanca.
The issue Id the recent war was on the
right of secession, the Southern States
leuntending for that right, and declaring
coercion upon the part Of the General
Government to be a violation of their
legal aud constitutional rfgh.s. The
General Government Oh the other hand
assumed that no such rights existed, and
treated the pretended secession as a revolt
Of a pnrtioil the citizens Of those States.
The triumph of the government has deci-
ded the question, and it will never again
| be made anSissne unless we roluhtarily
reveree the decree. If we now say to the
seeded States, you have been out of the
Union, thereby lost your constitutional
rights as States, we certainly recognize
the very principle for which the South has
been contending.
But am opposed to all these measures
for interference in the domestic affairs OF
those States, not only because believe
we have no constitutional Fight to inter-
fere, but because, believe it will be
unwise, impoliticsand unjust to do So
leading to far greater evils than we*would
correct.
| The ates now come forward and ac-
I3eept the total abolition of slavery as one
of the results of the war. In their State
Constitutions, which are being gremodeled
every state will acknowledge this fact, and
will insert an article prohibiting slavery
llenceforth and forever. Having done
this they claim all the rights guaranteed
them by the Constitution. The right OF
deciding who, among their own citizens,
shall be entitled to the elective franchise,
and Ne right of controlling their own Slo-
mestic Affairs. Shall they be allowed
these privileges, or shall the Ganeral lal,
Government, in violation of the Constltn-
ton and in violation Of repeated declara-
tions as to its purpose in prose ecutIng the
war, assume the control of these matters!
This is now almost the. only issue be-
tween the great pollitic@ parties Of the
day. The Democratic party, with entire
unanfnity, declares in favor OF allowing
to every State the exercise Of all powers
not delegated by it to the General Y oy-s ]
ernment. s
THE GENERAL GOVERNMENT MUST NOT IN u
TERrERE WITH THE lANAGEMENT OF
THE FREEDMEN.
Now that the freedom of the slave is
universally acknowledged, the party ls
wiIlinp that the States where the freedmen
reside shall pass, such laws as they may
deem proper for their education and
support. A large portion Of the opposi-
ton party fayors having the General
Goyernment assume control OF these mat.
ters, burdening our people with the sup
port of million of paupers, and compll-
eating as in the settlement Of questions
with which we hare no constitutional
right to meddIe. The arguments used to
oenyince Northern people that it Is the
duty of the General Government to as
snme this great responsibility, while the
States are willing and ddsiroas Of relieving
the Government from it are based. frst,
upon the assumption that as soon as the
Government withdraws its protection,
great cruelties will be inflicted upon tue
blacks. and secondly, that the States will
at once pass laws reducing the race again
to condition but little better than state
of slavery.
/ have never believed that all the hu-
name and kindly impulses implanted! by
nature in the heart of man, were confined
to a particular part Of the country: /
firmly do bilieve that the sight OF human
suffering calls forth as much sympathy IN