The evening telegraph. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1864-1918, 1866-09-10

GREAT MASS MEETING AT NATIONAL.
HALL-CARL SHURz ON THE ISSUES OF THE DAY.
There was large mass meeting at Ma
tional Hall on Saturday night. Carl Shurz
made a long and able speech. He commenced
his address by saying no discerning man can
survey the present situation of affairs in this
republic without percelving that, although the
war is over, the country is not vet at peace.
There is a fierce contest going on between the
Executive and Legislative branches of the Ma
tlonal Government, in which the masses of the
people are called upon 10 take Sides In the
South we see symptoms of dangerous termenta-
ton spoTadcally breaking out in bloody deeds
In the North the war of opinions is carried on
with passionate violence. gathering of men,
euphoniously styling itself The National Union
Convention" has already called upon the people
OF the South not to submit II the policy adopted
by the Congress of the United States should
prevail. Everywhere the air is heavy with
threats and apprehensiOns.
This state of things, surprising and alarming
as II may appear, Is by no means without preCe-
dent. Look over the history of the world, and
you will find that every great retormatory move
ment in society, every revo ution in favor of
popular rights, every sudden onward stride in
the progress of civilization, has had to pass
through two distinct periods-frst, the struggle
for its achievement, and then the struggle Tor
the preservation of its results; the first, the
period of action; the second, the period Of
reaction.
The speaker said that the period of reaction
after our glorious victory for National Union
and human liberty had now come upon us, and
that it Is the more formidable and dangerous as
one of the great powers OF the State had made
himself its agent and champion. Mr.. Schurz
then referred to the civil war, and said that at
its close the problem presented itself of what is
commonly called reconstruction. The principal
difficulty OF that problem consisted then, and
consists now, in this:-The political system of
this republic rests upon the right of the people
to control their local concerns IN their several
States by the operation of selt-government, sub
iect to certain restrictions imposed by the
National Constitution, and in the right to CO.
operate with one another IN the government of
the whole. This system was not to be changed
in the work of reconstruction; but it was evil
dent also that If reconstruction was to accom-
plsh only the mere setting in motion again OF
thes machinery of government as it had been
previous to the war, and nothing else, it would
have forthwith invested the very people who
had been IN rebellion against the Government
with the power in great measure to control
the very results which had been won, and
against Which they had struggled; and this
would have been a surrender OF the con-
sequences OF our victory 70 the discretion OF the
defeated.
The speaker contended that Andrew johnson
mt one time insisted most strenuously that the
participants in the Rebellion must be punished
and stripped of all political power and social
influence, and that the government of the States,
as well as of the nation, must be confded eX-
clusively to the tried and ever faithful friends
of the republic. He then referred to the con-
dition of the South Immediately after the close
of the war, and said il would have been easy
then to have accomplished all that was needed
in bringing the South into the Union, by forti-
tying the great results OF the war in constltu-
tional safeguards SO strong and impregnable
that the reactionary movement, however vio-
lent, would have dashed itself to atoms against
them. President Johnson, he said, took the
work Of reconstruction into his own hands, and
beean TO develop a scheme of policy. He
issued proclamations appointing provisional
governors for the Rebel States, and ordered
them to call State conventions. Was not the
work of reconstruction TO be placed exclusively
in the hands OF loyal men? OF course it was
Andrew Johnson had said so. He haC
solemnly declared that if there were but five
thousand men OF tried loyalty in State, theirs
must be the government.
The speaker then referred to his own expe
rience and observations in the South after tht
war while performing duty imposed upOn hin
bv the President, and sald that in his oficia
renolt he had predicted that If tho reactionar,
movement in the South be left unchecked [
would result in the introduction, by legislation
or in the absence OF laws, by practical appli
ances, of some system OF labor intermediate be
tween tree labor and slavery, put having NOR
of the attributes of the latter than OF the former
This prediction, he said, had been verified
hut the President affects not TO believe 1t, for
is a truth hardly recommendatory OF his policy
In referring to the action OF Congress at Its las
session he aid:-'And now, after all this, Ia
loyal people are summoned TO surrender whit
Congress has so 1irmly maintained. Suppos
Tor 9 moment this were done-can the cons
Quences be doubtful! If the people lately
rebellion have done what they dld 40 Whi
hey knew that they could gain something