The Louisiana Democrat. [volume] (Alexandria, La.) 1845-1918, 1866-03-14
Beeoher on the Political Situation,

Beecher on the Political Situation
| hold it would be better that the State
should be brought into the Union tcsmo]
row, every one of them. And in this regar
allow me to say that I cannot 90 with eth
er the President OF Congress woul,
Drlng all in at once; they mean to kee,
them al out at once. Laughter.1 The
would let in part, and let the rest wal
and see how they would like it. I know
they are stumbling on this point. Ifyou lie
IN Tennessee on that principle YOU vii
have to lot in all the rest.
On the other hand, look for one moman
at the effects Of a prolonged exclusion o
the Southern States. 1t is weaving the cit
liens OF those States more and more from
the national government For five year
they have not thought of Washington ex
cept to curse her. They have not felt tn.
need Of it. They have not felt any blood
running through them that came from til.
national heart. 1t is proposed to make
them live five years more out of the Union
Is that the way to make them love it9 I.
that the way to make them feel ,theirneed
| OF the government
Let us not initiate this mistake. Let"us
not upon any consideration teach these
States that they can get along without rep
resentation in Congress, and without a
close alliance witht'le national heart as
represented in the national government
Is not free circulation of healthy blood
better for a diseased limb than to leave
that limb to its own morbid condition9 Is
1t not better to reinstate the Southern
States, and have a current of politics from
the North and West flow round and ronnd
the circle9 tits better for them, and there
tore 1t is better for the whole nation. lam
Tor union. am for thenation. The South
Is mlne;. the South is ours; and claim the
night and believe that this administration
Will act forsthe benefit of the whole, We
are paralizing the Union men of the Soufh
and putting the whole power of the South
INTO the hands of malcontents. The men
that like us least have most influence there
where there is growing discomfort at an
exclusion which they cannot understand
and the reasons for which they cannot i'm
agne; and they are inclined to listen to
the men that teach them the bitterest
things, whereas Union men are without
influence and powerless, and will be so as
long as you keep them out of the Union:
and those that hate the Union and hate the
North will be the men most in power
There lsanother element. There is going
to be more cotton attempted than ever be.
fore in the South, not merely on account Of
the operation of the abolition Of slavery,
but from the abolition of plantations. Ex.--
cepting where the planter ownsthe lahorer
ne cannot run those gigantic plantations
that were formerly run; but there are now
going to be many small farms. and many
small farms will raise more cotton than a
few big farms. ssl
'sThen you will have to go step further
and admit women to vote" Even so; ID
would. (Applause.) tits my settled opin-
for "opinion - is not strong
enough-that women are not in the way Of
duty when they do not give consideration
to the duty that God in His providence is
waiting to put upon them; when they per
NIT the great neral questions that are ris-
ing in our age in the sphere of public discu-
sion to past without attempting to exer-
else that influence which God gave them to
exercise under just such circumstances
For when woman feels that she has duty
TO perform in this matter, and demands the
ballot, she will have it. And when she has
It, do you believe that wicked and incapa-
Die men will stand such chance of election
Is they do now9 ~
You will say, IF you allow women to
7ote, you must allew them to hold efflce."
f the men in any neighborhood want a wo.
nan to hold Office, why hotq IF they can |
20 better represented by woman than by |
man, I see no harm in it. If we must |
nave old women in public life, would |
ather have real ones than sham ones.
Great laughter and applause.)
These rights are to be secured, thirdly,
" the great laws ofselfinterest, and I con-
ess.I look to the great natural laws of
30d in human affairs chiefly. Not that
here is no work fer legislation; no work
or voluntary Christian charity and munif-
cence; but that, as man is made, the great |
avs Of political economy, the great law Of
abor-supply and demand-that works un-
onciously, makes men work willingly, and
caches them justice through the portal /
f selfshness- LAVISH think, are like
Y to compose the difficulties between mas
ers and their late servants faster than
'lm6st anything else The South cannot
esuscitate without cotton. They cannot
ave cotton without negroes. They cam
lot have negroes without treating them
Justly. I would give more for two good
otton crops raised by the freedmen than
or five Congresses, though highly respect
tay 10 IL
TO labor has greatly diminished; unfortu-
ately, in part by death. We. have no sta
istical record, but have a strong impress
ion from reports made to me that in an
ther year it will be found that more than
fourth part of this active laboring force
+ the late slaves has been destroyed.