The evening telegraph. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1864-1918, 1866-11-21

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of your state Governments as they were.n That
was the amendment That was not Joining
issue with the South. It was a neutrality, n
was an abdication.
instincts of the masses; they tried to look into
the faces OF their constituents and say amend
ment. They could not. The people ignored it,.
The people joined issue with the President The
people saldi we nave our right hands on the
lugular vein of this selt-styled arstocraoy. and
by the living God, we will strangle 1t before we
iet IL co. (VooiteIous arp aase The masses
this quarrel. One is the South, led by the
President; and the other is the instincts of the
people, 6lindly cropping sometmes-the masses
hardly knowing consciously what they want
but feeling their way towards 1t with an unre-
lenting, remorseless fate.
These are the parties, and this the quarrel;
and it is general, so far as the whites are
concerned. Why, will prove to you that this
Congress went down to the people with this
amendment IN both ITS hands. The moment
each individual man met his constituents,
what did he say Suffrage. What hobby did
he tide The negro. What word did he not
dare to omit from his speeches Rights of the
black race. Kelley, Wilson, Ashley, Boutwell,,
ana BanKs-wherever you follow them the
tenor OF their speeches. the burden of their
arguments The tone of their pledges, is all suf-
fraee. 1t is not amendment. Like Hercules
antagonist, they have touched mother Earth
and come up as suffragers.
You say whv did they not say it in the House
w. Il
think it was like Cooleridge's Unitarian Church;
he preached to them twelve months, and debated
whether he would preach another twelve
months. So he went around to see what was
the result OF his preaching. He found that
threeiourths of the people went, solely out of
example, for the other quarter. (Laughter.) So
these men, tull OF impartial suffrage, goes up to
the House of Representatives, and every man is
afraid of his fellow, and they did not seem to
get over it till policy got down to this canvass.
1t is evident that there is but one idea. 1t is
the status of the negro in the future. 1t is this
Government oligarchy or democracy-itl Is the
South on the one hand and the people on the
other. Why look at it; let any man try to gain
say this truth, this unuttered instinct OF the
people, and where is he? Let any, man serve it,
and where is he? No, matter what his party
reco1d-how black--if he will only do service
to-day, the people forget the past and hug him.
Look at Lincoln on the praires IN Illinois,
the pet of the West, he tried to serve thus
opinion.this curving wave of the ocean; and
witness Beecher, he tired to eainsay it and went
under. prolonged applause.) He had been
the apostle for thirty years, but he beat against
that cloud and went one side: no one trod after
him, his footsteps were the only ones.
Take the New York I1H1eS, trying to serve
johnson, and acknowledging that on the first
day OF January il was worth six hundred thou
sand dollars and that to-day il would sell out
tor half that. It tried to go against the wave,
instead of with it.
Witness Grant, the Wellington of the nation,
the idol of the army, gathering armfulls OF
laurels. In his own State of Illinois, an audi
ence of twenty thousand men, one-half his
soldiers, when letter was read from him, re re-
celved it in silence. When one man asked tor
cheer, silence; another suggested a cheer
silence; third suggested cheer, silence; when
the pet OF the State, Ingersoll mounted the
platform and said, "Not cheer tor a Grant? ?r
and hundred men responded out OF twenty
thousands but the General chose to be neutral
he does not take platform, or any part in this
struggle for this great idea but the people
never buy pig in apoke." tremendous ap-
plause, lasting upwards of FIVE minutes.) 1t is
the most wholesome sign of the times. IRE
neTed new applause.) It IS symptom of intellec-
tual and moral health in the people; they know
what they want. They do not forget the services
OF any man, but what they demand is service to-
day. (Appause.)
help? The principles OF The South having en-
camped in the White House. want to spread
her quarters into the Capitol, and to take pos.
session OF the Government-to get her hand ON
the helm. Well, now, reconstruction is
great problem 10 which alluded. We are in
danger of being contented with a sham demo.
cracy. Look at it-what is expressed in the
sense and essence of our four years history lust
ended 1t is that We have been obliged to uphold
this Government with the bayonet That sec
tlon would have gone of II it hadn't been held
by force. Great Britain holds ireland by force
Great Britain could not exist as a government
one hour, except by force. Let her throw off
the tTappings of force and trust to public
opinion, and there would be revolution in a
few hours. Now, Tor four years we have en-.
deavored to hold our nation together by force
and have done it; but that is not the American
idea OF government. The American idea is 10
hold the Government together by popular
opinion, by harmonious cohesion, by natural
gravitation. Two negroes chained tore.
ther don't make a marriage put South Caro-
lima in CHAINS and drag her to the foot of Massa-
chusetts, and leave her there-that is not Unon
A Union begins when you have made South
Carolina-or you have the right TO do it-over
into such a moral. social. ln0uStriol and
lectual form that she gravtates towards the
North and New England naturally. That is re-
construction. Why, we have tried it. We have
reconstructed the West You did. New York
did. New England did. How? They took
their bIains their capital, their enterprise, went
to the bare prairies of Illinois, dotted them with
towns cobwebbed them with railroads covered
them with schools, infused them with the spirit
OF government and civilization, and the West is
so made in the image OF the East imbued with
the industrial enterprise OF a civilized seahoard
that you could no more tear them asunder than
you could the solid globe on which they rest.
(Applause.)
Now reconstruction is the same thing elemen.
tarily. The war means that PENNSYLVANIA and
New York, New England and Ohio are to 90
down with enterprise, schools, capital, and
ideas, and make the South over in our image,
SO that II may be one homogeneous Government.
Ihat Is reconstruction. Some men toss the
word ''reconstructionn about as if it meant
Alexander stephens sitting arm-in arm with
Charles Sumner, or Judge Kelley walking down
PennsS lVahla avenue with Roger A. Pryor
You might as well dam Niagara with paste.
board. (Laughter) Reconstruction com
mences when Pennsylvania or the Connecticut
J: ahkees can 90 down to New Orleans and walk
its streets with freedom with free lisp guaran.
teed: carrying capital and his ideas, his energy
and his education, and be an element in the
character OF New Orleans. That is reconstruc-
tion. (Applause.)
As long as that fact is not possible, reconstruc.
tion has not begun at all, Is this DeaceY There