The Nashville daily union. [volume] (Nashville, Tenn.) 1862-1866, 1866-03-02
Mr.. slenhens,s speech.

I - = - PSN~AN
Mr.. A. II. Stephens of Georgia deliy-
/ cred by invitation an address before
the Legislature Of that State on Wash
| ingtons birthday. Mr.. Stephens had
shortly before been elected to represent
Georgia in the United States Senate,
and in this speech, while referring to
his reluctance 10 re-enter public life,
arising out of his position as Vice
I President of the Confederscy, accepts
the Office TO which he had been chosen.
Whatever he chose to say would in any
event have an importance on the opin-
ion of the ablest Southern politician.
/ What he now says is especially imp0F-
| tant, because he speaks OF his State
and 70 his State, and must be presumed
10 say the best word he can to advance
her interests.
We frankly accord to this address the
praise of being perhaps the best yet
proceeding from any citizen south of
Mason and Dixon's line. 1t contains
some good advice to his constituents,
and some sound views OF public affairs.
Mr. Stevens has qualities quite distinct
from those which usually win attention
on Southern stump, and he displays
them in this address to advantage
He counsels patience. lie reminds
his hearers that they must expect to
endure such Ills as now befall them,
likening his listening constituents to
man with broken leg, who must for
the time tolerate his splints and band.
ages-that is, must tolerate exclusion
from Congress, payment of taxes, mill
tary rule, deprivation of postal facili-
ties, and "other matters on the long list
of our present inconVeniencies. In
order that the people may advance 10
better state, they must show harmony
among themselves and renewed loyalty
to the Government Mr. Stephens re-
iterates with emphasis and with elab-
Grafton his well-known view that
loyalty is perfectly consistent with Sc
cession; in other words, that the South
remained always faithful to the princi-
pies of government which the Consti-
tuition was meant to embody; and that
the only point at issue Was whether
the State or the Federal Government
should be paramount GAS for my
self, says he, 81 can affirm that no
sentiment Of disloyalty to these great
principles of selfgoVernment recog-
nized and embodied in the COnstitu-
tion of the United States, ever beat or
throbbed in heart of mine" He would
say the same for Georgia and for the
whole South. Secession he viewed only
as q means TO an end; and the means
has failed.
1t is of more consequence to inquire
what Mr. Stephens proposes for the fu
ture. he does not leave Us in doubt
on this any more than on the other
point: I'VE should accept the issues of
the war, and abide by them in good
faith" What are the issues thus set
tied? First, that Georgia is in the
Union, not out Of il, and that the
whole United States, therefore, is now,
without question, our country, to be
cherished and defended az such by all
our hearts and by all our arms That at
least ls something Next, slavery has
been destroyed. Whether for better
or for worse is not important; it is
gone, and the new state Of things is to
be accepted. Many changes must fol
low. Old codes of law become obso-
lete. For the negroes wise and hu
name laws should be made Mr.. Ste
phens uses language which for South
erner Of this generation is remarka-
BILE. ample and full protection should
be secured 10 them, 80 that they may
start equal before the law in the pos
session and enjoyment of all rights of
personal liberty and property. That
has even flavor of the Declaration in
it. Could Mr.. Stephens but persuade
his Georgia Legislature to frame such
opinions into statutesl He praises the
fidelity o. the negro in times past; ad
mits his capacity tor improvement, and
correctly lays down the principle that
the object OF government is the good Of
the governed, including those of Afri-
can descent, docking to the greatest
attainable advancement, improvement,
and progress, physical, intellectual and
moral, of all classes and conditions
within their rightful jurisdiction"
AgaiR, "all obstacles, if there be any,
should be removed, which can possibly
hinder or retard the blacks to the ex-
tent Of their capacity" Education
should be open to them; not only for
their own sake, but for that OF the
community at is difficult" says Mr.
Stephens, very explicitly and sensibly,
ITO conceive a greater evil or curse
than could befall our country, stricken
and distressed as it now is, for 80 large
q portion of its population as this class
win quite probably constitute among US
hereafter, to be reared in ignorance,
depravity, and vice Again we say
could but this belief of Mr.. Stephens
be translated into Georgia Law, and into
law for all the Southern States, the
problems of reconstruction were ANA
zingly simplfed We wish the State
Legislatures might take the advice Of
their counselor to 'do the best they can
with their problem Sure they may
be that somehow the problem has got
TO be solved, and can by no means be
shirktd or shuffied out Of light
IL is fair to admit, thinks Mr.. Ste
phens, that the outlook for the South is
somewhat gloomy. We Judge that his
best hopes lie in the two conditions
above stated, genuine loyalty 10 the
Union and justice to the negro. And
he makes the remarkable admission
especially remarkable for the second
executive officer of the Rebel Confed
eraey, that during the whole lament
able conflict it was my opinion that,
hOweyer the pending strife might ter
inmate, so Ear as the appeal TO the
sword was concerned, after a while,
when the passions and excitement OF
the day should pass away, an adjust |
ment would be made on equitable prin- |
clples, upon general basis Of reciprocal |
advantage and mutual convenience on !
which the Union was first established
That can only mean that Mr.. Stephens |
was from the first hopeless Of what Is |
called Southern Independence, aud he |
now expressly declares that he can see |
no reason why the good sense of the |
States shall not perceive their true in |
terests TO lie inside the Union-sueh |
new Union as he has described. Would |
that the States to which he refers were |
of the same mind.-N J. Tf.Jsas.
Wa,hiegt1u Cor espoLdrnt NeS York Herad.
Radical Caucus Failure ofSchenck's |
Attempt 10 Declare War on the
President.
The published call in this mornings
Chronicle for g caucus of the Repubii- |
can members Of the Senate and House |
of Representatives, st half past seven