The New era. [volume] (Martinsburg, W. Va.) 1865-1871, 1866-03-15
Beccher Sustaining the Presidents
IefO

Rev. Henry Ward Beecher delivered
an address Oh Tuesday evening in
Brookly, sustaining the Presidents We
to, and taking the ground that the
Southern States should be admitted
without further delay. He THOUGHT
from careful reading of the veto mes
sage he was free to say that it had made
on his mind profound impression that
the bill was open to serious constitu-
tional objections. 1t was not to be I'M
derstood from this, however, that the
President was opposed to any proper
measure having for its object the protec-
ton of the freedmen in the rights and
immunities belonging to them in their
new status of full manhood. He has
only vetoed that particular bill, and
from what was known of him, it could
be truly said that there was no man
more in favor of proper legislation for
the black race. He believed in leaving
a great deal to be wrought out by the
natural working Of social and political
life.
Mr.. B. said he did not see the pro-
priety or expediency of keeping the
South out of the Union one year or Ave.
lie held that the Southern States ought
to be reinstated as soon as possible. It
might not be best to reinstate them to-
day or tomorrow, or this week or next
week. But any cause for delay was so
far forth an evil. In this respect he
could not agree either with the Presi-
dent or Congress.
The President would let them all in
at once. Congress would keep them all
out at once. He would let part of
them in, and let the rest stay out and
see how they liked it. He would admit
Tennessee, andAlabama,a and Georgia, and
Virginia. But there were those who
wanted guarantees. They wanted the
South to give up the principle Of seces-
sion, to give up the idea that slavery
was right, to grant to the freedmen
suffrage, and own up that they ought to
have it. He held that these were I'M
reasonable, were utterly nonsensical.-
The South had acknowledged that Sc
cession was a failure, and it was not ne
cessary to attempt to make them own
that secession was wrong. 1t could
not be expected in the nature of
things.
Referring to the many exaggerated
reports concerning the feeling in the
South, Mr.. b. remarked that newspaper
correspondents sent to the South had
not found things of rose color, and had
not Decn 1caSle0 Oh the lat OF the land.
And these fellows told doleful stories
about Southern sentiment. Because the
Southern people did not throw their
arms around every Yankee who came
among them, and cry out in the excess
of their new born affection, 90, YAM
kee, how love you ?" Therefore, they
We're to be kept out of the Union until
they would.
But was it the very best way to create
a love for the Union in the South by
keeping the South out of the Union:
Every day that she was keptout had the
effect to wean her from the Union. She
had been out for five years, and had not
felt the need of Union with the North.
Keep out the Southern States five more
years, and they would learn to get along
out Of it. They would learn that union
was not necessary to their existence
He, therefore, claimed the right to see
the Union reinstated in all its integrity,
and he should lose his guess if the South
did not show us, with her fervid spirits,
greater zeal for freedom than we had
ever shown ourselves.