Wilmington journal. [volume] (Wilmington, N.C.) 1844-1895, 1866-09-06

| At a meeting held recently by the sol
diers of Anderson District, for the purpose
of forming a soldiers association, General
Wade Hampton was waited upon by com
mittee, and in response delivered the fol
lowing speech
brother .Soa7ic7's OF anderson deem my
self fortunate that accident has given me
the pleasure of meeting with you to-day,
and of participating in the laudable OBJ
jects contemplated by your meeting and
that pleasure is greatly enhanced by see
ing around me many of the brave men
| whom it was my good fortune to command
during the war These mountain regions
gave to the armies of the South some Of our
should declare, what do here with infin-
tie qualification, that had in my ranks
none letter, Drawer or more devoted than
the men of this and the ad Joining districts
In your presence desire to tender to them
my heartfelt thanks for their conduct as
soldiers. They have the proud conscious
ness of having performed their duty to the
State, and this will be some compensation
to them for the result of the war. And,
brother soldiers, whilst we acquiesce in the
result, let us not admit that the cause of it
was I'm ustifable or wrong accept the
terms upon which we laid down our arms,
in good faith, and it is our duty to observe
these terms faithfully but whilst ! GO this,
l shall never say that we had not right on
our side shall never hold my State as
guilty, or her sons as traitors.
The cause is not to be judged by success
or failure. Success does not inevitably
make right or truth or Justice, nor does
failure always imply evil, wrong or false
hood If the justice of cause always in
sure success, Poland, Hungary and Ire
land would not now groan under the heel
of the oppressor, pQg would the South be
REDUCED 10 the sud condition in which she
hnds herself to-day. But sad as is the con-
dition of our beloved land, we must not
forsake it. She has need of all her sons
You know that in years that are just passed,
you regarded it as your highest duty to
stand by your colors. So now it is your
duty to stand by your State. Her colors
are nailed to the mast, and let Us stand or
fall with her. Give hey all the aid you can,
and # she sinks, at least let us go down with
her. For these reasons I have discouraged
emigration. [ believe it is your highest
duty to assist in the re-establishn4ent of law,
order, peace to help the widows and or
phans made by the war, and to endeavor
to raise our PROSTATE and bleeding country
We may not be able to do much towards
alternating the sufferings and SORROWS of our
people, but We can at least take our share
of them. and thus tighten the general bur-
don by distributing it amongst us all. To
the accomplishment of these obiects--the
highests that patriotism can inspire-I in
woke your earnest cooperation. It will re-
qulre all your energy, all your strength, all
your endurance, to restore hope to our
people or vitality to our State.
We can expect nothing from the Govern
ment OF the United States, whatever party
maybe in power. The Convention at Phil
adelphia-where the North and South,
burying the past, we're to re-establish lib
erty, equality, fraternity-has declared the
platform upon which the Conservatives pro-
pose to enter the next canvass. In the de-
ciaration of principles which compose that
platform, see it announced that the brave
soldiers and sailors who suppressed the re-
belllon are entitled to the thanks of the ma
ton that the debt incurred in that holy
crusade is to be sacred, and that all Confed-
crate debts are null and void. We pension
the men that forged our letters but the
soldiers of the South-men with empty
sleeves or on clutches, such as are seen
around me now-are to be branded
outlaws rebels and as traitors. No
fostering hand of a paternal govern
ment soothes or cares for their widows
and orphans. The country and the gov
eminent for which they fought, like their
hopes, are dead, and they are thrown on