, 1866-02-28
THE SOUTH.
:
Its Condition and Duties.T
Address Of Alex. 81. Stephens, boGsrt
the General Assembly OF ake Stato Q

perity, and constitutional liberty specially |
with regard to the rights, honor, dignity, aud
best interests q the people l., ,ot6egsg3a:
when the great question was, To be Of not
to be. aud il to be. howl" Adversely was
q severe school, both for -individuals
and communities, but was always positive In
Its action, either for better or worse. The
dntie. he would zngseSt St. 3 ,S n escape from
patience second, the exercise Of liberal
Spirit Of forbcarance toward each other among
the Southern people, and the banishment Of
every feeling and sentiment calculated to
stir the discord Of the past. Whatever diE
ferepces Of opinion existed before the war
sprang mainly from differences as to the best
to be pursued, to secure the great controlling
object Of alI-pood government. There was
no real disloyalty to the Constitution ; there
was simply a question as to where allegiance
was due, which authority Was paramount
State or Federal. It was thus that secession 1
We giro the remainder Of the; address yer,
-batinl: ',
HOPES FOR TILE fuTuRK.
.Wara, and civil wara especially, always
menace llberty;' they seldom advance 1t.
while they usually end in its entire overthrow
and destruction. Ours stopped just short of
such q catastrophe. =: Our only, alternative
tional liberty, !, Of to retEact our steps ,'and to
look tor its yfndication and maintenance In
the forums Of reason and Justice. instead of
the arena Of arms-in the courts and halls of
legislation, instead of on the field Of battle.
/ anu frank and candid In telling your right
to these ends, arc In the restoration policy nt
the.President of the United States. I have
little hope for. .nberty-fttle hope for the
SUCCESS Of the great American experiment OF
/. self-goTernment, bnt u the; success o. t9e
present" Efforts Tor: the festosation OF lns
States to their Turner pfaetleat feIations ~
common government, under the Const'tatlpn
we are not EitnGnt ~ encoa " it, a,hor aaaa
pse e. snln nS ~ IL h,stort ,ni of mn y,
county tne aa.a alseody onl ast csso2nf,,
iTom Hnon We ussi.sso, ~ W s,ss, is1sIsm' Iet'
e p1.e'vs - rssni5s =, 1bcrtr ~ IN Fn%I,n
et once in M liz, I abnadoned The forum Of reason,
amu aa Hanna - ths,r r i"5o1oent nfnd1anc;nv
staIs ,s,,.a Th,a r. va alter thev had maie
sHe.. 4 -s.asrose ,,-,n, thaisaa ~ ffSoEa Pawn
ESH1 .iEien3 enI othrrs in thr ndrnnec,
ueu, . e1,:,,a.a7, ,-inc5nIaa Monv nsn~naSione
@ sa1 1,aa ~ no nsaatpI ninmv ~ ~ n-eraeatiucs
ttnh. ~ ~ had boau sanctinned sh}n MONEY ha
W aIeas sassa a'a9 us a.rrta ,osrt;s hoa hann
peen anauuontu, Ioua.' nat 41u oe.n
dons away VIII "aVsas evrp1s nau 9eIn IA ~,
estaplsneui u'in GouaIs y. a1;aha5 sJassio4 ah4
sina % enaplo a1net u ah,,sss ~" of na,rc, d haa
other great ABUSES ot power nAo
ocen coffeGteos anu ptasl ,;.p tg!1lius e..
tao!'anea. DuL s"t ao. sutsueE r!tn Ineso;
ana NOT satlsue4 WIN tne pesSelul "qlh!nsoi
reason, 70 60 On u l1s opuels, tnt oeniai
I Of INC sovereignty o. tne crown vas PIesssu
blythe too ardent Ielofme5s upon Gnares !,s Ihs
First. All e1ae he had yieldeaEtms ne wouid
not. The sword. was appqd To- TO settle
the question: civil var the result ;
| great yalor and courage were displayed on
10th sides men Of eminent vrtue and pa-
triotisn fell In the saDguinary and tatricidal
conflict the King was deposed and executed !;
| Commonwealth proclaimed. Bnt the eud
! was the reduction Of the people of England to
| aworsc state of oppression than they had been
I Id for centuries. They rcfraced their steps.
| After: nearly twenty years OF exhaustion mud
blood, and The loas Of the greater portion Of
| the liberties enjoyed by them before, they. by
ton: The restoration came. Charles the Sec
arch ea I ss ever ruled the empire. Not a pSsa
was asked or guaranty given, touching tho
concessions Of the royal prerogattve teAt he'd
been e1acted aud obtained from bis father:
| The true ffiends Of liberty, o. reform AM and
| Of progress In government, had become eon-
yinced that these were the offspring of' pence
| and OF enlightened reason, and not OF passion
| or Of aTrnH- The House OF Commons aud the
| House Of Lords we're henceforth the theatres
| OF their operations. and not the fields Of New.
| In less than thirty years, all their ancient
| rights and privileges, which had been lost IN
the civil war, with ,new securities, were re-
established IN the ever memorable settlement
| Of 16GS, which, ior all Practical purposes
I may be looked upon as tlo0d1cas revolution.
tLer ard~ more sfgnal strides IN reform and
progress: But not one Of these has been
effected by resort TO arms. Catholic etnanci~
| patton ras carried in Parliament. after years
OF argument against tho most persistent op-
position. Reason and Justice ultimately pre-
| Of the Jevs-so with the overthrow Of the
Rottcn-borongh system-so with the e1ten.
sion Of franchises with the modification Of
the corn laws apd restrictions on commerce,
opening the way to the establishment 9! the
principles Of free trnde-4nd so with al the
hive 70 distinguished English history for the
last half century. !
PREJUDICE TO BR AVOIDED.
| Man by nature Is very promo to scan closely
the defects Of his fellow man-ever ready to
rail at the mota In his brothers eye, without
considering the beam that Is In his OWL. This
should not be. We all have our notes or
! beams. We nre al frull, perfection Is the at
tribute of no one. Prejudice or pre-. Judgment
| ehould be tndulged toward none. Prejudice
What wrongs, what injuries, what miscbiefg,
what lamentable consequences have resulted
at all times from nothing but this peryersity
of the intellect Of all the obstacles to tho
E:adyaucement Of truth aud human prosrcss, In
every department. science, in art, in gov
ernmcnt, ind in religion, In all ages and
c]imas, not one on the List Is more formidable,
more difficult to overcome and suhdue, than
as intellectual faculties. It is host Of
evil within ITSELF: I could. cnjoln no great:
er duty upon my countr5nen nov, North
and South, thau tie exercise OF
thai degree OF forbearance which would cna-
b!e them 70 CONQUER their Rre|udlses. On one
lime the world ever witnessed, was that OF
Danlel Webster, when, In an open barouehe
in the streets Of Boston, be proclaimed. In
subsistence, to y1st assembly Of his const1tu-
cnts-unwililng hearers--that ~ they had con-
quered an uncongenia1 CLINE; they had con:
luered sterile soil they h4a conquered the
wind and elements Of tho ocean; they Ind
conquered. most Of the elements Of nature
;nateas, !, TnoT nf m nnre f7ftIpw inc;dant
!uuN H. ~ fiSa - th"e raajoSEf,i :,,o.,
scene ~ ~ -, .ne tns;.s;na, @ ~. f., raTnsInafiaa
oorAs q cH |etlssnnss, ~ e. Sts ahaE
me memoay o. 'as ue T. IL thoa a. ~ rsnra
aeter, pa ea1tas VI. ~ Ia.u saan ~, stneI,
sGd snoIe o. I'LL was an % e4hbtjon @ % ot rsoTal
gtan9enr, sn1passn tnat ~ a1dSt.ue1s ~ VIZ.
| lie sald :" Oh At1e1lahs, Wnat lAeutstocies
| recommends No1ld be greatly to your Inter
est. but It would be unjnst.'t =.
Is.v to von. and If nv voice could extend
| 4h-e,,9hort this vnsf conntry nycr I'M anfj
sn1o"t.uoa' @ 1,,,,a;r .L ord r1j,or ~ h,rsi
dAIe. over mountain n1u FuAsyx ~ uVtei !;
hanlet anu mansion, F3l!afe, to"n anu clty,
would say, nrst o. a'l, posing 70 feslofatlon
OF peace, prosperity anu aaIlaony u - 1ae lano,
the great d9ty Of e,s e1efcas,nG inae oeg!ee o'
iorbeatanee wnisn wiz sna9Ie 9is tnem 70 con con
munfties as Weil ns molsioaats: .,,s :.
And ne1t 70 tna!,; tne lnauigenee 9 q oa
Christian spls1l Q! cnaf,ty. ynaSs no. tna.
% he mol 1uagea espee9a'S I,t n astG,s La 4Ss
GROWING ON o' tae date WE VT s9Ss ,, oa ~ Y.
Mard 1aat nave se1aa -tln nn noint. Ioe ~ ~
the Ghris1aah IT., nave aflsea 20, on poa1,es o
conscience, or aaefencss a. 70 hot ~ so1ss Ms way
o. salEatio4; stlanes Wy suat ~. ~ Mh.,sah
5 n1s ps;no ~" to rasnitind r Wauid a M have heen
uat5aa r. 4,o o;nrnia.inn of: each hrenst I,o,1