Memphis daily appeal. [volume] (Memphis, Tenn.) 1847-1886, 1866-02-27

b. uDdar "a. circumstances as we fiBd
, tbeno- 10 secure the best ends towards
flf1fre anoeliGration Good government
il vVhst we want. This should be the
, leading desire snd the controlling object
with al: and 7 need not assure you, II
this can be obtained, that our desolate
; fields, our towns, and villages, and cities
now in ruins, viii soon, like the Phoenix,
rise again from their ashes, andan our
waste places viii again, at no distant day,
blossom as the rose.
This view should also be borne in
mind, that whatever differences of
opinion existed before the late fury Of
the war, they sprung mainly from the
differences as 20 the best means 70 be
used, and the best line Of policy TO be
pursued, to secure the great controlling
object Of all-which was good govern
ment Whatever may be said OF the
Loyalty or dislOyalty Of any, in the late
[ most ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS Of arms, / think
I may venuEe safely to say, that there
/ was, on the part Of the great mass Of the
people Of Georgia, and of the entire
South. no disI0VdltV 10 the principles Of
the Constitution Of the United States.
To that system OF representative gov
Z eminent; Of delegated and limited
. powers that establishment in a new
phase, Oh this continent, Of all the es-
I sentials Of England Magma Chdrt0,
for the protection and security Of life,
liberty and property with the addition
I al recognition OF the principle as funda-.
/ mental truth, that all political power re-
[ sides in the people With as it was
7 simply q question as TO where our allegi-
suee was due In the maintenance Of these
{ principles-whieh authority was para
mount in the last resort-State or Fed
I erai. As for myself, i can affirm that no
/ sentiment of dislOyalty 20 these great
/ principles fseltgOvernment recognized
I and embodied in the Constitution OF the
/ United States, ever beat or thrubbed in
/ breast or heart Of mine. To their main
/ tenance my whole soul was ever enlisted,
and 10 this end my whole life has hereto
I fore been devoted, and VIII continue to
] be the rest Of my days-GOd willing In
{ devotion Co these principles yield 10 no
man living. This much I can say for
I myself, may I not say tine same for y0u
I and the great mass Of the people Of GeOr-
( gia, and for the great mass Of the people
! of the entire South Whatever differeu-
( ces existed amongst u.s. arose from differ
I ences as % the best and surest means Of
I securing these great ends. which was the
object Of all. Il was with this view and
Z this purpose secession was tried That
has failed. Instead of betteriug our con-
ditiOu. instead Of establishing our liber-
ties upon surer foundation, we have, in
the war Ulau gnsued, come well nigh los
ing the whole Of the rich Inheritance with
which we set out.
This is one Of the sad realizati0ns Of
the present In tins, too, we are but IL
lgstTating the teschingsOf history. Wars,
and civil wars especially, always mem
ace liberty; they seldom advance it;
while they usually end in its entire over
throw and destruction. Ours stopped
Just short Of such catastrophe. Our only
alternative now is, either 10 give up all
hope Of Constitutional liberty, or 20 re-
/ trace our steps, and 70 look for ITS Ylndl-
cation ana maintenance in the forums Of
reason and justice, instead Of on the arena
Of arms-in the courts and halls of legis-
lati0n. instead Of on the fields Of battle.
am frank and candid in telling you
right here, that our surest hopes, IN my
Judgment Of these ends, are in the restO- |
ration policy Of the United States. l /
have little hope for lberty-htt-e hope
for the success Of the great American eX-
pertinent OF elf-g0verument-buL ia the I
success OF the present efforts for the res /
t0ratiou Of the States % their former /
practical relations I'm q common govern I
ment, under the Constitution Of the Uni I.
ted States
We are not without an encouraging
example on this line in the history Of the .
mother C0unTy-in the history OF our .
aneestOrs-fr0m whom we derived, in 4
great measure, the principles 10 which .
we are much devoted. The truest friends .
Of liberty in England once, IN 1912, sban- /
doued the forum Of reason, ana appealed, I
s.- did IN rfra Errr1-T fine e1Hracf
means. in their Judgment Of advancing /
their cause. This was after they had .
made great progress, under the lead Of I
Coke, Hsmpden, Falkland and others,
I'm the advancement of liberal principles. /
Many nsurpatiOus had been checked; ]
many OF the prerogauves Of the crown .
had been CUrtsied s the Petition Of Right I
had been sanctioned; ship money had .
been abandoned, court martial bad been /
done away with ha5els corpus mad been /
re-established. High Courts Of Commits
sion ana star Chamber hsd been abOl- i
ished; many other great abuses NJ power I
had been corrected, ana oJterrefurms es-
tablished. But not satisfied with these,
and not satisfied with the peaceful work
ing oi reason, 70 60 On in its natural
sphere, the denial Of the sovereignty
Of the crown was pressed by
the First. All else he had yielded-this
he would not yhs sword vgss appealed /
10, 70 settle the question a civil war
was the result great valOr anG courage
were displayed on both sides; men Of
eminent virtue and patriotism fell IN the
sancuinarv and fratri-idaI conflict the
King was depOsed and executed : a Com
mOnEealth proclaimed. But the end
was the reduction Of the people Of Eng
land u q worse state cf oppression than
they had been in for centuries. They
retracei their A.. steps. After naET.y
twenty years Of exhaustion snd blood
and the loss Of the greater portion Of the
liberties enjoyed by them bafUTe, they,
by almost unanimous consent, called for
restoration. The restoration came.
ChsTles the Second ascsDded the throne,
as unlimited amOuarCh s. ever ruled the
Empire. Not pledge was asked o. a
guaranty given touching the concessions
OF the royal prerOtative, that had been
eNaCJad zud obtained from his father.
The true friends of liberty, of reform
and. of progress Ia government, have be-
come convinced that these were the or
spring Of peace and u enlightened
reason, and hot of passion nor
Of arms. The House Of Com
mons and the House OF Lords
were heucefsrth the theatres of their op-
eratiOns, and nor the fields Of Newberry
OF MarsIon Moor. It's result was, that
ia less than thirty years all tn6i- ancient
ri ghts sud privileges which had been lost
in the ciyi war, With new securities,
were reestablished ia the ever momOra-
ble settlement Of 1855 which, for all
practical purposes, may be looked upon
a. e blOodless revolution. Since that
time England has made still further and
more signal strides in reform and pro-
gress. But not one OF these hss been
affected by. resort 10 arms Catholic
emancipation was carried in Parliament
afusr years Of argument against the most
persistent opposition. Reason and JUS
tice ultimately prevailed. So with the
removal Of the disability Of the JeWs-sO
with the overthrow Of the R0tten-Bor-
ough sFstenl-sO with the eXtChsi0n OF
with the modification Of
the corn laws and restrictions on COM
meTce, opening CLe War 10 the e-t6b- .
Iishment Of the principles Of free trade .
and so with all the other great re-
forms by Parliament, which have so dis Z
,inEuished English history for the last /
half century.
May we not indulge hope, even in the
alternative before US row. from this :
great example Of restoration, If we bat
10 - the friends Of liberty there aid?
This Is my hope my only hope. IL is
ounded on the virtue, intelligence and
patriotism Of the American people. / I
nave not lost my faith In the people, or | 1
u their capacity for self-gOvernment.
But for these great essential qualities Of ,
luman nature, 10 be brought into active /
Ind efficient exercise, for the fulflment
IF patriotic hopes, il is essential that the {
lassious Of the day should subside that $
he causes of these passions should not
low be discussed; that the embers Of
he late strife should not be stirred.
Man by nature Is ever prone 20 scan
losely the errors and defects Of his fell (
ready 30 rail at the mote 8
a his brothers eye, without considering
be beam that Is in his own. This !
hould not be. We sU have our NOTES 3
II beams. We are All frail. perfec-
ion IS tie attribute Of none. Prejudice I
Y preiudgment should be INDUCED s
0wards none. Prejudice What
wrongs, whst injuries what mischiefs, .
What lamentable consequences. have 7
esulted at all times from nothing but !.
his perversity Of the intellect Oh al 9
be obstacles to the advancement Of
ruth and human progress, in every de-
'aFtmeut-iu science, In art, IN govern t
nent, and in religion, in 81 ages and ?
lines, not one Oh tie Est is more ILli- +