The Charleston daily news. [volume] (Charleston, S.C.) 1865-1873, 1867-04-04
GEN, SICKLES' ADDRESS
TO THE
CHARLESTON BOARD OF TRADE.

ing, VIC publish in full, to-day the address OF Gen
D. E. sIckLEs at the dinner giron by tho Ch rles
| ton Board Of Trade on Tuesday evening last. 1
will bo road with intorost. General Scklos said :
Mr. President and gentlomen, I thank yol
commcndation. The 70 alton bear 10 thu
people Of tho. Carolinas. while temporary,
charged with tho supervision Of tn: gov
| tion to tho honor conferred upon mo on tho pres
Ont occasion by SO many persons Of consideration
presume some of you may expect from mo init
nations as to my limo Of conduct. shall not
fear, crafty eyon reasonable degree Of curiosit,
ON that subject. But at all eyonts may, withon
Departing from the reserve imposed upon mo by
duties, tell you what shall not do.
First, shall not for moment think OF dcpriv.
my old friend Governor Orr. (Glcat cIeering. i
Nor shall fail to ayil mysolf Of tho aid and asss.
TANGO Of any othor civil officer in South Carolina
who Performs his duty as zoalously md faithfully
as know Governor Orr has ondoayorcd TO dis.
charge bis duty. tCheers.)
Gentlemen, I am suro can add, not only for my.
sell, but Tor every tccr Of tho army Of the United
Statos, soryinT under my command, TINT under no
circumstances will wo sanction any act OF injustice
spol,atlon or Wrons committed upon any citizen OF
Gentlomon, W Il of1or to You another assurance;
you have my authority for tho statement to capital.
isss, tradeis, to mnnufaotur ors-to all who desire
to embark In your agricultural field Of labor and
to oil who wish to invest moneys In your socurtios
and in your lands, that tho military authorities will
sessions, to increase tho risks of those who have
heretofore embarked in enterprises on YOUR soil.
Whatovor wo can do to strengthen confidence in
your resources, and to promote the material pros
perty of tho commonwealth shall bo done.
7 concur heartily in the con tdont expectations s
which hayo boon expressed as to your future. am
impossible to Americans. believe TINT tho civil
and political misfortunes, tho disasters in trado
and agriculture, tho prirations, hopes and dis
couragements you have aufcrod, and which would
haro crushed almost any pooplo who had not cx-
traordinary energies, perseverance, and faith in
The future will al BE- conquered by The olas
tho his ory Of South Carolina Tint % suggests Is
that you are an exception to these traits Of our
countrymcn. 1t may not be unbccoming in mo to
say, although you would perhaps refrain from
saying SO yourselves, that, in the war which has
us Suos the oh so ov hy
and such energy. and resolution, and Courage, ns
will, II wisely directed aurmount creator difioui.
tos than any now before them.
I will 60 further, and ycnturo q suggestion in
reforonco to your limo of aotion. or course shall
not trospass upon tho political arena; for as to
that am as much disqualified ns his Exoolloncy
tho Governor, taough not by o constitutional
am required to do by the dutios, of my position,
matter which you have to consider. With this ro-
soryation, lot me soy to you. 60 stcmen in all can
dor. that ono Of tho fret duties you havo to dis
charge to Yourselves and to your fe.low-otizeus is
to romove a distrust aa to your purposes fcolings
AID intentions in he future towards the colorci
race; this distrust is, in my judgment, tho
main obatacle to tho cordial corporation and
good understanding Of tho two racos. Tho causes
for tho existing alienation should, perhaps bo
looked for in tho ear history of your State and
her former Institutions But tueso are con ,idern-
tions Of tho past I do not 300 from my point of
yiow any reason why tho undoubted idonfity OF in
terest that uoes o3is and must erer exist between
the whito and colored races in South Carolina
shall not result in their pursuing in commo, all
the ends q society and government us heartily and
slavo had never existed (Applause.) ono method
OF reconciliation is 30 nearly allied with the dis
charge Of my own duties, that will add to this
every whito man, and most especially ovcry whito
man Of consideration and influence In South Caro-
linn, TO oxert TINT influence, DO it Ittlo or much.
the hR PBa g :" "a ss
md property. Whosoever is concorned-be no
white or colnred-be he rich or poor-you must
carry this resolution with you to the jury box,
TO the balotbox, upon the seat Of JUSTICE in your
municipal government IN y.ur halls Of legislation,
meet. Equal justice should be cardinal maxim
in tho polty OF your State, not only because it is
your interest to have contented, prosperous and
BECAUSE i Is iIat and right tChScrs II i tIo eoi
error the evident losson must commend itself 10
the heart and conHcienco OF every good Citizen
that the poor and ignorant should enjoy tho pro-
lection OF the rioh intelligent and influential citi
aen, It is my belief that whom y.u have convinced
traton OF them, that you mean to do th"m Justice,
you will hayo solved tho most difficult problem you
have to consider in your affairs. You will, at the
name timo, obyisle nineteon out of twenty or tho
instances in which tho exercise Of military au-
thority your affairs becomes necessary. {Cheers)
Mr. President and gontlemen, allow mo to mako
o remark for the purpose OF disabusIng your minds
Of any orr neous Impressions in regnr.i TO tho aon-
timents Of tho people Of the North toward t 10
81 ho a af as real
executed hcre under my direction, have not been
adopted with any purpose or retaliation or hostl-
S Teto 20 Of GSe p the ps0pe s0sRsf e
North do ip,t desire to maintain q Military
aovernment anyEhoro in this country. They
our institutions, and deprecate its pioIongation
anywhere as misfortune. They do not do
sire on tho other hand TINT the people,
gother and wholly subjoct to tho control OF thoso
by:whom they have been heretofore held in eervi-
tudo, Nor do thpy aesiro that this humorous
placed in Tho way Of their wel.boing horo wboro
they belong shall bo constrained TO out loose from
their mooripgs hero and emigra. eIto other anu
sai sS no gifs q ' aeauss as they
their labor, Other similar considerations hayo
contributed their influence To tho adoption of tho
thnt tho reorganization Of tho political insa utona
OF the South would most speedily terminate the
necessity for military occupation aud military
con rol. Il the presence Of troops was me-
mon, tho obvious remedy, III republican form OF
government, wae to glvo tho enfranohsed race, by
means OF the ballot tho power 10 enforce rasI oct
for their privileges as citizens The adyoea les Il
universal suraBo arc certainly friendly to the col
ored pcoplo therefore 1t Is certain thoy wish NC
miafortune to the oommunitos in which the colored
people must continue, for wesi or WOO, to dweil.
Far from It. On the contrary, they believe that
this addition 10 tho representative popul, ,tiop o
tho country, in addition to its military powor and
| It's means OF production must result, not only In
great and substantial good to the nation q, largo
but that groat and substantial blessings mus
follow to the people OF tho South. II is not sc
| sares will accomplish the bonehcont results con-
templnted by Congress-, as 1t IL TO commend then
| to your Judgment and appreciation in their true
purpose aud object, according to my belief; nnt
also geDtlemen, TO assure you that it Is In this
sense, and with these hopes that, 80 far ~ my dp
executed. That tho result, to yourselves, to YOU
| postcrity, and TO our common country, nay
| strengthen and endear tho ties that must hence
forth mako our destiny inseparablc, is my praye,
| and will BIO my earnest cndeavor.
Gentleuen, commend TO you the brighton as
1 pcct OF the future. There has mover beon an i'm
portant experiment In public Affairs that hna moi
especially is this true In tho mattor OF suffrage
Eyory large addition to the voting population OF
country has excited tho alarm OF many who Iancioc
| themselves among tho wiHost OF their generation
When universal suffrage was granted to tho white
race, it was predicted that it would involve tht
downfall OF the Republic. Tho naturalization
laws, and the consequent encouragement vivon /,
emigration, have brought To our oiioros millions
| Europeans OF eyery racs aud clime. At the outso
| it was predicted that this foreign olomont woult
rovolutioniZe our institutions and broah down ou
experiment Of FREQ government. Greas Britain, il