The daily dispatch. [volume] (Richmond [Va.]) 1850-1884, 1867-04-22

| government. The spirit of Liberty opposed
their views, and in the ranks of her followers
| were thousands OF good men, who read their
| Bible" and on hended knee asked the Divine
guidance, firmly believing that Christ died for
Ian
| The struggle went from ls'o until Noyem
| her, 1850, when the American people, unawed,
and filled with earnestness in the cause of
| truth, marched 10 the polls, and by their bal
lots proclaimed Abraham Lincoln President
OF the United states, and decided forever thai
| slavery should never advance another inch
upon this broad continent. tChecrs from the
| colored people. They decided that the Go
| vernment of the United States should be un-
der the control of men who adhered 10 the
| doctrines promulgated by Washington, Jeftcr-
son, Henry, and Madison, of your own Nir
| ginia. No one proposed TO interfere with the
| rights of any of the southern people, or TO dis
| turb any who loved the Constitution ana
| Union but in the pride of power n class of
men who adhered TO the principles of human
| seryitude plunged the country Into 4 reyolu
| ton, which for %ickedness has never been
| equalied in the history OF nations. south Caro-
| lima took the lead, and after Fort Sumter had
fallen, Old Virginia, too, yielded TO evil coun-
| sells and took her place in the line, thereby
| losing thousands Of her sons and making her
| soil for four years a bloody battlefield. Let
me say here, fellow Ci tZeus, that i believe
| war was inevitable. Two great ideas were
| abroad In the land. One was the great princi
| pie of republican freedom, backed and sus.
| tanned by all the great advocates of progress,
the almighty hand OF God behind il, and with
| the philosophy of ages as its support while
| the other was the gigantic system Of human
| bondage, with its millions of wealth its fct-
| tered slaves, and proud aristocracy. Freedom
| did not give way: she never has and never
| will quail; and Slavery, too proud 10 yield to
| the demands of Liberty, raised the standard of
| revolt | believed then, as do now, that this
| war was inevitable; II was one of Gods great
| wars, and 1t ended with Justice victorious, rs
l supposed it would. What is the result ;
| The Government was sustained, the nation
| still lives, the dear old flag still waves, and
| slavery, thank God has Sunk-gone down too
| deep for n resurrection. wild cheers from ne
| groes. Millions of bondsmen have been freed
and elevated TO the high position of citizens of
| the United States and every man, woman, and
| child here present no matter how dark his
skin. is as free rs | am-as anybody on the
| globe can be. They have their rights, and
those rights must be- secured. The proudest
blood that courses through the veins of 4 Nir.
ginian is not more free, is not more noble, than
| that of the humblest freedman who dwells in
| this old Commonwealth. For the accomplish
ment of this we of the North fought six hun
drcd battles, brought science and art TO the
aid OF inyincible bravery, expended three
thousand millions of dollars, lost two and 4
half million men, created 4 mighty navy, and
were stronger in April, 1868, than when the
war commenced. The rebels went into II, eX-
hausted all their resources, put forth all their
men upon the field of battle, and fought with
heroic yalor. The war ended. Yes, thank
God, il has closed, and may lie grant that
another may never curse our country.
Now, let me tell you one thing that know
| 10 be true: Although we had made great ef-
forts although we had many sacrifices ; al
though we poured forth the blood of our chill
dren like water, and money like the rams OF
autumn although we had buried $4,000 Young
men in the pride and bloom oflusty life, whose
graves are scattered beneath 4 starry northern
sky and ridge the fields of he dcsolated South,
while thousands of manned veterans remained
to remind lis of our wrongs-still, when the
victory was ours, not 4 feeling OF revenge ami
mated the northern heart. There was no dis
position 10 rejoice over your many Sorro"S
but a feeling of qualification at the triumph OF
truth and the settlement upon the basis OF
liberty and Justice. We desired that all should
have equal rights before the law but while we
wished to raise the lowly, there was no in
tention of forging the chains of slavery for
those already free. These were the sentiments
of my section.
Every man who came TO Washington after
the surrender of Lee was ready 10 do any
thing that the good of the nation required. AND
the proposition now pending, II IL had then
been submitted, You would all have exclaimed
with 10y that the Government was Just, libe-
rail- and morciful TO fault. Some thouSht
that our Government would 20 farther, and
do far more than we have ever contemplated
When President Lincoln prepared eigh con
ditous for the pardon OF the rebels, II"
honored me by asking my opinion OF the r.,
uuirrmentS, and | gave them my cordial
anproyal When Johnson proposed f"nrttea
thought there were six too many, and urged
that the thirteenth at least should be stricken
out allude To the exception OF the owners
of property valued at :2d,uoo from the am
upstv | believed that the first thing was 10
20 TO work: that the sooner men VINO had
been stricken by war, whose 1Ielus ma oech
devastated, whose money had been lost in Con-
frterate bonds, went 10 work, the better II
would be for them and for the country. 1
would have selected a few of the rcbelllous
lraders-the men who planned the great wick
rdness who sat in Congress and sent dlS-
patches misrepreScnting us TO their cons stltu-
ruts, and would have pardoned the rest Al
the same time, | would have said, Amend your
state constitutions, revise your statute BOOKS
rmancipate your slaves, and make all equl
before the law. Iou would gladly nave dohr
this Our only object was the good OF all
classes and we desired TO do injustice TO none
The misfortune was here. When President
Lincoln fell by the assasSin's hand, 4 ciiss OF
men clustered around the new President an d
WHISPERED in his ear their plan for the orSani-
lation of Il great conservative party, of which
he might be the leader. Conservatism Is al
| ways n sign of error, and when man calls
himself a conservative he means wrong. w h'h
| the Radicals in any country are pushea on
| there are few earnest men ieft. returning
| will say that, contrary TO the viii of ninety
| nine out of one hundred OF the men VINO raised
him TO his high position, Johnson adopted Il
| policy of his own, ana Tor eighteeh mon rs rs
| Governed YOU as he chose, and you humbly
| bowed TO his commands. He assumed all
| that Congress now assumes; and you who en-
| dorsc the President should never speak OF the
| Iusurpations of Congress. - MY pollcy
| ruled for many months, and then perlshed
| under the stern condemnation OF the Amerl-
| can people, and will rise no more 10 curse our
| YOU. or Your country. Congress AT lenEth
| settled upon plan OF recohstrueuoh-mih =
| rary recon struCtion. And let me say that this
| bill had no father, but was made up OF contrl-
| buttons from various quarters, and was the
result of much anxious thought and prayer
| IL is wiser than we then knew; ana verify
| believe that il was framed by the hand OF
| God.
| Since the passage of that bill there has been a
| mighty change in the South. In some OF the
| States where outrages upon freedmen were OF
daily occurrence, not single case OF the lilul
der of a colored man has been reported TO the
| authorities for weeks. This Is not owing 10
| the presence of the military; for while all OF
| us have Il dread OF power when 1t IS used
| against rs, yet you are not lhe people 10 DC
| intimidated in the cause of right 1t Il owing
| 10 the fact that TO the black man we have con
| hded the ballot for the protection OF their lie,
| liberty, and happiness. The result IS PLAN
You colored men are now feared ana respect
| ed for your power. Your hands are weaponed,
and everybody knows it. LGreat laughter, and
| cheers from blacks. The plan Of reconstruc-
ton will be adopted as tldings from all parts ol
| the country proclaim; MANHOOD suffrage WIZ
| be acknowledged, and men who can take the
| test oa In will 20 10 Congress. The whole peo-
| ule from the Potomac, or even from Maine, TO
| the Rio GraEde, will be divided into TWO srea'
| national parties Let all who favor the
| bondage of men, who are opposed to universal
suffrage favor the denial of citizenship and
cling TO the heresy OF secession, all VINO hopeu
10 get in Congress and then manage 10 repos-
| sess the reins of government, 20 together
and | trust they will. There is party &c
which they can CO. which has always sympa'
| thizcd with them, for the Democrats nave
upon every question voted against the rlghls
| of the colored man.