The daily dispatch. [volume] (Richmond [Va.]) 1850-1884, 1867-05-15

to the temperate zone. In the name of JUS
tce and humanity their rights must bc
secured, and they must enjoy every priyi
lege which other citizens enjoy; for make
equal rights the cornerstone of benehcent
reconstruction. 1t should be settled now,
and be done with forever. If done when
the war ceased, every State would have
been in the Union to-day. If you want to
end the Republican party, grant this,
and its mission will be fulflled-new
issues will present themselves. But you
say, "Proscription is an obstacle. We
are disfranchised. How can we love
Government which denies us repre-
sentation ?" These are fair remarks,
and in my Judgment there is no rea.
son why all loyal men should not have
voice in the Government. But all at
the South are not loyal, whatever the ma
iority may be, for there is small number
who only long for chance to fight again,
who are anxious to seek Mexico and Bra
zil, and claim loyalty only to avoid impri-
sonment. The number of these is dimin-
ishing, and has, trust, been greatly les
sened by this weeks work in Richmond.
We must adhere to the principle that no
disloyal man shall have voice in the Co.
vernment, and that all loyal men must be
heard. The prescription of the military
bill is only precaution against evil machi-
nations of the dsloyal. Now, what about
confiscation! ! have heard in Richmond
that colored men will not buy homes or
land because they are expecting home
stcads as the fruit of confscation. [" Dat
SOL" from blacks; "Not so" from a
white man. Believe me, friend, you can
much sooner earn a home. Confiscation is
the work of years, by tedious legal pro-
cess. If we have passed through the ex-
ASPIRATIONS of the last two years without
carrying this idea into execution, we need
not hope for it now. Thad. Stevens, the
great man who heads the movement, and
who is, perhaps, one of the greatest men
who ever sat in Congress, is the only advo-
cate of such course among all our sena-
tors and representatives. No bill has ever
been reported to attain such result since
the surrender of the rebel armies.
The speaker, continuing, remarked that
in his Judgment contiscation would be at
tended with famines and disasters such as
never before attended this country. Mr..
Stevens argued that $500, 100000 would be
put in the treasury by confscation but
history had never yet furnished an exam
pie where $500, 0,000,0 900 had been put into
any treasury by confscation. COnfisca-
tion bred deadly feuds. The feuds COM
mIenced in consequence Of the confiScation
of lands in Ireland by Cromwell 200 years
ago were not settled to-day. He did not
believe that any wise man who was the
friend of the black man would adj
wise them to wrest land by cOnfiScation
from their neighbors. He would not insist
that all values and industries would dis
appear under contiscation; but he did not
believe that if all the property in the South
were put up at auction it would bring
$500, 900, 900; and then good deal that
might be condemned would after all escape
confScation for as soon as the owner OF
such land would hear of conGscatlon, he
would slide it into the hand of some loyal
relative to be taken care of. Sometimes
this land would be restored, and some
times not. Confiscation would beget all
sorts of frauds and corruptions.
He had been impressed with the ex-
ceeding cheapness of Virginia lands, some
of which could be had at ten dollars per
acre, which in the course of a few years
would be worth 500. He counselled his
hearers to buy lands; and he thought that
buying them was the cheapest way ofgetting
them. Let them own lands, and have
spot to stand upon; it would give them
dignity and the respect of neighborS; but
they should not wait for coutiScation to
give it to them. lie was Republican,
he expected to live and die as such, but he
didn't say to those who differed with him
in their views to go forward and vote as
he did. He would never insist upon any
ones voting for man who would not re-
present his views. He would advise the
people of Virginia, though, to send men
to Congress who could take the oath and
who would endeavor to re0rganize the
State as was necessary under the enact
ments of Congress. If they would do this,
Virginia would take great place in the
counsels of the nation. He then advised
the people to take hold of the present
state of affairs like sensible men, and to
accept the terms Of Congress in honesty
and good faith.
He had heard that the white people had
been attempting to coerce the black man
to vote as they wished. He appealed to
the white man to let every man vote ac-
cording to his own conviction. Let no
plain or visible reason arise why they
should not get into Congress this winter.
He beseeched them to forget the past, and
walk forward with the firm determination
to achieve glory and greatness for our COM
mon country.
This closed Mr.. Grceley's remarks, and
he retired amid great applause and calls
for Gerritt Smith.
Mr.. Smith asked if the audience ne eeded
anything more, after having heard the
candid address of Mr.. Greeley? [Cries of
" Go on"l Mr.. Smith said that in coming
here he had no idea of making speeches,
but if he could say anything that could
bring his countrymen to better under
standing of each other, he would, indeed,
be happy to address them.
The speaker then quoted the words of
our Saviour, Little children, love one
another" and said that love would be the
fulfilling OF the law. The whole earth was
the image Of God, and God is love. The
i'll feelings that had existed between the
North and South had been smothered, but
were not yet extinguished. How were
the North and South to come together IN
love? Let each party enter upon its du-
ties honestly and faithfully, and we would
be ric III in love.
He complained of the southern people
that they did not, in popular phrase
ology, accept the situation" They were
conquered people, and were bound in
fairness to admit it. 1t was no disgrace to
those who had fought so bravely and per-
sistently that it had taken overwhelming
numbers and unlimited resources four
rnnrs To OVERCOME them. Ii they could