Wilmington journal. [volume] (Wilmington, N.C.) 1844-1895, 1867-05-03

not have Deen necessary for the coutl " hhfo re
sorted to secession. believe, and announce i
with confidence that will be sustained, that bu
for the determination exhibited by the North tc
destroy slavery for the purpose or gripping oul
strength. that the South would of its own free &C
| ton have abolished slavery thirty years ago. Blu
when the Republican party and Its predecessors
for look upon it continuation OF the old par
| ty sought to accomplish our overthrow for the
purnose of culing their own profits from our pro-
duco the South could not consent to that, and At
was on that account that slavery was not abolish
ed by the Southern people themselves. 1t Is a
well known fact that whatever may have been the
disposition of the South as regarded slavery, she
will when trampicd up'n, stand as long sht
| has the power to stand and offer resistance, and
when submission is necessary, she viii submit ar
IT, OTghly ana as completely as any people III the
world.
| ne gentleman in the course of his speech re-
ferred TO the fact that cOl0red men were entitled
t. vote in the state OF Massachusetts, and IN do
ing he tells you that they have been emitted to
no d Office siu the year $50, and TO prove his
assertion he te is YOU that there are 1T the pre-
sent time two black men in the Massachusetts, Lee
gisiature ask him how many there were there
before became necessary tor the white people to
show you that they regarded you as their equals
| 1t Is not since TIL war ended that the kepuDlican
party sought to make capital out OF the South
| they have been doing so before. The gentleman
told you the south was the aggres5or Ill this mat
ter of superintendent the United States govern
ment sent 2 poor little ship and let the Confeder-
ates fire on that VI Ssel at Fort Sumter-that they
| fired the first gun i'll this war, He forgot to tell
|
frt-he forgot to tell you how a United states
! ficer under the cover and darkness or night,
sneaked ont from Fort Moultre and got IL
| TO fort Sumter-it was breach Of faith
! on the part of the government and 1t
was that act we resented. We went to war,
| fought and We're whipped by them and now, III
the oentlcman's words, 8 hat Is all very
rue. but how dad they raise troops during the
ware (DerisiYe cheers l VIII tel you how
they raised troops. They said that those battles
were fought for the restoration OF the Union, that
they were not fought to abolish slavery, but that
they wanted She Union restored, and after they
succeeded ii accomplishing what they undertook,
after il was no longer necessary To conceal the
real object distinguished Senator tells you that
as we are out we viii have 20 stay out until they
choose to let Us in That is breach Of faith not
to US, but to those men they invei8ed into their
armies to fight for that purpose.
Aft r discLs ling these matters the Senator pro
ceeded to talk to you about President JohnsOn's
policy, commonly called my policy lie tells
YOU hat after the South submitted there would
have been no difficulty N fixing matters up, but
for the unauthorized interference ofthe President
Now le: us examine tbs rights N the premises
b. the CONSTITUTE he IS the commander of the
army and navy Of the Uni cd States, and crushed
out what he and the Senators were pleased to call
It beliion and until treaty was ratified, he had
also right to prescribe the time to the conquered
Nho elsa at that time had so much right to rep
resent the government of the United States as
Preside [ johnson: tie was chosen Vice z. esi-
dent and have 10 dOub- by the votes of the
p ople and have doubt, i'll part, by the vote
of the Senator hrns'f by these votes lie
eeva ed TO the Vice Presi ienCy, and by the deed
OF an assassin. he went into the Presidency.
will tell YOU what President johnson has done
for yru, you were not free by proclamation Of the
President OF the United States at the time the war
ended. He had no right to make You free, but
Mr. Johnson came to the Southern states nd
said if Won will strike out of your constitutions
the acts which authorize slavery L will exercise
all nv influence to have you admitted into tao
Union. He fixed it in the law that for all time
to come no man should have right to say you
were not free: he fixed it so that even the supreme
Court OF the United States could not tOli'h 1t so
you did not need the lowering, protecting wings
Of the Republican party to give you freedom
You got your freedom not through them, but
through the instrumentaslty OF Andrew Johnson.
The gentleman has told you what his plan for
reconstru ionis. His plan is that he would come
south and tell you to go to work and make a llv-
nag, and he would divide the land Of some OF the
prominent leaders of the rebellion amongst You !;
de Drive them of their rights and perhaps mee out
to them punishment, and he would tell you to VIII
out OF the CONSTITUTIONS OF the States slavGrt and
all matters pertaining to it. He said that he would
have given you the right to vOte and he says that
his policy has been carried out V those reconstuc-
ton bills. l don't know whether h. regards the
reconstruction bill frality or not. Why did
he put into that bill the right for you to vote
and to hold office: He arm, on with the ballot !;
he gave You he freedmens privilege, and yet he
says nothing in that bill which is his policy and
not President JohnsOns, about your having right
to hold Office here. | heard some time ago that a
number of republican men invited some OF you
20 attend meeting, and they talked on and some
Of them were invited to make speech. He
thanked them for their kindness, he said he be-
Ieved he han right to vote, and he wanted them
to explain to him Why It was he had not right to
GOi.t office as we'll as to vote.
che gentleman arralgned the South for having
:: 10 acI ept the constitutional amendment
,a1o0 ecu know what he proposes to do for you
no w 90 81 YOU He proposed to leave it to the
-; us ore i the State 20 say whether you shall
WIZ PooPlI vote, or whether the number Of
11enIh-.ra II Congr SO snould be feauced IN pro-
l - u t But did not have any
5hiertion 70 il and nv re- son Tor oelS Wiling 10
accept it was because he wan, % " TiEot onest;on
IF our men from holding otfic. Of sccant it 80
was put to the South at she did L - on or1ar
1t was put to az AIN in the shape o. =. oJoo,
and / think it is very fair that it should nj
ted all orders coming from that SQUIRE ~
here are very sure t. be respected. (Laughte4 >
He sa! IS that have right to rejec' that bill
that all traitors, at the mercy of the great
Republican party, and If this Is the case, and II
they have the power, as they have, why don't they
bring jefferson Davis TO trial for his treason! For
two long Years shut up from the hight and air OF
4 -aycn, he has been the inmate Of a prison, and
vet, VIII never the proposition has been made for
rial, and, his counsel have done 1t time and
~ Iin whenever they 90 before the Courts to have
he matter tested; whenever they go there and
show Willingness on the part Of Mr. Davis to put
himself the laws of his country, they shrink
rom the task and don't dare to bring him to
rial. He has made the attempt on several coca
5iOns, and then the attempt has met with failure.
/ want to show you how Mr.. Wilson has stood
speech that for the last thirty years he had been
III advocate OF emancipation. l am afraid the
yentleman's memory has been at fault, but l am
perfectly satisfied that he would not come here
with the intention to deceive you In 1855 he made
speech in t United States Congress, III which
ne said We believe that slavery in the States is
p local insttutiOn-that we are not responsible
,or it's existence, and that we have no legal au-
hority to interfere with it in any way whatever.
am content to leave slavery to the people of the
States where it exists. l recognize the DEM
ocratic doctrine of State rights in its application
to slavery as well as to the local laws, and while
have seat in this Chamber, I shall resist all at
tempts to encroach on the reserved rights Of the
States, &c, &C.
Does that look like he had been labOring for
for thirty years? 1t looks to me
somewhat different If had been advocating
for thirty years, don't think could
ever go and make q speech denounclnS ali IN
Engagements on the reserved rights of the States.
The speaker here read an extract from a letter
written by the late President Lincoln to AleXan-
der H. Stephens previous to the war, in which he
stated that it was not his intention to interfere
with the institut on OF slavery, and then pro-
ceeded to revert to the circumstances which led
to its abolition. He dwet with much force on
the fact, that the abolition of slavery was q mere
accident and that they (the slaves) would never
have been sc, free if it was not to serve the mo-
tives OF ambitious men. He implored his hearers
not to allow themselves to be deceived by the flat
terry OF designing men whose sympathy for them