Wilmington journal. [volume] (Wilmington, N.C.) 1844-1895, 1867-04-12
GENERAL sICKLEs' ADDRESS
10 HE
CHART ESTON BOARD-OF TRADE.

Gen. IL. Il. SlckleS at Iile 'hhheA Sl'o" W
the Charleston Board of Trade on Tuesday
oveainr last. It will be read with interest.
Gen. Sickles said
Mr.. President etjtd Gentlemen: thank yea
for your kind expressions OF coincidence hnd
Communications The relation tcar 10 the
neople of the Carolinas, while temporarily
charged with the supervision Of their gov
ernment, i,nparts additional interest and
qualification to the honor conferred upon
me on the present occasion 10y So many per
SONS Of consideration. presume some OF
YOU may expect from INC 1ntimatiolls ns to
my linC Of conduct shall not, l lpAr,
grptifv even IL reasonable degree IF Guflose
ity Oh that subject But Ut al events | may,
without departing from the reserve imposed
upon me by my official position, aud its re
sponsibilities aud duties, tell you what |
shall not do. ....
First, I shall not fol {. moment think Of
deprivine myself Of the able aud efficient
CO operation Of my old friend Governor Orr.
[Great cheering. Nor shall [ fail to avail
myself Of the aid aud assistance Of any other
civil officer IL South Carolina, who per
forms lis duty rs zealuusly AMI faithfully
as know Gov Orr has cndeaTprch tn dis
charge his duty. Cheers.
Gentlemen. ! an sure [ can add not only
y y
of the United States, serving under my
command, that under no circumstances
will We sanction any act of III Justice, spoil
alton or wrong committed upon amy citizen
of North OF South Carolina.
Gentlemen, / will Offer to you another
| ASSURANCE ; you have my authority Tor the
statement to capitalists, traders, to ntDn1i-
facturers to all who desire to embark Ill
your agricultural field Of labor, and to all
| who wish to invest moneys III your sCcurl-
ties and il your lands, that the military 1lt-
tlorlticb will do nothing tcntliug to impair
| the value of your poSsesolona or to lncrcase
the risks of those who have heretofore ON
barked i'll enterprises on your soil. What
ever we can do to strenghthCn confidence
in your resources, and to promote tue ma
terial prosperity of tho Commonwealth shall
| be done. -.
concur heartily i'll the confident expec-
/ tations which have been expressed as to
eUur future. [ am one of those who be
lieve that there are few things impossible
to Americans | believe that tile civil and
political misfortuncs, the disasters III trade
and agriculture, the priyations, hopes and
acknowledgements you have suffered, and
which would have crushed any people
who had not extraordinary energies, per
severance and faith in the future, will all
be conquered by the elasticity. vlsor and
J fortit,lde characteristic of the American
people. There is nothing i'll tue history of
South Carolina that suggests that you are
! an exception to these traits Of our country
men. 1t may not be unbCcomlng Ill me
| to say, although YOU would perhaps refrain
| from saying SO yourselves, that, III the Far
which has Just closed, the people OF the
South have shown such RESOURCES, and the
ability to employ them, and such energy,
and resolution, and courage, AS VIII, II
wisely directed, sllrmol,nt greater Difficult
ties than any now before them.
| will go further, and venture snEges-
ton III reference to your line OF action
OF course shall not trcspass upon the
political arena, for as 10 that | anu lis much
DISQUALIFIED as his EAccIlcncy the Governor,
though not by i constitutional amendment.
Laughter | shall abstain, as I am re-
uuircd 10 do by the duties Of my position,
from any allusion to The political bearing
of any matter which you have to consider.
With this reservation, let me say to you,
gentlemen. IL all candOr, that one OF the
J, first lutie1 you have to discharge to your
selves and to your ow-citizcns, is to re-
move ell distrust as to your purposes, feel
ingB, and intentions i'll the future towards
the colorcd race this distrust is in my
) judgment the main obstacle to the cordia
the two races. .....
The causes for the existing alienation
should, perhaps. be looked for III the carly
history of your State and her former in
/ situations. But these are considerations o
q the past | do not see from my point O
! view any reason why the undOubted lden
ttiy of interest that does exist, and MUS
> ever exist between the white and coIorc,
8 RACES III South Carolina shall not result il
S their pursuing in common Ill the ends o
r society and government as heartily ant
;, successfully rs If the old relation Of mastc
Il and slave had neyGr existed, Applause.
} One method Of reconciliation Is 80 ncarl
II allied with the discharge Of ny own du
+ ties, that will sdd 10 this suggestion Il,
. Illustration [ think it. behoovcs ever
. white man, and most especially every whit
9 man Reconsideration and influence III iiOutl
i Carolina, TO exert that influence, be it lit
tie OF much. for the fair, honest, AMI i'm
:, partial execution of The Laws, which 6cclr
= protection to person, character and proper
u ty. whatsoever IL conference.-the he whit
or colored-be he rich OF roor--yotl mus
carry this resolution with YOU to the jury
box, to the h.llot-box, upon the scat q
lust1Ge, IL your municipal SDtornment, i
your halls Of legislation, aud to ycur re
construction convention Wien it shall neet
If il the polity Of your State, not oply be
ID cauBo it is your interest to have IL content
81 ed, prosperous and happy laborinG popt1
70 lation, but for higher ro;l3o1t5, because it
~ lust and right. EChuerB. II the colore
to people arc Ignorant and poor and prone +
IN error, the evident lesson must il
y self to tho heart and conscience of ever
?, good citizen, that the poor and 1Snorzsll
ii should enjoy the protection of the rich, il
ir te1ligent, and influential citizen. Il is m
. belief, that when you have convinced tn
:. colored people by your Laws and your ad
N ministration Ut them, that you lneun to d
u them justice, 5ou will have solved tho mos
IS difficult problem you lave to consider i
.. your affairs, You will, 1T the same time
n obyiate nineteen out Of twenty Of the il
or stances i'll which the exercise Of mihtar
70 authority nyeur affairs becomes necessary
q; [Cheers. ::.: ..-.:--s.. ...=.--. -.
ed MIR. President and gentlemen, allow II,
to mako remark for the purpose of dlss
busing your minds OF any erroneous impre
- sions in regard to the sentiments of th
= people of the North towards the people
the South | affirm as my real convictio,
that tho rnaueI1reS Of (Onoreas now tn /