New-York tribune., 1867-05-17
VOL. XVII. NO 8,l45.
RECONSTRUCTION.
SPEECH OF HORACE GREELEY ON RECON
STRUCTION
Al RICHMOND, VA, NAY 4, 1867


.e,so views and hues having been convened
IN brief notice at The spacious African church,
Mr. Greeley addressed them as follows:
Ey,r,,ns tND FELLOW CITIZENS: did not under
m tbat INV invitation to speak here tonight,
basfv and informal as IL was, was the dlct0t9 cs-
c;Siv of any PARTY or section Of TINS people un-
,lerstood that few citizens OF 9ineiehD wv
hans should rather say, OF differing ahleceuehi9
isbed 10 hear on the presen' aspect O our puuhG
tairs and consented 10 address them Henee.
iall not regard myseiIr a. SIAN speak as
tizcH of NewYork to citizens OF virginia, on topics
which concern our common interest; orr common eon9
sounfrv and while shall speak Wlt1 eh. re IilHS
,sese 4 fTnst Won will realize that speak IN spirit
of kindness 10 all and With dcieleuce 10 the lcclngs
"SHhiI' .i' THR SWORD DEvoUR FOREVER" So
asked OF old Hebrew prophet, standing anna the
lins of his dcSOlated country. ~ l. an American
stiZeu standing amid some ot me runs oL oua sde
civil war encirccd by hundred thousand graves Oh
men who fell this side and on that, IN oOedlShce
20 what they thought the dictates o. duty anu oi
patriotism, shall speak IN the spirit OF th PIopiet
AL ING Won whether the time has not fully come Wnen
All the differences, all the heart-bunings all the
fends and the hatred, winch neceSs9rly gafw up III
foreverl IApplmsol There have been MYERS OF
blood shed there have been mountains OF de9t pled
up and on very side sacrifices, suerlngS, dioSseS
attest the carucstne>s ana the sincerity WIN Nnhc
cur people fought cut this great contest to ITS hldl
Tire ,jse king said. There is a time for and
4imo fer peace trust that the time for war has
who'll passed-tbat the time for peace mas Iuly
come What obstacles have for the last two years
tmpeded what obstacles still impede. the full re-
Giizltion of peace to this country There NAV be
that rs called peace, which IS only mockeiy OF
CAGE when people of different sections and OF dlt-
terent parties great struggle stI l0Ok dstTuSt-
fully hatefnlly IL were upon each other ana are
unwilling TO meet and 10 exchange eiUhues. there
may he an enforced quiet, an avoidance oi positive
hOstilites and vet peace, no real peace Nhat IS
g. then that has long III this country OOstucted
the advent of real peacel
The war for or against the Union virtually ended
with the surrender of Gen. Lees army more than
two years ago Both parties ieit that mat suIsh%ae1 %
been idly or bOastugly sad OF 20 years OF glcIrlla
war after the armies should be dispersed, yet, Whth
the surrender was communicated tOdlberent sectlons
II tie South the people everywhere said, " Tins IS
Ahe end OF the war; there is no use IN struggling any
)onger.' Aud, according to ordinary calculations,
enc year from that hour should nave seen perfect
Why have We not vet realized that expectation?
In the first place when the National party II may
20 call 1.-THE party of the UniOn-was IN the first
Gush of perfect. undivided triumph, an asSassIns
eOw struck down the Chief Magistrate OF the Na-
tlOn. wOnld bc the last to argue. or TO lnsnuate,
Slat that the act of the defeated party IN the
nation lApplause.] Sti1, there were certain facls
connected With IL which tended TO give an exceed
ingly maign aspect TO that general calamity The
assassin and his fellow conSpnators were violent,
vehement partisans of the Southern cause. JbeleNe
one of them had fought for IT. while they had an
keen ardent champions of the principles upon which
81 was founded and of the system of human bondage
with which II was identified 1t was the act of men
who were heart and soul with the COhiedeIacy. not
merely in IFS efforts but III ITS fundamental aSpla-
tioDs.
L As tis news was flashed the country that its
chief had been stricken down in the hour oI general
4xultaton, his first assistant III the GOVelbmchE
even more fouly stabbed and mangled on q bed OF
sickness and pain, and tnat cO9rainat9 eHoi,s ltu %
GiOyolnment, cry Of wild and passionate grlel ana
wrath arose from the whole people lhose VINO I
had been pleading for magnanimlty and mercy 10 inc
commemorative had been appealing TO not unWllllhg
eaTs,in the tcw days intervening between 1ne 9lose
uS the waT and the Of that terrible calan-
,ty-were silcnced IN q moment by this appalling
crime committed upon the person OF our great ana
good President. The Nation could not ianly con
edeT, amid its blind rage and grlei that TINS aSsasSi
nation was the work of n few, Unauthorized by and
unknown to the great mass of those against whom
their fury directed. 1T was an unspeakable ca
ismity-a calamity 10 the Southern quite as much as
20 the Northern part Of the country.
The Military Trials which followed that event
which might say, completed the tragedy-weIe
qualifications Of the popular wrath Whch rather
tended to stimulate than to appeaSe IT. They were
desired at the time. For my part was opposed 20
them: and trust that au Americans have, by tins
time learned to regret that the regular and ordinary
tribunals Of the country had not been allowed 10
deal with these criminals as they deal with others
before the popular frenzy had had time TO subside,
there assembled. under the military order OF the
President of the United States Conventions or Leg
slatures in the several Southern states representing
only, or mainly those who had been defeated IN our
Legislatures which then met represented mainly
those persons and the first aspect presented ~ The
people OF the North by the action oil these Leglsla
lures was one Of what may mildly term Ultrlcnd-
illness toward the coored portion OF the people OF the
South.
what was very apparent at that time The Southern
Legislatures met and began at once either TO enact
OF revive laws discriminating haTshly ana ulgustly
against the cOored people OF the South as lhe OBJ
ject had been punish them for their ~ inpaJ WIN
the Union in tho struggle that had INST closed;
will here merely glance at the substance OI tlese
laws You are miliar with them for some OF them
were passed in your own State. There, for instance
tho laws in relation 10 Marriages TO contracts
for Labor TO Arms bearing, and TO giving testimony
in Courts which, If they ever had been necessary or
wise, had utterly ceased to be applicable aiter the
overthrow of Slavery, aud the institutions based
upon it. viii not detan you by any c9mments
upon these laws but VIII content myself by bringing
Tived in most of these States.
There are first, the laws forbiddng the Black pco-
pie of the South to bear arms. Now, so long as
Slavery existed here and in the other States OF the
South il was perfectly reasonable and proper 10 far
as ANYTHING growing out of Slavery was proper that
Blacks should bc forbidden to have arms IN Their
hands. You may find fault with Slavery, but you
cannot find fault-Savery being admitted as TACT
with slaveholding legislatures for forbiddng the
colored people 10 hold and bear arms. 1t was not
deemed compatible with public safety that Blacks
should be allowed to keep and use arms Ike NIhio
persons. But, the moment Slavery han passed away
all possible pTeteXtS Tor dlsaTmlng Southern blachs
passed away with il. Our Federal Constitution gives
The right to the people everywhere 10 keep ana bear
arms; and every law whereby any state Legislature
undertakes 10 cOntravene this being IN conflict With
the Constitution of the United States bad no longer
any legal force. And when il was seen that COted-
erae soldiers IN their uniforms OF gray went around
10 Black mems houses and took away arms winch
they had earned by fighting for the Union. and which
had been assigned TO them for honorable service,
what could this look like but revival OF the lie
bellOn
Then, as TO this matter of Testimony: believe
that sound enlightened jurists the world over, are
agreed that il is the true rule of judicial procedure 10
admit GU testimony, and allow the Court and jury
10 decide 10 It's value This is the Just rule with
reQard IN Afheiats N children NJ fander years tO