The Charleston daily news. [volume] (Charleston, S.C.) 1865-1873, 1867-08-16
MIR. rl,h,-,s splaEc1I AND HIS NOTES.

|
II. Hill, of Georgia, made speech Mt Atlnn-
tn, "on the Condition of the Country" At tho
close Of his speech, according to the reporter,
| three chccrs were proposed "for tho only man
| south Of Mason and Dixon's linz that has pro-
| claimed the truth from The scaboar,l to The
| Mountains" In This speech, therefore, we
| have locked FOR the truth. We hnvc not found
it. We have uot seen in il single proposition
| stated fairly. We have found in il little else
ilnn an excited appeal 10 the passions Of those
who listened and in the most Of TINT which
wns charg,l against others much which ha,l tho
most fitting adaptation 10 Mr.. liIh. himself.
Vie are ut liberty 10 deal with tho speech as
we think it deserves: because tho subject is
| common WIN '.. "'', tho nconlc Of Georgia.
Whatever MIR. Hill has snid 10 the people ef
Georgia, is equally applicable to the people Of
this State.
"if tsnys Mr.. lIlIL) you voIc fur convcn-
tion, you are rrpLuRrD.'' AMI this dccara-
tion, 50 startling, MIR. ll:.L proceeds to prove,
| by The assertion that the Act of Congress by
which provision is made for the proposed Con-
vcnlon in these Staies is unconsl li,utional.
Being then unconstitutional, tho vote for the
Convention he says, violates the obligations
OF the amnesty oath: because that oath binds
him who takes il 10 support the Constitution
| II would he perhaps sufficient to say that one
who, because of his own alleged violation of
the Constitution Of the Unite States, had been
obliged 10 seek and obtain II pardon, should be
rather dif1idcni interpreter OF its obligations,
us declared by all the departments of its gov
| IL
tained thn, pardon. lie admitted that hc
had wrOngfully done Tint which, in his
| Speech he again cOunsels and advises. lie
again sets up his opinion us to the legal effect
anu, therefore, OF the obligation Of an existing
law, against tho authority Of NIL the depart
mcnts OF the Government Of the Uhite,l States
| lie has admitted that i'll this he has heretofore
erred. \ little more moderation then woulrl
have been in better taste from one, who hI,l be-
fore him the recent proof Of his mistake, nc
cortling to his own admissions, Of what hat
Constitution meant, and Of the obligations ii
imposed, and which he confesscs TO hive vio-
lated.
OF Mr.. Hills opinions previous 10 the late
war wo have not my knowledge. Of his
limited experience. This, however. we
gather from portion OF the de-
bates i'll The Senate of the Confederate States;
TINT Mr.. Hill. was tho advocate Of measures
arbitrary; OF doctrines tyrnnnicnl; of that con-
struction Of the powers OF that Congress which
destroyed every principle of Constitutional
| Liberty for the advancement Of which the war
| was waged. II would he diilicmlt fur tho Con-
gress Of tho United States 10 exercise any now
ers which would be more arbitrary, and with
| less show Of sanction in the Constitution, than
were some of those which, in the Congress of
the Confederate States, hal the support of Mr.
Hit.
Mr.. Hill, i'll his Notes, has tod us that, "nflcr
years of heroic struggle. the Southern people
laid down their arms, because they we're nssur-
cd by their enemies, and taught by long trust
ell but faithlcss counscllors anil oiliccholdcrs
among themselves, BY so doing they would he
again in the Union rs before"
MIR. Hill has evidently not the materials for
writing history of that struggle. In opposi-
tion TO his fancirul assumption OF the causes
that led TO tho cessation Of hostiliies, we will
place the testimony of The gallant and ill used
General JOHNSTON: :" Events {says that
true soldicr) i'll Virginia which broke every
hope Of ssccess by war, imposed OH its Gene
rails the duty Of spnrug the blood of this gull
liant army, anu saving our country from fur
ther devastation and our people from ruin"
And who does not know that this is so?
| And when the heroic men who composeL
these armies yielded, it was for the conaidcra-
| tions which this brnve General, with the ter,e
In ,c tt,oo Al
Of the man, thus pointedly sets forth: al made
{hc snys) this convention (he convention with
| General SHEnMAN), TO spnre the blood Of the
gallant little army committed 10 me; TO prevent
further suffering Of our people, by the doyas-
| tation and ruin inevitable from the marches of
invading armies; and 10 arod The crime ef -ag-
ing hopeless @ar." Will Mr.. Hill be regarded
ms more trustworthy in his statement of the
causes thnt led TO the cessation of hostilties
than General JOHNSTON? Will the people be-
lievc Mr.. HILL that they were tricked into n
surrender; or General JOHNSTON that the war
had become so hopeless, that the further prose-
cmiion Of it was n crime?
Well with the Convention then made be-
tween General SHERMAN and General JOHN
sToS, was it left, as Mr.. HILL would bnyo il.
TO every one, to determine what Inv of the
United States was constitutional and what was
not? Not so. After The preliminary parts of
tho Convention had been complied with, the
officers and men were "pormttci to return 10
their homes, not to be disturbed by The initial
States authorities, so long ns they observe
their obligation (not to take up nrms against
tho Government of tho United States until pro-
perly relieved from this oblgatien), and The
lars IN force ahere they may reside"
Who, then, is, under this obligation, permit
led to soy TINT INV, passed by the constituted
and proper departments of the Government OF
The United States, is not . law he is bound TO
obey? Who will say that law passed in pur-
suance of tue power and forms of The Consljtu.
lion, with which The Supreme Court has re-
fused to interfere, is yet not law, for the
observance of whicl, the officer or soldier who
has been thus paroled is to give obedience
How my one who occupied at position so re. |
sponsiblc as that Of Mr.. HILL, and in which
there shonld have been such ample opportunity |
for knowing and understanding The causes that
broke down the sirugglc, should pretend that
The acts of demagogues or politicians led TO the
surrender Of the armies Of LEE and JOHNSTON,
fa t...1z