New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1867-05-22
RECONSTRUCTION.
SPEECH az TIE HON. GERRTr SMITH, IN THE CRY oF
RICHMOND, MAY a. 1864
lAs revised BY himself
u .t.h

iq revised By himself
P,on The Richmond Dispatch
Tic meeting calls my name. came to hear Mr.
Grecleys speech, not to make a speech am traYeins
South not to make speeches. To improve my hea'th
Nevertheless, could say few words which would tehu
in however slight degree to bring my counymeh mo
truer and an efecOnato union with each other Sa"y
would say them History tells us that the beloved
disciple, when aged and nlm as no longer 10 DC aoc
to walk carried through the religious assemblies Ii
further tells that all he did he thus Carried was
10 repeat Little children, love one another" Ltte
children, love anotherw have sometimes Thought
when looking upon the unhappy divisions IN my DeioVed
country, that good man. and worthy 10 lneulcate
love, should be well employed IN gong over IL ana
bidding the people TO love one anoher-the North to
love the South and the South to love the North-the
whites to love the blacks, and the blacks to love the
whites But It easy foresee what should ever be
thus employed would be said of me- III would DC saI
that am vsionary-nay, that ana loo. ~ woun
be said that the great and bitter disagreemcns III our
only by sound staeSmanship Nevcrheicss must stll
believe that all sound staesmansbp IS warmed and vital
lied by love, and that the craftsmanship Of when rove -
not the soul is exceedingly perncous, as well as utterly
spurious must still believe that love will everywhere
and in The province Of statesnansh lteIi
the fulfilling the law" IL will yet be the ac-
mowledged law of the whole earth. Christs religion
love The whole earth Will yet reflect the image oil GOd
and God is love" Now III the first place we want to
The between them IL ended but peace mas not YET
come We have only truce, and hardly that III feeling
But how can there be this love between those who have
recently hated each other with all the hatred which
Of such hOrrd war IL can he If each party VIII
earnestly begin and earnestly continue 10 40 lts duy'
phrase OF the day accept the situation She must all
that she conquered, and Is in the hands OF the con
1ncror such admission il surely disgrace to her, who
fought brayey and pcrsistngy, and whom Vt was so
hard and weary task for her enemy, although 80 lar c
superior in numbers and resources. to overcome Her
conqueror has prescribed the terms Of peace In these sue
should acquiescc II not with entire ehecruhess never
theess with all possible chccrfuness; These terms,
tlough 1 would have had them sOmcNnaJ
mdcr, have nevertheless, not been precilDrd III llo
spirit of injustice and vmdctivcness: Few con
Guerors would have shown more lcnity. Hence
it strikes unreasonable, not to say hngIate-
supreme Court in order TO get away from the terms
imposed by the conqueror by the way, how strange IL
* that they who thus To That court will be so foolish
and suicidal consent To take the position before
1t which they do-the position that inc seeding STATE
are still and have been throughout the war under tho
Constitution and in the Union. IL ~ very true tbat WINE
the strife yet in rs ncipient stass OF an insure
sttuton and in TIE Union But 1t - no lesa true thal
when the strife had attained 10 lhe ulehsons ,,nu uls
nty Of evil war, and especially when eaen parry WE
nation dc facto that strife was no longer uhuer te Inv
Constitution. hut under the law Of war; AMI tn9se
conclusion do the prominent pubiicss bring us Guns
conclusion does the Difference due To members DrhB
Difference, by the way which DeinocfallI polo 'n
ever De foremost Ia sanction. To TINS CONCLUSION ar VIC
urged by the beralsts O Europe who would not btVe
IL la the power dcspots WELD an American precedent
In behalf of charging with treason the c"hpucird III
civil war. To this conclusion are we brought ny lhc
prowinp demands of higher civilization 10 exempt wars
from the Tgor Of municipal law, ana 10 mitlglc trlh
wav had been The unanimous cOncmsono f this very court
which called To reverse that conclusion Ihis
position that new state can by no possDiiy get a%"y
from the Constitution aud Che Union was, To serve thc
party interests taken by Northern Democrats, ana
publicans tempted take it.. The south should have
scorned 10 take H. am amazed mat sac s0n ,nnsr'
ton of taking II. In the first place. she Knew lt al
theories Ia the contrary NEUTRALITY-SUSPICIOUS. sue ha throw
Inc Constitution To the winds, and broken out OF the
nior. I'm the second place she could NOT ne so pn ~
not to that her admission that ss ~ sun - T 0
and IL -tl exposed 10 the constitutional pans ana pra
cannot RELEASE herself be released from the C0sttn
ton aud the Union! What II virginia SNAIL at sol9
I her every bosom shall prove 10 be heart OF oak, ana
the her every arm shall prove to be snews OF
steel shall be found by all the other forces OF the
mai Irresistible must the nation, from the ne
ressy keeping her under the Constitution ana III the
Union, 20 on hghtlng her lOicN'rf must ue S"Uru
devonr for ever {" Must blood never cease 10 fow No
paper create such necessity The parties, If both
agree to the dissolution wlbc at liberty To dissolve men
relation each other. The nation may say That rather
go have said what the south should DO tat she SHOULD
"acccpt the situation ana let Inc north ulclate the
North shonid do. The NorG should deal very justly
and very generously with the South Thereore, IN the
first place she should honestly admit that she H. IN com
mon with the South guilty 81 TINS war; mus snlS II
she II the spranE, rs some say u dh from thc uoc
tinc OF sovereignty; FOR THIS doctrine was hcd at
The North AZ well as al the south. jefferson and Mad
son who both held IT, were high authority at the N0ith
a. well rs the South And here let me say tha tey
saw this doctrine In the Constitution II Is quite certain
not the doctrine is there, hut that Is not with sum
Constitution the work Of the North rs well ms OF the
south. The war; however did not spring unless II ne IN
a very slight degree from this doctrine. IL sprang rom
Slavery; and the North was quite as responsive a. inc
South for slavery. For, remember, ms have already
said that the Constitution the Joint work OF the
North aud the south aud remember too that WIN the
exception OF few persons with extreme views al nave
held that the Constitution made In the interest OF
slavery. ! confess that am among these Few !. rsos
For hold that not only that slavery was NOT III lT c"
means whatever be got into It, Pllacy cannot De aM
But slavery the superlaNe piracy Murder cannot po
1a I'm "a hat
that his child were IN the grave Oh thc i hul
the responsibility the North for the Constitution that
she is also responsible for the statutes OF congress anu
state Legislatures and decisions OF Federal and state
Judges which the alleged proSayery character OF the
Constitution called for. The great majority OF lhS cor
leges theological semnaries and churches OF me Nortn
were tainted with Slavery and cxerted influence to
uphold it, The great mercantile ana lanuiet ~, i
tcrests of the North were, with few exceptions III lG III
tcrest Of slavery Commercially the North benefited ny
slavery more than did the South The south hed ,ie
cow but the North MIXED her In inc next Placc; t .ae
North should feel deep pity for the SOUTH III view OF her
mpoverishnent aud desolaon, aud especially strohg
should De- her desire TO contribute TO the leeI ~ '
south In view of the Of the large responsibility OF
the North the war, and therefore Tor th lpo hi
mcnt and those de-olatlons Congress, nst , w ID
tating 10 give million 10 relieve the eNlstnelts a
mitigate the suiierngs 0ithc sou'h should anG S
appropriated to this end ten OF twqny mon S ,aHy
this appropriation II only In peeunaly polht Oh view,
have conduced 10 immediate and true peace between
The North and the South and nothing would go so iar Us
The nTe of lis bonds Nor would have the North stop
with this measure OF help to the south Inc Nor or
sill rich. very rich, ana the SOuth so very poor
and so very poor too through her own fault only
Int also through the fault of her very rich sister an eh
empion Of the South for half dozen years from direct
Federal taxes would be expression OF sympathy no
less reasonable than beautiful was once toid tal
Northern capitalists cugrating South. and well abe 10
nav all sorts would share In the 6enct OF ths
exemption Let them share in II. IL would De anohcr
mduccment to multiply such emgtants aud sucb elnl,
grants are among the greatest needs Of the South Anu
then too the streams OF private charity nom he No,,n
Ia tIe South should continue to flow for Yeas, deepening
and widening instead OF diminishing have now sara III
what spirit the North and south should bear themselves
toward each other similar spirit should characterize
The mutual relations and mutual department OF the
whites and blacks Why should not You Southern whites
love the Southern blacks when you remember lhht V
LaAe sOll with mon