The Lancaster ledger. [volume] (Lancaster, S.C.) 1852-1905, 1867-02-06
Relief for the Destitute,


accounts Of public meeting held at
Cooper Institute on the 25th ult., to take
measures to procure relief for the starving
people Of the Scu.h. The proceedings
of the meeting are exceedingly interest.
ing, both on account of the enthusia IN
manifested, and from the practical Results
whiclf-it is hoped will follow this and sim
lila. demonstrations.
Mr.. Peter Cooper presided and deliver
ed short address explaining the call for
The meeting. The people of the North
were, he said, determined to show the
people of the South that we are not, and
never were, their enemies When we
had done our duty in;feedng the hungry
and clothing the naked, the Southern
people would see that it was proper for
us all to insist upon every possible guar
.anty against the recurrence of the causes
OF the misery the meeting now deploret
The following resolutions were adopt.
ed: y
Rcsolved, That the intelligence which
reaches us Of tae suffering brought upon
large sections Of the Southern States hy
the almost total failure Of crops, 10 add
tion 10 the devastations Of war, appeals
with irresistible force TO Northern men
and women to come promptly and gene
rously TO their relief, and thai, thus meet.
ing the claims Of this appeal, the people
of the North will perform a service bal
lowed by Christian principle. comprehen
sive philanthropy and elevated patriotism.
Resoioed, That Southern Relief Com
mission be appointed, consisting of thirty
men, with power to add TO their numbers,
and to elect their officers, together with
an Executive Committee and that il be
the duty Of this Commission to. do all
that they shall believe to be necessary in
raising contributions and in distributing
supplies among the destitute, without re-.
spect to race or opinion.
Resolved, That lhe philanthropic men
and women of other cities and communi.
ties throughout the North be res pectfuIly
and earnestly invited to share the respon
sibililies and the blessings Of a work
which calls for universal sympathy AID
effort.
Rey. Henry Ward Beechsr then delv
cred speech, referring at some length
to the war, which he characterized as .
punishment OF the nation for the sin of
slaveholding, the rebellion being the less.
er crime. lie closed as follows:
stand tonight 10 hail IN the future a
rejuvenaied South, free, with free labor,
free schools, and free papers free in con.
science, free in understanding no need
Of darkness any more, no need of shack,
les or of whips, but which, animated, bv
the dvinest spirit of a truly Christian
liberty, bound in the bonds Of common
brotherhood, shall advance and march
forward TO future full Of pros perity.-
And now, ! say again to you, in this hour
when they are sti suffering, relieve them,
and as.you relieve them do not think
that YOU are going down into the pit, as
If they were in their death throes and
anguish. 1t is their Gethsemane, but
there is before them resurrection and a
glorificaton, and the day will come when
South Carolina will shake hands with
Massachusetts,, not for political effect, but
because they love one another. a
Horace Greeley delivered the next
speech. 1t was comparatively brisf. He
declared he did not desire to reopen any
question Of difference between the North
and the South, but urged the duty Of the
people to come forward in the present
crisis. lie said ::
In the first place, there are to day, /
think, a quarter OF a million OF orphan
white children in the South, and widows
whom this great war has made-uomen
and children who were not accustomed 10
earn their livelihood. They are not un.
willing, they are willing and anxious to
work for living; but the means for do
ing it do not rightly present themselves
Again, there are quarter Of a million
and more in the South Of maimed aud
crippled men, most of them heads OF fam
ilies-families whom they once were able
to support-but who, because Of their af
ffictions, because OF the manning, the
mutilation which they received during
the wal, are no longer help to their
families, but rather burdens upon them.
Mr.. Greeley closed by saying that New
York could afford to begin with sub.
scription Of one million dollars 70 help
these people, and the other great and
small cities Of the North would initiate
the example. -