Keowee courier. [volume] (Pickens Court House, S.C.) 1849-current, 1867-06-15
F. O LIT TO a l.
Speech of Horace Greeley on Reconstr uctlon, /,
Ar nIcuNo~n ~, ,y / 1pcy

cpoech vi H"taco 0Feeloy on construction,
AT RICHMOND, VA, NAY +, 1867.
very large usscmhlage Of persons of di-
verse views and hnes having beer convened
on brief notice at the spacious African church,
MIR. Greeley addressed them us follows:
FRIENDS AND FELLOW CITIZENS did
not understand that my invitation to speak
here tonight, lasty and informal as it was.
iia.zz -13 Y people. | understood that few
citizens OF different vicws-pcrlnps / should
rather say, of differing ntuccdcnts-wishcd
to hear me on the present aspect Of our public
affairs, and | consented to address tilem.-
Hence, shall not regard myself as speaking
here tonight .fora party nor to II party ZAP
plause shall speak as citizen Of New
York to citizens OF Virginia, OH topics Which
concern our common interest, our conlmon
country; and, while shall speak with entire
frankncss, ! trust you will realize that speak
in spirit Of kindness to all and with defer.
cncc to the feelings Of ALL rArplausc.1
SHALL TIE SWORD DEyOIM FOREVER p"
So asked ct old Hebrew prophet, standing
amid the ruins of his dcsoatcd country. So
!, an American citizen, standing amid some
OF the ruins Of our great civil war; cncirc!cd
by n hundred thousand graves OF men who tcll
oil this side and on that, III obedience tu what
they thought the dictates of duty and of pn-
triotism, shall speak in the spirit oi trt proph.
ct, asking you whether the time has not fully
come when all the differences, all the heart
burnings, all the fcuds and the llatrcls which
necessarily grew upi the midst of our great
atrugeIc, should be abandoned forever! TAP
planse.] There have been rivers of Il o Il
nned there have been mountains Of debt piled
up; and on every side sacrlrccs. suiferings.
and losses, attest the carncsncss ant. the :in.
certify with which our people fought out t,.j>
great contest to its final conclusions
The wise king said There is time for
war aud II time for peace" j trust that the
time for war has wholly passed that the time
for peace has fully come What obstacles
have for tho last two years impcdc,l, what ob.
staclcs still impede, the full realization of
peace to this country? There may be what is
called peace, which is only nockery Of peace,
when people of di 'crent sections and of differ
cnt parties, in great struggle still look dis
trnstfully, hatefully, as it were upon each 9th.
or, and arc unwilling to meet aud lo cA change
ciVllitIes. There may be an enforced ,,uiet,
m avoidance of positive hostlitics, aud vet
no peace, no real peace. What is it., then,
thdt mas so iouS III IIliS country 0DStfuCtCu the
advent Of real peace?
lihc war for or against the Union virtually
ended with the surrender Of Gen Lees arny.
more than two years ago. Both parties felt
tllut that surrender was conclusive of the strur
gle; and, while much had been idly or boast
ingly said Of 70 years OF guerrilla war, after
the armies should be dispersed, yet. when the
surrender was communicated to different sec
tons of tic South, the people everywhere
said, "This is the end of the war; there is no
use in struggling any longer" And, accord
ing to ordinary calculations, one year from
that hour should have seen perfect restora
ton Of peace.
Why have we not yet realized that expcc.
tation!
In tho first place, whom tho National party,
If l'may so call itthc party of the Union
was ip tho first flush Of a perfect, undivided
triumph, an assassin's blow struck down tho
Chief Magistrate Of tho Nation. would be
the last to argue, or to insnuate, that that
Waa tho act of tile defeated party in tho na.
Ada. EApplause. Still, there were certain
facts connected with it which tended to aise
an exceedingly malign aspect to Tint general
calamity. The assassin and his follow con !.
spitators were violent; vehement partisans Of
the Southern cause. ! bclcve ono Of then,