The Evansville journal. [volume] (Evansville, Ind.) 1866-1870, 1867-07-31
THE POLITICAL SITUATION AT THE
SOUTH.
Speech by Senator Wilson.

States Senator from Massachusetts,
visited Saratoga last week, and on
Thursday evening made a speech on
national affairs, from which we ex-
tract the following:
1t has recently been my fortune to
travel for four or FIVE weeks through
the rebel States. aud as they invited
me to speak to them, | said just what
I thought. | held them responsible
before man and God for every drop
of blood shed in this country, for
every life lost, for every dollar ex-
pended. I spoke to them palmer
than | ever spoke even to the people
of Massachusetts; but [ tried to do it
in a spirit of kindness, that | really
felt. I pitied their misfortunes.
They were more severely conquered
than | dreamed of. | tell you here
tonight that the people Of that sec
ton of the country put into the con
test all they had of blood aud treas
ure, and they were defeated. utterly
annihilated, their powers gone. No
man who loves his country and his
fellow-men, and who regards those
States as part of the country, and the
people as part of his c~ountrymen, can
witness the condition of that section
without having his heart softeped and
stirred within him. For myself, while
3 [ spoke to them plain words, | de-
sired to speak to them in kindness,
and in thirty-two speeches | made in
that section of the country, to various
kinds of audiences, | never received
a hiss, or whisper, or unkind word.
R-+ 7 ho-a nnVr NJ n plara hla invita-
tIons from various portions OF that
country to speak, which l cannot ac-
cept. I trust that the men of the
North, who can afford to be generous
as well as just, while they have re-
solved that treason shall never more
swayrthe councils of the country, will
be kind and generous, and forgive the
faults of their erring countrymen.
TApplause. [ trust that the public
men of our portion OF the country
of speech they have not had for a
generation; they have locked only on
one side-on the side OF slavery, null
LITIGATION, secession, dlsunion, civil
war, hatred of Yankee Institutions.
NQw, when the truth is presented
when the cause Of liberty, justice,
and humanity is presented to them
they listen as no people ever before
listened, and [ say to you it is the
great missionary ground Of the
country. Kind words, words ad-
dressed to the heart, conscience. and
reason, will do more there than in
u other portion of the country for
good. So much for the position of
that portion Of the country, as com
prehend it. And now | will tell you
what l think has brought about the
rapidly improved condition Of the
country, and that it is the overthrow
of the policy Of the President of the
United States, and that utter hope
lessness on the part Of the people hat
the Presidents policy can ever be sus-
tanned by the nation. Loud cheers.
That policy brought bitter words, vio-
lent deeds, wrongs and outrages.
Loyal men were everywhere insulted,
freedmen were outraged, and ven
murdered; but when the Congress of
the United States, sustained by the
voice of the people who had fought
them on six hundred battle fields,
laid down the terms and condi-
tious of reconstruction, and when the
Presidents policy was repudiated,
when their hopes in Northern friends
failed, when their hopes in the Su-
preme Court failed altogether, then
they saw that they must submit to the
authority of the nation, and they are
doing it with a very good grace. There
is another thing that has contributed
to the peaceful aspect of most por-
tons Of the States lately in insurrec-
ton. That is the ballot put into the
hands of six hundred thousand black
men. These men, let me say to
you, will bring these States hack loyal
to the country, and fully and unre-
servedly committed to the cause of
human liberty in America. Zap
plause. | make the prediction that
eight or nine, and | think nine, OF
these ten States will not only comply
with the terms and conditions Con-
gress has laid down, but Will elect
men who can take the iron-clad oath,
and will send men to the Congress Of
the United States who will think,
speak and act as the loyal progressive
representatives think, speak and act.
[Cheers, Twill tell you why. These
GOO, GOO black men feel that they are
fighting the battle, not only of the
country, bat of their own liberties and
rights. OF course, they will vote for
the Union, for they believe in this
country as no people ever believed in
it before; and they have reason to.
They revere the name and memory of
Abraham Lincoln as no portion of
our countrymen do. Applause.
The word Union" is engraved on
their hearts; they will vote not only
for Union and Liberty, but for school