New Orleans Republican. [volume] (New Orleans, La) 1867-1878, 1867-05-17


stitEtiOns, Christian societies, III word,
assumed the entire control of the govern
ment and policy of the United States.
When that time came, when no man in
Congress believed as Washington, Jefferson,
Madison, and the great men of the South III
til e revolutionary era believed, there arose
q few humble men who proclaimed anew
the sublime doctrine of the equal rights of
humanity, that it was the duty OF the mas
ter to let the slave go free, and the right
Of the slave to be free. (Applause.) Aud
such was the sentiment of the nation here
in the South; aye, and in the North, too,
that those men, those Christian men, de
voted as they were, held, in the language OF
J. G. Whittier, property, liberty, and even
life itself at the mercy of lawless MOD
All over the Northern States the men who
maintained the sentiments of the revolu'
tionary fathers, who dared to avow the doc
trines that Washington avowed, were hunted
and prosecuted by a merciless public
That great leader of the ante-slayery
party. man whose name Will be
handed down to all coming generations.
William Lloyd 6 .rrison. that man, one OF
GCd's noblest works, was mallgucd, hunted
down, denounced, and misrepresentcd for
years, but he lives to-day ("Ih7af corr TO
see his country free. And but a day or two ago
he left the shores of the republic for the old
world, carrying with him the blessings OF
millions, and name that viii brighten ana
brighten in the history of the republic.
For nearly a third of d century, between
freedom on the one hand. supported by
humble devoted. God-fearing men, and
/ slavery on the other, supported by accom-
I plished statesmen, by pride, and power,
| there was struggle that shook the conti-
| men, itself TO its foundations. Slavery WAS
...al+sjseiag, craspinr, demanding more guar
= sa- 1T felt tnat II could not stand stlll.
,ST ,asS-Ts E4EEEud still was to die.
It's cncroachmcnts were met BY few de-
/ termined men, who stood just where
1 the men stood who made the government
| Of the United States. (Applau=e.)
! When in 1856 the nat on was summoned
to elect chief magistrate, the green swards
| of a western territory, a territory the
| Mississippi were watered with the blood OF
men who had gone there to secure homes
| for themselves. In that hour OF darkness and
| trial there sprung into being an organization
| calling itself the Republican party Of the
! United States. Il laid down as its funda-
| mental doctrine, its belief that all men were
created equal. (Cries of Bravo" and
! chgers) Ii declared itself opposed to human
| slavery the wide world over. applause
| Il claimed the right, the constitutional
right Of prohibiting slavery in the territories
| Of the United States, and OF preserving
| these territories for free labOring men from
| both North and south, and for free labOring
! men from the Old World, who should come
7 here so long as grass should grow or water
should run. (Applause.) II asserted that
slavery was a mere State institution, founded
by State law. for which the people of a
Slate were alone responsible to men, the
nation. and to God that II claimed
/ not the right to interfere with slavery in
the States. This party cast nearly d million
and a half of votes in 1856 for its young
leader, John c. Fremont. Four years pass
ed away, aud slavery made more demands
tyr,a.s nj nNrrfr Yrt-
it claimed the right to go into the terri
tories Of the United States, take bond
mca, and hold them there as slaves by
force of the constitution of the Cnitel
States That wicked dogma came from the
brain of Mr.. Calhoun. When proclaimed BY
him in the Congress of the United States i
met the stern disapproval OF the senator
aud representatives Of both political parties
When the year 1850 dawncd upon tn
| country the nation was again pre-
pairing for the election OF chief magis
trate Of the republic. Then the friend
| of human slavery came int
the hall OF the Senate and House o
Representatives and demanded the right b,
the Constitution of the United States tn tax
slaves to all the Territories and hold then
, there. These men declared that If the Re
publican party should elect Preslden
they would destroy the government of tn
United States, dsmember the Union, an
, didn't do it, thought
When the results of the election of lS5
were made known, when Abraham LincOl
7 was made President of the United States b
+. the voice of the nation, these men raise
the standard Of rebellion. and plunge
the country into the fire and bloc
of civil war, and the men {
| the North and those Of the sout
l during four weary, terrible years met eac
/ other in deadly conflict. Their faie.
had fought side by side on the BLOODY liald
0 of the revolution to establish the inucpCrt
a ence of the country; they had fought side
5 side on the land and on the sea IN the wa
i. of 1912 to vindicate the rights and the homo
. of the republic; they had stood together o
T these fields made immortal by their cor
stancy and their valor; they had follows
!. the old flag to the very halls of the Mont
/ zumas together; fought, bled, and died sid
2 by side; and now their sons on more tina
Il six hundred battle fields, poured OF
: their blood in support, on ii
one side, of the old flag OF the republi
V of the unity of the country, of til
, life of the nation, and on the other side,
# support of new flag, new confederac
d new nation. ask you, gentlemen, WI
d is responsible for this? Not the Cover
3, ment OF the United States; not the peop
Y of the United States; not the great Repu
e lican party of the United States; none
Y these. The responsibility rests and mu
e rest in all coming time upon tho
who raised the flag against Il
a authority of the nation. But do not pl
5. pose here aud Low to enter into discussiC
7, of these differences. They are gone; Il
h | conflict is ended. Peace has come; and
IS pray God that it has come to stay foreve
e | (Cheers.) The cause of the rebellion h
n passed away. The system of human slavel
in America, and everything pertaining to
II connected with it, has passed away. II
e nation lives. Slavery has died, and the
D. is no power in Louisiana, no power in Il
II world, TO bring a system of human honda!
It back again, or to bring back the old idea
d policies, principles, and measures connect,
d with the system. They are all gone: th'
y are further away to-day than they were yt
It terday, and will be further tomorrow thi
Ic they are to-day.
E, All the causes OF difference, | say, a
n gone; why may we not then be countrymt
Al again! Why may not men who have stru
gled, who have been the supporters of idea
i. the one Of free labor, the other OF SLAYER
IS for third of century = wi
.e may not these men, strong, Dol
,r brave, bold, aud powerful, who have IN
n each other on bloody battle fields, who ha'
Is raised gigantic armies-why, | say, may II
n. these men, now that the cause OF Difficult
.e has disappeared, take each other by Il
)r hand, and, reyiying the memories of Il
olden time, make our united country II
n grandest nation the sun in his course ey
le looked down upon? (Cheers.)
m believe it to be the duty of the men OF Ne
a Orleans, believe it to be the duty of Il
o. men of New England, OF the Central State
l. and of the mighty West, to think for d
le country, speak for the country, act watt
d for the country, and make that country gre