The Lancaster gazette. [volume] (Lancaster, Ohio) 1863-1886, 1867-08-29
SOMETHING WORTH READ
I. .sH t-F ING.
From the Cincinnati Commercial.
Ex-senator Brown, of Mississip-
pi, on Reconstruction.


| All who are familiar with the
political history of the country
know something of the Hon. ALBEIT
q. Brown, long Senator from the
State of Mississippi. He made a
remarkable speech, on the Sd inst,
at Holly Grove, Copiah County,
Mississippi, to a mixed audience Of
whites and blacks. The Daily Cla-
rion, of Jackson, edited by L. Barks.
dale, publishes the speech, and says
it is s"statesmanlike and conclusive
The ex.Senator's remarks were in
the main addressed to the colored
people. He commenced with the
word "citizens," emitting tho "fel-
low" as he was disfranchised and
prescribed. He. said to the negroes
that "the same supreme power that
enfranchised you disfran chised me,
and forever debarrcd me the right
to hold Office, though every man,
woman and child in the State, white
and black, should desire to have
me do So" But he asked no sym.
'pathy, and was content to be aban-
doned to his fate. Ho was indebt-
ed to the favor of the people for
thirty years political experience
and he held that experience in trust
for the benefit Of the people. There.
fore he was talking to them. The
Congressional plan of reconstruc-
tion was odious To him, but a dose
they had to swallow. and it should
be done gracefully;
Ia' Il know the locomotive is on the
track; the steam is up. Old Thad
Stevens is engineer, and he is drunk
with rage. l am not going to play
the little bull, and try to butt the
thing off. 1t might be very cour.
agcous, but it would be very indis-
Greet. Old Thad. wants to run his
engine over us. But I'll not give
him chance to run 1t over mo-
Id rather step aside, and see him
igrit and gnash his teeth at his dis.
appointment, than stand on the
track, get run over, and witness the
chuckling at my folly.
81 mean by all thisth the Rad
icals in Congress want,you to re-
lject the proposed plan of recon
struction. They have the will, the
disposition and the power to force
uponyou still harsher terms: and
as certain as that there is q Deity
in-heaven, they will do it. Do you
ask how? | answer, by the very
simple process of disfranchislng a
yet larger portion of the whites,
aud giving to vicious white men
and ignorant blacks the exclusive
right TO vote. Do you ask, can
Congress do this? What is it that
Congress has not done?'
1t will be observed that Mr.
Brown has great confidence in Con.
grcss. As to the finality OF the
present proposition, the ex-senator
said:
81 hear it said on all sides, if we
accept these terms, Congress will
not be satisfied, but will impose
other and harshcr terms. This is
bus an opinion, and dissent from
it. l believe if we close in with
the terms now offered, and do 1t
in good faith, no further demands
will be made of US by Congress. l
do not suppose the extremely Rad.
ical members, such as Stevens, Bout
well, &C., will be satisfied, but Con
gress, as a body, will be. It's word
is pledged, and | am satisfied it
will not bo violated. But suppose
it is, who will be dishonored? You
who have complied with the terms,
as harsh as Congress chose to make
them, or Congress itself. which, in
that case, will meanly and perfdi-
ously have eaten its own words?-
L have no thought that Congress
is going to do any such thing, but
il it does, the civilized world will be
at no loss in fixing the black spot of
dishonor.
Entertaining these views you
viii! not be surprised when you
hear me say that I am in favor of
accepting the Congressional plan
tor reconstruction in good faith,
and for carrying it out in all its am
plitude, and to the incest punctil-
lio."
AS 10 tho fact that freedom for
the negro was a result of the war,
Mr., Brown stated the case in this
way:
"Yor have been told and no doubt
many of you believe, that the late
war was waged by the North
ern people for the purpose of
setting you free, and that the
Southern people fought for the sole
purpose Of holding you in bondage.
No such thing is true. That there
were individual men in both ar.
mics who were actuated by these
motives, is no doubt true. But
these were not the controlling mo.
tives Of either Of the grand armies,
The Confederate States took up
arms in defense ftheir equal rights,
land to establish their separate in
dependence. The United States
took. up armsin defense of the I'm.
Z. A