Bristol news. [volume] (Bristol, Va. & Tenn.) 1867-189?, 1868-08-14

The time has come when we are wiling |
to speak through the press. A third of
decade has expired since the late war
between those whom we were taught to
believe God had joined together. The
Radical party has been in power, and
we have had no peace beneath Radical
rule. After the awful carnage, whlcd
began on the plain of Manassas and
ended on the hills Of Appomatto6, we
entertained the generous hope that
Southern silence was becoming. We
could not dishonor our dead by saying
we had been wrong, nor abaso ourselves
by protesting to believe it, We could
not consent to appear with impotent
clamor on our lips while there were
manacles on our hands. Our armies
had made a gallant and glorious resist.
ance, and yielded only to means and
numbers The course of good taste and
wise discretion seemed plain to US. We
would join in making no demand which
We had acknowledged We had no power
to enforce, but would trust and test the
magnanimity of the victors. Beside our
own convictions, we had the lofty ex.
amples of Jefferson Davis and Robert
Il. Lee. Those great men, of whom the
world is scarcely more than worthy, had
gono off the one to prison, the other
to retirewent--and were as mute as the
guardian angel at the tomb of jackson.
Though the heavens are yet dark, the
scene and circumstances are changed.
After course of prevarication and
treachery the legislative branch of the
government has claimed as it's sole pre-.
rogative all the powers of the other two,
and no successful attempt has been made
TO arrest the usurpation. Ruin has been
sown among the dragons teeth which
were previously scattered around our
frosides and our tombs, and we have
kept faith under the double castigation.
And now we have the ultimatum of
voting our own degradation, or bear the
bayonet thrust still longer.
We were promised cannon ruts on
Southern soil which would be visible to
and terrify our children then unborn
but with the terror of beholding them,
we were promised restored and beneG-
cent Union. We have those CHASTITY
scars in our fields and on our plains, and
our children have beheld them and
asked their wondering questions of the
cause; and some of us have lived to tell
them the unintclligible story of glory
and shame, of passion and .endursuce
of faith and treachery. Our arms
have been gathered to Northern arsenals
and the Federal dead to their splendid
mausoleums under the national wing
Many Of ours are scattered where the
bittern sounds his lonely drum, and WI
have been exocratod for depositing above
them tho frail but beautiful flowers o
the field. At length il has plelsel III
God of all the earth to divide the sen
timont of the North with regard to us
A mighty portion of that poopl6 hav,
said that the red flag Of battle shall b
folded away. They have met in th
great metropolis of the New World, an
invited US to aid them in rebuilding tn
the waste places of our beautiful land
and in stopping the mad waves of revc
luton which its progenitcrs had faile
to arrest. Heretofore we have refused a
connection with the press; a0ic we hay
consented to join tho party who hav
said we shall not be destroyed, and VIII
have prayed thnt We may meet thel
around the national altar and swear ia,
the starry edifco Of our republic cha
not fall. We do to-day raise our ow
voice in behalf of our own homes, GU
dead and our living, aud We indulge IL
pleasing hope that whom We cease elik
our advocacy OF politloal,viytuc aGd.oy
war upon unclean beasts in Radios
power, we may behold once more
united and great people, who, thong
they have lost their liberties, shall has
recovered them, and who, reposiug
the grand equipoise Of adjusted na,ioni
power, shall yet feel grateful to Jchova
that, whilo they were true to themselve
they were not unmindfnl of the misfoT
tunes of feeble race, once their slaves
We shall advocate the consolidate
into one great line of the several raj
roads now used as links 10 tho chain {
connection between Norfoll, and the trad
west and south of Virginia. In tn
success of that measure we will realiz,
for both Virginia and Tennessee, til
complete development of those advSr
tages which We have seen so auspiciousl
oou,p,opaaA unInr tbo ohta t,ano,a,nsu