Belmont chronicle. [volume] (St. Clairsville, Ohio) 1855-1973, 1868-09-03
The Republican Cause i'm the
South.
Mass Meeting in Atlanta,
Georgia.
Speech of Ex-Governor Jos. z. Brown


been nominated by the Governor, and
confirmed by the Senate, as Chief Justice
of the Supreme Court of this State for
the term of twelve years, / am aware
that the propriety of my course in ap-
pearing before you on this occasion may
be questioned by the so-called Democrat
ic presses of the State. And | only al
lude to the fact here, to say that l have
not yet taken the oath of office, nor have
| entered upon the discharge of the du-
ties of the high position assigned me
Indeed, l know of no official act which
l can be called on to perform till the next
term of the Court, in December. / do
not, therefore, transcend the bounds of
propriety when l exercise The rights of
citizen and Republican, and raise my
voice to warn the people of the dangers
which now threaten, not only the peace
OF society, but the very eXisetnce of
civil government throughout the vast
extent of the broad land.
The issues before US are no ordinary
political issues. They are the issues of
peace or war, of life or death, of gov
ernment or anarchy. They areupon us.
We cannot avoid them: The Democrat
ic party, so-called-not thee old Democra-
cy of former years, but the sO-caUed
Democracy-led by the bitterest enemies
of the old Democratic party, avows its
purpose, through its chosen leaders, to
tear down the government lately estab-
Iished III Georgia, and other Southern
States, by the sword which will, if at
tempted, light up the continent with a
blaze of civil war. --.5,
On the other hand the Republican
party, through its chosen leaders Grant
and CeifaX, has proclaimed for peace,
and declared its purpose to sustain the
governments now existing in this and
other States, and to restore and main
tain law, order, and prosperity i'm the,
same.
These are the mOmentous issues now
presented for the consideration of the
people of this great Republic. Shall we
have peace and stability, or shall we
again plunge the country into war blood
shed and chaos, with all their attend
anti horrors, privations and miseries? :
For one. am for peace. We have
had enough of war for this generation.
And L confess l shudder at the prospect
of the renewal of the strife, in a ten-fold
more appalling form than that through
which we have just passed.
1t is not my purpose to review the late
unhappy struggle. Nor do L intend to
take up your time in a discussion of the
merits or demerits of the reconstruction
acts OF Congress. | shall deal with the
present and the future. Reconstruction
in Georgia is an accomplished fact. Not
upon the terms chosen by her people,
but in obedience to the dictations of the
conqueror. We appealed to the sword
to settle the controversy which had long
existed between us, and the people of
the North. The war was long and bloody.
The decision was against us. What
then could the South do? She had
staked her cause upon the wager of
battle, and had lost in the fight. Every
effort we made to resist the conuueror
recoiled upon us, and added to the sfrin-
gency of the terms to which we were
required to submit. Our people at length
learned wisdom by experience, and com
piled with the terms dictated in the re-
construction acts of Congress, and we
have established government which
has been recognized by the Government
OF the United States as loyal and valid.
and we have again been admitted to
representation in Congress.
But just at the point when the CONN.,
try looked for repose, and when a weari-
ed people longed for rest, great politi-
cal party again sounds the tOcsin of war.
and unfurls its banners to the breeze.
with the open declaration of the deter.
minatlon of its purpose to undo all that
has been done-Lo traI.ple the acts of
Congress into the dust, and to disperse
the governments that have been estab-
lished-by the use of the sword. in def
ance of the law of the land.
The Democratic platform, and Sey-
mOur and Blair letters mean civil war.
The Democratic platform adopted at
New York declares that 1--WE regard the
reconstruction acts of Congress so-called.
as usurpatlons, unconstitutional. and
void"
Mr.. Seymour, in his letter of accep-
tance, while referring to the resolutions
contained in the platform says: "They
are in accordance with my views, and I
stand upon them in the contest upon
which we are now entering and shall
strive to carry them out in future. -
General Blair, the Democratic nomi-
nee for Vice President, in his letter to
Colonel Broadhead, says: 'sThere is no
possibility of changing the political
character of the Senate, if the Demo-
Gratis should elect their President and
majority of the popular branch of Con-
gress. We cannot, therefore, undo the
Radical plan of reconstruction by Con-
gressional action; the Senate will con-
tinue bar to its repeal. I" Again he
says: "There is but one way to restore
the Government and the Constitution.
and that is for the President elect to de-
clare these acts null and Uoid, compel
the army to undo its usurpations at the
South, disperse the carpet-bag State Gou-
e77anae7ats, &c. Again he says: 1--WE
must have President who will execute
the will of the people, by t'ampling in
to the dust the usurpations of Congress,
k1loaCn as the reconstruction acts.
Here, then, is a distinct avowal in the
Democratic platform, that the recon-
struction acts are Void. Then follows