The Stark County Democrat. [volume] (Canton, Ohio) 1833-1912, 1868-11-04
Mr.. ADAMS'S SPEECH.
Comments of the Atlanta Intelligencer.

| the speech recenuy uenVered by MIR. John
Quincy Adams, of Massachusetts, at Column
bia, South Carolina. Mr.. Adams was the
guest of certain prominent citizens of South
Carolina. He was specially invited to speak
and it may be, therefore, taken for granted
that his speech was carefully prepared and
well considered, and that his opinions upon
the questions most nearly affecting the
South, are shared by the least radical of the
Conservatives of the North, As that of a
representative man alone his speech is of
any value, and in that view alone do we
propose to consider it. At the very outset
of his address Mr.. Adams informed his au-
dience that he always was and is an aboli-
zionist of the School of his grandfather,
John Q. Adams, the elder; that he was a
warm supporter of Mr.. Lincoln, and of Mr..
Lincoln's administration; that he favored
the most vigorous prosecution of the war;
that he hailed with gratitude the abolition of
slavery; and that it does not lie in the
mouths of the Southern people ''to demand
any rights in the Union we had broken, or
any remedy from the consequences of our
own acts under the Constitution VIII had re-
nounced." He thinks that the ruling maio-
rity at the North acted unwisely in aBandon-
ing its original theory that our secession was
a mullity, our confsderacy ''so-eaIled, y
and we parcel of insurgents, and IN adopt
ing the theory that we are the alien enc
mics conquered in battle, and our country a
conquered territory, Subject to the naked
hands of war alone" and that the North
4 would have done much better to have ac-
/ cepted our submission and renewed ale
glance, and thus restored the Union with
slavery abolished, without any further con-
ditions. This is his opinion, but as the
North did not adopt the course which he
thinks would have been more judicious, and
has pursued policy by which the popula-
ton of ten States are to-day Substantially
prisoners of war held by military forces, and
liable at any time to further orders. from
the majority" -" the best thing for US to do
is, first, TO love the Republican party more,
or at least hate them less than we do, and
thus prove that their distrust, suspicion, and
fear of us, are not SO just as they now be-
lieve them to be; and, second, that we sho'd
! go to work to make. the North believe that
we are not liars and perjurers, when we
say we give up the right of secession, agree
to the abolition of slavery, propose to treat
the freedmen literally and fairly, and allow
every citizen of the United States 10 travel,
speak, and live among us umolested so long
as he does not violate the law. In order to
''deserve and obtain the confidence of the
Northern communities" we must perform
the herculean task of loving the Radicals,
and then we must make the North believe
that we are not forswearing ourselves when
we say we have accepted in good faith the
results of the war. With every disposition
to follow the advice which Mr.. Adams came
so far to administer to us, we cannot, for
the life of us, see how we are to succeed in
making the North believe that we are not an
agglomerate of ''perjured traitors" that we
are not going to reassert the right of seces-
sion whenever we have chance; that we
are not going to re-establish slavery and re-
| open the slave trade; that we are not going
| to torture, mann, and kill negroes for the
pure love of doing so; and that we do not
propose to hunt down with bloodhounds,
and ultimately assassinate, every Northern
man who is rash enough to travel, speak, or
Iive amongst us. For three years; Mr..
Adams, we have racked our brains to find
the means of persusding the Northern COM
munities that we "deserve and should OBJ
| tain their confidence" We have given
| proofs of our sincerity such as no people
were ever required to give before, We
have tried hard to abate our natural dislike
of the Republican authors of all our woe,
and we find at the end of the time that our
efforts have been vain, and that the 'ENorth-
ern communities, - are satisfied that we are
"dissemblers and dishonorable perjurers, "
whose purpose is to ''redeem by hardswear-
ing what we lest by hard fighting" Is there
no limit to our search after Yankee conf
dence? Are we to spend centuries in try
ing to make the Northern communities be-
| lieve that we are not dishonorable perjurersl
Is there no point at which We may be ex-
cused from loving the Republicans who are
so difficult to persuade? Mr.. Adams disap-
! proves and condemns much which the Re
| publicans have done. lie seems to think
that they might without rashness believe US
now on our oaths. He believes that the
Northern communities ought to have been
more easily satisfied with the sincerity of
our submission. But we not wholely blame
less. Our sold leaders" should not be al
lowed to appear in Conspicuous places.
! Their appearance causes q soreness-a ris-
ing of the gorge among the multitudes who
feel as kindly to US as Mr.. Adams feels
We have been foolish and inflammatory; we
have been proud and impatient We must
change all this. Our old leaders must not
appear in conspicuous places" We must
| see to it that the benevolent mulGtudes sho'd
not have any excuse for rising of the
gorge, and we must be less proud and less
impatient. We must bear all things, suffer
all things, endure all things, and then at
some future day the probabilities are that
the Northern mulGtudes may cease to regard
us as prisoners or war, ana, 10 some extent;
admit the possibility of our not being dis
honorable perjurers. No matter how the
Northern multitudes may insult, oppress,
and persecute US, no matter how they may
violate all laws of God and man, and sub
vert the Constitution, which they are sworn
to support, we must be patient, we must
submit, we must be silent, lest ''the majori-
ty" should issue ''further orders" and add
to the severity of our Imprisonment in jail
We must agree that universal negro suffrage
is compatible with good ORDER" and we
must Danish from our hearts all hope of re-
dress except by overcoming the Northern
communities, except the negro and the car
pet-hagger for our lawgivers, possess our
souls with patience, and learn to love the
Republicans. This is the sum and substance