Edgefield advertiser. [volume] (Edgefield, S.C.) 1836-current, 1868-03-25
Hon. Ben. II. J.ill's Speech at Atlanta.


sreech of Hon. B. II. HILL, before the
"Young Mems Democratic Club" Of Atlanta,
on the 18th inst.,--which We commend
to the earnest consideration Of the people Of
E lgetield:
jNr. P.ysideat, Ladies and Gentemen:
appear 10 day III the instance and under
the auspices oi the Young Mems Democrat
lie Cub OF ;ais city. Political. like other
revolutions, iayv their periods. and lt:n rap
idly change in character, purpose and issues.
Far up tue Niagara river Tie waters are
quie. and sill. Little children battle and
p!ay in their depth, and parties OF pleasure
ride merriv and saftl ly on their bosom. But
at a given point the current makes its start
ior the great Fails, and moving slowl y at first,
i. grows moro and constantly more rapid, un-
I'll there is i point in its wild, mad rush, from
which, once reached, nothing alive has ever
been rescued.
The American people have been peaceful,
happy. free, and prosperous. They loved
their Constitution and loved each other. But
evil whispers divided them. and step by step
they approached aud finally enierel upop
revolution. And how wildly and sill more
wildly we have rushed, and rush along! The
question nov reached is no! whether this or
tna: party shall triumph-not whether we
shall have Unoa-uot, alas! whether we
shall have a government founded on our con-
sent. lis more vital still. The issue has
wholly changed, and has ceased TO be a polit-
ical question. The issue now pressing Is one
OF actual political lfa-"l social existence.
Nothing more s.artles hc man OF thought, the
readers Of history, than the gddiness with
which the people are riding on the rapids TO
destruction, seemingly unconscious of what
awaits them. You are as giddy this day as
were the dupes who married and were given
in marriage, and carried on their ordinary
transactions, before the flood. The world was
neither more wicked, nor giddy, nor guilty in
that day than is the political world Of Aneri
ca at this day. TIE great difficulty Of the
times is this: the peap.c have no regard for
truth: they have no love for it-not u partl-
cle You think no less Of a man who noto-
rously and avowedy engages in deception
provided he be politician, than you do CT
Caristian gentleman. | rather think you
think more of deception than you do of truth ;
and that is the reason why so much deception
is practiced II has not only become harm.
less thing, but i: mas absolutely become pass
port 10 power-a means of success-the poll
cy by which you manuf cture greatness out
of nothing. The Church and Society are all
at fault; the people themselves are at fault
upon this question. Why, it has not only
grown 10 be habit, but it has become al
mos; maxim, that it is "no harm to tell a
lie in politics. Oh, what q perverted jndg-
mcnt! What immortality No harm? "Prac-
ticc has made it so.' Ny friend, . political
lie is the acorst Of oil lies, and ought to be
held mere Infamous than all the others He
who i> guilty of it usht TO receive the frown
AMI scocn aid condemnation Of every man.
AID of every member of society. Why, the
very reason why tie couatry has reached It's
present condition, is the failure Of your rulers
10 be honest ana iru!h!2!, aud The failure o.
the people TO cal! iilc:a TO account i3r their
ini:deli;y 20 truth.
What spectacle the American nation now
presents What spectacle Tor the World
and postcrty And not merely politically,
bat iaara!iy. For four long years the people,
North AID South, were anXiously watching
the s,russle--a struggle TO determine whether
certain States should be considered in the
Union or out of it. Finally, the struggle
ended. TIE Southern people unanimously
said" We'll consent to remain in tie Union
we'll admit that cur attempt to leave the
Gniom is a failure" Nearly three years has
elapsed since then, and you have seen your
rulers-thc prctentoas leaders Of political
sentiment Of the cuuntry-going to Washing
ten City: laying their hands upon the Bible,
swearing to support the Constitution OF the
United States, and daily violating every prin'
cipe Of that Constitution, and setting at
naught the whole issue AID the result Of the
war. Nay, the people have become SO ia!se
TO thernselyeS-so false to every principle OF
t-uth and yntuo-th.t an old man. TIE leader
Of this great party. without damage to his
character openly and boldly avoSs and de-
ciareS that all The legislation touching these
S;ates has been entirely outside the Constitu-
ton, irlich he ,cas Slcorm TO support. You
have seen the Legislative department, gov
erned by passion, actlated by vindictiTeneSs,
cverturring the Institutions Of the country
not to support the Union which they fought
10 preserve, but for the sole purpose of pre-
serving power and continuing themselves in
Office. Thus we present to the nations ofthc
world the spectacle of an absolutely demor-
allied Legislative Department of government.
In al time, the army has been considered
the very embodiment of chivalry, or, at least,
of honesty. Governing, as they do, by power,
trained to loce power, that they should be ar
bitrary was to be expected-that they should
be riagnanimous was thought to be charac-
terissic Of arms. But, what spectacle does
the American people present at this hour
The head of the army confessipg before the
world that lie was guilty of Intentional du-
Dl;city and treachcry, and convicted Of false,
hood itself by six of the highest men of the
nation Irepeat, he confesses himself guilty
Of intentional duplicity aud trcacaery, per,
petrated during a series of months. SIX oil
the first men of the nation proved hin guilty
OF !ornriglt Intentional Jalsehood. Either
1te commanding General of the Armies oi
the United States is convicted before the
wo ID of ialsehood, or the President OF the
same nation, and five Cabinet officials, stand
convicted OF it. For my purpose, | care not
which is right. bring to your view, slmpiy,
= startling fact-if you have any morality to
be s.artled-tlat, in either event, your rulers
stlud convicted, and coniesscdly convicted, OF
Unconventional falschood. That is the point at
which the uation has arrived.
And now, what do we witness The nation
actually trembling, the nation actually .1ear-
ing that that department of the government.
which, in all history, has been, ought to be,
and wlicb, under our form OF government,
vas intendel to be, the bulwark of our liber-
Iies-the brcak-water Of passion-I say the
whole naicn is trembling, doubling, fearing
that tue Supreme judicial power of the coun'
Try will be utterly unequal to the task Of de-
caring what they know to be the Constitu-
ton OF their country. On this point !, for
one, ,laye never yielded. l have always be-
lieYed that the question, once made before
- ..;l.nnnl fnirlu and clnorlv thnY p,oull