Edgefield advertiser. [volume] (Edgefield, S.C.) 1836-current, 1868-09-16
Address From DE. IL. Il. Cock,
Or BEACH ISLAND,
Letters From Distinguished Public
Men.

believe that such calm, judicious, earnest,
pacific sentiments, especially from respecta
BILE South Carolinian, are more calculated just
now, than perhaps any other means, to work
great good there.
Aud we also present, several interesting
Letters, from prominent public men; read at
the late Ratification Meeting here. Among
them is one from Ex- Gov. THOMAS II. SEY-
MoUR, of Connecticut,--one among the last
letters lever penned by this distinguished
statesman and patriot for even while this
letter was being read to our people, THOMAS
II. SEYMOUR was passing away from earth.
He died at Hartford, Connecticut ST typhoid
fever, on the 3rd inst, leaving o reputation
| for purity and patriotism not excelled bl
that of GEORGE WASHINGTON.
| FELLOW. CITIZENS OF GALLANT OLD EDGE
FIELD.
When look upon your upturned faces
and eager gazing eyes, my mind IS almost in.
| voluntarily carried back more than thirty
years, when, as a mere youth, first made
yoor Acquaintance. 1t was in the. .times Of
the courtly; digni6ed, and accomplished
Whitfield Brooks; of the .portly, warm
hearted, genial. and bluff Jack Jeter, and Of
the ele quent and erudite David l.. Wardlaw,
whose powerful and classic oratory filled my,
mind With admiration, and excited my youth
fll ambition McDuffie tno,-theS eloquent.
the true, the immortal McDufie-was then
in me land Of the living; his declining health
had not ye: excluded him from the public,
but allowed him, although not in Office still.
to take q deep and active interest in public
affairs. 1 am reminded too that nearly TWEEN.
tv years later, in the lines Of Carroll, Francs
II. Wardlaw, Moragne, Arthur Simldps,
Mobl+y, aud others, 1 myself, as compare,
tive stranger, appeared before you as a can;
dida.e for your sufi,rages, aM although the
issues Of the day precluded my election, L
cannot forget the cordiulity 'snd Kindness
which was extended to me, and the hand
some vote given,-a compliment sufficient to
satisfy any man of ordinary ambition. /
have never before had an opportunity in pub
lie of thanking you, but do SO no@ with
the warmest emotions Of lpy heart.
But these scenes are all past Let the
dead bury their dcad.'' And oh! by what
chroncmeter, by what scale Of time, can we
compute the vents which have transpired
since then? Our whole Political, Social and
Agricultural systems are undergoing great
and mighty revolution; and many: very
many, Of the noblest and best of our friends,
whom we admired and loved, have gone to
try their cause before that tribunal where
Justice ever reigns.
While we drop a tear Of atfectionate re,
membrance for the past, let US turn to the
presens 80 iraught with mcmcntous events,
and so important in their consequences, both
to ourselves and postcriiy I am not much
accustomed to making speeches on political
topics, and l confess to you, that ON this oc-
cason, surrounded IS | 40, by SO many cio-
quent and distinguished gentlemen. | feel
much diffidence 10 saying anything; but |
shall not refrain from making some remarks
in obedience to the call which you have made
upon me; and in doing so, / shall exercise
that eandor and truthfulncss which The i'm
portance of the occasion demands.
After political warfare for forty years
with the North, eliminating in the most gl-
gantic civil war the world has seen for ages.
aud although it resulted d;sastrously to our
arms, VIC cannot forget that in this war We
fought for great object, the preservation,
in its original integrity, Of the Constitution
handed down to us by our common ancestors; ;
and that during nearly the whole Of the ex-
istence Of the Government, the provisions of
this Constitution were administered chiefly
by Southern Statesmen, bringing the country
to such an uncxsmpled state Of prosperity
and greatness rs to cause it TO tc said ny cur
opponents, th-t this was the ''bcst Govcrn
ment upon which the SUN ever shoac.''
Having participated so largely then in the
erection of so great aud good Government,
Mt the surrender of our arms in good faith,
as aver was done by US, we bad right to
expect Ine most favorable terms from Cur
enemies but The demon itcyerSe, pr''mp'rd
by Malice, aud coupled Sith fanaticlsm, and
org cherished desire on the part ut certain
sectional leaders among our foes .,.r the Is
ablis!mcl: e a more coaso;ida' ed Govern
melt. caused ,fatnl not uni5 10 impose such
hulniliating and urjl>t tertns upoa 4ns We
could not accept, but in order TO carry out 'h"ir
scheme of consolidation, they have. ST. lar as
they could, virtually subCsrted the very Gov
ernmcnt itself and left US but wreck Of our
former greatness.
Fortunately for rs, there still remains
among he people Of the North {. sufficient
amount cf devotion To the Government as it
was. to give encouragement tha. the Consii-
tuition is not yet dead letter, but may be
revived, and constitutional liberty once more
restored to its original supremacy throughout
this broad land of once liberty loving people.
It is for this object then that we have met
to-day, to aid cur friends at the North in
carrying out this great work of restoration
How earnestly then, how manfuly should we
engage in it; casting aside every prcndice
or whatever character, and locking alone tc