The Louisiana Democrat. [volume] (Alexandria, La.) 1845-1918, 1868-10-14

LIS L1OOCsp 3il7. dass l,l
4 security ofthe Constitution of the Unite
i States; thu security Of law; the secdrity O
the justice and majesty Of the Goverhmep.
! Youis shall have this protection. Say TIM
ltoJthis people, sad they win have heart t.
|eo,to work, and that land now. deserted ant
poverty.strickenI as 10 isl will soon, bios
som as once it did, and richness aud pros
perity be seen from one end oft to th,
other. Glory to Heaven r, Great laugh
ter and cheers. II, ls'si 6; aoi1s5ta
l,flWhy, my4friends. wilfyou please to re
collect that it is not sir. months sicce tht
cry of confscation was yet heard ia The
halls Of Congress, ind we know that the
man who uttered that cry the longest is the
most persistent man on the face ofthis Re
public. [Crics offs Butler. 7 Mr.. Thad
deus Stevens. New, No know, that conis
cation has hung over the people of the
South, The idea of taking their lands and
dividing them mp, and giving them to the
negroes in forty acre lots, has ever been
present before them. Now I appeal to
you-for sec before mo thousands Of men
whom l take to be farmers ] appeal 10
you. with what heart, could you work your
lands; with what heart could you lay out
your money in improving them; with What
heart conid yop build fences. houses and
barns, ifyou thought that, the very next
Congress that sits might take away your
lands and giye them to the negroes? This
has just been, the condition Of the South.
It is my solemn belief that il. VIII the
Southern armies surrendered the Govern
ment Of the United States had acted TO-
ward the Southern people with that mag.
nanimity and wise craftsmanship that
ought to have prevailed; II it had said to
them, 1--WE fought this battle % we resolv-
ed in Congress to DO, not TO persecute you,
not to interfere with the rights Of States
or individuals, but simply to maintain our
Constitution and the integrity Of the Re-
public, and now that you have laid down
your arms, row that you have acknowl
edged your cause to be lost. we will show
you that we nre as true as our words :
that We are once more brothers; and we
win see that the rights and dignity Of no
single State shall DO impaired. Go to
your homes beat your swords iuto pIow.
shares, and instead o'itearing the bosoms
Of brothers withsthe weapons of war. and
breaking up mind and body which God has
given you, 90 to your lands, and do as he
has told you; aOut Of this earth you shall
draw your bread"-had that been said to
the people Of the South, tell you, my
friends, that we would have been more
firmly united this day than before the war
broke out. [Cries Of that's so,' and loud
cheers.] Isayi it to Jon upon mature re-
Fiction, for the war has corrected many er-
rors that prevailed; for instance, there we're
too many Southern people who, being q
chivalrous people shemelves, thought the
Northernefs would not fight. The var has
corrected that. While mnny Northerners
thought that the Southerners were set Of
imers sPortsmep and braggarts, and that
they would not fight. Well. those people
got their ideas corrected too. Great
laughter Men Of sense on both sides
knew that both sides would eight. y Men Of
sense knew that those in whom ran the
blood Of those heroes who achieved the in.
dependence Of l776, never failed to fight
when it was for their interests or their
honor. But there were people who had
these mistaken notions, and the war cor
rected them, and made the people ofesch
section respect those of the other more than
they had heretofore done; it might have
made US band OF brotbers, from the St,
Lawrence TO the Ga1f, had the right policy
been pursued, tCheers.l That was the
feeling of the people aud the feeling OF the
armies on both sides, until the Radical
politicians set to work 70 inkame the hearts
9 Of their party aud pervert their Judgment
and pervert their very souls so as to make
them do wrong. Then commenced that
series Of Congressional measures. Then
was that fourteenth amendment Of the Con-
stitution proposed, when il was known full
well there was not o Southern man who
was fit to hold up his face, in Gods sum
light and look his neighborin the face who
could consent to vote for 1t, a thing that re-
quired every man to write his own dishon-
or and tho dishonor Of every man in whom
b. had trusted or con6ded; to write their
own dishonor 10 the Constitution Of their
country; on amendment that required every
father 70 write that big son, who fell in bat
tie in support Of the, lost cause, was man
who deserved to be disfranchised. in the
land that gave him birth; and yet We asked
the father TO assent to that in the Consti-
tuition Of his country. They knew it could
never be adopted; they never intended il
should be adopted. They proposed it that
t might be rejected, and that they might
be rejected. and that they might prevent
the restoration Of the Union, and have
pretext for keeping the States out Of the