Wilmington journal. [volume] (Wilmington, N.C.) 1844-1895, 1868-01-17

RCh nF eEE
Rsuouet-A Striking Contrast Between
GeneI al jackson and Some mo<sern Mill
tary Heroes.
Tie following is the able speech Of Hon.
Jeremiah S. Black, at the 9Th OF January
banquet in Washington. The speech was
in response to the toast, g The Memory OF
Andrew Jackson 4 great General a greater
Statesman and Magistrate
Mr. Black said There Is no day III the
year. txcept the 4th of July, that ought to
be kept SO sacred as the 8th of January
IApplausc. And, except the Rather OF his
country, there is no name known among
men that is entitled to higher reverence
than that OF Andrew Jackson. Applause.
I put Washington first because the place
which he occupies IN history, as the fore
mast man of all this world, has never been
disputed Applause. 1t was always ad-
mitted that he stood alone, without peel
among mortals. Competition gave way
before the acknowledged greatness of his
character, and rivalry Itself conceded the
palm to his pre-eminent virtue. l know
1.ot how it may be with others, but his is
name which 1 never was able 10 pronounce
without emotions of respect and reverence
which have no form OF words to express.
But the reputation of jackson has not
been SO fortunate. His lie was one long
battle with the enemies of constitutional
freedom. Applause. They assailed him
with every species of Islander, and even at
this day the foul birds that streamed
around him in his lifetime, and Others
matched in the same bad nest, light when
ever they eau upon his tombstone to de1ile
his tomb with their obscene drOppings.-
Loud applause. One Of tho most injuri-
Gus of these ASPIRATIONS is that by which
the Radical party have attempted to make
him authority for their own attempts to
tramplo upon liberty and law. Great ap-
plause Ii that be true ii he Is authority
tor them If he has set the example fol
their misconduct if they are travelling
upon path which has one impress of his
f0otstep, then he is wholly and utterly IN
worthy Of tho honor which the American
people al through the country are bestow-
ing upon him at this moment. Applause.
Then l give him up. lie Is then man he
IS not ours.
Ii General Jackson ever did anything il
his life which can Justify the murder, kid
mapping and robbery of innocent men and
women; if he ever used military force foI
the purpose OF enslaving any State, NOrtL
or South, applause ; Ii he ever used one
atom Of his powerful influence for the puT-
pose of subiugating his fellow citizens, OF
any portion OF them, to the domination o.
Il negro government, cries OF "gOod ," anG
applauseI; II there be single act OF his
whole lie that can be cited as an example
for the coarse, cruel and corrupt despotlsm
which the Radicals have organized when
ever and wherever they could, then he don
belong to our communion. Applause Ii
that case he is only tit to be set up III thai
heathen pa8Oda which desp0tlsm has estab-
IlShed among us, as one OF the dlVlnltIes
TO be worshipped beside such Generals a.
Pope and Baker loud applause and others
al Low
down It's part Of their creed that the Con
stitution is "a league with hell and q GOV
euant with DEATH" where the high priests
that minister at the altar have qualified
themselves for holy orders by being hired
delatOrs and perjured witnesses, and where
an act OF worship which they offer con-
sists in false ,ltfidavits against the honor
and rights Of innocent people.
am not here to pronounce any eulogy
or TO make any defence OF General Jack
son, but [ do wish to refer to one passage
IN his life upon which the SANDER to which
I have referred is based, If it be based up
on anything. When General Jackson IN
dertook the defence of the city OF New Or
leans in the fall OF 1914 he assumed q re
spOnsibility such as had rarely been under
taken by anybody IN the world, and such
as very few mel except himself would have
taken under such circumstances. The
British army was II, 900 strong, composed
OF veterans, ably commanded, thoroughly
trained and fresh from the victorious bat
tleields OF the Spanish Peninsula. They
had never known what it was to be defeat
ed. no hostile army of equal strength had
ever before landed in one body upon the
American shores. To meet them, General
jackson had half the number Of raw levles
hastily collected from the plough and
workshop, not organized; all OF them i'm
perfectly equipped, and some Ofthem, con-
siderable number of them, not armed at ALL
With these fearful odds against him, he
was required to hold possession of an I'M
walled and UufOrtItied town, situated upon
an open plain, accessible upon every side,
and with absolutely no defenCes, natural or
artificial, except what were to be erected
upon the spur of the occasion, and he had
not the assistance Of one experienced Off
Ger or engineer to aid him IN putting up
his field works OF mounting his guns. This
desperate game WAS to be played for a
stake Of the most stupendous magnitude
The possession Of the whole valley of the
Mississippi depended upon it; and if the
city had been taken by assault, we shud-
der, even at this distance OF time, to think
what must have been It's fate. The very
troops that were then marching to the at
tack had committed the most atrocious
IL
ajOs and ST. Sebastian; and here again they
were to be rewarded with beauty and booty.
The defence seemed like a torlOrn hope,
without prrticle of confidence in its sue
cess-no one had, except what was inspired
by the courage, genius, and energy of their
great commander
But he was a host in himself. They
wisely determined that they would throw
the whole responsibility upon him-that
they would put their fate entirely in his
hands, and they did so. Members of the
Legislature, officers Of the city corpora
ton and judges of the courts came and
laid their powers at his feet, and voluntarl-
~ agreed that they would surrender and
suspend their official functions until the
danger was over. The whole population,
with one voice, besought him that he
would make their city part of his camp,
and take the absolute command upon him
self Of every human being within its limits.
He did this at the universal request. He
had right to do it. 1t was proper that
he should do it, for this simple and plain
reason, Hat the city ocaS IN q state Of actual
Siege 1t WAS no fiction His act bore no