Cedar Falls gazette. [volume] (Cedar Falls, Iowa) 1860-1895, 1868-10-30
Alexander HI. Stephens.
His Great Speech In Opposition
to Secession In 86I.

Recently both Houses of the Geor-
gia Legislature passed a joint resolu-
ton inviting Alexander III. Stephens
to deliver an address before that body
on the state of the country. The oc-
currence calls to mind Mr.. Stephens
great speech before similar body of
that State i'm 1861, before he Joined i'm
the bloody crusade against the "best
and freest Government upon which
the sun ever shone." The speech is
very appropriate at this time, and
should especially have weight with
those Democrats who are accustomed
to lay the responsibility of the war
upon the North, and to make 1t APP
pear that it was ali ''error of judg-
ment," and not grea. crime, In the
South to rebel; and especially since
the leaders Of the rebellion are now
the leaders of the Democratic party.
Belowis what Mr.. Stephens then said:
THE SPEECH.
never be recalled and all the baleful
and whitening consequences that
must follow las they would see) will
rest on the Convention for all COM
Ing time. When we and our poster
ity shall see the lovely South desola-
ted by the demon Of war which this
act of yours will inevitably invite
and call forth; when our green fields
of waving harvests shall be trodden
down by the murderous soldiery and
fiery car Of war sweeping over our
land our temples of justice laid In
ashes; all the horrors and desolatioDs
of war upon us; who but this Con-
yention will be held responsible for
IL? and who but he who shall give
his vote for this unwise and iii timed
measure, las / honestly believe,)
shall be held to strict account for
this suicidal act, by the present gen.
Grafton, and probably cursed and ex-
ecrated by posterity for all coming
time, for the wide and desolating
ruin that will inevitably follow this
act you now propose to perpetrate?
Pause, i entreat you, and consid-
er for a moment what reasons you
can give that will even satisfy your
selves i'm calmer moments-what rea-
sons you can give to fellow sufferers
in the calamity that it will bring up
on us; what reasons can you give to
the nations of the earth to justify it?
They will be the calm and deliberate
judges in the case and to what cause
or one overt act can you name or
point, on which to rest the plea Of
Justification What right has the
North assailed? What justice has
been denied and what claim founded
i'm justice and right has been with
held? Can either OF you to-day
name one governmental act of wrong
deliberately and purposely done by
the Government of Washington, of
which the South has right to COM
plain? I challenge the answer!
While, OIL the other hand let me show
the facts, land believe me gentlemen,
] am not here the advocate of the
North but / am here the friend, the
firm friend and lover of the South
and her institutions, and fdf this rea-
son speak thus plainly and faith
fully for yours, mine, and every 9TH
er mans interest, the words Of truth
aud sOberness,) of which / wish YOU
to be judge, and will only state
facts which are clear and undeniabIe.
and which now stand as records au-
thentic In the history of our country.
when We ofthe South demanded
the slave trade, or the importati0ns
of Africans for the cultivation of our
lands, did they not yield the right
for twenty years? When we asked q
ee-fiftha representation i'm Con-
Ifyr frr MT taA
asked and demanded the return of
any fugitive from justice, or the re-
covcry Of those persons owing labor
or allegiance, was IL not incorporated
In the Constitution and again rati-
fled and strengthened In the Fugitive
Slave Law Of 1850?
"But do you reply that in many
instances they have violated this
compact, and have not been faithful
to their engagements? AS individu.
ais and local communities they may
have done so but not by sanction of
the Government; for that has always
been true to Southern interests.
Again, gentlemen, look at another
fact; when we have asked that more
territory should be added, that we
might extend the institution of sla-
very, have they not yielded to our
demands in giving us Louisiana,
Florida and. Texas, out of which four
States have been carved, and ample
territory for four more to be added In
due time, If you. by this unwjse and
impolitic act. do not destroy this
hope, and, perhaps, by 1t lose all, and
have your last slave wrenched from
you by stern military rule, as South
| America and Mexico were. or by the
viudictive decree Of universal eman-