Edgefield advertiser. [volume] (Edgefield, S.C.) 1836-current, 1868-08-12
SPEECH OF HON. B. IL. HILL,
AT TIE
ATLANTA RATIFICATION MASS MEETING
OK THE ODD July, 1868.
Reported for the Chronicle d Sentinel.

Dor lmpFOVlSec Tor the accommodation OF Iut
audience.
Tue Hon. B. H. Hill then came forward ant
said Mr.. President and fellow citizens-I es
pecially request entire quiet while / attemp
TO address you to-day. In addition to thu
fact that have to follow two gentlemen who
have no superiors on this continent, am. un
fortunately, laboringunde considerable physi
cal disability, the, extent of which is not ever
known to myself
greet you to-day, my countrymen, with &
Ijoy and gladness that no language canexpress
Que year ago came, in my humble way
to this same city, to speak tothe people what
1 believe to be words of truth aud spberness
There has been quite change since then
On that occasion met, in quiet, retired
room, some half dozen gentlemen, who had
made up their minds to brave the storm thai
was coming upon us at all hazards. That lit
tie band of half dozen in that private room
has swelled 10 day to thousands Of freemen
in the open air of this once more to be re-
deemed country. must coufess that the his
try Of the past year Is one to me ful! oi
cheer and rsjoicing. may differ With csosl
of you, but 1 feel that during the past Twelve
months the white race Of the Southern States
has done more to manifest Aeroism, endurance
and courage than any other people had ever
manifested on d hundred batt!e-felds. Cheers
1t is not uncommon for people TO lose then
property; it is nothing new IN the history oil
nations for people TO be defeated in battle
it is not even altogether new, unfortunately,
that people should lose their cities and bury
their dead, that they should be cowed in their
spirits, and should be made almost hopeless
OF the future. But there is something else
which is possessed by every people far more
valuable than property, far more to be de-
sired than cities, far more to be coveted than
the yictoric, Of war, and that thing You still
possess, Notwithstanding your enemies sought
TO destroy i'll mean your henor as people.
There were two propositions made to you,
which would briefly state, SO that you can
see clearly what mean: The nrst PROPOSE
ton which affected Your honor was: that q
Congress in which you were not represented
"a band OF foreigners, no; one of whom has
ever lived or expects TO live upon your soil
nay, men who have avowed that they hate
you, claimed the right 10 destroy the govern
ment you had formed, and to'dictate toyou
the formation OF q. new government.
This was done, too, right IN the teeth OF TIE
Declaration OF Independence, which Says that
all government derives It's authority from the
consent of the governed. You are asked To
foriei. your honor because band cf foreign
ers-men among whom on had no represen.
,atives-among whom you were deied rep
rcsentation-who confess their hate Of you
these men claimed the iightio destroy the
government which you had formed, and TO
dictate the formation of another in its stead.
None but slaves would have accedt G to such
demand, aud none could have been other
than slaves who would consent to it.
The second reason why your honor, as q
people, was so seriously involved, is this
That in the formation of the new government
which this foreign power dictated it was pre-
scribcd,.as u necessary condition, that thein-
telligent and virtuous Of yoIr people-those
whom you had all your lf, deemed worthy Of
the highest trust t-should be forbidden TO par
ticipate, while those who had been your slaves
should be at liberty, without discrimination,
10 participate. You were to form Govern
ment. under the dictation and by the direction
of foreign power, and you, in the formation
of the government, were to be deprived of
the services of the intelligence and virtue OF
your country, simply because you had trusted
them, and you had to submit to the govern
nent being formed by those who had recent
" been your slaves, ignorant and debased as
they We're You will remember now that
these are the reasons why your honor was in.
volved. The base Congress-thc unprece-
dented traitorous Congress who got their own
consent thus TO attempt, in the day of their
power, to dishonor an unarmei pepple-this
Congress, say, had vague, lingering sus-
picien OF the dishonor of their scheme, and
therefore provided Q plan By which the infa-
my should seem to spring from you, orn con-
sent. Well, l confess truly, that when
looked at the picture; when saw the issue
and remembered that no people had ever
grown great who suffered their honor to be
sulied-ro people had recovered from mis-
fortune who had yielded their honor to the
cnemy-when 1 Ii'membered all these things
and saw the condition Of our people, saw all
the dangers that surrounded them and the
power that dictated these terms. Oh God
thou and thou only, knowest the anxiety oi
my spirit When the smoke of our burning
cities went up to heaven, and our brave men
fell in battle was grieved exceedingly; but
when whole peoplc-millions OF ireemen-
| we're OBSERVATION-DISCLOSURES by power
| tosacri6ce their honor at the bidding ofhate
| and there were found those who whispered
that the sacrifice would be made. myheart
did siuk within me; and when | remember
| now the means and appliances brought te
bear to compel you to yield, do rejoice in
knowing that you refused [cheers. | have
| had orly one point TO accomplish in this
struggle; some haye troubled themselves
about offices, others shout votes, others ye
about carrying the election against the CON
ven,ion, and still others about the defeat OF
the constitution. For all of this l care nolh
ing the great and only point which hae
ever ielt to be Of serious consequence in this
struggle was to induce and persuade the white
people of tie South never to consent to tins
infamy. knew that elections would be de
ciared successful knew that. right or wrong
they wouid sag that the elections we're car
ried. Ttey came jor that purpose. Tha
was rot the point with me. wanted you
womeE and children to see, ] wanted postcri
,y to know wanted record made so tia
it could be read by all men, now and forever
that the whire people of the South refused tt
give their consent 10 The imqnity. Cheers
That is why wrote and spoke that is vii,
despised the infamy and dehed the power
rul. Still, fellow-citizens, it WAS a tine l'
fear. II | doubted and trembled on that oc
caslon, do not blame me; if cared yol
would not be equal to the great crisis, dom
chiie me. Remember tie powerful infuenc
brought to bear. The Congress claimed Il
be A powerful, and they avowed their pur
pose OF carrying ps. this infarny, and if yo'
did not accept it, Of makins you accept
worse. First of all these in carrying ont TIM
plan, they sent the military here: they .en
an army Of bayonets to make war upon