, 1870-08-16
THE POLITICAL SITUATION IN
THE SOUTH.
AddFeHs 0f Attorney S;eucfnl .Akcr-
mum Before the Southcrm lkrpuhl1-
can Association in VraAhiuEtou.

mum Beforr the Southern sEcpubll-
can Association in Wa>hiugtou.
From thu Hushinoso1. cAroafe4,, Aug. Is
A large number Of our ranat distinguished
citizcrs were present 1t Lincoln Hall last night
to hear Attorney General Akerman adlress
the Southern Republican Association. Qaite
= number Of ladies' were among the auaience.
The following wero xmonE those present:
Hon. Joseph Holt, Thi1i Assistant Poat,naser er
General; Colonel Given, Deputy Commission
a Ao,os sf he
second Auditor Of the Treasury; Hon
William F. Smith, Solicitor Of the
Internh Revenue Bureau; Hon Ni1lf.m
Taylor. First Comptroller Of the T1easu-
Eu,reaa; Collector Tniioch. General 8. 8.
Howard, Harry Vanderbilt, Esq,, Chief. oG
the Appointment Office, Tfaasul y: Senator
Spencer, of Alabama, and General Sherman.
Af. AkeEm.n commenced by saying that he
thore present might have been led to expect
rnore formal address than he waa prepared to
deliver. He could not, however, retuse the
invitation Of the committee Of the Southern
Republican Association to address, them: No
Que who had lived Tor tho last ten years in his
Affairs upon which to address them The
socia.ion WAS a Republican one, and he could
not refnsa to give encouragement to it, al
though be regretted the necessity for tho e1-
iEsence of nueh an association. The psstl to
poht;cal pa1ty. It's highest claim
to popular support is ita own as4ez-
tion & being t6e tzuo exponent of The
national sentiment In the parr OF the coun-
.1ne which prevailed. Tho States-risht doc
ttre had been believed in; they had eudear-
oEed to put il in prsctice-had appealed to the
sword 80 sustain il, and had faiiea. One
party had l'eou known ns the Democratic, the
osher as tho Whis. Tho Democratic party
it.d rned the nation for years, and had tried
the couutsy il WIS. thought THEY should rule
it. The first OF tho doctrines Of that party
waa thai here wsa the sest Of government,
and not 1t the Stale capitals. The second wAs
| to give eanal rights 10 ali condition OF men.
without regard to race or creed, save those
whose own actn made them Ineligible. Thoss
tioetrinee were Objectionable to great por-
tion Of tie people where he lived. Soue
there thought that having challenged the
country and failed, that in hunot-that much
[ h!'ustd wosd-they were bound to submit.
| Ihey were told by men who were ttnnglat to
he nesgAeers snd leaders that God won}a set
emile upon them, and Some Of tho religious
portion preached that doctrine. A large por-
sion Of the loyal element in the South IS the
newly enfranehised class: bat that Is not the
only element largo portion were loysl all
The ime<. Some through fear, some from pol
! icS, " ere unwilling to avow it. Tho Demo-
cratic party in the old time wera divided into
Jackson Democrats and Calhoun Democrats.
| Tho Wing party Haa x1so DIVIDED. Other
elements arose and adhered to the Confedor-
ate csuse, and mans, seeing friends and rela-
tiTes going that way, yielded to the Influence
and vent too. When tho war ended their
allegiance 10 the Confcls1acy ended.
and they came out sadder and wiser n1en.
When they cast their esee forward they form 81
a progoosis, aud saw ia The Republican pstty
what was tie safety Of the country, aud they
accepted it. That patty is NOW ennfrontei by
tho Democratic party OF tbs South Some
sas ncw that il ]. tho time for = new depar-
tu1e IN pnhlic aGairs. and tha: both parties
have lost all c1aim on them. Hs did agree
with that. The country Is rnsde up Of all par
ties who live in the lanl, and WHO will make
their election fIou things as they sIise. He
wished the confirmation Of political rishts to
whose own acts debarred them of those rights.
1t is not uncommon to hear reu1arEs like,
Let the dead past burg the dead - Let the
doctrine Of secession be buried with it,"
have. sald when the voice Of the peo-
pie il declared on any great quss-
tiou it should be copaidered settled, au d,
should tue Presidential election settle tie
question Of Southern reconstruction, it should
be considered settled. But Il trey sad SO,
their political allies in the Southern States
did not say SO. Show him in any State Demo-
c1ats admitting that. or any convention Of
Southern Democrats either. n the powerful
u:tersnees Of the press they said the measures
lesder Of the.party where be lired said that
nc other constitution will be accepted than
the statee-ri8ht one- The end Of the war, in
1855, settled that b1 the swords Of Grant and
have been put forward BY another in pub
lication that Maeshall and Kent add
otheks, Hare wrong, and that Calhoun
vas night; that the country viii never
he nghs until his theories prevail. He
eays that tbs WAL which sent 50 ,rnsny
thouaands to the g1aye settled that the specis,
remedy Of Secession hiss tailed, but tho dogma
must remain. He proclsipas IN his two care.
'ully prepared volumes that reconstruction Il
Ill Trpcg. When men who are looked TO Uy
doctrines they must be met He had looked
through 4r- Stephens book to see where the
mons u0ust ets Of ihs Legislation Of Congress
| on reconstruction Lay. and found he reduced il
Al TO an arhorisp. He Mr. 6sephens) held
that een.talzAti6n neat inper1sliaul H.
could imagine q centEAlization that would be
dsngtsons-that would absorb all tha rights ot
.s. :. "a he sssiasssa j. that sss Se
sustain itself against Ill foes. 4 soye1nnenI
| that ia not 60 cannot exist.
After some further remarks On thia uo;u
Mr. AkelmAn said NE. Stephens theory va.
thai ahea the kinx Of England acknowledge
the Independence Of tho coloniea he gave il x
each separately. and ha holds that the right a
sovereignty e1ists in each, and s1ch was thar
| conferred omit. Ia not each one contotida
ton Suppose the State Of Geoeg;a wautei
~ 1se e1s5ss s.,3 OF hsr sovereign character t
sever ..sen HON tbe rest, would Jon no. ha.
, case o. Ie1aa separating from Mexico, AMI
sad Stephens holds th5s centraIiza ton il
! Georg'a Is not imperialism The only WAY, i,
stepnens opinion. to get nd OF imperialism,
u & 70 hasa thnty-sesen centz.lizstions IN IN
G1nh S31u1&r
swasins The minds Of the peoPls, ans
must be met and reaisted sod over
come. md in no other Way viii thes ne
except By tie Republican party; Ihere ! 10 nS
: cions aoctiinss must b. suppressed. You o.
the North and they Of the South anss .ssls .sa:<
. them, aud Assistance should b gwen 70 tnost
I in The South who op7ose them where theE att
promulgated. Re asa.1 fa.e11ed 70 tns nee n,s :,
Iinds OF men, ind said those mere bite,
, doctriues to many in the South-tard to aceep
| b. thoxe who had been educated in an opposite
: faith. It vas hard to- root out feelings q
docuiues learned in youth and believed Il
Trough hfa hard 70. giye up without recon-
: ueuee What had been regx1ded - prop
( erty. He did not believe IN m'zaculon,
!: North have hs1a the doctrines Of freedom
: from childhood. They are ~ fA1nilar TO yo'
! "a the ten commandments. They o. th
. South hear them Il new Don't try to I'D
;. vance TOO far aid too faat. There WAS a be
/ lief sonth that the negro was unfit to hAv
Z political poEes. Go back 10 The prediction Q
: Calhoun; 60 back to the predictions Of 81
a that in case slavery was abolished the indie
| pendence OF the South was lost. They trie
r. 10 maintain it BY war, and tailea, and. by a
y ths rules Of honor governing war, they yer
q bound to submit apd. II they are not boun
j. BY honor, uhat viii they be bound hy7 The1
a | had been fear that, in the event Of enarc
; | patton, the hoErors Of St. Domingo wpu]
d come. It cana in 4 week or / raoni
ladrfke, snd thsy in the South loeka
:, their DOOR. and looked to their am
for the :. torch It nav