Keowee courier. [volume] (Pickens Court House, S.C.) 1849-current, 1870-10-07

Ex-Gov. vancc,s speech.

Coy. Vance, of North Carolina, in passing
through Augusta, Ga, was invited to address
the citizens of that city. Complying, hc
said ~ lI
Gcnlcmcn;-I feel greatly obliged, and
return my sincere thanks to you for the com
pimcnt whicnN you have seen fit to pay mo
tonight. WE;i, it has been unexpected,
assure you tEat it is equally gratifying. 1t
is true that it is all which man in my con
d'ion can receive For my past political sins
am only allowed to have the good will and
respect of the people, but surely that is
enough am glad that even the fourteenth
amendment cant deprive nc of this. In in.
Producing me to you to night, Captain King
alluded to political sin which [ am charged
with committing when Governor of North
Carolina, in not allowing Bcnning's Georgia
brigade to hang Holden. We'll, gentlemen,
in cxtenuation, can only promise you this,
that III never let such sin be committed
again. Laughter Gcntlcmcn, l thank
you again for the honor you have done me
tonight, but hardly know what to say to you
in return. Well, | can only state that | am
an imrroviscd messenger from the State of
Georgia tell you that North Carolina can
no longer be called the Rip Van Winkle
State no, she is wide awake and full o. noas
Laughter. We were content to fight side
by side with you during the war; but now
we arc ahead Of you aud you must hurry aud
catch up. Gentlemen, don't know great
deal about your affairs in Georgia, for am
a stranger, aud can't talk to you about them
and | will give you little of her history,
which you may fnd interesting and not with,
out some value After the war was over, and
when the United States Congress passed its
reconstruction acts for the avowcd purpose
of restoring the Southern States to their form
cr places in The Union and giving them peace
and prosperity and all that sort of thing, the
white people Of North Carolina thought that
they were not right, and made war against
them. Whcn the election came on we went
at the cncmy's work in front-ju>t as we had
done before il the field and failed failed
gloriousiy and -&ynestly. Aud perhaps this
failure was the best thing for us. The pco
pie generally Know better than the politicians
what is right. If we had defeated the con-
stituton then, people might have said that it
was very good instrument, and that we had
not given it Il fair trial. AS it was we were
defeated Thirty thousand white men stayed
away from the polls in disgust and the con.
stIuton was adopted. The men who were
runing the machine got into Office and had
their own way, and it was way which led to
bitter death. Yes they had their way for
two years, and they came ut last to an end
t" most ignomnious end There never was
such an end seen by the Lord God Almighty
on heaven or earth. Gentlemen, you can
form no conception O. the manner in which
these men run our State government. Why,
they issued S24 600 900 in bonds for the
purpose OF building railroads But no rail.
roads were ever built, and the bonds were
given to their favortcs for the support of
their wickcdncss. These bonds were sold
at first for about GO cents on the dollar, and
finally for about 60 cents basketful-thc
money spent in rascality, and then, when
they became worthless, the Legislature turn.
ed round and repudintcd them hey col
lcctcd 100000 by IL special tax for school
fund, with which to establish schools for the
education OF the colorcd people Then they
replaced this amoint by special tax bonds
aud rcrndlated the bonds. Yet they cstab-
lishcd no school, and taught no colored peo-
pie to read and write. but spent what remained
unstoeu of the 100000 upon what they
called militia, but who were nothing but vag-
abonds and thieves from East Tennessee. -
During their two years term of Office they
destroyed the credit of the State, built no
railroads, and established no Schools and then
called out a standing army to suppress re.
bcllon, which existed only in thoir fearful
imaginations. And this standing army was
| the last feather which broke the camel's back.
Notwithstanding their militia, which was
employed i'll airesting peaccablc citizens
notwithstanding the army of bailins which
infested every town, they were subjected to
an overwhelming defeat The people, the
the great people, suffered much and suffered
long, but finally the time came and they rose
in all their might and majesty and whalcd
them out. There never was such victory
bcfore--ncvcr such sudden and complete
change in the political complexion Of State.
The only one of our nominees who ran on
general ticket was elected ty 5000 majority,
and yet at the election before thus tho Rad.
icals had 10000 majority. They were beat.
beat badly and beat to death TApplausc
Aud they only needed good defeat to make
them perish; for they had been sick a long
time and stank before they died. laugh
ter. Now tho citizens hold the State again,
and when the Legislature meets North Caro-.
lima will be fully restored to the Union and
represented by men Of intelligence and intcg
rity 1t is true that tho State has no money
Il ain told there is not dollar in the trca.
sury- as to credit why the collective
credit of the State on Wall street wouldn't
buy brandy smash but then we've got the
State. Lnughtcr.] Gentlemen, perhaps
| can tell little anccdoto which will illus
tratc more fully what mean AS general