The daily dispatch. [volume] (Richmond [Va.]) 1850-1884, 1870-12-02
Ex-Governor yance's Speech.

r1Or tance7S speech.
Being serenaded the night of his election
to the United States Senate, Gov. Vance
said :
Fellow-citizens,-I hardly know what to
say. how much to say, and how much not
to say. I should be either more or less than
| human 1t l did not feel grateful to you and
to the people of North Carolina for many
kindnesses. I am unable to account for the
| kindness of the people in honorlng me so
| often. | know it cannot be for any superior
merit of my own. / can only attribute 1t
to one thing. Human nature is a very
| common thing. and there Is a great deal OF
it in humanity. [Laughter.] A great deal
| has been said of the hypocrisy OF polltl-
clans, of the ingratitude of Republics !;
| but it is a principle in human ma
ture that that man who serves a
people faithfully in any position where
that people place him, be the
RIGHT or wrong, will be honored by them.
| must say that I feel that / have done so.
I was reared q Whig-a party devoted to
the Union {: as Whig I fought disunion,
and stood by the Union even until, the
South generally feeling itself aggrieved,
Unionism became very unpopular. l still
adhered to it until my State, in her SOW
ereign capacity, attempted to discover her
connection with that Union. | then elected
to 60 with my State, my kith and. kin.
Having joined the army, / determined to
serve the new cause with the same I'M
swerying zeal with which | had that
of the Union. ! was called upon TO sup
port acts which had not before and
did not then meet my approval for
the general good. | served as your
Governor; I chung with you to the
cause, and did not surrender my
! authority until the last hungry, ragged
Confederate had laid down his arms. After
| the war terms upon conditions were held
| out to the people of the South. l would not
| accept terms that would separate me from
| YOU and the brave boys who went at your
| bidding. The longest road has a turn. /
| did not wish to rise until Icould rise with
| YOU. Thank God, that time has arrived
We 60 up now. We may 20 down again,
| but will 60 down together A.; and l will have
| good c~ompany-the best and bravest hearts
in the land-with me. Because u party
| has been triumphant there are some who
! urge retaliation. This should not be
| so. The best antidote for tyranny, the
| strongest weapon against it, is the enact
ment of Just and wholesome laws. Now
that we have the government of North
Carolina in our hands we should not aim
w HNC1l- ohl - W. Wan " ~ VI
civil liberty among us, but We should so
arrange that it cannot happen aga~in-should
| see to it that no executive or other authori-
tv can again attempt to destroy our liberties.
| From the obtaining of Magma Charta to
| the present day no attempt to override
| or abridge it has been made that has not
more firmly reGstablished liberty. May it be
so here. 1t is true that in the last five
years we have felt what it is to be without
trial by jury, to have arrests among us
without warrant, and the freedom of the
press abridged. All the people understand
1t now. 1t behooIes us now to build up
the great principles of civil liberty on the
| eternal rocks Of our great country. Let an
ger, revenge, and retaliation be ignored,
and let the laws on our statutc-book bear
the impress OF 4 free people determined Ie-
ultimately to maintain their freedom. In
my place in the Senate | shall endeavor
to serve my great State and my country
with honor. That I shall be admitted to
serve you scarcely admits Of a doubt. The
Presidents message, it is said, will fore.
shadow amnesty, and the recent cleo.
tons show the handwriting on the wall.
There are many great statesmen among
the dominant party in Congress, repre-.
Senting large constituencies, among whom
Il tremendous revolution IN sentiment on
these questions has taken place. Those
men and the great American people, who,
after a long war of blood and carnage, re-
| sulting in the freedom Of the African, will
no longer tolerate the enslayement Of the
Anglo-SaXon. Every law, both State and
national, should be respected and obeyed
by all our people, bitterness and ritupera.
ton should cease, and men, no longer ell.
deavoring TO destroy each other, should
earnestly strive to engender kindly feelings
| amonu oil c1osses of o11r citiyaDg- To hrinu
about these desirable ends will be the earn
est aim of my life, in Congress and else.
where. l thank you, fellow-citizens, fol-
your compliment.
After the performance of several pieces
by the Raleigh Colored Brass Band, Gov,
Vance left on the western train for his
home in Charlotte.