The daily phoenix. [volume] (Columbia, S.C.) 1865-1878, 1870-10-07

G1e queen City or the West, sitting with
peace and dignity upon the beautiful
waters of tho Ohio, with peace and
dignity equal to that of the Empress
Eugenle when she graced the throne of
France. May her reign not bo 80 short,
age shall not wither. Cheers.
Gentlemen, with that fairness cha.
ractcristic of the Chamber of Commerce,
characteristic Of the merchants eyery
where, and the mechanics who look into
the future, and I may dignity it by a
higher te1n-by that philosophical and
phllanthropio view of human nature
which knows no city lines, but goes be.
yond the narrow limits, goes beyond
local prejudices-thi Chamber of Com
merce has, with magnanimity, invited
the representatives of the industrial
callings of four great States to meet
them here in fraternal intercourse. We
have met their greeting heartily. We
come tonight representing four great
Stotes-States not rolling in wealth, as
yours are, States, it is true, that have
been devastated, but are rising, phnnix-
like, from the ashes, and conscious of
their power. their resources and their
worth. they boldly challange the 1e-
sources of the world. [Applause.
"We meet you in all Kindness. The
merchants North and South have by
their enterprise broken down the rocky
barriers that have separated us from
each other. I am happy to say that in
the little State I represent. thirty.six
years ago the Louisville, Cincinnati and
Charleston Railroad was projected. One
of tho first directors of that road, an
aged gentleman of South Carolina, is
here among us tonight to meet you in
the Chamber of Commerce, [appiause,
and l know you will give him hearty
welcome. That project, fallen through
IN its first design, has been perfected in
another way, and now these mountains
have been tunnoled through and the
queen City OF the West and the States
OF the Gulf and the Atlantic have been
united together by the iron track which
now ramifies through the Southern
States by the energies of the merchants.
"The object of the Chamber of Com
merce is laudable. It is true it is for the
development of the resources of the
country. 1t is for increasing all those
peaceful agencies that make for the pros
perlty and welfare of great country,
for advancing science, literature and
religion, for producing fraternal concord
among the people, and creating feeling
of friendship, unity and love.
1--WE come here representing the South
tonight. We come to speak to the
manufacturers and merchants, men of
liberal minds. The speaker has allud-
ed to the war, whose grim visage and
rutfied front is now smoothed. Yes,
thank God, it is smoothed down in our
country; but we do not come here to
talk OF it. We want to bury the dead
past; the present is ours. We como
mere as libera! men speaking to liberal
men, as individual citizens speaking to
individual citizens, and while we men Of
the South come here and, talking in the
utmost kindness, say to you that you
may take your riches and lay them at
the shrine OF your lamented Lincoln or
crown General Grant, with all magma
bic honors, as merchants, and citizens.
gentlemen, you must accord to us the
privilege of carrying our votiye tablets
and laying them at the feet of Jefferson
Davis and RoA. 3. Lee, loud applausc,]
who, although conquered in war, are un-
conquered in patriotism, virtue and hn-
manity. Renewed applause.l
Gentlemen, am delighted; we are
all delighted with this opportunity Of
meeting together as friends and strilingi.
hands together. We can speak to one2
another, and you may see honesty de-
plcted III our countenances and truth in
our voices, and what we speak you will
listen to, and what you speak Of truth .
we will listen to, and, gentlemen, we
have many things of mutual interest to
each other. Your manufactures are
looming up everywhere. You have your
bacon, and your provisions and manu-
factured articles. to exchange for rice,
cotton and tobacco that we have. In
this both will be benefited, and the
whole country united; and by the action
OF the Chamber of Commerce, and the
manufacturers and merchants. there will
be q friendship spring up between the
North and the South, and the East will
shake hands with the West, and we will
be band of brothers. [Applause.
"How pleasant it is for brethren to
dwell together in unity. It is like the
dews cn the mountain top, and when
this accord of spirit is produced and
there is true union, union of senti-
ment, union of hearts, then we can
weld ourselves together and reconstruct
this temple of liberty.