New Orleans Republican. [volume] (New Orleans, La) 1867-1878, 1871-09-26
Eighth District Court.
Speech Of Senator Schurx

NASAsAALE, OcplcWOtT @U.-V8Cl Sc0ul
made his promised speech at the capitol t.
day An immense audience attended, re1
resenting all parties and all sections Of Tel
nessee. His arrival in the hall of yepreseI
tatives was greeted with applause. Gove
nor Neil y. Brown made few remarks
introducing him.
The speech of Mr.. Schurz was of prea
length, liberal, candid and impartial, an
was well received.
He began by stating that notwithstand
ing the captiOus remarks which had bee
made relative to his acceptance Of an inv
tation from prominent men who had beel
rebels, he was happy to meet all steadfas
Union men, equally happy to stretch on
his hand to all men who had stood agains
the government during the war; but ar,
now ready to work for the restoration o
universal peace, harmony, friendship an(
true brotherhood. and thanked the unionist.
and confedsrates, Republicans and Dem
ocrats, natives and adopted citizens
whites and blacks, for the very friendly
welcome extended to him. He had
no selfish aspirations. His audience had
nothing to give him. He had been allotted
the highest political position attainable to q
foreign born citizen under the constitution
He would utter the natural convictions OF
his mind without fear and impartiality
Proceeding to discuss the present condition
should no longer be postponed. 1t would
tend to disarm the feeling of alienation
caused in the South by the results of the
war. A just, generous and cOnciliatOry
policy should be adopted. Itwas necessary
to return without delay to sound practices
Of constitutional government. Local self
government should be restored to that free
dom which belonged to it.
Great abuses had grown up in the civil
orvySan ovNA oN,st hn ak1l
tenn of import duties needed a change.
Taxes must be reduced; return to specie
payments must be made; corruption in high
places rebuked; the influence Of corpora
tons OF tremendous power guarded against,
and donations of public lands stopped.
These were, he said, problems to be solved.
and his views were shared by millions of
liberal Republicans North. Some of them
were OF special interest to the South. He
Of the attitude of the South in laboring for
reforms. So long as disorder prevailed. the
North would not yield to its liberal and
progressive impulses.
he said the war was caused by the an
tagOnism between slavery and free labor.
Slavery brought on the struggle and caused
the defeat. 1t isolated the South from the
world. France and England dared not in
terfere against free labor. The South should
cause was hOpelessly lost. and can never be
revived.
He referred to the change of affairs in the
South, and the necessity of a change of
social and political organization based on
principles Of equality.
The reconstruction acts of Congress were |
not the Offsprings of hatred and vindictive- |
ness, but OF stern necessity to protect those |
who stood by the Union. white and black. |
and IN nraVeUf ofiOn ov f,,<,ra <ro,,byo, L
The Southern people would resort to all |
possible expedients; accept Of free labor in
It's true form, and free labor must and would |
be maintained, secured and developed, or
The struggle be fought over for those DO |
iticaI privileges by which freemen main.
tain their rights. He asked if the South
had been placed in the position of the North,
would they have done less!
Mr.. SEIZURE was emphatic in his disappro-
'atlon of the policy Of the present admins
ration, and in his frequent expressions of
apprehension Of the result to our republican
Institutions to allow its perpetuation in
'0wer, the only deliverance from which he
onsidered to be through the cooperation of
he sincere patriots of all parties in the DO
ltlcat organization which would insure-the
bliteratiOn Of sectional bitterness from
latiOnrl politics. Such an organization
you'd command the confidence and secure
'arty cooperation of his faith, who would
Import it in preference to the administra-
ION party, but could not cOnscientiously act
Nth the Democratic party. Such q move
aent would receive the support of the entire
'erman element Of the nation, and the true
atrlOts OF all parties. and result in q genu-
le restoration Of the Union.
The remainder of the speech was devoted |
the exposition Of his views on other TOPICS
aentloned in the outset Of his remarks.