Nashville union and American. [volume] (Nashville, Tenn.) 1868-1875, 1872-09-25

inflicting upon them bad government. X
punish a people by forcing upon them
government for the purpose OF degradin.
and demoraIizing them has but one exam
pie, am happy to believe, in the history o
the Christian world. To poison the foun
tain which supplies the city with water, o.
4 the bread which sustains life, would seen
to be an enornlity of similar character
To do all this with impunity, this party
seems to have Thought It necessary to In
flame the minds of the ruling portion OF
the people against those Of the South by
representing them as disloYal and incapa
1 bic of doing Justice among each other. A
greater misrepresentation of people has
never been made, In my opinion.
That some disorders should have occurred
in such an extent Of country, and among a
people composed of men who had been
| masters and those who had been newly en-
| franchised, I do not doubt. But these,
| believe, would have been quickly and easily
remedied by their own State governments
| ifthey had been allowed to institute them
| upon fair principles. Certainly the South
! ern people had more interest in preserving
harmony between the two races than any
| one else. Judge of other States by my
| own; and that such was the case in Vir-
GINA experience has proved. believe that
there has never been q people conquered,
after such contest, who accepted Their
condition with a more thorough apprecia-
ton Of all its legitimate consequences, or
with more sincere intent to discharge
honestly all the obligations which it imposed
upon them. But unhappily the Radical
party perhaps entertained, and certainly
acted upon a very different opinion; and
now, after more than seven years OF their
rule, and with every opportunity to apply
their own measures and schemes OF paclh-
cation, they are accusing the Southern peo-
PIE of disloyalty and disaffection, and clam
oring for martial law and the use OF the
military to quell and to punish them.
Other nations of wiser mind have thought
il good policy to conciliate those whom
they had conquered. and the old Roman,
after the social war, gave OF his own accord
what he had refused when demanded by
people 10 arms. In our case no concession
was expected-nothing was asked but just
treatment.
WRONGS OF THE SOUTH.
But here we see great party deli berately
seeking to in1ame the public mind against
the Southern people, and to array one sec
don of th9 country against another by in
citing the powerful to degrade and Cypress
the weak, and by exciting mutual feelings
Of dislike and hostility between them. If
the men who lead this party be statesmen
they surely have not reflected upon the
obvious and necessary consequences of such
= course. If We are to keep up popular
government, and by it rule this country
efficiently and happily, what can be 50 ne
eessary as to inspire the whole people with
feelings of mutual sympathy and affection;
or what so dangerous as to beget sectional
animosities, which almost always long sur
Yive the occasion which engendered them.
1t is to Mr.. Greeley's great credit that he
has seen, and as far as be is able acted upon
this truth, and the fact that his opponents
act upon opposite principles of itself dis
qualities them from holding the seats of
power in this government.
Fellow-citizsns, there is nothing so easy
to inspire as sectional jealousy aud animos-
ity, and nothing so difficult TO eradicate
where it once exists. The Governor who
could voluntarily create such feelings
among people whom he called upon to
rule, is manifestly unfit for his place, be-
cause he is either insensible Of his highest
duty, or wickedly and consciously violates
it. The seed of sectional hatred which
Cromwell sowed in Ireland in his day still
bears its bitter fruit. Il is in vain that
English statesman strive TO eradicate this
nuisance to their own government. In
vain do they use every means of concilia-
ton; they may disestabiish their church and
trench upon what they have have consider
ed sacred in the rights Of property, but the
Irishmen, still mindful of former wrongs,
a T. l,os- ovl
are the efforts now made to satisfy him,
although 1.-THE of them would have won
his love before these hostile feelings were
engendered. This same Southern people,
whom this party so much vili6es and re-
preached, is bound TO play an important
part in the Government of this Union. No
man doubts, the Radicals themselves would
not dispute it. Is the temper in which he
may assume these functions, or the temper
in which be is met, of no Importance to the
country? Surely there are none so blind as
to affirm that.
To cOunteract this fatal policy is an OBJ
iect of far greater importance than all the
questions growing out of financial or COM
mercial policy. He who can and will in
troduce the policy of Cancellation and the
feeling of reconciliation among this great
people will meet and satisfy the greatest
public exigency Of the present time. 1t
was a German Imagination, l believe,
which, in order to present moving picture
of the horrors of war, conceived the idea
of midnight review of all the victories of
Napole0n's contest, and those shadoWy
hosts came troOping forth from the SHOWS
of Russia and sands of Syria, representa-
tives of almost every cline and race of the
Old World; and as the sad procession pass
ed before him in voicaless woes, even his
stern heart must have been stirred with re-
morse to behold it. Would such a show
of the victims of another war have no re-
straining effect upon the instigator of sec
tional hate and strife? Will no considera-
ton of the nature of the fruit which is to
spring from the seed that he is sowing re-
strain his wanton hand? Does he view
with no solemnity the character OF the
awful trust of government reposed III him
TO those who clothed his hand with power?
Does he not feel that be must use this
power for the peace, the happiness, and
prosperity of all who are conided TO his
care? But unaccountable as this course
may seem to me upon any principle of true
craftsmanship or wisdom, there is yet one
theory upon which it all may be explained.
TENDENCIES TOWARD IMPERIALISM.
Fellow-citizens, there is possibly an i'm
pending event, which these measures are
well calculated to bring about. If it be
the object TO change this Democratic-Re-
publican form of government into an I'm
perial institution, then there is an eminent
fitness in these means to attain it. That
there is deliberate purpose already enter
tanned by any great party in the country to
change from popular TO an imperial form
of government do not charge. But do
assert that the system of measures and
course Of policy pursued by the Radical
party, must have this result, whether they
design it or not. And further, l believe that
the number of those who secretly prefer
an empire to a republic is far greater than
any one of us would reckon it, If called
upon for an estimate. Nor is this all. l
declare to you in truth and sincerity that
in my opinion there is no small danger of
such a change unless the people are warned
IN time and take proper steps to prevent 1t.
stand here this day mainly to warn you
OF tins danger, and to say that if you be-
lleve it to be as imminent as do, the first
important step to be taken is to put Mr..
Greeley in power with those who have
Withdrawn all support from those who now
govern, because, smong other reasons,
they believe that the tendency of these