Wilmington journal. [volume] (Wilmington, N.C.) 1844-1895, 1872-09-27
MR.. GREELEY'S MOVEMENTS,
TRIP THROUGH PENNSYLVANIA.
GREAT SPEECH AT PITTSBURGH

FELLOw-CITIzENs The wise King SAYS
there is time for war and time for
peace. GCries of "God bless YOUR The
city of PittsbuTg has recently witnessed a
rehearsal of the pomp and pageantry, TIE
blazonry and circumstance of civil war. A
very large number Of men were collected
here at q vast expense with the single pur-
pose OF reminding the bitterness and
hatred, the animOsities and antipathy, the
fears and Civilizations of civil war. for the
advantage of a political party. 1 take you
to witness that the greater portion of the
journals of Pittsburgh, as.well as the ora
tors On the occasion, have been trying their
best to make the people hate each other
Tor the sake OF a partisan advantage. A
stranger who was reading the journals of
Pittsburgh for the last few days would
imagine that we were at war, and their
purpose was to revive and to eXasperate
the hatred and animosity Of civil war in
order to intensity and invigorate their side
of the conflict. They talk about rebels
and traitors. Fellow-citizens, are we never
TO he done with this? We demanded Of
our adversaries in the great civil war that
they surrender their arms and 60 to their
homes. They surrendered them. We
demanded that they abandon slavery, and
that they enfranchiSe the blacks, and the
blacks were enfranchised. None but white
men now stand DISTINGUISHED ON the soil of
our country. [Cheers.] We demanded
that they stipulate that the emancipated
slaves shall not be paid for, and that the
rebel debt shall never be paid by the Gov
eminent or by the State, and they assented
to that. So far as [ can see, every single
demand made on the part Of the loyal
States and the loyal people has been fully
complied with on the part of those lately in
rebellion. Everything has been done that
we asked; everything has been conceded,
and still they tell us, ''Why, we want them
to repent" Have they not brought forth
works meet for repentance? CHEERS.
Coming together in solemn Conven-
ton, the representatives of that Southern
people have given their assent to the plat
form of the Cincinnati Convention, which
was the most intense, the most complete
Republican platform that had ever been
presented by any National Convention
whatever. Loud and prolonged ap-
plause.] All this being done, we are told
by these gentlemen who met All this is
mockery, all this is fraud, yea don't mean
anything by il - and the cry goes on,
/" Rebels and traitors, rebels and traitors -
" denunciatiOn," prescription" the same
as ever. -Four years ago in the Republi-
can National Convention, it was declared
that this prescription 81 Oul1 speedily cease.
-Four years have passed and still it is main
tanned. There are this day thousands of
people Of Arkansas alOne-Lhe III 1st intel
ligent, the most responsible people Of that
State-fOrbidden to exercise the right of
sutfrage-fOrbidden exclusively by the par
ty that meets here and shouts for Grant
and Wilson. Nobody else asks for pro-
scriptlOn. No other party asks that any
human being should stand prescribed on
our soil for a rebellion chat ceased seven
and half years agO-nO party, no men of
any party but this, that held great mill
tary parade here this week i'll order to
further and further separate and divide the
hearts OF the American people from each
other! [Cheers.] They hold essential to
their triumph that hatred should continue,
that distrust, suspicion, and alienation
should continue. DO what you will, do
what you may, they are determined not to
be satisfied. Now, fellOw-citizens, it is not
enough that those who fought against the
Union should be prescribed; those Of US
who stood for it are equally denounced, if
we do not happento agree with them in our
present politics. LCheers.] Here stands
one who is charged by them with being a
Secessionist. ]Great laughter.1 Could
that be true, tellow-citiZens ? Look the
facts in the face.
FREE DISCUSSION DEMANDED.
When Lincoln had been elected and this
conspiracy for secession began to advance,
we Republicans were told by our own men
and told still more by those out of the cir
Gle, " Y on must back out of your Republi-
canism, you must surrender your opposi-
ton to the eXteI on of slavery or consent
fn civil - This 41,oIy COZ nc
the only observation-disclosures and dev as
tation over the whole country, or you shall
surrender the principles OH which you
have just carried the election. l was one
of those who said No, there is no such
alternative" l denied that the great ma
jority of the Southern people were against
the Union. l demanded that there should
be an open, free discussion, that Southern
people might have an honest, unterrified,
unconstIained vote, and, if they approved,
if the people of the South said they wanted
disunioD, l would consent to it. l knew
they would rot. l knew that the great
majority of the Southern people would have
voted as they actually did that Winter, rot
for secession, but for clinging to the Union
[cheersl; and now, to-day, if the nation
were to be imperiled, and there were Just
two modes of savingi 1t, to trust the chances
of civil war or the chances of free vote of
the Southern people, l would very greatly
prefer to take the latter chance rather than
the former. [Cheers.] For, fellow citi-
zens, they do greatly misunderstood and
malign this American people, when they
assume that, in cold blood, before there had
been any clash of arms, the people in the
South, ANY more than the people in tie North,
desired diSuniOn. [Cheers.
OBJECT OF THE ORIGINAL SECEssIoNIsTs.
In its. inception, in its origin, the great
masses OF those who consented to this Sc
cession movement meant nothing by it but
to make us consent to the extension of
slavery. That was their purpose, and that
purpose | did my best to resist and defeat.
[Cheers Well, the war is ended. / think
it ought to be ended. IA voice e'Let us
have peace."] We had great, terrible,
a bloody, destructive civil war. Our sue
cess was perfect. The defeat of the adver-
sary was more complete than any defeat
recorded in history. They have suffered
much, they have conceded all. Cannot
we afford to be magnanimous at least?
[ Cheers.] But, fellow-citizenS, they say
that the Southern people may vote. Some
OF them may but the instant they vote
the cry is raised "See how these fellows
vote!' They cry "You must vote the
other way" Is that an election ? Or is it
only the fashion of war in another aspect?
Fellow citizens, you belong to one of the
great hives Of American industry. plead
here for peace and reconciliation as
the interests especially of this busy,
energetic people. [Cheers.]
| have sympathiZed with Pittsburgh;
| have rejoiced in her prosperity
have wondered at and admired her
growth. You surely know no
place on this continent has been dearer to
me than Pittsburg. There las been no
spot in whose prosperity 1 have more hear
tily rejoiced than this, because l believe
her prosperity was firmly linked and bound