The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1872-07-24

than anybody else to accomplish that
result. I owned slaves. lost all
the accumulations Of my lifetime by
their emancipation, but, so help ne
God! l would loso my right arm be-
fore I would raise a voice or cast q
vote for re-establishing them as slaves.
There is heat enough yet in the dead
ashes of my country to bring forth
the phoenix Of its restoration If Hor-
ace Greeley is made President. |
in the rebel army and for four
years tried to get my State Of the
Union, and for five years after the
war ended we tried to get back
General Grant had visited tho South
and said that the people there needed
only to know tho people of the North
to harmonic with them, and that
they were willing and anxious to re-
turn. But he himself refused to re-
ccive lis. lie said peace, but there
was no peace. Peace was on his lips,
but war was in his heart. But this
old man whom wo are visiting here
at his country home, against whom
we have warred all our lives, he prom
ises Us peace, and he will give it to
US. When the storm has lashed the
ocean in its fury and the waves have
dashed against the heavens in their
tumult, for days after the storm is
over and the clouds are serene the
waves still roll and tumble and the
ocean still murmurs in the last subsi-
dence Of its rage. So tho angry pas
sions Of a people, after four years of
strife, require time to return to the
normal condition Of peace and har-
mony. But is not five years long
enough? The angel of peace is at
last spreading its wings over all this
land, and the brothers who fought so
long ago are at last clasping hands
across the bloody chasm for the saliva
tion Of the country and tho liberties
of the people.
FRANCIS W. BIRDS SPEECH.
II will now call on Francis W
Bird, an old radical, of Boston" said
the Philosopher. Mr.. Francis w.
Bird, one Of the famous radicals of
tho most radical coterie even Of Bos-
ton, a fine old gentleman, who looks
like a picture of Old Hickory refined
to an intellectual cast, came forward
and said:
LADIES AND GENTLEMEN n can
not promise to make speech. I can
only express my personal enjoyment
on this Pentecostal day at this out
pouring Of grace, as in the days Of old
among the Medes and Persians and
the dwellers beyond Mesopotamia.
A friend-an old radical friend in
Boston-asked me tho other day how
could bring myself to consort with
the Democrats. I replied to him,
MY Christian brother, am amazed.
You have read in the Holy Word that
the angels of the Lord rejoiccd even
over one sinner that rcpentcth. Here
are three million Democratic brothers
brought up out Of sin. I cannot re-
|oicc too much. These Democrats
are shaming US by their devotion.
This is tho most glorious time in the
Republic. A few days before the
Cincinnati Convention I called upon
my old friend Sumner, the Senator
from Massachusetts, and I urged him
to 90 forward with this Cincinnati
movement. l told him how it would
affect the hitherto parted sections OF
the country, and bring us into deeper
loving union than heretofore. He
replied, 1T will be the greatest po-
litical achievement since the Declara-
tion Of Independence" l think VIC
ought to so on our knees and give
thanks for SO many blessings. But I
want to introduce my friend Charley
Davis, q regular Boston Radical-hc'll
speak to you.
And with that Mr.. Bird jumped
out Of the chair and entered again
into close conversation with Theodore
Tilton, Senator Gwin and Colonel
Shorter, the quartet forming most
remarkable instance Of how in these
remarkable times political extremes
meet.
MIR. DAVIS SPEECH.
Charles Davis, q short, brown-hair-
ed, sandy-whiskercd Bostonian, mount
cd the chair and said
LADIES AND GENTLEMEN | thank
Mr.. Greeley and [ thank God for pcr-
mission to be here at this love feast.
l came to see what Mr.. Greeley knows
about farming, and l remain to see
what he knows about healing the Sec
tional auimosities Of the country. |
was born within q child's cry of Ply
mouth Rock, and L was a thorough
going abolitionist from my earliest
days, but I am proud to shake hands
with Mr.. Reagan and Mr.. Gwin over
the reunited Union. We may be
sure that we will have great help in
this campaign. Sumner will not sulk
like Achilles in his tent.
COLONEL M'RAE's SPEECH.
Mr.. McRae, Of Tennessee, a lank,
thin-faced man, with u high forehead,
bushy whisI1ers, tall, rapid in his
defamation and vehement in his gcs-
ticulation, mounted tho chair. and said
that he was Consul in Paris in 1853,
when Mr.. Greeley was arrested by
the French authorities and thrown
into prison. Great excitement ensued
the American residents, and
no visited the prisoner in order to
secure his release. He found him
cOOllv and contentrd]v Dursuinr his