Beaufort Republican. [volume] (Beaufort, S.C.) 1871-1873, 1872-01-04

aT COUNTY REPUBLICAN JAM
are able to control educational matters
all 60 to show your abundant capacity for
self government; that you possess all those
elements that 60 to make up the good cit
izen, and that Abraham Lincoln when he
penned that immortal proclamation was
not mistaken in his estimate Of your Ca
pacity or character
My friends do not propose to make
any extended remarks to day, and am
confident that in the presence of our dis
tinguished visitors you do not desire it
al have to say then is this, and say it
in good faith my friends, keep on pursuing
your present course, continue to cultivate
your little farms, be industrious-for re-
member that industry possesses remark
able qualities for extending the area of
small farms. Take advantage of every
opportunity offered you to educate your
children, and for obtaining knowledge
yourselves, for remember my friends, that
knowledge is power and without it, you
can accomplish but little, and finally my
friends, never surrender your Republican
ism, never abandon your allegiance to the
great Republican party of the nation; you
owe that allegiance .it has sustained you
in the exercise of those great privileges to
which I have alluded, it has thrown
around you every possible safeguard and
every possible protection, and it will con-
tinue to do so.
Doubtless errors have been committed
in the organization, but everything per-
tanning to human affairs is liable to error,
do not abandon the party to correct those
errors, but correct them at home, within
party 1t is true that dishonest men may
have been placed in positions of honor and
trust, but my friends you must not aban-
don the party on that account, Republi
can principles remain the same, they are
Interchangeable. Drive those corrupt men
from their positions never vote for them
again but vote for men who you know are
honest. COL Wiggin was now requested
to read the following letters:
LETTER FROM GEN. sAxToN.
WASHINGTON, Dec. 25, 1871.
Gen. Robert Snaalls.
NM Dear General: have heard with
much pleasure of the proposed celebration
of the ninth anniversary of Lincoln's
proclamation of Emancipation, and am
very much disappointed that 1 cannot be
present to JOIN with you in the commemo-
rative services Of that day in Beaufort.
Although absent in person, shall be
present with you in spirit. I trust that
your meeting will be one worthy of the
great occasion; one worthy Of the day
which, by the solemn decree of the great,
wise, pure and honest. President, brought
the boon of freedom to your race forever.
1t should be day of blessed memories
and of good resolutions for the future; a
day on which the books should be bal
anced, the profits and losses footed up and
the progress (if any has been made noted :;
and if not, a stern resolve, solemn VOW
recorded. to do better in the future.
What hallowed "reminiscences cluster
around our first meeting under the live
oaks on Smiths plantation when the 1st
South Carolina regiment was present, and
Col. Higginson presented to the color
guard the flag, upon whose silken folds
was inscribed, the beautiful prophecy al
most fulfilled, THE year of jubilee has
come" ard that song which burst forth
spontaneously from the lips and hearts of
the assembled thousands:
"Niy country tits Of thee
Sweet land oflberty,
OF thee sing"
and the promise the corporal made for the
guard, that that flag should never be dis
honored in their keeping, but that they
would defend it in the hour of trial, even
with their lives. And faithfully was that
promise fulfilled.
Never in all his round did the glad sun
shine down upon scene of more dramatic
power, pathos and beauty, than when on
that bright day his beams stole through
those live oak branches, and rested on the
strange gathering below. What day of
promise that was! The breaking of the
shackles which had bound down to slave
ry, four millions of your race. Truly it ,oas
the year of jubilee that had come, bring
ing with it freedom; freedom to be honest,
industrious, temperate, true and pure;
and in each year as it goes by, the record
ing angel, shall note how faithfully it's du-
ties have been performed.
Circumstances over which I had no con-
troll took me to distant field of duty at
the close of the war, but have watched