The Columbia herald. [volume] (Columbia, Tenn.) 1850-1873, 1872-11-08

NOT only 064o, Dub you, or i, or 0UF O00
who should now be called to ofBos must
take solemn oath to obey the Consti-
tuition, which forbids its ever being re-
established. Well, then, / say slavery
being dead, nobody expects it g. to
come to life agaia, and there is - res
son why you and should quarrel about
slavery. No matter how we regarded it
in the past, it is not practical, living
issue now. Well, then, what vns the
difficulty? As to the way In which We
should deal with the efforts made by
certain Southern States to dissolve the
Union. Up to the time when war was
waged upon us, up to the time when the
guns of slaughter thundered against
Fort Sumter, this people differed as to
how we should deal with the question
of disunion. But that contest ceased
to be living issue at the time when
that war was urged on US in behalf of
secession. Had they waited till we
struck the first blow, / think they
might have waited some time; but they
having struck the first blow, the North
rose up ami said: "All tn. SO questions
are dead; we have now to save the
country. The war was waged through
four bloody years. The Union is es-
tablished now, and there is no one
thousand men, or forty millions OF meD,
who have the slightest dream that it
can ever be disturbed. Whatever may
have been your opinion or my opinion
twelve or fifteen years ago, it is certain
that the Union cannot be dissolved
now, and could not be dissolved then.
If any one undertakes to raise q ques-
ton about disunion, telling you that
General Dix said this, or Mr.. Tremaine
said that, or Mr.. Greeley said the other
thing, twelve years ago, the answer is.
That has nothing pertinent to do with
it now. The country is reunited, and
will remain so forever, We differed
with reward to the proper course to be
pursued with reference to the African
race when free. There were men as
good ., ever lived who said the blacks
are an inferior race; they are ignorant,
debssed, and it would be wrong to ad-
NIT them to an equal right of suffrage.
Others said. and / said, grant all you
say about their debasement and iRno-
rance, If you make them q special class
they will always remain so. You will
have to educate them; you must give
Them the right of suffrage, and then
you will have to educate them SO
hat they can exercise it intelligently.
Well, we fought that out, and to-day it
8 Just as firmly established as the ever
astlng hills that the rights of the black
nan are the same as the white, and If
Ill the people of all the States tried to
change it, they could not change it. It
s In the Constitution, snd so in it that
10 sensible man will tell you that it can
ever be taken out. There is no ques-
ion about the negroes, about black
men, or white men. The Constitution
ioes not know any race, but recognizes
he rights of man, and every person and
every race exactly equal, and that can
lot be changed. Now, then, these
luestious being dead, closed, as utterly
,ut of place as is the question whether
his country shall be dependent on
Great Britain or independent-for that
vas once living issue-these questions
,eing dead, / insist that they shall be
buried. / say that we shall no more
undertake to raise them up, but shall
70 forward to living questions, and the
irst is that all the white people of this
shall be enfranchised, Just ~
III the black people are. Applause
thought of that long before you were
eady said impartial suffrage I said
IMPARTIAL suffrage said let us make
his country one again, and / believe
hat the Judgment of this country now
S that that was wise conclusion-not
-
nay be folly, but this was practicable,
conclusion, not to kill
he people after the war was over, be-
,ause we had killed them while war was
yoing op. But now there are whites to
,e enfranchised there are 10000 peo-
lie in the State of Arkansas disfran-
hised to-day; they are men of proper
y, and their property is wasted by bad
nen, who have no property, just as our
in New York city was squan-
lered by ring robbers for years, till the
people rose in their might and drove
hem out. I ask that the American
people give their sympathy and their
generous support to the people of the
south, who for seven years have tried
% do their duty as citizens restored to
heir country. We hear of outrages,
where there are ten or dozen men con-
'erned in them, but in great States
here have been beard of no outrages.
You have never heard of them in Vir-
,inia, there are no Kuklux there. There
re none in Florida, there are none in
none in louisiana or in
Texas. Then say, let us try to call
hese men, this people, to us to say to
hem, we are brothers, you and we have
varied, we have been opposed to each
'ther, and fought, you for slavery and
lisunion, and we for emancipation and
lnion, but we fought. not for our part
# the country alone, but for the whole
ountry. Our purpose was to make all
men in all parts of the country free, and
,ur cause was that of union and univer-
al freedom. Now, then, come up and
njoy these privileges; take your stand
nth us, and enjoy every good, the same
IS we have. 1t now seems to me thai
his is not merely magnanimity, but
policy, what the country
low needs, and when we have got that,
We will consider many questions Of the
lay about which we may differ-tariff,
,anks, railroads and so on. As we diff
cred in the past, we may differ again,
,ut the first question in the emancrpa-
ion Of all the white men In the country,
o that they shall enjoy equal rights
nth the black men ofthe country. That
5 the question on which I stand as q
andidste, which / believe. Whether
{ shall be successful in my person on
Iot 1 do not know, but thank heaven
nv name will be identified with the
reat movement to iberalize the policy
+ this country. This movement must
,revail. We cannot hate forever, We
hall settle these questions that part OF
IS, if not this year, then the next year,
IT the year after, and stand together as
american citizens of one country, heirs
Il one heritage, ready to stand shoulder
o shoulder in defence of that country.
[ attacked by any enemy whatever.
Great applause.
CONNUBIALITIES.
A lady, once whose love was cold,
Asked II a reason could be told,