Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1871-1872, 1872-09-27
MR.. GREELEY AT JEFFERsONvILLE, IN
DIANA
Earnest Appeal for the Rights Of Labor and
for Reconciliation.

On Monday morning, Sept. $50. at 8
O'Clock, when Mr.. Greeley crossed over from
Kentucky 10 Indiana, at Jacksonville, 10
response 20 the general desire, he spoke As
folows
Ma. MAYOR AND ClrizESI o. JEFFRsoS-
WILLS; should be very inconsistent and
nngrAteful II my life had not been devoted,
according 70 my bes. undefstaBding, to the
interest and welfare Of the great laboring
class out OF which / have sprung, And 10
Witch have always been commi,tsd. Be
ginning life as laborsr on a farm, going
thence into a mechanics shop aud learning
my trade - a printer, have devoted tho
best Of my subsequent life, fret 10 my sm-
Payments a. printer aud editor and after
wards 10 some extent, ~ an humble, mod
crate farmer A. we'll. ! feel that my sym.
pAIhisa could not have been otherwise than
with the immense majority Of mankind,
Who, 10 al ages, are required to subsist BY
their manual industry. have meant 20 be
10 politics, a. IN my business / have meant
10 bs, the friend OF labor / may have
made mislakes-who has not III the policy
which | thought best adapted TO promote
the interests Of the workiugmen, aud may
just a. well have been mistaken a. equally
honest equally earnest men who have advo
Gated different policy, but know what my
purpose was. ! was 10 the days Of slavery,
IN enemy Of slavery because / thought
slavery inconsistent with the rights, tho dig
nifty, the bighes, being Of tree labor.
That might have been a mistake, but It was,
nj any rate, an earnest conviction. SO, when
our great trouble came upon ua, was an
Kions, Frat Of all, for labor that the labor
ing class should be every where free men.
was AnKi0us most tina. our couutrys unity
might be preserved without bloodshsd "
that we're possible; by means Of bloodshed
II that dire alternative should be fa,teued
upon us. But, friends aud eighbors, blood
shed Is always sad necessity; AlWayr
woeful necessity, and he who loves his fel.
low man must dsare 10 mAkst hat necessity
- short - possible, ~ brief as possible; TO
have the least amount of bloOdshed possi-
blej so ~ soon As peace can be restored, to
sface, ~ Immediately ~ can be, every trace,
not merely Of blood on the earth, but of
Vengsful feeling from the hearts OF hia fsl.
low.men. Such has been the impulse of the
course have pursued throughout the last
few oventful years MY life haa been an
open book. All could read It. Ny thoughts
have been given to the public, warm and
frsah, sometimes before an opportunity has
been afforded for due confederation and con-
nection; very ofteL mingled with the
thoughts Of others which were not my own,
but which IL was very eAsy to attribute to
me. So have come on to this time No
one who heard my uIterAnces or listened to
tasm In any way, directly after the close Of
Wor, when pleaded for maRnabi unity, for
for the Gpesdisst possible effacr,
menI Of all sores and sorrows from the pub
lie mind; no one who needed me then can
doubt where stand today. Ny course has
been plain and simple. Down with all man
ber Of lawlessnsss and violence. II there
arc Ku,klux or other disturbances, put them
down with n strong hand, Tor mercy to them
IL quite different from mercy to the quiet,
psacsable men of the country. Mloisnce
and lAwlessnssa you muhG suppress speedily,
earnestly but when IL IL sup
pressed, then forget wrath, aud remember
mercy ! pleaded for universal amnesty. !
What, say some, werO there no men who
Dom mitled crime during the war; say, il |
here we're, punish their crimes. Amnesty
Won't forbid that II men committed muir.
Ter during the civil war, whether on one side |
Dr. The other, II they committed acts contrary
10 the laws OF humane war, then would |
punish them stenly for those acts, and | |
Eould have done 80 long ago. for every such |
,ot or outrage against tho laws Of war, in
var, 10 - black = crime as though IL /
we're committed in time of peace.
Punish those men always, but for those men |
10 AZ al
Ireai struggle, | have no feeling of vsnse-
ul wrath after they have laid down their
rms and complied with all tho reasonable
equirsmsnts Of the government for the pub
10 sAfsiy. For security and peace, any
ming for vengeance and wrath, nothing.
such has been the feeling, such the oonvic-
non that cherished through the war and
'inoe 'he war. Nov, say the time has
some Tor universal amnesty, so that no hu-
man being shall feel that because he was on
What you aud regard a. the wrong aide in
our great struggle, he shall be pro.cribed.
ah'rsnehtssd or subjected TO any penalty for
u lhs tine has come when "a .hould
p'oo,.n NAT amnesty, and having secured
INC rights Of every black man in the oonn-
I 20 maj ne 10 Just ~ good As you or
.aou'u give the white man q chance.
~ w. say TO those Who were mistaken, Who
,ouEhi against us and against themsslyea.-
.o' vas a. mach against themselves A
-sa'na' us,-lo1 ua say Fellow.couot,v
J.a, Ioo we're wrong. You undertook 70
aa country the, ought not 10 be diyid.
O., Aen we're mistaksn, bot that ia ali
noS ms country 10 united; We are ali free
A's Ne make yOu free also. LIE. ~,