The Charleston daily news. [volume] (Charleston, S.C.) 1865-1873, 1872-09-26
THE ISSUES OF THE HOUR.

LII Ed UI Ill AOo1''
ADDRESS OF TIRE HON. NJ p. OcON-
NOE IN EANUEIL BALL, BOSTON.
An Eloquent Plea from q Carolina
Orator to q Massachusetts Audience in
Behalf OF che Liberal Cause.
The following Is a full and correct.report OF
the address delivered by the Hon. M. P. O'Con-
nor last week before an Immense public meet
Ing in Fanueil Hall, Boston:
Nuos.caizens of Massachusetts,: I am
cheered and inspired by the present scene,a and
by your warm and generous greetings. When
Iconjure up the sacred memories that haunt
this spot, and run down the roll Of illustrious
men, whose thrilling tones of eloquence In
days past, pleading for liberty and Union.
have so often awoke the echoes OF this ancient
hail; when I reflect that Boston first sounded
the trumpet Of alarm and invasion in 1776, and
that Massachusetts has led the van IN the
march OF new and progressive Ideas, l feel
that no better spot could have been selected,
manly appeal In behalf of the rights Of desc
Grated and plundered States, and for the In
dividual liberty of the citizen.
When I say that 1t is high time that the anil
mosities of sections were buried, and political
antipathies and social jealousles assuaged and
%reconciled, I utter q sentiment which SHOULD
fnd q response In the bosom OF every true
American. The law OF force should yield and
give place at some time to the sovereign
power of love and Justice over human. souls.
# is time that the dark and bloody chasm,
which was opened through the side and centre
Of this Republic, and into whose deep abyss
have been hurled and buried the wrecks of
1.nsRtrfinno tho o0nrno Qf on rnuah national
calamity, should be closed, and the sword OF
America, dripping with the blood of her
children, were. returned to its scabbard
forever. It is the experience OF the
highest craftsmanship that no great truth
was ever pinned or fastened to the public
education, which Is of slow growth, that great
principles accomplish their great ends, and by
The cultivation OF the most generous and re-
fined sentiments that they can be made salu-
tary In their impression and effects upon the
civilization of 9 people. To hold q nation or
people In forcI6le subsection, is. under the
most favorable circumstances o weak and un-
safe tenure; While q concilatory process 10
far more healing and enduring. Good sense
ought to nave suggested, as the Wlsest IN the
end, q course Of action that would leave no
ground of Justification to those who had Sc
Coded. and dispel forever all dreams Of separ-
ate nationality.
Amid the vast fluctuations Of passions
stirred by ths late war, some fixed Idea OF
policy for the government Of our extensive
empire seemed Indispensable; but this has
been wanting.
The Republican party, founded In opposition
to the expansion of slavery, accomplished its
mission With the emancipation and enfran,
chisement otthe icolored race. Radical In all
its' tendencies to that enc, wisdom and sound
policy ought to have dictated that It's further
aim should have been to conserve and perfect
the work OF Its hands, to the complete until
cation Of the American people. Adegree OF
iromslpant and prevailing idea, with q spirit OF
-Y5tfiveness for the past antmsiing the coun-
ellis OF q victorious party, would have resulted
in incalculable advantage; and q little more
modesty OF the part Of those who had been
suddenly ushered into the MONDAY blaze OF
freedom, andinvested with new and Important
rights and higher privileges, would have been
more decent and becoming than a loud clamor
against the conquered. Magnanimily has
never been lost upon q brave, though pros
trate foe. The very magnitude OF The inter-
eats involved in the contest and its marvel
lous results, achieving IN me Wonae s,Ihy
short space Of four years that which mlgnt
have cost q century of agitation and STRIFE,
Would have warranted, I think, q more nen-
erous and conclliatory policy. In this wise
and stauesmanlike course the past trlumphs
of the Republican party were the best guar
antee against any considerable opposition,
and the march to empire under Its banners
conld have moved on, hand In hand, with
the spirit of liberalization and Cancellation.
In the demands or this party for the great
changes which had been mace they nad
sounded the public conscience TO its Profound
eat depths, and the voice Of that conscience
speaking the dictates OF its honest and en-
ty from South as well as North, East and West,
ratified the and progressive Ideas
for the amelioration aud elevation of the
human race which had been engrslted upon.
the organic law OF the nation and Embedded IN
the minds of the people. 30 awful and
potent! was the authority which heralded Ibis
great revolution in our American history,
that have been wrought as much, II not more.
the result OF Presidential interposition, as OF
human,agency. The ways OF man you may
change, but the ways of God you cannot alter.
And standing in the presence Of over I'VE
thousand of the people OF this great metropo-
Lis, I proclaim It to You ss my hrm conVlc-
ton, and I tell you to ciylulate upon the winds
tinent, that the people OF the South have no
interest," either direct or indirect, now ori 10
the future, to interfere with or disturb these
amendments. In our adhesion to these new
ma1ims of American policy, anomalous as It
may seem to you, the Southern mind isto-day.
IN 8QV6uC0 VI tuo CokeuClhs imPCiiSo
by the very highest motives that can
actuate men-the preservation OF their
domestic polity and 1.-The cultivation
nj pesceful and amicable relations with the
people with whom we must live, and with
whom we must prosper. Guided by the light
of advancing civilization, We accept these fun
damental changes In that spirit OF humRnltarl.
an progress which originated them, and With
ont anv mental reservations whatever. 40
eorbIn9 the intelligence OF the two great pohtl-
cal parties of the Union, expressly ratified 0y
over thirty millions of freemen. q stamped
with the approving sanction, OF tne more su,
ysnced civilized nations of Europe, the ldea
has grown till 1t has become q sentiment, ana
been raised to the dignity of another magma
chsfta OF American liberty. Equal laws,
equal rights and equal justice, which have
been Inscribed In letters OF living light upon
the banners of the Republic, never can De and
never will be erased. And finally, 1t Ia a.tflo-
uts to that elevated and refined justice, which
has been aptly said by one of the philosophers
OF the ancient school ITO have Its seat In the
Utmost mind, whose influenced Is the music Of
the soul which makes the whole nature OF the
true,msn q concert OF disciplined afections-a
- choffNof virtues attuued 10 the most perfect
accord among themselves, and falling In witt
&all the mysterious and everlasting harmonies
of heaven and earth."
But this ransom and boon. purchased at the
cost of q nations treasure, snG the free out
pourinp of 8 nations blood, was never in
tended to be perverted as 1t has been by reck
less and mercenary adVenturers, 3 cause =