New national era. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1870-1874, 1872-09-12
SPEECH OF
Col. ROBERT W. HUGHES,
Delivered at Abingdon, Virginia, Wednes-
day Evening, May 90, 1872.

Fello,c, Citizens:
Though the times change. and men
change with them. history continues to
repeat itself Mr.. Jefferson could say
after the bitter party stri!es of his day
had ended in the triumph of Republican
principles. 1--WE are all Federaiists; we are
| all Republicans " And so likewise the Gin
cinnati Convention. in nominating an ex'
treme Radical and in laying the Democratic
| party on the shelf, has enabled US also to
say. after bloody war of arms and fiercer
war of words-"We are all Federalists; we
are all Republicans"
WHAT PARTY NECESSITY CAS DO.
The nomination at Cincinnati settles the
sectional controversy. and gives peace to the
country on sectional issues. But, in setting
up the caricature of man for the Presiden
cy. it has placed his Southern supporters in
ludicrous position. The Southern Con
servaiives' have certainly very different
idol of alteration from those which they have
been wont TO worship. The logic of events
and the drill of party. never performed such
Eat before as to have brought the admirers
of Mr. Davis and Gen. Lee to do homage at
the shrine of Horace Greeley. The wand of
party has exercised a lifetime antipa by,
and the arch enemy and professional reviler
of the South, becomes the leader of our chiv-
airy. If the men who died in the Southern
cause could rise in their graves, it is difficult
to say whether they would weep or laugh at
the spectacle presented them. A Sir Hudi.
ras, in the form of Horace Greeley, at the
head Of our Southern knigh,hood, is either
singing satire or monstrous proclamation,
or it is both.
ONE GREAT GAIN.
The melancholy and ludicrous aspects of
this nomination are relieved. however, by
one consideration. 1t may be viewed in
one light with unmixed satisfaction. The
acceptance by the Southern Conservatives
of veteran AboltiOnist and extreme Radi-
cal politician of the North, as their Presi-
DENTAL candidate, has brought both parties
together upon the same platform. That of
narrow and intolerant sectionalism is dis
carded, and the broad platform of National.
ism, Americanism. and Republicanism is
accepted ny all. This result is great gain.
For seven years those natives of the South
who accepted in good faith the situation of
affairs established by the war, and who swore
to support the Constitution and Government
of the Union, have been subjected to refined
prosecutions, social, political, and CONNER
cial, for standing to their oath in its true
spirit This unmanly prescription has of
necessity come to an end with the nomina-
ton of Mr.. Greeley; for none in the South
who support such u man as he, will ever
dare to question any change of opinion
which the veriest chamelons in politics may
make.
To SUPPORT GREELEY IS TO RENOUNCE ALL
SOUTHERN PROHIBITIONS.
For any Southern man to support Horace
Greeley, is to renounce every sectional SEN
timent in his nature. To such a man the
South, its traditions, its memories, its affec
tons, all in its character that is venerable
and endearing, becomes mockery at the
mention of Horace Greeley's name. To
accept this man is to repudiate all that we
have cherished. and which he has denounced,
in our character, in our career, and in our
policy. The Southern man who adopts Mr.
Greeley as his political leader, passes TO an
extreme in Radicalism. from which the
nominal 'Radical'' shrinks with disgust.
1t will never more lie in the mouth of such
a man to object TO me or you on the score
of Radicalism. Nothing could more COM
pletely emasculate man of every Southern
instinct of his nature, than the adhesion to
that most blaze of all the Northern Radicals,
Horace Greeley. congratulate the native
Republicans OF the Sou,h that the dreadful
word scalla,c0g disappears from the vocabu
larry of party.
The Conservatives, in adopting Mr.. Gree.
ley as their candidate, by that fact renounce
their embittered sectionalism and consent to
be national For this reason rejoice at the
nomination. 1t brings both parties to the
South upon the platform of the Union. 1t
withdraws from the political canvass all the
old exasperating questions of section. 1t
settles the angry issues which first alienated
the sections, then eliminated IN civil war,
and remained after the conflict as smartinc
wounds to keep its enmities alive. 1t opens
the way to an era of good feeling on sec
tional questions, to which the coun.r, has
been stranger for fifty years. 1t does all
this. because, in a choice between two men
of the same nativity, two Republicans of the
same faith, two candidates of the same poll
tics, it is impossible for men. or par,les. or
sections to be angry with each other at the
choice which either may make u is fOrtu-
nate, too, that the candidate adopted by the
Conservatives Of the South is an extreme
Radical Republican. Mr. Gr. Us n'mi.
nation virtually converts his Southern sup
porters into Radicals, and transfers the
supporters Of Gen. Grant to The category of
moderate Republicans.
Since this nomination, therefore, feel
that at last opinion is free IN the South, and
that SOuthern-born man may invoke his
fellow citizens to the support of the Consti-
tuition, the Union, and it's laws without sub.
jecting his family to insult, his business to
ruin, his character 10 question, his name to
obliquy, and his person and life to danger.
MR.. GREELEY GOT THE NOMINATION by PIPE
LAYING.
The nomination Of Mr. Greeley was effected
in the New York fashion, by diligent pipe.
laying long time in advance, and by re-
sort to all the approved tactics of the New
York politician. 1t was secured by busy
intrigue and by open aud secret purchase
The newspaper fraternity Of the country
know very well that nearly year ago, the
plan was adopted of buying up the Repnbli
can press of the country in the interests of
Mr.. Greeley, and in very atful way. Each
Republican editor was approached, and his
disposition sounded on the subject of
second term for General Grant. If he was
found TO be untavorable to Grant, an adver-
tisement of the Tribune newspaper was
offered, to be paid for at any price the editor
might choose to ask. If found, on the con.
trary, to be favo able to General Grant, the
editor got no advertise ment and no pay.
Before Congress met last fall, still holder
programme was arranged. Attaches Of
the Tribune did not hesitate to declare that
leading Republican Senators had agreed to
make formidable assault on the President,
by speeches and by Investigations, with
view to preventing his nomination for the
second term. And it was boosted that, if
Grant should be frightened off the field, Mr..
Greeley would get the regular Republican
nomination. Sure enough, these outgivings
came to be realized. Certain senators did
make formidable attack. The promised
speeches rere made. the concerted investi-
cations acere ordered, and General Grant
had to fight battles worse than those of the
Wilderness. But he got through them safe
nd nhor ID l.