The Anderson intelligencer. [volume] (Anderson Court House, S.C.) 1860-1914, 1872-10-03
HoYT & CO., Proprietors.

| prescribed and leaves me free, so that so long
as there shall be prescribed class IN TINS coun
millions of Americans, who feel that they them
selves are condemned and banned in the act
which iiooms their leaders 1t is not for the
sake of the prescribed alone that speak eve
ry community has the right to the best services
of all its citizens Men say to me-, why, you
don't want to elect Toombs or somebody else,
do YOU ?" No, I don't want to elect any OF
those men but suppose other people DO, who
are you or who am to say whether they shall
or not. It is not question for me, but whether
American citizens, whom you say, have the
same rights to vote and hold office for you,
shall be at liberty to vote for the men they
prefer, or shall be compelled to vote Tor the
men you prefer. The question reaches noG
several hundreds but several millions OF our
people. Well, they say, what DO the people
care about this The banks are making money,
the people are pfospering, manufacturers are
thrifty: who cares that a few hundred or thou
sand men are disfranchised? I care. say
war which ended eight years ago ought to have
had nearly all its bloody traces wiped out be- 9
fore this time. (Applausel I say that lat. while E.
we have often been amused with promises OF
general amnesty, the Government of the coun-
trY has practically been controlled by men IKE
Senators Morton and Chandler and General
Butler, one Of which Senators is saying, well,
they all may forgive the rebels if they will but
I never can" Now, that spirit Is not one
which should rule republican country; a re-
publican; should be generous and faithful; gen.
erous to errors whereof the very last evil con-
sequences have long since faded away. Grant
That it was wrong. indefensiyely wrong the at
tempt has been nobly battled and defeated.
Grant that the whole Confederate movement
was as heinous as you please, still it was utter
ly defeated; it became a lost cause and there lS
no more probability, and I may say no more
possibility, of another serious attempt to divide
the American. Union than there is. Of. an at
tempt to disrupt and destroy the solar system.
Never before did the Union stand 80 strong
as to-day; never was its future so assured as
to-day and never did any movement result in
d more complete and utter discontinue than
the Confederate movement. Then,.1 say, seven
and half years after the last shot was fired IN
behalf of that movement, it is time for amnes-
ty, complete and perfect. It Is time for OBJ
livion Of offences that 80 long since passed
away. Fellow citizens, we stand on the Prin:-
cipIes embodied in cur platform those iprinci-
pies our adyersaries do not assault; they con-
fess judgment, but they insinuate that q purpose
is therein declared which is not our realpurpose,
and that we mean something utterly different,
and, therefore, they proceed to attribute to'us
purposes which we never cherished, which we
positively disavow, and which they ought to
know are utterly absurd. The most important
of them are utterly forbidden by the Constitu-
ton, and they know it. No man can go to
Congress or be chosen President without taking
q solemn oath to sustain the Constitution, which
absolutely forbids the payment of rebel debts
or payment for. eniancipated slaves. COM
mend my case to the sober Judgment of the
American people I ask them to judge us
without prejudice, without passion, and with
spirits uninAamed by wrath and vengeance.
ask them to Judge US as citizens who are sim
cerely trying to do what we believe best for our
country, and I do trust that passion and preJu-
will not prevail, that we shall be Judged as we
are and not as we are represented, and that the
benefcent triumph which will increase. the
valne of every acre of land in the Southern
States, which will increase the product of these
States, make their people harmonious, black
and white, and make them live in amore truth
full, peaceful and fraternal relation than they
have hitherto held towards each other will be
secured. trust that this result will be attained
and that generations to come shall rejoice over
the inception, the progress and the triumph OF
the Liberal movement. lApplanse.) Friends,
I bid you goodnight.
at the close of his speech, MIR. Greeley re-
tired amid cheers.