Edgefield advertiser. [volume] (Edgefield, S.C.) 1836-current, 1872-06-27

chlsed the Ignorance alu wv - - w
South. Applause. He has stood
up like a man from the beginning
and protested against every one OF
these odious features of tie recon
struction policy. You knowthat the ne
main reason why I never can l'a 'and
never will, while God gives me grace
to remember that / am a Southern
man and a white man, approve these
measures, is because they effect nay
honor, because they ask the Southern
people to give that policy validity by
|Eheir own consent, asks them to con
sent to policy which degraded the
whitemen of the South by consent
ing that the masters should be in
chains. while their slaves should be
unfettered to rob them. Applause.
That is why i never could and never
can endorse that policy. AS | said
before, in 1867 and in 1868, when all
of you concurred with me, do not
and did not propose to resist the
United States, nor anything they
might do. said that all that then
and tried to prove it, but I said L that
when Congress passed outside Of lI the tn !
Constitution 10 oppress the Southern
people, when the members OF that
body trampIed upon their own oaths
to crafty their feelings Of vengeance
against the Southern people and ask
ed the Southern people to give vitah-
ty to that ACTION by their consent, l
said to General Grant, and I said to
General Pope, and l thank God that
I said it, that I would take anything,
death, con6scation, exile, martyrdom,
but consent to that iniamy''neverl
Applause Now, Mr. Greeley comes
ito our reliefupon that point. Though
acting with the Republican party,
he, from the beginning, protested
against these features of that policy.
Therefore, l don't, nordo you, violate
that principle ofhonor that we SHOULD
ever hold dear, by supporting Mr.
Greeley. That put foremost as the
first reason why l am willing to vote
for: him. There is another reason
WHY I like Mr.. Greeley He has
never been what is called partisan,
and an independent thinker, I think
hos.the greatest hone ty. | pity any
man when l see man get up before
an audience and talk about building
up a party You must use party to
accom- 3lish a god purpose. You
must act harmoniously with your
party, but when it comes to thought,
be independent. Independence of
thought and harmony in action is
the business of all who associate in
party movements. Now, to the his
tory of Mr.. Greeley:
Why, I remember before the war
he defed his party in the very hour
of its fanaticism, and boldly declared
that if the Southern people desired
to secede, they had the right to do
so.
But, said the gentleman, (Judge
Stephens, after the war began he
prosecuted the war. That is true.
Can you object to that? Mr. Greeley
honestly thought that the Southern
States had a right to secede. But
when the North waged war anyhow,
and the South waged war also, why
Mr.. Greeley joined his own side.
Well, opposed secession, and agreat
many othel gentlemen opposed Sc,
cession, but when our States seeded
we went with the States through the
war. Applause.
Now, if you quarrel with Mr.. Gree
ley for going with his State, you
must prescribe NE for the same re&-
son. l would go with it again un-
der the same circumstances. APP
plause. 1 have nothing to take back
nor to apologize for, upon that sub
lect. The only difference between us
is, that he happened to be on that
side and l on this. That is all. But
Mr.. Greeley was against the whole
part. upon the subject Of peace,
There was no day Of the war that he
was not willing to negotiate upon the
subject Of peace. on terms honorable
to both parties. Some represent Mr..
Greeley as vindictive man but it
is not true.
call to my mind that at one time,
when the Confederate Government
sent Commissioners around to Cana
da, to open negotiations with Western
Democrats. Our Commissioners were
there, and, so far as know, Or be
lieve, or remember, Horace Greeley
was the only man in the North, Dem
ocrat or Republican, that had the
courage to go to Canada and have
friendly and honorable communica-
ton with our people. Applause.
Even the Democrats--even the Dom
ocrats of the North refused to enter
tain propositions from us, or to treat
with us. Horace Greeley was the
only man that defed his party and
acted upon his conscience as q patriot
and went there ready to enter into
terms of peace consistent with the
honor Of both sections ON the basis
OF preserving the Union. Ap-
plause.
After the war terminated, and our
flag was furled and our noble chief,
than whom no people ever had no.
bier, was prisoner, in chains, and
the bloodhounds of the North we're
after his blood, he exhibited the high
est moral courage. AS walked
through the streets of New York,
myself prisoner, the first time I ev-
er saw that city, 1 saw streaming
from all their public buildings, hu-
initiating pictures OF Jefferson Davis,
in womens clothes and in chains. I
heard their maniac cries for his blood.
The first sound that saluted my ears,
when entered the dungeon, was the
miserable jailor, saying: -' You ought
to feel honored because you occupy
a dungeon in which l had prepared