The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1872-07-03
saratar Thurman's Address-Da4gers
of the Republic.

Senator Thurman, the distinguished
Democratic Statesman of Ohio, at the
recent commencement of the Unirer-
sity of yirginia, delivered most ad-
mirable address. before the Literary
Societies of that institution. The sub
iect-tho dangers of the Republic
was one most appropriate to the
timcs aud the occasioa, and furnished
,one of our most able and conscrvatlH {,
Statesmen, the opportunity OF sett'n;
forth bis views upon question o.
paramount interest to every citizeL
Assuming what every one desired
Tho preservation of the Union, St
long as it preserved the rights and IN
terests which governments arc de-
signed to protect, he discussed at
length and with great ability, the
dangers which threatened its exls-
fence,
First among the dangers which
thrca. en- its existence as Republic,
ho enumcratcs its magnitude. Ad,
mitting that past history had shown
that the ancient empires had been
subject to principles of decay which
seem to set Il limit to the growth and
duration of all empires, he ncvcrthc,
loss thinks it rot Impossible for ho.
mogencous people, under free ins'itu,
lions to attain and preserve q great
ness, of which the past furnishes ro
example. Diverse feelings and clash
in..intercsts will arise, but these viii
be overcome, by sense of the ineal-
culablc blessings of tho Union
It's future greatness hc thus de-
picts:
aouly fifty years hence onr popnla-
tion will probably exceed lGO,OOo,0oo,
or four ii mes the present population
OF France. At the end Of century,
in 1872, if it increase in the same IA
tic that has hitherto marked It's
growth, the United States will con-
tain moro than twice as many people
as now inbabit the continent Of Eu.
ropc. If it be i,admissibie 20 suppose
that this ratio Of increase will contin-
ue. it is not irrational to affirm that.
wi hin the lifetime Of q Child now
born, oar population will equal thai
of tho FIVE great Powers Of Europe
combined. Such an aggregation OF
mankind, for the most part homoge-
ncous, belonging to the most intellect
tual and energetic portion Of the
human race, speaking the samo Ian
guasc, all moro or less educated, oc-
cupying one Of the faircst and most
fruitful portions Of the earth in that
North Temperate Zone, that seems to.
be the chosen babituation OF civiliza-
tion and progress, united under one
Government, and that Government
of free institutions, will present Il
phenomenon such rs never yet has
been seen in the world. History cx-
hibits nothing iko it, nothing that
bears any close analogy to it: 1t
strikes the. Imagination like the dawn
of D millennium, and even the most
sangnine and hopeful can scarcely
regard it as moro than q dream But
who is there wise enough to forcsee
that it will not be reality? Who is
there bold enough to say that the
Providence that creates will not pre-,
serve? Who is there authorized to
c condemn as blind and unrcasonng
O timism tho hope that tho expert
ment may be crowned with succcss?'
The diversity Of race and fa"guogr
among US is the next danger to which
the speaker advertcd. This danger
he considered greatly exaggerated,
since Of the thirty-cight and a half
millions of our. people in 1870, but
fiye and half millions were foreign
ers, and these were not only widely
scattered, but thriving, intelligent
and sincerely devoted to free institu-
tious. And with the increase of pop
ulstion, this proportion O.: the foreign
elements will decrease from year to
wear, and tho various elements OF
white population be blended until
homogeneous whole is the result
This he illustrates, by tho history Of
the ya,ioas European nations.
A differens problem, he admits, is
presented bv the African race, rs to
whom he romar..s:
s.By some it is supposed that, fol-
lowing an instinct OF his n ture, the
negro will eventually dlllt into more
cline for hlm-the Tropics.
But a ccptury-nay, many centuries
may elapse before this will occur,
should it ever occur. The climate OF
The Southern States is not nnfriendly
to the African, as his rapid increase
there for nearly two hundred years
attests. His exodus, unless prccipita-
ted by a war of races, which hamani-
" and the interests Of both white and
BLACK forbid, must necessarily be slow
Practically, then, It nay be assumed
that he is to remain crtlzen OF the