Alexandria gazette. [volume] (Alexandria, D.C.) 1834-1974, 1872-10-14

he said: =
[ believed that great abuses have silently,
gradually grown up III the administration OF
| our Government under the Influence OF the
extraordinary and desperate civil war. | be-
llcvc that change is desirable in order thar
these abuses may be assallcl and corrected
But | will not speak of these things, because |
might seem to be commencing myself
let me say few words as to the causes of
| the separation Of parties We all know that
slavery existed in this country during all its
long existence down to seven or eight years
ago. We all know that good men, patriotic
men. differed | think not so much with regard
to the nature of slavery, its mistakes, It's
wrongs, with regard to our duty. Some
honest men, patriotic men, said, We'll, We
have abolished slavery in New York, we can
not abolish it in Virginia. therefore We have
them, said Owe have abolished it in New
in every part of the country" We were at
variance with regard to slavery in the Terrific
rics. and so on. Well, slavery is dead and
if every man in this country were to undertake
to revive it, they could not revive it in good
many years There is no more possibility that
il should be revived than there is that the
Thousands OF men who died for our country
! should come to lie aud participate in our pres
cnt struggles. 1t is not on y dead, but you or
l. or any one who should now be called TO
office must take Il solemn oath to obey the
Constitution, which forbids its ever being re
established.
We'll, thcn say slavery being dead nobody
expects IL ever to come to life again, and there
is no reason why you and should quarrel
about slavery. No matter how we regarded it
III the past, it is not practical living issue
now.
Well. then what was the next difficulty as to
the way in which we should deal with he et:
fort made by certain Southern States 10 dis
solve this Union? Up to the time when war
was wagcd upon US up to the time when the
guns of Slaug ltcr Numbered against Fort Sun
ter. this people differed rs 10 how We should
deal with the question Of di>uuion. But that
contest ceased to he living ISSUE at the time
| when that war was wagcd upon III ID behalf ot
secession. Had they waited until we struck
the first blow. think they might have vailed
some tinr. bu they having struck the first
blow the North rose up and said ''All these
Questions are dead we have now to save the
! country The was waved through four
/ bloody years. The Union Is established now,
and there is not one thousand men of the forty
millions who have the slightest dream that 1t
can ever be disturbed. Whatever may have
been ycur opinion, or my opinion twelve or
! fifteen years ago il is certain that the l'nl"n
cannot bc dissolved now. and could not IT, dis
solved rl,.r. II any one undertakes to rails" Il
| Question, about disuniun. telling you that Gen.
Dix snt tins, or Mr.. fireman. said that or
Mr.. Greeley SAID the other thing, twelve years
ago, the answer is. that has nothing pertinent
to 10 with it now. The country is reunited,
aud will rcman so forever. We differed with
regard to the proper course to be pursued with
| reference to the African race when free.
| There were men as good as ever lived who
said The blacks are an inferior race. They
are ignorant, dcbascd, and it would he wrong
! to admit thcln To the equal rights Of suffrage
| o. hers said. and said : Grant all you say
abou. their tebasemcnt and ignorance. if you
make chem "A special class they will always re-
main So luu will have to educate them. You
must give them the right Of suffrage, and thea
you will have to educate them 81 that they can
exercise it intclligently."
We fought that out, and to-day it Is just as
firmly established the everlasting hills. that
the rights Of the black man are the same as
the white, and if ali the people OF all the States
tried 10 change it they could not change it. 1t
is in the Constitution and so III 1t that no Scnsl
| ole man will ever tell you that it can ever be
about black men. or white men. The Consti
tuition does not know any race but recognizes
the rights Of man, and every person and every
race arc exactly equal, and that cannot be
changed -
Now, then, these questions, being dead
closed as utterly out Of place as is the question
whether this country shall be dependent on
Great Britain or MISREPRESENTATION that was
once living isSuc-thcse questions being dead, L
Insist that they shall be buried say that we
shall no more undertake to raise them but
shall 90 forward to living questions and the
first is that all the white people shall be en-
franchlsed just as the black people are. Ap
plausc. thought Of that long before you
were ready. said impartial suffrage, | said
let Us make this country one again, and | be-
lieve that the judgment of the country now Is
that that was the wlScSt cOncIuSlOn-n0t mere.
ly mugnanmous. Magnanimity may be folly,
but this was practical, state>manlkc wisdom
not to kill the people after the war was over
because we had killed them while the war was
going on But now there are whites to be en-
tranchised There are twenty thousand people
in the State of Arkansas distranchiscd to day.
They are men of property and their property
is wasted by bad men who have no property,
Just as our property in New Gotk city was
suuandcrcd by the ring robbers for years, until
the people rose in their might and drove them
out.
| ask that the American people give their
sympathy and their generous support TO the
people OF the South, who for seven years have
tried to do their duty as citizens restored to the
country We hear of outrages where there are
ten or dozen men concerned in them, but in
the great States there have been heard of no
onrages.
You never heard of them in Virginia; there
are no ku-KIux there There are none in
Florida; there are none in Mississippi; none in
Louisiana nor in Texas. Then. | say, let US
call those men-this peoplc-to u.s. to say to
them we arc brothers. You and we have war
red; we have been opposed to each other and
tought-you for slavery and disunion,, and we
for emancipation and Uuiun-but fought not for
one part Of the country, but Tor the whole
country.
Our purpose was to make all men, IN all
n,rtS nj tho rountrv free and orr cause was |