Edgefield advertiser. [volume] (Edgefield, S.C.) 1836-current, 1872-09-05
An. Eieauent speech.

McFtluS III Nv 0o0i
Greeley and. Brown clsb. pcppoge,
entirely Of those who had Served
either in the Confederate or Fedora
armies. ..
\ Ny COMRADES: (Fer such 7 ma,
CALI you now, mo- matter under wha
flag you fought, or what may hav
been the color of the uniform yo1
wore,) greet yop'in ths'auspiciou
hour and welcome syou to the frater
mites of peace.
Across. the bloody chasmn Of tn
past,wa clasp each h'othef By the hant
andstarhing our faces to the future
we maMlaE ohr Hosts to-day upon
common roll, and beneath a common
banner. TApplause.o -,
Many of us, fought beneath tn
"stripes and stars, and many un
der the :" stars and bars" and ",
are all charitable enough to belieV'
that each fought for what he deemed
to be Alright. Bach appealed to ,th'
sword, and that stern arbiter Of fatt
has entered upon the final decree
that henceforth the brave shall low
the bra Q and the nation shall'hevel
be divided.
The "Bonnie Blue Flag wen
4 down. but with no dishsgynor 7its brew
| defenders IS will live IN history, bhgh
examples Of heroism and ), devotion
until Times last cycle shall have run
and we, who met them on the field
1 and thus ths better know the. story
or their deathless yalor, proudly wei
core them as worthy comrades tc
our hearts and to our love. Gap
! plause. {,
The story Of the. valorous deeds o
the North and athe South is the com.
mon inheritance of the Republic, anc
Will survive in chronicle and song
forever. We who have met tonight
understhe inspiration of just princi
4 pies and the :1ead Of chosen and gal
liant captains, have come TO attend the
! funeral of the bitter past and the
birth of a hopeful future. In the
Language of our great standard bear;
er, eve forget that We have beef
! enemies in the joyful consciousness
that we are and must henceforth re-
main brethren Those who fought
against each other with persistent
valor, if unmoved by selfish consid-
erations, the spoils Of oficeNand al
llremenrs on. power, can cherish nc
1 unhallowed revenges, and they who
cherish the wicked dogma OF eternal
hate are. rebuked byEsthat spirit Of
|frsternizations which evinces to the
Iworld that though we once were ene-
mics in war, ws are now, in peace,
friends. No jealousies find Judgment
in the braves true soldiers breast,
The glory of the hlue would pale
without the kiudred- -tustre 9Th
4 =gf75: gfsv /; they aFgtof one blood, the hardy,
children Of a common country and
the heirs of a common iilustrious
name and history, AND the future
shall grandly signalizetheir devotion
to a COMMON flag and common con-
sitution.
In the hushed stiffness Of a sad
deped hour the languid air rustled
for the last time the silken folds Of
the iurled and CONG uered banner ol
the South; and from that supreme
moment of mingled joy and grief nc
people Of any nation have more In
dustriously attended to their own bu-
siuess, OF more humbly borne the in
Fiction Of the rule and rod Of tyranny
than the soldiers who once followed
the fortunes Of that flag.
Turning from fields made crimson
by their blood, and immortal by theil
martial glory, they have since distln'
guished themselves from the mass o
their fellow citizens only by their su.
perior devotion to the pursuits anf
amenities of peace.
Impoverished, they have sought BY
honest industry to repair their for
tunes wasted by the war. snbmls
sive, even to the most arbitrary edlct!
to their conquerors, they have set the
world sublime example of forbear
I apce, while horde of greedy, law
less carpet baggers and swash;,jiggeer
have overrun their once fair domain
and ruthless hirelings and hungr,
tax gasheress have despdiled them o
their substance, sand an army ha
stood over them with sword and bay
, onet to enforce obedience TO the or
dels Of ptqel taskhastefs,; .:i!.'
fh9 time has COME when the tru
soldiers of the North have said
} "This thing must stop, or some Gor
gon horror may arise to ride dow
our liberties and let his sesterce
upon our blood these men are good
and true, and brave as we, and the.
shall have their rights or your boast ';
ed freedom is farce, sham and
damning lie" cloud applause.)
t Hence it was that in the breasts
tho brava men who wore the blu
kindly syrnpathies were awakened
for those who lately wore the gray
and holy and magnanimous sens
: of Justice led them to sunder old par
ty ties and enter upon-a contest TO
an equal liberty lot all, The wa
and su5sequ Unconstitutional amend
ments had setsled all the great issue
which divided us in the past, and re
mitted the adjustment OF minor mat
tiers to the methods Of peace lnstea
Of war; our great fight had bee
wons-wpn, too, over as brave a 10
: us ever fought upon embattled field
the negro had been emanclpated an
enfranchised, and why not now, wit
stronger reason, contend for the emar
. :. cipation and enfranchisement of on
! own flesh and blood, our white brott
: ers of the South. A power enthror
= ed at Washington and seeking to pei
: petrate it's rule by the use OF unhol
. expedients determined, for sel6shpul
!; poses, to put the heel Of the recel
= Slave upon his masters neck an
;. hold ten States of this Union in al
ject servitude and vassalage by th
strong arm Of the military powe