The Daily state journal. [volume] (Alexandria, Va.) 1868-1874, 1872-07-25
protect the people, especially


from midnight 1 onslaught, arson,
and assassination. Mr.. Greeley came
down, all aAame with Indignation, to WASH
ington, and he telegraphed a leading editor
ial to his paper, urging the passage of an
eminent that allowed such atrocities in its
borders ought to be swept from the earth.
Mr.. Greeley, indeed, was in no small de-
gree responsible for the Ku Klux act.
General Grant hesitated, but Greeley was
urgent, and at last Grant yielded and the
Ku Klux act resulted. This legislation,
however, had done much good. 1t had
broken the back of the Ku Klux organiza-
ton and relieved the country Of an out
rageous terrorism. When he was assured
that it had accomplished its perfect work in
the protection of the people and the punish
ment of evil-does, he would favor the re-
peal of the act, and would. indeed, pardon
most of the offenders. r-.a God. md. ~.
As to the Democrats who had become
Liberal Republicans, they had been CON
victed, but not converted. They would
have to undergo a season of probation; and
after the election of Gen. Grant, by vote of
two to one in the electoral college, these
penitent politicians would have four years
to test their sincerity, and to show by their
deeds that they were truly reformed. They
must bring forth fruits meet for repentance,
and then the Republican party could boast
of its greatest achievements had con-
verted the Democratic party. He asked
the white mechanics and laboring men to
join with the Republican party at once, as,
he claimed, that in freeing the negro the
greatest boon had been also conferred by
that party upon poor white men.
At the conclusion Of the speech, at sig
nal from Fred. Douglass, three rousing
cheers were given for Mr.. Wilson. ~ -
Colonel John r. Popham followed, mar
rating the part that he and the Virginia
delegation had borne in the nomination of
Mr.. Wilson, claiming him as peculiarly the
Virginia candidate on the ticket. Here
three more cheers, at the bidding of Mr..
Douglass, were given for Wilson. s ...q.
ColoneiR. W. Hughes succeeded, making
o brief speech, Ha .., ~
LETTER FROM GOVERNOR ORR, OF
SOUTH CAROLINA
Mr.. John w. Wolff, Secretary of the
State Republican Committee, then read the
following letter from Governor Orr, of
South Carolina.
4 "ANDERsoN, S. c., July 20, 1879.
~"Sir Il am in receipt of your commune
cation of the 18th instant informing me that
| had been invited, by resolution of the
Executive Committee of the Republican
party of Virginia, to be present and address
the mass meeting on the 24th instant at
Richmond. | regret very much that off
cial engagements preclude me from accept
ing your invitation. 1t would have afforded
me great pleasure to have urged upon that
occasion my old friends of the Democratic
party, prior to 1860, to vote for Grant and
Wilson. Their Convention has nominated
lifelong Republicans for President and
President-Greeley and Brown--and
to vote for them requires an absolute aban-
donnent of every cherished tenet of
the Democratic party. Ii they can
vote for Greeley, Republican, why
not for Grant, Republican Has not the
administration of the latter been eminently
successful in preserving peace at home and
abroad; in reducing taxation upon the peo-
pie $S0,000,00 per annum ; in reducing
the expenditure Of the government, in the
same proportion; in paying off nearly
$500, 900, 900 of the public debt, and in ele-
waiting the financial credit of the country,
at home and abroad. With such a record,
why should change of administration be
made and new man placed in position, who,
his most ardent friends will not venture to
assert. that he possesses executive ability.
Are these old line Democrats controlled by
passion, or by judgment? Is not their hos.
tiity to Grant an unquenchable hate of the
government he represents, or an antipathy
to him as the successful leader of the Union
forces 30 victory over us? Do they APP
preciate the fact that the government, its
laws and authority, have been re-estab-
lished over all the States of the Union, and
that it is the part of wisdom to cease cher
ishing the hates and hostilities of the past
and to commence to cultivate kindly and
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