The Ouachita telegraph. [volume] (Monroe, La.) 1865-1889, 1872-10-12

to end. ! never asked of the Southern
people who warred upon It's anything
more than that they should lay down
their arms and concetle that hcnceforth
all men should enjoy equal rights in
every part of our country. When they
had done this they were no longer my
| enemies. desire to forget that they
had ever been my enemies. l desired
that they should be henccforth rcgar-
tle<l and regard themselves as simply
my countrymen, standing on the same
even platform with myself, having
exactly the same rights, the same duties
the same obligations, the same hopes,
and the same reasons for being proud
and devoted to our common country.
II my being candidates, whether sue
cessful or not, shall tend somewhat to
reaWakcn sentiments of fraternity
which think have been too long buried
shall cause them to be fclt in either
extremity of the Union, shall cause our
countrymcn to say that we fought gal
lantry, and differed honestly, I shall
be satisfied. Victory was declared on
the side of Union and liberty. Let us
then, love Union and liberty for all
men evcrmOre.
AT COLUMBUS.
Et2ioH~ Citizens: More than seven
years having elapsed since the last gun
of tho great civil war was fired, it seems
but Il reasonable proposition that the
animositics of that war, the bitterness
Of that war, the prescription of that
war, should by this time have ceased.
Now, then, the Liberal movement in
behalf OF which l stand before you is
based upon this assumption, that there
is no reason why tho American people
should longer hate each other, dcnounce
each other, because of that war. The
other party says there is nothing To re-
cOncllc; we arc rcconcilcd; there is
nothing moro that you want. Well,
we say in tho first place, there is II con-
siderable number of our fellow -citizcnS
who are DISTINGUISHED, prescribed, for
hidden to hold Office or vote, because of
their participation in that contest. The
number does not mako Il difference in
the principal. We deny that any should
be prescribed in this day, so long after
the war ended, because of that war;
tCheers.J They say there but few who
are. Sir, We tell you there arc many
thousands in the single State OF ArlIan-
sas who are property owners, citizens,
respectable, intelligent mon, who are
forbidden to vote or hold Office, while
men without penny vote away their
property and bury it up under cnor-
nous public debts. We think this Il
gricvious wrong, and II wrong that
ought now to be amended. In the
first year of peace Gen. Sicllcs, who
was in command in South Carolina, re-
ported to the Government that he could
not govern that State well, because the
very best men, he said, were disfran-
chiscd OH account of their connection
with tho civil war, and were not able
to hold office because OF prescription.
After seven ycars,we say, 'HIct all pro-
scription and disfrtnclfiscmcnt cease,
[Chccrs. Let us say to those who were
against us, "FcllOW-citizcns, come for
ward and help us, free as we arc, to re-
build the institutions and the waste
places OF our common cOuntry.' Ap-
plauSc. This is what we understand
by rccOnciiiatiOn-nO man OF any color
or creed or party prescribed no section
under ban-thc whole people called to
take part one with another, in clcrting
the wiscSl and best men to govern tho
country. Cheers "Why," says one,
"you won't vote for Il rebel" You are
not asked to vote for anybody you arc
only asked to give every citizen his
free choice to vote for such men as ne
secs fit. We believe this to he lust and
wise, and we believe there can be no
true peace 50 long as 4 part of our pco-
pie are diSfranchiscd and told, 600
away! You are rebels! We don't
want anything to do with you.' I'rI |
low citizens, how can Il man be u rebel
who seven years ago gave up his arms,
all his hostility, took the
oath of allegiance, and has for seven
years been u quiet, pcaccablc citizen,
trying to do, so far as II" is allowed to
do, everything toward the rebuilding
Of our country: ! hold il an abuse of
Terms to use words of rcproach toward
such men as Gov. Aiken of South Caro-
ina and II thousand others, who arc
low under the ban because. Of Il bygOnc
quarrel. I believe that Il generous,
people arc ready this
lay to say, "Lct there be no more pro-
no more dcnunciatiOn, and
IS there arc no more rebels there shall
DC no more rcproachcS.' Then let us
III, old and young, North and South,
'cbcl of old and tniOniSt of old, white
II black-lct us all unite to btiiid up
he institutions of our common country.
Loud and prolonged cheering and
music by the band.