Nashville union and American. [volume] (Nashville, Tenn.) 1868-1875, 1872-09-24

ESTABLISHED MARCH 80. 1885,

l.
heard kny l,tteranccs or listened /
them in any way directly amer the clos
Of the war when pleaded for magnaniml
ty, for forebearance, for the speediest @
facement Of all sores and sorrows from pull
lie mind-no one who needed me then ca
doubt where stand to day, no one. M
course has been plain and simple; dow
with all manner of flawlessness and violenct
If there are Ku-Klux or other disturbance
put them down with a strong hand, 70
they are quite different nom the duie
peaceabfe men OF The country. ..- Vioienc
and lawlessness you must suppress Speedily
energetically, earnestly; but when it is sur
| pressed, then forget wrath and remembe
| r,ercy.~ | pleaded for universal amnesty
| What, say some, were there no men VIII
committed crimes during the war? | say,
there were punish their crimes. Amnesty
won't forbid that. Ifmen committed fiiur
der during the civil vat whe her on tn
one Side or the other; If they committed
| acts contrary to the laws of humane war
then would punish them sternly For thos
acts, and l Ho1ld have done it lon,
ago for every such act o
outrage against the laws of war
In war as black as crime, as though it wa
committed in time of peace. PUNISH thost
men always, but for all those who wets
simply our antagonists In that great struggle
l have no feeling OF vengeful wrath aftel
they have laid down their arms and com
piled with all the reasonable requirement..
Of government and OF rub.iC safety. Fol
security and peace anything; for vengeance
and wrath nothing, nothing! Such has beer
the feeling, such the conviction that cherish.
ed through the war and since the war. Now
| say the time has come for universal am.
nesty so that no human being shall feel be:
cause be was on what you and ! regarded
on the wrong side in the great struggle, shall
he be prescribed or subjected to any penal.
ty for it. The time has come when We
should proclaim amnesty and having secur.
ed the rights OF every blackman in the
country, so that he is Just as good as you OF
/, we should give the white man chance
too. Let us say to thoss who were mis-
taken, who fought against us and against
themselves, for it was as much against
themselves as against us, let us say, fellow
countrymen you were wrong; you under
took to divide country that ought
not to be divided; you were
mistaken; but that all over, the country
reunited, we are all free now: let US make
you make free and every QUE OF us. be citi-
zens Of this county, With equal liberties
and privileges SO far as man can give them.
If God has imposed disabilities, we
cannot remedy that, and can only say law
is as good for the ignorant, for the colored,
as for me or you. Their standing in the
courts is the same as yours. Their oath is
the same. Let every one tell his story,
and let the jury, giving each story due
weight, determine which is correct, and let
not color entitle TO favor. This Is the
ground for which / have fought; not to
have subject class, prescribed class, an
alien class, or an outlaw class, in the coun-
try, but to have men stand on the equal
and lawful platform Of our common nation
ality, free citizens, free TO exercise such
faculties as God has given to them for
their own sustenaDce and for the upbuild-
Ing of their own families and fortunes.
That seems to me craftsmanship. | know
it is humanity. l fell it is patriotism, that we
should all alike remember no harsh things
Of the conflict of the past, and we are
henceforth to be one American people, and
each shall have every chance, so far as the
constitution and the laws give him. They
say, few are prescribed; but the many are
prescribed in the few. Whenever you say
to nae, "your captain shall be punished for
what you and he did, am punished with
him. | feel the blows inflicted on him.
The ring that ties him TO the dungeon eats
into my heart as well as his. No part of
that great people who struggled against us
in the South, feel that they are entirely
pardoned, and restored to citizenship as
long as the chiefs in the struggle are pun
ished for the common sin or error, or what
ever it is. So then | stand before you the
advocate OF the rights and principles of
universal amnesty. So long as there was
any quarrel about impartial suffrage L
fought for it. Now there are none to be
but some thousands who are
Four years ago the Repub-
lican National Convention resolved that
these disabilities should speedily cease.
have waited in patience four
years and they don't cease. | now demand
that the people shall say, let all disabilities
be abolished, let disfranchisement pass
away, let us all be united, let amnesty and
good feeling be restored because we all
stand on one common ground. This is all
| would say to you. l have little time TO
be amorg you, but l do appeal to Indiana,
standing now as she does almost the leader
of the advanced hope of the free States, l
appeal to her TO let her voice be heard in her
coming election on the side of national re-
and universal amnesty. Other
States will hear her. Other States will
heed her, if that is her judgment. Let no
false pride, let no party attachment, let no
devotion TO leaders, however able, however
good; let nothing stifie that voice. Let il
echo across the land sign, a note Of peace
and gladness. Let the disfranchised hear
it as a token of good cheer and good will
Let the people everywhere read and Learn
that Indiana has declared for the restoration
of the last American to the common priVi-
leges of American citizenship and the coun
try will rejoice that the reign of prOscup-
tion is over and that the people have de-
clared that all the people shall be free.
On the Way to indianapolis.
At Columbus the people were out Ell
masse, and there he made the following
speech:
Fellow-citizens have neither time OF
strength to make a speech in every village
in this State through which pass, but
may be allowed to say TO you that every
thing have seen and heard since crossed
the mountains cheers and encourages me
l have faith in the good people of Indiana
1 do not believe they can be bullied out o
their convictions, and am quite certain the.
cannot be bought. So feel certain you
verdict will be given in the coming election
for national reconciliation, for equal right
to all men, including all of our own citi
zens now disfranchised. So trusting,
feel SO sure of your verdict, so sure that i
will be given right that shall listen on tn
night of the Sth of October next without
fear, without doubt, with an earnest con
fident trust that Indiana will take her plac
in the van Of the great column of State
that moves on in defencs of constitutions
freedom.
At Edingburgh the crowd was out agail
and the train was saluted as it drew nea
by the firing of cannon. Mr.. Greeley ap
peared on the platform here, but the trail
started before he was able to say anything
At Franklin there was a large turnou
and he made brief speech z-7 aFg
On 'Change at indianapolis.