Nashville union and American. [volume] (Nashville, Tenn.) 1868-1875, 1872-09-26
Greeley's Speech at Erie.

ERIE, Pa, Sept. 25.---On arriving here,
MIR. Greeley began to speak, saying that
over Al years ago he sswalked into that town
one winter morning looking for work, y bat
soon the noise of the locomotives blowing
off steam compelled Mr.. Greeley to pause,
and he was introduced to Mr.. Allen, Chair
man of the City Council, and Commodore
Jim Stewart, the only Democratic negro in
the city, who, wearing an old white hat much
the worse for wear, and with the words
"UDcle Horace" printed on the band, per-
sisted in forcing his way through the crowd
and shaking hands with the sage. TIE
train having moved away, Mr.. Greeley pro-
ceeded. e nc
I have q hearty and very ar
dent liking for the Republican party. It's
principles were nothing new to me / had
held them, cherished them long before
there was any such party. /
worked with that party till all its purposes
had been fully accomplished. .
Now, / said, the time has come
when with slavery and the
rebellion gone, what shall hinder us from
being ever more thoroughly united and
fraternal people9 GApplause.] did not
even curse those who fought against us, for
1t seemed very likely II 1 had been South
as they were, educated as they were to be-
lieve slavery the highest COED, / might have
acted and fought as they did.
When in 1865 a very commendable effort
was made to reconstruct the country,
bring it in harmony, without saying one
word in behalf of the blacks, was not
ready. 1t was said, let the States do it; but
who are the States? You mean the whites
Of the States. So / held back and refused
to join that movement because it seemed to
me that no guarantee, no assurance was
given that the black people of the South
would be fairly treated. Now
their rights are better assured than those of
Southern whites, for while there are no
black men DISTINGUISHED, there are good
many white men who are allowed no voice
in the disposition of their own property.
l do believe there are States in
this Union where the mortgage created by
unjust and unrighteous legislation in the
form OF public debts, salaries, ETC., is equal
to more than half the value Of the prop
erty. 1t amounts to confiseation.
Now 1t seems to me the time has come
when we who have been generous as well
as Just to the blacks Of the South should
begin to be generous or at least Just to the
whites of the South. [Great applause
They, through the Democratic
National Convention at Baltimore in July
last, gave an authentic expression of their
sentiments. They said ave accept
the results of the war. We accept
emancipation. We utterly repudiate the
idea that the slaves are to be paid for, or
the Rebel debt paid, or anything like this.
We ask only to be admitted on the common
platform of American citizenship, standing
there equal with those who were once our
slaves, equal with you who were once and
are now again our countrymen." think
that offer ought TO be accepted.
You see men all around me who say shall
be defeated, but cannot be defeated.
may not succeed as q candidate but The
effort am making to bring this people into
more trusting relations with each other can
not fail-it must succeed. This day
men are on the stump all over the country
trying to prove that Grant has been more
towards the Southern States
than have been. don't want to contra
dict that. want the two parties TO take
running race to see which can be the most
and generous. Cheers,
and cries of '"That's the talk'').