Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1871-1872, 1872-09-30
MR.. GREELEY's SPEECHES.
At Dayton, Ohio he Correets two Misrepre-
sensations.
We are one People and shall ever remain
one People.

FELLow.CirflENs OF DAYTON. l have
bat few moments which can be spared me
TO address you, and enHest you to main
tain perfect silence in order that at least
q few Of you can hear me. Thus far since
left home have spoken for my country,
her unity and her peace.
| have said very few words for myself. On
this occasion, | propose to notice one or
two Of the million cAlam1ies which have
bssu aimed at me. take up Ibs Dayton
Journal Of this morning. | ind myself
there credited With SAYING at Nicksburg last
year that vi hope the tine will come when
the soldiers that fought with Lse and john
ston will occupy as proud a position a the
hearts Of the American people as the sol
diern Who fought With Grant and Sherman"
No such words as these ever escaped my
lips No such thought as that ever entered
my heart. Cheers What / did say,
speaking Of that war-wAstsd, hsRrt-broksn
people, is this: That / trusted the day
would come when the Soldisrly qualities and
military genius Of Lee and SIonsWall jack
son would be regarded as part OF the hsrit-
age Of the American psopls cheers that
they would be spoken Of as America sol
disrs, who, though in = cause which / think
. bad cause, illustrated the military eapa-
city, the genius and energy OF the Amer
can people. For, after all, fellow. c;tizers,
they we're cur oountrymsu-our mistaken
couutrymen, our misguided oounuymsn
cries Of That's so our bravely but fla
tally erring eountrymen. They are dead
and are now our dead oountrymen. | did
say that and il any man Rrudges that lit
tie word Of consolation to the heart-broken
people, let him vote against me. A voice
ave dont grudge IT,"
Ons word more. fsllow-citizsns. At
PittSburg, last Thursday evening, saw 6t
TO explain the condition and circumstances
under which ! was ind uced, in the winter OF
l560-Bl, TO propose that, in preference 70
giving up the Territories to slavery on the
one hand and the country to war and devas
tation on the other, for one would submit
said 10 the disunioniGts: You claim to be
the South; deny that the great mass of the
people living Ia the Southern States desire 70
break up this great, glorious Union now, |
ask you 10 let "a come before the people,
discuss the question, tell them what the
Union 10 as il iS, and what Il does for them
~ vel as for us, and let them decide BY
their votes when there has been no blood
shed, whether they would stay with Us or 60
aUay, and | will respect their decision. |
said then What believed to be true, and
say u now, after looking it all over, that
between the peril of losing the Uniou in a
bloody civil war, and losing the Union by
the vote Of the Southern people, the former
peril was very much the greater. That do
believe bu, | never proposed, never i'm
aginSd that now, after ali the questions OF
the var are settled aud the fight was over,
We would 20 back and submit the question
whether 1t vas to be a Southern Confedsracy
or not. That has all passed away. There
is no more disunion party. A few indi-
Viduals are stolid and obstinate and pre-.
verse. / would desire in no wise to agara.
vs,e their bitter feeling. Twill trust to time
70 SOoihs them bat do not believe, do mol
imagine, that any one State, or twenty
States, have any legal, moral or oonstitu.
tionAl right TO dissolve this Union. Grsal
applause Men who are now opposing me
did say they hGd such . right they said 60
then, and on the side Of slavery they made
greater advances toward the South than
ever made on the side Of liberty.
But do insiat that all questions about
disunion are now a. dead a. the question OF
American dependence on the British Crown,
ObsArs. They have all gone away, aud he
who now undertakes TO tell you that people
are trying to dissolve the Union, or that /
wan, 70 let them 20, simply dArss not NEE,
the real issues before the country. Cries Of
"ThAfs so, and cheers.
He IL trying BY fAlsshood and misrepre.
ssntAtiOn 70 prejudice and miIlead you with
regard 10 the great questions Of the day
those qasstions concerning reconciliation.
We are one people, and shall ever more
remain one people. Shall we be harmoni
Gus people2 Shall ours be q union cement
only By bayonets, or shall il be q union oil
hearts and hopes aud hands ? am for the
lsltsr union' Applause.
am mere not TO exalt over victories won
In the late var. | am here not to meet one
partlele OF pref udies or triumph. | do no,
propose TO do anything that shall make tbe
Soasasrn people feel bitterly tina. the uniop
oe,"ssn Us ia one Of eXultAtion on our par,
Hnu huuauiAIion on theirs. / think he h
no. PAirioI who would try 10 iutensifv ths
Ss' sA, anu soreness that those who fought
gn' u must Tee In view Of their Rrea,
defeat. Theirs 10 Loaf cause. hn, RS ~"
noiA lost people, for they belong ~ 50
theJ are our brethren. They have cons h.
70 nl, under compulsion II you say no. h",
l Viah to change that oompulsion into affsc
non Tor that IL statesmGnship. Great an
aoss, That work ! an seeking, as for 4,
yellow citizens Of Ohio, since the ia,