The home journal. (Winchester, Tenn.) 1858-188?, 1872-03-07

to enable me to make enough money TO complete
my professional educatiOn, | did undertake the
management of an estate there for a gentleman
who is one OF my most intimate friends to-day.
l. managed u Tor over u year 10 his entire salts
iaction, ana with the money thus obtained | en-.
tered Transylyaiia University, and within three
years and q half from the time | went to Ken
tlcky was = graduate Of that time honored In
sututioii. l did not then 90 10 any obscure place
nor engage In any ign0ble struggle; settled down
among the mon with whom / have since cast my
10y, Clay and Wicklllfe, Robertson and Breckin-
rldge, B uck1er and WoOlley, and other men of the
highest order OF talent were at the bar. l have
practiccd law there ever since, with and among
the best men In the land. | have done so with
some success. lIlave never betrayed n trust con-
hded to me, nor done AN act to bring shame on
my family or my friends.
My people know me; they have sent me to this
House three different times, tho last time
against my protest, aud In epito of "a written
declaration that | did not desire 10 be rcnomi-
mated. They have met me with ~ovations at home,
such rs
ocARPET-BAGGER IN THE SOUTH EVER HAS
on EVER WILL RECEIVE,
no matter what position he may hold, and / am
willing TO stand upon their knowledge OF me and
OF my character.
i never was in any mans livery stable. If |
had been | would not have been ashamed Of 1t.
never whipped any mans slaves, nor even my
own, though perhaps II would have been better
for me and them both II | had done so some
times; and the charge made against me that |
was merely a cruel, degraded slave-driver and u
hostler, IsA LIE, 40 MATTER VINO SAYS IT, AND
| Huib TT BACK AGAINST THE MAN VINO SAYS
m, AND MY PEOPLE WILL uURL n BACK WITH
THE iNDiGNATION AND sCORN THAI IN DE
SERVES.
regret, as / said, I fcol Inundated to have to
state even this about myself. | would not have
done 1t II 1t had not been u reflection on the peO-
Pile | represent, who would be disgraced by such
a Representative rs | am charged To be; and II
1t had not been that / know the charge was made
not so much against mo personally ny to destroy
before Tho country the power and effect of what
l had said and what | intend to continue TO say
against these carpet-bagger governments ut the
South, and all their
FRAUDS, ooRRUpTloNs AND ~RAsoALIrIEs.
i do not intend to allow 1t; that Is my excuse
for Obtruding my personal history on the House.
| know the combination that is doing 1t. 1t is
not one feeble old man only; he Is merely put
forward and made to say mean things, to become
the m0utl-piece of others who are worse men
and far more deeply implicated than he.
IN REFERENCE TO MS TALK ABOUT SLAVERY.
| hold q book in my hand which was written in
part by that old man, in which he says:
"N0t only will | throughout this discus
sion openly and boldly take the ground that
slavery, as it exists in America, ought to be per-
petuated, but that slavery is an established and
inevitable condition to human society. / will
maintain that God always intended the relation
OF master and slave to exist; that Christ and the
early teachers Of Christianity found slavery, diff
fering in no material respect from American
slavery, Incorporated into every department Of
society; that in the adoption Of rules for the gov
eminent OF society, and Of the church, they pro-
vided for the rights Of owners and the wants of
slaves; that slavery having existed ever since the
first organization of society, it viii exist to the
end of time.
"MilliOns old ollars have been spent, and humid
reds Of valuable lives sacriiicedin the attempt to
cyangclize the negroes Of Africa, and yet slav-
| 10, tI. al1,nrrnI pnpSnl unI rnyilaI iuafit ptinn
of slavcry-has brought five times more negroes
into the fold OF the church than all the mission
ary operations Of the world combined. Slavery
has tanned, civilized, Christianized, if you please
the brutal negroes brought to our shores by New
England kidnappers; it has elevated them plysl-
cally, mentally, morally; and therefore it has
proved y blessing to them, and ought to be per-
petuated."
THAT BoOK
to the consideration OF the other side Of the
House. As to the man who is maligning me, IL
is II habit with him to indulge in such things. II
yon will read his speeches made in 1860 you will
find Mr.. Lincoln denounced us an AbOlitiOnlst,
and worse; Won will find Mr.. Hamlin then caudi-
dictate for Vice President, spoken OF as a ''free
negro" / could quote page after page of charges
made against him infinitely worse than any |
ever made. Yet this man talks of laying II lash
over my back. No man has ever laid II lash over
my back or struck me n blow,
AND NEVER SHALL M LIVE.
l am no bully, and no braggart. | do not know
that he can say as much. Mr.. Lafayette McMul
Zen knows whether he can or not, as | am in
formed.
/ do not intend, as have said, to indulge II
any billingsgate; l am no blackguard. | do no
fight with
THE WEAPONS OF TIL POLEcAT.
The isli-women Of the town can beat me a
that. But | will repcl with honest indignation
charges made against me, come from villa
source they may, that, either In my personal 0
official character, as u member of the House o
as u gentleman, | have ever been guilty of any
thing unworthy Of myself, my family, and m,
people. II ! had been the man / am charged
with being, / would not have been here.
I REPRESENT THE PRouDEsT AND ~GnANDEs1
agricultural district in America. 1t has more
capacity to produce all that is required for the
support Of human life and comfort than many
whole States have. 1t has sent men to these
halls who We're the peers Ofthe greatest in the
land, men who have done honor to the positions
they have filed. However humble and feeble /
may be rs compared with them, | will try not to
disgrace the places they have left. | am In the
place Of men whose fame is familiar to every gem
tleman here. | need not name them to recall
then. The people of the time-honored Ashland
district Of Kentucky have seen fit to send me
here for three consecutive terms, and that ought
to be an answe to all such reflections upon me
AZ have been INDUCED in to u delighted audience
as | am told. The people of that district knew
that | had gone among them poor, iriendless and
alone. They knew that | had been a poor man,
laboring for my living, begging neither money
nor favor from anybody, never owing any man
anything but good will; and, sir, II you look at
the newspapers of my district you viii SEQ allu-
siOns made time and again to the effect that my
early poverty ~ not considered u badge Of dis
grace; 1t Is rather held out rs encouragement to
the young men OF that district who are poor as |
was, that when a man can come there friendless
rs | did, and do as well rs l have done at the bar
and elsewhere, they, too, may do likewise. Per-
haps made a blunder in coming to this House;
but
LIDO NOT INTEND To BE DENOUNCED FOR IT.
/ know that / have been attacked because |
have always been, in season and out of season,
one of the advocates and the friends of the poor,
downtrOddcn communities of the Southern States
-Four or five years ago | went upon the Recon-
s%truction Committee Of this House with my
friend from New York (NIr. Brooks.) We two
were alone. And l struggled there for those peo-
pie at every point, rs he knows, u rough the For
tietl Congress; and the Chairman of that com
mittee, in the FOrty-first Congress, will bear
witness to my fidelity under him. TIT members
of this House know that l have devoted much
time and labor cheeriully in that regard. For
the last year l have been a member of the com
mitteo charged with investigating the condition
of the "late insurrecti0nary States" That COM
mittee hns been wandering all over the country,
spreading a drag-net, as 1t were, for
UALUMNIEs AGAINST THE SOUTHERN PEOPLE.
have tried to shield them whenever l could
from their maligners. That Is "tlle head and
front of my ~oflending;" that is the field to which
my efforts are to be made of no avail, and the
men against whom 1t Is known l will unite with
my colleagues on the committee In exposing
have hoped to destroy me in advance of the con-
hict.
NV family ties bind me to the grand old State
of Virginia. love the people Of the South, and
l will stand by them as long az | have "a voice to
speak; when they are maligned, slandered, or OPP
pressed, IL 1 fail to strike a blow or say a word for
them may my right arm wither and my tongue
cleave to the roof Ofmy mouth. l will be found
in my place always honestly and fairly defending
them.
Mr.. Speaker, / meant no disrespect to the Sem
ate of the United States In any expression l
made use Of, although was properly called to