The daily phoenix. [volume] (Columbia, S.C.) 1865-1878, 1872-07-31

far as emancipation is concerned it has.
1000, 900 Of men hnye been raised from
q state of servitude to freedom, and have
been invested with tall the rights and
privileges Of white citizens. From my
point Of view all this was we'll.
Has the Republican party solved the
problem of making the Southern people
contented and happy? Has it provided
for local self-government and q good
National Government? At the expira.
t!on OF the war, the negro population of
the South, ignorant and easily misled,
fell into the hands of rapacious men,
who had succeeded in worming them
selves into their confidence. And here
l would speak oandidly. I think that if
immediately after the war was over, the
white people OF the South had acted in
such way as to assure the colored po.
Pulatlon that they might repose conf
dence in them, they might have gained
the political supremacy. will not say
OF the white people of the South, in the
indignities to which they were subjected
by the General Government, to excuse
this mistake on their part. But, how
ever this may be, this was the fact, aud
the result was that the power fell into
the hands of ignorant aud rapacious po-
litical leaders, and then such disasters
befell the South as had never before lie.
fallen State in the whole history of
this country-disaster to which the
noble Governor of Virginia has SO elo-
quently alluded.
l will not say that the Republican
party was able to prevent all these dis
asters. Every revolution carries some
thing OF the kind after it. But why did
they not grant universal! amnesty? Must
1t not have been apparent to every sane
mind, that by stripping of their rights
body OF citizens who represented no
mean portion of the wealth and inteili-
gence of the South, they only kept alive
those animosities which were brought
about by the war? Yet amnesty was not
granted until great event occurred
the Liberal movement, which resulted
in the nomination of Horace Greeley at
Cincinnati. Applause. The amnesty
Dill that was then passed was the first
great victory OF the Liberal movement.
Applause. Another great victory has
been gained by the Cincinnati move
ment. 1t must be apparent to you all,
that this regime Of robbery which has
prevailed In many Southern States, main
tanned itself only by the support it re-
celved from the Government-the Re-
publican party in it's national capacity.
In this the Republican party showed
itself the allies and abettors of the rob.
bers who stripped you naked.
AS to the next political object to be
gained at the close OF the war-to make
this government of law again, instead
OF o mere government Of arbitrary will
have the laws been maintained? Let us
see. In one instance, the President
himself went 80 far as to take into his
own hands the war power, which is vested
III Congress, to uphold, by his navy, a
foreign ruler, with whom he was en-.
gagged in a real estate speculation.
Laughter. Show me the Republican
Senator who opposed this transaction;
prescribed, he is now marching under
the Cincinnati fag. It does seem as if
the laws were only made for the 60
verned, and not for those engaged in the
governing business. Laughter. You
see Secretary of the Treasury paying o
large sum of money to contractor, be-
yond what the law authorizes him, and
the investigating committee decides
that Il the Secretary Of the Treasury
found it to be for the good of the coun-
try. he did right. And when the Secre-
tary of the Treasury sets the example,
we must not hope mere assessor to be
better. Laughter. Again, the Secre-
tary of War sells large quantities of arms
and munitions to n foreign Government,
in direct violation of all rules of interna-
tional law. and what do the Congress
sional Investigating Committee say? The
officers of the army knew best what was
for the good of the country. and if they
saw fit that the arms be sold, they were
right in constituting ths law to suit their
purpose. And what has become of those
who denounced these abuses? I have
myself stood protesting on the floor of
Congress, and been amazed at the das-
tardly courage with which right was
called wrong; that dastardly courage
with which principles were maintained
like that, that the Secretary of the Trea-
sury could violate the laws, if he thought
it for the good of the country-princi-
Piles and doctrines which would make
every friend Of freedom grow pale and
the fathers Of the Constitution turn in
their very graves. And do you now ask
what was the reason why all these men
were driven from the Republican ranks?
The ReDubliCap marty had hecoma f,r