The Anderson intelligencer. [volume] (Anderson Court House, S.C.) 1860-1914, 1872-09-12
ELOQUENT Speech of Gen. John B. Gordon.

Georgia's peerless soldier and civilian, Gen.
John B. Gordon, recently delivered speech
in Atlanta, counselling harmony and unity in
the support of Horace Greeley for the Presi-
dency, and setting forth the grounds upon
which every true Democrat in the South ought
to stand in the present contest. Our space will
not permit the publication of the entire speech,
but we cannot forego the pleasure of present.
sng few extracts to our readers:
Now, as to platforms Pm not going to de-
tain YOU to talk much about platforms. am
trying to give briefly and honestly my reasons
for preferring Greeley to Grant, and the rea-
sons which think ought to influence every
Southern man to prefer him and want you
to keep steadily in view the fact that Grant or
Greeley is to be President inevitably. There
are some things in Mr.. Greeley's platform
which cannot indorse. There are some things
in it that are good--many thatare Democratic.
It pledges an honest administration. Well, 1t
is true we are not so much interested in honest
administrations as we once were, for they have
not left much amongst us to steal. Laughter.
But we prefer honesty as sentiment, and JET
ferson said "the whole art of government con-
sists in the art of being honest" and Jefferson
is good authority. Everybody says Horace
Greeley is honest, and Georgians are likely to
appreciate that.
Another plank is the demand that the Fed
eral power shall be restrained within the bounds
of the Constitution. Old Carroll, OF Carroll
ton, said Gin free government the exercise OF
arbitrary power by the Executive must not and
will not be endured" We have endured it
under Grant and lost our liberties. We could
not. the Northern people would not resist, and
liberty, as our fathers understood liberty, IS
lost. Arbitrary power by an Executive and
liberty cannot live in the same atmosphere
Old Carroll saw this-our fathers saw this-and
at last some of the wisest and most patriotic OF
Grants former supporters see 1t, and they
sound the alarm-they break the chains that
bound them to this Executive and the party
which sustained him, and they demand, with
old Carroll, that arbitrary power shall no
longer be endured.
Ilove liberty; I hate tyranny; | shall strike
with anybody for the former; 1 shall strike
with anybody to put down the latter. The
tsrestraints" are what we want-the restraints Of
the Constitution. Webster said "the Constitu-
tion is the sheet anchor Of our liberties" Old
Hickory said "it is our defense in war, and the
source of our prosperity in peace" [ under
stand the men who made Greeley's platform to
propose to restore this "sheet anchor" to the
drifting ship, or at least part of it. Grant
and his party have broken it and thrown 1t
away. I am for those who would restore it.
Whoever will restore the constitution is for
YOUR rights Whoever he or they may have
been, # now for the Constitution, they are
YOUR friends And if by reason of former hos
tility to YOU, ard association with these break
ers of the Constitution they can now wage q
more successful war against them, don't let
that former hostility prevent our supporting
them in the effort. But can't stop to talk
about this. I'm only trying to show that this
is better than Grants platform.
Now, what is Grants? 1 shall not tax you
to read it. What matters it to you or the
country what platform he stands upon? Were
it ever so unobjectionable it could not restrain
him or his supporters. An Executive and
party who cannot be restrained by the platform
on which this government rests-the platform
of the Constitution-which he and they were
sworn to observe and protect, can scarcely be
restrained by one, which he is not sworn to
observe. Suffice it to say that both he and his
platform tell us that his future is to be as his
1ust and from such future, Il presume We
can all l:iein in the prayer) Good Lord deliver
usn We all know what that past has been
we all have seen tive all have felt it. Have
Won forgotten it? Ask South Carolina what it
was-what it still isl Oh that it were the
mast with her! Ask the thousands of her sons,
scattered at this hour from one end of this
country to the other, driven by bayonets from
home and employment. ASK the grave and
reverend professor, arrested by soldiers at the
head of his classes, upon the affidavit OF ne
GRO and in defiance of the sworn statements,
contradicting- it, of forty of South Carolina's
most virtuous daughters, arrested and dragged
to prison and denied the sacred right OF ha6eas
corpus, guaranteed to every citizen, whether
,1,flty or innocent But will not harrow up
Your feelings by recital of these horrors-the
depth of whose infamy 20 tongue could de-
scribe. I will not insult you by supposing that
any Georgian can vote to perpetuate such
reign in a sister State. For one shall neither
vote to sustain it directly nor indirectly, II
such a reign is to be perpetuated, shall not
so act as to have the bitter reflection, weighing
by night and by day upon my mind and my
heart, that 1 refused to cooperate with the
only movement against it, which has the reno
test possibility of success. Whether L like or
dislike the leaders of that movement % l snail ll
not refuse to strike blow for the relief OF my
suffering countrymen, nor will 1 join in some
other movement, which can only bring confu-
sion to our ranks and defeat to our efforts. L
shall keep steadily in view the goal of deliver
ance. I shall allow nothing to divert me:
Perish pride of opinion; perish hatred OF
former enemies, who strike for liberty now (;
nerish prejudice and all considerations of per-
sgonal preferences or personal comfort; let all
he subordinated to the higher and holier, and
brayer determination to lock shields Tor TINS
final charge, with any men and all men, who
will viii move upon this Dcspotic Power, which
has has subverted the government, and made the
name nav e of the republic reproach. | know you
do not wish to perpetuate this despotlsma-
None who have ever tasted the sweets OF tree
dom; none but slaves can refuse to strike it
down.
We may not change our principles but we
may change the methods of securing them;
Principle both moral and political IS rsenas
principle both the principle and the manner of