The New Orleans bulletin. [volume] (New Orleans [La.]) 1874-1876, 1874-04-26

purposes toward us, and that we had onl,
, to Law down our arms and continue to en-
JOY, in the Union, every right and privilege
AS before the mistaken act of secession. W.
laid down our arms and they declared W.
were all criminals and traitors, who lac
forfeited every right ard privilege, and
We're entitled to neither property, liberty o.
life, except through their clemency.
Over and over again during the war they
in like authoritative forms, proclaimed thai
the seats Of our members in Congress were
vacant and we had only to return and Oc
cupy them as it was both our right and duty
to do. Our people laid down their arms and
sent on their members, and they were met
with the startling proposition that we Lad
neither the right to participate in the adj
m.nistration Of the Union, nor even to make
law or government toI our own States.
How We Were Cheated.
Addressing this society in Virginia, during
the last summer, Mr.. Davis said: ave were
more cheated than conquered into snrren-
der" The Northern press denounced this as
SANDER and some of onr Southern press
| deprecated the expression as indiscTeett
aver tonight what history will affirm, that
the English language does not contain, and
could not form a sentence of equal size which
expresses more truth We were cheated not
only by our enemies bnt the proflise pro-
CARNATIONS Of our enemies, before referred
to, were taken mp and repeated by malcOn-
tents i'm our midst-many of them. too, who
had done all in their power to fnrry our
people into secession. They coupled these
professions and promises of orr enemies
with brazen assertions that the laws OF the
Confederate Government, enacted to carry
on the war, were unconstitutional and void.
They scattered these documents OF twin
falsehOod and treachery among our people
to prove to them they had "a right to refuse
supplies to the soldiers. They scattered
them through tie army to convince soldiers
it was no crime to desert And they seat
tered them among our enemies to prove to
them that our people were dividing, that
our armies were weakening, and that
they had only to take courage and keep up
the struggle aud surrender was inevitable
Oh, my friends, we were fearfully, sadly
treacherO,isy, altogether cheated into sur
render. Ii the demands made after the war
was over had been f.ankly avowed while
the war was in progress, there would have
been no preteXts for our treacherous NAL
contents there would have been no division
or wearying amOlgou people there would
have been no desertiOns from our armies,
and there would have been no surrender of
arms, nor loss of our cause. Never
Never!
But the Northern States and people hav-
ing made these demands us results Of the
war, when we could join no issue on them
in battle, there were only legal and polti-
cal forums left in which to test their justice
and truth Had sovereign States commit |
tel treason' We're eight millions of people
traitors Were leaders who had only
obeyed their State, and served their people, |
criminals worthy of death
These were the great questions, and the |
most usual forums to determine such ISSUES |
were in the courts of law. There was GER
tainly no hindrance to such IA test. Our
great chief was il prisoner in a dungeon-in |
chains, He was not only ready and willing
to be tried, but demanded trial. BY him
self he was most anxious to vintlicate the
innocence of his people, or in himself expi-
ate their guilt by an iynoninious death
Our enemies had the appointment of the
judges, the formation of the court, the Sc
lection Of the iury-the entire control and
direction of the proceedings. Why did they
hesitate Why did they finally decline to
try Was it because of mercy, ora spirit
of magnanimitye All, we shall see directly.
No; they were gnashing their teeth with
rage. They knew the whole world and pos
terity for all time would review it. There
was the written law, and they knew it had
not been violated. Eight millions of people,
us one HAL LOT llDtEtN, were not
traitors only because power aud treachery
to defeat and enslave them. To
try and convict was to commit perures
which would redden human nature with an
eternal blush of shame. To try and acquit
was Judgment under oath by their own
courts, that the war Of coercion was itself
nut gigantic crime against humanity, and
! wicked violation of their own form and
principles of government.
Here was the terrible dilemma which con
ronted our accusers, and it was SO palpable
hat all the iilsolence of recent triumph
Ould not hide it, and they were left no re-
ource but to pretend a mercy whose neces-
ity they despised, and turn the prisoner
oose, after long and unnecessary delay.
The next forum in which our people had
right to expect to be heard was the Con
ress-the national councils. BY every pro-
est and profession of our enemies, before {
nd during the war, the Union was pre-
erved, and by the plain terms Of the Con ,
titutiOn each State was entitled to repre- ,
entatiOn in both branches of Congress. The T
ctuSal to test the crime of secession before | ,
he courts increased, if possible, the obliga- ,
ion to recognize this clear right of repre- !
hntation. This was rare opportunity for ,
indication. The forms of government had I
nor'led it to few defeated parties in his ,
Dry, and to none on such terms of fairness !
nd equality. There never was a time when 4
he intellect of people was so needed for q
heir vindcation, and no people ever pos +
'ssed grander intellects for the work We =
ad trained statesmen: constitutional law {
ers; skilled debaters, who were perfectly a
lmiliar with every fact, and learned in \
very principle involved. And the very !
blest and best of these there was no reason Il
doubt every Southern State wOnld at {
nee, and with unanimity, return to Con /,
ress. If this had been done, not only G
ould the South have been vindicatcd, but
le present horrible sectional acrmony,
18th all the black record of reconstruction,
ould have been avoided. The reunion v
Ould have been made cordial, with seces- n
on abandoned and slavery abolished. The t
Duthern States would already have been Fl
r advanced in the work of material recov- II
Y, of social order and political content r.
ent and all the States-co-egral in a II
'mmon Union-would be rejoicing in a b
w lease of constitutional government and a
publican liberty. f;