The Marietta journal. [volume] (Marietta, Ga.) 1866-1909, 1874-03-06
ADDRESS OF B. n. HILL.


ADDRESS OF B. Il. HILL.
As a rhetorician Mr.. HILL has no
equal among the orators of this coun-
try and if not thoroughly and logi-
cally consistent in his movements, as
impelled by the whirligig of time,
he never fails to be interesting in
reviewing those movements or in
giving his observations of other men,
taken as he has passed along.
An address before the Southern
Historical Society, in Atlanta, was
Just suited to his taste, his prepos-
sessions, his knowledge and his ca
pacity, and an ADLER production, from
his standpoint, certainly we have
never read He opens with the
conflict between secession and CO.
ersion y dwells upon tho defeat Of
the former as the failure OF States
to establish "independent governs
ments," and, upon the success Of the
latter as comforting the right, only,
to govern according to the Consti-
tuition. He then describes the whole
scene OF radical military reconstruc-
ton "done by right of conquest and
not by virtue Of the Constitution, F"
and we copy this portion of his adj
dress as a sample of his style:
1.-THE first act was for Congress,
composed chiefly of men who had
been borne into their seats on the
bloody tide of sectional hate and
strife, to seize all legislative powers
into their own hands, and exclude
the Southern States not only from
actual representation, but from the
right of representatives.
To justify this enormous usurpa-
ton, they declared the Southern
States needed reconstruction. As
this idea was wholly unknown TO
the Constitution, they boldly put
themselves outside of the Constitu
ton they had sworn to observe. To
make the work of reconstruction Of.
fective, they resolved that it belong
ed exclusively to Congress--the leg
islative department--and that the
Executive department could not
and should not participate, except to
furnish the military to aid in hold
ing the victims still while the pun
ishment was being inflicted. To
prevent any embarrassing review of
their measures, they further resolv-
ed that all questions arising under
reconstruction were political and not
judicial. and that, therefore, the
courts could not and should not pass
upon their constitutionality. Thus
fortified in their usurpations, and
goaded by rancorous blind, long nur-
tured hate, they commenced the
work of dissolving governments, de-
stroying States; robbing, insulting
and depressing already impovcrish
cd and helpless peoples, and humili-
ating the white race! They out
lawed and set aside all existing con-
stituensies---the constituencies which
originated State governments, and
participated in forming the Federal
Government. They created new
constituencies composed chiefly of
ignorant negroes. They offered to
include in these new constituencies
such of the resident whites as would
consent that the usurpations were
legal, and these punishments were
just and it must ever be a sad re-
cital, for ell time, that some of our
people were willing TO barter their
section, State, race and blood, for
the privilege of aiding in this work
Of destruction, degradation and in
fanny. The future historian will
weep bitter tears when he fin6s him
self compelled to record this darkest
exhibition of human treachery and
depravity, and he will close up the
chapter as with nervous energy, he
shall write the whitening judgment
of all decent humanity for all future
ages; Cursed, thrice, cursed forev-
er, be the memories Of such unnat
utal monsters among men,
These motley constituencies of ig- |
norance and vice, having no concep. |
ton but in hate; no birth but in
strife no nursing but in usurpation,
aud no strength but ia crime and |
treachery, were placed, in each |
State, under the appropriate lead of
adventurous vagsbonds, bankrupt in
fortunes and hungry for the spoil of
their victims paapers from birth in
every sentiment Of honor, and en-
joying with keen relish the hnmilia-
ton q their superiors And these
formed the government under which
We have been dying. Ignorant ne