The New Orleans bulletin. [volume] (New Orleans [La.]) 1874-1876, 1874-10-18
SPEECH OF BEN HILL.

to the Grand Lodge of Odd Fellows OF the
United States, Mr.. Hill was called upon tc
respond to a toast to the "Southern States :
He spoke as follows:
Mfr. President and Gentlemen-I always es-
TEEN il a privilege to address gentlemen OF
intelligence and kindly heart, and more es-
pecially this afternoon when called on to
represent the Southern States. The sun
in its daily rounds shines on no people
with more kindly sympathies or more gener-
GUS hearts or upon people who dread less the
closest scrutiny of honest minds. Applause.
The Southern States, it must be confessed
have written the brightest chapters of Ameri-
can history. 1t furr ished the author of the
Declaration of Independence; it gave the lead
er in the first revolution; it formed the Con-
stitution that you and I revered. For sixty
years her statesmen guided the councils OF
the nation, and it grew and prospered as no
people ever prospered before. Applause. ]
The Southern STATES have had imposed upon
them and are now working out the most
difficnlt problem of the age Events
the causes of which I will not now emu
merate-turned loose four millions OF an
unlearned, unlettered and distinct race.
| The General Government enfranchised
them in their ignorant condition, and
placed great political power IN their hands.
The result of this will affect the whole coun-
trv. Can the South work out the problem
Can she preserve liberty and order, admins
ter the law, and lift up these people and make
them intelligent. This task is not of our
seeking. 1t was forced upon MS.
Have YOU not exposed the South to an I'M
precedented danger? When, in the history
Of the world, were four millions of people
turned loose and clothed with such power! 1t
is a maxim that two races cannot exist IN the
same country clothed with equal rights. The
solution of the problem will either be terrible
in its consequences or glourious in its achieve
ments. [Applause. But to sclve it we must
have peace at home and peace with you.
propose that we make treaty OF peace this
afternoon, and let the children Of our ances-
tors bear witness to it. [Applause.] repre-
sent the Southern States and you the Northern,
and care not whether you be Republican or
Democrat. The first proposition l make is
that we agree to keep the Union forever invio-
late. [Round after round of applause greeted
this. I see you all agree to it, Republicans
and Democrats. l want great and undivid-
ed country, Applause, the greatest country
that ever was. Deafening applause and
cheers My friends we shall have it if we
adhere to the treaty: Applause :,
My next proposition is that slavery shall
never again tXlSl I'll Luo AiAC1ACbA SOAAeAACAC'
[Rapturous applause We never enslaved
the negro, YOU enslaved him and sold him to
U.S. [Great laughter.] And again, slavery
inflicted more injury to US than you, because
it prevented our development. But you did
it. [Laughter.] 1 was not here when the
negro was brought over, [Laughter,l but my
father told me about it. Laughter.
The next clause Of the treaty propose to
be this: Whatever differences Of opinion may
arise, never settle it by arms. Loud cheers
and applause Wars shall then come no
more, and the tribunal of reason will then be
the only arbiter. But one exception | must
m AXE to this proposition. II Massachusetts
and Rhode Island should ever go to Africa
and steal negroes and try to put them on us
again, then we will go to war. Tremendous
applause and laughter] 1 am glad to see
| that you all agree SO cheerfully to all the
clauses of the treaty-these ICE offer.
Now, then, let me propose for you; and that
is that you will pledge your lives, your chill
dren, your property and your sacred honor
to stick to the Constitution of the United
States Loud applause If the North had
never seeded from the Constitution, the
South never would have attempted to seceda
from the Union. Laughter. The South was
not dissatisfied with the Constitution or its
principles, and went to war solely because
YOU seeded from the Constitution. We laid
down our arms at your bidding after awhile.
Laughter We certainly laid them down.
More laughter. When the war closed, you
said we had equal rights in the Union, but did
you not exclude rs from representation in
Congress? What we require Of you in this
treaty u.s. not to get outside of the Constitu-
ton any more. [Laughter.1 You may ask
what Constitution? I answer We would pre-
fer the old Constitution of our fathers, but
while we cannot approve the methods OF its
amendments. we are willing to stand by the
Constitution as you amended it. Applause.
Can you object, if We agree to stand by your
work? We will take the Constitution as
amended, and as construed by the Supreme
Court of the United States. Applause.
But we want you to stand to it, and not
90 outside of it. Will ysu do it [Cries OF
yes, yes. Will you let us attend to our own
affairs in our own way? [Yes. yes. You
will do it ] have no doubt but will your
politicians? [Cries Of I'VE will make them. y
II was satisfied that you would 60 homo and
seal it and turn it over to my children and
children's children. Applause. If we carry
out this treaty, peace-glorious and eternal
peace-will be ours. [Applause.] Then
would the Centennial at Philadelphia usher in
century of prosperity and grandeur never
before enjoyed.
Now we have this unlettered race among us.
Is it not to our interest more than yours that
we should educate and elevate the negro to
make MIN good citizen? Who can better
perform this work than We can? But one of
the speakers said that We would be let alone
IS long as We administered justice and law
That is the very point. You are proposing
already to 20 outside of the Constitution.
Applause Who is the Sest and proper
Judge? Georgia knows better than Massa-
chusetts how to take care Of and improve her
own people for she is more vitality Interested
Now, if We have done nothing else here We
have restored the Union. [Applause
The South fought for the Constitution and
the North fought for the Union. As an evil
dence that we had no objection to the Consti-
tuition the Confederate Government adopted
it with immaterial changes. We after all
fought for mere difference OF opinion. Zap
plause. Remember tina. the Union is made
by the Constitution, and observe that Consti-
tuition If the people had come together and
talked over their differences, and understood
each other thew would have settled them,