The New Orleans bulletin. [volume] (New Orleans [La.]) 1874-1876, 1875-01-29
THE SPEECH OF A STATESMAN.

The Atlanta Herald, of the oath inst, con
tains full report of Hon. BENJAMIN II
HlTs great speech, delivered in the hal
OF the House Of Representatives, in Atlanta
on the evening of the Goth, and we have sci
dom read anything to surpass it in ability ant
eloquence. He traces the spirit of centraGsn
from its existence at the formation of the
Union down through successive stages of pro
gress, until it blooms into the full-biown Rad.
icalism Of to-day. He shows that the central.
lists have at all times been animated by an
intense, deadly hostility to the Constitution,
which is solemnly proclaimed by them to be
ga league with hell and covenant with
death.
During our late civil strife, it suited their
purposes, it is true, to make an outward pro-
fession of loyalty to the Constitution, and to
publish to the world that their only object in
the prosecution of the war, was 'sto preserve
the Union. But having preserved the Union,
it then became necessary to abolish slavery,
in order, as slavery having once been a means
OF stirring up strife, it should no longer be
permitted to exist, a possible pretext for fu-
ture disturbances. Having preserved the
Union and abolished slavery, one would sup
pose that Radicllism had achieved its mis-
sion. Not 50. 1.-The fruits of the war must
be secured; that is. the Southern States must
be SO bound hand and foot as to be forever
the political property Of the conauerors.
Thence came reconstruction, that fruitful
source of all our woes, and with it oppression,
robbery, degradation, and carpet-baggery
1t was a mastery effort, and his dissection
of the hideous designs of the men in power,
under cover of enforcement Of the laws should
awaken alarm all over the land The real
rebel the man who is resoutely bent on
the institutions of the country-is
not in the South. He sits in Washington, |
robed in vestments Of highest Office piano.
piled with power, surrounded with triple
Gordon of obsequious courtiers, with The
sword and purse at his command See to it,
re men of Bunker HILL of Lexington, of
Saratoga OF Gettysburg, and Of Appomattox;
see to it, that the fatal dagger which still
Trips with the blood of Louisiana, is not
oon plunged into the heart of the Union.
Mr.. Hill reviews the affairs of Louisiana
thoroughly. Not a point is omitted not a
principle obscured. All the facts are de-
allied with clearness and precision, and the
is inevitable that the use of troops
n dispensing the Legislature on the 4th of
anuary is a part of grand scheme, with
irant at its head, to destroy the election vote .
+ the South in 1876
Our only regret is that this speech was not
elivered in Washington City, in the presence s
the assembled representatives of the people. 6
he floor of Congress is the arena where the !
ontiict will take place between despotism and
institutional liberty. If we of the South f
ould bear noble part in the coming strug-
e, let us send none but our ablest cham
ons to the front. Mr.. Hill is candidate {
7 the vacancy in the Ninth Congressional a
istrict of Georgia, and the news that he had v
zen selected as the standard bearer of his =
untrymen in this perilous moment, would i,
nd thrill of JOY throughout the land; would n
eer the hearts of the patriotic people of Z
cry State; and would be as balm to the r ,s
eeding wounds Of stricken Louisiana, max Il
g us to feel that with this new accession to W
9 ranks of our defenders our day of deliv- al
.nce was near at hand -