The Bolivar bulletin. [volume] (Bolivar, Hardeman County, Tenn.) 1865-1888, 1875-02-26
AN ADDRESS

WASHINGTON, D. c., February 18-The
following address has just been issued
by the Democratic members of Congress
of the South and Southwest:
80 the people of the Southern States:
You have confded to the undersigned,
in this conjunction Of affairs, the deli
cate and difficult task of guarding in the
Federal Congress your public interests,
your rights and your reputation. You
Will therefore pardon the liberty we take
of addressing you at a period so criti~
cal, upon a matter affecting your destiny
and that of your pOsterity. You cannot
have failed to observe the persistent eff
forts of some leaders of the Republi-
can party to revive the animosities of
the late war, which happily are fast
giving place to a spirit of concord and uni
ty In every section of our common coun-
try. 1t Is impossible to predict with
certainty the effect of these appeals to
passion We believe through the honest
representations of a few upright and
conscientious Federal officers and agents,
an independent and able public press,
and Of many citizens without regard to
| party, the true condition Of the South~
ern States and real sentiment of the
! Southern people are being gradually made
| known to our fellOw~citiZens of the
| North We hope for their FAVORABLE de.
cision when fully apprised of all the
facts The great ends of good govern
ment will be reached when the people of
| all the sections forget that we have ever
! been enemies, and come together again
as in the early days of the Republic,
| emulating each other only in devotion
| to the best interests of the whole country
! With this exalted purpose ip..yiew, the g
nothing inconsistent with the honor and
manhood of brave people to resolve to
Suffer With Heroic Patience
! whatever their provOcations and wrongs,
! looking through the fearful present to a
! hopeful futu>e, and repeating unjust epi-
| thets and gFatuitOus insults, with digni>
| fed modification. Let every white man
| IN every neighbOrhOod in the whole
! South, regard himself as a commissioner
! Of the peace, maintaining the kindest
| relations toward the black mln, remem-
| beTing the responsibility for the extreme
| poverty to which we have been reduced,
| and tie corrupt governments his vote has
| subj cJed Us to, rests not so much upon
! him as upon the bad men who, with the
| assurance of Federal support, have by ap
! peals to his worst passions, sought to
make him our worst enemy, while we La
! Dor by all honest means to convince him
| that our interest and his are identical,
and both must be preserved by good
| government, and that those who stir up
| strife between Us are enemies Of both
| races. Let US at the same time see
that he Is fully protected in his guaran.
| teed rights to vote as he phases in all
elections. Let US continue to deal with
him honestly and fairly, and let US con-
tinue cordially 10 invite to cur midst
| those who, of any political party, either
seek to know truth or find homes upon
our soil We do not exaggerate when
we admOniSh you of the disheartening
fact that every street disturbance, every
! homicide, of whatever character, by
| whOmsOever Ommitted, by black or
! white, Republican or Democrat, such as
are incident to every community upon
| earth, IS perverted into evidence of
| spirit of lawieSsnes5 and violence, and
| q purpose to accomplish political ends.
! We well know the gross Justice of such
charges, which have weight only where
! ignorance of our true condition prevails
! Strenuous efforts are now being made
| by those who represent you, to induce
| the passage by Congress of most dan>
gerOus measures, in order to irritate our
people, drive them to despair, and pro-
woke them to violent outbreaks, in or.
der to furnish an excuse for applying
for military interference We express
the hope that a majority of the present
| Congress viii not be found ready to
sanction such legislation. If it be &C
complished, it would be against the
protest not only Of Democrats, but of the
moral worth and craftsmanship here OF
the party in power, and of such Repub-
licans as Bryant, EyRrts, Charles Francis
! Adams and others, whose patriotism and
sense of justice are known to the en-
tire country. We may, however, mis-
take the most extreme, oppressive and
| unconstitutional measures that NAV be
| imposed upon you. In such al event
we would appeal to the wisdom and pa
triotis IN Of a long suffering people, by
every hope Of the future for continued
forbearance, and hopeful reliance upon
virtue and sense of justice of the Ameri>
can people for the ultimate vindication
of our rights, the protection of our liber~
ties, and the safety Of our republican
form of government
Signed ty Senators Goldthwaite,
| Stevenson, Norwood. Cooper, Gordon,
Ransom Of North Carolina, McCrsery,
BugY, Johnson, Merrimon; and siga ed
by the following members of the House
Of Representatives: Atkins, WaddeH,
Geddings, Herndon, Mills, Willie, Hans
cock, CrIttenden, John Young Brown,
Harris, Young of Georgia. hitthorne,
Bright, Grassland, Bowen, Beck, Bland,
Adams, Clark, Arthur, Comingo, Bur
ham, Hunton, Hatcher, Gunter, Glover,
/ Mclean. Vance, Robbins, BIount,'. Har
ris, Whitehead, Standford, Hone. Sloss,
Wells of Missouri, MiIliken, Read, and
| Lamar.