Wilmington journal. [volume] (Wilmington, N.C.) 1844-1895, 1875-04-02


victions are firmly fxed-immutab],
fixed and settled.
The reply to the apparent assulnp
ton on the part Of the Republicans o
the North that the Southern peopl,
are still dangerous to the peace of th'
country-that they are a band of trai
tors, ed-handed murderers and assas
sius, stained with barbarism, auC
guilty of the blackest deeds in human
history, he said:
Perhaps there is something in th,
history of this Southern people tina
justifes this frigLtful suspicion anG
fills the minds of Senators with ALARM
and dread That cannot be. For tie;
are the children of the brave EngHsi
ancestors who, for love of civil auu
religious liberty, left the shores oi
Europe and settled the New World
| They are the Immediate descendants
Of the bold and wise meu who helped
to establish American Independence,
and to frame this grarc aud magnIt-
cent government. IroIr iliustriou
fathers have certainly handed down tu
them the passion of liberty AID the
principle Of Constitutional freedom
We have Inherited IL for eight huu,!-
| red years from OE| ancestors; bat
those ancestors have. not transmitted
| any taInt OF or example tor secIe
lreasons. In the Engllsh heart th,.
spirit Of conspiracy never found ii
& ge.iial home. Il Is the grow; vf
other soils. But have not recen
events, yoI will say, furnished rea-"D-
able grounds for these approximations
| of secret colossal organization ho>tl,.4
| to the government? Has not tie
South juHt emerged from a gigantic
war which menaced the very existence
of the Uuiou? That is very true; bu
remember that 1t Was open, bold, dt
| CANT wur-threatened for years, pre-
claimed here. published to the world;
| declared by the press, from the put
pit and the hustings; the opinion ot
mankind and the blessings of Heaven
| invoked in it's behalf, and the
lives Of a peopie offered to
vindic 'te its JUS e. It w*s no
concealed. hidden, mysterious mask
ed conspiracy Had 1T been, never,
never could it have enlisted the devo-
ted hearts Of the noble people who
sacri feed ever ytLiug but honor around
its shrine. Its purposes We're spoken
here: they were never concealed ,I
denied. Its councils were III the light
of heaven. Its hines of battle stretch
ed across the continent. Brave hraIt-
in broad day were its defenses, aad
around 1t clustered the hopes anc PRIDE
of pure and patriotic people. AR.
courage, truth. honor, consistency, for
titude, and uusulEei virtue evidences
that tie people who possess them Will
descend from that high estate, aud,
fo' getful of all duty, resort to the low
est practices of cowardice and crime
Ii TINS be true, human character is H.
deed worthless national honor a mock
cry and an imposture :?
Senators, if you VIII think for mo
meut if yon will reflect upon tie
character of the people whom yoa de
nounce, their history, their associa-
tions, the language they speak, Their
great ancestors, their brotherhood with
you for nearly a century, and their
position now, you cannot believe THIS
calumny. Do you, cal you, believe
that people from whom have sprung
in each succeeding generation for oi!e
hundred years line of statesmen,
diviues, scholars, and heroes inferior
to none in any tortlon OF the Union
have suddenly descended under the
shadow Of your civilization to the
depth of barbarisnl Does history or
human experience Justify any such
conclusion.
And yet You call now upon the pub
lie opinion OF the world to believe that
one-haif of our whole nation, brother
III blood with you, sharers of the Same
:rb T,f Onur fathers knpHral
Americur freemen, educated, virtuous,
and associated with you-you call upon
the world TO believe that they are now
guilty and habituully guilty of darker
crimes than hav ever been committed
in human history. And instead Of
devoting our energies, our patriotism,
our intelligence, and our virtues here
10 develop, leform, aid improve this
great country, we ure now carrying on
q war on the floor of the Senate with
each other almost as bitter, and l fear
not quite Us manly, as that in which
We were Engaged few years ago
upon the Potomac aid tie Susque-
hanna.
Senators this is wrong. Before God
it is wicked. Cannot we stop it? AL
incident IN history occurs to me now
which do not know that have thought
of for twenty years. i remember
the story, told l think Ey Thucydldes,
of the two Greek generals who had not
spoken for years. A bitter and hert;i-
tary feud separated them. The Per
slams were at the gates of Athens. The
lines Of battle were drawn IN front Of
The city. The Persisn hosts, vastly
superior in number, confronted the
thln line # the Greeks, and the great
fear with the city was that the tlssen-
sion between the two generals might
cause defeat and ruin. just before
the battle commenced, the historian
says, from either wing of tie Greek
lines the rival leaders were seen ap-
preaching i'll fro OF their troops,
AID simultaneously reaching the
centre impulsively seized each
others hands and exclaimed - l
remember the old Greek worde-"Let
US bury our anger" Need L repeat
that victory shone upon that god-bke
act of patriotism.
They buried their anger; and why
cannot you aEd ], the North and the
South, shake hands and bury our an
ger | think [ know the South. | was
born south of the Potomac. Ny an
cestors have lived there for two hun
dred years. | was raised there: | u as
educated there. 1 hardly know Of any
other place. Ever, tning L have l.
there. l love her people aud am Will
them l see them "a; home. l see them
iu Louisiana. L see them IN Texas. |
know them i'll Virginia. l an III the
very bosom of the South, and / thluk
the sentiment I utter here 10, day is
the sentiment of her people. L do not
fhiGk-I know it is their sentiment.
In reply to Senator Edmuu - allu-
iou to Gt nera, Lee, Senator Ransom
said:
was not present when the discus
sion took place between my friend, the
Senator from Georgia (Mr. Gordon),
and the distinguished Senator from
Vermont. (Mr. Edmuuds), [ did not
bear the Senator when LIE alluded to
the name of General Lee. Iregret that
[ did not. and for a very different
reason from what that Senator may
L II.