The Ouachita telegraph. [volume] (Monroe, La.) 1865-1889, 1876-01-21
MIR. HILLS PERORATION.

The telegraph gave us but meagre
report of the peroration of Mr.. Hil's
crushing reply to Mr.. Blaine. We sub
join the full report of that portion of the
distinguished Georgian's speech:
But why bring up such subjects
War is always horrible. War always
brings hardships, death, sorrow, pain
to be considered u statesman, looking
to the paciflcation of his country, who
will parade the horrors inseparable
from war for the purpose Of keeping up
the strife which produced those hor-
rors. My message to the gentleman
from Maine is this: There are no Con-
fedierates in this House. There are no
Confederate ambitious, desires or pur-
poses in this House. But the South is
here, and here she intends to remain.
IEnthusiastic demonstrations ON the
Democratic side aud in the galleries.
Let Eanaticism do its worst, let it pass
its MULTIPLYING acts, let il tratGple on the
constitution, ;,brogate the pledges of
the fathers, incite raids on our people,
multiply intidelities until they shall be-
like the stars of heaven or the sands Of
the sea shore, without number !, but
know this, for all your iniquities the
Sonth will never again seek II remedy
in the madness of another secession.
Renewed applause.l We are here; we
are in our fathers house our brothers
are our companions, and We are home,
thank God. Enthusiastic applause.
We come to crafty no vengeance; to
retaliate no wrongs; to resent no past
Insults; to open no strife. We come
with II patriotic purpose to do what
ever in our political power shall be to
restore m honest, economical and con-
stitutionnl administration of the Gov
ernnent. We come charging on the
Union no wrong to us. The Union
never wrongcd the South. The Union
has been an unmiNcd blessing to every
section, to every State, to every man
of every color in America. We charge
all our wrongs to that higher law, fan
atheism, which never kept Il pledge or
obeyed Il law. We sought to leave the
association of those who would not
keep fidelity to covenant. We sought
to go by ourselves, but $" far from
having lost our fidelity to the cofstitu-
ton, we Rugged it to our bosom and
carried it with us. Brave Union men
of the North, followers of Webster and
Fillmore, of Csss and Douglas, you who
fought for the Union, for the sake Of
the Union, you who ceased to fight
when the battle was ended and the
sword was shcathed, with you we have
no quarrel. We felt your heavy arm
in the midst of the struggle, but above
the roar of the cannon we heard your
voice of kindness calling, "Brothers.
come back"
We are here to cooperate with you
| TO- hat fsnr in, nT al
our SORROWS to rebuild the Union, tC
restore peace, to bea blessing to tho
country, and to make the American
Union what our fathers intended il
should be-thc glory Of America and
the blessing OF humanity. But you,
gentlemen, who prosecuted us by your
lnfidelities until you drove us out OF
the Union; you who then claimed to be
the only friends ofthe Union which you
had before denounced as Il league with
death and Il covenant with hell; you
who follow up the war when the sol
diers who fought it have made peace
and gone to their homes; to you we
have no concessions to make. Martyrs
owe no apology to tyrants, and while
We are ready to make every sacrifice
for the Union, secession, however
defeated and oppressed, will confess no
sin to fnnaticism however bigDtcd and
exacting. Vet while we make to you
no concession, we say this: We come
even to you in no spirit Of revenge. We
have but one ambition, and that is to
add our political power to the patriotic
Union men of the North in order to
compel fannticism to obey the laws and
live in the Union according to the
constitution. We do not propose tt
compel you by oaths, for you never
kept them. The South did the Unioi
one great wrong, and we come. as far Il.
as we can, and repair it. We wrongct
the Union grievously when we left it
to be seized and rent and torn by The
| men who had denounced it AS II league
| with death and a covenant with he'll
We ask you, gentlemen Of the repub
lican party, to rise above AL you
animosities and to forget your old sin
| Let us unite to repair the wrongs tha
distract and Cypress the country. I.c
US turn our backs on the past, and be j
said in future that he shall be the great
est patriot, the truest patriot, the ablcs
patriot, who shall do most to repair TIN
wrongs of the past and to promote thu
gfories of the future. Loud and sus
tanned applause on tho Democratic sid'
| fthe House and in the crowded gal