New Orleans Republican. [volume] (New Orleans, La) 1867-1878, 1876-10-15
CONKLING,s ePEECH.


We prese mt our readers this morning with
the able speech of Hon. Roscoe Conklng,
ut Utica, New York, on tho third instant,
believing tho space it occupies in our
columns could not be better filed. 1t is .
speech eloquent with facts and reason, CIV
ing an epitome of the issues of the day in
courteous language, without superfluous
sentence. Mr.. Conkling 10 master of the
subjects he discusses, and the words of the
learned Senator from the great State of
New York are entitled to the careful con.
sideration and attention Of all who wish for
our country's prosperity.
Hon. George Williamson on the Situa.
ticn.
We have been favored with an inspection
of series of letters written by Mr.. Viii
Hanson, from his post in Guatemala, to
Hon. John Sherman, Senator from Ohio,
within the past sumner, and directed to
prove why Southern man should have
voted the Republican ticket ever since the
act Of general amnesty. '..-l.-
In the prefsratory remarks, Mr.. William
con reculs to his decision to cast his first
vote for the Republican Grant, rather than
for tho Republican Greeley. In this he
seems but to have exercised the common
freedom of choice left to disbanded Confed-
crates, and had certainly the came right to
signify his adhesion to one Republican Is
bis late comrades had to eubscribe to the
support of another Republican. He may,
NO doubt, have had some remnant of South
ern prejudice against Mr.. Greeley. as the
most effective friend of abolition. Perhaps
he was not of nature so plant az those
who swallowed the abolition and high
tariff Republican, but preferred to support
Republican Who had not been prominent
in either character. Mr.. Williamson, there
fore. remarks that
If these letters should contain expressions
and sentiments, or An 0dOr OF sectiOnalism,
with which Mr. Sherman can not fully sym.
pathize, I shall rely upon your intelligence
and generosity to make allowance Tor an
apprecistse difference between . Confeder-
ate Republican and An old line Union r.
publican like yourself.
That Mr.. Williamson mas proven himself .
far better Southern man, by accepting Re-
publican principles in good faith. than those
who have violated their political principles
and prolorg ged the troubles of the SIuth,
has been thus far well proven by present
and prospective results. He declares the
main object of his letters will be to show
| the grounds for his conviction that the COM
/ <,:,~cnb cf bo Pawn hl;oov ficb bot mill
! be- the fual consummation Of peace to the
sections; not peace resulting from victo
ries in the field, but from "the permanent
| pacifcation of the Southern section of the
Union" and "the complete protection Of all
| it's citizens in the free enjoyment of all theil
rights" In no other way has he been able
| to see how the South can be pacifed COZ
sistently on her part with Christian char
| ity, with honor, and with patriotism. Any
| other way that ne conceives of implies sec
tion alism. race hatred, oppression and false
pretensions of loyalty.
He avows the opinion that the danger ii
not SO much from GENERALIZATION or persona
corruption as it is from the possibility O.
those politicians coming again into power
who neither approve the means by which
the Union was saved nor the policy which
was deemed at the time essential to its per
manent reconstruction. He says:
Quite naturally would trust the earn
| estness and honesty of the former more
than the latter. But supposng both o.
these classes Of Union savers to be equally
honest, it appears to me tneir sudden eleva
ton to the chief engineership of the gov
ernmental machinery which so lately
crushed their hopes would be likely to bt
attended with Encouragement that nigh
shock the nation and be most damaging
and dan gerous to my section in it's effects
The preservers of the American Union,
take it, intended to preserve and extent
American liberty. That object would ap
pear to be defeated if the Uaion-savers o
st. Louis suppress or suspend the full en-
United States. To save the Union an
deny the full exercise of the rights of lib
erty in the South would appear to me to in
volve . greater inconsistency than tha
which is now presented by anti-war Dem
ocrats and Confederate Democrats puttin
themselves forward as the special champI
Ons of the Union.
The reasons why an ex-Confederat
should be q Republican follow logicall
from the premises:
1t is easy to understand how Confederat
eoldiers can become and have becom
Republicans, and conscientionsly supper
the constitutional amendments and tn
laws, both upon national and sectiOns
grounds.
We doubt whether the grounds of W
and peace could be more justly stated tan
as follows:
MAY be the Confederate Dem ocrato 81.
Louis have deluded themselves yen o .he
idea they fought for the Union drins .ne .:s
war. We Confederate RepubnAns uiu
not. We fought for slavery an Amerlcau c
liberty under the charter Of 'ae1 M. l'gn.s.
We lost slavery, but not libe.yih .ne susr, "a.
antee of the State has been nAon"Isou pi loi
the ans ;Daividns Iii under
I,shVs s.aa.;au "nu ot tha ra.onal power. We
tne Plo.oo.on Poa ~. - To- a1e. We have grown
naSe ooa'Ua oa+;on ~ al, 1.-THE South are as free
to-dav as the freer man OF the North.
Ma;.fya- euay 90 10 onr ,,oms, nor in our commerce,
nor in our variou, pursuits, 90 we Zee ieel e tne
hand Of the gyhrorts gyhar marta A Of the Ell Union.
WV Wv ,hsra ha. prung up in that fairest sec'
1;ov ov ont of e seeds Of passion sown dur
~ tha wa, reactionary spirit that feeds
{ 80 ths 1st and fails to realize the duties
~ tha ,,Aent. A profession of submission
~ crea political changes, but not . willing
, socS,; 5ence in the laws of the land. A
3 So!!uic public opinion has been Fictitious.
I5ated there that brands with some foul
10 every Southern man who has the
!. I1dness to declare himself in favor Of that
] ieat party which preserved the integrity
q bf American institutions.
There has grown up there among an amia
BILE and brave people, an intolerance which