The Wheeling daily register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1864-1878, 1877-09-08
WHEELING w. VA. SATURDAY MORNING, SEPTEMBER 5 1877

Union. Now, my friends, do not pro-
pose to detain you. l have made q
much longer speech than intended, but
you understand the purpose. We may
make mistakes IN methods, mistakes IN
measures, but the sentiment | would en-
courage Is one Of nationality throughout
the Union. Applause. We al regard
the services OF that tour years OF war
we regard that period of four years as the
most interesting of our lives. We toaght
them-those OF US who were IN the Union
srmy-tought, rs we believed, to make
this forever hereafter u united people,
forever hereafter free people, and We
rejoice to-day to believe that those who
were against Us now are with US on
both Of these questions, and will forever
remain with US on both of these
questions. Cheers, loud and long And
now my friends, you will desire TO hear
from some of those who are associated
with me in the government. Two mem
bers Of the Cabinet are here, the Post
master General, Judge Key, OF Tenues-
see, and Gen. Dcvens, AtLorney-G enersl.
They fought on opposite sides during
those tour wears, but to-day, and here,
they are prepared to fight, it need be, on
the same side. Great cheers And
now l will introduce to you Judge hey.
l am sure he is an able man. am sure
he Is an honest man. | am sure he Is a
patriot. Cheers.
Judge Key said:
FELLow-CITIZENS:--I appear before
you under peculiar circumstances. You
have assembled mere TO recile the victU-
ries which you have won il former days,
to recount the triumphant results which
you achieved. l appear before you
as one OF the soldIery from
whom your victories We're won,
and your triumphs achieved, but the
cordisity with which | have been re.
ceived makes me forget that we have
ever been enemies, and | assure you that
| would much rather meet YOU rs | meet
you tO.day-as iriends-than IN the con-
1lct OF arms, SIS YOU have been heretofore.
| Applause. My friends, the flag l
fought for Tor four years, has disappeared
from the earth. The government | at.
tempted, with my compeers, to establish,
is no more. We have but one flag, and
that floats over every foot OF our terri
tory. We have bnt one Constitution and
that is the Constitution as it Is Cheers
Our quarrel, my friends, was in
herited. Slavery was established by
the Constitution of our fathers.
1t was established by the men OF the
North as well as the men of the South.
1t was n relic Of former age. As the
ages progressed, rs the country pro-
gressed, the free States became profound
ly impressed with the idea that slavery
was wrong; that it was u great national
crime; that it was n sin Of the age, and
that it was a sin against Heaven and lib
erty. The people OF the South had been
educated under different ideas. Their
statesmen on their platforms defended it.;
their ministers before their holy affairs
told the people that it was right, and the
people of the South believed that it WAS
right. A conflict of opinion grew up; we
had adjustments; we had the Missouri
compromise, the compromise OF 1900, but
vet It would not sult. At last free ideas
so far prevailed that Lincoln was elected
president The people of the South were
afraid that the institution of slavery WAS
in danger, and said: ave have debated
this quar- rel in the legislative halls, on the
stump and in the judiciary tribunals /;
we have debated it everywhere; now let
us fight it out" and they took up arm 3
and they sad {: awe leave these debats-
bic questions to the power of arms and
the sword We fought ard fought
bravely. Each section Of the country
fought for what it thought Was right.
Cheers What was the resultf
Why, the South WAS defeated, and MS
men and soldiers they were bound to
submit with good grace To the result and
to admit that the result was right; that
the tribunals which they had selected had
decided the controversy against them.
Srs, this is the victory; this is the trI-
umph. The verdict WAS against US. The
Judgment WAS pronounced against us,
and what was it2 1t WAS put IN three
amendments to the Constitution. The
first declared that slavery should no
longer exist anywhere IN this broad land.
born IN the Uuited States should be a
citizen Of the United States. All men,
white or black, were equal before the
law; no. only this, but they declared That
the public debt OF the United States
should never be repudiated. They de-
clared that no claims should be made for
emancipated slaves. They declared that
this should be a tree country, and the
flag of the Union should be the flag OF
the people everywhere, and tc-day we
have but one country, but one flag,
and but one Union, and tina,
Union is insepsrable. [Cheer5.