The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1878-02-20
HON. allen. II. STEPHENS.
ter Emancipation Picture - The
Emancipation Proclamation Il War
Ncccssity--.A Kind Word for Lincoln
--sSOur WarIS.e

there is but little left 10 say in the perform.
ancc of the part assigned me in The pro.
graiinir arranged for this august occasion,
AS Ia The merits of the picture aud the skill
OF the artist. my friend from OHIO Mr.. Gar
field has dwell at large. | can but indorSt
all lie has So well said on that subject. Oh
the muniticcnt gift Of the donor, he has also
left me nothing 10 add. The present OF 4
twenty-five thousand-dollar painting to the
Government we'll deserves cummcudatiOn.
Few instances of this sort have occurred i'm
the history OF our country; ! know OF none.
The example of this generous lady in the
ENCOURAGEMENT Of art may well be followed
by others.
; Mr.. President, with regard to the subject OF
the painting I propose, i; strength permits. Ia
submit il few REMARKS: first, as to the ccntrl
figure, the man; after that, as TO the event
commcmoratrd: | knew Mir. Lincoln vein
We met in this House In DrccInbcr, lS47. We
were together during the Thirtirth Congress.
l was as intimate with him rs with any other
man OF that CONGRESS, except perhaps one.
Toombs. or Mr.. Lincoin's general character
| need not speak. He was warm hearted:
he WAS generous he was magnanilnuus; he
was most truly, rs lie nftcrward said on IL
memorable occasion. with malice towards
none, will! charity for ALL"
In bodily form he WAS above the average;
and SO in intellect; the two were in SNlnpa-
thy. Not highly cultivated, he had a native
genius far above the average of his fellows.
Every fountain of his heart WAS ever over
flowing with the "milk OF human Kindness"
so much for him personally. From my at
ttcliincnt to him. SO much the deeper WAS the
pang In my own breast rs well as Of millions
at the horrible manner Of his taking off,
That was the climax of our troubles and the
spring from which came nftcrward "Unnum-
bcrcl woes But of those events nc more
now. Widely as we differed on public nucS-
tions and policies. yet as ii friend ! may say
No farther seek his merits 10 disclose.
Or draw his ~frailtics from their dread abode;
CTherc they alike in Troubling hope rcpo*c,J
Nh l.nt,, of bic h,t l,n. ., nal bt. fsn1
SO much | have felt 1t my duly on this o.
raSion to say in behalf of one with whom !
held relations so intimate and one who per-
SOnaliy stood so high in my estimation.
Now rs TO the great historic event which
this picture represents and which it is design
cd to commemorate
This Is perhaps Il subject which, as my
friend from Ohio has said. the people of this
day and generation are not exactly, in Il CON
ditiun to weigh rig!ltfully and judge correct
lN. One thing was remarked by him which
should be duly noted. That was this: Enan-
eli m:iOn was not the chief object Of Mr.. Lin
coin in issuing the proclamation. His chief
object. the ideal to which his whole soul WAS
devoted. WAS the preservation of the Union.
Let not history confuse events. That procla-
nation, pregnant us IL was with coming
events, initiative rs il was of ultimat ci!lu-
cipation, still originated in point of fact more
from what was deemed the necessities Of war
than from any bare humanitarian view ofthr
matter. Life IS all a mist; and in the dark
our fortunes meet.
This was evidently the case with Mr.. Lin
coin. He in my opinion was like all the rest
of us, an instrument in the hands OF that
Providence above us, that "Divinity which
shapes our ends. rOugl-hcw them how we
will" 7 doubt much, as was indicated by my
friend from Ohio, whether Mr.. Lincoln ut the
time realized the great result. Mark YOU, the
proclamation itself did not declare free al
the colorcd people Of the southern States: It
applied only 10 those parts Of The country
then in resistance to the Federal authorities.
II the emancipation Of the culnrcd race,
which is one OF the greatest rpocl$ in our
day and Will he so marked In the future his
tory of this country. hc a boon or q cnrsc TO
them. Ga question which, under Providence. Is
yet to he solved. and which depends much
upon them>rlvcs.l then. representing tho
Southern states here. | must claim in their
behalf that tho freedom Of that race WAS
never finally conSu!nmatcl, and could not he
until the Southern STATES sanctioned the
thirteenth amendment. which they did,,
siiturnrics, Ecinrc'tlic ~upturning of south
ern society by the reconstruction acts the
white PEOPLE thor" came to the conclusion
that their domestic Institution known as
the proposition for emancipation by Il Volun-
tary. uncontrolled sanction OF the proposed
thirteenth amendment TO tho constitution Of
the United States. This sanction WAS given
by the original constituency Of those States.
the fOrmrr governing white race, and without
that sanction the thirteenth amendment
never cnn'd have been Incorporated in the
fundamental law. That X the charter of the
co!Orcl mans freedom. Mr.. Lincoin'S idea.
as embodied in his first proclamation of Sep
TENDER 81, lSi2, rs well rs that of January l..
lS3, was c"0nSuinmaicd by the adoption Of
the thirteenth amendment Of the c0nStitu-
ton OF the United Stltc$, ana without that
the proclamation had nothing but the con
existence OF the war to sustain il.
Had the states in resistance laid dow their
arms by the lSt of January. 1853. the Union
xt.Ant.1 hnt-l l,nnn Nb ~ httf t1nn ~ go, - &
the slave SO called would lav been unclHng-
ed. Upon the subject of emancipation itself
1t may here hc stated, thc pccuniary view, the
politicu-ccon"mic question involved, the
amount of property invested under the syS-
TEN, though that was vast, not less than
s., ON 900 D. weighed in my estimation no
more than. a drop in the bucket compared
with the great chronological problem now in
the process OF SOlutiOn.
Mr.. President. as to this institution called
slavery in the Southern States. many errors
existed and many exceedingly unjust prciu-
diceS. Prciudic"! What wrongs. what inju-
ricS, what IniSchicfS, what lamcntablc conSc-
qucnccS have resulted ~ Ill times from this
pcrvcr>ity OF the intellect! OF all the o!,Sta-
clos 10 the advancement Of truth and human
in every department of knowledge,
In science. In art, III government aud In rrli-
gion, in all ages and c!imeS. not one on the
list Is more Formidable. more difficult to over
come and Sulnluc than this horrible diStor-
tlon of the moral as we'll rs intellectual iacul-
ties.
I could cnioin no greater duty upon my
countrymcn now. North and South, rs I said
ur"n " ~ : LMhoa"n'nn. tm m u .NItf'nro
i -, IN '. ~ ", t Inir m,mtnm n"' ~,
, ~ h !. onh!trH ,n'ar PieJuui.,S. uItro'
W. ,.sm|ia A.,ut.!"a,S ,n' iInI'i sUn!iiiiH
u.n,,atnr ~, m w. I'.. ". t"n.,'
mn1H, - hoTHrh, ~. u'"'ni en't n."'.,
~ n,n,, i,o ~ ~
III. ui', "n';u'nr ~ w. N.I'rlS oi l,oStnl, nc
PIo'iaI!i'cu ~ N"oN'ah'' o VAST asSch!blF
Of ms G"nS,itucntS-unwi:ling heArcrSrt,iat
t ,hcy h ,"1 crn"m,"%1mc,rreSI' :, ' l,c uHGon nGii hc cr'E me-
'hn NnniS amu tuil'n,S % .h'
49," -, "a 'E,'t"r'N" Nv vi " ;,
'n,,,,or ,h";r nr.i,Gicn u'' "'"S' 'e"'" "
7 wo,ld s,v thiS H. to tho noo,,o or tho
E,,r,h rs wnII,s IN t,r nonrt, NJ ~, Snn,h ~
IrirIyo n,n q ,hi. s,i ii ,
,l, in.1;,r.;on nr ,in 'i"' III ,nn
Sorthcrn Stntrs Wrii Nv Trn.iiu't ,ni
Nv snonl,o. II u.,r ,n - ,inn.t Iii
II w,l NOT thu. n,nnh 7 n,u -. ni.n"n i.
no,,nnn.,,;on. r, ;s -, :, ~, ,n ',r'T nau.
"''Il'. 49,. ny l'ui Vo>' i'o"' ii""-
'N',. W nu'!. no' 10 PRAISE, 10 lauu, HOT
't'!S'i, 'S'ti"a'';
~ n"u In ltu.iN' una liuS' erlcEouS'E mas
nv r,anilH, ->oIIn anu SCUM, inr nnin were
eIu'ilA i.SpolSlnip ior II, answered. 'heill. IL
ALSO, Jet !! ne rellcnlh"rrd, gave rise 70 some
ni me ho''icSt virtues ilat iid1rn c!riiiZttinll.
,ru' =, iI'''s a'o Virtues " nurleu aiike
I.nui
= mtHh3 ,nin ~ ~ W.T. dna .le Us Iein.io'
w -, nTiI...II w" mrai,,u =. n"nn ,hrtH'
iinIn.'i. dtS,.mt,s. 'nn''.r"au.'. hnu pmll,.
it'.tHi. " r,m,, ~ ''u - J. ~ LEV n'uI'
"a.,;m, 10 e. ui =, nEr'n y.
!, ! i'l'u. ~ SUI. bu, ar l INV
az" .n.> II II '"ic io" W u!scuSs 'hoSe
QucS'I"lS. ,
l. nave seen Solnclhln" OF the world ana
crnH','u Spii.M"n hiu l narc never !et
!ouno on cHi'i Il Pn'""!sG; Inc southern