Edgefield advertiser. [volume] (Edgefield, S.C.) 1836-current, 1878-11-07

seemed to be some mystery-who had
SO little to do with political Me for
nearly fifteen years, and nothing
whatever for nearly seyez years-and
vet whom South Carolina had sent to
represent her with such peculiarly
high endorsement. The speech was
not elaborate; there was little about
it of the closet and midnight lamp.
1t had not been written, d was
delivered without pretension to ora.
torical. display, but with clear,
p,usical voice and with graceful sen-N
ssaasiis#Hl dignity. 1t was speech OF
rare ability, sustaining the hopes and
expectations of his friends, and l.ro-
drcing marked sensation there, at
the ti@e, and afterward throughout
the cRtry. Itwas certainly entitled
to, take very high rank if the force ct
a speech is to be estimated by the
efforts of those opposed to its doc
trines to answer it, to misrep.esent
and abuse it. 1t was violently as
sailed in the Senate by number OF
Republican Senators, and hardly
Radical paper, from Maine To Cali
fornia, failed to attack it. Senator
Hammond treated the threadbsre
Kansas question in brief but
powerful Constitutional argument,
and then proceeded to contrast the
social and industrial system OF the
North and South, and compare their
resources in the events of separation
He showed the Observation-Disclosures
of Southern slavery and said, the
greatest strength of the So1th arises
from the harmony OF her politicalsni
social institutions. In all social
systems" he continued, "there must
be class to do the menial duties, to
perform the drudgery of life. That
IS IS class requiring but a low order OF
intellect and little skill. It's
requisites are vigor. docilIryys flsli'y.
Such class you must have, or yen
would not have that other class which
leads progress. civilization and refine
ment. 1t constitutes the very mud
sill of society and government, and
you might as well attempt to build
house in the air as to build either tie
one or The other, except on this mud
sill. Fortunately for the South, ste
found race adapted 10 that purpose
to her hands, We
found them slaves by tie "commo..s
consent of mankind ,e,sssieh, accord
ing to Cicero, " le:r nnt,lsat es5! -.
= slave.is a word discard
now- by. ears polite" I will a.r not o., :
characterize that class at the North
by that term, but you have it, it is
there; it is everywhere; 1t is eternal.
Great offence seemed to be taken at
the word "mud-sill." and it was
ferociously assailed far and wide.
The word might very well have been
omitted, and any other (ground sill,
foundation, stone, &c. substi-
tuted, and would have been, could
the Senator have imagined The vile
use to which demagogueism in Con-
gress and elsewhere would strive to
pervert it. 1t is in this speech those
famous sentences occur so often
quoted in defence Of the South. Mr..
Seward had said the the victory has
been fought and won meaning,
that in the great struggle between
the North and the South for surrem-
acy in the Government, on the one
side, and equality on the other, the
North had triumphed, and remarked,
a!luding 10 the admission, as Tree
States, of Minnesota and Oregon,
that there would now be nineteen
Free States to fifteen Slave States,
land" he continued, 1--WE intend to
take the Government from unjust
and unfaithful hands and put it into
Just and faithful hands" At the
conclusion of his speech Senator
Hammond, turning to Mr.. Seward.
said, with grear impressiveness, you
complain of the rule of the South;
that has been anothe: cause that has
preserved you. We have kept III,
Government conservative to the gre,t
purposes of the Constitution. We
have placed it, and kept it. upon lie
Constitution; and that has been the
cause of your peace and prosperitv.
The Senator from New York says
that this is about to be at an ED;
that you intend to take the Govern
ment from us; that it will pass FROM
our hands into yours. Perhaps VIII,
he says is true; it may be; but do
fOrget-it cannot be forgotts2as
written on the brightest I3|
human history, that ws
holders of the Sout S.
country in her infanc Z!
ruling her sixty out Of seventy years
of her existence, we surrendered her
to you without stain upon her
honor, boundless in her prosperity,
1ou1o b1o -, bon ot,o-~tL 4Lo