Memphis daily appeal. [volume] (Memphis, Tenn.) 1847-1886, 1879-06-04

at the hands OF the extreme men VINO tnen
ruled at Washington, requested his old
friend, the President, to take him out of the
field and send him to California, which the
President with a good deal of reluctance
consented to do. He remained in California
till the war closed, when he returned to the
east and selected the State of Missouri for q
permanent residence. In 1874 he represent
ed Carroll county In the State legislature.
Last January he was elected United States
senator for Missouri for the short term of six
weeks to succeed Senator Armstrong, who
had been appointed by the governor to ELL
the vacancy caused by the death of Senator
Boey. After sitting IN the senate Tor SIX
weeks, General Shields returned from Wash
ington and was rendered a magnificent re-
csption at Jefferson City. On that occasion
he addressed the State representatives and
senators IN The hall of the house. This
was his last public speech, and 1T was an elo-
quent plea for harmony and Cancellation.
The following is an extract from it: MY
term of service in the senate was very brief,
but still it was long enough to give me time
and opportunity to scan the present pohJical
horizon. | observed with some anxiety that
there is one dark c.oud visible III that region.
The cloud l refer to lie not only dark, but Is
charged with some elements of future dam
ger to this republic.
SECTIONAL PREJUDICE.
sectional antipathy and sectional luminosity,
and my great fear is that time will harden
these feelings into deep-seated sectional hos
tility. My reasons for this apprehension are
these: Twenty years ago, in the year 1859, L
sat in the senate of the United States, repre-
sentlng in part, at that time, the young and
promising State of Minnesota. The all-ab-
sorbing question of that day was a sectional
question, the question of slavery. This ques-
aalIaA tho Si,-ravDroScfbla
fiict.' That question iuf lmed political pas
sions, INSTRUCTED general legislation, aud con-
tributed to paralyze the energies of the gov
eminent. All the evils of that conflict were
charged upon slavery at the time, and phi
lanthropIsts declared that II slavery were
once abolished ali conflict between the north
and south would terminate forever. Well,
after lapse of twenty years entered the
senate once more. | sat in that body again,
representing in part, at tins time, the great
and growing State of Missouri. A wonder
ful change had passed over the whole land
in the meantime. | found the senate
changed, the capital changed; in fact, the
whole country changed, and that
slavery, as an evil, had ceased to exist. But
there was one thing that change had left I'M
touched: the irrepressIole conflict confronted
me still; the sectional contest between the
north and south was as fierce as ever. asked
myself then, IN the senate in Washington,
and ask myself now In this capitol In JEFF
ferson City: Is this unnatural, unnatlonal and
uu-American conflict to 40 On forever? Will
it never come to an end? Will the American
people never be permitted TO live together IN
peace and harmony? The American people,
as whole, are deeply injured by this conflict.
To them it is productive OF nothing but un-
mitigated evil. Ne people on earth are bet
ter fitted by nature to live together Ia amity.
They are children of the same soil, citizens
of the same r public, and heirs of the same
destiny, and, 10 spite of their ri 6sious and
dissensions, and even in spite Of nselVes,
they will have to submit to the ser destiny
30 long as Republican goverHE ss lasts in
America. There are not two destfties marked
out By fortune for this people, one for the
north and another for the south.
PLEA FOR HARMONY.
The north and south must go up together
or down together, Providence has bound
them together by chains forged by nature,
which are as hard as adamant and As strong
as iron. If, in an excess of madness, this pe0-
pie break those chains, they will all go down
together. North and south, east and west,
will all sink down together to the dead level
of the other unfortunate republics OF this con-
tinent. But there are political leaders who
tell US one of the causes of this sectional
struggle is solid south. 1t ought not Il
be forgotten, however, that the south has
been compelled by circumstances to become
solid, IN self-defense; that the southern PEG
pie considered it their duty to unite TO save
themselves and their families from what they
regarded as moral, social and political degra-
datlon. Then there are statesmen, and ABLE
statesmen, too, who look upon the solid south
as something honorable at this time to Amer-
lean character. They think it demonstrates
to the world that the grand old American
spirit sill lives among the American peo'
pie, They say that the spirit OF l716
which united the thirteen colonies
into a solid America against the threat
ened Injustice of Eugland, is the spirit of 1873
which mites the southern States into 2 solic
south against threatened injustice from any
quarter. So long as this lives among our
people, so long will we be able to present Q
solid America against all enemies, and sole
America, if true to itself, will be always abl'
| to bid defiance TO the combined powers OF {
hostile world. But to my notion southern
| human nature is the same in all respects az
northern human nature, Insult and lnJurl
produce alienation and discomfort. Yhll!
| kindness and confidence insure Cancellation
| and good will. Would it rot be we'll, there
| fore, t. hazard the experiment OF treating th
southern people, for sometime ct least, will
kindness aad confidence, and with that whIel
is due even to the south-common justice
The result, IN my opinion, would fully Justli.
| the experiment.
After the reception General Shields re
turned to his home at Carrollton, Lately b
started on lecturlng tour, and it was Will
so engaged that death suddenly came upol
him.