, 1879-05-11
the nine Representatives mud two Senators iron
Georgia, nine. certainly cight.:
WE'RE OPPOSED TO SECESSION.

/ +.
Mr.: Hill replied till it came, aud then. ! the; e;
stood up in that dirk hour like men for thell
convictions. They had no apology to make. "
the nnetY-three Representatives and senators
about seventy-fye wcEs opposed to secession
He mentioned this for the purpose OF SHOWING
how sound the Southern people are. Iney art
willing to be represented by men true TO th'
Union.
AIr. Hill then related some of his personal
history. South Carolina seeded IN Deeemoe1 =
1850, The people OF Troupe County, in which
be lived. requested him to serve as their dee'
gate In the State Convention Of Georgia Hc
accepted the trust in letter, in which he said
he would consent to dissolution OF the Union
as, he would to the death OF his father, only
from necessity; that bad and extreme men
| were fighting the Union, which never harmed
| any one, aud that he would never ask mort
from those who were destroying the Govern
ment in their folly than to give his children 9
better one. His people sent them to the Con.
vcntion without opposition. In January he had
tile honor to make his last speech against the
| resolution III favor Of secession, = On the 18th
! Of that month, when an ordinance was framed,
| lie wrote letter to friend telling him the
| decd was doue, and that Georgia thur day
=: =. LIFT THE UNION.
| The streets were wild with excitement; par
| ty came to screnade him as it had others, but
his room was dark, his heart sad, and his tongue
| silent. No matter who vas in the wrong, he
| said in that jettcr, the Union had fallen. In
| 1868 he had correspondence with that great
! and good man, Horace Greeley, who did more
TO build up the Republican party titan
| anv other man In America. Greeley was honest
] in his convictions and boldly declared them. In
his letter to that gentleman IN reply to some
| thing that had been said concerning him, he
! wrote he was entitled to an audience OF thu
! readers Of the Tribune, having in the nintes Of
1850 warned the people against sccesslon,f a1ju
told them the War would come. tn unequal,
fierce, vtndictive, aid desolating war. Many OF
At.- CT $t,sE EH,.+6 A.
secede it could do SO in peace. The people Of
the South did not seccde because OF hostility to
the Constitution. They pledged themselves to
form new one on the model Of the old. The
South seeded because war was made on It's con-
stitutiona1 rights by the extremists Of the
North to destroy its property, and because the
Northern people, through their Republican
leaders, said that secession
SHOULD BIB ACCOMPLISHED IN PEACE.
Greeley said they wanted no Union pinned to-
gether with bayonets. There were hundreds pf
thousands of persons who believed that the only
that they had the right to protect and preserve
their slave property. If they had believed the War
would result they never would have seeded.
Tie Georgia Convention sent him {Hul) to the
Provisional Congress. The people believed that
could be ayerted. Virg ginia had not then gone
out Of the Union, and she issued proclama-
ton for peace conference. His heart warmed,
and he hoped for success. Seven STATES had
then gone out, and therefore they could not
participate in such Convention, but they watched
every movement with interest. These very men
who make the charges Of iufdelity against the
Southern people went to Washington to defeat
the purposes at Virginia
LETTER FROM ZACH CHANDLER.
In this connection Mr.. Hill read the following
letter:
WAsu1SaroN, Feb, II, 1sG1.-Mr DEAR Gov
Rfu~hnm HnH nvSA3f oil rhnf}r rnr
Saturday at the request of Massachusetts and New
York to send delegates to the Peace Compromise
wrong and that no Republican Suite should have
sent delegates. but that they are here aud cannot
get away. Ohio, Indiana and Rhode Island are
they beg is for Gods sake to come to their rescue
and save their Republican party fruu rupture.
hone they will send stid backed men none. The
whole thing vas got up against my Judgment and
hope. as matter Of courtesy to some OF our
Tay f55g yea en that you VI" cH seeS Gassn
To His Excellency Austin Blair.
To this letter postscript was added, saying
the Northern people think that light would be
awful; but without little b1ood-le1ting this
Union will not, ln mY estimation, be worth Il
rush."
The representatives OF the South must be
trusted. Tie South sought to avert the War,
while
THE NORTH TRIED TO BRING n on,
He (Hill) knew the Republicans claim, to have
saved the Union, but If there had been no Re-
publican party the Union would not have been
in peril, and there would hare no secession, no
People want purity and intelligence iu the jury |
box, to keep the troops away from the polls. !
and because they wanted to say to the States: |
- ou are able to control Jour elections ind
here as q bulwark against those who |
would DESTROY the !. Constitution By |
destroying the States. It you must have war !
they would maintaiu their rights in tile Union. |
But he trusted there would be no war. The !
men Of the South would 60 with the Stars and |
Stripes, the flag Of their country. The people
would take charge Of the question. He assured |
those who heard him that the North need not |
be alarmed on account OF the South, bur they
had cause to be alarmed by such threats as
ocrats would take the position to promote the
glory Of the Union and perpetuate its honor.
They we're going to the people IN favor of the
Constitution which Madison framed aud Web
POLLS inte1liRence in the jury.box, and the inde
pendence OF The States, in the management OF
elections hereafter. The people would answer
the North and South. :.
So far FROM decreasing the Democratic ma
iority in this body these measures would in-
crease it. AS to another war, the men who loss
ali In the late War would not risk it again. We
owe nothing to the Republicans, Hill said It
WIS through the very agency OF authority and |
sovereignty OF the State which you thought;you
had destroyed, that we are able to be here to-
day, not through intimidation and fraud. It is +
not true we are solid against the North. We I
are solid against the Republican party. Why
should we not be? Can you wonderf I will
not speak Of the past. Do you think We are
going to love you for the speeches you have
made during the last four weeks, criminattng
md slanderlng us in every forma You may not
know it, but VIC are men,. Every vile story of
raud, no matter how unworthy Of belief, Is /
,araded- against the Southern people, but 20
natter how much testimony of good men We
3rnE to refute these falschoods, that testimony
S cried down. We regard the Republican party I
MERELY SECTIONAL
Ne join the Democrats of the North because Ne
ldmirc their course during War. We.had q ter
ible ordeal, but they had one perhaps worse.
The fidelity to tue Union they believed In led
hem to fight against us, but after the War they
net us as men, and that is why VIC 20 with
hein.~ Il the South were solid against the Con-
titution it would be reprehensible; but they
we're not. We are solid for preserving the Con-
titution and its principles. It is not We, but |
Northern men who seek strife, and are against |
he Union. 1t was not the Republicans but the
Northern Democrats who saved the Union, and !
hey will preserve it. We could not help them |
0 save it, but We are here to help them pre-
erve it. j. - ..'
Mr.. Hill said he was born stakeholder. but