National Republican. (Washington City (D.C.)) 1872-1888, 1879-05-06

portray the actual condition of affairs in the
South to-day, to show the terrorism that ex-
lists, and to prove from the official records
that hundreds and thousands Of murders
that have been committed since recon-
struction yet 60 unpunished, and that
the bloody perpetrators thereof have
even escaped the inconvenience of
meaningless arraignment for their horrible
crimes at the bar of Justice. This is the
second sacrifice of right, liberty, and life
which stains our history as a country and
casts discrcdit upon our Government, for
which Mr.. WILLIAMS might, though he did
not, have said that the weak-kneed Concili-
extent responsible-to the extent, we mean,
that they have not adhered to the logical
and consistent results of their enfranchise-
ment of tho blacks. Of their changes in the
Constitution since the war, and of their
bounden duty as freedom-loving peo-
pie and iustice-serving citizens But
he went Glr enough to incur the odium-it
would have been odium o year ago-of
having made Bloody Shirt speech. We
are willing, however, to accept Mr.. w. rs q
representative of that doctrine, principle, or
whatever IL may be called. And in doing
this we do not intend TO put him forward
as sectional man, but rather as one who
maintains the supremacy Of equal-rights,
equal Justice, aud human freedom the
length and breadth of the land, as a man,
in short, who is striving to establish under
the legitimate control Of the General Gov
ornment, q nationality which shall be CO.
existent with the inallenable privilege of
American citizenship, and which shall be
notable for its freedom from sectional hite as
well rs for its continued peace and deserved
prosperity. This idea he asserted with
characteristic force of rhetoric, combining
with it charity born of true patriotism
and q forgiying forgetfulncss, which alone
can serve TO bring us together once more rs
reunited nation. We quote from the con-
Guiding portion of his speech, as follows:
Gentlemen of the South, you think us moved
by spirit of hate; you think us actuatcd by
selfish motives; You imagine that we seek to
keep open these sectional issues for political
purposes. You were never more mistaken in
| your lives. Ifthere is anything the people of
| the North long for, yearn for pray for, it is po-
| litical peace aud commercial prosperity. With
out fact to stand upon n sectional issue could
not live an hour in the North tho people are
tired of sectional issues; they want peace but
| they love justice. They realize that you suf-
| iercd in the war as well as they that your
| homes wore stricken, your fields laid waste,
your cities made desolate; they know that in
defeat your pride was wounded, and that in all
| you do you have to contend with the educu-
ton, the associations, and the Surroundings oi
a lifetime they appreciate your accomplished
manners and genial ways in social life, and we
of the West realize how many interests VIC
hold in common with you. Let this reign oi
barbarism cease let social ostracism for polit-
ical opinion be no more; let the example oI
your brave LoNGsTREEr and your General
KEY be followed. In short, let all the people
of the North see you come one step in dead
earnest and they will 60 ten to meet you
though they tread over hundred battlefield,
and thousand graves filled with their loved
and lost ones. We cannot contend for ever
the cdcts of nature, the laws of God the I'M
mutable principles of right arc stronger than
we. A truce to sectional strife; let the rights
of all be respected let the citizen rest in Sc
curity; let the bow Of peace span the CONT
nent, filling the heavens with its radiance auC
every home with the joy of its smile. Then
indeed, will! our country have needed repose.
No more shall trenching war channel her fields,
Nor bruse her ilowerets with the armed hoois o
hostile forces