Lexington weekly intelligencer. (Lexington, Mo.) 1871-1887, 1880-10-02

failure was due solely to the repub-
lican party. This party had absolute
control of the government i'll all ct
It's departments, and if its patriotism
had been as enlarged as its power the
country would have been spared the
shame of the reconstruction acts. l
shall not speak of these acts, for 1t is
not my desire to reawakeu the sad
and bitter memories connected with
them. They have passed into our
history filling one of its darkest pages
and in the good providence ofGod they
have %recOiled upon those who con-
ceived them. The weapons intended
for our destruction have been turned
| against those who forged them. The
action of the republicans when the
| southern members of congress pre-
sented themselves for admission, is
fresh in the memory Of all men. Our
representatives were ignominiously
thrust from the seats to which they
had been invited and to which they
had been legally elected. While war
was fragrant, congress with singular
unani,nity and i'll the most solemn
manner declared that it was moi
waged for the conquest or subjuga-
ton of the south, but for the preser-
walton Of the Uniou. with the rights,
liberties and equality of all the states
unimpaired. Time aud again during
the war had the southern people been
assured In the most authoritative
manner that their states were Still III
the Union, and hat 10 state had the
right or the power to leave it. But
when the confederate armies sur
,ooJo,al ,,o ~ Ne fr1N cnptarnnfnnnS
ly by the republicans that those great
states, several of which had aided Ill
no small degree to form that Union,
had been obliterated from the map of
the great republic, and that they
were but conquered provinces, to be
ruled by military satraps. Some
philosopher, with equal wit and wis
dom, has declared that there is a
great deal of human nature i'll man
kind,' and recognizing the truth of
this maxim, you can scarcely wonder
that after this actien of the republic
cans the south became thoroughly
united against that party. Some re-
publican papers, actuated doubtless
by their ardent love for the south,
have assured the southern people that
this conduct OH their part was very
umwise. They have advised them to
enlist under the banners of the re-
publican party and to join in humil-
iating and plundering those among
whom they were born. Some few
you Can tell them off OH your fingers
have acted on this honest advice,
aud doubtless the Golfers of the
United States treasury afford them
ample compensation for the contempt
with which honorable men of all
parties regard them. But the great
mass of the southern people had too
much Of the leaven of human nature
in their composition to kiss the rod
that smote them. Ny fellow-citizens
of the north-republicans and deln-
ocrats-put yourselves in our places,
and hen say honestly, would you,
could you, have acted otherwise than
as we did ? 1 have given you briefly
some of the reasons why the south
has been opposed to the policy, the
methods and the leaders Of the re-
publican party, and you may ask
why, admitting the cogency OF these
reasons, she should ally herself with
the democratic party. The answer
is simple and plain. The democrats
of the north, it is true, as l have said,
opposed US during the war with as
much earnestness and vigor MS did
the republicans, and without their
aid the Union could not have been
preserved. No sane man can deny
this. A republican would hardly
venture 10 do so. But when the war
closed these democrats who had
fought us 80 rresistently remembered
that we were still American citizens.
They remembered the pledges made
by the government during the war.
They held that the southern states
were integral parts of the Union and
not mere conquered provinces. I'm
hinching enemies i'll war, when peace
came they were willing to recognize
us As brethren. They extended their
hands i'll token Of reconciliation and
we graspsd and still grasp these
friendly hands. We see the republic
can party now as it always has been,
i'll all its changes and under its vari-
Gus names, still the party of s%ectiou-
allsm. We hail the great democracy
as national. We pray to be saved
from the republican party, as we
pray to be delivered from senvy,
Paired, malice and all uncharitab lie.
pess.' We cling to the democratic
party because it promises to restore
peace to the whole country and to
bring about harmony and good will
among all its citizens. We have been
faithful to this great party in storm
as in sunshine. As we did not desert
its banners through all these weary
years when they we're furled in de-
feat, we surely shall not desert them
now when they arc proudly moving
OF to assured victory. We hope, we
trust, we pray that this victory may
be as wisely used as it will be tri-
umphantly won. We believe that it
| will be the blessed harbinger Of last
lug peace 10 u whole country ; that
it will bring back the government to
the dignity. the simplicity anu the
purity of the pristine days; hat it
will cemen the Union firmly, and
that it will make the constitution
what ii should be, not only the SUI
preme law of the land, but of the
rulers of this land. The south, if l
do o greatly misinterpret her feel
ings, proposes in any event to stand
by that constitution and that Union.
Both belong to her by possession aud
by inheritance, as much as they do
to the north, aud he maligns his
co%untrymen who says that the south
is disloyal to either. This is the only
country which we of the south can
claim as ours, and, by b blessing of
God, we hope to aid in making it
prosperous aud happy. worthy to be
for all time to come the home of free