The Ouachita telegraph. [volume] (Monroe, La.) 1865-1889, 1889-03-09

IL Southern Society in New York.
The following is the stenographfc|
report made for the Baltimore Sun Of
the speech diIivered by Governor Fitz
hugh Lee of Virginia at the banquet
Of the Southern Society in New York
recently in response to the toast. s'The
South Since the Revolution" sum-
mary of which has been published:
Growing up under those teachings
(of Jefferson, Mason, Madison, Monroe,
Tyler), the South cannot admit to-day
that there Is a single line in that in>
strument called the federal constitution
which prevents state from with
drawing from the union; and she
points with pride-she would be re-
creant to the memory of her brave
men who fought upon so many. felds
and died, il she did not feel grateful
for the heroism and devotion of her
sons in defending her position on this
question. [Applause.] She submitted
all these questions to the sword. and
she acknowledges that by the sword
they have been settled. [Applause.]
John Randolph, brilliant and eccen-
trio, was listening TO the debates Of
this (the Virginia) convention, and he
said: III see the poison under the
wing Of the American eagle, and it
should be extracted lest it shed pesti-
leuce and death over the country it is
his duty to overshadoW and protect"
That poison under the wing of the
American eagle was the failure of the
|convention to stipulate in express
terms that Stage once raiifying that
instrument was forever member of
the American Union. But any careful
student of the history Of those times
can tell US that had that question been
brought to decided issue at that time
the requisite number of States would
not have ratified the constitution. And
so they left 1t for the future to decide,
That question is behind us. We are
once more part and parcel OF this great
American Union, interested in pro-
noting Its growth, its grandeur and its
progress. [App'ause.] All those trou-
blesome questions decided, the South
again enters into the great march of
Improvement aud civilization, and In
my own State to-day she has no other
thought, no other aspiration, but that
she shall be an equal member Of the
American Union, and that the star
that represents her in the star-spangled
banner shall be upon perfect equality
with the star that represents Masss-
chusettes or Ohio. Loud applause.
It Is her business to make that star n
bright, shining, brilliant jewel in the
crown that binds the brow OF the
American Union.
MY friends, with the settlement of
that question by the sword a problem,
as you said here tonight, Mr.. Chair
man, was still left to be settled. 1t is
this problem that you see every day
referred to as the race question. God,
for his own wise purposes, made those
two races as different in habit and
character and the attainment Of mental
faculty as he did in color, and / want
you gentlemen here Tonight TO ask the
great North to assist us in deciding
this question. 1t will not be many years
before the American people are called
upon to decide whether it is best for
the prosperity of this country, stretch
log from the frozen lakes Of the North
to where the great father OF waters rolls
to the gulf, and from where the waves
break upon the Atlantic coast to the
golden sands of the Pacific, whether
the progress and prosperity OF this
country can be- best promoted by q
union Of white American states, or by
q union OF white aud African states
My friends, we want the North and
the other sections of this union 10 re-
member that In our opinion the growth
and progress Of not only the whole
country, but Of both races, depends
upon this being acknowledged as
white mans government Eappiausel,
and that there is no place for black
sovereiguties or African States in the
American sisterhood. We have the
kindest feelings for that race. We
rejoice in their progress. We lake .
care of their insane in the assylums
we maintain. We ciothe and feed
them. But when it becomes question
of whether this government OF ours
shall be an African or white Ameri
can government we want the white
American government every time.
lApplsuse.l II we are to have peace