South Branch intelligencer. [volume] (Romney, Va. [W. Va.]) 1830-1896, 1889-01-11

| tfOn 10 WulCn tneee sovereign slates
were carried. ard heavy ss lie the bur-
den they left on this iu povsr;shed poo
pie, it Was ouly when the white race
RELYING from the graves of its dead,
and the aches of It's homes, closed its
dscimaied ranks. and fronting fede-
raj Layonets, and defying federal
power. stood like q stone wall before
the uttermost temples Of its liberty,
and credit and the hideous drama
closed that the miserable assault was
checked. CApplause.l
Shall those ranks be broken while
the danger still threatens.
TIE DANGER IN DIVISION.
Let the whites divide. what hap
penss Here is this dangerous and
alien influence that holds the balance
OF power. 1t cannot be won by ar
gument, for it is without information,
understanding or traditions hence
without convictions. 1t must be
bought by race privileges granted as
such, Or by money paid outright. Lot
US follow this in its twofold aspect.
One faction gives the negro certain
privileges and wins. The other of.
fers more. The first bids under. and
so the sicksning work goes on until
the barriers that now protect the So
cial integrity and peace Of both races
are swept away. The negro gains
nothing, for he secures these spoils
and privileges not by deserving them,
or qualifying himself 70: them, but
as the plumber of an Irritating strug-
gle in which he loses that lsrgsness
OF sympathy and tolerance, that is at
last essential to his well being and
advancement. The other aspect is as
bad. One side puts up five thousand
. dollars for the purchase Of the negro
vote ard wins. The other, declining
at first to corrupt the suffrage, but
realizing at last that the sdministta-
|, ton on which ills life and property
depends is at stake, doubles this and
80 the debauching deepens until at
last such enormous sums are sps 1t
that they must be recouped from tue
public treasures. Good men DISCUS
, ted go to the rear. The shrewd and
inscriptions are put TO the front
,, and the negro carrying with him ibe
balance of power falls at last into the
grasp Of the faction which is mos;
cunning and consc:eD celess. National
parties finding here their cheapest
market and widest field, will pour
millions into the south, adding to the
, corruption funds Of municipal and
state factions until the ballot box will
|. be hopelessly debauched, all the ap-
|, proaches thereto corrupt, and all the
: results therefrom tainted.
|, ] understand perfectly that this is
not the largest view of this question
:, to take. The larger interests of this
: section and Of the union do not rest
? here. deplore this fact. / would
that the south, fettered by no ciroums
stances and embarrassed by no prob
lem, could take Der place by the side
OF her sister states, making alliance
as her interest, or patriotism sugges.
: ted. Prolonged applause.
LOYALTY TO THE UNION.
Let me say here that yield to no
! man in my love for this union. I
| was taught from my cradle to love It,
. and my father loving it TO the last
t neverihe less gave his life for Georgia
when she asked it at his hands. Low.
Ing the union as he did, yet would
] do unto Georgia even as he did. !
J.. said once in New York, and I repsat
B 1t here, honoring bis memory as | do
5 nothing else on this earth, | still
thank God that the American conflict
r was adjueged 10y higher wisdom than
his or mine. that the honest purposes
OF The south were crossed, her brave
, armies beaten, and the American
| union saved from the storm OF war.
Z L love this union because I am an
, American citizen. love il because
l 1t stands in the light while other ma
. tons srs cropping in the dark. love
1t because here in this republic of q
, homogeneous people must be worked
. out the great problems that porplex
, the world ard established the axioms
that mu1t uplift and regenerate hui
manity. love IL because it is nv
, country. and my siate stood by when
. It's dag was FIRST uDfurled, and uplift-
I ed her stainless sword, and pledged
{ "her life, her property and her sacred
! honor, and when the last star gilt
terod from it's silkcn folds, and with
r her precious blood wrote her loyalty
, IN its crimson bars. / lo7e it because
l know that It's flag hultering from
the misty heights of the future, fol.
lowed by a devoted people once es-
tranged and thereby closer bound,
, shall blaze out tho way, and make
clear the path up which all tho nations
OF the earth shall come in Gods APP
pointed time. CApplauSe.1
THE IDEAL STATUS.
| know the ideal status is that ev-
cry state should vote without regard
10 sectional lines. The reccncilia.
ton OF the people will never he
complete until Iowa and Georgia,
Texas and Massachusetts may stand
side by side without surprise. I
would TO God that status could be
reached. II any man can dehne q
path on which the whites of the
South, though divided, can walk in
honor and peace, shall take that
path, though walk down it alone
Tor at the end Of that path, and no.
where else, lies the full emancipation