The herald., 1895-11-17
An ORATOR OF THE SOUTH
AT the Dedication of the Chick.
amauga Park
SENATOR WILLIAM B. BATE
Tells Of Southern Sincerity, Courage
and Sacrifice
SENATOR WILLIAM B. BATE


manga PARK dedication, was that OF Sem
ator william B. Bate of Tennessee. The
distinguished orator has many friends in
this city and numerous requests have
been made of the Herald to publish his
great speech.
The h erald would be glad to crafty
the wishes OF the senator's admirers by
publishing the GRAFTON in full, but the
demands on the space OF the, paper will
not permit so extensive a publication.
However, the most interesting and sig
niicant parts Of the speech are repro
duced.
After fslicitating his hearers on the
harmonious character OF the occasion,
Senator Bate said:
note with inexpressible pleasure that
the lapse of more than thirty years has
mitigated the passions, allayed tho ex-
element and disposed the minds OF all
surviving contestants of these great bat
ties to look back at the past with those
moderated convictions which are due to
a contest in which each party held prin.
ciples and convictions to justify the con-
tenGiOn.
WHAT WAS THE HIGH AND HOLY
CAUSEp
Dispassionata history, Mr.. Chairman,
and the principles OF each section which
underlay the struggle between the north
and the south will not confound and con.
fuse in the halo OF a restored Union the
great and impelling causes which led to
the conflict.
There is nothing. more remarkable or
less susceptible of explanation than those
great waves of political impulse which
on certain occasions rise ana break over
country, from Causes OF upheaval in the
distant past. The propelling causes which
lead to violent shocks between different
peoples Ut different countries are not al.
ways to be found on the surface of cur.
rent events; neither Is that desperate and
bloody struggle for existence which &C.
CURED between citizens OF our common
country to be read in the returns of q
popular election. This occasion of the con-
fict is patent to all, while the cause is
hid in the record OF the past; the incl
dent upon which the battle opened is mis-
taken tor the movement by ". ich the
vast armies were arrayed in lines Of bat
"barren abstraction" but it involved the
principle Of equal rights for equal states.
The great war. IN which we were
enemies, found not its cause in the reso-
lutions OF fanaticism, nor in the "WIlmot
provisos," nor in the fire bell in the
we're. indeed, agsravations and incite-
ments disposing men to resort to violence
where reason and constitutional rights
were denied, but they we're not the cause
of our conflict. Their annoyance had
been endured for more than half CEN
fury. and might have continued in pro-
voking irritation for many cycle of
ye RS without leading to actual conflict,
1t was only when long train of circum-
stances tending TO the same end divided
l.,k@
the line of demarkatlon which denied
equal rights to .quai states that appeal
was made to the arbitrament.of war.
1t is told in Roman story that one Of
the provi ces ievolted against the senate
ana people OF Rome that war followed,
and the legions invaded the rebellious
province, destroying its resources and
devastating its lanns--the ever victorious
Tenth Legion m arched from the mount
aims to the tea, carrying desolation and
destruction, until from sheer exhaustion
surrsn Ter became imperative. The con-
Roman, senate and by the victorious
they deserve? The defeated but uncon-
qu-red chief proudly replied: 'Such
liberty. Coniounded By the reply, sem
ator asked "wnsther ii terms Of peace
were granted they would faithfully abide
by them?" Tbs defiant reply came
prompt: Isl bonam dedefitis. hdam It
perpetuam, 81 malam baud diutuIEam"-
would faithfully ABIDE by them, but if
they were unjust the peace would barely
last until thsy could return to tell the
people what they were." The Roman
senate did not take years to recon
strucs" that provinces but h nj tells US
with all the rights and privileges OF
Roman citizens, because they were only
fit to be Romans who held nothing to be
valuable without liberty.
The rise and progress of Roman great
ness reposed in the prompt assimilation
of conquered provinces into Roman citi.
zenship, and fl that example had inspired
the national authorities. after the surren-
der of our armies, this country would
have escaped that period of ''reconstIuc.
actual war; and can l not truthfully say,
had it been left alone to those who d d
the lighting, and wore on their bodies the
scars Of battle, it would have been SO,
and we of the south would have avoided
that fierce warfare at the ballot box
whereby reconciliation became impossi-
BILE. because we believed that "reconstruc-
tim" was unjust. But now we all re-
joice that obstacles and i'm pediments have
been removed by the sense of American
justice and "Civis Amerlcanus sun" is
today the proud boast, the noble birth
the people of our country should have
disputed long over their organic law,
should bave quarreled over its meaning,
and finally have fought to "a finish"
for the settlement of that which they
could not determine by reasoning, is but
the same experience through which every
people have gone.
THE JUSTIFICATION.
But, MIR. Chairman and f. Ito w-ctizens,
ali things come to the man ,r people that
wait and so. with perfect confidence in the
rectitude of our motives; in the correc.
tness of our views of the federal constitu.
tion,an OF the propriety> OF our acts in
the past, we. surviving confeuerates for
ourselves. and in behalf nf our dead com.
rsdes, offer no apology or excuse for our
course in 1875, but frankly and hrmIy
avouch the facts of our country's history
and the teachings and writings Of the
fathers, as the justification OF the southern
states at the bar of imperial history.
The principles in defense OF which the
south accepted battle were found in the
constitution. Whatever may be the right
or wrong, the south believed the war
rlpht-and the principles in defense of
which the south accepted battle, after
peaceaDly seeding from the Union were
found ~ the constitution aud taught By
thessfathers. The south claimed and asked
nothing mo than equal rights-not of
oil, k.~A a.