Year: 1868

the State Every Yirtuous and honorable man
reflects honorupon his country. Such man
is one of its most precious jewels. The
State owes it to herself, then, to keep a jeal-
Gus watch over the character Of all her citi-
zens. Under our form of government, in
which all the people are sovereign, tits equal
ly true that when rightly understood, each
citizen has an interest IN the fair fame OF
every other member of the sovereignty and its
preservation undimmed should be sacred
duty with him. To every right-thinking
man it must be a matter of profound regret !
to see the reckless manner in which public
men are assailed in their characters by the
partizan press. Were credit given to the
attacks made upon the members of the Re-
publican party in the South the conclusion
would be inevitable that there was not
decent, upright man among then-that they
were ignorant and Idebased-men devoid OF
moral qualities or christian virtues without
exception 1t may be considered necessary
to the overthrow of party. 1t may be even
arrogantly assumed that poor mana man
not of the old s1aveocracy-is not entitled
to the common courtesies of life, but yet he
is member of the State-he is a citizen of
the common country and his character must
add to the sum of its worth and glory or it
must, if it be destroyed and made to appear
vile, detract from the States character and
in degree tarnish the States good name.
There is to-day no country that can afford
to destroy or lose the moral value of one
good mans character. Every State has need
of all the moral support that each man of
integrity and of religion can bring to the
general welfare. The man, the party or the
journal that thoughtlessly, wickedly or even
ignorantly assails OF lowers the character of
worthy public or private man does the
State, his own country, -grievous wrong,
while he only gratifies bastard and unman-
ly spirit. Indeed he strikes blow at him
self so far as he is identified with the great
ness of his own country. In the end, too,
he must feel the wrong, if he be not dead to





the history of our own dear old State, when
it is struggling for existence and to re estab-
lish her high position for honesty and loyal
ty, it is a most suicidal work to assure the
whole outside world that majority of her
public men are stupid, ignorant, uncouth,
corrupt and goddess demagogues. This
is to degrade the State in the eyes of the
civilized world, and virtually to assure all
men that it is too vile place for good men
men of integrity and public virtue to
make their home. Were these things true,
it would be sad and humiliating to have to
confess thus much in regard to our fallen
mother. But it is false-vile SANDER upon
pure, noble-hearted and selfsacrifcing pub
lie men, whose highest endeavors and earn
est, untiring efforts are given to the resusci-
tation of the fainting State All done to
destroy men known and revered for their
virtues friends, ancient, intimate friends of
the slanderer before divergence of. political
views and public duty separated them Let
such, worse than assassins, stop and look up
on their work. Destroyed son of the
State-robbed noble being made in Gods
own image of his most priceless treasures
his family and his friends most basely iniur-
ed---his strong arm, raised in defence and
for the preservation of her liberties, paralyz-
ed-a worker driven from and disabled for
the noblest work of earth-the work of re-
deemng and elevating humanity, and edu-
eating it to enjoy liberty and religion. 1t is
no apology to plead hearsays. or rtin,or.. aEyi-
dence strong as holy writ should be had be-
fore good mans fair fame is assailed. The
wrong thus done can necer be atoned for,
and he who feels inipelled by sense Of duty
should well weigh the solemn results that
must follow his work. The fatal practice,
becoming, we grieve to say, exceedingly
common, strikes down the cynosure set forth
ny the State and by virtue herself to guide
inc young and the aspiring. When it is
once seen and feltby the youth of our State
'nat virtue, integrity and even religion are
no safeguards for slander and villifcation


you nave deprived them of one of the noblest
Heeh'iVes to virtue. Then they will be un-
"'iiihS TO pay the price that should secure
them favor and cminencc, and vet fail to re-