Year: 1868

thought the children Of Israel ought
to be free. There never was time
when the King thought the mobiles his
equals. There was a time when ths
mobiles thought the burghers equal TO
themselves. You never will get pow
er TO be distributed from above down
ward; it always has to come by rsvo-
luton from the bottom upward.
[ IAppladse. And as TO the incOave-
niences of it in this case, you know,
men and brethren, that you and I,
and everybody, tried to stop It, We
did not begin this war We did not
put 5000, 600 men at the stake to DO
rallied for with rifles and artillery. It
was the South that pct them up. it
is they that staked the question Of
liberty or slavery on the war; and
they have lost. We are not TO blame
if they have TO take the incOnvenil
ences Of the war. They have brought
them no themselves. We are sorry
for them; yet we can net but see that
there is wisdom that they would
have died without the sight Of if they
did not have just the same state Of
things they have among them now
Applause But 1 bold more than
this. hold that, aside from the nat
ural rights ofthe black people Of the
South, they have earned the privilege
OF suffrage by their fidelity in war,
both to their masters and to their
Government, for it was their Govern
ment; and BY sheir enterprise ever
since they have been made free, they
have deserved better than to be OBJ
jects of ridieule or abuse. They have
earned the right of selfdefense. The
blacks must either be annihilated or
returned to slavery, or they must de-
lend themselves with the sword, or
they must vote; and I hold that the
vote is the cheapest Of all means Of
self-defense. Great applause But
as the right to vote was given 70
them, 1 fear, more for political rca-
sons than from the force of political
principle, I hold that it has justified RI
in the event the reason which iDspir-
ed our Legislators to give it, namely:
tits the only way in which We can
repay to them our obligations Of hOu-
.Or. Applause.1 I No disgrace can be
conceivable greater than that Of hav-
ling given freedom to the blacks, ac-
.cepted their service in the army, and
gained through them, in part, the
victory which has made MS a triumph
ant nation, and then to leave them to


be spoiled and ground into the dust BY
those that hate them. Great cheer
ing. Ifthere be one obligation that
rests upon us. heavily, and that every
man Of conscience and honor should


feel with ever-grOwing sensibility, it
lis the obligation to. see to it that these


poor creatures do not suffer


harm. [Applause.l But if you
doubt still the wisdom Of giving


suffrage to them, doubtit [Laughter.l


It is given-they have got it. There
are some things that have learned it


is folly to do. In my younger days


[ once or twice tried running after an
express train when was late at the de-


pot. I have given it up; I never do


it now. [Peals Of laughter.l think
that after a while longer men will
give up racing after revolutions and
the results of revolutions. CApplause]
Suffrage once put into the hands Of


men, catch it if you can J For the
sake of argument L VIII cOncede that


it was injudiciOus to give suffrage 70 the


blacks but that question has gone by
a great while ag5-that,is an old, dead
issue. Laughter and cheers. It is
not a question any longer whether.
they shall or shall not vote. They
have got it. You might just as well
say that they ought not to be born
black, but they are born black.
[Laughter.l You might just as Wcll
say that they ought not to be born
with curly hair. TRenewed laughter


How are you going to take either the
one or the other from them ? You


may say that it is not wise to give
them the vote but the question Of to-
day is, IS it possible or wise to take ft
away? TApplausa. That is a diff
ferent question and there are many


men, think, who would side against
me in regard to the wisdom of giving
the vote, who would side with me i'm


the belief that it cannot be taken
away. Now the Republican party


has given it, and the Republican
party viii riyet what they have given;


[Applause;] but the Democratic party


would take possession Of the Govern


ment for the sake Of stripping those


men Of that suffrage which is now in


their hands; for the Democrats. mean
to cast out all that Republicans have
done as unconstitutional, revolution


ary and void" [Laughter.] Oh,


these are the men Of peace! They


mean to settle the country. Laugh


teri But the objection is made that


the Republican party by its admins


tratiOn, has gone far toward destroy


ing the prosperity Of the South. Oh.


no. That the prosperity Of the South


is for the time being Overlaid, 7 can


not doubt I shall never have effaeed


from my mind the impressions that


were made when, some four years


ago, I went to South Carolina went


through her burned streets, went out
into her villages, saw the land lying
The things that had read
in sacred writ or in history, of the
desolations of war, were brought home
to me there, and I saw them with my
own eyes. And more sOrrowful I
could scarcely be in the house of my


own dead than was in the house Of


those who mourned there. But whO


brought that desolation E? Whence
sprang it? Is it the result Of Repub-


lican legislation? Has Republican


legislation laid one single bar to pro-
gress? Has it put one single burden
upon them? Has it done aught to
impair their liberty OF their. defenses2 . .
The distress of the South arises from
its own legitimate acts. o. ot 7tg


The distress Of the South arises from the


fact that it is thrown suddenly into the.
change which it has induced. It requires


time; but beyond that time, beyond that
change, the seeds are sown Of a prosperity.