Year: 1867

Court House, Va, TO hear Senator Wilson, o


Massachusetts, who was to address them OF


political topics. A correspondent of the


Richmond Dispatch sends that paper report
, of what the Senator said, and also the reply
of Maj. j. H. Lee, who introduced the dis


tinguished Republican to the audience.


We extract as follows:


The struggle went from 1880 until Novem.


Der, 1860, when the American people unaw


ed, and filled with earnestness in the cause


of Truth, marched to the polls, and by theil


ballots proclaimed Abraham Lincoln Presi


dent of the United States, and decided for
ever that slavery should never advance an.


other inch. upon this broad continent


Cheers from the colored people.] They de-
ciCled that the government of the United


States should be under the control OF men


who adhered to the doctrines promulgated


by Washingt ton. Jefferson- Henry and Madl-


son. of your own Virginia. No one propos-


ed to interfere with the rights of any OF the


southern people. or to disturb any who loved


the Constitution and Union; but In the


pride of power, a class of men who adhered


to the principles of human servitude plunged


the country into revolution, which for


wickedness has never been equalled in the


history of nations. South Carolina took the
lead. and after Fort Sumter had fallen, Old


Virginia too, yielded to evil counsels and
took her place in the line thereby losing
thousands of her sons and making her soil
for four years bloody battle field. Let me
say here, fellow citizens, that believe war
was inevitable. Two great ideas were
abroad in the land. One was the great prin-
cipIe of republican freedom, backed and
sustained by all the great advocates of pro-
gress. the almighty hand of God behind it,
and with the philosophy of ages as its sup
port; while the other was the gigantic sys-
TEN of human bondage, with its millions of
wealth, its fettered slaves, and proud aristo-
craev Freedom did not give way; she
never has and never will quail and slavery,
too proud to yield to the demands of Liber-
tv raised the standard of revolt 1 believed
then. as do now, that this war was inevita-
bic; it was one of Gods great wars, and it
ended with Justice victorious, as supposed
it would. What is the result The gov
ernmcnt was sustained the nation still lives,
the dear old flag still waves and slavery,
thank God has sunk-gone down too deep
for resurrection. Wild cheers from ne
gnoes.l


Every man who came to Washington after
the surrender of Lee was ready to do any
thing that the good of the nation required.
And the proposition now pending, if it had
then been submitted, you would all have ex-
claimed with JOY that the government was
just, liberal, and merciful to a fault. Some
thought that our government would go far
ther, and do far more than we have ever con-
templated.


The misfortune was here. When Presi-
dent Lincoln fell by the assassin's hand,
class of men clustered around the new Pres
ident and whispered in his ear their plan for
the organization of IA great conservative par
ty, of which he might be the leader. Con-
servatism is always a sign of error, and
when man calls himself conservative, he
means wrong When the Radicals in any
country are pushed off, there are few earnest
men left. Returning. will say that, contra
ry to the will of ninety nine out of one hun
dred of the men who raised him to his high
position, johnson adopted a policy of his
own, and for eighteen months governed you
as he chose, and you humbly bowed to his
commands. He assumed all that Congress
now assumes; and you who endorse the
President should never speak of the usurpa-
tions of Congress. "My policy" ruled for
many months, and then perished under the
stern condemnation of the American people,
and will rise no more to curse our, you, or
your country Congress at length settled
upon plan of reconstruction-military re-
construction. And let me say that this bill
had no father, but was made up of contribu-
tians from various quarters and was the re-
suit of much anxious thought and prayer
1t is wiser than we then knew and verify
believe that it was framed by the hand of
God


Since the passage of that bill there has
been mighty change in the South. In some
OF tie States where outrages upon freedmen
were of daily occurrence, not single case of
the murder of colored man has been re-
ported to the authorities for weeks. This is
not owing to the presence of the military;
for while all of us have a dread OF power
when it is used against US, yet you are not
the people to be intimidated in the cause OF
right 1t is owing to the fact that to the
black man we have confded the ballot for
the protection of their life, liberty, and hap
pness The result is plain. You colored
men are now feared and respected for your
power Your hands are weaponed, and every
body knows it. Great laughter and cheers
from blacks. The plan of reconstruction
will be adopted, as tidings from all parts of
the country proclaims; manhood suffrage
will he acknowledged, and men who can
take the test oath will 60 to Congress. The
whole people, from the Potomac, or even
from Maine. to the Rio Grande, will be diyi-
ded into two great national parties. Let all
who favor the bondage of men, who are OPP
posed to universal suffrage, favor the denial
of citizenship and cling to the heresy of Sc
cession, all who hoped to get in Congress
and then manage to repossess the reins of
government, go together: and 1 trust they
will. There is party to which they can go,
which has always sympathized with them,
for the Democrats have upon every question
voted against the rights of the colored man.


Upon the other hand, let all who believe
in the sublime creed of the Declaration of
Independence, that all men are created free
and equal" who are for manhood suffrage
without qualification, for building school
houses who wish to live under the old flag,
and die for it If necessary; let them go with
the great National Republican party for
here give notice that the Republican flag
will be carried in triumph all over the land,
and thousands will be ready to die in its de-
fence. I need not ask this emancipated
throng where they will go, for they we'll know
who fought their battles, maintained the