Year: 1870

their sister States, they have right to
dissolve the connection, and throw, at
their own will and pleasure, whole con-
tinent into confusion. It was doctrine
of some, though in justice should say
not all, that any State has right, when
ever it chooses, to enjoy all the blessings
and at the same time reject all the bur-
dens of the government to which it pro-
fesses to belong. Some of our Democratic
friends tell us that they have abandoned
soQe of these doctrines. They tell us
they have abandoned secession, for the
war has crushed secession; but they tell
you that they still adhere to every particle
of the doctrine OF State rights except the
doctrine of secession. They keep
the tree, root, stem, branch
and all, and say that this
terrible war has merely Topped off one of
the fruits that grew on that tree. The
difference between them and Us is this
we do not quarrel so much with the fruit
as We do with the tree that bore the fruit
we do not quarrel so much with the con-
sequence as we did with the general cause
from which these pernicious consequences
flow. But what is their exact doctrine?
| have watched carefully to see it our
Democratic friends have any definite ideas
of State rights, which they are willing ex-
plicitly to tell to the people, and upon
which they are willing to go distinctly
before, and have watched in vain. There
is vague talk about State rights-the
same sort of talk that we have heard over
forty years-but it is hard to find out
what they mean by it.


After analyzing fully the action of the
f,{a nr 1vy ha1l
in this city, he said, regarding harmony
between the races:


My friends, seriously, if there is any
thing that desire in reference to public
affairs, it is that there shall be perfect
harmony between the races. How will
the conflict OF races come: It will come
if at all, By one race denying what another
race in good grounds claims: and now, If
YOU desire harmony between the races, l
Will tell you, my Democratic friends, how
you can have it. The coiored men in
this country are grappled with hooks of
steel to the Republican ticket whenever
they vote according to- their will. Not
new privilege which they have acquired
but is directly or indirectly due to the
Republican party. They gracefully own
it Now, my Democratic friends, if you
want perfect harmony with the other race
come and join the Republican party.
[Great applause. There will then be no
conflict of races, for both the races will be
going together What objection have you
to Joining us? What hinders you? Do
you not like the men the party puts in
office? Come into the party and enter
into our conventions and have other men
nominated. Do you say the men who
lead our party are not pure? You believe
yourselves to be pure, and if you are so
come into our party and put yourself at
the head of it. [Applause.l I'VE will let
Won 90 thither if we are satisfied of your
capacity for that place. Do you say, as
sometimes you have said, that our party is
deficient of able men? Then bring your
able selves into it and there will be plenty
of ability, according to your conceit. Do
confederate "reminiscences stand in your
way?


let the dead pas. bury its dead


Act n the living present.


Act for the coming future, act with
that party that represents the nationality
which was triumphant on the field Of bat
tie. that nationality which is now, and is
henceforth to be, in spite of all your
murmuring, considered by the great mass
Of American people represented in the


United States government. Do your
scruples relate to the present or to the
past? Are they living, vital, profitable,


pertinent to the business of the present
hour, or are they simply resentful and
vindictive? The current of nationality
flows on and will flow on in spite of you.
Those people who dwell between the At
lantic Ocean and Pacific coast, and be-
tween the Gulf of Mexico and the Nor
thern lakes are determined to live under
one government. The tendencies of this
age0tendencies which are stronger than
any political nationalities-are toward a
political union where there is an identity
of race and language. Italy i'll our day
has become one, Germany in our day has
almost become one. The general tenden-
cy OF modern civilization is all one way.
Here in the Southern States there has
been an exception. Disintegration was
attempted here when integration was 60
ing on everywhere else, and why! Be-
cause there was a peculiar institution


which testered a peculiar class Of ideas,
and a disintegrating theory was a very
convenient fence around that institutions:
but the institution has fallen. and let its
bulwarks fall too.


] have not referred to privation OF Office
| imposed by the constitutional amendment,
article fourteen. Some of our feilow-citi
zens hold that to be a great grievance:
| that the men who had been political
| leaders before the war and led the coun
| try into the war are the class that are


reached by this prohibition. The penalty


suffered by them, according to the letter
OF the law and the usages of nations,


would have been forfeiture Of life Ac
| cording to their own predictions they
would have lost their lives in the event OF


failure in the undertaking, but the penal
| ty is merely exclusion from Office. They
| are left in life and IN liberty, with such
| property as they are so fortunate to have
| They are left with the right Of suffrage,
| but they are not allowed to hold public
| stations themselves, apd even this small
| privation will cease as soon as they show
attachment to their government. But Is
| it important to the world that these men
should be in office? What have they done
for this people that the people should be
swayed in their politics by the desire OF


pampering them in Office? Their merits


are to have led a people most seriously
| astray. Their merits are to have plunged
this country into difficulties from which
| they could not eXtricate it; TO have brought
| upon US four years Of wa, with all It's
| horrors; to have caused war to be followed
by several years of political distractions


with all it's inconveniences. For these


merits we are to adapt all our politics to
the great purpose of keeping them in
office.


You State rights gentlemen, retire.
! Won haya had vour day yo,, bava had Il