Year: 1872

AibVhAShOs


INDIANAPOLIS, September 23.-Horac,
Greeley arrived here at;1:30 this altcrnool
and was enthusiastically received by
large crowd awaiting ut the depot hi
Journey to Indianapolis. Mr.. Creole,
was met In Louisville by the reception
committee from indianapolis. At eigh
o'clock this morning he crossed the rive


TO Jeiferonville, where he met with 81
enthusiastic reception. In response to tn
general desire he spoke as follows:


MAYOR AND CITIZENS OF JEFFERSON
WILLIE: ! should be very inconsistent and
ungratGlul if my lie had not been dcvot
ed according tOl my best understanding
to the interest and welfare Of the grea
lsboring class out Of which have sprung
and to which have always been com


mitted. Beginning life as a laborer on {
farm, going thence into mechanics shop
and learning my trade as u printer,
have devoted the rest OF my subsequent


life first To my employment as a printel
and editor, and afterwards to some extent
as an humble moderate farmer as well


l feel that my sympathies could not have
been otherwise than with the immense
majority of mankind, who in all ages are
required to subsist by their own manual
industry. IhGve meant 10 be in my poll


tics as In my business. l have meant tC
be friend OF labor. l may have made
mistakes, (who has noO in the policy
which thought best adopted to promote
the interest Oi the workmen. | may
Just as well be mistaken as equally
honest, equally earnest men who have
advocated q different policy, but know
what my purpose was. | was in the
days Of slavery an enemy OF slavery, be-
cause l thought slavery inconsistent with
the rights and dignity OF the highest
well being Of free labor. That might
have been q mistake, but it was at any
rate an earnest conviction. So when
our great trouble came upon lis was
anxious first OF all tor labor, that the la.
boring class should every where be free
men; l was anxious most that our coun.
try's unity might be preserv.
ed without bloodshed il that were
possible by means Of bloodshed
if that dire alternative should be
fastened upon US. But friends and neigh.
bOrs, blOOdshed is always a sad necessity,
always q wOtul necessity, and he who
loves his fellow man must desire to make
that necessity as short as possible, as briei
as possible; to have the least amount oi
bloodshed possible; so as soon as peace can
be restored to eHaCe Immediately, as can
be, every trace not merely OF blood on the
earth, but Of revengeful feelings from the
hearts Of his fellow men. Such has been
the impulse Of the course I have pursued
throughout the last few eventtul years
My lite has been an open book. All could
read it. My thoughts have been given to
the public, warm and fresh sometimes, be.
tore an opportunity has been offered lor
consideration and correction, very often
mingled with the thoughts Of others,
which were not my own, but which It
was very easy TO attribute to inc. SO !
have come on to this time. No one who
heard my utteranCcs, or listened 10 them
in any way directly, after the close Of the
war, when pleaded for magnanimity, for
forbearancG, for the speedieSt possible
ehacement OF all sores aud sorrows from
the public mind, no one who heard me
then can doubt where / stand to.day-no
one. My course has been plain and sim.
pie. Down with all manner OF lawless.
ness and violence. II there are Ku. .Klux
or other disturbances, put them down
with strong land, for mercy to
them is quite different from mer.
cy to the quiet and peaceable men
Of the country. Violence and lawlessness
you must suppress speedily, cnergetically,
earnestly; but when 1t is suppressed, then
forget wroth and remember mercy.
pleaded for universal amnesty. What,
say some, were there there no men who
committed crimes during the war9 l
say, il there were punish their crimes.
Amnesty won't forbid that If men com.
mitted murder during the civil war,
whether on one side or the other,-ii
they committed acts contrary to the laws
Of civil war, then l would punish them
for those acts, and Iw0uld have done It
long ago. Tor every such act or outrage
against the laws OF war in time oil war
Is as black crime us though it were
committed in time Of peace. Punish
those men always; but ior all those
men who were simply our antagonists in
that great struggle have no feelings OF
avengeiul wrath after they have laid down
their arms and complied withal reasona


bic requirements Of the government and
of the public safety, for security; and is
there anything for vengeance, for wrath
Nothing, nothing. Such has been the
feeling, such the conviction, that cher
ished through tho war and since the war.
Now I soy the time has come for univer.
sal amnesty, so that no human being shall,
because he was on what you and ! regard
es the wrong side In Uur struggle, be pro-
sCrioed, DISTINGUISHED, or subjected to any
penalty for 1t. The time hsScOm when
we should proclaim that amnesty; and
having secured the rights Of every
black man in the country, SO that he is
just as good as you or,I we should give
the white man u chance, too. Let us say
to those who were mistaken-who fought
against themselves, for 1t was as much
against themselves as against US. Let us
say fellow CountrVmen, you were wrong
you undertook to divide country that
ought not to be divided. You were mis-
taken, but that is all over. The country
is reunited. We arc all tree, let US make
you free also. Let Us altogether, every
one Of us, bB citizens Of this country, with
equal liberties md privileges, so far as
men can give them. If God has impress.
cd disabilities We cannot remedy that
i We can only say that the law is just as
good for the ignorant colored people
US for mo or you. Their
standing in courts the same as you
their oath is the same. Let every one
tell bis story, and let the jury, giving
each story due weight, determine which
ia correct, and let not color entitle 70 ia


vor. This Is the ground for which
have fought, not TO have subject class q
prescribed class, an alien class, an outlaw
class in the country, but to have mer
stand on an equal and lawful platform o