Year: 1872




in the Lower House and seven Senator


who were in favor Of enfranchising tn


negro. Senator Morton made speeehe


denouncing the negro enfranehisemen


as an outrage. The people Of the SOutl


rejected the fourteenth amendment, anC


the leaders appealed to the people. Iha
/ Generals talked to their old soldiers, ant
| they all united in resisting the impOsi
| ton of the Objectionable amendment
| This was all very nice and very fine.
| looking, but did it pay? Things Wen


on The people went to work making
/ laws regulating the status Of the negro
/ They would not allow him TO drink


whisky, they would not allow him tc


carry a weapon, they prescribed rules
and regulations for him. A cOlored


man, one who had been in the United
States army, had his gun taken from
him by law in Mississippi, and the Su-


preme Court of the State decided that


the law under which it was taken was


right. These things forced recOnstruc-


ton. Congless, in my opinion, said the


speaker, looked leniently on these


things. An army had to be sent down


to the South to protect the negro.


The constitution was amended again,


and the negro was enfranchised. The


reconstruction of the States under


military rule gave the ballot to the col


ored people. Congress saw that the
people Of the South looked on with ILL.,
suppressed rage at the reconstruction
policy. The people Of the South saw
that when they got hold of the State
governments The negro question would
be settled a different way, but Congress
looking on all the time in the quiet con-
sciOusness of power said, ave will fix
this thing so that the franchise shall
never again be taken from the eOlored
people, and hence the fifteenth amend
ment. That also was adopted.


PROVIDENCE.


Thus il was that the civil revolution
which followed the war was guided by
Providence and was quietly consolidated
by time aud by the assent of the major
ity OF the people Of the United States.


THANK GOD IT'S NO WORSE


When we were promised amnesty, We
were sent TO our homes to live in peace.
We were not promised that we should
ever become citizens again, no promise
was made that OF property should not
be cOnfiscated. We were not promised
that we should be allowed into the Lalls
Of legislation again. We were not
promised that we should not suffer the
penalties Of rebellion that might be
awarded by the civil power. They had
right to thank God things were no
worse with them.


THE DEMOCRATIC PARTY DEAD.


He was invited to speak to them on
the issues involved in this canvass.
There were issues involved in it which
they had a right to discuss. People will
talk to you about the reaction in the
North, but there is no reaction. The
Democratic party is dead. 1t has gone
down into the grave wrapped in the
bloody winding-sheet of secession. Sen
satiOn. It can never be resurrected.
Those who speak of Democracy, speak
of a "thing that Is dead Not one Of
the Issues that were discussed, or vital
in the days Of its power, are now men-
toned in public. All regard it as dead;
and it is for US to solve the mOmenUOus
question, ''Who shall deliver me from
the body Of this death?"


We have seen how the Democratic
party met in Baltimore, had platforms
and issues and doctrines Of the Demo-
cratic party for fifty years, out OF which
to construct a platform; all the issues Of
the past, and the great doctrines that it
preached since the days of Jackson, out
of which to construct a platform and
make a fight. All these we're ignored.
Not a plank Of the past was
deemed suitable, and the Representatives
of the party did not give utterance to
one good old Democratic sentiment.
They made no platform, nor made an
issue. Out of al the great Democratic
men in the country they did not select
one to run for the Presidency. They
took q Republican platform and Re
publican man.
WHAT GREELEY IS EXPECTED 70 DO IF


ELECTED.


Let US imagine him in the White
House and installed in the Presidential
chair. He will send his message to Con-
gress, saying that the great questions
now agitating the nation-the tariff and
all that sort of thing-will be in their
hands. His peculiar province and duty
was to sit there and stretch hands across
the "bloody chasm." Laughter.


He then went on to show that the peo-
pie in the South had now nothing 10
Of The Republican party had
the disabilities from nearly ev-
cry man in the land. There was no differ
ence between Grant and Greeley in re-
gard TO their respective policies in rela-
ton to the South. The writ Of hdbeds
corpus is not now suspended, and there
lore there is no legislation in regard to
that. There is no legislation III respect
to the removal of disabilities, for there
was no disabilities, save such as hang
over about six hundred men, in all the /
and.


He could do nothing by going into the 4
chair, except to antagOnize /
Congress. That sort Of contest was not /
desirable, for Congress would certainly |
get the better of him, and the South |
might be again placed in a position to 4
get another cudgeling. He did not want /
any more Of that sort of thing. For |
himself he hai had enough Of that. /
Laughter.


FINANCE AND CURRENCY.


Greeley 5 financial ard currency poll |
", as evinced in his speeches, seemed |
10 be the only point in which he differ |
ed materially with the policy now pur- |
sued at Washington. Greeley holds /
that the one hundred millions Of dol /
ars in the treasury is worth six millions |
Of dollars per year interest, and why, |
therefore, should it be held in there? /
Greeley says that il is only necessary to |
resume in order to resume. The treasU- /
" has only TO say resume, aud there is |
If Mr.. Greeley was elect 1
"a tomorrow, and should write upon .
he door Of the Treasury, Resume"
md then the National Banks all over /
he country, feeling that their enemy /
vas at the head Of national affairs, /
would commence at once to contract /
heir currency and business would be |
at once. But the one hundred 4
million dollars in the treasury would |
be soon paid under the policy OF Gree
ey, and then it would fall into the
hands OF the Wall street men who
would proceed at once TO make corners
N gold, up it would go, the business Of
he country would be in a state of sub
ime chaos at once. All channels Of
.rade would freeze up.


He then went on attempting to show
hat the principal portion Of the gold in
he treasury was special deposits. Ee I
,outended that the government gold in
he treasury was the " governor" of the
business machinery of the country. II /
would be a most fatal mistake to resume
specie payment. 1t would injuriously
affect all business, and you men Of
Memphis, you who control the cotton
business of the principal part OF the
south would have your business upset
and ggined Il would be fatal to you
70 have resumption attempted. 1t
would be fatal 10 your interest. The
mere fact Of his election would produce
! change in business that would injuri-
Jusly affect every man in this city.


HS vas severe On the farmer OF /
chappegaG, yho raised turnips that cost
aim half dollar each. Laughter. |
He (Alcorn) took hold Of politics just as
be did any other business. He took hold /
If those principles and matters that were
national, that were calculated TO work I
well and 10 succeed. Greeley is a phil
lsOpher, and sometimes those philosO-
1hers are very deficient ia common
lense. His philosophical treatment Of
he currency question would be thegrOss-
sst violation of common sense.


The speaker thea read an extract from
)ne Of Greeley's speeches which ne
made to a Union League meeting IN 4
New York, after q tour he made in the
south, IN reference to kukluX.


He iAisOEp) said he had not one word
II condemnation e otter against Gree
ey for having spoke thaE speech, but he
that it was unfair TO denOunce
Grant for enforcing that very kuklux
ay which Greeley was chiefly instru
mental IN having adopted, and the pass
lge Of which u the Congress of the
United States was hasteasd Ey the fiery
appeals of Greeley.


The speaker then delivered a little es-
,av on the constitution and cOu- I
Idtutionai rights OF the States
Is that instrument was under