Year: 1872

quest had been granted Dy congress,
the President would have regulated
all the Southern elections. With this
power he had only to threaten them
with the application of the ku klux
law to their cases; and what so
tempting as to escape the suspicion by
voting for his party? That such an
effect of the powers vested by the law
in the President has been produced in
North Carolina we have all seen
charged, with how much truth | know
not; but the possibility of such an
application of this power is obvious
to all The whole course of this par
ty Ill the South has proved the bitter
ness of their hostility. To keep up
inveterate opposition between the two
races, and to subject tho white mas
ters to their former slaves, with pas
sions excited by those whose duty it
was to have promoted peace and en-
couraged justice III the administration
of the power of the Government,
seems To have been the especial OBJ
ject of their policy. States formerly
distinguished for economy under their
white rulers, have been plunged into q
ruinous load of debt under the Gov
ernmen; of carpet -baggers aud igno-
rant negro rulers. The seats of jus
tice have been filed by persons dis
qualified by ignorance and character
for such places. The experienced
members OF society and those used to
the task of governing, and trusted by
the people, were for long time TO n
great extent disqualified, and the rule
OF the worst over tho better element
OF society was established by the
sword. The result OF all this is just
what might have been expected from
previous experience. Corruption,
debt and oppression on the part of the
ruling class are the confessed results
Of their government, and If the whi,es
show dissatisfaction at such state of
things they are accused of disloyalty
and in danger OF being transported
from their sunny homes TO break
stone in some y Northern prison.


oE II ' ~ tph I'm u Il ~ 4 .


Fellow citizens. Of all trusts that
can be committed 10 human beings,
that of government has always seem.
ed to me TO be the highest aud most
solemn, and such has been the general
sentiment of mankind. Kings have
been called the vicegcrents of God,
because of the sacred nature of their
trust, and it has always been esteemed
the highest duty of the Governor TO
maintain the cause Of good morals,
and 10 distribute even-handcd Justice
among the people. For the first
lime, believe. in the history of the
world, and now in the light OF Chris
tian civilization. the worst elements of
society have been sought TO he placed
in the rule. The punishment chosen
for = people has been to afilict them
with bad government and demoraliza.
ton. Deliberately to place an intel
ligent people under an ignorant and
corrupt government is to choose the
most efficient of all known means 10
degrade and demoralizc them. You
may search history in vain Tor a pre-
cedcnt for such conduct on the part
of the governing power. The Goths
and the Nanda!s established thir own
governments in place of those which
they overthrow, and other barbarious
nations have done the same. But II
was done TO secure the fruits OF their
conquest, and not TO degrade or pun
ish those whom they had subdued by
inilicting upon them bad government.
To punish people by forcing upon
them a government for the purpose
Of degrading and demoralizing them
has but one example, / am happy TO
believe, in the history of the Christian
world. To posin the fountain which
supplies the city with water, or the
bread which sustains life, would seem
to be an enormity of similar character.
To all this with impunity, this party
seems to have thought it necessary to
infame the minds Of the ruling por-
ton of the people against those of the
South by representing them as dis
loyal and incapable of doing justice
among each other. A greater mis-.
representation of people has never
been made, in my opinion.


That some disorders should have
occurred in such an extent of coun.
try, and among a people composed Of
those who had been masters and
those who had been newly enfran-
chised, / do not doubt. But these, |
believe, would have been quickly and
easily remedied by their own State
governments, if they had been allowed
to institute them upon fair principles


Certainly the Southern people had
more interest in preserving harmony


between the races than any one else


| Judge of other States by my own =
and that such was the case in Virgins
experience has proved. ] believe that
there has never been pople conquer


ed, after such contest, who accepted
their condition with more thorough
appreciation of all its legitimate con


sequences, or with more sincere IN


tent to discharge honestly all the OBJ


legations which it imposed upon them


But unhappily the Radical party


perhaps entertained. and certainly


acted upon. very different opinion


and now, after more than seven years


of their rule, and with every opportu


nifty to apply their own measures and


schemes Of pacifcation, they are ac-


cusing the Southern people of disloy


atty and disaffection, and clamofinG


for martial law and the use of the mil


itary OF quell and to punish them


Other nations Of wiser mind have


thought it good policy to conciliate


those whom they had conquered, and