Nashville union and American. [volume] (Nashville, Tenn.) 1853-1862, 1858-05-28
SPEECH
OF HOE. AEDREw JOHNSON, OF TENN, on TIE HOME
STEAD BILL.


STEAD BILL.
(Coneludsd)
live in a Southern State; and, if I know myself
am As good q Southern man as any one who
livso itbir The borders Of the South. IL seems to
he feared that this bill will compel Hien ~ 90 on the
lands I want TO compel no man to 60. want to
leave each and every man to be controlled Dy MS
his own inclination by his own interest," ana not 10
force him. but is il statemanike, is it philanthrOp-
IL is il Christian to keep man in State, and re-
fuse to let him 60, because, If he does 60, he WI
tend 10 populate some other portion Of the country!
Ifamsn lives in the county in which live, and he
can. bv crossing the line into another county, bet
ter his condition, say let him 60, If, by crossing
the boundary of my State and going into another,
he can better his condition, say let him CO. II a
man can 20 from Tennessee into Illinois, or LOUIS
lana or Mississippi or Arkansas or any other state,
md better his condition, let him 60 1 care not
ubara he goes SO that he locates himself In this
reat area Of freedom becomes attached to our lns-
t,tions and in 5erested in the prosperity and vel
fare of the country. / care not where he goes, 80
that he is under the protection Of our stars and
stripes say let him 60 where he can better the
condition Of himself his wife and children; let him
% Tbere he can receive the greatest remuneration
e. bis oil and his labor What kind of policy is it
n saw that man shall be locked up where he was
b and shall be confined to the place Of his birth?
Tale the State Of North Carolina, represented BY
tbe honorable Senator before me, Mr.. Chngman'
and I have no doubt 1t is his intention 10 repre-
sent that people TO their sstsfacuon-Would II nave
baen rroper 10 require the people Of North Corollna
from her early settlement TO the present time, to be
confnad within her boundaries? Would they not
have looked upon It IS a hard sentence Would
thew not have looked upon II as oppressive ana cruel!
North Carolina has supplied the western states win
large proportion Of her population, for the reason
thai bv going West they could better their condition
Who would prevent them from doing II Who
would say to the poor in North Carolina that
has no land Of his TO own cultivate, that lives upon
some barren angle, or some Plny PLAIN, or on some
stony ridge that be pillow and dig the place appoint
ed 20 him by his landlord and that he Is not to EN-
iqrate Ehere he can better his condition what Is
his rrospect? He has 10 live poor; he has TO live
hard and in the end, when he dies poverty, want
Is the Olly inheritance he can leave has children
There is no one who has higher appreciation Of
North Carolina than have she is my native State
f1und II 10 be my interest 10 emlgrate and should
have thought It cruel and hard il had been told
that I could not leave her boundary Although
North Carolina did not afford me the advantages OF
education thoHgh cannot speak IN the language OF
the schoolmeu, aud call her my cheTlshlng mother,
Vet IN the language Of CoWPer, " with all her faults
/ love her sIlL' She is still my MOTHER she Is ny
native State and love her as such, and love her
reople TOO But what an idea Is II TO present, as
influencing the action Of statesman, That people
may not smigrate from one state to anoIner! olr'
say let 4 man 60 anywhere within the boundaries
of The United States where he can better his con-
dition.
Mr. President, if 1 entertained the notions that
some Of Dv friends who oppose this bill do, should
he a more ardent advocate Of the policy than am
now. if that we're possible. My friend from Ala0a-
ma AIR Clayl enlerlains some strange notions IN
reference 10 Democracy and the people; and IN bis
speech on the fisheries bill, be gave this proposition
a kind Of side blow, lick by lndirection. do not
object to that, but if l entertained his opinions
sbruI5 he a more determined and Jealous advocate
q bTg than / If that
possible In his speech upon the LecomPton oonstI-
iufiou that Senator in speaking Of the powers OF
the convention that framed the constitution, SAID
,,In my opinion, they would have acted IN stricter
accordance with the spirit aud genius Of our lnsiI-
Unions If they had submitted il IN whole or IN
mari Al The popuar vote. Our governments are
Republics, not DemocraCes. The people exercise
their sovereignty not IN persona the ballot o0A' put
through agents, delegates, or representatives. our
fathers founded republican Governments IN prefer
ence 20 Democraeies, not so much because 1t would
be unavoidable as because il would be unWise and
ine1pedient for the people themselves to assemble
and adopt laws
1 have always thought the general idea bad been
that IL was not practicable 10 do everything IN a
strict democratic sense, and that 1t was more con
vsnisnt for the people TO appear through their dele
gates But the Senator said further:
"Thev we're satisfied, from reading and reflection,
NJ the tTuth Of Mr. Madisons observation about pure
Dsmocracies, that they haveever been sPectaces OF
turbulence and contentious have ever been found In
compstible with personal security, the rights Of
1onsrtv: and have in general been short in their
lives as they have been violent in heir deaths
They knew from the examples furnished by Greece
and italy, thatit is impossible in pure Democracy,
10 remove the causes control the ELECTS OF tacuOn;
that an absolute majority IS otener sWayed by pas
81 m than by reason; that its voice Is oener that Of
a demon than Of a God; that It is the most cruel,
rsp,oious intolerant, and intOerable Of ali yrans.
They knew that il is wholly irresponsible power;
acknowledging superior, for 1t is itself supremei
owing no obedience, for II is its own master; re-
spectiug no authority, for 1t Is law unto itself;
subject 10 control or restraint except the sui
small voice Of conscience, which is too often drown
ed in the tumultuous waves Of party or Of faction.
t might sacrihc public good or private rights to any
ruling passion interest of the hour with lmpunty
Il had robbed the rich relieve the poor, and OPP
pressed the poor TO aggrandize the rich, with equal
s,-dor or Indifference. Ii had voted hemOok to day
aud statues tomorrow, 70 its best citizens. They
suffered no man 20 be judge in his own case, lest
he should be biased by passion, or by interest; and
could find no better reason why large BODY OF men,
although a majority should be the supreme and hnal
srbiteT Of its cause. On the contrary, they knew
that large body Of men is more liable TO be con
trolled bv passion by interest than single lndI-
vdual and Is more apt 10 sacrifice the rights OF the
minority because il can be done with more lmpunity
Hence ihey endesvored TO impose restraints upon
themselves. Hence they committed the making Of
all their laws organic municipal, TO their dele
gates or representa- ives, whose crimes they could
correct, and whose powers they could reclaim.
The great security Of our rights Of life, liberty
end property, is in the responsibility OF those who
execute the law. Establish q principle that to
give sanction to law, it must be approved by ma
i1rity at tie ballot-bOX aud you take away this
Curity and surrender those rights TO The most capri
ci5us, and cruel Of tyrants. ] regret to see the
growing spirit in Congress and throughout the cOun-
try 10 democratze oyr Government; 10 submit every
VIII nuuiniua1
laws 20 he vote Of the people This is sheer radical
ism; it is tbe Red Rcpubhcanism Of revolutionary
France whIch appealed to the sections on sl coca /
sions and not tEe American Republicsnism Of our /
fathers Their Rspubucaulsm was stable and con /
servative; JhIs Is mutable and revolutionary Theirs
afforded shield Tor the minority; this gives sword
to tee majority. Theirs defended the rights of the
weak: tins surreuders them 40 the power Of the |
strong God forbid that the demagoguersm of This |
dsv sbouId prev Ill over the ph,an'hropic audDbiIo
sophie stalesmsnship Of our fathers.
In the same speech the Senator SAID;
Properly is the foundation Of every social IA
brio To preserve protect, and perpetuale rights /
Of property society is formed aud government is |
framed" j
Now, if I entertained these notions l should I'M
uuestonably 60 for the homestead bill am free
70 say here that do hold the doctrine advanced
by the honorable gentleman from Alabama, TO the
extent that he goes. believe the people are capa.
bic Of sefgoyernmeut. l think they have demon
strated so most clearly ana do not think the Sena
tors history Of democracy states the case as it
should be. / presume in the Senator's own State |
the people acted directly upon their constitution st
the balot-box. That is the organic law. If they !
did not there, they have done in most of the |
States Of the Union not, perhaps in their original
formation Of their governments, but the Peep /
have gone on and advanced in popular government /
The honorable Senator seems 10 be opposed TO the /
democrstizing; in other words, he is opposed 70 |
popularizing our institutions; be is afraid trust
The control things to the people at the bsllotboI
Why, sir, the organic law which confers all the |
power upon your State Legislatures creates the diff
The governments are controlled at the ballOt-boZi |
and The doctrine set forth in the constitution Of
Alabama s, that the people have right to abolish
and change their form Of government when they /
tbint proper. The principle is clearly recognized |
and On this my honorable friend and myself differ /