Holmes County Republican. [volume] (Millersburg, Holmes County, Ohio) 1856-1865, 1861-01-03
The Great Speech ofAnay Johnson.
Made in the senate of the United States
Dec. 18th and 18th, 1860,
a Union Speech from a Southern Dem
ocrafic Senator.
OF TENNESSEE,

a Union Speech from q Southern Dem
oeratic Senator.
The Most weighty speech made in the
Congress of the United States during the
present session, was that by Senator An
drew johnson, of Tennessee, on Tuesday
aud Wednesday Of last week. This speech
will have place in the history of the
country, and if Andy Jobnson's politica
life should be cut short by it, as is possible
he will have made an honorable record, o
which bis children and bis country will
have reason to be proud. These are the
times that test politicians, and Andy
johnson, Of Tennessee, gives forth no un
certain sound but ihe full-ioned ring of man
hood and patriotism. His speech is o.
prodigious length, and crowded with ex.
tracts from documents. Published com.
plete, it would fill about three pages oi
our paper. He argued the "Right of Sc
cession" at a great lengbth, and ceme to
the conclusion that there was no such right,
and there was no power conferred TO CO.
cree State, but that there was power to
operate upon individuals in ihe States.-
He did not think it necessary, in order to
preserve the Union, for Congress to have
power to coerce Sla:e-ail that was ne
cessary was for the Government to have
the power to execute aud to carry out all
the powers conferred upon it by the
Constitution, whether they apply to the
State or otherwise. He says:
This, l think, the Government clearly
has the power to do; and so long as the
Government executes all the laws in good
faith, denying the :iigui OF State cons,i-
tutionally to secede, so long the State is
In the Union, and subject TO all the pro-
visions Of the Constitution and the laws
passed in conformity with it.
1t is not an invasion of State for the
Federal Government to execute its laws, to
take care of its public property, and to
enforce the collection of its revenue, but if,
in the excutionlion of the laws; if, in the
enforcement of the Constitution, il meets
with resistance, it is the duty of the Gov
erment, and it has the authority to put
down resistance, and effectualiy to execute
the laws as contemplated by the Consliu
tion of the county.
Mr.. JOHNSON quotes largely aud most
perlinently from The fathers of the Repub-
lie on these points. From Jefferson thus: j:
Mr.. Jefferson, in his letter TO Colonel
Monroe, dated Paris, August IL, 1856,
speaks thuse;
There never will be money in the
Treasury until the Confederacy- shows Its
teeth. The States must see the rod per-
haps it must be felt by some one of them.
am persuaded all of them would rejoice
TO see every one obliged TO furnish its con-
tribulions. 1t is not the difficulty of furn-
ishing them which beggars the Treasury,
but the fear that Others will not furnish as
much. Every rational citizen must wish
to see it on any other element than the
water"
Mr.. johnson quoted from Madison, Mar
shall, jackson and Webster and finally
from Washington. He remarked after
having fortified the steps of his argument
with history:
"Hence in travelling along through the
instrument, We find how the Government
is created, how it is to be perpetuated, and
how it may be enlarged in reference to tie
numbers of States constituting the Con-
federacy; but do we find any provision for
winding it up except on that great inner
ent principle that it may be wound up by
the States-not by a Sta,e-but by the
States tnat spoke it into existence, and by
no 9th er MEANS"
THE WHISKY INsURRECTIoN-How WASH
INGToN EXECUTED THE LAWS.
Mr.. JOHNSON referred TO the whisky in
surrection in Pennsylvania. Mr.. johnson
says on this hand:
"The Constitution has been formed; it
has been made perfect; or in other words,
means have been provided by which it can
be made perfect. 1t was intended to BE-
made perpetual in reference TO the execu,
tion of the laws under it. What do VT
find9 As early as 1875 Congress passed
an excise law taxing distilleries throught
the country, and what were called the
whisky boys of Penusy lvania, resisted the
law. The Government wanted means
taxed distilleries; the people of Pennsyl-
vania resisted it. What's the difference
between portion Of the people resisting
a constitutional law and all the people of a
State doing so? But because you can ap-
ply the term coercion 10 one case to State,
and in the other call it simply the execu-
tion of the law against individuals, you
say there is a great restriction. We do
not assume the power to coerce State,
but we assume that Congress has power to
Jay and collect taxes, and Congress has
fthe right to enforce the lawwhen obstruc-
tions and impairments are opposed to its
enforcement. The people Of Pennsylva-
MIA did object; they did resist ard oppose
the legal authorities Of the country. Was
that law enforced2 Was it called coercion
at that day to enforce it? Suppose all
the people of the State of Pennsylvania
had resisted, would not the law have ap
piled with just the same force, and would
1t not have been just as constitutional to
execute 1t against all the people Of the
State as 1t was to execute it upon q part
OF their citizensa
Mr.. JOHNSON quoted from the annua
message Of Washington, in which he gave
a history of the Whisky Rebellion. Ii
his message Washington said:
"While there is cause To lament that occur.
reuces of this nature should have disparcet