Nashville union and American. [volume] (Nashville, Tenn.) 1853-1862, 1861-02-21

tusayfor brief sojoarn at the capitol of Ne Cork
In behalf Of the people, irrespective ofifticaI
opinion, it is my privilege to greet you and Htend
to you q cordial welcome. If you have fouhFyour
fellow-citizens elsewhere. you have not fouH and
l think viii not find warmer hearts, or peopltnore
faithful to the Union, the Constitution and th avs
than you win meet in this tima-h0nored eli and
capitol. The people thank you for the opportunity
thus afforded them Of manifestng to YOU tberIreat
respect. no less fer yourself personally than IA the
high Office you are destined so soon to fill.n
Loud cheers followed Gov. Morgan's ADDE'S,
when Mr.. Lincoln replied as follows:
Mr.. Governor was pleased to receive an s-v;-
taton to visit the Capital of the great Empire Ste
of this nation, on my way to the Federal Canhl
and now I thank you, MIR. Governor and the nefEe
of this Capital, and the people Of the State Of Nv
York, for this most hearty and magnificent We
come. If am net at fault the great Eapire ~
| at this time contains greater population than al
the United States Of America at the time she achiev
ed her national independence. [T
q am proud to be invited to pass through yo,,r
Capital, and meet them, as now have the honor "a
do, lam notified by your Governor that this re.
ception Is given without distinction of party.
| aceeptit the more gladly because i. is So Almost
all men in this country. and in any country where
freedom of thought is tolerated attach themselve.
to political parties. It is but ordinary charity tc
attribute this to the fact that in so attaching him
self to the party which his judgment prefers, the
citizen believes that he thereby promotes the best
| interests of the whole country and when an cleo
ton is passed it is altogether BETTING free people
that until the next election they should be as one
| people.
| The reception you have this day given me
given to personally-it should not be So but as
the Representative, for the time being, of the ma
jority of the nation the election had resulted in
the choice of either of the other candidates the
same cordially should have been extended to him
as has been extended to me, this day. in testimony
OF the devotion of the whole people to the Consti
fnriO md fba Ill Al.
perpetuate our institutions and to hand them down
IN their perfection to succeeding generations.
have neither the voice nor the strength to address
| you at any greater length / beg you will accept
my most gratlul thanks for the devotion, not to
me, but to a great and glorious country
This address was accompanied and followed by
long and loud applause. after which Mr. Lincoln vas
conducted to the Assembly Chamber. which pre-
sented a fine appearance and was densely filed
mostly with ladies' The Speakers desk was occu-
| pied by Senator Calvin, who was selected by the
Senate to receive the President elect and by Speak
| er Littlejohn who stood on his left. ~ e.
When Mr. Lincoln entered the Chamber the whole
| assemblage rose and greeted him with loudcIappnQ
of hands, Senator Ferry advancing in front Of the
Speakers desk said 81 have the honor to Introduce
| to the Senate and Assembly Of the State of New
York, in joint session assembled, the Hon Abraham,
Lincoln of Illinois, President elect Of the United
States,n
The Speaker of the Assembly. descending from
the desk greeted Mr. Lincoln and leading him to the
desk, introduced him to Senator Calvin, who after
shaking hands with Mr.. Lincoln, descended from the
desk, leaving Mr.. Lincoln alone there and address,
edhim from the clerks desk as follows:
MIR Lincoln: In behalf of the representatives Of
the sovereign people of New York, we welcome
you to the Capitol and to the representative halls
the State. We welcsme you as President elect Of
thirty millions of people. We welcome You as Pres
ident elect according to the forms of the Constitr-
ton OF the United States and when, sir you shall
have assumed, as you soon will assume the Office of
President Of the United States Won nav in the dis
charge of your constitutional duties rely upon the
support Of the people of this great State Great
applause.)
Il have the pleasure, sir, to introduce YOU to the
Legislature Of New York, in Joint convention as
sembled, to welcome the President elect of the Uni
ted States.
Mr. Lincoln responded as follows 81
. Mr.. Presided aad Gentlemen of the Legislature of
the State Of Mem Fork 1T is with feelings of great
dIfidence, and, may say, with feelings of awe,
perhaps greater than have recently experienced,
that meet you here in this place. The history of
this great State, the renown Of those great men who
have stood here, ali crowd around my fancy, and
incline me to shrink from any attempt to address
you, yet have confidence given me by the generous
manner IN which you have invited me- and by the
still more generous manner in which Won have re-
ceived me, to speak farther. You have invited and
received me without distinction of party cannot
for moment suppose that this has been done in apv
considerable degree with reference to nv personal
services, but that it is done in so far as am re-
garded at this time as the representative of the ma
Jority OF this great nation. doubt not this is the
truth and the whole truth of the case and this il as
1t should be- II Is much more gratifying to me that
this reception has been given to me as the repre-
sentative Of free people than it could possibly be
if rendered as evidence of devotion to me or To
any one man personally; and now 1 think it were
more fitting thatI should close these hastyremarks
1t IS true, while hold myself. without mock
modesty, the humblest of all individuals that have
been elevated to the Presidency, that have more
dlfhcult task to perform than any of them. You
have generously rendered me the support of the
great Empire State. For this in behalf of the ma
tion IN behalf of Of the present and future of the
nation, in behalf of civil and religious liberty for all
time to come, most gratefully do thank you. l do
not propose to enter into explanation of any par
hcuar line Of policy to our present difficulties to
be adopted by the incoming Administration
81 deem 1t just to you. to myself, and to all that
should see everything, 1 should hear everything
that should have every light that can be brought
within my reach, in order that when do so speak
shall have employed every opportunity to take
correct and true ground, and for this reason l do
not propose to speak at this time of the policy of
the Government. but when the time comes l shall
speak as well ss am able for the good of the pres,
ent and future of the country for the good of both
the North and the South of this country and of all
sections of this country. Rounds of applause
In the meantime, il we have patience, if we re-
strain ourselves, If we allow ourselves not to run
of in passion still have confidence that the Al
mighty maker of the universe, WILL through the in
strumeniality of this great and intelligent people,
bring through this as he has through all the 9TH
er difficulties of our country. Relying on this,
again thank you for this generous reception. Zap
plause and cheering
Immediately following the address, the Speaker
said tie Joint Convention Of both Houses viii now
take recess to give the members Of the Assembly
an opportunity Of introduction to Mr.. Lincoln
In the Governors room, Mr.. Lincoln was intro
duced to the State officers who were assembled to
receive him, and was conducted by the Legislative