Daily Nashville patriot. [volume] (Nashville, Tenn.) 1860-1862, 1861-08-06
Andrew Johnson's late Speech,
song OF HIS STRONG POINTS.

4
| / have been advised that they have even sent
| their armies to blockade these passes IN the
mountains, as they say, to prevent Johnson
/ from returning with arms and munitions 70
place in the hands of the people to Vlndlcate
| their rights, rebel invasion, and put down do
| nestle insurrection and rebellion Yes, sir,
| there they stand in arms environing popu-
| lation of three hundred and twenty I'VE thou
l sand loyal. brave, patriotic, and unsubdued
people: but vet powerless, and not in a con-
| ditiOn to vfndicate their rights. Hence /
| come to the Government, and do not ask it
| as a suppliant bat demand it as constitu-
tional right, that you give us protection,
give Us arms and munitions; and if they can
not be got there in any other way, to take
them there with an invading Army, and de-
| liver the people from the oppression to which
they are now subjected. We claim to be the
| State. The other divisions may have seeded
and gone off; and if this Government will
stand by and permit those portions of the
State to go of, and not enforce the laws and
| protect the loyal citizens there, we cannot
| help il; but we still claim to be the State,
and if two-thirds have fallen of, or have
been sunk by an earthquake, il does not
change our relation to this Government. If
the Government will let them go, and not
| give US protection the fault is not ours; but
| If you will give US protection we intend to
stand as part of this Confederacy, holding
/ to the flag that was borne by Washington
| through seven years struggle for independ-
/ ence and separation frUm the mother coun-
| try. We demand it according to law; we de-
mand it upon the guarantees Of the COnstitu-
ton. You are bound to guaranty to us a
Republican form of Government, and we
| ask it as a Constitutional right. We do not
ask you to interfere as party as your feelings
/ or prejudices may be one way or another IN
| reference to the parties of the country; but
we ask you to interfere as a Government ac-
| eording to the Constitution. OF course we
want your sympathy, and your regard, and
your respect;but We ask your interference on
constitutional grounds.
The amendments to the Constitution,
which constitute the bill of rights, declare
that "a well regulated militia being necessa-
| ~ 10 the security of q free State, the right
OF the people TO keep and bear arms shall
not be infringed-" Our people are denied
| this right secured to them in their own con-
stifution and the Constitution Of the United
States; yet we hear no complaints here OF
violations of the Constitu ton in this respect
| We ask the Government to interpose to Sc
cure US this constitutional right. We want
the passes in our mountains opened, we want
deliyerance and protection for downtrod-
den and oppressed people who are strug-
Cling for their independence without arms
If we had had ten thousand stand of arms
and ammunition when the contest cOmmenc-
ed, we should have asked no further assist
ance We have not got them. We are ru-
raj people; we have villages and small towns
no large cities. Our population is homo
geneous, industrious, frugal, brave, indepen-
dent; but harmless and powerless, and rode
over by usurpers. You may be too late in
coming to our relief; or you may not come
at all, though I do not doubt that you will
come; thee may trample US under foot; they
may convert our plains into graVe-yards, and |
the caves of our mountains into sepQlchers;
but they will never take US out OF the Union, |
or make US a land of slaves-no, never. We
intend to stand as firm as adamant, and as
unyielding our own majestic mountains
that surround US. Yes, we will profit by |
their example, resting immoVably upon their |
basis. We will stand as long as we can; and |
il we are OverpoweTed, and liberty shall be |
driven from the land, we intend before she |
departs to take the flag OF our country, with |
a stalwart arm, and patriotic heart, and an |
honest tread, and place it upon the summit |
OF the tottiest aud most majestic mountain |
We intend to plant it there, and leave 1t to ill.,
dictate to the inquirer, who may come in after
times, the spot where the Goddess of Liberty
fingered and wept for the last time, before |
she took her flight from people once pros
porous, free and happy.
We ask the Government o come to our |
aid. We love the Constitution as made by
our fathers. We have confidence in the in |
tegrity and capacity of the people to govern
themselves. We have lived entertaining
these opinions; we intend to die entertain
ing them. The battle has commenced. The
President has placed it upon the true ground.
1t is an issue on the one hand for the peoples
Government, and its overthrow on the other.
We have commenced the battle of freedom.
Il is freedoms cause. We are resisting usur
patton and oppression. We will triumph;
we must triumph. Right is with US. A great
and fundamental principle of right, that lies
at the foundation of all things, is with US.
Though sometimes 1 cannot see my way
clear in matters of this kind, as in matters of
reli gion, when my facts give out, when my
reason fails me, / draw largely upon my
faith. My faith is strong, based upon the
eternal principles of right, that thing so
monstrously wrong as this rebellion is, can
not triumph. Can we submit to it7 Can |
bleeding justice submit to it Is the Senate. |
are the American people, prepared to give up |
the graves of Washington and Jackson, to De |
encircled and governed and controlled by |
combination of traitors and rebels? / say |
let the battle go ONT is freedoms cause |
until the stars and stripes God bless them) |
shall again be uafurled upon every cross road, |
and from every house top throughout the |
COnfed=racy. North and South. Let the |
Union be reinstated; let the law he enforced; |
let the Constitution b. supreme
If the Congress of the United States were |
to give up the tOmbs of Washington and |
jackson. we should have rising up in our |
midst another Peter the Hermit, in a much /
more righteous eause-for ours is true, while |
his was a delusion-who would appeal to the
American people and point to the tombs of |
Washington and jackson, In the possession |
CT those who are worse than the infdel and |
The Turk who held the Holy Sepulcher. | |
believe the American people would start of /
their own accord, when appealed to, to re-
deem the graves of Washington and Jackson,
and fferson, and all the other patriots who
are lying within the limits of the Southern
Confederacy. do not believe they would |
stop the march, until again the fig of this |
Union would De placed over the graves of
those distinguished men. There will be an |
uprising. Do not talk about Republicans |
now; do not talk about Democrats now; do
not talk about Wings or Americans now; talk
about your country and the Constitution and |
the Union. Save that; preserve the integri-
~ of the Government; once more place it
erect among the nations of the earth; and then |
if we want to divide about questions that may |
arise 10 our midst, We have Government to |
divide in.
] know it has been said that She object of |
this war is to make war on Southern institu-
tons. i have been in free States and have |
been in Slave States, and / thank God that, |
so far as / have been, there has been one uni |
versai disclaimer of any such purpose. 1t is
war upon no section, and it Is war upon /
no peculiar institution; but 1t is war for the |
integrity of the Government, for the Consti- |
tuition, and the supremacy of the laws. That |