Fayetteville observer. [volume] (Fayetteville, Tenn.) 1850-1966, 1862-10-16
A TENNESSEE UN|oh MANS VIEWS
7.-t. ~ alo, -------s.,ss ,.1e.rsq -,
Address Of ihe Hoa IA. B Nelson

4 TO TIE PEOTLE OF EAST TENNESSEE
+ In all the speeches which mad
Ito you In the spring and sdmme
'Iof 1861, as well as in a prihte
faddress, to the people OF the Stat
on or about the Goth of May, 1861
| declared, in substance, that il,
had believed it was the object O
1.-THE North to subjugate the Soutl
and to emancipate our slaves, L
violation of the Constitution, 3
would have gone as far as the far
thest in advocating resistance t
/. the utmost extent. Is eaH} ts
Ny attention has just beei
called to Il proclamation issued by
tile President Of the United States
on the I'D September, 1862, il
which he declares that ''on the
first day Of January in the ,yeal
Of our Lord one thousand eight
hundred and sisty-three, oil per
sons, held as slaves within any
State, or any designated part of
a State. the people whereof shall
then be in rebellion against the
United States shall be tiencefor.
ward and forever free. and the1ex-
ecutive government Of the United
States, including he military and
naval authority, will recognize and
maintain the freedom Of such per.
sons, and will do no act or acts TO
rcpress such persons or any of
them, In any efforts they may
make for their actual freedom"
Ineed scarcely remind You that
one Of the evils which dreaded
and predicted as the results of the
efforts which were made' to dis
solve the Union was that, in the
PROCESS Of the war, they might
o. en- tie way Tor seiVile insarrec-
ton and the overthrow Of the in-
Of Slavery My oplnlcn
as to the unconstitutionality and
imno!iey OF secession remains I'M
changed, but in my lastIspeech in
Congress, and on various other
occasions. | have vindicated and
maintained, and still maintain the
right oi aetolatioa On 20 occa-
sion. However, did | ever assert the
,iecfiiae that ,asxiolation OF the
Constitution by one party would
authorize or justify similar or
other violations 10y the'opposing
party. The paramount causes
which have controlled and infu-
enced my conduct and opinions
were love for tie Union and an
mistaken confidence that we had
tie best Government in the world.
But of all the acts OF despotlsm
Of which the civil war IN which
we are now engaged has been the
prolific, ource, tlsefeis not one
which. in the slightest degree
EQUALS the atrocity and barbar1sm
Of Mr.. a.incoln's proclamation
At one blow it deprives the eiti-
zense of the slave States without
distinctions! Of the right to hold
slaves. a right guaranteed by the
yeryConsfitntion he pretends to
upheld. 1t is true he makes an
intiinat;on that he viii recommend
70 Congress TO provide Just cona-
s}ensation. to Union masters in the
Slave States, but what right phas
he. or the government of the Uni
ted States, TO deprive them Of this
property Without their consent!
And what assurance have. they
that.his vague and general.intimar
ton Win be applied to them, or
that an abo ition Congress, reeklng
With the blood. Of the South, and
iubilant iii the pcssessionof hsurp-
ed power, will adoptAhis recon-
mondation2 -,i zsyQ -gsn1d
NE are In the midst Ola sea of
di.iieallties.a Many acts, have been
dene in, the South to which we
Mere bitterly, opposea as+aspeeple
and which we who have sadherea
to,tlle Union in spite of rerils and
dange rs. could not justifs OF paill.
ate. But the Union men n1plf1,l OF East g
are not now and never
were Abolitioaists, 1.-THE s.Nt1pl2n .Nnlon n
men Of East Tennessee are not no"
and never have been committed to
llia doctrines Of [illcendlarlfSlala. !. r. rand Q,
), - ,,i,,nrier. to. which Mr. Line In
n,ociamation leads. What, then,
is thepath or duty i, ae sEya trying g