Richmond enquirer. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1815-1867, 1862-04-11
SPEECH or ANDY JOHNSON,
YANKEE MILITARY GOVERNOR or THE bTArS OF
TENNESSEE

I SPEECH or ANDY JOHNSON,
YANKEE MILITARY GOVERNOR OF THE sTArs o,
TENNEssEE.
Below we publish eSracia from the speech
OF this notorious traitor and tool Of tie Fed
eral Government; delivered ia the House o
Representatives, at Nashville. Oh Saturday
harch 22d. Ia epeakirg o! ihe address
lhs Memphis appeal" truly reionrks
that il ia based upon hugo falsshood, art
no knows it. I; is touss built upon ID,
sand. Re is seeking to blind .ko syc4 Of th
perlng in Tie car CT Eve:"
Ladies and Fellow Uitizeus :-i au hs.o To-
day under eXlrsordinsy circumstances. 1t Ii
not my habit to make long e1ordiuus, nor vii
| mako q long Que to-day. ! might begin By
csllGg your attention to VIA, said long ago
when | riads ny saledictosy IL this Esll
Ghcn retiring from the du!i,! 81 had III
posed upon De. aud pansed theia 10 vthcl
aaaGs WteI ln.ds That address, feel aurt
my :eiow citiz.us viii testify to Tho truth
tia: the sff>irs Of the gub,rIstorial oiioe had
5esu iaiihi.iiy administered, sad that yield.
Cd its hon6rs when ali Saa in c state OF un-
disturbed rcrOse upun the hlsnLa ii paa:e-
pezcc, ;FIlh hll ita stlendaut hspp;ncas, per,
| AIDED tho Cunnon aalih thel. How Is /,
| nrp I: Whist cci:dsio.l 90 Te tld the couu-
nv in nr-s L,rE Oh! aid see WhGt ia 10 be
iound. When you exIend your vision over
III; vast boundary OF this believed cyuntiy,
syhat 90 you 6i.df Yuu Ece men armed in
slt tta appointments Of war; marching CO.
lutans OF iufar!ry, cavalry and artillery you
| lock upon tic La;t:c dclds, sad sec fellow
>3untrymen bleeding Why all this! And
may Tot inquire what 1t has been for I Why
90 We bsheld weeping fathers, disconsolSts
SISTERS and broken hearted mothelss Why
ls lha Eat!on clo:ned in black and bathed in
iearsf Why is this disaster brought upon &
corlented and happy people Why Is our
beautiful laad-the asylum Of the oppressed
OF every cl:me-bsihed in human blood
hope you will keep up the iEqutrys Why all
this
Four years ago, left my beloved State
qu,e, aud hsppy-jer lrto sons aud lovely
Csu4, niers had lot druam OF disorder. ! re-
turn to-day in tie midst uf civil war and the
camp; IN the sound OF the cannpn's roar, aad
in the view Of glittering bsyonets Again /
ask, Why all this ? Sisters, mothers, fathers
In.tnd 10 ask you something aud call upon
you to hold the guilty responsible for she'd
ding innocent blood.
You know that it has beer said--sod said
70 me-lhat this is an unjust war that the
United States is uajns,i6abIy prosecuting war
against tho South. 1t is said, the South is
carrying On the war for rights Southern
rights. Who ever sought to abridge their
rights: The goYlrnment has never ceased
10 rcsp.:ct and fUUter its national strueture.-
This. cur mother, knows no East, no West
no North, no S)ulh-is purely national in its
character.
| Thu inquiry rims slorE, and what is the con
clusion rssched! They complain OF lost rights,
and say they have been deprived of their just
and constitutional rights in the territories. -
Permit no to make an irquiry-in no often
siys sense, but simply the! uiay be under
stood another inquiry. Whist right has been
denied, what privilege withheld, what preroga.
!ivel lust, under the Constitution and laws vf
the United States, by any citizen thereof: and
particularly citizen of Tennessee What
Zone Can you tell Can you poiet it out ?
Uan you take up the Ccnssitur.or, and ca.
at,cnlipa to any right there guaranteed, which
t1ste it-feel iti You may tax all your IA.
cul,es and cannot tell Whist right has been
lost What excuse, then, is there Tor sill this
turmoil Of war; What has the South lost,
under the Constitution palladium Of our
libeItirs framed by the patriotic fathers Of
another century: Slavery" is the reply
Where has the institution OF slavery beer n-
! vadeiy Can any one tell (dsrc Gov. John
ioa alluded to the fart that he and othors, Who
had determined 10 stand firm by the principles
ol self government, had been denominarcd
! traitors, and read toe constitutional definition
Of ,reason.) II, continued he, it be treason to
stand hy oues country, an here to-day q
traitor IN your presence.
] was making the enquiry, wig s!i this !
direct your attention to some facts in our his.
tory. In the fall Of 1850 you remember the
memorable contest for tho Presidency. Three
Candidates wero put before the poople-Bsll,
Breckenridge and Douglas. A fourth was
nounsted-Ar. Lincoln; but lie had no ticket
in this Sate. ask OF Mr. Bells friends, what
position do you take The Union, the Constl.
tu;iop, and tho enforcement OF tho lava" -
What dId tks Donglss mvn propose fYr your
approval G-the Union, tie Constitution, and
rus enforcement Of the lava How did Bteck
larldge stand s-ihe same. voted Ter Breck.
lur,dse because thought him better Union
mao sud q stronsor candidate than either
D cuglas or Bell, and hare ietmo ask those
Ball, Douglas, or Breckinridge men present. il
tney did not cast thsir volas under the i'm.
preston that they were ttylUg " elect Tho
strongest Union caud,1ater My osilel
Sas that Bteckinridgo vas uors eilgl.
tle mau than Bell. that from this wei!-
known position III the eyes of the ua.
tior, ho could defeat and pu! down secession.
He WAS u sirons-r mau 10 the South than
Douglas, while 1t WAS ssreed that Douglas
Gas strongest nt the North. We had reason
{ hope tia. by CON- hiaation of their strength
L'oc2lo N ght be DEBATED If all were de.
Ielted hut Mc Lincoln be would give him 8
trial Ii be administered the affairs of state
wisely and c,nstitutionally, be would be thank
fully supported-if be attempted 10 encourage
scclioaai legislation and administered the af-
fars disparaginsly to any part Of the country,
'urn hiru out | was not for breaking up this
Government because, iorsooth, the aims OF any
se. Of politicians had miscar-ied II ne are to
have revolution upuu such pitilul prete1t,
what stability of Government do we possessf
To yield to toe displeasure of q certain set or
party, so far as to partition 8 political struc-
turo Of such grandeur as ours, would be to
fylow in the footsteps Of distracted Mexico
told my cOuntrynsn to give Lincoln q fair
chance; if he sought to invade their right or
compress their freedom, elect another-the
bsllot.bo1, aud not the sword, was the instru-
nent to wield.
ssThe speaker thoa related how he had "sac-
ridced my health-aay my life, my ail' in
support Of Breckinridgs, and demanded to
know how Bell men could justify themselves
iof the part they are snscting il this bloody
drama: Let me ask, Douglas supporters, how
could you 60 ot into the disunion camp"-
Gives a description Of An interview with
Breckenridge in Washington after the election,
and then said We separated; I turned my
back on him and said: You deceived me-
r L