Daily Ohio statesman. [volume] (Columbus, Ohio) 1855-1870, 1862-11-01
Address OF II. A. R. Nelson 70 the
People of East Tennesses,


In all the speeches which made to you in
the spting and summer OF 1861, az we'll as 10 q
printed address to the people of the State, on
or about the 3Oth Of MAY, 1861, I declared. in
substance, that If | had believed it was the OBJ
iect OF the North to sutjugate the South and to
emancipase our slaves, in violation of the Con,
stitu!ion, would have gone as far az the
fsrthest in advocating resistance to the utmost
extent.
MY attention bas jnst been called to procla.
nation issued by the President Of the United
states on the 23i Of September, 1862, in which
ne declares that "on the drst dey OF January, In
the year OF our Lord one thousand eight hundred
and sI1sy-three, all persons held az slaves within
any state, or any designated part OF a State,
the people whereof shall then be in rebellion
sgsinst the United States, shall be hercefor
ward and forever free, and the Executive Gov
eminent Of the United States, including the
military and naval authority, will recognise
aud maintain the freedom of such persons, and
WILL DO no act or acts to repress such persons,
or any OF them, in any Efforts they may make
for their actual freedom"
need scarcely remind You that one of the
evils which dreaded aud predicted as the re-
suits OF the efforts which were made to dissolve
the Union was that, 10 the progress Of the war,
they might open the way for seryile insurrec.
tion and overthrow of the institution of slavery.
My opinions as to the ttulionalty and
impoicy OF secession remain unchanged !;
but in my last speech In Congress-,
and on various other public occasions,
have vindicated and maintained, and
sill maintain, the right OF revolution.
On no occasion, however, did ever assert the
doctrine that violation of the Constitution by
| one party would authorize or justify similar or
other violations by the opposing party. The
paramount causes which have controlled or in
fdepced my conduct and opinions were love for
the Union and an unshaken confidence that we
had the best Constitution and Government in
the world. Bat, of all the acts of despotism of
which the civil war In which we are now en-
gsged has been the prolific source, there is NOT
one which, in the slightest degree, EQUALS the
atrocity and barbarian of Mr.. LincoIn's proc
lamasion. At one blow it deprives all the ci.i-
Gems OF the slave States, without distinction, of
the right to hold slaves-a right guaranteed BY
the very Constitution he pretends to uphold -
Its true, he makes an intimation that he will
recommend to Congress to provide just compen-
sation to Union masters In the slave States:
but what right has he or the Government OF the
| United States to deprive them Of this property
without their CONSENT And what assurance
have they that his vague and general intima-
| tion will be applied to them, or that an Aboli-
tion Congress, reekiDg with the blood Of the
South, and djubilant in the possession of usurped
power, will adopt his recommendation -.
| We are In the midst Of sea of difficulties
Many acts have been done In the South to
which We were bitterly opposed aas people,
and which we vino have adhered 10 the Union,
10 spite Of perils and dangers, could not justi
| y Or palliate. But the Union men Of Esst
Tennessee are not now, and never were, Ab.
oiitionists. The Union men of East Ten
nessee are mot now,r and nevef, have been,
committed to the doctrines of incendalism
and murder to which Mr.. Lincoln's ptoclama-
ticn leads. What, then, is The path OF duty
In the trying circumstances vhichsunound usi
! ID IL 70 bslie all our past professions and 10