Daily Nashville union. [volume] (Nashville, Tenn.) 1862-1862, 1862-05-25
SUNDAY MORNING, MAY Is, 1862
The VaIIandigham Address and Gov.
johnson.


A few days ago, we reviewed pretty
fully circular to the country, signed
by thirteen Buchanan Democrats, urging
the reorganization of the old party in
opposition to the Administration. The
Address fell still-born, ths only recep-
tionit met with being cuffs and kicks.
The Philadelphia Press, however, in a
withering notice Of it, quotes para
graph from a speech of Governor (then
Senator) JohnsOn,in reply to one of its
strong points, which we re-publish for
the sake of reference, The Address says:
We do not propose to consider now the
causes which ledtO the present unhappy
civil war. A filter time will come here
after for such discussion. But we remind
you now that compromise made your
Union, and compromise, fifteen months
ago, would have saved it. Repeated eff
forts were made at the last session of the
Thirty sixth Congress to this end. AT
every stage, the great mass of the South,
with the whole Democratic party, and
the whole Constitutional Union party,
of the North and West, united in favor
of certain amendments to the Constitu-
tion--and chief among them, the we'll
known "Crittenden Propositions" which
would have aVeffed civil war, and main
tanned the Union. AT every stage, all
proposed amendments inconsistent with
the sectional doctrines of the Chicago
platform were strenuously and unani-
mously resisted and defeated by the Re-
publican party.
The Press replies;
The best witness to refute this astound-
ing assertion is Andrew Johnson, of Ten
nessee, who, in the Senate of the United
States, on the 31st Of January last, used
the following language:
The Senator told us that the adoption
| of the Clark amendment to the Crittenden
resolution defeated the settlement of the
questions of controversy; and that but
for that vote, all would have been peace
and prosperity now. We were told that
the Clark amendment defeated the Crit
tenden compromise, and prevented set
Element of the controversy. On this point
1 will read portion of the speech of my
worthy and talented friend from Califor-
mia, Mr.. Latham, and when I speak OF
him thus, do it in no unmeaning sense.
/ intend that he, not l, shall answer the
Senator from Delaware. know that
sometimes. when gentlemen are fixing up
their pretty rhetorical fourishes, they do
not take time to see all the sharp corners
they may encounter. If they can make
a readable sentence, and float on in a
smooth, easy stream, all goes well, and
they are satisfied. AS l have said, the
Senator from Delaware told us that the
Clark amendment was the turning point
in the whole matter; that from it had
| flowed rebellion, revolution, war, the
shooting and Imprisonment of people in
| different States--perhaps he meant to in
clude my own. This was the Pandora s
| box that has been opened, out of which
| all the evils that now afilict the land have
flowed. Thank God l still have hope
that all will yet be saved My worthy
friend from California, (Alr. Latham,
during the last session Of Congress, made
one Of the best speeches he ever made
! bought five thousand copies of il foi
distribution, but had no constituents tC
send them 10, Qaughter;) and they have
been lying in your document room ever
since, with the exception of few, which
1 thought would do good in some quar-
ters, In the course of that speech, upor
this very point, he made use Of these re-
marks;
"Mr President, being last winter
careful eye witness Of all that occurred
/ soon became satisfied that IL was de.
liberate, willful desigE, on the part o.
some Representatives of Southern States,
TO seize upon the election Of Mr., LincolI
merely as Az excuse to precipitate thil
revolution upon the country. One eYi,
dence, 70 my mind, is the fact that Soutl
Csyolina never sent her Senators here.
Then they certainly were not inhuene-
ed by the CLARK amendment.