Belmont chronicle. [volume] (St. Clairsville, Ohio) 1855-1973, 1862-03-27
Gov. johnson at Nashville,
Correspondence Of the ~. Y. World.

NASHVILLE, TENN, March IA, 1862.
Provisional Governor Andrew johnson 2
arrived here night before last, and last night, b
at the calls of the crowd and the melodies 6
Of the band, delivered a speech, stirring q
and staunch, on "the Union, the Constitu- Q
ton, and the enforcement of the laws. -
The occasion-you cannot parallel 1t on the ,
pages of our history. Whatever events of |
this extraordinarily eventful crisis shall
hereafter absorb our attention, we who wit. !
messed it can never forget this one. Go c
and playing focus Of the Rebellion-of its
chiefs, aud thieves, and throngs in arms, !
of all its ''promp and circumstance of glo-
rious war" A speech from the balcony of
the st. Cloud then what would have been
its cost2 What reproach, what iHdignity,
what violence? Aud that speeoh from An
drew johnson the exiled, the %anathema-
tized apostle Of the old flag. All me, how
he has been hated, hooted, howled after by
the arch comspirators, ,onlysthose at this
standpoint can realize, and only he can pro-
perly feel. Last night-ob, it was a grand,
a rousing night! The moon shone. Twas
the brightest shining of the moon. l could
see every countenauce of the great throng.
But few Of them were soldiers. Most of
them were citizens. 1t was an impromptu
serenade entirely. When the Governor
came forward | was surprised at the applause
that greeted him twas more and heartier
than l had anticipated. Men clapped their
hands who 1 expected would be SILENT
Others were nigh to tears with joy whom |
had counted among the sullen. Some hes
itated there who / know will not hesitate
next time. The angriest got no apgrier,
, But to the speech. i can furnish but a
''synopsis," and that will be tame and lame
without its surroundings-the strange oc-
5 casion, the streets of Nashville by night,
& the army Of the Republic hard by, Tennes-
Y see a conquered territory. Gov. johnson
!. said
SPEECH or GOVERNOR JOHNSON.
~ deeply mud truly appreciate this demonstration Of re.
U under which | return TO you, which renders me oil tie
more sensitive TO ard grateful for this testimony Of my
4 fellow citizens. return to you with no hostile purpose.
with no new doctrines 10 ayow, no strange teachings to
a inculcats. For what do come come to render You
e whatever aid may be. 10 my power IL re-erecting upon
NJ her rghtiul domain OF Tennessee the Stnr SpHuglvd Bar
ner-that flag borne by him who was first in war, FIRST in
peace. and frat in the hearts of his ecu irgmcn,. borne
!, by him also whose sacred ashes repose almost within the
I sound OF my voice, and borne also by many thousands
Of our counlrymen,: when the blood spou,ed from their
heel, aud no covering sheltered them but the stormy,
"a piuiiess cloud. To aid ysuin re-e.,ablisling the supren-
ncy Of this flag, so dear 10 yonrr. fathers ind to mine, ]
come. To aid you In the unfolding aud defending Of this
lt the best Government thai God ever spoke Into existence
a have never deserted that Government How could !
The oNtleu-fuy WIG ulyen nllnrr AMI thlller. her ser
Il wants stolen, my house a Rebel hospital-how could
m desert the glorious Government under which ! had beer
II so richly and n%buI'dsnily blessed and under which 50
70 bouhtifnly the boon Of liberty and security
ut The Governor then passed to the inquiry,
For what purpose is the prosecution Of thi,
1T war? and pressed home with great zeal ant
:, force the answer, For the maintenance Of
the Constitution and the Government.
ne He then required TO the wicked and afro
as cious deception that had been practiced Ell
pc the people in the canvass OF 1850. He re
+. ferred to his W speeches here at that time
! in which he contended, in all sincerity, tina
the Breckenridge party was as much til,
DIT party Of the Union as any other. Bell
Breckenridge, and Douglas men all wer'
n taught the doctrine of 1.-THE Union, tn,
y laws" Breckenridge deceived him. II,
or was Disunionist at that time. His was
Is Disunion party. Notwithstanding all til
. vieing with each other of these three par
ties for the palm of Unionism, every on
Gu Of their several leaders in this State hav
w become open Rebels against the Govern
he ment of the United States.
lie then laid bare with scathing %ssverit
the real cause of the war against the Go,
cruucnt, which he declared to be disappear
for ted ambition, and not Slavery. The latte
lot was but n pretext, predicted by Jackson
Look ut the hypocrite Yancey telling Gre;
Britain now that Slavery Was not the caus
we Of the war.
i've .Tenne,.esn., I huv. taken pprt in your politics sin,
ia 1898 Have | ever deceived your Is there u man wit
in tie sound Of my voice, OF a man. woman or child
the State who eau say that he has been deceived by A
"why all this persecution against me aud mine w
nm ! an exile' Why driven from my home. and my ha
earnings taken from me simply because ! adhere
hui nv Cove rnincnt und yours, my Hug und youT ilna--i
,ed these TOO well, Because having been born and bred u
der them, ! had determined to die under lhem.i'
'u An eloquent tribute was then paid to Il
United States Government, as the Cover
ment of the people by the people.
mia He painted in telling terms the track
off desolation that Secession left. Bridge
crops, dwellings destroyed, brother arraye
10 against brother in deadly conflict, famili
torn asunder, widows broken. hearted al
was orphans crying for bread. All such seen
as these are on the track of the demon
:. tread. lie pointed the eyes of Secossionis
III present to this scene, and asked was it n
enough, had they not suffered enough
Dst- the hands of this aecursed monster? II,
off they not been duped and deceived by SUI
as Davis, Toombs, and the like long enough
lug Would they not see their folly and Grin
and return to their allegiancep Ho scare
ito, cd them Win Tue question:, was there n mi
there who had lost a single right, or be,
deprived Of a single privilege under Il
Gu C%onstitu.ion2 They were entreated to DO
red dor and reflect upon their suicidal cours
red to remember that 'the soul of liberty W
the love of law; - that there was no no,
for us but in reverence for the CONSTITUTE,
and laws of the country.
o.! The Governor closed by a most affectiI
,ue. %allusion to East Tennessee, where his des
late home was, and his sick, sad wife.
= His voice rang out like a clarion throu,
nor the silent city, calling upon his countrymt
to come forward in the defense OF his b
own loved section Of tho State-to show tho
= in hands, to fear not, and speak out the
minds. He declared his willingness to sha
'seo with them any aud all danger for the rescl
'ted Of Tennessee from the jaws Of the intern
ex- monster.
Traitors should be punished, and treas,
crushed. He came with no hostility
ISM animosity in his heart. He came for Il
heir defense Of the weak, the restoration Of d
erring, the punishment of the guilty, 4
len. re-establishment of the Union and the Co
s~titution in Tennessee. Como, nv cou