The Nashville daily union. [volume] (Nashville, Tenn.) 1862-1866, 1863-02-15

WV
mile. If il was as densely populated as
Massachusetts,, il would contain s,l19,-
600 inhabitants. Mr.. Thayer expAtiAted
at length on the fertility of Florida, and
It's production Of tropical fruits and lux
uries, not to be found anywhere else in
America. The population at the date Of
the last census was 776, 900 whites, and
626,O00 blacks. There have been ten
regiments of conscripls taken from the
State, and nine tenihs Of those remain-
ing are loyal IL would not be a hazards
GUS enterprise for 10000 men 10 60
down and take possession Of the State,
men would be forthcoming at once. All
we ask Of the Government is, 10 find us
the means Of transportation, and pay and
rations for one year If once there, in
ten days we would adopt a Constitution;
In ten more, elect Governor and Legis-
lature. will not say what the Consti-
tuition would contain, but / think il would
abolish Slavery. Great Applause.l /
think our newly elected Governor would
issue a proclamation setting forth the
condition of the State of Florida, that
she was loyal, and in the Union, and
calling upon the citizens of the State,
serving in the rebel army or navy, to
come back to their native State, because
it is now in the Union. II was on ac-
count of their allegiance to their State
that they went ont of the Union why
should they not come back into the Union
when the State comes back? Then we
would hire the negroes at good wages,
for the value of the products they help
to produce would enable us TO do so.
We would furnish moro cotton in one
year from Florida than the State ever
produced in ten years before, if we PCT
in this Yankee labor. SO in relation to
the other products Of the State. tell
you, that from the first year that we are
allowed to plant crops by the means Of
this increased population, by the means
of the wages paid for labor, by the means
of small farms under the supervision of
agricultural skill, we would produce ten
fold what that State has ever produced.
1t is question, too, of some Importance
TO the commerce Of a city like this,
whether the rebel States shall be de-
sert or the most productive portion Of the
footstool; whether il shall contain
100000 or 100000 skillful, energetic,
producing men, or that it shall have a
population as il has, simply with ability
to support themselves. With a produ-
cling population there, steamboat would
leave FernaHdina every day for New York,
loaded with our products. We should
expect every winter 20 have 10000 peo-
pie with us from the Northern States. for,
before the rebellion, 5000 people from
the Northern States spent their winters
in Florida. Now, then, perhaps there
may be some men, who will say, "You
are going 10 drain the North of its popu-
lation." This cry was raised against me
when | was gathering the Free State
men for Kansas. have shown you that
our annual increased population is $685.
900. Ijudge we may add to that by
immigration without effort annually
enough TO make a million more. Bat il
we should ask few men ia the North
ern States TO live and produce ia Florida,
would il not be better than 10 bury them
in the ChicahOminy? TREMENDOUS APP
piause, continued for some minutes
He contended that we had lost men
enough in this war to have restored every
one Of the rebel States by the method he
unfolded.
We propose to give the poor whites an
equal chance with ourselves, and put
their children in the same schools with
our own, and let them have a chance 10
vindicate their manhood, and show that
they are susceptible of cultivation. We
have seen enough Of them TO know that
they are a brave and hardy people
Applause. What remains TO be done F?
| have been for the two years past in
Washington, nearly all the time adyocat-
ing these same views. Ihaye got the in
dorsement of these views upon paper by
two-thirds of both Houses of Congress,
and majority Of the Cabinet and several
Majnr- Generals, among them fighting Joe
Hooker, General Hunter, and my friend
Casius M. Clay, who is here tonight -
LOheers. II we had been allowed one
year ago to have begun this work, to-
night Florida, Georgia and Texas would
have been in this Union. Cheers. n The
Vice-P President of the United States.
with several members of Congress, car
ried petition, signed by two thirds of
both Houses, 10 the President, asking
that 2O,O00m men might be allowed 20 20
down TO Florida aud make il free State
The papers say that they were favorably
received, and some halfway promise
made that something should be done. III
they will let US begin Tow, in ninety
days from the time they viii let me open
tho books for emigrants in New York city,
we will give them Florida loyal free
State, in the Union. Applause.l Is it
not worth doing? Why are we not al
lowed 10 Begin / fear that somebody
is looking in the infantry, or cavalry, or
artillery tactics, 70 SEQ whether there is
any precedent. Perhaps somebody Is
looking over the list of instruction Ia
West Point to see ifthero IL anything like
this taught there from the books
Laughter, II must be that this is the
reason that this is not in the tactics.
think tho Government had better esiab-
lish a school for making poets. They
think that every man from West Point is
necessarily a General, and so every man
from their school for poets might be con-
sidered q poet. have little reverence
for these professional schools, whether
theological or military. Laughter f.
Napoleon, true, was educated in q mill
tary school, but conducted his campaign
in utter defiance Of tho Polytechnic rules.
We have had Generals who are great in
spite Of West Point do not think that
institution made them great Now, then,
/ have told you what have 10 say upon
the subject Of restoring the Union, and
reoonstruciing, socially land politically,
these gonfborn gtatea have eho,,s,, VI,