The Nashville daily union. [volume] (Nashville, Tenn.) 1862-1866, 1863-08-28
ResmHuon.

The great question OF restoration,
which is so EeslOusly advocated by 10y
al Tennessesna, and opp scd, secretly il
may be, bat stiLl bitterly and stubborn
ly by the dislOy al, may be considered in
two aspects. One is its political aspect;
that is tie restoration Of the State so far
as tie form Of Government, and govern
mental relations are involved. The other
is the restoration OF its private and indi-
Uidual interest; or the restoration of the
prosperity Of the masses of the people,
by wing a fresh impulse to the pros
perity of every individual member Of
our society. Nine hundred and ninety
I've thousand, perhaps, OF the one mil
lion Of Ieople in Tennessee hold no off,
oes, and ask no favor from either State
or Federal Government, except to be al
lowed to pursue their avOoAtious in peace
and security. The business of the vast
majority is to pillow, sow and reap, to at
tend to the farm, the workshop, the store,
the professional walk, TO raise families
decently, 70 die and sleep in peace with
their fathers. Ilappiest of mortAls are
they who never forsake the green walks
of private life to sail upon the ever tur-
bulent ocean Of politics and war; And
it is the part Of government TO protect
the interests Of the masses; to see that
all men shall have fair opportunity to
earn an honorable independence; to re-
move from the paths of all the hindrances
and obstacles Of rank, and class, save
those necessary distinctions made by
talent and virtue.
Loyal Tennesseans, you are the mas
ters Of the future fortunes of your noble
State. You mast restore her not only
politically, but individually if you wish
to see our broken fortunes and bleeding
interests restored TO health and strength.
Common sense and sage experience point
out the true and safe path for you tn
travel. Do we not need the imme diate
help of every industrious man? Then
proclaim that all men who will create
and originate wealth shall have a fair
opportunity to earn independence and
wealth if they. will settle among yOr:
Instead Of driving people from you, until
this State shall become. like many other
portions of the South, less pOpulous than
it was years ago, encourage laboring men
to bring you the help of their skill and
industry. Need we argue that one in
telligent laborer, working with pur-
pose, is Of more value than two ignorant
drudges who work through the fear of
the, whip, and without any hope of inn
proving their ciroumstances2 Nature has
been most bountiful to us. She has
given us soil, water climate, and vegetA-
BILE and mineral productions, which are
unsurpassed. Far more liberal has she
been 70 us than to Ohio; yet how far
ahead of us is Ohio in all that makes life
4
comfortable and happy, and State pros
porous and powerful The people of
Ohio are no better than we are naturally;
we do not think they have better brains
than we have naturally. Perhaps
it was a happy accident which
placed them upon different policy from
the one which we adopted. But look at
the great result. Ohio, younger and
smaller than Tennessee, has nearly three
citizens 10 her one, has nearly three dollars
to her one, and is going ahead of her
every year at an increased speed. These
are facts. While we are talking of our
political restoration, is il not well for US
to be arguing for our economical restora-
ton Where, in the name of heaven,
will be, or whittier will we drift, if we
attempt to stagger on after the war is
over, loaded down with debt, under the
same unWise laws which have retarded
us in the past? The answer is easy,
Tennessee will descend rapidly until
she takes her position among the en-
feebled, wcrn-out cotton States. The
great restoratiyes which she needs are
FREE LABOR AND IMAITaRATIoS.