Daily Ohio statesman. [volume] (Columbus, Ohio) 1855-1870, 1863-03-01
"The Government"

The Journal Of Saturday morning, Feb. %,
contains the report Of speech delivered OF thu
recent so-called "Union meeting" at Tndianapo.
lie, by Governor ANDREW JoHNsoE, of Tennessee.
According to that report. Governor Jonrso" do
clared that he was for the Government with or
without slavery; that he was for the Govern"
ment under oil circumstances; that he was for
the Ivernment and oil the means and instru-
ments that will 20 to maintain the Govern.
meni; that the Government, the great bulwark
of liberty, was not to be compared with slave
ry; that this our Government will go on with
out the aid of cotton; that this Government,
this magnificent structure, will continue to go
on, whether cotton continues in the United
States or not; that he (the spesker) was for
the Government with or without negroes; that
rather than see this Government destroyed, he
would zee the whole negro race back in Afri o;
that he had enlisted in this cause of free Gov.
ernment, not for six months, but during his
natural life; that he was for this Government
upon the principle 1t had been handed down to
us; that the Government is now passing through
it's third ordeal; that if it is a Government at
all It must pass through this ordeal; that insti.
tutioDs are not to exit here that are more
powerful than the Government; that slavery
had no right to agitate the Government and
shake it to its center, aud that when institu.
tions get too gres. for the Government, these
institutions must give way thst the Govern
ment may stand.
These changes upon the word Government"
were ruDg out, according to the report, in the
course of about Eve minutes talk. We have
selected them for the amusement as well as the
ed6cation of our readers, as they contain the
staple out Of which partisan Abolition speeches
and newspaper editorials have been and are
manufactured In immense quantities. Why
dwell upon the woSd "Government" With such
stsong emphasis and repeat II so often without
even mentioning the Constitution, the Union
or the States1 Is It not because the impression
is sought to be fastened in covert way upon
the people that "the Government" and the
present Administration, with its stitutional
acts and usurpatinns. ara one and the same
thing7 The right way of reading any such
speech or writing is to substitute the word Ad-
ministrstion in the place of Government, and
iss true intent and meaning will appear
The same things about "the Government"
could be said by secession orator in rebel
macs meeting in Dixie, and would be received
with appreciation and applause. They stand
ready to sacrifice oil things--slavery. cotton,
property. life--ior "the Government 30
called Confederate Government. Those speech
es and extracts from speeches, in which our
National Constitution and National Union are
not alluded to as the great objects we are strug-
Cling to maintain and preserve, but "the Gov
ernment" is alone, with the Constitution and
the Union Left. out, brought prominently for
ward, are just suited to the secession market,
and might be s.ereotyped for use in rebeldom.
This is hint upon which some Abolition Yam.
kee might improve and make good specula
ton.