The Nashville daily union. [volume] (Nashville, Tenn.) 1862-1866, 1863-05-03

Let us reply, by quoting a household
adage, simple and beautiful in lie truth,
but rarely understood
an Is a freeman whom tho truth makes free,
And Oh are slaves btside"
We hear a great deal said about sub
EDUCATING Tennessee, and conqutriDg
Tennessee, and robbing her Of her free
dom. Tho secessionisis say that the
Federal Government is q despotism which
seeks TO crush out the last vesiige Of TIC
freedom of the Commonwealth. The
rlHis very reverse lie true. The Federal Gov
aifi aernment is the exponent Of the cardinal
ideas Of civilization as understood by
~, all enlightened minds in christendom at
ssH the present day. It recognizes the right
e bsz Of all men to life, liberty, and che pur-
suit Of Happiness. It is to-day fighting
gI,is the great battle of freedom on these eter-
go nal truths. We may talk Of freedom as
ha much as we flease, but SO long as we
contend against what commop sense and
our. conaeieDces tell US is true and honest,
we are slages--the worst Of slRFesi our
souls are feitered with the chains OF
falsehood, and we dare not call our very
--I. I
thoughts our own. Tennessee to-day
huge to her bosom 3 gigantic system Of
barbarous error, a relic Of dtmonisin.
Tue system Of African slavery is an in
corporsted, legislative lie, whose black
M. wings, spreading over her beautiful sur
face, like some ill-omened bird, continue
o7' ally shakes from its plumes the dews Of
moral, intellectual and political death.
y, 1t has been 3 monster Of despotism. We
have all been compelled 10 bow before this
hOrrid Juggernaui, the u heels Of whose
or bore down TO the earth, the spirit
Of science, invention, art, educatiOni
and progress, and they died not
only bechuse they are as inn
mortal as heaven itself and cannot
perish. We have been slaves; white
slaves; the slaves of amereiless and vul-
a gar %ayArfeo the slaves of a party caste
distinguished for intolerance and bigo-
try, at all times, and Q demoniac ferocity
,stsaa when irritated. We have not been free
men, and the reason Is that we have made
truth yield TO what we considered pol
90 icy. Talk Of the Federal Government
s~ubjugating Tennessee! Why slavery
ossu hAs been subjugating her for the las
M generation. The " immortal mind" o.
our people has been darkoned, and a sea.
has been placed upon their mouths fol
m thirty years, until multitudes Of our fell
ed low-citizens were actually induced u
e g take up arms against the Government, al
act which ALEXANDER II. STEPHENS in
t,.a 1861 pronounced ethe heightof madness
ra folly, and wickedness.'' And so long as
we violate the golden rule, and disre
gard the fundamental principle Of Oul
Government, so long we shall remain
slaves, in the worst meaning of the term
III we will SOW thorns and thistles, thes,
thorns and thistles win spring up tC
pierce our feet, and ~lacerate our limbs
noplasH Had The still small, yet earnest voice o
ls the Knoxville address, uttered in 1915
and republished q few weeks ago il
our columns, been listened 70 anC
Obeyed, Tennessee would to-day hav,
had over two millions of enter
adlv prising free white population, anC
' not a hostile army would be annoyeC
r wirh her boundaries. Nay, now, Their
,1svo, is not the least probability that the re,
urssa9 bellion would ever have occurred hal
ta'a Tennessee been q free State. The pres,
ence Of so vast white industrial army
extending into thr very centre Of slave,
,sIg 4 ~, would, on the contrary, have com
-iA PEELED all the adjoining States to hav,
removed their own slaves. And whsi
we might have used as spreventivs, VIZ
.ssas80 must now use as a remedy. Let US wash
sdi lati OUR hands clean of the offence against
Vlanoottuth aud wisdom, snd chief corner stone
-e1I Of rebellion. No Southern Confederacy
~ can possibly liFo With Tennessee as q
orr free State, aud would notthis be q bitter
sa- price to pay for the salvation of the Re.
c publicP- lfl