The Hancock Jeffersonian. [volume] (Findlay, Ohio) 1857-1870, 1863-03-06
Great Speech Of Gov. Andrew
johnson.

uUullSOlls ...
Of Tennessee, at the Great U nion
Meeting, at Indianapolis, Februa-
ary 25th 1858.
The keynote to Governor John
sons speech is found in the opening
words. He Addressed his audience
az fellow citizsns OF Indiana, and
then explained that he claimed the
right to thus address them, although
a citizen OF another State, because
he claimed citizenship under the
broad panoply of this Union of ours
Abiding to the past glorious history
of the country, ho asked what had
transpired in the short period OF
time, since the election OF 1850, that
had made it necessary for one por'
ton OF our country men to commence
a desecration OF the Constitution OF
the United States and attempt the
overthrow of the Government. He
knew it had been sai6 ere in high
places that one portion jur fellow
citizens had been deprived OF their
rights and those interests in the
Union, but he would ask the vast
concourse before him what right,
what privilege had been lost to any
portion since tho formation Of this
Union. Not one under the Cousti-
tuition. Then why this work Of dc
moliton? He would show them
why it was, tracing logically the
action of the Southern men dur ng
the canvass Of 1860, when partisans
were yieing with each other in claim,
ing devotion to the Union, aud
when he supported Breckenridge be-
cause he had declared himself a
Union man and their action imme
diatel y after the result Of the elect
ion WAS announced. He showed
plainly what the reason was. He
desired the Democratic present to
tell him whe,h-r thay did not be-
lieve il B,eckinridge or Davis had
been elected President instead oI
MIR. Liu coin, they could have enduf.
cd this Constitution four years long
er. Bat they repudiated it because
the party power had departed from
them. They precipitated revolution
makirg the slavery question the
pietex,, because upon it they could
most readily unite the people OF the
South. If this principle of revolu
tion were admitted alter each elect
ion to what end would it lead? Tc
anarchy, worse if possible than tha,
which rsigns in Mexico. This was
the iseue presented to the people o
the United States. What was oul
true policy9 He had declared ir
the Senate OF The United States hi;
intention to stand by the Govern.
mens which had been Constitutional!
ly elected.
No possible dagger could obtaiy
under Mr.. Lincoln's administrat or
to any portion of the people. Th,
Senate and House were both sgsins
him politically, and could have pre-
vented any obnoxious action there
The South were without excuse, ahC
on this point he administered
scathing rebuke to Northern trait
ors.
He said it was bad enough for
Southern man to raise his sacrileg
ious hand against his country, bu
it was a great deal worse for u mal
here to sympsthize with him.
The historical fact, however, i
that there was among the follower
OF Calhoun a premeditated schem
to break up this Government. Th
Montgomery Adoertiser, . leadin,
Southern paper, declared that therc
had been no precipitate revolution
With the coolness OF deliberatio
the subject had been thought of 70
forty years. lie verified this b
reading tue original manuscrip
copy OF letter Of Andrew jackson
in which that old hero says of th
Calhoun conspiracy. that the tari
WAS only the preiext, and disunio
and a Southern Contederacy wer
the real objects, and then make
that wonderful prediction that til
next preteXt will be the negro an
the slavery question.
The sight OF that letter in the riG
! ID hand writing Of Old Hickory
moved many OF the old Jackson De
M ocrGts prescott tv tears.
Having thus appropriately fiXe
tue responsibility of the war. II
speaker referred to the present A
,pinietration. He said:
Where is tho great wrong tn
Administration has done, that the;
men OF the North and South shouI
asssil it2 Ii | complain Of it, it
not becanso of what 1t has done, bl
because it has not been moro resC
lutte in trampling the conspirato
under foot. Who commenced II
war? These rebel sympathiz!r re- fol
oct that JEFF. Davis not only violate
the Constitution, but has torn it
+ pieces and trampled it under foot,
Somehow, they can see all the blur
ders in the party in power, but th'
have never discovered that the
has been total destruction OF Q
constitutional rights in the South.
They do not see any wrong amor
thcm-it is only here.