Evansville daily journal. (Evansville, Ind.) 1863-1866, 1864-01-19
Speech of Andrew. Iohnson.

tIdCC iTom the Speecn OF 0OVernOr JOnn-
son, delivered in Nashville, on the Sth
inst Since then we have received
copy of the Nashville Press, containing
a more lengthy report of the address.
We regard the whole speech as too good
to permit anyof it to be lost, and we
therefore copy it, as we find it in the
Press Our readers viii agree with US,
that it is the utterance of patriot-an
earnest, selfsacrifcing and far-seeing
statesman.
Governor johnson said
LADIES AND GENTLEMEN Il appear
before you only to make an apology. /
claim to be practical worker, and con
slant attention to duty, combined with
domestic troubles, have prevented me
from making such preparation as would
enable me to do justice to you or to my
self. We have met to celebrate the bat
tie of New Orleans, an anniversary
which ought to be commemorated by
every one who reveres that great man
who achieved that great victory. When
we think of that distinguished man,
every lover of freedom must feel his
heart beat with pride and veneration. /
revere him. Thank God, can say that
l respect any man, wherever born, who
contributed to the establishment and
perpetuation of our Government My
admiration of great and good men is
not confined to particular localities or
people; all who love freedom, and con-
tribute to the support and perpetuation
of democratic Institutions, revere 1t
is not my forte, if l have one, to pro-
nounce eulogies on great men, and if
had tried to prepare myself for this oc-
casion, you would be disappointed. l
did not come before you to make round
and bounding speech which tickles the
ear; cannot do it, and will not try it.
When memory goes back TO the war of
1912, and / think of the sufferings of
those brave and devoted patriots, fight
ing for our second independence; when
| think of that great and good man,
Andrew Jackson-God bless him and
his name cheers who led his men
on to victory, who shared their tolls and
slept on the tented fields, who suspended
the writ of habeas corpus and COM
PEELED the citizens to fall in the
ranks and fight for their country; he who
urged his men on to the stern encounter,
the goddess of liberty lowering over
him, as tAe battle waxed strong and fear
full, until victory pearched on the stars
and stripes; when / think of him, and
that he sleeps close by, almost within
the sound of my voice, think that were
it tpossible to convey intelligence to the
dead of what is now transpiring, he
would turn over in his coffin, arise from
his grave, extend his long bony finger,
and exclaim-" By the Eternal God, this
Union must AMI shall be preserved" !"
Tremendous applause. Yes, he would
be with US tonight, to aid us in the great
work we are about. One thought just
now occurs to me; it has always been
my teaching, from early years, that the
Government was made for the people,
and not the people for the Government
The people made the Government, and
it must remain under the control of the
people. The Government being under
the people, and the institutions under
the Government, any institution antago-
nistic to the Government must necessa-
rily give way for the preservation of the
Government Institutions must not rise
above the Government Institutions are
tolerated for a time; they are not fixed
they are subject to change, or they die
out. Not so, the Constitutional Govern
ment, which is fixed, q lasting institu-
ton of the people. We once had a
United States Bank, and we had Jack.
son, who hated aristocracy in any shape,
whether in slaves or money. He crushed
| it. All Institutions must be subordinate
to the Government of the United States.
| Before the rebellion we could discuss
all institutions, all subjects, all measures,
except slavery. On that subject no one
dared speak, or write, or print, except on
the side of slave aristocracy. Now
thank God, the time has come when the
press is unmuzzled, when the press car
discuss this and all other subjects The
time has come when this institution i:
dead-when the chains are broken ant
the captive set free. Applause. Th'
institution is dead (applause,) and slave
are not worth quarter of q dollar doz
en-. Laughter. Being dead, let US, il
a becoming manner, prepare for tn
funeral obsequies. Now is the time t
dispose of this great question. It is
great question, and one which must b.
settled upon the great principle of hu
man freedom; not by Abolitionists il
the North, nor by Secessionists in tn
South, but by that great law of self-pres
ervstion which governs all men alike
Slavery is cancer upon the body polite
which must be rooted out before perfec
health can be restored. The great La
/ refer to is now at work, and negroe
and all things else which may be in tn
way, to impede its course, must get ou
Don't go to inventing, but find out th
great principles of that law, and contorr
your actions thereto. / will go back I
the subject of institutions: / want n
better League than the Constitution {
the United States, and the laws made j
pursuance thereof. The Constitution
that palladium of civil and religious lii
erty, is my League; it is small enoug
for me, aud large enough for all-.for IL
tchole t0orld. No institution must ris
L oUONO ~. ANS 10 tuC pcOpiO NOuSbiI
{ tion-the peoples Government. IT
S voice of the people is the voice of Go
and hence the purity, the beauty, Il
harmony of our Government
Go back to the Articles of Confederi
;, ton, which were designed to secure
81 perpetual union of the States, the Co
stitutiOnNxas framed to secure a mo-
:, perfect unfsp. In it provision is mat
for its own amendment, for the admi
{. sion of new States, for everything, b
secession. Nowhere is there found
! provision for letting State out 1t pr
u vides means to repel invasion and su
press insurrection; it also guarantees
3 every State in the Union a republic
form of government, and to protect the
, from domestic violence. This Cover
ment of ours was intended to be inC
ss structible, to be perpetual. Like
y Christian religion, the Constitution
comprehensive enough for the wht