Brownlow's Knoxville Whig, and rebel ventilator. [volume] (Knoxville, Tenn.) 1863-1866, 1864-09-07
Speech Of Emerson Eihridge, made In
Nashville, Tenn, March Is, 1862.

Nashville, Tenn, March IL, 1862.
Reported by the correspondent Of tho New York World
lDomorratc)l
Mr., Ethridgo said, in speech at Green
castle Ind, the other day
"Ihe aboitonists tell you the cause (of
the war; is African slavery, | shall say
nothing to justify slavery, pro or con, !
never in all my life defined my position in
regard to slavery but once, when away
from homo, 1t was this-that ! would do
nothing to put slavery up or to put it down
that it was only TO be considered by those
among whom it existed, But you believe
you must remove the cause, because you
say slavery was the cause Of the war, |
have said that original sin was the cause of
il"
The public will please compare with the
above paragraph the following report of the
correspondent Of the New York World, Il
strong Democratic journal, of Mr.. Etho-
ridges speech made inthisplacc on the 18th
Of March, 1862;
MR. ETHERIDGEs SPEECH.
II there can be such II thing, this was an
ultra Union spccch-a fact worth noticing.
For to say the truth, if the sentiments of
this speech are digostiblc-aro palatablc in
this quarter, we may have no hope Of Ten
ncsscc.
Mr. Ethcridgc called n spade spade. He
made this rebellion against this Govern
ment look as odious, disgusting and detcsti-
bic as loyal lips can describe it, lie put on
the canvass Tennessee before the rebellion,
and Tennessee since" He turned the eyes
Of the attentive upon this picture, and then
upon that
lie proved what seems to need proof,
even in Tennessee, that the South had never
asked Of the North an act Of legislation that
she did not get, and had never protested
against one that was not defeated, He cx-
posed the silly little prctcXt Of Northern
interference with Southern institutions.
But the huge thing of the speech was
its declaration, in this proud slave capital,
that whenever the question arose, the Con
stitution or slavery, slavery must 60 down
that every negro would be liberated. He
declared cmphatically that slavery would
never be allowed to cmbarrass the United
States Government or to protract the war.
"ThCsc sentiments were announced OK
plicitcly and omphatically, and were rccciv-
ed with as much enthusiasm as they could
have been in Boston turned to II gen
tIeman by my side with the old remark,
"thc world moves And it does.
Mr. Ethcridgc said also that this war had
made more aboIitiOnists than all the thirty
years Of ant-slavery agitation, and that
slavery could never have the security it
once had in this country. With the whole
civilized world against it, the Government
Of the United States has sheltered and pro-
tcctcd it.
"Ilc said slavery was much more easily
defended as a permissive than as an aggrcs-
siyc thing. You have got to live in Union
with your slaves if you will, without them
if you must
He specified the nations Of the earth that
had abolished it. He proved it an outrage.
These points were put and pressed with fine
iorco and lranEncss with frankncss that
amazed me, accustomed as | have been to
the public reserve and caution on this ques-
ton of questions in the South country du-
ring all my life,
Make a note Of this, Tell it in Gath
Publish it in streets Of Askalon. Let the
historian take memorandum of it.
Ethcridgo is Il Stakeholder SO are hun
drcds of others in this State who breathe
freely and talk frankly ON this importunate
Banquo's ghost Of negro bondage This
war is working revvals. 1t is the John
the Baptist Of civilization crying in the will
dcrness Of the United States: "Rcpcnt, re-
turn, reflect for the kingdom Of Columbia
is at hand
"lf this war is protractod, exclaimed Mr..
Ethcridgc, then confscation and cmancipa-
ton 4. And shareholders shook him by the
hand aftcrward and said amen"