Belmont chronicle. [volume] (St. Clairsville, Ohio) 1855-1973, 1864-04-28
A stirring speech by Gov. AM
drew Johnson. t.-..-

at Knoxville, on the 18th inst. He spoke
in the open air, to an immense concourse Of
people, aud made speech Of tremendous
power. Gov. johnson said:
| The time has arrived when treason must
be made odious, when traitors must lie pun
ishcd--impoyerished their property taken
/ from them, whether it be their horses, their
lands, or their negroes, and given to the in.
nocent, the honest, the loyal, upon whom
/ the calamities Of this unproyoked and wick
( cd rebellion have fallen with such crushing
weight. IT is easy to stand here and de-
claim, but am not declaiming. 1t is easy
to utter mere bombast, but | am not utter
ing bombast. You know me. You know
something Of what have done for YOU
for Tennessee-for East Tennessee. But
will not speak of that. If have made
sacrifices, if have endured suferiDgs, il
have undergone hsrdships, so let it be-
God grant that may hase helped you, and
that | may help you again. But you must
help yourselves. You must join hands with
me ami with one another, and swear to do
what have already told you must be done
to make treason odious, this is said with
tremendous emphasis, and to make trait
ors suffer, as you have suffered, as your
country has suffered.
What has brought this war upon s?--
Let me answer in one word. let me speak it
so loud that the deafest man ia all this mul.
titude can hear me-Slavery Hundreds
OF voices: That's so, " That God's
truth d" Men talk about the Constitution
and State rights. They sneer at the Eman
cipation Proclamation. and call it tyran.
nica assumption Of authority, a despolic
usurpation Of power. Listen to what now
say: all such talk is the language of treason.
But | am net here to discuss the constitu-
tiOnalty of slavery, or the unconstitution-
/ atty of the Presidents Proclamation of
/ Freedom. ! am here TO present facts; to
address your intellects to appeal to your
! common sense. Here is one fact to which
| | want YOU to attend: Why is the soil Of
your beloved IeDnessee-a soil as rich as
any in the world--so far behind the States
of the North in its productveness Why
have you but few such farms, but few such
granaries. as they have all over Indiana and
! Ohio and Pennsylvania? Here is the ex-
I planation, and let me speak it 50 loud that
the deaiest man in all this multitude can
/ hear me-Slavery Thank God, the people
/ are beginning to see that slave labor has
Impoverished the soil of Tennessee about
/ long enough. Cries of Good, good
/ that's 80.
| Men sneer at the doctrine Of emancipation.
! Let them sneer but this | tell you-mark
met is the plnte man that we propose TO
emancipate; it is the tohite man that is even
now being emaucipated; and may Heaven
hasten the work ct emancipation. and carry
it on until all are free. Loud and prolong-
ed applause.
Thank God that I can say these things
to-day in Knoxville! that can say them
and be applauded! Thank God for free
speech and free press, and the prospect OF
free country! May He who is our Maker,
and who will he our Judge. break every
yoke, loose every shackle, open every prison
door, and let every bondman, white and
black, go free Loud applause.
Sometimes the clouds appear dark and
of gloom but when | remember that there
is a God, l am encouraged. Though not
religious as ought to be, sometimes walk
by faith, and | have found it a convenient
way of walking when it is too dark to see.
And on the whole, though our suffering has
been great, our blessedness will be all the
greater when the day OF our triumph shall
come
My countrymen! my heart yearns toward
YOU: love you; am one of you | have
climbed yoBder mountains that you have
climbed --yonder mountains, rock-ribbed
and glowing in the sunshne-in whose
gorgcs, in whose caverns, your sons, hunted
like wild beasts, have fallen to rise no more.
, do not speak of these things to draw youi
tears. |, is not a time for tears, but fOl
blows. | speak of them that may tirC
your hearts with holy indignation, and nerve
your arms for unceuquerabie fight. Aud
speak of them because the mountains seen
to talk to me. My home is among the
mountains, and though it is not far away,
vet | cannot go to it. 1t is the place where
met her, and loved her, and married her
who is the mother of my children. Do
, NOT love the mountains, then? And if lib
ertv is to expire, if freedom is to be des.
troyed. if my country in all its length and
, breadth, is to tremble beneath the uppros
|, sor's tread let the flag, the dear old flag,
, the last flag, be planted on yon rocky
heights; and upon it let there be this in
scription " Here is the end of all that i
dear to the heart and sacred to the memor!
, of man.
But must not go on in this strain. VIII.
| is it that there is so much that IS mournfn
in the contemplation of this broad, beautifr
: country? Who are the men that are to b
held responsible for the terrible war who's
ravaces we see to-day wherever We cast on
ewes? Jefferson Davis, Robert Toomb'
Yancey, Stephsns--but will not continu
5 the hated list. You know them. You hay
felt them. And for what cause have the
made US suffer thus? | have tod yon agail
aud agrin. Shall repeat il? Wei, III
, slavery What right have ], what rish
: have you, 10 hold fellow-man in bondage
except for crime? What right have iyo'
/ to use his labor without conpensationF t.
e separate him from his wife and children
: and sell him or them like dumb .brules?1,
And vet because the whole nation woulC
d not recognize this right, and bow to thos'
q who claimed it, we have, war, we hay
: wasted fields, desoated homes, broSe'
= hearts, There are those here who will snee
. at me as | talk thus--who will button thei
= mouths and think-not daring to say it
; "damned Abolition Yankee, he want
!. Office" " I spun all such from me as
would filthy dog; ttrample them nnde
7 my feet as | would venomous reptile.