The Columbia daily phoenix. [volume] (Columbia, S.C.) 1865-1865, 1865-05-19
President johnson on Slavery.

drew johnson, then Military Governor
Of Tennessee. made an address before
the delegates to the State Convention
which abolished slavery in that State:
We reprint the following extracts from
this important address. It shows the
thoroughly anti-s!avery character of
President Johnson:
GEsrLEMEN: I congratulate you in
the sincerity Of my heart on the suc~
cessful conclusion Of your labors. It
is the greatest work of the age. In
the great revolution which is going
forward, you have performed your
part. nobly. This | say without fiat
terry; your work has been we'll done.
In this momentous struggle in the de-
ve,opment of the great principles Of
human liberty, you have discharged
your duty manfully. Who would
have thought three or four years ago
that Temesseeens would have been
permitted to assemble in this capitol
for Such a purpose without being mo-
lested or driven from its halls? The
mighty principles of human rights and
liberty have been pitted against mo-
nopoly and slavery. Yesterday you
broke the tyraits rod, and set the
captive free. cloud applause) Yes,
gentlemen, on yesterday, you sounded
the desth-knell Of pegro aristocracv,
and performed the funeral obseoui,.. of
that thing called slavery. You have
opened the grave and let the carcass
down, and all that remains is for YOU
to seal The pit on the 22d Of Feb
ruary, the anniversary Of the day
which gave birth to the Father of his
Country. Ccnsecrate YOUR work on
that day.
I fee! "a ll=arsee,t gratitude tbs. 7,
have livet. 10 see ii done, and that I
have been permitted to. perform my
little part IN this great drama. The
blow has been struck. and slavery lies
PROSTATE. An insoicnt, insincere, ie-
norant, unfeeling, hypocritical, net;l-
rious, diabol;cal slave aristocracv has
been tumbled TO the ground. They
who never learned that
"Worth makes,the man, and want of it the
fellow"
who lived on the real or imaginary
honors Of a buried ancestry, have at
least learned that an ignorant, corrup:
arlstoctacy must go down. Your
sessions have been, on the whole, har-
monious, Notwithstanding some little
pickering. which, I think, will pass
away with your sdjournment.
While you think that you have
emancipated black men, I tell you that
you have emanclpated more white
than black men from the insolent
domination Of the Shareholder. Yes,
the time was not long ago when you
dared not speak your sentiments. Even
IN East Tennessee, where there we're
only few slaves, and we always spoke
more freely, DO ,ou remember the
power which the STAKEHOLDER exer-
cised? how many of our people We're
compelled to live on barren ridges and
cultivate the stony spots, while a few
Shareholders owned Thousands Of broad
acres in the fertile valleys, which they
titled with their boldsmen.
Even you felt their power, and
knew the contempt they felt for you.
Because, many years ago, ] dared to
speak Of these things, | was denounced
as an agrar;an and demagogue, who
appealed to the prejuaices Of the
people Thank God, have lived to
see the day when the people Of my
State have declared themselves free. I
must now urge YOU to relouble vour