The Nashville daily union. [volume] (Nashville, Tenn.) 1862-1866, 1865-09-05
Mississippi COnTentlOn-Speeeh Of an
nnL.H n....-nI IL !.

Mississippi COnTentIOn-Speeeh Of an
RK-Rebel General.
The following report of the speech of
General Martin, in the Mississippi State
Convention, on the ordinance declaring
the act of secession null and void, Will
. be found interesting: '
Hon. Wm. T. Martin said he had lately
assisted at the burial of slavery. and he ,Vss
ready and anxious TO assist at ihe funeral of
ITS twln-brother, secession. He was sur
Prlsed as this discussion, for he thought that
u any thing was settled by the late war, 1t
was secession. lie had always opposed the
right rom his youth up, and so stTepno,,sI,
that sometimes he was considered untrue 10
the South. he did not believe any Govern
inent was worth stgoks OF the sword which
was neld together by mere rope of sand.
Il was right he did not want. No State
ought to have such q right. 1t wasn't any
rlght, Only shadow, the Yeriest delusion
and mockery. .Al II eAsi State had such a
right 1t ought to be taken away from if.
Sentlemen called it the right of revolution
Il n eonsHtpt on gives the right Of revolution
'fgaiust itself; eOUhf give none. soma bs5
deluded themselves and Others witb tba
lying moekery of '"peaceable secession %
f'eadsa0te secession" forsoothl What dhi
those words mean? They meant war. ana
uesoiahon, and want; they meant baif-rs-
Jionsi quarter-ratiOns,n no ratious al all tha,,
meant long marches, marches bv nipbi
pflYau0n and disease, the agcnies of the
battle, field, and the lingering wretchedness
OF the hospital; they meant bloody battles
ana defeat; they meant sickness. starvs-
tion and death. Peaceable Secession II
meant the risking Of all We had or valbed /
me abandonment of ali we held dear. our
homes aud families, Of life itself. He want !
/ ca y understood, for all future time, thattbis
Was What 1t meant. He hoped no one wouTd /
ever believe again that il meant iudepend- |
enee, H pray ed Col the South might pev-
er again rebel. If at last the dsv sbould /
some he did not believe it would GOMEZ /
"hen the WesHt 81 tyranny became intol-
traeie, was m9fe fhaR they could bear, then
let-them resort 10 Revolutions, 10 down riobt
revolution, but, in Gtd's name, let them moi
nndeEtaks this haifshanded rebeihon they
called secession -
He haa al hfs hfeoppused secession as an
aDsurulty and deluaOn, though he beIiev-
ed, Of course, in the right of revolution, as
Delong'ng 10 ALL but he was thoroughly Il
soulhern IN teeling-not drop Of other
9'ooa eeorsed through his Feins--aud when
ue sa" MS "hole section going into the war,
he was induced TO believe thar II was a ren
ulne revolution, and he could not hold aioof
he could nos prove unlaithfui to his people
ana the country Of has pride, and he went
IN % the army with all hissepl and strepptb |
determined TO accomplish Southern indie
pendenee. But alas iOr this miserable farce
and delueIon Of ''pesceable eecession''-peo
PIE i9nng themselves mistaken. They ex-
Pscted holday march-po0r dupes -and
hauncing banners and an enemy that ]
WouIu not hght' But after a few months d
theV cena uuOn difF ' I
they got TO the field OF battle-tbere yvas
gunpowder there, and lead-people GOT bprt e
and lost blOod-the enemy aoopid tSbt. God ]
"Ot' ana n0t run away, and all the sport a
was lost. Then came returning sense de-
serters began TO drop out aud 20 home. or '
steal away to the woods and swamps-and
who were these deserters7 With shame and S
bitterness he must say g, tb ey were the verv q
people who had brought on the war, and
thelr deluded victims, the ignorant people. ,
But still the war went on, and its weary c
years dragged their slow length along. and lie
he thought only how he might best pro- :
m9te the cause he had taken up, while 9th
ers about him, the pratihg demaeogues who {,
proclaimed peaceable secession to the peo- v
pIe-fheSe sneaked away to escape the dan
gers OF the 'front.'. Their wreschod victims.
also-Weary and wounded aud sick-sur- I
ieited with lies and the vain promises of o
ihelr5Ieac herou5 poiticians--crept away to il
die, and the ranks grew thin about him, and E
deIeat and ruin stared them in the face. :
Ihey came At last and overwhelmed him, u
snd the little handful that stood around c.
MN, and who were they who were found A
hghtIng 10 the last, intent Onlv on saviug >,
the country's honor and her liberties Were +
any among them who were SO loud in pro- f
claiming I" peaeeable secession 2''l Not one. t,
In Gods name, let the South never again G,
rebel upoa such miserable, miserable de-
llslon as the right OF secession Il was Il
y1l. s1eallng away out OF the Union if they "
went out az all, let them not 90 oDt os the N
t07', steslthily and silly eteepiag forth in 4;
the night; but as the lion goes. with head "
erect and proudly bidding defiance to his p
foes Let US not seeedc but rebel. He hoped s
most devoutly that there would never again n
be any attempt 70 separate from the national i
government. He was tired and sick of war :.
tired Of lighting the battles of others, who u
entleed him and Others with lying speeches, D
and when the day of their calamity came, "
deserted them to their fate. t.r...
He hoped they would bury this doctrine g
forever, and beyond the hope of resurree- >
ton more pestilent, political beresy
never infested and cursed any people. Ofsen a,
had he and his brother officers, in times
when the confederate arms were most pros n
perots-they had been victorious sometimes a
and the prospect fOr Independence was r
bright, sat in their tents at night and can
vassed the future, which they thought lay
before them. They asked each other, i
''Wnat n we should succeed, ana establish c
our Independence What will become of Al
Hss Shall we cling together, as nov, and
become great aud united people?" Their
conclusions were always despondent they T,
could gather little hope from the prospect | r,
that cursed element OF secession aud diyis-
ion was implanted in the Constitution for
which they were eoute1ding, and il cast d
dark cloud over all Chat Jay before them. 2
d he said he Intended no disrespeet what ii
ever 10 the Convention Of 1861, by voting
to declare their ordinance null and void
Far f1 irom IT. BE meapt the contrary thing.
he would be greatly Obliged if he were iu | a
their places, 70 any one who would cause il 4,
10 appear that they meant 10 rebel instead OF =
the amazing farce of sseedinr. u
lie waited 10 dignity their action. He G.
would be greatly obliged TO any Qns who o
could convince him that he himself had
been fighting four years for something else
beside the stupid, tho absurd right Of seces- u
sion. .- a
He wanted no deception for the future !,
He wanted the people 10 understand what
they fought for, III they did so foolish a s
thing, and not again to tell their leaders
" You deceived Us with this pretenss Of
peaceable secession"
The speech Of Mr.. Martin had the ring 9
OF true metal. Il was spoken, IS he hitaself 0
said, with none Of the caution Of a p5liti- q
an, for be disclaimed any arts Of the class; !
but with trankness and sincerity which
4 was refreshing 70 hear. Idoubt notit ex-
pressed the sentiments Of the best and most | I
honorabis Of the Southern military leaders.
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