The evening Argus. [volume] (Rock Island, Ill.) 1861-1871, 1865-05-05
ANDREW JOHNSON.
The Record Of His public
Life.
EXTRACTS FROM A SPEECH DELIV-
Erred By HIM In 1860.


TODAY, and shall say but little more in reference
to them and to their practical operation but, |
as we are now, as it were involved in revolution |
flor there is revolution, in fact upon the coun-
tryl think it behooves every man, and, especial
ly, every one occupying public place, to indicate
in some manner, his opinions and sentiments in |
reference to the questions that agitate and dis
tract the public mind. / shall be frank on this
occasion in giving my views and taking my posi-
lions I have always been upon questions that
involve the public interest. / believe it is the
imperative duty of congress to make some effort
to save the country from impending dissolution
and he that is unwilling to make an effort to pre-
serve the Unicn, or, in other words, to preserve
the constitution and the Union as an Incident re-
sultng from the preservation of the constitution,
think is unworthy of public confidence, and the
respect and confidence of the American people.
Ilsay it devolves upon every one who can contrib
ute in the slightest degree to this result to come
forward and make some effort, reasonable in its
character, to preserve the union of these states
by a preservation of the constitution"
TENNESSEE TO BE BRKAKwArKR BETWEEN THE
NORTH AND SOUTH.
Notwithstanding we [alluding to the people of
TENNESSEE want to occupy the position of a
breakwater between the northern and the south
ern extremes, and bring altogether if we can,
tell our northern friends that the constitutional
guarantees must be carried out for the time
NAV come when, after w have exhausted all hon.
orable and fair means, if this government still
fails to execute the laws, and protect us in our
rights, it will be at an end. Gentlemen at the
north need not deceive themselves in that partic
ular but intend to act in the union and un-
der the constitution, and not out of it. We do
not intend that you shall drive US out of this
house that was reared by our fathers. 1t is
house. 1t is the constitutional house. We have
a right here and because you come forward and
violate the ordinances of this house. we intend to
eject you from the building and retain the DOS
session ourselves. We want, If we can, to stay
the heated, and, am compelled to say, according
to my judgement, the rash and precipitate action
of some of cur southern friends, that indicates
red hot madness. want to say to those in the
north, comply with the constitution and preserve
its guarantees, and in doing save this glorious
union and all that pertains to it. | intend to
stand by the constitution it is, insisting upon
a compliance with its guarantees. / intend to
stand by it as the sheet anchor of the govern
nent and trust and hope, though it seems TO
be now in the very vortex OF ruin, though II
seems to be running between Chsrybdis and Scyl-
Ia the rock on the one hand and the whirlpool
on the other, that it will be preserved, and will
remain a beacon to guide, ana example to be
initiated by all the nations of the earth. Yes, l
intend to hold to it as the chief ark of our
safety, the palladium of our civil and our re
ligiog: liberty l. intend IS to cling to 1t as the
when the night and the tempest close around him.
1t is the last hope of human freedom. Although
denounced as an experiment by some who want
| to see constitutional monarchy, it has been u
success full experiment / trust and hope it will
be continued that this great work may 60 on"
THE POSITION OF TENNEssEE-rHE SOUTH
MUST BE RIGHTED.
eff there grievances, why cannot we all go
together, and write them down, and point them
out to northern friends after we have agreed
on what those grievances WERE and say, "here is
what we demand here our wrongs are enumera-
ted upon those terms we have agreed and
now, after we have given you a reasonable time
to consider these additional guarantees in order
to protect ourselves against these wrongs. if you
refuse them, then, having made an honorable eff
fort, having exhausted all other MEANS we NAV
declare the association to be broken NJ, and we
may go into act of revolution We can then
say to them, You have refused to give US guaran-
tees that We think are needed for the protection
of our institutions and for the protection of other
interests. When they they do this | will go
as far as he who goes the farthest
81 tell them here to-day, if they do not do it,
Tennessee will be found standing as firm and I'M
yielding in her demands for those guarantees in
the way state should stand, any other state
in this confederacy She is not quite so bellig-
erent now. She is not making quite so much
noise. She is not as clustering as Sempronius
was in the council in Addions PLAY of Cato, who
declared that his voice was still for war; There
was another character there, Lucius, who was
called upon to know what his opinions were and
wheI, he was called upon, he replied that he must
confess his thoughts were turned on peace; but
when the extremity came, Lucius who was DELHI
crate, who was calm, and whose thoughts were
upon peace, was found true to the interests of
his country. He proved himself to be a man and
a soldier while the other was a traitor and
coward We will do m ua Mill nd
upon principle, and defend it the last extremi-
ty."-[Speech of Dec. 49, 1860.
THE GENERAL GOVERNMENT PROGRESSES NO SOW
EREIGN POWERS.
'The republican platform declares, and the
senator from Illinois argues, that the powers of
congress being sovereign over the territories, il
can exclude slaves from the territories. What
do you mean by sovereignty = ! shall not under
take to define it on this occasion, but will give
my understanding of the power of congress over
the territories. i deny that any such power is
conferred on the federal government in reference
to the territories. 1t is not sovereign. This fed
eral government possesses no sovereign power
All its powers derivative and limited and
those that are not expressly granted are reserved
TO the states respectively. Congress has no SOW
eregn power. All its powers are derived it can
exercise no single, primitive or original power
'" here, tuen' ooes IL get sovereign power in ref
erence to territory of the United States p
Where does it even get sovereign power in refer
ence to the District of Columbia 1t has no
such power. The congress of the United States
may exercise exclusive and limited power. but
not sovereign power. Its authority is limited il
Is defined, and deny the assumption that the
FEDERAL government has sovereign power in refer.
ence to the territories of the United States
THE DEMOCRATIC PARTY AND ITS PRINCIPLES.
eff understand him correctly, he proceeds nm
on the idea that anybody can be a democrat who