The Nashville daily union. [volume] (Nashville, Tenn.) 1862-1866, 1865-03-24
The vlce-Presldeats speech az the
inauguration.



prom she Congressional Globs.)
The Nice-P President elect, Hon. An
pREH JoHNsos, Of Tennessee, in reply 70
the question as 10 whether he. was ready
50 take the oath) am. Then irrning
to the Senate be said, Senator'S / am !
here to-day as the chosen Vice Presi-
dent Of the United States, and as such,
by constitutional provision, am made
the presiding officer of this body
therefore present myself here in obedi-
ence 20 the Lizh behests of the Ameri-
can people to discharge a constitutions
al duty, and not presunptuously 70
thrust myself in q position 50 exalted.
NAY I at this moments may not be
irrelevant to ithe occasion-advert TO
the workings Of our institutions under
the Consultation which our fathers
framed and WASHINGTON approved as
exhibited by the position in which | 4
stand before the American Senate, in I
the sight Of the American people I
Deem me no vain OF ignorant; yet l |
should be less than man if, under such I
circumstance, were not proud fixing 1
an American citizen, for to-day one who I
claims no high decent, one who comes |
from the ranks Of the people, stands, |
by the choice Of free constituency, IN |
/ the second place in this Government |
There NAV be those to whom such |
things are not pleasing; but those who
1 have labored for the consGmmstion of
A free government viii appreciate and
! cherish institutions which exclude
none. however, obscure his origin,
from places of trust and distinction.
The people, il short. are the source Of
all power. YOu, Senators, you who
constitute the BENCH Of the Supreme
Court of the United States, are but the
creatures Of the American people; your
exsltation IS from them; the power oil
this Government consists in its near
ness and approximation to the great
mass Of the people You, Mr. Secreta>
ry Seward, Mr. Secretary Stanton, the
Secretary of the Navy, and the Others
who are your associates-you know
that you have my respect and conn
dence-deriye not your greatness and
your power alone from President Lin
coin. Humble as / am, plebian as | may
be deemed, permit me, in the presence
of this brilliant assenblsge, TO enun>
! niate the truth that courts and cab
inets, the President AID his adj
visors, derive their power and great
ness from the people. A President
could not exist here forty eight hours
fhe were so far removed from the peo-
pie as the autocrat Of Russia is separa
ted from his subjects. Here the popular
heart sustains Pre5ident and Cabinet
officers; the popular will gives them
all their strength. Such an assertion
of the great principles of this Govern
ment may be considered out of place,
and / will not consume the time OF
these intelligent and enlightened peo-
, pie much longer; but l could not be
; insensibie to these great truths when |,
! a plebian, elected by the people the
Vice President of the United States,
3 am here to enter upon the discharge of
! my duties For those duties / claim
/ not the aptitude Of my respected pre-
decesscr. Although have occupied
seat in both the House Of Represents
tives and the Senate, am not learned
in parliamentary law, and | shall be
dependent on the courtesy of those
< Senators who have become familiar
p with the rules which are requisite for
the good order Of the body and the
a dispatch of its business. / have only
, studied how / may best advance the
interests of my State and Of my coun-
try, and not the technical rules of or
D der; aud if / err shall ap-
peal to this digniied body of represen-
tatvss of States for kindness and in
: diligence.
Before I conclude this brief inaugu-
raj address, in the presence of this au-
, dience-and I, though a plebian boy,
Il am authorized BY the principles Of the
4 Government under which | live to feel
proudly conscious that am man, and
! grave dignilaries are but men-beiore
1 the Supreme Court, the representatives
2 # frsgn Governments, Senators, and
!. the peooe, desire to proclaim that
/ Tennessee, whose representative have
y been, is free. She has bent the tyrant {
q rod, she has broken the yoke of slaV-
cry, and to-day she stands redeemed
- She waited not FOR the exercise of power
by Congre it was her own act, and
= she is now as loyal, Mr.. Attorney Gen
{ eral as Is the State from which
.e you come. It is the doctrine of the
a Federal Constitution that no State
can go out of this Union; and
moreover, Congress cannot eject State
from this Union. Thank God, Tennes
see has never been out of the Union
It is true, the operations Of her Gov
It eminent were for a time interrupted
y but she Is still in the Union, and l an
her representative This day she elects
- her Governor and her Legislature
q which will be convened on the frs
a Monday OF april, and again her Sena
% tors and Representatives viii soon min
gle with those of her sister States and
who shsll gainsay it, for the Constitu
p ton reqoires that TO every State shall
a. be guaranteed q republican form o
If government
now am prepared to take the ostE
of Office and renew my allegiance to
8 the Constitution of the United States