Brownlow's Knoxville Whig. [volume] (Knoxville, Tenn.) 1866-1869, 1866-09-12
The Convention of Loyal SOutherners
at Philadelphia.
MIR. Durant, Of Louisiana, Chosen Tenn
pOrary President.
The Address OF Welcome and Reply
thereto by Governor Hamilton,
or Texas.

Greeting from tic Governors gf the Pacific Stases-
On Immense Procession UnJotmded Enthusiasm
Address Of Welcome and Reply thereto BIZ Cor
Hamilton, Of TCrCS.
PHILADELPHIA, September 3-Thc city in al
quarters is decorated with flags. The hotels are
overlooking with delegates. The Maryland delega
ton are at the Brigham House. The new establish
ment built by the Adams Express Company opens
every opportunity for accommodation of the crowd
The Press publishes the following
SAN FRANCIsCO, September Hon H. j. Ham.
Lto,l Of Teas care Of Hon. JOHN w. Foy1eu Phil
adelphja: The Pacific States send cordial congratu-
lations 10 your convention May your deliberations
promote the adoption of the only wise plan of re-
construction-that proposed by Congress.
TSigned] f. 7. Low,
Governor Of California
II. 6. BLAIsHALL,
Governor of Nevada
a. {. GIBBS
Governor Of Oregon.
GEO. L. WooD,
Governor elect of Oregon.
The Union League, about 500 strong, assembled
at the League House, formed in procession and
while marching down Chestnut street were Joined
by members of the National Union Club Each
has bands and banners and an abundance of flags
They entered Independence Square and forming in
line were received with hearty cheers The South
ern delegation, well delegates from Northern
States, Gems. Butler and Burnside, and Governors
Sprague and BrownlOw, Fred Douglass and others
were welcomed with cheers The procession then
formed on Walnut street, headed by the Union
League The National Union Club followed escort
ing the Southern delegations. Kentucky came first
and was followed by Tennessee, IS in number head
ed by carriage containing Gov. Brownlow and
other prominent delegates Other Southern States
followed, including West Virginia Maryland, Della
ware, South Carolina North Carolina, Alabama
Louisiana and Texas Boys in blue, carrying tat
tered flags that passed through the war, and also
handsome stand of colors, preceded the delegations
from the Northern States, the prominent members
of which were cheered by the spectators The Re
publican Invincibles, five hundred strong followed
and were succeeded by large delegation of firemcn
with seven hose carriages and one steam engine
beautifully decorated with flowers. Large delqca-
tons from Delaware and Allegheny counties, and
from New Jersey and Wilmington, Delaware. The
New Jersey delegation had numerous banners with
notices of welcome to the Southern delegates
The procession marched down Walnut street TO
Third; up Third to Chestnut street, and then up
Chestnut to Broad street. Chestnut street is most
literally decorated with bunting, and the sidewalks
densely packed with spectators throughout the
line of march.
The formal welcome 10 the Southern delegates
took place in front of the Union League House
An address delivered by Charles Gibbons, and
responded TO by Gov Hamilton, of Texas.
NATIONAL GUARDS HALL
Philadelphia, Sept. 81. NJ. I
The Southern delegates have Just entered and &C.
cupied seats the Tennessee delegation in 'front.'
Charles Gibbons in few words welcomed the dele
gates. Colonel Newness, of New York, then intro
duced Colonel Stokes, of Tennessee, who read the
call for the Convention.
DR.. Sydney, of Mississippi, was then requested by
the chairman to announce the temporary officers of
the Convention. He nominated Thos. j. Durant
Of Louisiana, for temporary President. The nomi-
nation was received with great applause, and the
nominee unanimously elected. Mr.. Durant re-
piled in a brief speech 10 the compliment. The
fpOa cd nd
elected.
The proceedings were then opened with prayer
by the Rev j. W. jackson, of Mississippi. {. Z.
Fulton Of Baltimore has been selected by the Mary
land delegation to represent that State in the Com
mittee on Resolutions. Special Committees on Gre
dentials and permanent organization were appoint
ed
About quarter before II o'clock the procession
from Independence Hall passed in front of the
Union League House on Broad street. which was
decorated with bunting In the portico stood, in
company with several Directors Of the Union
League, Gov. { - If Penn lyania, John Minor
Bolts, of Nirgni, and many OTIS. The process
sion was headed by platoon Of Pc. semen on foot,
who were followed by mounted squadron Of boys
in blue, wearing broad blue sashes. Then came men
on foot, accompanied by bands Of music, and sing
ing patriotic songs. When Gov. Curtin was recog-
nized by the men marching past, he was loudly
Cheered. An open barouche, containing Gov. Ham
ilton, Of Texas, and Gov. Brownlow, Of Tennessee,
with much enthusiasm.
The Southern delegates formed in front of the
Union League House. The crowd filled I'D the
whole space, which had been until then kept clear
Cheers were given for Hamilton Brownlow, Gen.
Geary, and for Gov. Curtin the next Senator from
Pennsylvania.
After time while the procession was still in
motion, with music playing and banners waving
The reception speech was delivered by Mr.. Charles
Gibbons, Chairman of the Committee of Reception
Thpra must have been over 10 0OO paon1e in ha
street while Mr.. Gibbons speaking. Mr.. Glib
bons greeted the delegates from the South as fol-
lows:
Loyalists, fellow-citizens, friends and brethren
There was no loyal blood on their hands, and their
souls free from the guilt of treason They had
held fast 10 their integrity, although their homes had
been desolated their pleasant places laid waste and
themselves and their wives and children driven into
exile. The sympathy which men of the North felt
for them was flashed from million of Northern
bayonets, and pronounced by the mouths of North
ern cannon. lie proclaimed il as the honest senti-
ment Of the North that when the South returned to
her duty she must come clothed in robes with new
covenants for liberty, equality and justice led by
hetown loyal Unionists who are free from the guilt
Of treason. Cheers. What hope had they in the
future and what security had they, if unpublished
and mpentent traitors were to be reinstated in pow
er by the arbitrary and besotted will of one man,
under a Constitution deliberately foresworn; and
the answer was already written in the blood of the
murdered loyalsts of New Orleans.
They, the men of the South, were here on the
high and solemn mission Of re-establishing the
American Union on broad and sure foundation of
equal and exact justice 10 all men. Cheers 1t
could stand upon no other. They could not be go
unmindful of all the blessings of the past to be
led by vagraat politicians into another compromise
with crime, instead of lifting up from degradation
those who had been its victims
He closed his remarks by q reiteration of words
OF welcome 70 the city of Philadelphia, where the
Government based on the equality of man, had been
lnaugurated, and where Government had been ad-
mlnstered justly and in its purity by that illustri
Gus man, whose name alone strikes every traitor
dead. Loud cheers.
The following is an abstract of the reply Of Gov.
Hamilton, OF Texas, TO the address of welcome de-
livered by Mr. Gibbons to-day:
Gov. Hamilton, in behalf Of the assembled loval-
lists of the South, returned thanks for the Welcome
which they had received. He said it would be an
unmixed pleasure, were it not that they could no.
but remember the cause of their assembling Tbev
had hoped that after the triumph of the national
arms, those who had suffered so long would have
some indemnify for the past and at least security for
the future; had hoped to be permitted to return
peacefully TO the habtaton, and renew their asso-
Citations with friends from whom they had so long
been parted. But the experience of the past twelve
months had taught them in bitterness of heart that
the spirit which animated the rebellion was as ram
pant to-day as on the day when the rebels first drew
swords. Voices That's so."1 The prescription
Fo1l dnd tlaG cad ~