Daily union and American. [volume] (Nashville, Tenn.) 1865-1866, 1866-02-27

SPEECH OF SECRETARY SEWARD.

| then what thought would be pertinent .
public affairs for whole year. The sum
mons offriends in the city of New Yorl
brings me back after the expiration Of onl.
three months Their demand is, l confess
rather hard upon me, under the circumstan
ces. Nevertheless, obey. am no Seces
sionist. ! profess to understand how to ODE,
the commands of the people Of my own Stat
without violating my allegiance to th'
United States. Now what shall [ speak o
or about? The call Of your meeting speci
fies the subject !. but first, let me say that
| am not here as an alarmsst; / am not her,
to say that the nation is in peril or dangel
lin peril, if you adopt the opinions Of thu
! President in peril If you reject them il
| peril If you adopt the views of the apparent
or real majority OF Congress, or If you rejec
them. 1t is not in peril any way; nor do ]
think the cause of liberty and human free
dom, the cause Of progress, melioration OF
civilization, the cause of national aggrandize
ment, present or future, material or moral
it is In danger of being long arrested
whether you adopt one set of political opin-
ions or another. The Union-that is to say
the nation-has been rescued from ali its
perils The noble ship has passed from
tempests and pillows into the verge of a safe
harbor, and is now securely riding into her
ancient mooring, without broken spar or a
leak, starboard or larboard, fore or aft
There are some small reefs yet to pass as
she approaches those moorings One pilot
says that she may safely enter directly
through them. The other says she must
back, and lowering sail, take time to go
around them. That is all the difference;
it is merely the difference of opinion between
the pilots. / should not practice my habitual
charity if did not admit that / think them
both sincere and honest. But the vessel will
go in safety, one way or the other. The
wors. that need happen viii De that, by tax
ing the wrong instead Of the right passage,
or even taking the right passage and avoid
ing the wrong one, the vessel may roll lit
tie, and some honest, capable, and even de-
serving politicians, statesmen, President or
Congressman may get washed overheard.
should be sorry for this; but if it cannot
be helped, it can be borne. If / am one
of the unfortunates, let no friend be con-
cerned on that account. As honest, as good,
as capable politicians, statesmen, Congress-
men and President will make their appear
ance hereafter, faster than needed, to COM
mand the ship, as well and as wisely as any
that have heretofore stalked their hour upon
deck, in the alterations of calm and tenn
pest that always attend political navigation.
Nevertheless, although do not think that
we are in crisis, the question to-day is
worthy of deliberate examination and con-
sideration. 1t is always important, in
going into port or in preparing for new
departure, to take accurate observations in
order to ascertain whether the ship and crew
are sound, and in good fastenings and in
good sailing condition. The subject before
us is difference Of opinion that reveals it.
self bug too clearly between the executive
administration of the President and the le-
gislative counselors of the nation. The
President, at we all see, is a man of decided
convictions; the legislative leaders, if we
may judge from their resolutions, are trying
to decide not to coincide with him in opinion.
They have appealed TO us, outsiders as we
are, to pronounce between them. | will try
to show you what the nature and character
of the difference is.
Some of you, few or many, have been oc-
casionally in theatre. You may femem-
Der play that had some popularity some
years ago, entitled "The Nervous Man and
the Man of Nerve" Both of these charac-
tiers were weli-to-do country gentlemen.
They had been friends in early life. Their
friendship grew with their years. They
lived in distant parts of the country. The
nervous man had hopeful son; the man of
nerve had loveable daughter. BY some
freak of fortune, or some more capricious
god, these young people had accidentally
come together at a watering place, and there
formed an attachment unknown to their
parents In the mean time the nervous man
and the man Of nerve had come to one agree
ment, to marry the two young people to-
gether, under belief that they were entirely
unknown to each other Each parent made
the announcement tc his child in mysteri-
Gus manner. The nervous mans son was
told that he was to be married to one I'M
known lady with whom he was sure TO fall
in love at first sight, but whose name must be
withheld until the day of the ceremony. The
daughter of the man of nerve received SIM
liar pleasant intimation. Each lover pro.
tested, each parent was peremptory, each
lover impracticable. As natural conse-
quence both ran away, and, as was quite
natural, both came together and they were
clandestinely married When the nervous
man heard of his sons contumacious diso-
bedience he denounced him, disinherited
him, disowned him, and declared he would
never see him again. When the man of
nerve heard of the fight Of his daughter he
Immediately summoned his dependents, who
sought to restore her 10 her father. One
parent was all passion, theother all decision.
While they were comparing their mutual
and common grief and disappointment, the
married lovers came trembling into their
angry presence, and kneeling down, asked
forgiveness and parental blessings upon what
was now irrevocable. ~ t
What was the parents surprise TO find that
the run away match was just precisely the
one they had planned, and the supposed
failure of which had so deeply EXCEED them
The man of nerve acquitted himself with
becoming resignation, and, since it had all
ended right, he extended to the lovers the
boon they begged. The nervous man refused
altogether TO be comforted, propitiated or
even soothed. He refused, and declared
that he would presist forever in refusing to
receive back again the son who had been so
tlisobedient. When this outburst of passion
had somewhat subsidized, the man Of nerve
said; "Well, now, old friend, why won't
you forgive him? Have you not got the
matter all your own way after all ?" Why,
yes" replied the nervous man, 81 have got
il all my own way" Then, why viii you
not forgive him 2" said the man of nerve
g Why, damn il, / havn't had my own way
Of having it," This, / think, is the differ
ence between the President, who il man of
nerve, in the Executive chair at Washing
ton, and the nervous men who are in the
House of Representatives. Both have got
the Union restored as they originally plan
ned it should be. They have got it restored,
not with slavery, but without it; not with |
secession, fragrant or latent, but without it;
not with compensation for emancipation, !
but without it; not with compromise, but |
without it; not with disloyal States, or Rep |
but with loyal States and Rep |
not with rebel debts, but with |
put them; not with exemption from our own
debts for suppressing the rebellion, but with
equal liabilities upon the rebels and the loyal
men; not with feedmen and refugees aban-
loned to suffering and persecution, but with |
he freedmen employed in productive self
industry, with refugees under the
protection Of law and order. The man of
nerve sees that il has come out right at last,
md he accepts the situation. He does not
orget that in this troublesome world Of ours
he most TO be secured by anybody is to have
hings come out right. Nobody can ever
expect to have them brought out altogether
n his own way. Thenervonsme men, on the other
rand, hesitate, delay, debate and agonize-
rot because il has not come cut right, but !
because they have not individually had their
'wn way in bringingitto that happy termina-