Clarksville weekly chronicle. [volume] (Clarksville, Tenn.) 1865-1867, 1866-09-07
THE PRESIDENTS TOUR.
RECEPTION AT BUFFALO.
Speeches on the Occasion.

, Mr. President: The pleasing duty has bee
assigned to me of welcoming you and you
distinguished cabinet members, and gallan
officers Of the army and navy accompanying,
you, to the inequalities of the city of But
falo. This duty is the more grateful to m,
feelings and the more honorable to you, sir
in that | am authorized to speak in tn
name and in behalf, not only of the cit,
authorities, but also of all our citizens with
out distinction of party or sect.
All have cordially united in this testimon,
OF respect to the chief magistrate of til,
nation. They know and appreciate you
patriotic devotion to the Union during tn,
darkest days of the rebellion. When sepa
tors and representatives in Congress threat
ened treason, and your own State swung
from her moorngs under the constitution
and driited into the turbid stream of seces.
sion, you stood like a rock in the midst o
the ocean, against which the waves of re-
bellion dashed in vain. Still standing erec
while the tempest ragged and the water:
surged around you, you firmly resolved tina
i the Union should be maintained.
Since the war, new issues have arisen, oil
which it would not be proper for me to
speak on this occasion. But think may
venture to assure them, in the name of ALL
that, however we may differ as to the best
mode of accomplishing it,yet we are, with
few exceptions, anxious 10 see the Union
restored under the Constitution, and harmo-
ny and commercial intercourse and fraternal
love again uniting the North and South
The sooner this can be accomplished the
better for the country. Every intelligent
man knows that until this is done our credit
cannot be established abroad, and business,
to certain extent, must be paralyzed at
home.
As matters now stand all is doubt and
uncertainty, and no man can safely predict
what may happen next month or next year.
Such state Of uncertainty is national
calamity.
But | will not detain you longer. This
vast multitude that stand before you, are
anxious to hear the voice of the man they
have met to honor, and not mine therefore,
with sincere prayers that your journey may
be pleasant and safe one, | repeat the cor
dial welcome to our city, and regret that
your stay is necessarily so brief.
Allow me the honor to present you to our
citizens.
Mr. Fillmores speech was received with
great applause.
The Presidents reply is as follows:
10 you, Mr.. Chairman, and through YOU
to the vast concourse that stands before me,
feel incompetent to present in Language
sufficiently descriptive the feelings and emo
tons produced. But if were disposed to
make speech, and time would permit me to
do 1t, Notwithstanding | am overwhelmed
with the presentation here to-day and the
manifestations of regard and respect, and
yet myself wholly unprepared, the mind
would be exceedingly barren, the genius
dull, that could not give utterance to some
thing on an occasion like this. Applause.
am free 10 confess to you that since |
started on this tour from the capital of the
government to my place of destination in the
West, the demonstrations that have been
made by the great mass of the people are ex
ceedingly flattering and gratifying to me
TOR am nothing but mortal man, and man
Is susceptible to flattery and loves it; and
while admit this defect and imperfection of
my nature, trust in God that | have dis.
elimination enough to see the difference be-
tween manifestations given to individuals
ana 'ne emergencies that bring them forth.
Hear! hear!!l1
There is one thing cannot be mistaken
IN, the signs Of the times. The American
people have undertaken great work There
was rebellion, and thus the government
sometime since commenced to put the rebel
lion down: At the beginning of the sup
preston OF the rebellion there were certain
principles declared, as has been alluded to
by your distinguished representative to- day,
whose character have known for a great
many years, if not as well as his person.
In the midst of the struggle, when the
rebellion began, and when it seemed to me
that the political horizon was the most low.
efing, determined TO stand upon the con-
slitution and the flag of my country. He
sent me letter from a distant government.
which was peculiarly encouraging and graft
flying at such time.
When surrounded by trials and Difficult
ties, sometimes those who have the reputa- |
ton OF having the strongest arms and hearts
yield and give up. But we got encourage.
ment like this from various quarters; and
when such appreciation is manifested by the
great mass of the people, l still tell you |
have confidence in the great mass of the
people, that they will settle this question
and the Union and constitution be preserved, |
[Applausc,]
AS has been here kindly alluded to, in the
beginning of the rebellion placed my feet
upon the constitution of America as the
great rampant Of freedom, and there have
stood from that moment to the present; and
sod willing, intend to stand by the flag of
my country till it triumphs. Repeated
,hecrS.1
1t has been said by some that have aban-
ioned the principles of those who elected
ne, and that had committed treason. NV
let me stand before YOU to-day,
md could look each man in the eye, and he
lad the power to look into the recesses Of my
heart, he would then ascertain who Ind been
traitor. Applause
When l started in this struggle, in oppo.
'ition to the leaders in the South, | was de-
ermincd, when this great circle of the
Unon, the magic circle of freedom, was
attacked, whether attacked from the South
Or North, that my business was to defend
md protect it. Cries of good, good.1
stood against the attacks in the South,
i'll victory perched on our standard until
hey came forward and acknowledged their
'rror and said that the arbiter of their own
selection had dccGed against them.
When, in spirit of magnanimity they
wa TO their sister States that they were
gam willing to acceptthe terms-adherence
o the constitution, protection to the Union
md submission to the law, said, let us be-
'omc one people. The States renewed their
constitutions, ratified the amendment through
heir legislatures, and did the other things
equred OF Them and these conditions of
he covenant were participated in by your
'wn distinguished fellow citizen, the Secre-
airy OF State, VIM II Seward. Applause.
Al that was done they said TO the people
Who had acknowledged their error, "rescind