Daily union and American. [volume] (Nashville, Tenn.) 1865-1866, 1866-08-19

wisdom and patriotism are vindieated BY the
laet that Congress has but continued broken
Union, by keeping ten Of the States in which
at one time the insurrectiOn existed, as far
as they could accomplish it, in the condition
OF su3Jugated provinces, denying to them the
right 10 be represented, whilst subjecting
thelrpeople to every species Of legislation, in
cludlug that Of taxation. That such state of
things Is at war with the very genius Of our
government, inconsistent with every idea
OF political freedom, and most perilOus to
The safety Of the country, no rejecting man
could laii TO believe. We hope that the
proceedings Of the Convention Will cause
the adherence, if possible, Of still greater
GrmEess to the course which YOU are puTsu-
lng, by satisfying You that the people are
with you, and that the wish which lies near
est to their hearts is, that the perfect restO-
ration OF our Union will soon be accom-
plIshed, and which can only be attained by
the measures that you are pursuing. These
duties devolve upon every member Of the
/ Convention. For ourselves. individually,
we tender, with profound respect, the assn
rance Of our cordial and sincere support.
With a reunited Union, with no foot
/ but freedmen's treading, OF permitted TO
| tread on our soil with industry. and renewed
with a national faith, pledged forever to a
/ strict observance of all its obligations,
with kindness and fraterual loveeverywhere
/ prevailing The desolations Of war will soon
be removed, and its sacrifice of life, sad as
they have been, will, with christian resigna-
/ ton, be referred to a providential purpose of
/ fixing our beloved country on firm and en-
/ durable basis, which will forever place our
| liberty and happiness beyond the reach
/ of peril. Then forever will our Govern
ment challenge she admiration, and receive
| the respect of the nations Of the earth, and
/ be in no danger Of any efforts to impeach
l our honor; and permit me, sir, in conclu-
/ sion to add that great as your solicitude for
| the restoration of our domestic peace. and
your labors to that end, you have also a
watchful eye to the rights of the nation, and
that any attempt by an assumed or actual
| foreign power to enforce an illegal blockade
against the Government or citizens of the
| United States, to use your own mild, best
expressive words, will be disregarded. In
this determination / am sure you will re-
Ceiye the unanimous approval of your fellow
citizens. Now as the chairman of this
Committee in behalf of the Convention, l
| have the honor to present you with an au-
! thenticated copy Of its proceedings. The
allusion in the above address to the determi-
| nation of our Government to disregard the
attempt of an assumed or actual foreign
power to enforce an illegUl blockade, caused
loud and continued cheering.
When he had concluded, the President
said, Mr.. Chairman, and gentlemen of the
Convention: Language Is inadequate to ex-
press the emotions and feelings produced by
this occasion. Perhaps l could express
more by permitting silence to speak and you
to infer what l ought to say. l confess that
Notwithstanding the experience l have had
in public life, and the words / have ad-
dressed to you on this occasion, and this
assembly is well calculated to and does
overwhelm me- las ], have said, have not Ian
guage to convey adequately my present feel
ings and emotions in listening to the address
which your eloquent and distinguished chair
man has Just delivered. The proceedings of
the Convention as they transpired required
to my mind, and seemingly partOok of the
inspiration that prevailed in the Convention.
When l received a dispatch by two of its
distinguished members, conveying in appro-
pirate terms the scene which has Just been
described, Of South Carolina and Massachu-
sets arm in arm marching into that
vast assemblage, and thus giving evi-
dence that the extremes had come to-
gether, and that for the future they were
united as they had been in the past, for the
preservation of the Union. When the dis
patch informed me that in that vast body Of
men distinguished for wisdom, every eve
was sufused with tears on beholding the
scene, I could not finish reading the dispatch
70 tod So h., ,f1is g..
my own feelings overcame me- ICheers.
think we may justly conclude that We are
moving under proper inspiration, and that
we need not be mistaken, and that the finger
Of an over-ruling and unerring Providence
is in this matter.
The nation is in peril, we have Just
passed through mighty, and bloody, and
mOmentous ordeal, vet do not find ourselves
free from the difficulties and dangers that at
first surrounded us While our brave men
have performed their duties, both officers and
men-turning to Gen. GRANT who stood at
his right-while they have won laurels i'm
perlshable, there are still greater and more
important duties to perform, and while we
have had their cooperation in the field, we
now need their support in our efforts to per-
petuate peace. Loud cheers. So far as the
Executive Department Of the Government
is concerned, the effort has been made to re-
store the Union to health, to pour oil
into the wounds which were consequent up
on the struggle, and to speak in common
phrase to prepare as they learned, and as a
wise physician would a plaster healing in
character, and cO-eXtensive with the wound
loud cheers.) We thought, and yet
think, that we had partially sue
ceeded, but as the work progressed
as reconstruction seemed to be taking place,
and the country becoming united, a disturb
ing, warning element, was found opposing it,