Daily union and American. [volume] (Nashville, Tenn.) 1865-1866, 1866-04-21
PRESIDENT JOHNsON's SPEECH
CONTINUED.


Our mails of yesterday furnish us the
conclusion of the Presidents speech to the
soldiers and sailors, which we herewith pre-
sent:
And when the States do send loyal Representa-
tiyes, can you have any better fidelity to the Con-
stitution and laws. There is no one learned IN
the Constitution and laws who will say that, If n
traitor happens to get into Congress. that body
cannot expel him after he gets IN. That makes
assurance dOubly sure, and conforms the action
of the Government to the Constitution of our
fathers. Hence, ! say, let stand by that Con
stitution, and IN standing by it, the Government
will he presered.
While l have been contcnding against traitors.
and treason, and secession and the dissolution
of the Union, have been contendng, at the same
time, against the consolidation OF power here. L
think the consolidation of power here Is equally
dangerous with the separation of States lCheers.I
The one would tOtteT us, and might run INTO an.
eyentuate a monarchy. Oh! bat there IS an lqea
abroad that one man can be a Ilsurper MI. Jel-
ferson, the apostle Of liberty, tells and so does
common sense, that tyranny and despotlsm can
be exercised by many more vigorously and more
tyrannically than by one What power has your
President to be attained? What can he dof
What can he originate? Why. they say, he eX
ercises the veto power. Laughter Nhat Is the
veto power? A yOice-"TO put down the ing
ger" Laughter Who is your President?
Several voices-"Andy- Johnson Is he pot
tribunes we first elected in the Roman Republic
the people chose tribune and placed hIm at The
doors of the Senate, so that when that body ven
tured an oppressive act, he was clothed with pow
er to say veto" | forbid.
Your President now is the tribune Of the people.
| thank God l am, and | intend to assert the
power which the people have placed in me.
Cheers. Your President, standing here day
after day, is like a horse on a tread wheel, and
because he dares TO differ in opinion in regard 10
public measures, he must be denounced as
n
under the veto power? l think the veto power Is
conservative in its character, and affirmative. All
that be done by the veto power is, TO say when
legislation is improper hasty, unwise, uncOnstitu.
tional, stop action. wait till this can be submitted
to the people, and let them consider whether 1t
is right or wrong Applause. That is all there
is in it. Hence / say that tyranny and power can
be exercised somewhere else than by the EXecu-
tive. Tie is powerless All that he can do is to
check legislation to hold it in a state of allegiance
until the people can consider and understand
what is being done, and then what has been DONE
| have done what conscience, believe, required
me to do. lAppl ause.I SO believing l intend 10
stick to my position, relying on the judgment the
intelligence Otthe people the soldiers and sailors
expressly. CHEERS
Then, for my life, cannot see where there is
any tyranny. 1t Is very easy to lnpugn motives
and suspect the purest and best act of mans
life. If you come forward and propose certain
thing, your motives are suspected and condemned;
and if you withhold your opinion, you are re
garded as being opposed to the matter, that 1t
is very hard to move one way or the other. In
all questions pertaining to the interests of the
American people, for in them is my hope fer the
salvation of the country L am with you, soldiers,
sailors and citizens.
Who has sacrificed or periled more than the
humble individual who addresses you? Has not
my all been put on it? Ny life, my property,
everything sacred and dear to man, has been stalk
ed upon it; and can | now be suspected Of talter-
ing at the close Of this third ordeal of the nation?
Where is he, in public private life, who has
sacrificed more, or who has devoted more of his
time and energies to the accomplishment of the
great end than |? and have done 1t from the
prOmptingS Of my own heart. believe 1t was
right, and with your hearts and your cOuntenances
and your encouragement shall go through on
that line. Cheers and laughter.l And when |
come TO talk about sailors and soldiers about this
TO be DONE and thai to be done, all | want is for
you to wait and see, so far as you are concerned.
Wait and see if | don't stand by you although
every one may talter and fall lCheerS.l want
to see measures of policy brought forward that
will advance the interests of the people, and of
that portion of the people who constitute the gal
liant and brave men who, in both branches OF the
service, upheld the national flag and sustained the
country il the recent struggle.
| thank you gentlemen. for this encouragement.
l thank you Tor your countenance on this occa-
sion. 1t cheers me on, and gives me strength to
perform the work before me. If we are true to
0urSeveS-if we are true to the COnsutuu0n-the
day is not far distant when this Government Will
be restored. Let us go on and restore the Govern
ment; let us enlarge the erea ofOur commerce and
trade; and let us not only inspire confidence at
home but respect abroad by letting the nation
resume its career of greatness. | know that some
will find fault with me, and say that l am too
lenient, too kind. and all that. If we were all to
be put to death, punished or thrown away for
Offense, or for the second ofense, and were to
be lost and excluded from society, and cOmmu
Mon with Om fellow men, how many of us would
be left | have felt when | have done wrong,
that we must reason with each other, and under
stand nature and what is necessary to restore
peace and harmony, and concord to a distracted
and devoted people.
In the time of war it Is right to burn Villages,
sack cities, and devastate fields. to lay waste a
country, and cripple and reduce the enemy bat
in time OF peace the reverse OF that course Is pre-
ciscy the right one, and the true policy of n ma
ton is to rebuild Its cities, restore its villages
and renew its fields of agriculture. know there
are some who have been at home cultIvatlng dur
ing the war, and who bring TO the consideration
of questions of peace, harmony, and the avoca-
lions of civil life all the feeling of resentment
which animated us when the war was running
high. But take the brave men who sustained the
flag on the field and on the wave, and you will
find better feelings and better judgment on these
questions thanyou will find with those who have
been sitting I'M the closet, and never Smeled gun
power. lChecrsl Yes, from the private to the
General, they Know how to treat the present cir
cumstances, tha any of those closet patriots and
humantarians! Then my cQuntrymen. fellow
citizens, soldiers and sailors, let us rejoice that
peace has comet Let us rejoice that the relations
of the States are about being restored; let us
make every effort we can, on proper principles,
to restore the relations which existed between the
Federal Government and the States and l thank
God that peace is restored.
| thank God that our brave men return to
thci families and homes and resume their peace
full avOcatiOns. thank God that the baetul
planet Of fire and blood. which short time ago
was in the ascendent, has been chased away by
the benignant star of peace. Now that star of
peace is suspended in the heavens, let US cult
waite the earth and the relations of peace and all
those associations which appertain to men in
peace. The time is not far distant when we can
have Il political millennium, political jubilee,
and when we can proclaim to all the nations of
the EARTH that we are again n united people. and
that we have triumphanty passed through our
third ordeal: have peace at home, and have power
to bid defiance to all the world. Loud cheers
Remember one thing, gentlemen, that in my past
life thoughlslander may misrepreseut, no one can
say that ever deceived or betrayed him. 1t will
be for YOU too see in the future who will redeem
all his promises and who will be most faithful.
thank you. gentlemen, for the compliment you
have paid me.