The home journal. (Winchester, Tenn.) 1858-188?, 1867-03-02

q State what it must do, then you lose
the republican government given to us
by our fathers. The position which /
advocate is the position which the con-
scrvative mon Of the North wish you
to occupy, and that is to maintain un.
impaired your State Governments, If
everything Is to be swept away, and
you have finally to bow your necks to
the yoke, let it bcsomcbody else's work
than your own. All though q North
crn man myself, yet, in looking over
the bloody days which have lately
swept over this town, | can see in you
u high-mindcd, chivalrous people
and, rs you have been brave in war, l
see you can also obey the laws | n times
Of peace.
When, therefore,, they come to ask
you to ratify the Constitutional amend
Fment ask them whyY Once in the
Union, there Is no power to expel q
State there is no power to degrade
no power to diminish her rights as a
State. If there be such power, then /
have to unlearn alf my teachings
Upon this point, my fellow-citizens,
but a single word more Even though
every word of this Constitutional
amendment were right, this State can
not receive it without opening a breach
for the current Of Federal %usurpation.
| plead this by way Of estoppel to the
demand made by a usurping Congress
to pass by the population Of the Con-
foderate debt. No debt of u lost rev.
olution was ever paid. l pass by the
question Of pensions and bounties. The
people will see these paid without coer-
cion, Ipause, however, at that Sec
ton which DISTINGUISHES nearly all the
| citizens of the South. Death in pref
erencc to this dishonor. This is a pro-
scription that strikes at those who
were placed in positions Of honor; it
is Il prescription to which no people
can ever give assent without making
their name asynonym Tor degradation.
Were La Southern man, | would
rather welcome death with joy, and
think it honorable. These with whom
your hearts are twined, who did what
YOU wanted them to do, will not be sub
jected to the cxecutioner or to proscrip
ton for no people who ever did an act
like this could dare again to look upon
the sun. l speak this as the sentiment
of q large majority OF the people Of the
North But, my tellow-citizens, there
is one other section of the -Constitu-
tional amendment, and that is with re
gard to universal suffrage. In reality
there are few outside Of New England
who really desire to force This thing
upon you. In my own State of In
diana it would be opposed by a com
bination Of $4,000 votes. Now, the
people of the North recognize the ques'
ton Of suffrage rs Il State Institution
l speak now, not for the wild, in
sane fanatics, but for the masses. These
latter do not wish to enforce universal
suffrage upon you US u condition. They
recognize it rs a State institution they
think that virtue and intelligence are
requisite to Il voter, and do not think
that this mass Of lately liberated slaves
would bring to the ballot box the vir.
tue and intelligence requisite to make
society secure. 1t is my duty not to
disguise to you that great anxiety ex'
lists in the North at the present time in
regard to the question Of your repre-
sentation. But as this is Il problem
which you are in no condition to solve
at present, l merely suggest it for you
future consideration. We have con-
tidence in your justice and your pru.
dence. There is another matter to
which | may here allude. Your State
Constitution and laws with regard to
colored men should certainly satisfy
the most eager anti slavery men of the
North. L find that here q colored man
may own property, and may be pro
tected in the occupation of it; that hi
may bring suit in your courts--ant
when, in addition to this, l am inform,
ed that q colored man receives Sl5
/, per month with his board and hous'
!, rent, and all his other expenses paid
III don't think that the men in tn,
, North will have any tears of commits
!, Grafton to spare for the coIored man il
, New Orleans.
+ | have thus touched upon the mos
salient points oftheseN questions. Their
: is no moro difficult point than thi
!, which l have undertaken. say, how
ever, that we do not want to coniiscat
. your property. 1t is true there ar
= some in the halls Of legislation who ia
} vor this-that there are some i'll NeN
England who believe themselves to b
in partnership with the Almighty tina
there are some high-minded womel
who aspire to the desire to enforce q
e the bloody machinery that was put i
Q operation during the war. On the sta'
ute book at this time there is a la,
which would take from the widowe
mother even the bed on which sh
sleeps, provided her son had been i
h the Confederate army, and she ha
II given him warning to fly and escap
d from being captured.
There is a confiscation law, which
intended to introduce in this Souther
country what is called u new civiliz
% ton !; u law intended to break up alltt
old families, to sell their estates,
n bring New England men down here
buy these estates, to drive hence I'll
representative population, to introdu'
ri negro suffrage, to allow all to vote c
a election day with New England idea
This is the programme Of the extren
! men. How much you all owe to I'll
the man of humble origin who occ1
~ pies the Presidential chair, you wi
never know. 1t is he who has sto'
70 between you and ruin, and tonight,
~, say from my heart, "Thank God, T
- Andrew Johnson, the President OF Il
. United Statesm Errors and mistake