The Evansville journal. [volume] (Evansville, Ind.) 1866-1870, 1867-04-08


the country [ undertake to say that
Your party is responsible directly and
unequivocally for these troubles. [
undertake to say that it was your
duty, as it was mine, to have used
every exertion in your power to heal
the dissension and the unfortunate
difficulties that beset the people.
What have you done from that hour
down to the present? You have made
relentless and cruel war upon us.
You have denounced US as men in
tending to establish over the Ameri-
can people military despotism, and
you said, in your Lexington speech,
that the question was fairly presented
to the people of Kentucky, and not
only to the people of Kentucky, but
10 the people of this great Union,
whether this should be military des-
potism, or whether republican in
stitutionsl should prevail here. You
have attempted by argument to estab-
fish before the sovereign people of the
State of Kentucky, that everything
we have done and everything we have
said was with q view to Cypress the
people of the South, to destroy their
property, to destroy their liberties, to
break down their manhood, and that
they have been right in the struggle,
and that you have been fighting, to-
gether with your. friends, for the main
tenance Of Constitutional and repubii-
can principles all the time, and that
we have been fighting for despotism
and anarchy; Why this is bold charge
to be made against those who attempt
ted to sustain this country and went
into the army in good faith. When
the tocsin of war was sounded l left
a wife in sick bed. The Secretary
of War made demand upon me to
raise a regiment in defense of the
Union of the States. 1 did not stop
to question whether the Government
was right or wrong. (Applause.)
/ considered that it was the bound
en- duty of every man that owed alle-
glance to the Constitution and laws of
the country, to use his utmost exer-
ton to roll back that tide of oppres-
sion that was coming in upon us from
the South-to uphold the flag of the
country, and to preserve the States of
this Union intact. [ went forward
and made speeches upon every hill
top and along all the valleys between
the mountains of Kentucky. L raised
twelve companies of men in the coun-
ty Of Estill for the defense of the glo-
rious institutions Of the country.
{Applause.) / headed ten companies
and went to the tented field and barred
my breast to the storms of war.
attempted to discharge my duty.
Now, the great Union party of the
State demands at my hands that [ 4
maintain the great principles which
fought for then. The question is, am
[ to be loaded with infamy and dis
grace, in the attempt to maintain the
institutions of my fathers of your
fathers; am | to be denounced as
a man in favor of negro equality and
negro suffragess am ] to be denounced
as being in afiliation with a party that
desires the overthrow and the des- |
truction of the liberties of the peo-
pie? Are you to, be so denounced?
Are you to permit the soldiers that
went to the wars to maintain their
glorious Constitution-and will you
permit yourselves to be thus denounc-
ed, in your efforts to sustain us? Will
you make this record upon US, that
the present generation may condemn
us, and that we may be condemned by
all future generations as the greatest
despots that ever lived, and make
treason and traitors respectable? Are
you prepared to record such verdict
against the Union men of the State
Of Kentucky and the Union? / un-
dertake to say that you are men of too
much sense, too much justice, and too
much love of country, ever to do it.
applause
Col. Barnes concluded by saying
that an arrangement had been entered
into between Governor Helm and
himself to canvass the State together
at the same time in the month of May.
He then made some humorous allu-
sions to what Governor. Helm. had
said, and he thought they would trav-
ell very pleasantly together, and that
the people of the State would share
their corn and bacon with them, but
he desired his friends when they came
to the election to vote notfor Govern
or Helm, but for him. s= Il