The Union flag. [volume] (Jonesborough, Tenn.) 1865-187?, 1868-06-26

Ilmpfisonment. After MY release your courts
were open and was leil gree TO. act felt
then the time hadAcome when should make
my choice between this land and this gov
efnment, and some other land With some
other government. siiill0Fe my own ma
tive land the best-- cheers and cries Of
"Gooa!'I !'I--and With yoar construction Of ihe
Constitution established BY the sword, I will
prefer this government Of the United States
20 any other organized government. Cheers J
The natural inquiry then was, what is nv in
tefest apd What Is my duty believed ii
was my interest and my Office to remain In
this governmentfo for the past, and | must aslI
It's protection for che future; Il ityielded me
that, was bound ia honor 10 return 10 my
allegiance, and make a good citizen II I
could. Cries Of aGood,I p and cheers. Ilenes
4 have advocated every measure from that
time till this tor rreeonstruction Applausel
when the President Of the United States pro-
posed his plan advised our people 10 accept
Il, because we had tallen, and We had no
power to negntiate With but him. He did
not cali Congress together, When Congress,
which,had theleEitimate control pfthis ques.
tioh, fcheera and prolonged applause) pro-
posed the constitutional amendment 10 the
Southern States | advised such friends as
soughtmy opinion on the question that it
Was better 10 accept It but the feeling was
so overwhelming against 1t that no voice
could sustain il. Then there was the con-
stitutional amendment. There was but one
issue In 1t, and that was the suffrage taues-
tioD, and that Congress left with the States
to settle for themselves If we voted with
the black race, We might count them in oUi
representation FIVE refused to vote with
them, weicould not count them. That was
right, CHEERS, great applause and cries. of
" Right With reference to the Federal
debt there was no question. There was but
one other important question, and that was
the provision that disqualified me, and 9TH
erswith me, from holding ofioe, That was
no living issue. I, aud otherslike me, will
soon pass from the stAge, and !! We do there
are other aud better men to take our place
Therefore, ia my Judgment we acted very IN
judiciously. What followed : The supple-
msntary. reconctructon acts, I advised, on
the passage Of The FIRST Of these, that we
should sceepti It. AT that time 1t would have
been easy for nae to live. Without vanity I
may say bad some popularity inomy State,
and four times been elected it's E1seuliye,
and might have retained and eourted popu.
larity but duty dictated different course
4 followed II, and have received the hearty
denhnciation Of my people, or large ptopor-'
tlon for having done 50. have been de.
nonnced as an enemy Of my race and traI-
tor to the cause which has wrought SO much.
do not think so. think my course more
honorable than that Of the man who was o
rebel and sought the same amnesty that re-
essVed, and the same protection from the
government receive, and then stays In its
bosom prepared to sting Il when opportunity
offers. [Criss Of q good gond n and ap.
pliuse.l When l fought you fought you
boldly and openly When ] surrendered
surrendered in good faith, and when took
the oath took It with purpose relIgiously
TO serve Il BY my theory-and had been
taught that Il was the true one--my primary
allegiance was to .be State. When had
formally taken an oath to support the con-
stiIution Of the United States, understood
" 10 bind me only when my State remained
In the Union, hutif. she withdrew--which ]
believed she bad a right 10 do for just cause,
according to the necessity Of the case, Of
which she must he the judge--I did not feel
that had violated that oath when went with
my Sta,ei but the oath With which the Pres
ident 1.-THE United States bound me was
very different was sworn to support, not
only the constitution, but the Union OF the
States. The Vrginia and Kentucky re0oiu-
tions, as I understand them, bave always
bsen the very platform upon which the De-
moeiacy had stood but when that platform
was knocked from under my party, had
nothing left TO take hold on. As I under
stoodthe doctriues Of Democracy they were
State sovereignty and the right OF secession.
Thesword has established a difereut doc I.
trine, and hence II Is that | am no longer
bound BY allegiance to the Democratic party.
The Hamiltonian and Webaterlan construc-
tio6 Of the consultation has been established
BY the sword, and have acquiesced IN that,
aud end the Republican party standing on
the platform to-day that has been abandoned
BY the Democratic party. [Cheers. / know
that Is q veryrunpopular doctrine in the
South, but brllsveit Is true. But let me
tell Jou. Nv. President and gentlemen, that
there are many white men 10 the South, there
are large numbers Of original secessIonists
IN The South, who to-day stand as firmly By
The Republican party, and will support the
great captain nf the ake-Gen. Grant (qreat
npplauss.) !, Our DemoeTslie friends there
hare oppossd negro suffrage and denounced
i ~ an outrage upon manhood, and yet IN
he late election the negro who voted the
Democratic ticket was really very SeSpec-
lable fellow flaoRhter,) and white meu who
Toted the Republican ticket were scallawags
md traitors. rOheers and lAughter.) They |
lell Us stbsrp yon establish negro supremacy |
10 the South. Not 90 not 50. While we |
frant 10 the colofsd people all their rights, |
sivil and politlcsl, We do not expect themto |
b our mastera As mnch as you have seen |
~ lbe papers % sbe subject, Z is not 30 "a /
he slaie Of GsorRis. For instsuee, when !
hose who are included within The eoBstiln-
.lonal ah,endmeai and Who viii be voters,
,lihoueh they have no right 20 hold oeice |
i1der oor eonstitution, come to the ballot
,ox there are two hundred thousand majority
Il white men, There We have the advantage /
a sdueetion and experience We claim ttAt
sb have yhs ruperloFisy or race. TeH me
vt, ibau, that the black people Of Georgia
lan role. Why. thsy are two hundred thou-
and N tbe Minority, and 70 have thess ud-
isntaeos, Thlpia said witha view % pre-
ndlelne the Republlctn party North acd 4
south. u Il pot true n other States, even
shsrsths blacks are N ihs majority. n our
sbilp rsce eci promptly 10 this matter there
IN be 20 dlnIculty. n conclusiou, LET NE
AZ that vhlls W have hard frhf % make
4. n. ..~mfm n -. IN ..ta. - fta fulfa aHI