Nashville union and American. [volume] (Nashville, Tenn.) 1868-1875, 1869-04-06

o fess' put am mortal / have pardone
20 aDy. l, too, ought to be pardoned.
mig little paper in my hand which
Received, Nashville, March "a, 1862
life " Andre" JonsOn, Military Governor o.
all tennessee, fifteen hundred dollars. 10 al,
"a. "a tne establishment Of Union Press a
ch Nno4Vilie, Tenn, and TO defray nv ex.
of Penses Ehile passing from under secession
Il. oppression to the city Of Nashville"
IN Now, here you see this Was for ITnior
IL press, not a Radical press, and to aid in
, escaping from the oppression OF secession.
: was conclusive, that should be. / sllude
: to this 10 defend my character. Now [
Z am the traitor and these men the only
, loyal men ia the country. "a voice
! "Who isil?') Why this is signed by no
less man than VIM. G. BroWnlow, with
his own sign manual.
WHITTIER ARE WE DRIFTING.
My countrymen it is time to think
what We are and where We are going; aud
come together and reason as men; not be-
cause We are little angry, to hold alooE
lie. US reason together and understand
each other a. We should. | have no other
business here than to accept your cordial
welcome and to express nv thanks for il.
4 ask LOT nothing more; / can lift nv
nands and say they are clean; that no bribes
touch them. Ny wants are few. Nv IL
tie family are here. Hsrs Il vhers nv
children hrst saw the ligl {. Here Is where
1 expect to remain; and If 1 can do no
better, having 6lled all the Offices and sat
ished my ambition, can adopt The advice
OF Cato to his own son. will lift up nv
hands and offer my prayers for my couo-
try. Look, where we are going, the last few
years. Look at the taxes. Look at tbs
expenses. Look at the debt-noW n ally
three billions.i know how the Stale ~as
when was Governor. You had then large
school fund. IL could have been increased.
Where isit? Your debt was about six
teen million. Where is yOurdebt now, and
what is your condition Of prosperity Look
as the taxes Of the State and Federal gov
eminent The Federal government col
lecis one hundred and fly millions Of dol
lars In gold three times as much as was
necessary to pay all the expenses Of the
government, which goes to the bondhold-
ers, and black men had as we'll understand
this while they have been giving you
freedom as they claim and making white
men slaves. You are only their slaves and
must toll on forever, for bondholders. /
would to God that there was not power, or
10 other words that the government had
not credit 10 carry on war, for if this we're
80 We would not have war, for want of
means TO carry it on. We had "a great deal
Of talk before the war about a negro slave
aristocrsey. The value Of the negroes was
three billions. Their labor produced the
largest item in the commerce OF the
world. This selfsusIaining capital has
disappeared, and now what has been seen?
The bill OF sale has been transferred to
Northern men. / know what am talk
ing about. But you have to toll on and
pay annually, in gold and silver, to the
bOndholders of this country. Did they
fight? Did they free anybody? Did they
lend gold and silver? Mo- Now the in
terest must be paid 10 gold and silver.
WHAT HAS BEEN DONE FOR THE NEGRO.
asked you, colored men, awhile ago,
what these people had done for you "A
That's what We want to k0OW.1
A colored man came to me TO help him
about paper. l gave him S25. He went
up TO Sumner, who turned him of with the
that he defended that side on
general principles"
>
rame for help for his Labor University in
for coIored men. / gave him
Sl50 He went up to those Simon pures
and he didn't get enough there to pay his
expenses. 10 Raleigh, North Carolina,
AZ agent c1me for help. 1t was my ma
i've city and | gave il. In Charles
ION help to buy the Marine Hos
Dital for cologed school was sought,
By an Episcopaliau minister, and a clever
gentleman he was. The building could
be procured for S, 900. Itwas worth S20,-
O0O gave him q thousand dollars. How
ard gave him letter. heard that some
preacher, who now has charge Of the in
s;iiuiion, say that mine was the largest
be received north of Mason
and DixOn's line l want these men TO
compare notes with me.
CLING TO THE CONSTITUTION.
F,llow-citizsns, repeat, again that the
lime has come Il at you should understand
, I'd consider we'll the organic Law Of the
andse. | now having r.tired, seek ny no
1ffice at your hancs, snd there il one thing
i At am rJud Of and that is that had the
policy | sugges ed been carried out our
condition would have been very di1sr,nt
han Row. wanted the iahle to be
ought in the political forum, under the
,On titution.
LISA pride and pleasure TO me that
nv path has not been in human crime;
hat the bridge over which have passed
las not been hOored with bumaus bOnes;
hat my way has not been to Goigoiha;
hat the blood Of the one armed soldier
md the dead has not been on my skirts;
hat have gone the whole round and
here is no blood on them; that L stand
here. in the last hours of my life, for the
constitution Of the country, as the chief
.rk of its safety, the palladium Of its
ropes. Come forward, my countrymen,
md cling TO il as the mariner cliDgs to his
1essel and compass in the storm.
Then, let me bsseech you a. one who
has no other purpose than to help to bear
he burdens he was unable to remove, to
cling 10 your constitution. had rather
be in my freedom among you, than to be
re inauguraied President tomorrow. Yes,
| would rather wear 90 my face the far
rows Of care, and the dust Of labor, than
the tassel in my hat and the ornaments on
nv shoulder, aud the sword dangling at
my side in lis scabbsr1. / woUld rather
do this, than to wear the insignia Of war.
Give me the position Of a Roman ciIizsn,
and to be in your midst and help 10 bear
the burdens L cannot take from your
shoulders. I had rather be in your midst
to unfurl the banner Of peace and fasten it
below the cross, with the inscription, "God
first and my country next" My confidence
is unaItered, that the people will be true
TO themselves, reason will be restored, and
we shall again have our old form Of gov
ernment. My faith is still strong that
the virtue of the people will yet right up
the old ship of State.
FelIow-citizeDs. let me tender you my
sincere thanks, and say that the attention
you have here given me has yielded me
the greatest pleasure. My lot is yours s1d
yours Is mine. Please accept my thanks for
the greeting you have given me in the good
old county OF KNOX. And 10 these young
men, come up and understand the eonsti-
tuition Of your country; read il, study 1t.
Let your professors teach il, for there Il no
liberty without law, and in telling you
goodbye, let rue invoke upon you the bless
ings of an all wise and gracious ProVi-
dencs.