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

crimes and misdemeanors, and had q
call upon your distinguished fellow.
citizen 10 defend me, and nov, sir, turning
to Mr.. Nelson after you have successfully
defended me, 1, in turn, preferred some
articles of impeachment against this Con.
gress al d this body, and inpeaeh them,
and here (holding up copy Of the consti-
tution), is my bill Of impeachment and in
dictments. So it is we are both here. We
meet here after eight years. And so you
zee how this thing runs. You talk about
traitors and treason. Why, the charge
has been made that | was a traitor A
traitor to whom and to What2 Where ia
the man II want TO look him in the faee)
who will say that | ever deserted my
country or my principles? 1t is easy to
stand and make charges in every nook and
corner and eight-by-ten place, about my
being a traitor. / said | am here for the
purpose of laying my bones among you.
l mean to make use of my life in defend
ing my character.
"MosEs,"
They say, "why yes: our Moses" l
should like 10 see some of my col
ored friends. l want them 10 under
stand me. Don't you be controlled by
your prejudices. Only find out who are
your friends, and who are your enemies.
The idea has been held forth that certain
gentlemen freed the negroes of this coun-
try. Will you hear me to-day? Ultimate
a man by his merit, and By his qualifca-
ton. told you here, four years ago la
voice, Five years) what freedom was. You
though l was a little haTsh, then. | told
you that freedom simple meant liberty to
work ard use You earnings for your Own
comfort and welfare, and that having
worked and exere sed economy and what
you earned the liberty to spend for your
own comfort.
This remark is applicable to all. Free
dom does Dot mean idleness; to build up a
miserable lazz lroni to be supported by
aims. The government has to b. supported
by you and not you 10y the government.
But word or two ab.us Mo.e+: | want
the attention OF the colored people. They
are now free. Who set thrn free ? Abra-
ham Lincoln ? No. Any Of these people2
"a voice, Nary one DJh'I you remem-
Der Tennessee WAS excepted from the proc
lsmaliOn? | want my reputation 60 20
down clear. There WAS not co.ored man
in Tennessee freed by Mr. Lincoln's
emancipation proclamation. Who did it?
did, on the steps of the Capitol in Nash
Vile, in the midst Of the excitements and
perils of that hour, while the missiles Of
death were flying. /, myself proclaimed
that slavery no longer existed in Tennes-
see; that every man was free by the in
herent principles in him But we have
got new State. | was there, defending
your capital, and in that capital what did
| say 10 that people? | said that if there
was no other l would be their Moses, and
led them from captivity to freedom.
Have they not been led from cap
tiyity What length of time did !
propose 10 be in doing it Whire are
the Simon pures? Have any of them
asked ycu out West 10 take quarter sec
ton of land which i secured for you? o
no There are too many whites there for
that. But they will come here and organ
ize you into leagues and clubs and swear
you and make believe they are your best
friends. What have they given you ?
''But this man johnson" Where 10 your
other mani Has he pointed out your
Canaan? SmiFten the rock and made
water gush out for you? Caused mama
to fall from on high for your Has he ever
gone with you to the top Of Pisgsh No.
Not far enough to look IN. Who brought
| you where you are? This much abused
Andrew johnson. What have hey done
for you? Anything2 Have tsey ever
| given you anythiog but a Blue Book l
| used to be pretty familiar with the Blue
| Book, in the Know Nothing times. No
thing personal is intended Let me tell
you, colored men, to-day. While they
have talked to you about your old
masters as not being your friends, etc, and
thai they are your friends, and you are
| free il is a mistake. You are slaves to
new taskmssters i never deceived white
man or a black man. i owned & few
slaves, and most Of them are with me now.
l told Sam, the other day, that | freed
| them five years ago, but | was only eman-
| cipated on the 4th of March last. | stand
| here freedman.
NEGRO SUFFRAGE.
How long has it been since the charge
was made that | was in favor of negro
suffrage Will you go back and look at
the proceedings of your Legislature?
| Think Your attention, now. When /
| commenced the work of restoration, sent
come kilograms to the Governors of the
| different States to go al least as far as they
| had gone 10 the free States 10 extending
suffrage, and that in the SEsieI, and not
by the Federal Government, was the place
| to do it. And because / said | would go
az far as New Yo.k, Massachusetts, etc :,
one of the great charges against me was
that was 10 favor of negro suffrage. Now,
it is alleged that | am against it. Where
il the proof Of iI2 When / thought that
Tennessee was going as far. in a single day
az some other States had gone in fifty years.
What has been doue2 L denied that the
Federal Government had the power to in
teIfere with it. Bet then, that's where the
thing rubs,
ABOUT LOYALTY.
| Now, one more allusion 10 Moses:
want to take up the accounts Of those new
born advocates, in the midst Of their new
born zeal. Il Is easy for men to come into
our midst and talk about courage, etc
who, during the rebellion, were in their
closets while the fighting was going on,
and became war men as soon az peace was
made. What was all this about? If |
were disposed, could read you some evil
dences of my loyalty. If those men. who
did not know the reign of terror that ex-
listed here at the breaking out of the re-
bellion, bad been here, they would mol
have dared 10 resist. They would have
yielded TO it, Aud where they were they
did not dare 10 be anything else but Union
men. If my record does not show that
was Union man, don't kGow what could
show it.
might speak Of sacrifices, bat what
sacrifices have these neophytes made
They have taken You in their leagues.
say, those leagues are conspiracIes against
the government. And why? Are .yor
not all free, what do you get in thos'
leagues2 DO you get freedom theref L
you are free, going into those leagues doe