Nashville union and American. [volume] (Nashville, Tenn.) 1868-1875, 1870-02-25
AFFAIRS In TENNESSEE.
SPEECH OF
HON. LEWIS TTLLMAN,
lin the House OF Representatives,
Feb. 80, 1870,

Tho TTouse being in Committee of the Whole o.
the state of the Union, and having under con
liberation the Presidents annual message.
MIR. TI1LMANN-Mr. Chairman Neve
having been member of legislativ,
body until of this, feel greatly embar
raised in attempting to submit any re
marks on any subject, and when l hav'
arisen for the purpose OF having some
what to say on one of the greatest mag
nitude. feel not merely embarrassed, bu
almost subject myself in my own judg
ment to charge of presumption.
But feel impelled by the aspect of the
situation to offer some thoughts, though
crude. upon the great and difficult prob
| lem of restoring our country to the peace
and prosperity from which she was SC
madly and wickedly diverted by the late
terrible rebellion.
| am one of those who before the re-
bellion was schooled in the old Wing par
| ty, and lave believed and believe now
that could it have prevailed in the election
of Henry Clay, in 1914, and Gen. Scott,
in 1852, the civil war would have been
| averted. do not mean that that glori-
Gus old party containetall the intelligence
and patriotism of the land for if had
not believed before the war that the Dem
Ocratic party contained large element of
intelligence, patriotism, and love of the
Union, that conviction would have been
forced upon me by the alacrity with which
thousands and ten of thousands tore them
selves from it when the flag of secession
and disunion was given to the breeze, and
rallied with the old Wings under
the stars and stripes of the Union of our
fathers, and, under the new name of Re-
publican, met the brave but wild devo-
tees of a Southern Confederacy upon
hundreds of bloody fields, where thous-
ands sleep that sleep that knows no wax
ing, while others yet live with their names
emblazOned side by side with old Wings,
high on the scroll of fame, honor, re-
nOwn and patriotism.
Whilst this is so, and every true patriot
should be proud of it, it cannot be sue
cessfully denied, as was shown in the
speech of the honorable member from
California Mr.. Sargent a few days ago,
that the Democratic party, as a party,
tended IN its tenets and measures to bring
on collision between the sovereign States
sO-called andthe Federal Government; and
that after that collision was ''precipitatedn
by the leaders of the Southern and ruling
wing of the party it found support, "aid,
and comfort" from many leaders Of the
predisposed, subservient wing of the
North. These are facts goneintO history,
and can be no more gainsaid than that
there was party, numbering many, which
opposed the war of independence. Yet
we would gladly throw the mantle of OBJ
liviOn over this detection of a party that
in its best days had the hero of New Or
leans for its leader, if the party itself
manifested any regrets for its blunder if
not its crime. But unfortunately for its
own reputation we find it still holding to
name it has dishOnOred, and ready to re-
vive the same heretical principles and
walk in the same paths it trOd, and that
led to the disastrous war that has filled
our land with widows and orphans.
1t may be asked why l bring these
charges against the Democratic party of
to-day. will answer No one can be
so obtuse as not to see that il is labOring
for the confidence of the people and for
power and place, not upon a confessional
of its blunders and errors, and honest
reformation, but upon its persistent
| charges that the Republican party, which
saved the Union and made the Declaration
of Independence living truth, means i'll
to the people, bears malice and hatred to
our ''erring brethren" and designs the
overthrow of constitutional liberty. 1t
by right and are unconstitutiOnally de-
| prived of those rights. As in the darkest
| hours of the war it charged it was fail
ure, so in the most critical period of re-
| construction it cries it is a failure. 1t
would, as in the war, prOlOng settlement
of reconstruction by charging that the
measures of the Republican party are
| harsh, cruel and unconstitutional, thereby
| stimulating discomfort and defiance in the
| bOsOms of those who forfeited everything
by rebellion, yet have been forgiven
everything through the magnanimity and
| generosity of the Republican party.
4 Because the Republican party has made
some mistakes in the work of IeCOnstruc-
ton, more through a charitable and con-
fiding trust in the good intentions of the
vanquished than through want of judg-
mcnt, they cry out failure; and then
when the party goes back to correct a
mistake made through leniency, they cry
out bad faith and oppression. If the
| Republican party enact laws for equal
and exact" justice to all men, and con-
| tidingly instrust their executive to the
freely pardOned Rebels, and they, on the
first opportunity, as in Georgia, go
back on a race, the Democratic party
| says it is their constitutional right, that
Georgia is as sovereign as before the war;
that she has a constitutional right to
regulate her own domestic institutions to
| suit herself. The same cry is raised in
behalf of cvOry Rebel State, and the
Democratic party protests for and with
them against a Congress largely Repub-
lican, by virtue of having suppressed the
rebellion and saved the Union, imposing
any conditions or reserving any right to
look after the subsequent conduct OF the
restored.
If reconstructed Rebels of a State like
my own became impatient of restraint
only political, and organize secretly and
operate in disguise, under cover OF the
night, to misuse, matreat, and murder
UniODists, and ultimately to trample those
laws under foot which for its own respect
Congress found to be temporarily neces-
sary to impose, thereby selling the con-
troll of the whole State Government, and
proceed in hot haste and with defiant
defiant spirit to repeal all laws savoring OF
Republicanism, and enacting those pala-
table only to themselves, with the view
Of making themselves permanent masters
of the situation and then if the eyes of
those who served the Government in its
darkest hours should be turned to it tC
save them from utter degradation and
oppression, the cry is again heard from
the lips of every Democrat, North and
South. that interference by the Fedora
Government for the protection of it:
friends is unconstitutional, tyrannical,
and in bad faith to its pardOned subjects
Shall this persistent cry of Democrats
against Republicans have any effect tC
stay the honest efforts of the Government
to reconstruct the Union upon the firm
foundation indicated by our fathers in thu
immortal Declaration of Independence
or shall the Government, as during TIT
war, when failures and mistakes wer
made, revise its plans and reOrganize it
forces, and, needless of Democrat,
croakers, press on to the contamination o
its appointed work? To refuse to adOp
the latter course is to tacitly admit tn
charges of failure made by Democrats
and to ingloriously fold our arms and sa,
we are tired ard worried of the work o
preserving the Union that has cost us s
much blood and treasure. This, tlatte