Nashville union and American. [volume] (Nashville, Tenn.) 1868-1875, 1872-11-03
SPEECH OF COL. JNO. II. SAVAGE
neI,vered at sDnrts, oct. sOth.


FL. Savage, of McMinnville, who asked for
a division of time, but they refused to grant
him more than half an hour. Accepting
This small favor, the Colonel assembled the
stand and spoke as follows:
Ladies and Gentlemen: 1t is proper for
me TO state why am here to-day, and why
It is that shall speak to you now for thirty
minutes. Receiving an invitation from the
people of Alexandria to meet Johnson in
debate on Monday last, and seeing his brag-
adocia boast in all bis speeches Of
"Come one, come all,
This rock shall fly
From its firm base
As soon as J."
prepared to meet him at Alexandria
and addressed to him note of the most
courteous character, asking him if he would
divide time with ne, which he refused to
do. went to Alexandria, and before
johnson commenced speaking, told the
people that had come to meet this great
Goliath Qn his own estimation) and, al
thouglrthe humblest of the many orators
whom he says are following him, barking
like little dogs st his heels, that l had an
indictment of twenty-three counts against
him, every one of which could sustain,
and any one of them being sustained, no
honest man in the State could vote for him;
that did not intend to disturb him, but
that l wanted him to speak half an hour
and then let me speak the same
length of time; that was ready to oppose
nv weakness to his strength, and over
Whelm his weak cause by the strength OF
mine, and that after he was done would
ask but few minutes to show that al his
pretended facts were falsites, all his ar
euments sophistries and fallacies, and that
every crime which be charged upon others,
he was guilty of himself Yesterday he
refused to divide time with me, at Cook
vile, and 1 addressed the people there
previous TO his speaking. To-day have
BEEN REFUSED TIME
by both Maynard and Johnson, but, rather
than see the crowd divided, they finally con-
sented to let me have thirty minutes for an
opening.
One Of the candidates has said that you
could hear me at any time. The fact is,
we have heard the old, worn out speech of
Johnson's forty times; he has repeated it
for the last thirty years, and the best part
of it is stolen property, taken from Cass,
Webster and other great men. would ad'
wise him to get one Of those geography
singers to sing it through the State, and he
himself could then go home to Greeneville.
Now stand before you to read
THE INDICTMENT
of tWenty-three counts of high political
crimes and misdemeanors in which l ar
raign Andrew johnson as chief criminal,
and Horace Maynard as high accessory be-
fore and after the fact. In the time allot-
ted me, cannot do more than read these
charges, which believe the people wish to
bear answered, and sitter johnson and
MAYNARD are through, if you will hear me,
l will prove the truth of every one of them,
and show you that no citizen OF Tennessee
ought to sustain either of the honorable
gentlemen:
l. charge that General Andrew
johnson taught the people, before the war
that the Federal Government was limited
and had no power to cOerce State, but
that when he took a notion to ride behind
Abraham Lincoln, TO the Presidency, be
taught the North a different doctrine
claimin that they had the right to hang
every man, woman and child in the South.
ern States.
2. When he now comes to preach to US
that the South brought on the war,
and that the South alone is guilty, anC
the North is innocent, he is entitled to nc
respect, and states that which the most
| ignorant man in Tennessee knows TO b'
untrue.
8. That Lincoln's administration cost
| the country thirty-three hundred millions
of dolars-more than double the value o
the slave property in America at the com
mencemeUt Of the war.
4. That Andrew johnson spent in hi
| administration about sixteen hundred mil
lions Of dollars-about as much as the en-
tire slave property in America was wort'
| before the war, and yet he says he is homes
and economical, and never stole anything
| (but we have only his word for that.)
| ). That Andrew Johnson spent about a.
much money in four years as was spent b,
| all the Presidents from Washington TO Lin
coin.
6. That there is vet unpaid a debt o
about twenty-five hundred million dollar
-one third more in value than the value o
all the slaves in the country before tn
war.
7. That if we owned the slaves now, an
should mortgage them 10 pay the debt ye
unpaid, they could not pay it in hundre
years, if at all.
s. To pay this debt, we viii require
mortgage all the people of the United State
and hold them as hirelings for the next fit
years.
8. That we are not now living under tn
government of our fathers, except in form
The spirit of liberty breathed into it by on
ancestors has departed, and it is rapidly be
coming consolidated and becoming gov
eminent Of bankers, bondholderS and bay
onets.
10. No living man in America is so muc
responsible for this result as Andrew JOhI
son, and the other distinguished gentlema
present is jointly included.
IL. That Andrew johnson, like the orscl
of Delphi, has never spoken the hsne'
truth to the people, but has always take
to them with forked tongue.
II. That Andrew johnson is neither
good man nor great statesman; he ha
borne no good fruits-he is one who with b
mouth draweth nigh unto the people, an
calls them with his lips, but his heart
filled with ambition and tyranny, and he hS
always trampled people and constitutio
alike under his feet, when they stood in th
line OF his advancement.
Is. That his decree of September sc
1854, as military Governor of Tennessee
by which all his political opponents wer
DISTINGUISHED, was an act of power, tyrau
and oppression such as 10 King or Emeel
or Of Europe has committed in the last fly
hundred years, and it is only equaued +
tie deeds of Caligula, Nero, and the oth'
despots of the decline and fall of the r
man Empire.
IA That he was the real author an
executor of the acknowledgements act
Tennessee by which one hundred thousan
of our best citizens were civilly destroye
and driven from the polls.
Is. That without law he destroyed u
governments, constitutions and laws OF Il
Southern States, and appointed carpet-ba
gers to rob and reign over them
Is. That be has spent bis life in abusir
class legislation, yet his misnsmed amnest
proclamation divides the poor rebels in'
dfteen different classes.
II. That in setting aside the Sherman
johnson treaty, be violated solemn Coz
tract and understanding bstWeen warrir
States, and is the real author of all tt
woes inflicted upon the South since Il
war; such breach faith is worse than
thousand peTjuries.
IS. That mis- misnsmed amnesty act vi
cruel and cunning political device
which he attempted TO confiscate and a
propriate to his own political use, the int
lect and property of the South, and NAL