Bristol news. [volume] (Bristol, Va. & Tenn.) 1867-189?, 1872-10-08

tlc HohIc honlaE-1 nave saved til
! Republic. BY standing there to Uindi
, cpte the constitution, / might swea
: that had saved the republic .instea,
OF violating the Constitution. If RoaF
, bad been lost there would have beeI
5 no place in which to violate the law
E In what did | commit treason? | dit
refuse TO go with Huntington into tn
: rebellion. l denounced secession il
Church and State. To admit it wa
70 incorporate into our governmen
the clements of our own destruction
l said no, let us remain here, not breal
up the government. Outside tht
Union is not the place to seek protec-
ton. L intend to stand bv that ,fias
that was carried by Washingtou-tha
nag that was carried ny the heroes o.
the revolution with the blood spout
ing from their heels. I called traitor
abandon the flag. i didn't leave
him, he left me. stand now where ]
stood then. Arnold sold his country.
| didn't. Who was guilty of treason,
those who stood by the flag or those
who plotted for the segregation of the
States? The h'ac place to fight our
battles was in the Union, under the
Constitution;
On the 2nd of March 1861 an amend
ment to the Constitution was passed
prohibiting for all future time anyyin-
reference blythe federal government
with slavery in the States This set
tied the whole question: Now all that
was necessary was to ratify that
amendment. What did Tennessee
do? Instead of calling the Legisla-
ture together TO .ratify the Amend
ment, if was called to pass the militia
ry league on the 7th of May. Before the
State was voted out, they had sold the
| people to the Southern COnfedcracy.
like sheep. Instead of staying in the
| Union they marched out. | said no.
Then Dunnington and 7 separated.
He went. | stayed.
When the war was over, this man
Dunnington-my competitors friend
! and speech-maker-when | had the
| power to be vindictive, admitted that
| he had been traitOr-had violated
| the Constitution. That's the sort of
| man to charge me with being an as
sassin of the Constitution
When in the Senate of the United
| States part had withdrawn, Mr.. Da-
Wis asked me where | would fight. l
answered in the Union. We had a
majority of six in the Senate and
eleven in the House. We had the
| power in our own hands. The court
was with us. There was the place TO
| fight. / we had staid there to MAIN
tain our rights the late disastrous war
would never have come. In the
South there was violent feeling
against me because | was Military
Governor. | consented for the pur-
pose Of using my influence in staying
the rigOrs of the rebellion. Who was
the Governor then? When Nashville
was evacuated, how did he leave it?
When the federal army left he fled in
dastardly precipitation. Dill leave?
| back out? Those who know me
know / would have been carried out
feet foremost or have remained be-
meath the crumhling ruins of the cap
itOl. | took the commission of Gene
rel to act as Military Governor.
But it is charged that levied con-
tribuCiOns. Yes I did and why
Gov. Harris, IL traitor to the cOnstitu-
tiOu and country took khe Bank of
Tennessee, with the children's money,
the sacred school-fund, then in a
healthy condition, and fed in bastard
" precipitation, itinerated through
the South, paying himself ard friends
in gold and leaving the Confederate
soldiers to be paid in trash. Three
millions of dollars of5this trash the
people are paying for now. Three
millions eXtorted from the people and
we are told tile Torbett Issues are now
coming. When | arrived in Nash
vile, the Bank was gone, the TREASURY
empty, men cOnscripted and carried
off, the people were destitute, the
wives and children Of c0nscripted sol
diers. Many of the wealthy had sub
scribed 10 get up batteries and equip
regiments | found a list of them and
took these names and ordered n levy
upon them which was partially paid 4
What did do with it? The wives
and children of Confederate soldiers
aud poor got their part. Is there a
Confederate soldier here? If so, and
he had been in my place wouldn't he
have done so? If not, let him speak
for him have | offended. If | did any
wrong in that it was that | did not
take enough. 1t ought to have been
doubled. But burlington says that
time and experience have softened me
except for selfish purposes. What did
D., ever do that self was out of? What
is he doing now for his country p l., n
demagogue and selfish!y Il seek the
approval and good win Of my fellow
citizens. Il am selfish to promote and
advance their interests. | pursued
the line of the Constitution up to the
line of separation. / allude to these /
things not to harrow up the public !
mind. Things were done in war, we
would not do in peace. Yes, let us
shake hands over the bloody chasm.
Let us close it, | don't want to revis-
it all that was done during the rebel !
lion. That yawning chasm is full of
the cries of blood like that of Abel
from the tongueless caverns of the
earth. Let there be neither seam nor
scar. want it closed, Let us be
again a land of brothers, With no i'll
feeling, embracing each other, loving
the Union and Constitution of our |
country.
Within q few days of the collapse of |
the rebellion the President of the |
United States was assinated. The ma |
ton almost reeled and toppled under a |
burst of wild delirium. | was placed |
in the Presidential chair, [ look |
cd out upon the wasted and ruined |
South. Many hards things had been |
said of me. My house had been taken |
and used as n hospital My negroes !
sequestrated by the. Confederate Gov
ernment. Ny family sent beyond its !
limits. Indignity and suffering had
been inflicted upon them. . Chasten-
ed bv,timer &c, as has been shown you, |
then what did do? Was selfish?"
Did | insult, confisoate, try for treas
on2 / reflected upon the blood and
crying and suffering around me. Did
I o-der tho ttOruPv General TO secure
convict, hang, confiscate? What did
/ do? / stepped forward to a party
that would have made me anything |
wanted to be. said, you had laid
down vonr arms and we must returnri
to peace and reconciliation ~ IL
Thank God bad the manhood and
magnanimity to interpose. said to
the nation, amnesty and good will to
all. u How easy with the dominant
party vindictive, and my asperties
sharpened to have been otherwise. |
The people of the South expected VEN
oaapr, and persecution. Thank God. |