Nashville union and American. [volume] (Nashville, Tenn.) 1868-1875, 1873-10-28

| things IN this DleTlct ana 10 bnl locality
TO return 10 This people after passing
threuah SO MAJ y trying osdeais, through
which l have passed--&8 come here to-
night, and receive by such concourse Of
people as this tender welcome IN the city
Of Washington me say TO you tonight
it Is peculiarly gratifying to heart that
never hest false to friend. IApplsase.l
"a Yoice-"Y ou're still alive, amt you,
AndyPn1 Yes, thank God for 1t, I am still
alive: got only physically, but thank Gcd
/ am alive to the preservation Of institu-
tions and best interests OF the country.
| lApPlause] 5eg. sF 9a
In appearing before you tonight, my fell
low conntrymeD, il isnot for the purpose
Of making an address. Having been affected
! with sickness of the severest character for
some time past, feel wholly incapacitated
| 60 address you as IWOuid AXE to d. Ifeel
that l could not do il with pleasure to N.Y.
eelf nor satisfaction to you, and If there are
any who have come here tonight expect
! ing to hear 50 address from me, or an argu.
ment OF any of the questions; or If there are
any who have come tonight expecting
some oEatorical display, the flourish Of trum-
pes, the display of fireworks and all tha.,
| you viii be disappointed, for even had I the
mental power have not the physical pow
er on this occasion.
am not here tonight for the purpose OF
dealing In personalities; but, as said be-
fore, 10 returning in your midst and calling
up IN my mind those early associations In
those thirty years since first made my &C
| cuaintance among you-there are many
tics that have been formed that are endear-
ing to me. Yes, there is much that is dear
to the heart and sacred 10 the memory, and
1 come tonight before you mora for the
purpose of rendering my sincare and heart
| felt thanks for the manifestation of your
respect and regard for one whose conduct
you have witnessed and understood so long.
| [ApplAuse, and cries Of "Go on, go on."]
| 80 WHERE ARE WE NOW?
If l were to say anything, my country
men, it would BE- by way Of inquiry, and
that inquiry would be to ask first, what
kind at a Government have We now? Zap
] plause.1 We used TO have some idea that
there was Constitution, and that we had
q constitutional Government. As stated
| awhile ago, when first made my entrance
here In the Congress of the United States,
IL then used to be inquired first as to what
was eonstitutionally conferred upon the
| Government. We then had some idea that
u bt3cfC y Is y ulIfld1lOu noHtI-bL6 NOL-
stitution Of the country, which had been
framed by the people through their States,
4 prescribed limits and boundaries to the
Congress of the United States.
We started in the formation OF our Con-
stitution and prscticed it for great many
years thereafter; that it was Government
of boundaries, both State and Federal.
This was one eff the crest ideas, and let me
say to you here tonight, If we Rad time
and were so circ2mstanced, and had the
strength as have the will, To- discuss the
elementary principles of this Government as
they were originally adopted and practiced,
and at the same time discuss how far we
have departed from them, should like to
do so. [Applause.l
| This Government was q conception. The
Constitution as adopted by Wa=hington,t the
Father of his Country, who was first in
peace, first in war, and sacrificed bis for
tunes and bis services and then would re-
ceiye no pay for it, was grand conception,
| LApplause.1 Washington, Jefferson and
| those great men that formed the Constita-
ton of the country started off upon that
great idea, which is divine ITSELF What is
the idea, and what wers the principles?
They started off that there was boundary,
that there was q Limitation of power, and
even when we 90 into the works of nature
when we pass Into the physical world, we
hear that order is heavens first law. We
find the Deity Himself has fixed limit and
boundary for al things, and this Govern
meRt was formed In accordance and in
compliance with this great idea of Him that
coDs' ructed all things, might take one
or two csses TO illustrate. Let us go, for
instance, into the physical world; let US
go into #RAFEA Effts
't ASTRONOMY,
if it were necessary; let US look at the sun,
who rules the day, that rises in the morn
ing and sets in the evening, and he will at
once give MS q true idea Of boundary and
limitation. Let Us look al the path in which
the Deity has prescribed he shall move.
Let us go into the tropic of Capricorn and
tropie of Cancer, embracing forty seven de-
grees Of latitude, and we shall see the ruler
Of the day goes so far South and SO far
North. The be finds q boundary and
limitation, Applause and while be is pass
leg from one extreme to the other he cross.
es various lstitudes, bat nsVer stops upon
any. His march is continued. And fear,
my eouDtrYmeD, notwithstanding the pa
triots of the Revolution, who sat in the con-
vention, many Of them, and framed the
Constitution Of the United States, and that
great conception which they conceived,
which resulted in the formation of the Con-
stitution which many of US believe to be
the greatest emanation OF divine wisdom IN
. political sense that has ever been coneeiY-
ed, is overthrow.
Why 90 say sol We find that the Con-
stitution prescribes limit, prescribes o
boundary, prescrioes TO your Government
80 many divisions, and each one of those
divisions has its boundaries prescribed. We
find that ia the formation of that Constitu-
ton they made three departments, and for
those three departments Of the Government
Like the sun moving in its path-ths y pre-
scribed when Congress should move, when
the Executive should move, when the judi
ciary should move, and was intended to
move harmoniously ia their respective
spheres. But as this Government has pro-
crossed, where do you find it? remember
that when I was in Congress we used to
have what was called Wing and Demo
cratic party, and would to God to day that
the country was under the control of
TWO GREAT PARTIES
like tbs old Wing aud Democratic parties
were. [Applause,l And fear that this
Hlll HcNcI oSd1u lave bWO SItdb
parties as pure in principle and action as
those Two old parties were. What was the
| difference between those two great parties
| in that day? You will all remember, even
without my referring TO 1t, what was the
difference between these two great old par
| ties. When question came up in Con-
| gress, why the first consideration was, is
that constitutional or unconstitutional?
The Democracy of those days commended
! for strict construction of the Constitution,
while the Wings were for the Constitution,
but contended for little more latitude; but
there was one great point conceded be-
ween those two great old parties, and
though one conteuded for greater margin,
or little more latitude than the other, yet
the two great parties agreed in this essen
iial, that there vas Constitution,
snd that there was limit ID power.
But that brings US to this question. The
query comes up, what kind Of government
have you? If you have got any Constitu-
toni am speaking now in general terms,
not referring to anF person in particular,
but arguing upon principles; and let me say
right here that the time has come when it
is necessary TO go back and review and de-
velop, If we can, the principles upon which
the Constitution was formed. It is rs nee
essary now as it was then, for the recent
troubles through which we have passed, the