Knoxville weekly chronicle. [volume] (Knoxville, Tenn.) 1870-1875, 1874-07-08

heart, the kind reception received
from you. And now, after a lapse OF
eleven ycars-not at the head Of an
armed host-not AS one in authority
but as an humble citizen, with no
retinue, / come back after your fire..
quent cordial invitations, and meet as
warm IA welcome as that you first gave
me. Great changes have taken place
since first we met, but there Is no
change IN my affection for your peo-
Pile; and | am glad to feel that meet
with response from you all.
Gentlemen of the Typographical
Union: | have prepared no elaborate
address Ia you. You have here
more gifted speakers than I
10 talk Ia you of yonr du.
ties, and congratulate YOU nn your
successes. Your art requires OF YOU, in
order to perform your duties properly,
great integrity, industry, skill and ed
ucation. Your duties do not only re-
quire of you skill in your calling, hut
preparation as far as possible to fill
any position in the press which may
devolve upon you. No good printer
fails To aspire To promotion in his
calling, and he should strive to qualify
himself for higher position. Great duties
devolve upon the press. 1t holds within
its control wonderful engine of power
more powerful is it than that
held by any class or profession. and
itshopld endeavor to WELD il with dis.
erection, boldness, truthfulness and
fairness. 1t should battle against
wrong in all its phases, whether it be
oppression, usurpation, monopoly,
bribery, corruption, unfair legislation
or dishonesty of any kind. II should
fight for truth, civil and religious lib.
erty honesty in all the walks of public
and private life, aud protection tn all
the oppressed and down trcddeu of the
world. You will grant me, that some
agents of the press do not always use
their power in accordance with the
above principles. But you should all
resolve to be governed by them. There
is no truer saying than that "fair play
is jewel " OF the special objects OF
your Union l am not fully conversant,
but take it that you are Joined
together for purposes of protection.
friendly association, mutual improves
ment, and charitable objects. So long
as you follow these purposes, great good
will result from your work but no one
knows better than you, that often these
Unions fall under the control of bad
men, who use their power to their own
advantage, and to the detriment of the
members generally. There is another
thing that | have sometimes thought
an objection TO them. Many of the
members, from their connection with
them, become fastened to the position
they occupy, and do not seek advance
ment, but continue all their lives tools
of the designing leaders. This can
hardly be so with your Union. am
favorable to all of them, Just so far as
they are of advantage to the working
men. i am obliged to you for the
invitation you sent to me to be
with you, and for your kind reception.
But for your invitation, | probably
might not have come to East Tennes.
see at this time. For although / had
determined TO come, if possible, that
determination was made the more
strong by your invitation.
This has been to me a most glo-
rious day. 1t has given me the oppor.
tunity of renewing many old and val.
ued acquaintance, aud receiving from
them many kindly greetings and hos.
pitalities. | was met at the railway
station, last night, by your distin-
guished fellow-citizen, Mr.. Dickinson,
the same good friend that first met me
when l entered Knoxville eleven years
ago, and was taken by him to the same
hospitable mansion he welcomed me
to then. This morning, as was awak-
ened from my slumbers, by the sound
OF artillery, | almost fancied myself
again in the midst of the conflicts of
war but upon looking out upon your
grand mountains and noble river,
and witnessing the peaceful scenes be-
fore me, | realized that these were not
sounds of discord aud conflict which
make anxious hearts, but were sounds
of welcome which made my heart glad.
God grant that the same peace which
exists in a II East Tennessee this bright
and glorious day may continue for ages,
and thatwe and future generation may
continue to celebrate this glorious an
niversary with the same happiness and
loyalty that have characterized our
meeting to-day.
Mr.. wAsHINGToN's SPEECH.
Mr.. Seaman then read letter of
decination from Captain II. IL.
Taylor, who had been announced as
one of the speakers, but had been sud
denly called from the city by the i'll
ness of his mother, and introduced
George Washington, Esq, who kindly
consented to fill his place.
The following is a synopsis of his
speech;
Ladies and GentlenleR
The circumstances under which we
are met, are perhaps without parallel
in history. Indeed, it is an anomaly
too daring for even fiction, and which
the universal Yankee nation - alone
could venture to present But, in or
der that may be entirely understood,
it will be necessary to reeur briefly to
the past, though i would not touch
with never so light finger that deli
cate veil with which we have covered
it, except to pour upon 1t the sweet
balm of Cancellation and peace. But
a few short years-would they were a
thOusand-and the tucsin of civil feud
iwoke the slumbering echoes amid all
our hills and valleys. As has always
since the great flood, and
will always happen till the last sylla-
Die Of recorded time, men differed in
heir views. Indeed, | am reminded
IN this connection, by a great man,
hat there never was an opinion which