Nashville union and American. [volume] (Nashville, Tenn.) 1868-1875, 1874-09-20


vote directly for President and Vice-Presi-
dent, the candidate receiving a majority of
all the votes cast in all the electoral dis
tricts OF the United States should be de-
eiared President and Vice President. In
the event there should be more than two
candidates, and no one receiving a major
lty OF a I the votes, the two highest should
De sent back to the people for election, in
stead OF going 70 the House Of Representa-
tiyes fo- election as now prescribed by the
constitution Of the United States. This
would be bringing the Government closer
to, and more directly under the control of
the people.
There IS one other amendment to the
constitution that 1 would call your atten-
tiOn to, and that is, to transfer the election
OF Senator'S to the United States Senate
from the legislatures to the qualified voters
OF the respective States. The people are to
be trusted in the election of SenatOrs,as ex-
perienee has fully and painfully demon
srated, IN prefeTeRce to legislatures who
are constantly corrupted by the use of
money when Senators are to be chosen by
them. will not elaborate this subject far
Their than to call your attention to q mes
sage and three amendments offered to the
constitution in 1868, which gives my views
more fully upon this importont question.
THE CHARGE OF HARDNESS
has been made against me by some of
the people Of my State, and they say 1
have not been as just as l might
have been in the restoration ofthe State-I
do not say reconstruction, as believe there
was no such thing as reconstruction in the
South, 1t was only restoration. | think
have not been tardy nor unjust. On the
l4th day Of March, 1865, MIR. Lincoln was
assassinated and on the 18th L was inaugu-
rated President. Congress met in Deem
Der. In the meantime the rebellion had
collapsed, out there were eleven States 70
be restored to their former rights in the
Union. l was alarmed at the idea Of al
lowing our vast army 10 remain in the
South and diSbanded il in June-as
soon as it was possible TO do 81, and the
next thing was the pr0vidingOf a military
government in each State, so that eonven-
tons might be called and State officers
properly elected by the people.
Congress met on the first Monday in De
cember, but the work of recognizing and
restoring had been done before this, BY the
Executive, but Congress drew back and
said, ''this man johnson is a Southern man
and he wants to dotoO much for the SOuth,"
and they refused TO admit Senators who
had been elected by the people Of the
Southern States. planted myself firmly
on the Constitution. The first thing they
did was 70 pass the Freedman's Bureau
bill. The first Civil Rights bill containing
all the Objectionable features Of the one
now pending, passed March p, 1866. Both
those bills vetoed. Then Congress organ
lied five military districts in the South,
and this bill also vetoed. They passed
their bills and vetoed them, for resolved
[ would exercise every vestige Of power
possessed in support Of that instrument
which had been handed down to me by my
fathers. and which | intended TO hand down.
inviOlate, TO my children. GApplausel. i
will say right here, that had been dis
posed to pass these bills, l might have been
clothed with power that would have been
imperial, and possessed means that would
have been enormous.
In consequence Of my determination to
stand by this people in their rights under
the Constitution, the impeachment bust
ness began. They said had exercised the
pardOning power too freely; and, by the
way, it is altogether likely that those who
accuse NE Of hardness do so with my par
don in their pockets (laughter), and when
l was impe2ched by Congress, with a
sPontius Plate at their head, the people
whom had helped were pOwerless to help
me. Thank God, gentlemen, that while I
was engaged in this, my pathway has been
one of peace-that the highway which
have travelled in public life has not been
paved with human skulls, or the bridges
over which l have passed been caUsewayed
or fOored with the mutilated limbs and
bodies of dead men. There are no GOlgO-
thas on one hand, or pOuers-ield on the
other. The cries and sufierings Of orphaned
children and widowed mothers salute not
nv ears with reprOach. The blood of hus-
bands and sons is not upon my skirts.
am not responsible for the strife and angry
pass Ons that brought civil war upon the
nation with all its disasters and blighting
consequences. Il was not me that set man
upon man, and caused him 10 life his hand
against tie thrOIt Of his brother, drenching
the land with fraternal blood, which, like
the sacrifcial blood Of Abel. cries from the
tongueless eaver1s for peace and recOncilia-
ton. Let the yawning chasm of blood be
closed, leaving no scar or sign Of It's former
existence. NAppiduSt.)
Peace-peace is the natural element Of
my nature, but have power 70 resist when
know that l am in the right, and ] feel
have as much courage in the line Of duty
as any man requires. When the rebellion
went down | did all in my power to restore
nv cOuntTymen to their former rights, and
to preserve their property from coniiscatiOn.
Sometimes ] have thought that this quality
we call gratitude has become almost ex-
tinct. have read, somewhere, that ''grat-
itude is not for favors past, but lively
sense Of things to come Laughter ]
All this may be considered DEPRESSION,
but it ought not be considered a DEPRESSION
for it is plain enough that restoration Of the
South has had a great deal to do with az
riculture and mechanics in this section.
"A voice-"That's So"
THE UNITED STATES sENATORsHTP.
Nv name has been mentioned in cOnnec-
ton with the office Of United States Sena-
tor. Ii was mentioned four years ago, and
Won know what was done by our Legisla-
ture. | believe if the will vt The people
had been reflected by that Legislature, the
man who was elected would not have
been, but somebody else would. IA
yoice-sSO do 1T / confess | was deceived
bv some in whom have placed confidence;
I confess that mistOOk the men, but does
that relieve the tTeachery OF the act?
TCries of ''NO.' .'Nor
The greatest men in the country have
been deceived. Washington had his Ar
mold: Jefferson had his Burr; Jackson had
his traitors; Napoleon had his Marshal
New: Caesar, the wearer Of the imperial
robe. had his Brutus, who slew him in the
Roman Senate Chamber; our Savior had
twelve APOSTLES, one of whom betrayed him
while another denied him; and /, too, had
nv Edmund and Ihad my Henry, laugh
Ter. I but think need not be ashamed of
having been betrayed, when so many, much
more distinguished than l, have also been
betrayed.
Rut NV name has been again mentioned
for the United States Senate. They have
had their conventions, and have fixed
things up. You know l am not much OF a
convention man. Conventions have con-
tributed materially to bringing about the
troubles we have had. Look at tue Char
lesion and Baltimore conventions, and at
the work they accomplished. l ask, has
not the country been serving parties long
enough? Parties have brought all our
trouble upon us, and it is now time that
narties were made to serve the country.
| have said, and yet say, that if ma
ioritv of the people of my State are in favor
IF my being their Senator, | would serve
-, s.XVelp- I am asked ~What about