The Morristown gazette. [volume] (Morristown, Tenn.) 1867-1920, 1877-09-19
KEY AT MARIETTA.
The Best Speech He has Mad

1uG D6SU CpOCCH I16 HAS Mdut
The telegraph did not furnish u.
the particulars Of the reception o
the Presidents party at Marietta
Ohio. The omission was vel
, enough, since we have had enough
Of such matters recently to rendel
US quite patient while waiting foI
more, The speech of 'Postmaste
General Key, on this occasion, was
so far better than all others he ha:
previously made, that it affords us {
real pleasure to reproduce it.
Judge Key, on rising, was receiv
ed with great applause. He said:
FELLOW CITIZENS appear be
fore you under peculiar cireumstan
ces. You have assembled here tc
recite the victories which you have
won in former days, to recount the
triumphant results which you achiev
ed. appear before you as one oi
the soldiers from whom your victo.
ries were won, your triumphs
achieved; but the cordiality with
which I have been received makes
me forget that we have ever been
/ enemies, and [ assure you that L
would much rather meet you, as l
meet you to-day, as friends, than in
the conflict of arms, as you have
been met before. Applause
Ny friends, the flag l fought for
four years has disappeared from
the earth. The government | at
tempted with. my compeers to es-
tablish is no more. We have but
one flag, and that floats over every
foot of our territory. We have but
one Constitution, and that is the
Constitution as it is. Cheers
Our quarrel. my friends. was inher-
tied. Slavery was established by
the Constitution Of our fathers.
1t was established oy the men of
the North as we'll as the South. 1t
was a relic of former age. AS the
ages progressed, as the country pro-
gressed, the free States became pro-
foundly impressed with the idea that
slavery was wrong, that it was a
great national crime, that it was the
sin of the age, that it was sin
against Heaven and liberty. A
voice-"And it was The people
of the South had been educated un-
der different ideas. Their statesmen
upon their platforms defended it.
Their ministers before the holy al
tars taught TIE people that it was
right. and the people Of the South
ern states believed it was right. A
conflict from time to time, a conflict
of opinion, grew up. We had adj
justments. We had the Missouri
compromise, the compromise of
1850, but yet it would not suit.
At last free ideas so far prevailed
that Lincoln was elected to the
Presidency of the United States.
The people of the South, afraid that
the institution of slavery was in
danger said, "We have debated
this quarrel in legislative halls, on
the stump, in the Judiciary tribunals;
we have debated it every where, now
let US fight it out" and they took
up arms. They said: owe leave
these debatable questions to the
power of arms and the sword" and
we fought, and fought bravely.
Each section OF the country fought
for what it thought was right.
(Cheers.) What was the result Z
Why, the South was defeated, and
az men and soldiers they were
bound to submit with good grace to
the result, and to admit that the re-
suIt was right: that the tribunals
they had selected had decided the
controversy against them.
Sirs, this is the victory, this is the
triumph. The verdict was against
us. The Judgment was pronounced
against US, and what was it? 1t
was put in the three amendments to
the Constitution. The first declared
slavery should no longer exist any
where in this broad land, the Sec
ond declared that every man who
was born in the United states
should be a citizen of the United
States, All men, white or black,
were equal before the law. Not on
ly this, but they declare the public
debt of the United States should
never be repudiated. They declare
that no claims should be made for
emancipated slaves. They declared
that we should be free country,
and that the flag of the Union should
be the flag Of the people everywhere
and to-day we have but one country.
but one flag. but one Union, and
that Union is inseparable. Cheers.]