Knoxville daily chronicle. [volume] (Knoxville, Tenn.) 1870-1882, 1879-09-19

President hayes arrived mere Vo-
day to attend the annual reunion OF
the Twenty-third regiment of Ohio
veteran volunteer infantry. lie
had quite notable reception from
his old comrades. He delivered an
address on the occasion as follows:
COMRADES AND FELLOW CITIZENS =
After almost year spent In Washington,
engrossed in public affairs, 1t is great
pleasure to visit again my friends in Ohio,
and especially to meet SO many of my old
comrades at this yearly reunion of the
Twenty. third Regiment. Since we last
met at Willoughby. year ago. there
has been q vast Improvement IN the ousi-
ness condition of our country. Whatever
differences of opinion may be still found
| among the people of this part of Ohio as TO
the Importance of the resumption of specie
| payments, and as to the meth DDS by which
| it has been accomplish d, there is one kind
| of resumption which is very noticeable in
Youngstown, and which is making rapid
progress in the whole country, about which
imagine We are heartily agreed. When
l last visited this beautiful valley of the
Mahoning, four years ago, the financial
crisis, and the gloomy outlook for business
and labor aud capital, occupied the
people wherever l met them, whether in
public assemblies, at their places of bust
ne.s, or At their hospitable homes. Now,
however, how great and gratifying Is the
changed All around Us here, AL through
out the country generally, we see cheering
and hopeful indications OF better umes.
Not only have specie pay yments been re-
sumed, but business activity aid profitable
emplo, menL for capital and labor have
come also The chief industry and inter-
est of this valley-the great iron i..terest-
already begins to share largely IN the
benefit of our improved condition, and L
therefore heartily congratulate all classes
of citizens in this large assemolage on the
present favorable business situation, and
ON the bright and encouraging prospect
which the iuture holds out.
There is subject Interesting to every
citizen, aud especially to those VINO served
IN the u Union Army, IN regard to which L
wish to say few words:
Since our last reunion, in several of the
States and in Congress, events have oc-
CURED which have revived the discussion
of the queslio as to the objects tor which
we fought in the great conh CT from 1861 to
| 1866, and as to what was accomplished by
| the final triumph of the U nlon cause. The
| question is, what was settled by the war :?
| What may those who fought for the Union
| Justly claim; and what ought lose who
fought for secession faithfully to accept as
the legitimate results OF the war;
An eminent citizen of our State, Mr..
Groesheck, said some years ago, that war
legislates." He regarded the new consti-
tutIonal amendments as part of the legis
iaIion of the war for the Union, and said,
with significant emphasis, and they will
stand" The equal-rights amendments are
the legislation of the war for the Union,
and they ought TO stand. Great wars al
ways legislate. A little more than a hun
dred years ago. this land, where We now
are, was claimed and held by France.
General Wolfe, on the plains of Abraham,
settled that claim. and the result was the
transfer of the title and jurisdiction of this
section of country to England. For few
years its chief ruler was the English King.
The Revolution followed, and the question
of It's ownership was again the subject of
war legislation, and it became part of tn
| United States. no longer under a mon
archy, but under a free Republican Gov
ernment.
need not enter into any discussion of
the Causes of our civil war We all snow
| that the men who planned the destruction
| of the u MON and the establishment of the
| Confederate States, based their attem pt on
constr ctIon of the Constitution called
the State-rights doctrine and on the inter-
est of the people OF those States in the ex-
| ".
doctrine of State-rlghts was, that each
| State was sovereign and supreme, and
might nullify the laws of toe Union or
secede from the Union at pleasure. They
held that slavery was the natural and nor
| NAL condition of the colored man, and
that, therefore, slavery in this country
could and should be the cornerstone of u
free government.
| No man has ever stated the issues of the
civil War more fully, more clearly, or more
accurately than Mr.. Lincoln. In any in
quIry as to wnat may fairly be included
| among the things settled by our victory, all
just and patrlotIc minds instinctively turn
to Mr.. Lincoln. To him, more lhsn any
other mao, the cause Of union and liberty
| Is indebted for its Il Isl triumph. Besides,
with all his wonderful sagacity, and wis
dom. and logical facutty, d yelling intently,
and anxioasly, and prayeriuliy, during
four years of awful trial and responsibility
on the questions which were continually
arisiag 10 perplex and almost eenfound
HIM, he at last became the very em bodi-
ment OF the principles by whicn the coun.
try ana It's liberties were saved. All good
/ citizens may now welI listen to and need
his words. None have more reason to dc
II with respect and confidence. and gen.
t'ulne regard, than those whom he add essed
in his hrst inaugural speech as /" my dissat
ished fsliow-countrymen. The leader OF
the Union cause was so just and mo oerate,