Year: 1864

/ / do not see why Convention could not
be trusted as well rs a Legislature. Who


is prepared here o-Dight to hesitate to


admit the great principle that man IS
/ capable of governing himself?
I thank G Cd / have always relied on one
thing. that there was n great principle OF
/ right living at the foundation of all things;
( and the truth is mighty and will prevail.
I Right is going forward; truth is triumph
I ing: Justice is becoming paramount, sla-
very is going down. Applause. And
now, / proclaim it, the time has come,
! God being my helper, | am willing to do
my part, and am willing TO wind up my
political career in the final settlement of
this question The time has come when
the tyrants rod shall be broken and the
captive set free. Renewed applause
Then. now is the time TO strike: and he
is a coward who desires to remain mac
tive and will not come forward to the al
ter and worship. Continued applause.
! Yet, while right is triumphing, they talk
about compromising the question. Com
promise, Compromise with what? Com
promise great principle VIII vou have
truth to compromise with falsehood:
VIII YOU have right to compromise with
wrong? Will you have virtue compro-
mise with vice: l say No. In the com
promise of right with wrong, right is the
loser, in the compromise Of virtue with
vice, virtue is always violated. No com
promisc-none. No compromise with
traitors while they have arms in their
hands. Cheers. l am no maniac or
fanatic upon this question, but | feel de
voted, attached and welded to great prin-
ciples.


say, then, remove the evil, obey the
law of Heaven, and always reach a right
conclusion. As we have commenced
the work of restoring the State, let us
profit by past experience, and put the
government in motion now upon correct
principles Let us 90 ut it honestly
| know there are some that are finding
fault and thinking about the little places
already; but l say, forget that we have
been divided into parties; let us com
mence the work of building the Govern
ment up, and then if we want to quar-
rel about local questions or questions of
expediency, we have got Government
to quarrel in.


| stand where | have always been, an
advocate of free government. | am for
the people having Il fair, full, impartial
trial of their capacity for self govern
ment, and have confidence that they
will triumph. And if these brave oil
GERS and gallant men, with what aid we
can give them, will keep the rebels off
of ours, or drive thom into the gulf,
(which | believe ere loag they will. be
fore they reach the gulf, Tennessee will
stand redeemed, rcgcncratci and Olsen
thralled by the genius of freedom itself
Those OF us for restoring the govern
ment and leaving out this element called
slavery, let us stand together, and in Ian
guage often repeated, let us give n long
pull strong pull and pull all together,
and Union sentiment and free cavern
mcrt will triumph together. We have
commenced the battle of freedom-it is
freedom hattle-and let me say it is not
extended to the slave only, for this Will
free more white men than it does black
men. | know what | say There are
men owning slaves themselves that will
be freed bv this operation. II is not nv
devotion to the black man alone. but
greater devotion for the lives of white
men the amelioraton of their condition.
NV humanity is broad enough for the
white and the black man too. We have
commenced the battle of freedom, and


Freedoms battle once begun.


B,queathei from bleeding sire to son,


Though batied OFT. Is ever w0n.'


Make high and strong resolves: let
Your principles 90 forth To the world. and
though slave owners and negro drivers,
though hell stand yawning before YOU. 90
forward with the banner of Freedom and
Free Government. hand the cross around,
and let Freedom be inscribed upon it.
and Freedom will ere long triumph. and
the triumph. l hope viii last for al time


Here in Tennessee. some say. '.Oh. l
am not afraid of that question: They
are so afraid of doing wrong that thev
can't do right. Many of them are so
afraid of their former masters, they still
look around to see whether Mr.. Bell. Mr.
Overton. or the Ewings are standing
about. Ii Is time, when talking about re
storing slavery, to restore manhood -
They know many of them have that ia
ken from them which constitutes a man.
their manhood has been emasculated-
Get your consent that you have manhood
enough to stand up here and take hold
Of the helm of State. and convince us that
you are willing TO do it. Let us COM
mence the work this night The shack
les must fall from the limbs of all. You
must have laws for the punishment and
protection of all. As an ancient Greek
has said: The love of law is the soul of
liberty" We must have law. and wheth-
er the black man is here or not. we must
have government. There will be no diff
ficulty about this question. l don't care
if the negroes 90 to Africa or any other
place more suitable to them, we can make
more cotton after they are gone. than
has ever been made in the United States
before. If YOU cut up these large cot
ton farms into small sized farms. each
man with his little family getting hold of
part of it. on good land, he will raise
his own hogs, his own sheep. beef cat
tie, and 4 few bales of cotton, better
handled, and it will be much better ar
ticle than we have ever had heretofore
With a greater number of individuals.
each making few bales. we win have
more bales than were ever made before.





This would not be considered very
electioneering speech. but am not can
tlidate for ANYTHING | know some saw