Year: 1864

the brightest hopes Of mankind. South


Carolina and the other reyolted States


were warned that they could not reck-


lessly destroy the ''old ship" I tell
you, fellow-citizens, should this Govern


ment be broken up, it would be the


cause Of interminable war If enc


Confederacy should be established, (it


being based upon the idea Of secession


1t would soon fall to pieces, and an in


definite number Of petty governments


would be established, and they would


be engaged in continual and bloody
warfare. Let Us examine for a moment
I into the history of Tennessee IN con-
nection with this war In February.
! 1861, an election was held in the State
for members for the convention to take
in consideration such measures as


might be deemed Of interest TO the


State. This convention was regarded


as the entering wedge to secession, and


the people voted dolcn the contention by q


majority of sixty thousand, (60,000)
! Tennessee was anxious to remain in the
Union, and although seven others Of
the Southern States had seeded.
and was anxious that Tennessee should


so along with them. still afterwards
she sent delegates TO the Peace Con-
gress that met at Washington, and was
untiring in her efforts to preserve the I
Union and avoid war. This continued /
up until the 18th of April, 1861, when /
Fort Sumter was fred upon, AMI the I
President called for 1900 men The /
people were told and made believe that /
the President had no authority to call /
for men, and that war was inevitable /
She being moro closely identified with /
the South by kindred and similarity Of 4
institutions, determined to 60 with the 1
South, although in their better iudg- /
ment they believed that secession was
wrong, and that there was no valid |
cause for it. And now, when you have
appealed to war, and have lost, are you
any longer bound by honor or other
wise, to perseVere, in a struggle that was
brought about against your judgment,
and which has produced ruin and desc
lation throughout your State2 The
President Of the United States had a
right, under the act of Congress, to call
for men, to suppress insaarecsion or
repeI iJsv0Sion." And do you remem-
Der that the Southern Congress, at
Montgomery, Alabama, (before the call
of the President of the United States
had passed an act authorizing the Presi-
dent of the Confederacy to call out one
hundred thousand men, and that he
was actually arming and equipping mem
Although many of the people have
been guilty of treason, and have forfeit
ed their lives and property, still the
President offers them full and free par
don. viii you avail yourselves of il
1t is magnanimous and generous pro
position, and there is nothing degrad-
ing in it. If you avail yourselves of
this amnesty in good faith, you stand
as though you had been loyal man all
the time


The amnesty oath requires you "to
support the Constitution of the United
States, and the Union of States there
under" This you say is not objection
able It also requires that you will
abide by and faithfully support all acts
of Congress, passed during the existing
rebellion, in reference to slaves, 50 long
and in so far as not repealed, modified,
or held void by Congress or by deeis-
ions of the Supreme-C Court" Is there
anything wrong in this


An act of Congress is the law of the
land, so long as it remains unrepealed
or modified or held void by the courts
of the country, and every good citizen
is bound to obey it. The amnesty also
requires in like manner that you "abide
by and faithfully support all proclama-
tions of the President of the United
States made during the existing rebel
lion having reference to slaves, so long
and so far as not modified or declared
Void by decision of the Supreme Court"
The President, under the constitution,
is clothed with the pardoning power
and he is authorized to issue proclama-
ton granting pardons either with or
without conditions or limitations The
President then being authorized by the
acts of Congress to issue his proclama-
ton, it has the same force and effect as
an act of Congress, until it is modified
or declared void by the Supreme Court.
We see here that the President sub
mits the whole question to the decision
of the Supreme Court, the proper tri-
bunal to decide all such questions If
you avail yourself of this amnesty in
good faith you will be protected. In
my opinion there is no salvation for
this country unless Federal authority is
restored over it and the people return
to their allegiance


After the conclusion of Judge Walk
ers speech, Col Weaver was called
upon, and addressed the audience in a
kind but pointed manner Capt War
ner followed in warm and patriotic
appeal to the people. For the present,
suffice it to say, that feel confident
that much sober reflection and decided
action for good viii be the result Of
yesterdays meeting w H. NJ