Year: 1865

lima, earnestly urged fellow citizens o Tennessee TO
xpccted assemble for the purpose OF solemnly
protesting against such action OF the Empire State OF the
SOUTH as forcsaw and predicted should 1t take place.
would ultimately drag ali the Southern states into tbe
vortex OF disunion. Those 10 whom appealed
and no such commlss oners wore therefore, sent No
onc Mr. President Knows better than you do that tho
cotton States of tho South had all seceedcd that vir-
gnia NorhsCaroina and Arkansas had followed their
example, that the new government had been formed in
Montgomery And put in actual operation thaFort Sum
ter had attacked that bloody conflict Of arms had
occurred the streets ST Louis and that President
Lincoln sproclamaon calling for scvcntyfvc thousand
Der of tho Tennessee people found Wiling take
up arms in defence Of the South. TO the last mo
never did Formally adopt an ordinancoso accession II
is true; that we agreed to 60 into tho war,
and ala 60 no .,u soaloasy and valiant;
been able at thai time toNead the lamchted Lnc0lns
inaugural address by the light Of subsequent events
should have consented to take up arms in opposi
tion 10 the federal government. will go further, and
say that had anticipated such astounding abuses Of
government should have consented to assume
position Of hostility to Che government established by
sSre SUR coad Of
enths of the people of Tennessee and OF the South
generally. After Tennessee had concluded to assume
warlke attitude, under the painful conviction that
this had become indispensable alike to her safety
and her honor, consented TO occupy seat in
tayes / am neither ashamed nor afraid to avow all
that did and said in Richmond during the doeful three





to punishment the atrccous abusers of entrusted power
and to bring about as early a. an
unduy 10 prolong hosites or to heiehten In the least
degree the aspcrties Of the contest voted and spoke
in Opposition TO conscrpOn, connscation, forcblc i'm
the suspension Of the writ Of habeas corpus
the subecon Of men to punishment for the entertain
for what was populary called incivs and ntcrfered
actively and at much personal responsibility 70 prevent
the starvation and general treatment OF Union prison
ers Of war I was constantly nssting upon sending
commissioners with peace propositions 70 Warrington
city; and when I found that the state Of things
was such that the two governments would never
bo able to hold diplomatic intercourse with each oher
the purpose of agreeing upon the terms Of pacnca
month Of May great military calamities would occur
which would render almost impossible TO obtan for tho
pies Of equality and right upon which the federal Union
itself had been established came forth from the Con-
federae States In open defiance OF the Richmond autho
rties 70 PROFOUND plan Of paciicaton TO President
Lincoln and his Cabinet which, had II been acccded TO by
them, would have been almost unanimously ratified in
the South in accordance with which the States OF the
South would have back st within the fold Of
the Union African slavery wpud have been given up on
the principle Of gradual emsncipaton peace order ana
thousands Of precious lives have 9een saved and tho
troublous scenes through which We arc nov Passing
would have been effectually precluded


Such is a frank and explicit statement Of my public
conduct for the last four years in connection with that
close II has been my fate to have been grossly mis-
judged and misreprcsentcd by men OF extreme views,
both in the North and In the South Mercenary and


gate editors have abused and rdcul me without stint
ali over the land have been deprived of my personal
liberty in the South because I would not submi. to
military tyranny there. have been twice shut up in
common Jail in the city Of New York, by command OF
those in power in Washington because, under circum
stances such have described, united with my South
brethren in effort TO prevent that "lntolcrabc
oppression with which then honestly believed our
selves to be mcnaced No man has accused mo anywhere
Of peculaton OF fraud of scrvty, Of selfish ambition,
of trckery and management Of insincery of progacy
of ntemperance, Of attempted assassination or Of mur
der My conscience, both in my private and public ca
pacity is svoid of offence towards God and man and
though IL should be my fate again to be allowed to
rey my native country yet feel IN my heart OF heara
that loves that country, and that whole ecuiI-
try more truly and intensely than do; that no man
more earnestly desires than do the prosperity and hap
puess OF the great republic which have so long cndeav
ored most faithfully serve and that no man is moro
solicitious than / that libery-consttutional lib
etyibcrty regulated by law and consistent with order
and peace should be the precious and enduring heritage
Of my cQintrymcn in oil time to come =.
Sincerely wishing, that with sturdy and elevated
patriotism, with enlightened judgment, with O soul
alike free from prejudice and from passion, you, mr.
President, may, with diligence, with a fcrvcnt and
inspiring zeal with firm determination to do your dnty
TO your country honestly, dsnterestedly and ndcpcnd
concord to bleeding and stracted land and that you
may in all things, at all times and under all cir
cumsances, as to secure to yourself permanent and
deserved honor the lasting gratitude OF your country
and the respect and admiration of the whole world
have the honor TO be- your banishcd fellow citizen


r. ST. feel bound TO add that do not believe that
leave you decide whether You justified in keepng
m -. +.