Year: 1865

4
dent beg leave to submit to you, as
acting Chief Executive officer, and
through you to the people..of Tennessee,
the following report:


The immediate objects of our mis-
sion, as defined in the credentials fur
nished By the officers of the Conven-
ton, were


l. To induce the President to issue a
Proclamation declaring Tennessee no
longer in=insurEection against the gov
ernment Of the United States.


2 To solicit the influence Of the Pre-
sident in securing the completion Of
the railroad from Knoxville to Mich
oiasviller KY, as a military measure
8 To secure the payment of claims
for property taken by the United States
Army from loyal citizens of Tennessee


In accordance with the above in
structions, we called on the President
and were favored with several confer
ences on the subjects above mentioned.
In regard to the first proposition, the
Commissioners urged that Tennessee
should be declared no longer in insur-
rection against the government; First,
because she was not embraced in the
original proclamation declaring certain
States in rebellion, and was not so con-
sidered until it became necessary to
include it in order to put in force Ger
tain trade regulations promulgated in
August, 1863, and designed to cover all
the section denominated, or contiguous
to, the theatre of warlike operations;
secondly, because it is a matter of fact
that the people of Tennessee are not
in insuTrection against the government
On the contrary those now remaining
on the soil Of the State, have Loyalty O.
beyed every order, and taken every oath
prescribed by the Federal authorities,
even TO the extent Of bearing arms
against the enemies Of the government
and there is no allegation that they are
otherwise than thoroughly loyal, and ss
as such fit tdepos;taries ofthe power here
tofore welded and prostituted by the
State and local authorities against the
national government The large num-
Der Of our troops in the national army
"A number which would make more
than our States quota under all calls
which have yet been made--together
with the recent action Of our loyal peo-
pie, IN proposing TO amend our State
Constitution so as TO wipe out slavery
and the slave code, thus placing our
State government, in its new Organiza-
ton, upon the same footing as to free
dom, as any other State in the national
sisterhood, were briefly pointed out,
and the course indicated was thus jus
tilted as a matter alike demanded by
right and justice In addition, the
fact that the American people had Sc
lected from among US one Of our most
distinguished fellow-citzens to be Vice
President, and one of the qualifications
Of that office being that he shall be a
citizen of State of the Union, was re-
ferred to, in connection with our pre-.
sent anamalous position, as an addi-
tional reason, and one which should
not be lightly esteemed, why the pains
and disabilities of declared" but not
actual insurrection, should be removed


The President replied, that he knew
of no impediment in the way of acce-
ding to our first proposition, except the
extent to which it night affect the pre-
sent trade regulations-that the mat
ter presented might also involve some
grave legal considerations, and that in
order to do justice TO the subject, he
should have to take some time TO con-
slider it, intimating that we might ex-
pect as favorable response as the na.
ture of the case admitted Of and with
the least avoidable delay.


In regard to the completion of the
railroad from Knoxville to Nicholas
vile, KY, President Lincoln said be
was we'll acquainted with the reasons
which should have induced the gov
ernment to construct the road as a
military measure He had gravsly
considered the whole subject, and was
satisfied that the government would
have made money by constructing that
road when he first recommended it;
but, he added, there was not now the
same necessity as heretofore for its
construction, and what was more, said
he, we have no means TO spare to de-
vote to any enterprise not absolutely
demanded by the pressing exigencies
Of the hour. For these and other rea-
sons, he declined to iusugurats apy
further steps looking to the completion
of said road We found, however.
that bill to carry ont the Presidents
recommendation had actually passed
the lower house of Congress the last
session, and that the same bill is now
pending in the Senate with very fair
! prospectsof success


In regard 70 paying loyal oitizsDs Of
Tennessee for property taken by the
United States army, the President said
that Congress and the War Department
had already considered that subject
sEd the result was, that it had been de-
termined 70 pay for no property taken
from persons residing in States declared
/ in instruction, until after the war Wss
over lie said that in his opinion these
claims were as just and proper as those
which were now audited and settled,
but the great demand for money to
pay the army compelled them to defer
ali claims Of the character referred to
Il