Speech Of Gov. Johnson

Upon the conclusión of Uolorwl Polk's retnarks tlicro were loud cries íor " Johnson " " Johnson !" Johnson I" tod, ultbong'h tho dinner hour luid passed, the Irirge aadience, nuorbëring orar three thousand - the hall md galleries lii.kl 1 1 1 :i t number, and they word all crowded, includtng the lobbies - seenved to juin Biuiultaneoüsly in the ory for thé favorita son of the (ast rogeneruting, fast bocoming loyal State of Tennossee. A few minutes bjpsed bcforti Giovernor Johnson made his appcarance; but ihe moment ho did the re was one universal Bboat of greetinfi a ad Welcctne. All present seecned to congratúlalo themselves on haviug a leader of so determinad a inien in thia orisïa as the man wlio now s.t!od before thern. Ttíe delégalos from tk6 country distriets seeftiéd electriiied by hia presence, and, as ono reaiaiked, who was foroed by iho pressuro of tboinultitude to erowd upon the reporter's olbow as be was tak ing a few inengre notes of the pfofcèedinga; " Andy Jolmson's got the people with liiin, that'ü ' fac'." Afler the tumult of applaaae bad subsided, Govurnor Johnsou proceeded fö aidress the audiunce. Tlis reiuarks occupied tireo honra' timo, :iind oovorad u largo portion of the field of tiis present operations, with rnaynaiimous reieruiices to incideuts of tlio past, hope in the present, and codüdence in the future. Ile said : Fellow-Citizexs Oí' i:. - In coniplying with your cali I respond, not for the purpose of mak ing a speeoh. ï determinad previous to the meeting to-day not to do bo. There are othera here who would more interest you. There are thoso hei-o who have heard me, 'and who would Ifka to hear other. I want theau to hear thoso speakers rather tlian roe. TLi:; is but the ihitiative meeting oi' pthers to bo followed up throughout the ötate, to rosult in tho triumphant pestora t ion of Tonntsseo to the federal Union. [Immense applause.J Jie alludcd to i.id forrner party rol: and said it wasknovvn to each and overy man within the sound oí hifi rofca thaf tho State was onee divided into two partios - whig8 and democrats. Tiiey each had tbeir particular measures. Ono advocated a national bank, the distribution of the proceeds of' the sales of the public lands; the other, an independent treasuiv, tariiï for revenue, &c. They argued and diecussed their issues wherevor they went and met. They had processions, mass meetings and other domonstrations iudicative of the interest they took iu the success of their favorito uieasurea. Each had their banners and colors unfurled. What Mero those colors ? ho Rgkerd. rJ'here wero the wli:;!s, representing their principies, coming, forward to the music of" Hai] Columbia ;" and there were the democrats coming forward. nlmost in martial rray, to the musio of " Yanfce l'oodie." They i;;y.t together uutloi' the folils of the S.t;;rs and Stripes. and discuased their measures. [Loud applause.] And now he feit il tho proudest raojpcut of bis life to stand hero with thoso who differed froui !iim and whoni ho had diíFerud from on tlia platfurra oí tho ui:i'in, under the Stars and Stripes, and " to tako you (addressing tbe President, Governor Campbell, and taking his hand, and shaking it warmly) 'by Lhe hand," and to bc here to congratulato ono anolher upon tho restoratioii of the Union. (Governor Campbell wannly, and wjth his pleaaant features wreatbod in smiles, responded to tho congratularon, aniid the beartfelt npplause of the entiro audierice.) Governor Jobuson continued : If the Union goos down, wo go down with it. There is no past nor future. There is nothing but tho Uüion. Tho only inquiry must be, " Aro you íor tho Union, and willing to swear that tha last drop of your blood sïtaFI be poured out in its. defence ?" [Applause long continued.] He would tav to othera that ho would toil, through mountains, through va!leys, through glens, at uight, and by day, and all his óiertiona shall bo tf)varu tho restoratioii of ïennesseo to her former relations with the Federal governmont. [lienewed npplause.J There is one question continued Governor Johnson, placiug much stress upon his observations, which uudorlies all others at this junction - ono underlying all otherts- 1 tay what I know, and I know wbat I say and feel - that is, the strugglo to kuovv whclher man is capablü of selt-goyernmont - vhether man can goveru himself. It is to settlo the question whelher man is capable of self government. Ho believed that the question of slavory was mado the pretest lor breaki ng up the govennuent, in order to estaí?lish a monarchy. Ho referred to South Carolina as having inaugurated " thia infanious, diabólica!, damnable revolution," and deduced frota the fact that tho tories in that State, during tho Kevolut'.ouary war against Great Jiritain, had proposec} arrangeaseiits for tho restoratioii to vassala'je under that ï'ower, that they wero raady for a return to a monarshy and tlio establishing öf an aristocracy that shoulil control the rnasses. [iJensation ] In support of this view Governor Jolinsm presentcd tho fact that bna of tho laading indueements of sèparation was the hope of succor, recognition and help from Great Britain and France. 8eparation! he esclaimed - sepáralo frQin tha Unjíed States; and what does South Carolina, or any other oí the ceded original States do bui fall back on its origina! colonial eonditioa ? To the condition oí' vassainge to Queen Victoria 'i Shall we overlook these things in tiie great clamor for goutberu rights ? Jeff. Duvis, Toorabs, lvcrson, U(Mij;ni)in and Wigíall were conspira; torá worse than thoae of lióme. W'ill j'ou, lie asked of the rueu oí' Teonessep, e vassals to these men 'i IK; appsaled to thosa who had a. répolléotiod of the sires of the Kevulutii, of' íhosp 09eda which taught them to reveré thu ineniorics of the past ; to the times when the bood epouted from the he;-ls of thóae vyho, barefooted, made long and weary marches, tbrough sno'.v and over frozen rivers, to achieve their - dopeadeDce ÍVorti foreign dominution. to BDRwer. [Ap])lause, aii'! cries oí ': No, no, nevar."] Are jou wi he asked, lo qqail b&Krj tceason aoJ raitprs, and, i ijrren(er the best ötit tfae world ever saw ? [Ones óf '■ Never, nevor.'J AUhovigh the revolu.lion hua run ramplint, t lian not overeóme a peüply wbo knevv ihat here is a reiieming spirit, a rettirrtiog Rerme Of justiou ubidlrtg ill tilo ht'arU of the inass ei' the peopie of Twineesde. i Ie compafod the presjnt darkaesa and (Jeprcasion of Iha ITniori men to tiie luVa thiit, issuiug frorri tlio erator of VesuvittS, had receded only to return in a volumo oi ltqaid fire aad sivoep óver the land. There is, he gaid, a redeeming spirit cOQiing over the land, - In (he foresta -and tnero are manywbö oan unuerstand the simile - Che murmura of tho oorsiog storm can beheard befare tho storm can aclually bivak upmi Ihein. 11e beard the munuur.s oí that öorarng ctorrn now. It was roturning tb 8 rush out treasou and tti puniah traitorai Troason mubtbe purii'shed, or ralhcr treason must be erushed out and traitor.s must bo puni.-hed. Intelligent, eonseious traitors must be puuished. Not the great mass who had been foreed irtlder oonsoription into the southern armi -s. Wosuy to tliein, " Keturn lo your allegianee nnd no puuishment shall be iniiicted.' But to those "A-ho broulit thia sea up. .i our land, who u-rayed brotliet ai;!tinst brother, we say to tho conscioiirí, iotelligént traitor, yon will bo puni.-!ied. Govenior Johnson p;vsented i'.i soinbi'e and touching lan guago tlu s)octaele of tho womon to be teen ia the Btfeféts, hrouded in mouniing. They ask, " who lias hurrietl cft' ïny liusbund, my bous, my b.rotbers ? Wlio Las wrought all thia woe ?" Ho then passed to a review oí the ecuiivo pursued by some of the womeii who had aided and encoiü the rebelüon. He said, I fear that some of our mothera and sisters havo eoutributud lo the woe. I say to theni now to prepare lo repept in Backcloth and ashes for what lias occurred- for the etliif ion of the blood of . and brothers. He ruferred to the op probrium heaped upon the tomba of Union raeü by the Woman, and tískéá, "Ase we, a-eiilizad, Cliristian people, or aro we canüibals :"' lio ap i lo men and women to knovv what right they havo beeü dopffved of under the Uuion Can yon tel! what riglit j'ou havo been del'raudod of? Can yon sta, fe(;l, hear, taste, touch or si nel 1 any ïight you have been deprived Oii ï A Bouthern lights man, who never ownrd a negro, aays, " Oh, we are do prived of our rights in tho Terri-tories." That man never would go to tho Territorios; he nevcr owned a negro; if he did lie would not keep him long. ■ aro the elass of men who are elamoiing for southern rights. [Apphiuse.] Governor Johnson reviewed the cour.so of tho southern memb&ra oí Congress who soooded whon Ci'ittendeu's comprornise could hawa been a(Jopted. ït has been said, he remarked, that the Grillenden eompromise would have eati.süed, tho South.. Ho was in the Snatp wijea tbo Oriti uompromisö was presented. - Itlr. Clark, of Now Hampshire, cffered an aiïK'üdimut, in lieu of' .Mr, Oritfenden's proposition. The ayes and noes, wero ealled on tho adoption oí' Crittendon'.s coinprouiise It was dfeated. It was lq$t by two vo.tes, and wlion tliiá w!uí uoüü all was done.- W've tho Böafti sincere in their devotion to the Crittenden ? He cxaiii'mud the question, and anived very plaiyly at ího conclusión tUat they were nut. Vhilo tho nyes and noes were btíing callee], bíx íoulliern Senators refused to vote and iralked out. Ií íhey liad rema:ne(! Ciaik"a an;ot)dmeiit vrould havo been votcd down by foiir votes. Tho Gownior passed over all this field of Donares .sional legislation, and :'.skod who voïed for tho amondment to tho oons'itution lo prohibit forover Congress from legislating on the subject of elayery in the States. The republieans votod for it. .icesh ? [Laiighter.] No. Tho Legislaturo here in Nashvülc n secret ,i did not tuko it up but old them all, like sheep in the shijnjbies, to J e il". Duvi.s. Ho callod lipón them all, as freo men, to coine forvard Süd save this government Iroin the epoliation of' men who would destroy civil libertyi Kei'eniiig to thü aption of Congress q favor vt the right to property in nogroes in the Territorios, Govenior J. uakod : " i)o you want any ba'.ter ?" ["oicu.-s - " No ;:' " (-j-ood eaough fat me."] IIo then reforred to tho rebel lion us tho result of disappoinled ambition on the part of Jclf. Uavis - What Biitifidöneó should Tenneèsee have in Ju tí'. Jí.ívís '! liow long is it sihee he aiiempttd to tarnish tiio fair fame of Teiiüessee '1 In. secret seasiou tho peop'.e of Tennesseo were lashed to the car of the hyblid, hermaphrodite governinent. Tonoe.sseeans aro now in tho dungoons of Alubama, bound i;: iidus, and fed on rotten moat and diseased beaus. No sound comes to cheer them; no sound to relieve them of tbeir satl and weary confinemont, save tho clanking of tho chains ihat aernfined them. What gin, what crime, what f'eloiiy havo they coir-mittod ? . ecept that ijjey loved tho llag af their country. [Applause.J Ho appeled to them t- break tho iron Ijands that kc-pt their l'ellow-citizer.s in r.ii'iit in tho dongöons of' Alabama. Southern rights ! Why,ainaq iu South Carolina is not eligible to a seat in the Legislaturo 9& hd owns ten négroea and is possessed of 8")00 frooh.')ld property. Where's that man, iie asked, who wants bis rights in the 'l'erritoriLS V Why ilon't ho go to South Carolina ' would ho be allo wed onio a member of the Legislatura ? No. I doubt m he v.oiikl bo allowed to etarken tho doors of the Capítol. Governor Johnson said f be kIiouIJ go thera liimaelf lc ivpuld not be elflble to a sent in the lowcr heuso of the Legislatura. It requii'ei] tbè ównership oí ten negroos í'or eligibifity. He oóly qwned nine,or did onceo'.vatliom ; but tHey hávesióée !n;i-!i í:i)iiii-c;ite] by the Southern Dqu'■;y, aqd ibey h;ive them now - Thoy went to bis botne, wliere hjs wifo wíis slck, and his eliiii!, eigfit years "U, cnnsuiTiefl with conmimplion. Thcv tuiTit'd h;s wii'o and ohjld ijtp streuts, uüJ oouVQCtod l) b,Ol}RQj bnilt with h::-i o'.yn handsj into a nospitqjand iKivi'p.eks. Iiis servan ts teitijaf bonfísoated, t was wiili groat dLSioulty and miioh suílürins; that his wifé au.! boy werü eniibled to reach thu honse ilatíya nrany miles dntant. [The :iud;cij'ju n'pj'e au sijetlt BS the t'.'ií'b as i llio GrOVeriíOT rulated this portion of hia pensonul experieooes. Thu tion was profoiuid.] Do you isall tb soutbern rtghte ? 'J1 1 1 o rindicntion of soulhern rights ? ïl'so, God keep roe and fiiine iFArtj another auoh irvflic'ïon Tho quesüon na tn and upoo whotfi the reeponsibility. of briuging f)ii the ar reeted was examined, and ihc onus wm urgumontativüly cast npon the shouldors of tho heruea vho captured the starvad gatrisotl oí jSrt Sijrnpter. - Prooeeding, hu naid hu did not wish to bc anderetood is uonveyirig the idea that Tinaesuee was out oí' tho Union. She had no right to go out, no moro Iban you havo to :ip];!y the torcí) to a building without uskin the cortsent of y'ouï idpritijng ne;ghbor. S),o is not out. She is still ni integral part of the Uuion. WKen tho reuolligo ja put down she wil] stand in her relations as Bbe itOöd befcro- one of the briqlitc-st stars in tilo galaxy oí Federal States. [Cheers.] The Govurnor referred to the retreat of Isbam (I Harris froin this city on the approacli cl tho Fed er:ïl ('orces as dastartlly. 11 ho slmuld bc reduced to sik h a position bv Morgau ïaids, or any other uongloiueration this rebiillion has brooght forth, h winilil niukd a decent retroat. If obüged to ssek pfotecüon utlder a forcign fltrg he boOd his tréh'rcru wouid buro uvory speai' oí' grasa befólo they lelt, and die in the last intrenclnnent of liberty. [Applauso.J OottOH king? Üottön is very good in its place; bo is llax, so is hcuip, m) is wool ["Good for lieiup."} A little more ïiomp, u little mort: flax, a littla mort; wool, a Kt tle more silk, and thu wovld can gut nlo.ng without cotton. It (lid bo lor tnany vears before cotton was inlrodiiüed. But bread and meat are fcingH. The world will go 011 with food as tha monarch, and cotton be a mere seivaut. 'í'he West grovrs more cotton than the S.oqUj. Thü Üouth cannot foed ilieir negroea without the aid. of tUe West, They cannot get (tieir fyoraëa, mulos, without the lid ofthe West; and without theas aids, where is cotton ? ["Good,"] 'ihe (xovernor dechued tlial tiloso who uiifurled the banuor of troason in our mid.st ehould bu made to understanu that treason ia to bo put downandtraitorshung. Letusexpel this rebelüon. Elect your (Jo ernor, members of üongress, menjbers of the Logislaturc, and judges of the dUierent courta The government must be presarved, and to bu preserved it must be placed in the hands of its friends. lts loss tnust be pat out. [ApplauseJ Althoiigh bound to his frictu!.-) with hooks of steel, be had never itidored proscription i.ir opiniori's sake. Eut the quostion is now for ttie existeoce of the government, and al! niinoi' arul evcry olher.cousidoration aro subordínate te that great object. [Cheers.J - He protestod against tho people of Teunessee being deceived and de prussed by feporti reccived through ih.ö eeoassion grapevino and clothcsline telegraphs. He. told ihetO that thov must return to thoir luty to the government oí the Union. They Bhould have no dread. The limo has come wheo the tyrant'a throat must be broker,. [' Tiiose Vïho irpuld be freo, themseives must strike the blow," and tlu; time will surely como w.ben the Stars will flnatin every to-.vn and rillage, at every cross road in Tennessee. Let the Uuion men uot be cowed by vrha soma swellhead feoossiotiist sUuJl tav Let them ex pand liko fice men, and Tynoesèée will stand " redeemecj, regeneraled and disentí, r.illcj." The Governor eonclui-d by pa'ing bis re spects to thu f'emule portion of t.hu seocssjon populatiüii in NTashville, }lo said that when a woman thall unsex herself'she must bo mot in the chnracter ube a?suines. He regretted that there wero so few Union women in Nnshyille, Why should tho "vromen Rpposa tlie Uuion ? We want their assistanci'. He believed that by woinen's influence many men have been induued to join tho Confedérales. - [Voiucs - " Yes hundredí," í' thous ands." The (Jovei nor paid a beauti ful and eloquent tributo to womnn in her natural and appropriaie sphere. - Thougli there were but fovv Union women no'.v in Nashvül.', ha looked forwaid tp thp tinio when t'nre will bo plenty; to the time when scones of blood and carnage, the smoke and qást ol batth', shall eease ; to the time when tho dove wil! eoni'., and the stars of tho tiioruiuir shall si Dg, and a Savior .-hall nrqpuj((i " P-eaoo on earth, iiiisi! uiil to man,"1 The Govoraor sat down amid tho most ehthusia'stic applause.