Nashville union and American. [volume] (Nashville, Tenn.) 1853-1862, 1860-03-14
-. rshnm G.IiarrIs.

I
Gently murdered by his negroes, was marked down
upon JOIN BROwNs bloody map with red cross lndl-
eating that it embraced the elements OF lnsurrec-
ton.
GOV. Isham 6. harris,
We cordially concur with the Memphis AUelaache
in the following just compliment to the political con
sistencv integrity and talent o. Gov. HARRIS. The
AUddnce but gives expression to the sentlments OF
/ the Democracy Throughout the State
There is no man in this broad Union who can show
A clearer or more consistent record than the distn
/ puished Statesman whose name heads this article
He ornament to his country ana tLe pflde OF ms
/ uartv He is universally esteemed not only Tor his
talent and consistency as politician, but for his in
! tegrty and courtesy as gentleman We know Of
/ no man in Tennessee more popular, or who has a
stronger hold upon the masses. Bold, open, frank
and true to his friends, he Is equally true to the
p11nciples of the party which has found him
consistent and able defender Gov Harris fercest
political foes are constrained to admire the fairness
boldness Skill vigor, and kadling zeal with which
/ he handles all questions. lie is not only man Of
/ ideas but man of action. He is not only capable
/ of reaching correct and enlightened conclusions
himself, but has mastery way Of bringing others
/ to them His mind is distinguished for grasp and
energy. and he cOnvinces as eectually as he exam
ines or cOnfUtes. Gov. Harris is emphatcally one
Of the strong men, one Of the master spirits Of the
South Indeed there are but few men in the nation
who IN opinion, are his superiOrs in intellectual
| power and genuine Statemanship Nor is this all.
Gov. Harris is eminently sound upon all the ques-
tons that violently affect the South. In every
emergency involving her interests he has stood nobly
! up against all encroachments upon our rights.
The sentiments which Gov. Harris recently ex-
pressed in regard to the recent visit Of the Tennes
see Legislature to Ohio are worthy Of himself and
the great cause of Southern interests and Southern
rights. An intelligent correspondent of the Cmcin
natl Commercial who has recently been on visit to
/ Memphis and Nashville represents Gov. Harris as
having said in abiding to the visit Of the Tennessee
Legislature TO Ohio, % am sorry could not attend
for many reasons but especially because It deprived
me from saying. in all sincerity, to the people Of
Ohio, that we Tennesseeans love the Union, but we
do not love It more than rights and that there
is but one certain way preserve it. and that is to
guard untaInshed each others honor and to respect
| the equal rights Of every State This noble and
patriotic expression contrasts most fayOraby with
/ the sickenlng and disgusting twaddle about the
! glorious Union which tie UniOa-savers uttered on
| that farcical occasion. Gov. Harris fully under
! stands and cOmprehends Southern sentiment. He
is disuuiOnist, and doubt believes that 1t is
/ worth as much sweat and blood TO maintain Con-
| sttutiOnal Union as it was 10 establish such
! Onion in &C. But he further bel that the Union
| Is a deusion, mOckery and a ld. unless It is
Constitutional Onion, a Union of equals, and Union
| which has the power and the will TO protect alike
the rights Of every citizen The truth is, there are
/ no more dangerous enemies of the SOuth-nOt eX-
/ cepting the lOudest Of freedom-shrekers-the
pestterOus politicians on earth, than those
! Southern men who join the Black Republicans in
| a .parev of prOYOcatiOn' to the basest passions of
Northern fanatiCism. Their spirit of idOlatry Of
the Union without reference To its objects, Is the
displayed by the slaves Of an eastern military
despotism, who magnify and adore the blOody-hand-
ed power that smites them to the dust. This Union
was created as an instrumentality for perpetuatng
the blessings of liberty to ourselves and our pos
terity and wheneverit so defeats the ends Of Its
| creation as to become permanently subyerslye Of
/ liberty, that man is enemy to the Constitution
and a traitor to freedom who would not assist to
tear it in tattersg Our only salvation in planting
ourselves upon principles the rock of our saliva
ton in saying TO the North, by acts, if you will
hencefOrh let alone in the peaceful enjoyment Of
/ liberties guaranteed to US by the compact Of our
fathers. we viii fight for the preservation Of the
Union fore-er; if you persist in the encroachnents
you are now engaged IN. we will tear down the
pillars Of the temple though we perish in its ruins.
| To the Members OF the Tennessee LegIsIa-
ture.
NlECHANGs' TANES.
MR. EDITOR: As the above caption indicates, l
wish TO address what follows to the members of the
| General Assembly. And would fam hope that
few Of them will take the trouble to read what l
have to say. have before me petition which has
come up before the present General Assembly from
almost every portion Of the State signed by hun
| dreds of our neutrality-suspicious. Of remote
places as well as merchants of the clties-and yet
! / verify believe not dozen members Of the two
houses have ever read it. listened TO It's reading.
] y
! that had grounds for my opinion.
! The merchants of Tennessee pay at least i've
! times much prOpOruonatc tax to the State as do
the merchants of any other state IN the UmOn or at
least so far my inquiries have been extended which
! has been to all the important surrounding States.
/ could state the result Of my inquiries at length,
! but the General Assembly would not read the de-
! tails The petition to which refer, after laying
before the members this matter. and explaining the
same at such length as was necessary in order to
| proper appreciation Of the grievance proceeds as
Follows:
But there is another and to our minds still great
/ er gievance to which the merchants Of Tennessee
are at present subjected and to which your petition
ers would respectfully call the attention of your hon
orable body. While our own citizens gre compelledtO
pay at so very high rate for the privilege OF yend-
ing merchandise within the State Of Tennessee they
left by our laws without protection against the
/ tHtnFsd and immediate competition Of the mer-
chants Of other States. Merchants Of the Eastern
and Northern cities come among US IN person, and
| send their agents in vast numbers, all over the
length and breadth Of our state, penetrating 10 the
rcmOtest villages and country places, selling goods
to the retailer and even to the consumer, without
paying any tax whatever to the State Of Tennessee.
/ These merchants and agents IN some cases carry
with them samples Of their goods, and generally So
cit and obtain orders for goods, TO be filled by their
houses in distant cities THIS practice works great
" to the prejudice of the cities and towns Of our
State The evil complained Of Is of very recent
origin, being almost unheard Of q few years ago.
Ii must not be supposed that these travelling mer
chants supply people with goods at lower prices
than our iobbing or wholesale dealers Such Is not
the case. They not the importers and manutac-
lures or what are called first hands in mercantile
phraselogv with whom merchants are thus
brought into competition; but those who at best
| buy their goods and where our own mer-
| chants bly their supplies, and IN very many, indeed
most cases, they are mere Impostors, who by dlnt
of address and Importantly are able to induce our
people to give Them temporary patronage, pretead-
ing TO offer them advantages in trade which are new
err realized. Our merchants and people generally
do not desire the visitatOns Of these men, but are
much annoyed by their continual opportunities
Nevertheless the amount Of goods sold by them in
single year. within the limits Of our State, Is I'M
mense and greatly to the disadvantage of the regular
and responsible class of merchants which pays so
large revenue into the treasury Of the Stase, and
into those Of the counties and towns. The legisla-
tive authorities of other States and cities have deem
ed it proper TO restrain the practice OF which we
complain by various enactments, We are not
prepared to lay before your honorable body the va
riOus laws upon the subject to which we alude
but we may say for the present, that laws have
been enacted against the practice in the state OF
VIrginiao of Maryland of Pennsylvania, and OF Louis
lana and we think elsewhere. In the city OF New
Orleans that which goes here uataNed Is prohibited
bv penal enactment In Philadelphia and Baltimore.
cities whence the travelling dealers come IN great
numbers the practice which tEey follow among Us,
is either taxed or disallowed altogether
Since these petitions. embOdying the above para
D
tLe State. the States of Georgia and Alabama have
enacted laws taxing these "itinerant persons IN
! manner almost amounting to prohibition Inc Ioi-
loving Ia copy OF the law of the State OF Oeorgla
passed at the recent session of the Legislature OF
that State
'SEc The General Assembly Of the Of Georgia DO
enact That shall noe lawful oruuy Vend
sell article thing Of value manufactured in this
state by sample or ueTrS without license from the In
eror Court Of the county, which article thing
wendell orsod for which license shall pay
hundred dollars other the discretion COURT and
said iuueant person shall in addition license, pay
ON all articles sold on value Of per ION each
hundred dollars sodby him and for any
said shall conviction thereof the
the county, he fined and i'm soned in discretion Of the
! Court"
| Mr.. East, of Davidson offered a somewhat SINH
lar bill in General ssembly, which was lost as
| l am persuaded. for want of examination of the
subject Mr.. Easts bill is SO severe as the law
above quoted, Inasmuch it does not require a tax
Of one per cent to be paid by the itinerant drum
| mer The Georgia law, moreover Is said 10 be not
| so severe rs the one enacted in Alabama.
The merchants of Tennessee do not (properly
speazng) ask any protection against the competition
of the merchants of the other States: We only ask