Washington standard. [volume] (Olympia, Wash. Territory) 1860-1921, 1861-04-20
Parson Brownlow Submitting to Lincoln's
Administrations

The respectful terms in which the
following inquiry is couched, induces
us to answer the writer in all candol
and kindncss:-KnorrWe Wing.
TUscUMBIA, REPUBLIC OF ALABAMA, |
February 1st, 1861.
DIR. w. G. BRowNLOw, Editor Knox.
vile (Tenncssce) Whig-SIR: Will you
please answer the following question
through the columns of your paper, and
oblige many Of your friends in this sec.
ton:
Are YOU, since sic States have scccd-
ed from the Federal Union, willing to
risk Yourself and State under the Ad.
ministration of Abraham Lincoln! |
am, in behalf of many,
Yours, respectfully,
Il. o. BRYAN.
REpLy.-f am willing to risk myself
and State under the Administration OF
Abraham Lincoln. am not, however,
willing to submit to the Outragcs the
tirc.catcrs of the South allcgc that Mr..
Lincoln intends to commit on the
South. l do not believe that he will
mcddlc with the institution of slavery
where it is, or seek to deprive the
South of any right she holds under the
Constitution. And | believe that he
will enforce the Constitution and laws
of the United States, as his oath of Of
flee requires him to do, and as justice
to the various sections of the Union
demands at his hands.
If am mistaken in the estimate |
have put upon the integrity and patr-
otism of the President elect, and he
shall seek to Cypress any one of the
States of this Confcdcr,cy, South or
North, l shall readily join the other
States in seeking to punish him, and
in resisting his Administration. But
l want to see the evidence of this, be-
tore begin the work of rcsistancc-I
want other proof of the bad faith in
which Mr.. Lincoln intends to act, than
the prediction of his enemies. have
submitted to the Administration OF
James Buchanan for four years, and
my State has done so. without Il muir
mnr, and | hold that Lincoln could not
afford the country Il more corrupt, par
tial, and infamous Administration, ii
he were to try! Lincoln was elected
under the forms prescribed by our Con-
stitution and laws, and without fraud
ut the ballot box, and it is the duty of
all good citizens to give him Il fair test
before they condemn him.
| went into the contest against Lin
coin, as did also my native State, know
ing him to be sectional candidate, up
on Il sectional platform. and as we were
fairly beaten, we feel bound in honor
to abide by our defeat, for four years
to come. The reign of Lincoln for
twenty years, upon even the Chicago
platform, is preferable to the breaking
up of this Government. Secession is
no remedy for any evil that may arise
in our Government, and ] deny its
right. The right of revolution | adj
nit, but deny that such remedy is
called for in the present crisis of our
affairs. l will he told of the many
grievances We of the South have suf-
tered ut the hands of the North. l
have considered the nature of these
grievances, and their effects upon the
commerce, trade and religion of the
South and they may be expressed in
the following words: The Democracy
of the South have lost the Offices of the
Government and its immense patron
age! And large majority OF the free
and independent people of Tennessee,
taking this view of the subject, will re-
fuse to 90 out of the Union.
Having thus fully and frankly an
swcred the question propoundcd, l
might here close my remarks; but l
choose to 60 further, and to say even
more. There is scarcely a man of tai
ent and character living, even ut the
North, under whose administration of
the General Government / would not
prefer to live, rather than live in a
Southern Contcdcracy, controlled and
governed by the traitors and villains
who have originated and have carried
out this wicked, daring and damnablc
scheme of secession.
The Senators of seven States have
been sitting in their seats as Senators,
sworn to support the Constitution of
the United States, and to act as the
Privy Council of the President, and ut
the same time they were holding secret
meetings, plotting the overthrow of the
Government and Constitution they had
sworn to sustain and support. con-
slider Benedict Arnold and Aaron Burr
patriots and honest men compared with
these traitors and periurcd villains. I