Daily Nashville patriot. [volume] (Nashville, Tenn.) 1860-1862, 1861-10-15

patton of Columbus by Confederate troops.
is uncandid and false. For besides the fact
that the invasion of Kentucky war q fore
gone conclusion at Washington, and that
camps of soldiers were under arms in our
midst to invade Tennessee, it is notorious
that Gen. Grant left Cairo to seige Paducah
before the occupation of Columbus, while in
taking the latter place the Confederate
troops anticipated the Federal troops by
less than an hour For further proof of the
lnsincerity of the false elamor about the
invasion from Tennessee, the Confederate
commander announced TO your authorities
that he occupied Columbus purely in self
defense, and stood ready any moment to
withdraw simultaneously with the Federal
forces To say that the Washington Gov
eminent had right to invade the State. ia
to say that you had no right to be neutral.
and to submit to the invasion from a power
which has effaeed every vestige of the Con-
stitution, would be to bow in the dust and
surrender to simple despotism-
1t is moi necessary TO say much about abe
Legislature. majority of them, instead
of protecting the rights and persons of the
citizens, have either voluntarily or under
duress been engagedin sustaining the usur-
patiOns of the Federal Government in pass
ing bills ofpains and penalties to terrify
spirited people into servitude, in depriving
the Governor of his just constitutional au-
thority and in abdieating their share of the
Government by formally inviting a Federal
State, well knowing as they did that this
military force would supercede the State
Government OF that body nearly one
fourth have retired because of the military
occupation of-the Slate and the seizure. i'm
prisonment, pursuit and exile of MANY of
the most eminent and patriotic citizens of
the State by that military force. The voice
of these members can no longer be heard in
the councils Of the State, nor their votes he
taken The Legislature is thus, 10 say the
least of 1T, mutilated department of the
State Government. II is true that there re-
mains a sufficient number Cor a Quorum lint
are they free ? For when the Federal Gov
eminent takes military possession of State
its Legislature must conform to the viii
the military chief or be suppressed, as We
have recently seen in the case of Missouri.
whose State Government was dispersed and
martial law proclaimed, and still later. in
case of Maryland, when thirty-eight mem
bers of the Legislature were seized and i'm
prsoned on the mere suspicion of intend
ing to legislate at variance with the will of
the military Government We cannot
therefore, know that the public resolutions.
or pretended laws of the two bodies, are
the declarations of their active viii. because
we have the strongest reason to believe that.
If not in accordance with the will of the
Government at Washington, they would
meet the fate of the Legislatures of Mis-
souri, and Maryland. On the other hand,
we know that these resolutions and laws
are in conflict with their public pledges
and with the expectations of the peo-
pie. 1t Is more charitable to believe
that the members Frankfort, OF a ma
jority of them, are actuated by a fear of
military force, rather than by perverse
design to violate the Will of their constitu-
ents and degrade the State to the condition
to which it is attempted to bring down
Missouri and Maryland If any thing
were wanting to strengthen this view, it
viii be found in attendant events. The
resolutions they adopted on the Sth Sep
TENDER, sanctioning the the entrance of
Gen. Anderson's forces, were accompanied
by one declaring that no person should be
touched IN his life, liberty or property on
account of his political opinions Yet on
the very day, believe, that these resolu-
lions passed, the agents of the Federal Gov
eminent seized the printing establishment of
the Louisville Courier, the only offence of
whose proprietOrs was that he critized with
freedom the usurpations ofthe Governmental
Washington At the same time, and ever
since, citizens Of Kentucky have been impris-
oned or compelled to fly from their homes
and families, against whom there was no ac-
cushion but of holding opinions either un-
friendly to Mr. Lincoln's government or
friendly to neutrality. 1t is impossible to
suppose that free Kentucky Legislature,
in view of recent proceedings in other
States, would have turned this State over to
or betrayed the people by throwing the
State into the arms of Mr.. Lincoln, TO be
used for Southern subjugption, or consented
to the suppression of the press, or suffered,
without an cutlery that would have pierced
the skies, the indignities and outrages
which have been inflicted upon the people
by Federal soldiers.
Fellow-citizens, you have to do now not
with this fragment of Legislature with its
treason bills aud tax bills, with its woful
subservieney to every demand of the Federal
despotism, and its woful neglect of every
right of the kentucky citizen; but you
have to deal with power which respects
neither constitutions nor laws, and which,
if successful, will reduce you TO the condi-
ton of PROSTATE and bleeding Maryland
Gen. Anderson, the military dictator of
Kentucky, announces in one Of his procls-
nations that he viii arrest no one who does
not act, write or speak in opposition TO Mr..
Lincoln's Government. 1t wonld have com
pleted the idea if he had added, or think in
opposition to it. Look at the condition of
our State under the rule of our new protee-
tors They have suppressed the freedom
of speech anu Of the press. They seize
people By military force upon mere suspi-
cion, and impose on them oaths unknown
% the laws. Other citizens, they imprison
without warrant, and carry them out of the
State so that the writ of habeGs corpus can
not reach them. Every day, foreign armed
bands are making seizures among the peo-
pie. Hundreds of citizens, old and young.
venerable magistrates, whose lives have
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