Nashville union and American. [volume] (Nashville, Tenn.) 1853-1862, 1861-07-21


constitution and laws of the State Of Tennessee or
those of the Confederate States Massachusetts,,
New York Pennsylvania, Virginia, Tennessee and
ctaer States have passed laws for the punishment
of treason against their sovereign authority. New
ertheless, anterior to the passage Of any Stale
statute, treason was common tdo ogence IN eacn
States and is recognized having substantive
and independent existence in that clause Of the Fed
eral Constitution which provides, THAT if any per-
s5n accused of treason in any State shall nee from
Justice and take refuge in another State, he may,
on a proper reouistiOn, be delivered up by the Ex
ecutive of the State 10 which he has fed" See
Wharton Am Grim. Law. 7. 5o5.
According to the Cede CT TeHnessses 7 5 $50
and 81. treason Is thus defined
Ist Taking a commission from or under The Bu
thoriy of the enemies Of the State or Confederate
States.
ID. J.evyins war against the State or the govern
ment thereof.
Sd knowingly and willingly aiding and assisting
any enemies at open war against the State, or the
Confederate States; or by Joining their armies;
by enlisting or procuring or persuading others TO
enlist for that PURPOSE or by furnishing such enc
mics with arms, ammunitions, provisions or any
other article for their aid and comfort.
9Th. Forming, or being in any wise concerned III
forming, any combination, plot or conspiracy for
betrayirg the State or the Confederate States into
the hands or power of any foreign enemy.
9Th. Giving or sending any intelligence to the
enemies of the State for that purpose.
Now, any citizen of the State of Ten essee, guilty
of any of these acts Of treason, and found guilty
thereof is punishable l0ih Imprisonment in the pen
teidTU of the State not less than ten years, nor ex
ceeding tloenty. Misprison Of treason consists in
knowledge of The commission of acts OF treason,
and refusal TO communicate such intelligence to
the Governor, Attorney General, or some one of
the Judges of the State. The punishment of this
crime is fine of not exceeding one thousand dol
lars, and Imprisonment in the penitentiary for not
more than five years.
Who are therefore guilty Of treason to the state
of Tennessee as defined by its laws? All per ons
who take commission of any office, whether civil
or military from or under the authority of the
United States Because this Government at pres
ent is the open and publicly proclaimed enemy of
the State of Tennessee and the Confederate States
This applies to Senators and members of the Uni
ted States Congress, and all other Federal officers;
or to those who are citizens of the State, and still
retain such commissions. All persons who levy
war against the State or the government thereof,
or who are organizing and preparing to DO SO. All
persons who aid and assist the Lincoln Govern
ment at Washington, who are the public enemy OF
the State and the Confederate States by enstlhg IN
or Joining the armies of the said Lincoln Govern
ment or by procuring or persuadng others TO do
so: or by furnishing arms to such enemies, or by
receiving arms from such enemies, to be employed
in their aid and service All persons of this State,
in anywIse concerned in forming any plot combl-
nation, or conspiracy to betray the State of Ten
nessee or the Confederate States into the hands or
power OF tile Lincoln Government. All p6fsOns VI
this State who give or send intelligence, whether
through the pOstOthces or by individuals, to any
member of the Lincoln Government, or to any 9TH
er person who sympRthiZes with or alGs SAID GOV
eminent in its present war against the South
These acts of treason condemn the Nelson's,
Bridges. Brownlows, Triggs Maynards, as well as
all persons who aid in any other way such men to
subvert the Government of the State of Tennessee,
and give aid and comfort to the public enemy
of the State and the Confederate States,
7 NoUt
They condemn every attempt by bogus elections,
to elect bogus members of the United States Con-
gress: or set up and establish in any part of the
State separate and independent Bogus Govern
ment, against the sovereign authority of the
State; and in defiance of its laws. All
such schemes to elect officers in opposi-
ton to the sovereign voice of the people OF
the State of Tennessee for the purpose of aiding the
Lincoln Government, is 'plot, combination or con-
spiracy" to subvert the government OF the state,
and beray it into the hands and power of the hos
tile government at Washington. Under this scheme
Carlisle and others assembled bogus government
in the panhandle country OF Virginia, had them
selves elected to the Congress of the United States
and assumed there act for the whole State of Vr
cinia And this too, in defiance of statute law OF
Virginia defining such acts as reasonable. In the
Alexandria district in the army of Lincoln, under
the guns of Gen. Scott, an Ono Yankee had the
polls opened. and upon his getting trenty uOes, now
renresents this district in Congress, with a Con-
er miserable wretch is trying the same game as
Representative from North Carolina. We under
stand there is similar reasonable plot IN this Con-
gressonal District to elect scOundrel by the name
of Dr. Hurley, now in Washington; and the same
thing with other men will be tried IN other Con
gressional Districts.
VIII the people of this State longer forbear to
bring to public Justice engaged IN this nsldous
and diabolical plan to destroy their sacred rights
aud annihlate the sovereign authority of the State
Mr. Lincoln has said that a majority OF the peO-
ple of all the Southern States with the eXcep'
ton of South Carolina, were Unionlsts. Permit
men organize such cOnspIracies in your State and
| their Representatives at Washington will soon IN
duce the entire people of the North TO believe this
to be SO. 1t will but give aid and comfort to the
enemy. and induce the people Of the North to con.
tinue the war against US, with more intensity of
| feeling and pertinacity Of purpose.
| The Confederate States have also a law against
treason and against those who attempt to exercise
or execute Official functions under the authority OF
the United States within the limits Of any Of the
! Confederate States. They have also law which
provides that if any person shall carry on any cor
resrondence, written or verbal, with any ot1cer or
agent of any foreign government to defeat the meas
ures of the Confederate States to influence the
foreign government against the Confederate States
| upon conviction thereof such person shall be pun
| ished BY confinement in the Penitenuary OF tie
| State where said offence committed
| The Criminal Court over which our esteemed
| Judge VIM A. Turner, presides, can take cOgni
| zance of all violations of our statues Of treason
| within his judicial district. The people Of the
! State can have their laws executed If they wish
| We leave it with them. W. n b.