The Athens post. [volume] (Athens, Tenn.) 1848-1917, 1861-03-16
Letter from a Delegate.
From the Nashville Pn,ript.l

- ~ '''N N'''"NiiS VI ppflhS LIN, MHuly,
county. Tennessee. suggesting "tbe pro.
priety of each county in the State hold
ing primary meeting ut its county seat.
on ;he first Monday in Murch. to instruct
and urge its delegates to meet at the capi-
tai at Nashville, on or before the third
Monday OF theaforesaid month Of March.
that they may define the position of the
State OF Tennessee. in relation to the
questions that are distracting this once
happy and united, but now distressed and
dicided nation. in language not to be ms.
ftaiea or .o,iScoaSiraed, either IN or out ofthe
! State. ..u .
In the editorial with Ihich you pre-
face this communication, you say: "al
though the State has refused by popu-
lar vote to call a Conventions, the people
have elected delegates by overwhelming
majorities to Convention, anil in doing
so have said these gentlemen reflect
! their opinions and sentiments. In view
of tho failure to call a Convention, we
know Of no better means of expressing
and defining the true feelings of the
State on the extraordinary condition OF
public affairs, by which VIC are now sur
rounded than through meeting of
| these delegates" -.l ..rt..r ts ..s., s.
| 1must beg leave to dissent from the
views expressed by you and your Spring
Hill correspondents, and llatter myself
that can give you satisfactory reasons
for so doing. In the first place there is
no more .propliety in calling together the
| delegates elected on the 9th of February
than theie would be in calling together
one hundred other private citizens of the
State of Tennessee, selected by primary
meetings, the plain and simple rra-
| son that the people OF our State have, by
very decided majority, refused 10 clothe
| the aforesaid delegates with any power
at all. They have decided that they
| will not have any authoritative expression
| Of opinion from these delegates, and
consequently the delegates elect not
withstanding they were elected by large
majorities. have by the fiat of the sove-
reign people, been authorized to do moth.
ing.
! In the next place, as the delegates at
present are clothed with no authority, l
am opposed to calling primary meetings,
for the purpose of investing them with
the authority to define the position of
Tennessee, in relation TO the questions
that are dis;racting this once happy coun-
try" Primary meetings do not always
! reflect the sentiments of the people,
They are usually managed by political
wire-workers real people rarely at
tend them in any considerable numbers,
and when they do they ar, not unIrc-
| quently overruled, and their voice cloked
by the skilIul intriguing of proFossed
politicians.
But you say the delegates reflect the
| opinions and sentiments of the people.
! In many instances think this doubtful.
! The people in each coanty elected their
delegates with an eye to It certain con.
tingency, (the possibility Of the people
! OF the State voting for Convention. and
they voted for those who-e sentlme n,s
and views approXimated the nearest to
their own, but still voting tha, they
| would have no oNaofdattee expression OF
opinion in our State. ... H..s.r
In view oil the great fact. that the
sovei eign people have decided that they
will have no Convention, shall we by The
calling OF meetings AT Court Houses ano
4 Cross Roads, endeavor to over-ride this
plain and unequivocal act of theirs n,
expressed at The ballot box.
! If the Union pirty of Tennessee desir,
! to call Il Convention for the purpose o
nominating a candidate for Governor. le
them hold primary meetings and selec
their delegates in thr usual way, but lie
not the delegates elected on tie 9th, b,
invested with any authority. from the fac
OF their having been elected, because tn,
people have positively and emphaticallS
decided that these delegates have no au
thority. f -sE A DELEGATE.
Defining Black Republicanism.
Col. Sam. Medary has lately comlnenc
ed the publication of a paper at Colun
bus, Ohio, called the Crisis. In tn,
course Of his saiutotory, he thus allude
to the political organization now in con
troll of the government;
The Republican party, and say il il
all candor and and ruth, as an OF gani.;,
ton, is inadequate to restore order, re
tain It's own strength or act in harmony
on any great measure of national health
and the restora.iono of the government
That party has within its organization al
, element. much largerthan the more con
servative men in IT suppose, that is re
solved on revolutionand vengeance. Fa
natical, mischleyous, reckless, wilha Sc
eret organizalion OF its own, feeling it
strength and importance Tor evil, il vii
: be wholly luncontrollable, and will follow
the bent OF its own inclinations, It pla
ces its own perverted conscience, ''searec
as with a. hot IRON above law; and plat
forms above constitutions. IL has no oh
.ject in its existence but that of disorder
and no higher aims than those of exercis
ing Ged's vengeance as they under
stand it.sg,a a5us- .st2l .yalsa.s.,ia
pey- Brigadier-General Beaureaard, il
company with his exccllency, Gov. Pick
ems. who was accompanied by several @
his Aids. visited Fort Johnson, Cumming.
: Point Battery and Morris Island Bitter,
on Monday mornirg. They returne,
) abont six o'clock in the evening. w