The Nashville daily union. [volume] (Nashville, Tenn.) 1862-1866, 1863-08-05

putAiic greet injustice ola we Witholo
irons them the following letter Of shat
accomplished, profound and upright
scholar and jurist Hon. r. j. Meigs, long
at the head Of the Tennessee bar, and
now Clerk Of the U. 8. Court in the Dis
trict Of Columbia, on the proper steps 70
be taken in restoring civil government
10 Tennessee. The letter was the result
of an interview with Governor johnson,
from whom he ever differed widely in
political views in former party contests.
In the present great struggle there seems
TO be perfect harmony between the views
Of these two gentlemen, and we are sure
that the friends Of the government will
be pleased TO see the course pursued, in
the present tumultuous condition of Ten
nessee, by her Military Governor, so
thoroughly sustained by an old political
opponent whose legal Attachments. ate
equalled by few in the nation.
10, BROADWAY, N. Y. March 10, '62
LONs AWNIEV VNtV3Jt-DcW Of . mOGh
anxiously and earnestly hoping and ex-
pecting the success of your enterprise in
Tennessee, and wishing, if possible, to
contribute my mite to secure it, / comply
with your request and my own promise
to put my ideas Of your course upon pa
per.
When the loyal and disloyal masses
in Tennessee we're left free to express
their sentiments on the proposal to Sc
cede, the majority Of voices for the I'm
ion was overwhelming. But as soon az
the disloyal mass had been made to or
ganize $4,000 armed men to fight the
Government, and they had been placed
under Confederate officers, and IL became
apparent to the people hat this great
army was acting in concert with the Ex-
ecutive of the State and the Legislature,
aud that they had all Of the money OF
the State, all its arms, and that all its
officers had sworn to support the COnted-
crate constitution, then the people voted
TO secede, or quietly stayed at home and
permitted the agitators TO carry them
out of the Union.
Such is the difference between . COM
pact organised body, sustained by the
WAEAlutLl VI NONNAn HuEAAn AAAka WV
supported at the public expense, aud a
disorganized mass, without arms, a lead
err or means of support. The latter
though exceeding q thousand to one in
numbers, is easily reduced 10 passive
submission. The mighty empire OF Per-
} STA was conquered by Alexander with
only $4,000 men,
These observations show what you
! must do, If you would succeed. You
r must place Union man in every official
: position in the State, from the lowest 70
E the highest; you must arm the Union
men and disarm the d~i.uniOnists; you
I must control the revenue Of the state;
you must have a disciplined army. able
TO overawe the rebels, in u word, the
friends of the LniOn must be organized
and combined, and must be made TO see
and feel their strength, and the other
Q side must be reduced TO their uncom-
q bined and ~disorganized elements. Then
the state of things will be reversed, and
you and the Union will stand in the very
attitude which has, till lately, been held
q by Harris and his Confederacy.
If How is this Transformation 70 BIT
!. bro rght about? In answering this ques-
ton, [ take it for granted that every off.
ice in the State is held either by on
original secessionist, or by some person
" who has become & secessionist, and tina
every Office holder has taken an oath tC
support the Confederate Constitution.
assume again that every law passed
y since the secession of the State Is voic
and every Office is vacant, because the
laws have been passed, and the officers
are held in defiance of the constitution
I" and laws of the United States, which
y are the supreme law. Now, then, Oh,
10 way is open for you. In the exercise o.
It your authority as military governor, i
seems to me you should conform as neal
as possible to the constitution aud laws
N as they were before the secession.
All the Offices which the legislature hal
l. the right to fill, you will fill, as directed
by the State Constitution. Article 8, Sec
IA. Among these are the Comptroller
10 Treasurer, Secretary of State, Librarian
os &c.
As to the officers elected by the people
you will be compelled to fill them, Al
II Military Governor, under the Executive
authority TO take care that the laws ar
II faithfully executed. As soon as il cal
- be done safely writs of election to Ill
the vacant General Assembly should b
l. issued. See Code, 173, TIA, 179, and 6,
ID of every other office, the filing of whicI
J. belongs to the people, who, for the tim
If being are 10 be regarded as refusing L
!, exercise their authority to I'll ~vacancie
W in accordance with the constitutions
a laws of the State. Truly,
a r. j. MEIas.
APRIL 3, l962.-The foregoing is Oh
. substance of my letter 10 OF of the lot
le Of March, which you inform me, by tele
40 graph, has somewhoW disappeared.
10 beg to add, that Tennessee since the 81
"a of May 1861, has not eojoyed a "repub
:, lioan form Of government" On tina
ir day, the conspirators, Isham G. Harri.
g. Henry w. billiard, Gustavus A. Henry
I'd A. q. w. Totten, and Washington Barrow
n subjected "the whole military force
: of the State to "the control aud di 90
IN 80