Holmes County farmer. [volume] (Millersburg, Ohio) 1857-1926, 1864-10-27
PreSi e mi ial l Polish Il Id PrObity,

The democratic candidates for presiden-
tial electors in Tennessee prepared and pre-
sented to the president, on the 10Th instant,
Il protest against the action of Governor
johnson in requiring the citizens of that
state to subscribe the oath contained in his
recent order as a condition precedent to
voting Wm. B. Campbell heads the list
of electors, while Bailie Peyton, Emerson
Etheridge, and other prominent and honor
able gentlemen follow. The proofs they
have Of devotion to the union should have
secured for them from President Lincoln at
least a respectful hearing. Mr.. Lellyett,
one of the electors thus narrates his rccep-
ton by the President when he called to pre-
sent the protest
AZ called upon the president to-day and pre-
scntcd and read to him the suhoincd protest.
Having concluded, Mr. Lincoln responded:
"'May | inquire how longit took you and the
rePed pie 1t Was eoneocted G"e5 ' in GapHyie
without communication with any but Trnnes-
nessee, outside of Nashville, but not with New
York politicians
cally, that expect to let the friends of Georg,
/ b. Mcclellan manage their side OF this contest
| in their own way; and will manage my side o
mot now. Lay those papers down here
will give no other answer now. | may OF may
not write something about this hereafter un-
dcrstand this. know you intend to make q
point of this. But go ahead, you have my an
"'Your answer then is that You expect to let
General Mecclan's friends manage their side
! of this contest in their own way, and you will
manage your side of II in your way?
"I then thanked the President for his courtsy
in giving us Il hearing at all, and took my leave
For complete understanding of the ex.
tent of the insolcnce and vulgarity exhibited
by Mr. Lincoln in his interview, it must be
remembered that the gentlemen protesting
are among the most honored citizens often
neSsee, and three of them, at least, have ac,
quired national regulations. The first in
quiry by the president is based on an insult
; ing assumption. Without knowing whether
it was true or false, he asserted in fact what
was false that the men signing the protest
were not its sole authors, but that they hac
T "concocted" it with the help of New Yorl
politicians, 1t was a sneer at the capacity
Of such gentlemen as Campbell and Payton
and a charge of corruption against all of tn,
signers, This is plain from the language o
the inquiry alone, as well as from the tom
of the conversation to which it was the pre-
lude.
Plot, plan, devise are among the defni
tons Of concoct, and 1t is evident that Mr.
Lincoln intended to employ the word in it
, most disreputable sense. He, in effect, said
, ou were Ielpeu 10 plot tnat paper %,
; New York politicians. You have presented
: tito me, not because you think public inter
ests are assailed, or the majesty of the Law
$ detied, or, indeed, that there is any jus
f ground of complaint, but as political gamb
r lers who hope to win point by the proceed
ing /"
The answer of Mr. Lellyett proves tha
the assumption Of the president in regard t
the authorship was as false as it was need
n lessly insulting. As to his imputations up
S on their motives, they were gentlemen who's
:, honor will not be questioned by any bu
reckless opponents; and if their purpos
: was really what he assumed it to be, ther
0 was not shadow of evidence to justify hin
in making the charge 1t was merely con
. lecture upon his part, and so far from bein
= justified by the nature of the protest, tn
facts it recited were of such grave import
auce, and so undeniably true, that, had tn
signers failed to protest against the iniquity
T their failure would have proved shame
ful Indifference to their rights as electors an
citizens of the United States.
They came to the president as to 3 judge
Is reciting the wrongs they had sustained an
d the outrage with which they were threa
). ened and appealing to him for redress.
:, was in his power, as it was also his duty,
II afford relief Without challenging the
n statements Of fact without denying tn,
the law had been dcfed, and that by virtu