The Nashville daily union. [volume] (Nashville, Tenn.) 1862-1866, 1864-01-29
The Policy Of EmsncIpatIon-VoIce
o. the peonIn.


OF the People.
In committing the Bulletin 20 the
policy of Emancipation in Tennessee. as
3 certain and speedy means Of restoration
to the Union, We do not hatter ourselves
that we shall please every body. Such
was not TO be expected, nor do We deem it
desirable, much less essential. Still, il
those who differ with US on this subject
viii give US their attention, we have an
abiding confidence that their prejudices
may be disabused, and their most formi-
dable objections removed. We therefore
propose 20 open our columns TO the fullest
and freest discussion, and invite 81 who
are opposed to emancipation, but favor
reconstruction, 10 state their objections,
to the end thatthe people Of this section
of the State may have ali possible light
upon a subject Of such vast Importance.
In the mean time Ne publish the fol-
lowing c0mmendaforV communications.
The frat is from an old citizen and bust
ness man, who expresses, in language
brief and to the point, bis personal graft
fcaii3nsat7the positien assuIBed By the
Bulletin. We withhold his name. BE
says:
DEAR BISGHAM: called At the Office
this morning, simply iOsexpress 60 you
my congratulations for the very able srti-
Gle on "Emancipaaon,4 Appearing IN your
paper Of this morning The questions
put to you are so felicitiouslF sRd peril
nently answered in your editorial, and
contain, ss firmly believe, SO nearly the
true policy for our people TO pursue, that |
could rot help thus earnestly expressing
IN v9u the loarm. sympathy Of, yours
truly, go
The following article is from one Of
our most intelligent aud ssgacious citi-
zeDs, who expresses himself strongly on
some points on which we were nOt-s0 d.
cided. His views we most. earnestly
commend IN the attention If our readers:
EDTTOR BULLETIN: ! desire 10 express
to you nv most cordial appreciation Of
your article, in this mornings Bulletin,
upon the su5ject Of emancipation. Sew
eral times curing the day, I have
heard il warmly eulogizsd by our friends.
Its position will undoubtedly be sccspta-
bic TO The great majority Of the UAion
men of Tennessee. 1 VIII Inaken no spoil
ogy to your readers, In hastily reviewing
the article, nor from quoting literally
from il, IS the whole article is well wor-
thy of being Eead again and again, by
every man who is identified with The in-
tsrests Of this State You first recognize
the fact Chat slavery isdead This ought
to be patent 70 every refisctiDg observer.
It is 90 dead that the angel GabrieIs
trump could not bring il to resurrection;
all that remains for as b do is TO per-
form the burial services over its purify
ing carcass. This may be done in sew
eral ways. The best way, in my opin-
ion, is, when our first Convention meets
to reorgsnize the State, to amend the
Constitution ab0lisbing tbs sinstitutioH7
and forever prohibitingit. An ordinance
of this character would be = very fitting
burial ceremony. You say: "We are not
prepared to say that Tennessee can new
er get bsck into the Union IS a slave
State" am. | was in Washington sc
the opening of the present Congress, and
remained there during ten days of the
session. l saw and conversed freely
with many of the public men of the ma
ton, and / was profoundly Impressed
with the unanimity Of the friends Of the |
Government upon that question. In the
language of the Arkansas resolut lions. |
"We can never drag back into the Union
. pro-slsvery Constitution" Thepeople |
and their representatives are determined |
that no State which has been in rebellion
shall resume Its relations with the Gen.
eral Government without first sbolishing
the cause Of the rebellion. The voice of
the nation is that the rebellion must be
crushed, and tbs. ouuse or pretert (Which |
ever you choose 10 call it, must be erad- |
icated. A distinguished member of the |
House said to me, 81 will never vote to
let you back unless you come back free F"
It is perfectly idle 10 talk ofreconstruct- |
ing without first emsncipating.
wish every man in the State could |
feel the truth Of this IS fully as I do. |
It would relieve the question of re.es-
tablishing civil authority ia Tennessee of
much of its embarrassment
Again, you say with great truth and
power, for truth is pol0er, ''Ruf-neW lights
have burst upon the mind Of the nation
since, and il is now apparent TO the most
casual observer, that the more protracted
the struggle for the "institution," the
more certain It's destruction" This is
ably, elegantly and tersely ~said, and 1
indorse il most heartily.
Again: fWe regard il as the true policy
of the people of Tennessee to close in
with the overture Of the President 10 take
the oath which he proposes 70 form
. new State Constitution, iUitlom he
'institution," and thus .ap wing, we feel
an abiding confidence that Tennessee
may be again in the Union by the ides of
April. We can get hack into. the Union
upon this plan, in Just exactly the time
10 viii take to 90 this, and hold our cleo
tons for members OF cur State Legisla-
ture, q Governor and Congressman.
Nc distractions whatever would be
placed in our way If we would make
freedom the basis Of our new State Gov
eminent. leaving outthatcursed disturb
ing element which has been the source Of
all our national oalsmities. Slavery is
the only obstacle in the way Of peace
and = restoration Of the whole Union. h
Strike that down everywhere, and the
whole nation would 20 IN an unexampled
career of prosperity and r-andeur.
trust the Bulletin win take no step
backward from the position which n has
this morning so nobly and 50 boldly
taken, but that il will continue to exer-
els its justly powerful iBfiueBce5 in sd
Eising the people of Tennessee /" to use
All legitimate means 10 eradicate slavery +
from our State Constitution dtuIs earliest
possible moment. A READER
Of he old and nelO BULLETIN.
The writer need have no apprehensions
about the Bulletin taking astep back
ward" Such was not the course Of the
Bulletin in ihe days Qf secession terror
Ism, when Its conductors were threatened
with assassination and its types {, be
thrown into the Mississippi river; and.
surely, one who passed unscsthed Though |
the fiery ordeal, need not be suspected of
being frightened a. q shadow now. While
we retain our conviction that emahoips-
ton is the best policy for Tennessee, we
shall not cease, in all proper ways and
with all the vigOr We eRR command. 10
urge il upon cur peoples as the spea7iea. if
not the only way 10 get civil Law. restored
and Tennessee re- admitted into the na-
tional sisterhOod --lfqupbis Ballesn.s