Brownlow's Knoxville Whig, and rebel ventilator. [volume] (Knoxville, Tenn.) 1863-1866, 1864-10-26

The following letter to Gov. johnson, couched in
enthusiastically violent and vulgar language is
from the notorious Emerson Etheridge one of the
Mcclellan electors for this State, who now takes
offense at Mr. Lincoln for setting the negroes Free
and seeking to make them the equal. of their own
ers. It is an extraordinary document, and we pub
lish it for the sdifcation of Mcclellan pe in East
Tennessee who, like Mr. Etheridge, are troubled
about the Niger
In December 1861, Etheridge was delighted at
seeing slaves from their masters and he viewed
Kentucky city as "a hell hole Of treason His
opinion then was that negro slaves were "IN ALL
RESPECTS BETTER AND MORE RESPECT
ABLE THAN THEIR REBEELIOUs MAS
TERS,n and he believed that every rebel should
be aPUT TO WORK UNIER A NEGRO
OyERSEER" This is awful language TO come
from conservative NJ Lincoln is to blame for
it; for if he had made Etherdge Military Governor
Of Tennessee even Judge in lieu Of Joe Holt, he
would hold these opinions yet
PADucAH, December 10, 1861.
Dear SRI have been here since Sunday /
found the place full Of struggling Tennesseeans
who have fed from the despotism at home--the
drefting proeess-which, because Of the intense
porsrily suspended The greatest resistance was in
Weakly, Carroll Henderson, Marry and Hardin.
Some Of the scouBdrels who voted for secessi0n-for
the war--haye fed, and # the Federal troops we're
in my old district for ono week, it would put full
brigade in the field. But the difficulty in getting
to this place. Two days since two men from Har-
din and McNairy arrived here leaving their armed
squad Of thirty-two in the woods of Carroll They
came to ask at what point on the State line their
comrades might hope ~ meet Federal all They
had TO return heagt-broktn without il.
The people there are daily praying for At advance
of the Union AMY, and il seems hard that they
should 50 long endure the suspense and disaPgoint-
ment Through these fggtiyes nave been able TO
communicates with my friends IN Tennessee. The
Union sentiment is stronger than supposed It 70
be- and Increasing One Federal 6rictory In Ken
lucky will be the death-Snell % rebellion ia Ten
nessee Great complaint exists here because Of the
mandant at this post A vigorous policy IS ALSO
lutely necessary. This is hell-hoe Of TREASON, and
every suspected villain ought to be put 70 work
der a negro overseer Until the rebels are made 70
suffer in the CUTS, they will be insoent ard act the
part Of spies shall remain here some days longer,
and ilntEs can hear directly from those with who1i
nm anxious TO com nuncate. 1t IS but forty mii1s
TO the Tennessee line near which Is q rebel camp
in this state. It Is this camp which makes toe light
OF the Tenaesseeanz 10 hazardous.
Whenever the Federal army advances. Ihose who
hxze been drafted ftn paper viii b ordered under
arms and then the exodus viii begin in earnest
One entire district in my county refused % psrnit
draft and were quoted only by an assurance that il
daily from Burnetts i'm Kentucky constituent,
who have lost their rights UNDER ihe Federal Gov
ernmsns. Their apology for their pedestrian per-
'ormanees = tnat their rebel masters preparing
Q run them on 70 Dixie OF course all Union men
are g'sd % see them come and one Of the trai-
'crs Will ever be permitted 70 reclaim tham- why
should they BET The negroes are in all respects
better and more respectable than such masters
Now i the time for action counter sarfsl.
has set in and little energy viii produce the oes'
results II snv one wishes IA know when will 10