Daily State sentinel. [volume] (Indianapolis, Ind.) 1861-1865, 1865-07-24
from The Missouri Republican.
ruxasox ETHERIDGE To TUE
PHESIDENT.
Why Etheridge was Arrested-Caus
f.c Review OF Andy Johnsou and
Parson BrownioW.

NoLbsSI-s M 10y - 49,"
To His Ereellency Andrsr Johnson. President
Of the United States:
The Hon. Horace Greeley-lbe wisest and
among the best OF your present iriends-once
address al Ger listing predecessor through
| the columns Of bis newspaper. He wrote in be
half Of the .eoiored FACE" am emboldened.
by- his eIampIe 10 invoke your attention 20 the
| condition of the unforupste whites. Beside,
know how you are surrounded by political hnd
religious patriots, who daily approach the throne
Of Executive grace 10 assure youof their love OF
eoanuy and dstestahon OF place, snd TO oaer up
their fervent prayers for the restoration Of your
health. and the prolongation of your invaluable
/ fife Perhaps some one Of these may tnis
Communication and present il 20 the attention OF
| your ExcelleEcy. In this press upon precious
| time | make 10 estimate of the intervals YOU so
cheerfully devote to the crowds Of contrabatds
Who constitute 50 mach OF the elite Of The c@yltai
know the msguanimous nature OF your FIX
celency, and fear the sad announcement nave
IA a,sk sil move iniasjors 10 not fatal, 10 the
l delicate sensibties Of your noble and generous
heart. Was arrested al my home IN Drssden,
l Tern essee or, FRIDAY last. fhang mans daY) by
| a detachment of armed soldiers whose Geport
| ment and Apuearance would do honor TO any ser
| vice. Their are known IN Che Army Regulations
| as "colored troops. ebui. 70 Their shame &c IL
| snoken your old friends still persist IN calling
them niggers" They were eommande1 ard
directed BY four Or FIVE white men. who arrested
me as Mr. Adde. rig, frem which. infer, they
claim a lager beer nationality. | deem il my
duty TO report that your old irends. Of the Sc
cesh persuasion, still persist in the reasonable
practice Of calling the persoHnei OF such expedi
| lions, 7" id Dutch and niggers." Y gu will
| doubtless be relieved TO hear that the expedition
was a success. Though bad timely warning Of
the approaching raid, pselerfei surrender 20
hopeless resistance. and the command reached
this city without material loss. treating me. since
my arrest, With courtesy and kindness, for which
| | am grateful.
have been here five days; and Though Ihlve
not yet been able to obtain The ua ines Of nv &C
| cusers, or a copy OF the charges, it any, upon
| which WIS arrested, have obtained from other
sources, information upon which / rely, OF the
causes and motive of my arrest. i arn changed
| with using reasonable language against the
1 Govern ment of the United States, and the Gov
eminent of Tennessee; and with speaking disre
spectfuly Of your Excellency. and OF the Right
Reverend William G BroWBlow, who, unmind
| full that the Constitution of Tennessee excludes
/ all ministers from civil Office, is nov claiming to
have successfully seized the Office of Governor
of said State. Further, and truly. that have
given professional opinion, declaring that the
slaves OF Tennessee have not been free by law
AS will no doubt be held prisoner until after
the pending election farce in Tennessee is over,
propose TO indulge portion of nay leisure in
! giving you a concise statement OF some things
1 did say. aud the circumstances under which |
have provoked the military displeasuTe OF that
grand army, OF which you are the Commander
1 IN Chief .r q.
a public meeting of all the citizens OF
| Weakley county, Tennessee, was called at Dres-
den Saturday, the LIST day of July last, to
consider the best course to be adopted for the in
| teEests of all. The meeting was very large, and
was addressed by William p. Caldwell aud
myself.
On the following Monday. July 3. a very large
meeting was held at Trenton, Gibson county,
| which addressed for three hours. Isaac Samp-
son, one OF Browpiow's newly appointed Circuit
Judges, having, he said full civil and crimina
jurisdiction to arrest and try all offenders, was
present He had one OF Brownlow's Sherfs
aud several of his Justices of the Peace present,
and in their presence he addressed the multitude
from the same stand had occupied; yet he did
NOS as much hint CT my arrest ne only threat
| ened the people with an invasion OF, Federal
troops (meaning negroes, to deter them from
voting tor me. AT the closs of the meeting, re-
solutions precisely similar to those passed at
Dresden were unanimously adopted. L was
unanimously nominated for Congress, and the
pretended Senator and Representative from that
county were unsnimousy requested TO resign.
| was 10 have addressed q similar meeting at
| Paris, Henry county, on Saturday last and would
have done so had l NOS been arrested. As the
offensive words are alleged to have been spoken
in my Dresden speech they were substantially
repeated at Trenton u will give you, accurately
and concisely as | can, what | said of you at
Dresden. Indeed. | will give you the precise
word. OF my exoroiun in which you were
first personally alluded to. Addressing myself
to the audience i said: .srs.a ,4f-r lss.rs F
:" You have witnessed the rise, culmiaation,
and overthrow of rebellion, In all respects, the
most astonishing in the worlds history; aston
ishing because of the numbers engaged, the
resources il SO suddenly Impoverished, aud the
duration and intensity of the conflict Ii was
only less astonishing than the numbers and re
sources it encountered. @ L. has ended "a all
rebellions. must. end when, opposed by greatly
superior resources and numbers The rebellion
is Its leaders aptives, exsles, or sup
plicants Tor pardon, iis armed adherents have
sauted their flag for the last time. and its friends
throughout the South have yielded the contest
Their submission has been graceful, unanimous
and in all apparent good faith. Not an armed con
, federate is to be found whiting the lines of the
State. The Federal Government professsd to
draw the sword only 4er the sole purpose of en-
: forcing It's constitutional authority wherever il
was opposed; II is this day supreme within the en-
tire limits of the United States. No opposition
is anywhere attempted; nor indeed, can any be
organized. Why. then. / ask, are we threatened
with \ CeSpotlSm as inexcuSable rebellion
Why are tree elections denied to the Union men
, and qualified voters of the State? Why have
non residents and cungers around Federal camps
without your knowledge or consent aud in def
ance OF your protests and appeals, been permit
. ted TO Usurp the high and responsible places ol
power, and 10 declare themselves your oppressors
and masters-and this, too. in contempt Of tha,
Declaration OF Rights, whose sacred principle
are inviolab!e. and. by your Constitution, ex
cepted out Of the general powers OF Govern
mentT Why are offensive rulers being set oysl
the loyal people OF the Stale by those who are
jointly responsible for the wary Why are band.
OF armed negroes per nitted to roam over the
] country, piandering and insulting the timid and
defenselessy And more than these, why are YOU
and l., whose souls ara unstained by treason
> compelled TO drain this cup of shame at the
} hands OF those who were the original insigators
| Of the rebellionfs fHHttI1l oi1~sld
| beg leave 10 assure your ExcelencY that. in
using the words Original ipslgators OF the re
oeihon.' alluded TO so4~farIheT, that 4 spoke
in no Pickwickian sense And now that | may
invoke your clemeney. not for myself, bat for
those who listened TO my reparkss frankly
confess that | submitted certain proofs Of the
truth Of nv charge DItoid the people that the
first time ever saw you, you were haranGuinS
the multitude TO prove one an Abolitonisis; that
il wss a somewhat "raw ard custy day." and
| that your yehemence in the open air caused you
TO contract throat disease, from which, unior-
tunstely for the country. you profess not TO have
recovered | ailuccc 10 your early speech in
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