Brownlow's Knoxville Whig, and rebel ventilator. [volume] (Knoxville, Tenn.) 1863-1866, 1865-02-15
TO the People OF Tennessee,

Ills ErrciicncH A,,drco johnson, Military Goc-
clYor;
The undersigned, having been appointed Com
missioners on the part of the late Union Free State
Convention in session at Nashville to visit Wash
ington and TO confer with the President, beg leave
to submit to you, acting Chief Executive officer
and through you to the people of Tennessee the fol-
lowing report
The immediate objects of our mission, as defined
in the credentials furnished by the officers of the
Convention, we're
| To induce the President to issue Proclamation
declaring Tennessee no longer in insurrecton
against the government of the United States
O. To solicit the influence of the President to Sc
cure the completion of the railroad from Knoxville
to Nicholasville, Ky, as a military measure.
B. To secure the payment of claims for property
taken by the United States army from loyal citizens
of Tennessee.
In accordance with the above instructions, we
called on the President and were favored with sew
eral conferences on the subjects above mentioned
In regard to the first proposition, the Commissioners
urged that Tennessee should be declared no longer
in insurrection against the government First, be-
cause she was not embraced in the original proca-
nation declaring certain States in rebellion, and
not considered until it became necessary to in
cude il in order to put in force certain trade regua
tions promulgated in August, 1863, and designed to
all the sections denominated or contiguous to-
the theatre of warlike operations secondly because
it is matter of fact that the people of Tennessee
are not in insurrectiOn against the government On
the contrary those now remaining the soil of the
State, have Loyalty obeyed every order, and taken
every oath prescribed by the Federal authorities
even to the extent Of bearing arms against the
mics of the government and there is no allegation
that they otherwise than thoroughly loyal, and
as such fit depositaries of the power heretofore WELD
ed and prostituted by the State and local authorities
.ha ba
Der of our troops in the national army-a number
which would make more than our States quota un-
der all calls which have yet been made-together
with the recent action Of our loyal people, in pro-
posing to amend State Constitution to wipe
out slavery and the slave code, thus placing our
State government in its new organization, upon the
same footing as to freedom as any other State in
the national ssterhood, briefly pointed out and
the course indicated was thus justified as matter
alike demanded by right and justice. In addition,
the fact that the American people had selected from
among us one of our most distinguished fellowrcti-
zens to be Vice President and one of the quaifca-
tons of that office being that he shall be citizen of
State of the Union, was referred to in connection
| with our present anamalous position, as an addi-
tonal reason. and one which should not be lightly
esteemed, why the pains and disabilities of "de-
clarcd but not actual insurrcction, should be re-
| moved.
The President replied, that he knew of no impe-
diment in the way of accedng TO our first PROPOSE
ton, except the extent to which it might affect the
present trade reguatons-that the matter presented
might also involve some grave legal cOnsidera-
tons and that in order to do justice to the subject
he should have to take time to consider it, in
! timatng that we might expect as favorable re-
| sponse as the nature of the case admitted of and
with the least avoidable delay.
In regard to the completion of the railroad from
Knoxville to Nicholasville KY, President Lincoln
said he was well acquainted with the reasons which
should have induced the government to construct
the road as a military measure. lie had gravely
considered the whole subject, and satisfied that
the government would have made money by con-
structing that road when he first recommended it
but he added there was not now the same necessity
heretofore for ts construction and what more
said he, have means TO spare to devote to any
enterprise not absolutely demanded by the pressing