The Nashville daily union. [volume] (Nashville, Tenn.) 1862-1866, 1865-05-04
judge N. II. Brlen,s Card.

To the Honorable members ofhe General
assembly Of the State Of Tennessee:
GENTLEMEN: Having become satisfied
that my principles, course of policy,
and mode Of elsetioneriag, so emphatically
laid down, and defined by me, are not
acceptable, at least to a majority of-the
members of your honorable body, !
therefore respectfully withdraw my
name from the contest for the Senate
of the United States. By doing so, it
relieves my friends, both in and out Of
the Legislature, from anxiety and feel
ings Of interest on my account, and at
the same time / tender to them my
most grateful acknowledgment for the
interest and zeal manifested for me.
Gentlemen, hope you may be able to
make a judicious selection.
Being no longer a candidate you viii
please pardon me for saying, that one
Of our candidates is not eligible. one
at least has been, If not now, opposed
to the Administration of our late Pre-
sident to the arming Of negroes to
fight rebels-another has given aid and
comfort to the rebels and encourag-
ing them on to battle by making
speeches, proposing to loan them money
and saying that he expected soon to be
with them. One at least declared pub
licly, that if Mr.. Lincoln ever dared to
interfere with the institution Of slavery
he was ready TO shoulder his musket
and fight in the defense Of the same.
That he would take his musket, and
repair to the hills and hollows, and
bushwhack Federal soldiers IS they
passed. And other candidates, who,
as understand never owned a negro;
but now, since the institution is dead
and gone they care for educating him
equal to the white race, and paying
for his education by direct taxation, i'm
posed upon the Southern people, or by
the General Government This course,
l am and have always been opposed to.
While I admit that I am for eman~
cipation and freedom, and have advo-
Gated those principles openly and in
my humble way, and have done all in
my power for the freedom Of the black
race, with the view to maintain the
Union and to crush out this internal
rebellion. Yet ! am for a white mans
government We have given the ne
groes their freedom; in doing this we
have taken them from many q true
and loyal man, who had no agency in
| bringing about this accursed War-from
many an orphan and widow, done IN
some instances when slave property
was almost their entire estate and
means of support Now, to further
Cypress them with tax to support
and educate them is a wrong that
/ cannot consent to.
Again some of the candidates, as l
am informed are for disiranchisiong
and excluding from office, any and all
who have aided the rebel cause by be-
ing in their armies, dc. ! cannon con
sent to this doctrine. l know too well,
as you do, that hundreds OF our young
men, and sons, under the excitement
of the times and urged on by such
speeches as those above alluded tornado
10y these Southern men i'm whom they
had confidence, were persuaded into
the rebellion. Numbers Of them have
returned under the Proclamation Of
the President, and are here now, good
citizens and dong all they can 10 sus-
tain the Government some Of them
have joined the Federal army since
their return and are doing good service
to their country. cannot consent 10
the treatment Of them as proposed by
some But ! say encourage them to
come back and maintain the Govern
ment, tell them ihat will have equal
rights with all other American citizeua.
Some gentlemen approve this doc
trine and at the same time say that
they are for freedom and universal suf- |
frage to all others, and that the negro
should vote and be a competent wit
ness against white man under al cir
Cumstances
Now, gentlemen, ! suppose this was
the motive you had in calling upon the
candidates 70 define their positions. In
this think you were clearly right. As
am no longer a candidate my motives
cannot be impugned for making the
above statements. If l am mistaken |
in any gentleman's position, he can
easily correct me, and state his princi /
pies and the policy he advocates, as |
desire to 90 no one injustice and be
Heve that you desire TO know the opin-
ions and doctrines of the distinguished |
gentlemen who are seeking to repre-
sent the State in the Senate of the
United States.
am gentlemen respectfully,
Yours, etc,
NANsoN NJ BRrFv.