The Nashville daily union. [volume] (Nashville, Tenn.) 1862-1866, 1865-04-19
Mashrille 9AniQu.
WV. CAMEgON & co., Publishers
WEDNESDAY, APRIL 70, 1865.
communication from JOsephs Fowler,

before the, pubic. Before emit
upon the subject matter, may be pc
mitted to claim the Indulgence OF Il
people for tbrusting private yindic
cation upon them at q period saddent
by every consideration that can afilt
J the nations heart, It's a source Of l
less regret TO me than indelicaey
you, to mar the hour of universal gri,
by the complaints and apologies
mere individuals; the circumstance al
before you, and will constitute N
apology. The. card Of ". P joins
accompanied by the statements Of M
w. Bowen is the one TO which allud.
Ineed not be surprised at its appea
ance at this particular time 1t
known that some Of my friends haV
had the Partially 10 mention my nam
in connection with the Senatorship. !
is the experience of most men, that eve
ry age and country contains class G
men who neither expect prefermen
for themselves or Friends upon thei
merits, and hence seek to attain pos
ton BY detractiug from the merits o
Others.
| Its not the first time that such az
effort has been made to remove com
petitors from the way
III had been guilty Of SO gross al
improperly, so yulgar and so unworthy
remark as that Of stating that the
people of East Tennessee, whose patri
otism and devotion to the Union has
challenged the admiration Of the whole
land, was not moved by high and no,
bic patriotism, but by low instinct, l
would ask why, the very calm and
unimpasioned gentlemen who now
seem so anxious to restore me to a con
sciousness of my errors, have withheld
so long from the public their valuable
discovery? Why, ask, did these gen
tlemen 30 cslmly commit to paper on
the 2qthpune, 1864 so infamous an opin-
! ion, and then keep it laid so carefully
concealed from the public, for yearly
an entire year, Why, l ask, did they
keep these charges, if they had them,
and did not get them up within the last
few days, for special purpose, for SO
long time, and then deprive the peo-
pie of Tennessee, and particularly Of
East Tennessee, Of the opportunity Of
knowing how deeply they had been
traduced
1t is fair TO presume that if my name
had not been placed before the General
Assembly for the q latorsihr, that uei-
ther the good people Of Tennessee nor
myself would have ever knO wa that
the one had been 5landered, and hat
the other was their ealumniator.
Now, in reference TO the charges,
that said the people of East Tennes-
see were not moved by patriotism, bat
by low instinct, and that I denounced
the whole people Of Tennessee as want
ing in patriotism, have only to say
that neither charge is true in letter or
spirit. never denounced the whole
people of Tennessee as wanting inpatri-
otism, nor did ever say, that the peo-
pie of East Tennessee we're not moved
by patriotism, bat by low instinct.
Again, assert further, that never
called the love of country Of any pee
pie, be they bsroarous or enlightened,
a low instinct There lives not one
man beneath the circle of the sun that
ever heard me utter sentiment 80 val
gar and so unworthy have not even
denied patriotism to the rebels, as hard
! things as may have said about them.
| have fought them honestly from the
beginning, and viii trust the decision
to them eyens or to any men except q
malicious and yindietive personal en-
envy
What / did say, was that the effects
of the institution of slavery had been
to undermine the spirit Of nationality
and impaira devotion to the fedora
Union. This resulted at last in gen
eral rebellion. Ny principles are al
deeply imbued in my mind as the con
yictions Of "First Cause"
| No race or people are devoid Of patri
otism; and the man who would go as
sert, is either knaye or fool Th'
principle of patriotism is an impera
tive of the soul, and as powerful anC
sacred in the peasant as in the prince
1t is the same in the mountaineer ssoi
Switzerland, and Norway that it IS in tn,
Pontiffo of Rome-neither education nc
place give this virtue-it is the birth
right of Heaven.
But never doubted that Mr.. Jme
could make the charge, and prove
by Dr.. Bowen or that Mr. Bowen eoul'
make the charge, and prove tidy Ml
Jones; nor, indeed, if it were necessar,
to remove me from the way, to get som
particular gentleman in the Senate
but that men could be found By WHOM
to prove me guilty Of any crime.
now call on those who know N
intimately, and with whom l have e.
! or associated on the most iamilia
terms, to say whether they ever hear
me utter one word derogatory to ia
patriotism of any community Or an
!. truly national man. I challenge ia
world to produce one honest man VII
can say that I ever breathed an improl
err thought against either. It IS sing
Z lar that Judges Patterson aud Miiligs
; should have left the room just in tin
10 be disqualified as Witnesses Gel
! Pain is not precluded ] do not kno
Q where he is--sf he could obtained
have been kept in profOund igno
anee of the design Of the party thus
exhibit his malice, until q few days b
fore publication, and that after Il
!. expiration of nearly one year
= What period 10 cherish malice'
} feel deeply for the mind organized {
so much suffering
7 1t seems to me hard to make Al
good man believe that this Gard
not an elt.tioasefiay tfeti and that il
far from being q message Of goOd-w
to the persons thus addressed
2. II will not fail TO be seen that t
IL principal element of the Card Is n.
he