The national Republican., 1866-07-11

49, --~. l,-y, . s,.,,4.l q
- SIP. HANSCOA, EDITOR. .da g
n.narnnn-n I, a.naas,
wEDNssDAY NoKNINa .a.:..::JtLY ii. isss.
GOVEnMONHWOWNLOwA AND HIS
RADlCAl<0ERvING LEGlsLA.
TUHE. ~ @~ Fa'T --''S -.7i. I.
"Then- -ons of the ttoelue, called JUDAS
IscAaIor, tOent unto the chief priests,
"4sd said unto them, What oiu ye gipe
me, cad IWiH deIiVer him unto you? And
they covenanted with him for airty pieces Of
silver. I"'
"And from that time he sought opportuni-
ty to betruy him"-St Matthew. chap. XVI,
verses IA. ,l6. e.. o.. ........... ..t.. ,
Yesterday the telegraph brought us a
synopsis Of the message Of the Governor Of
Tennessee to the Legislature Of that State,
convened BY him for the purpose Of securing
the ratification Of the constitutional amend
menis recently proposed by Congress. We
cannot ssy that we sre surprised by the
sentiments expressed by the "honorable
gentleman" but we viii admit that the sub
limated coolness with which he echoes the
words which are wont to fall from the lips Of
the chief priests, scribes and pharisees-
Srxyrss, SunxrR, ct id omne genus--is de-
cidedly refreshing during this heated term,
and has somewhat checked our respiration.
Our surprise upon this account must not be
attributed to- an underestimate Of his politi.
cal tfuculency, but to our ignorance Of the
price he had set upon his services. ...
The present Legislsture Of Tennessee was
elected during time of war, by strictly
loyal men, and all ldisloyal or doubtfully
loyal Were prevented from coming TO the
polls by the operations Of the military and
the enforcement Of . most rigorous disfran-.
chisement. The same vote that elected the
Legislature clothed the former Parson
BKowxLow with the gubernatorial robes.
Almost all Of the members Of the Legisla-
ture thus elected had been loyal to the Gov
ernment Of the United States, and that of the
Stats Of Tennessee, from the beginning; and
the only exceptions Of which we are cognisant
we will state. Hon Mr.. ARSELI., from MUIR
ray county; Hon. Mr. GrLxER, from Maury
county; and Hon Mr.. MULLINS, from Bedford
county, at the outset Of the rebellion, made
speeches encouraging volunteers for the
rebel army, drilled rebel rsSpits. and ex.
hausted all their rhetorical and oratsrical re.
sources IN expressing their enthssissm in
the cause Of the South, in which
they declared themselves to be ienlisted
heart and hand" against the usupation
OF the Government at Warrington, Again,
Hon, Mr., SExrER, from Hfainxer c6Hnty;
was unfortunately (because he has been a
loyal maa st hearty o member Of the Ten
nessee Legislature in 1859, and, more unfor-
tunatelv, was prevailed upb.a, like many
others Of the same body, to take an oath 10
support the sedtious organization at ,Iieh-
mond, denomnated THE Confederate States
of America" However, in accordance with
the adopted test of loyalty to-day, these
facts should not initiate against the reputa-
ton Of these, honorable gentlemen" because
they have bitterly repented their past sins,
have acknowledged that there is but one
Government in the United States to which
they owe allegiance, and last, but by no
means least, they now follow submissively in
the leading strings Of the patriotic Governor
of Tennessee, who in turn crouches and
Jarks, when told to "speak," at the feet Of
those who say to him, "Stand aside, + am
holier than thou" But the worthy and emit
nently loyal Governor has shown that he
even he, the SAUL of Tennessee, converted
to radicalism and negrophobia--ha not a
heart Of stone to those who were fred in
1862 with Goals from the altar Of sedition,
but who now, when asked. ".Surely thou also
art one Of them, for t1y speech betrayeth thee"
can with brazen front reply, II know not
the lost cause" As an evidence Of this
Christian spirit Of forgiveness, which, upon
this and all other matters, is apparent in the
character Of the magnanimous Governor Of
Tennessee, we need only assure our readers
that the present Secretary Of State-faithful
coadjutor and ardent supporter of Governor
BRowKLow-is the Hon. ANDREW JACKSON
FLErcBER, who, in 1862, went to the Rich
mond government, profered his services to
JEFFERSON DAVIS to raise regiment at
Greeneyille, Tennessee, for the rebel army,
and received from DAVIS the requisite a,l-
thority to do SO. But the loyal inhabitants
Of the vicinity Of Governor JoHSsoS's home
were more merciful to the honorable Mr.,
FLETCHER than he was to HIMSELF and by
refusing to join his rebel regiment--which
action he then thought unkind, but now can
say " they were 'crtlel in order to be kind -
prevented him from completing his contract
with the rebel government. u ...
Thus we have enumerated some of the ex.
ceptions to the general loyalty Of the Legis
lature and State government Of Tennessee
which it will be seen are very few; and we
have also seen that these State officers and
this Legislature were chosen by and repre-
sent only loyal men. Having progressed
thus far, we are now able to enjoy the fol
lowing extrsct from Gov. BRowSLow's mes
sage TO the Tennessee Legislature
81 81 beg you to bear in
mind in your deliberations that while most oi
you 1--WE suppose he meant to except those
we named above] have been at all times, per.
sonaIiy and Individually loyal to the United