Brownlow's Knoxville Whig. [volume] (Knoxville, Tenn.) 1866-1869, 1866-08-22
THE KNOXVILLE WING
Knoxville, Tenn, August %, 1866.
ITO the Loyal People of Tennessee.


my health, l take this method of respond
ing to the several calls made upon me to
speak at different points.
1t is known TO you that l recently con-
vcned the General Assembly in extraordina-
nv Session. to ratify the Amendment to the
Constitution ofthc United States, proposed
by the Joint Resolution of the two Houses Of
Congress. more than two-thirds Of both
Houses concurring w. IL Seward, Secre-
tary of State, Of the United States trans
mitted an attcsted copy of the proposed
Amendment to me, under date Of June 10th
and notified me officially, that decision 10y
the Legislature was required by law. | ac-
cordingly convened the Legislature by proc
lamation on the 4th of July, and after a
stormy session Of twenty-one days, the
Amendment was ratified in both Houses,
bv more than q two-thirds vote. And this
victory was achieved over the combined
opposition to the measure, of the President,
and half Of the Tennessee Congressman,
who brought their whole influence to bear
upon the General Assembly,
Upon the assembling of the General As
sembly, Mr. Dunnaway, the immediate rep
resentativc of Edmond Cooper, boltcd with
4 view Of reducing the House below a quo
rum. He was followed by Mr.. Brown, one
of the constituents of Mr.. Leftwich, and
he was followed by DR.. Marable, the instru-
ment of Dorsey B. Thomas. The House
appointed Captain Heydt, Superintendent
Of the Capitol. Sergeant -at-Arms, with au-
thority to select his deputies, to arrest the
boilers and return them TO the House, and
with the warrants of the Speaker they set
out by twos. Williams, Of Carter, was
brought III, but Marablc's rebel friends re-
sisted with guns and pistols and drove the
two deputies back Capt. Heydt made APP
pication to General Thomas for a file of
soldicrs-thc General referred the case to
Washington. and the President, who is on
the side Of the boilers, and in favor Of
breaking up the Legislature, rs a means Of
defeating the Constitutional Amendments,
instructed Gen. Thomas through the War
Department, not TO interfere, but TO let the
State Government and the politicians fight
il out This encouraged the rebels and
stimulated them TO acts Of violence. They
sued out 4 writ Of hdbedS corpus in the case
of Williams and Judges Bricn and Gaut, of
the johnson Club, Of the Executive Com
mittec Of Davidson county, argued their
cause before Judge Frazier of the Criminal
Court. The Judge being weak man, and
political partizan under rebel influence,
decided against the Legislature and in ia
vor of the rebels. Among all truly loyal
men nothing but contempt is entertained
for his decision and for the man. Having
no jurisdiction IN the case, and the law and
precedents being against him, it was not
expected that such a mOnstrous decision
would bc given. But those who knew the
man-those who knew that he was appoint
ed to Office by Military Governor Johnson
that he was laboring TO have himself re-
elected 10y the people in a rebel community
and that he would never lake decided
stand when the rebellion came on, were
prepared 10 hear his miserable opinion dc
lvcrcd.
But to proceed with my account Of this
Rebel-judicial farce, the sheriff, rebel
captain. by the order Of the newborn rebel
Judge, released Williams from the custody
in which he was held by the House. And
before daylight in the morning, the sheriff,
with a force of twenty-five discharged reb-
ef soldiers as ii is alleged they were, broke
into the State House to seize and carry be-
fore the Judge, Captain Heydt, who roomed
alone in the Capitol This rebel mob of
Frazier's forced the door and window of
the Federal courtroom, breaking both, and
gcant-at arms, whom the Judge fined ten
dollars for obeying the orders Of the House,
and then released him. This action for out
rage. corruption and high handed villainy,
has no parallel in history The eagerness
to get at Heydt, and to have him resist, as
an excuse for numbering him, grew out of
the fact that he had served as 4 brave Off
Ger i'm the Federal army, and was several
times wounded in battle, fighting traitors.
Captain Hcydt had in custody second
member Of the House. Mr. Martin, who had
been a guerrilla chief in the late war, and
he was released without any other process
than that served by the mob. in breaking
down the window and door. This is part
and parcel Of Johnsons policy TO restore
the rebels to power 1t means to crush out
the Union men of the South and restore the
Democratic traitors Of the South to power
and place. 1t is intended by him and his adj
visors to make TREASON respectable, and
TRAITORS honorable, while LOYALTY is TO
become disreputablc, and loyal men are dis
graccd and driven from the South. To ac
complish all this, and even more, there Is on
foot regular conspiracy, and the chief con-
spirator is 1adrclr Johnson, as L honestly
believe.
With loyal men in Tennessee, johnson
has go more influence than jeff Davis. At
ter all the letters written from the inmates
and hangers-on ut the White House, TO
members Of the Tennessee Legislature, urg-
ing them not to accept the Constitutional
amendments, they were trIUmphantly adop-
ted by vote in the Senate of fflcen to sir,
and in the House by Jorty-tbree to thirteen.
Whilst In neither branch Of the Tennessee
LEGISLATURE can a resolution be adopted en-
dorsing Andrew Johnson or his policy, I'M
less it b TO declare him 4 TRAITOR, and his
policy TREASON both rank and damnablo.
Why do charge all this? Because he
Is turning loyal men out of office by thou
sands, to make room for rebels and traitors.
Because he is appointing Tennessee Legis-
IatlVe eolters TO office, as 4 reward for their
revolutionary and villainous conduct Be
cause he betrayed the Breckenridge Democ-
racy after working with and for them, up
TO the day on which Lincoln was first elec-
ted Because he betrayed the loval North
after they had elected him to the office of
Vice President. Because he has BETRAYED
the down -trodden and unoffending NEGRO
trying again 70 sell him into bondage. after.
promising to be his Noses. Because he has
betrayed the Fenians to the British Gov
ernment, after selling them guns and am
munition. and impressing their minds with
the belief that he was their friend And