Brownlow's Knoxville Whig. [volume] (Knoxville, Tenn.) 1866-1869, 1866-07-18

the United States and have since given voluntary
aid to the rebellion, shall be forever disqualified
from holding office, Sc. Such is the substance OF
the prop osed amendments presented BY the Con-
ress representing the great radical party of theI
United States.
How lar do those amendmendmenIe 50? AMI
swer not quite far the announced and declared;
policy of Andrew Johnson or certainly no further !!
for the question of sufrage-Negro Suffrage i'll
sou please is left with the States, and certainly if
;tizens not rendered infamous are excluded from|
he ballot box, they should not be counted in sppor-
Coning representation. The Southern States, late
rebellion, have been conquered, but Congress byl
-hese amendments addresses them as States, not as
provinces; and what is yet more striking, is that
congress does not seek to annul the work of the
Presidents reconstruction policy, for if the States
now organized underth the Presidents action, adopt
.he proposed amendments they will stand as perfect
States with representation in Congress. As far as
the clause dsqualifying for Office is concerned Con-
;ress seems to have filed it full, heaped t-p, and
t is running over with A,ldre,o Johnson They have
+ AIKEN his language, imbibed his spirit, and the
& amendment speaks his voice, if not as President
certainly as Governor of the noble State of Tennes
zee. Let US inquire for moment the reason upon
which this disquafying theory rests and in point
# fact, as contemplated by Andrew johnson. If al
nan come before one of our courts and swear false
', wilfully and knowingly to matter material to
he issue Joined, you say he is guilty of the crime
3 # perjury and sentence him to hard labor in the
+ Penitentiary, and render him infamous-incapable
s of holding Office voting or giving testimony as Al
witness. In a legal or moral sense how much less
Infamous is the act of him who solemnly swears to
support the Constitution of the United States and
hen willingly and wilfully levies war against it,
seeking with all his power to dismantal and destroy
/? Rather We might ask, how much greater is the
,fense?
Who were guilty as the responsible parties inj
getting up thelate rebellion? The very class struck
Town by this wholesome clause Let the class thus
disqualified be called up to answer for their guilt
The first charge completely proven is perjury. The
second treason, and what shall the nert be? Lei
s Let us call up the witnesses and see. Gath
err if you can, immense plain, the bodies ofthe
lead from all the fields of battle hospitals and prs-
sons Of the late rebellion Let them lie or prop:
them up is dumb yet horrible witnesses and on the
outskirts array the weeping widows and waiiing or
phans caused by the fall of these victims; and then
add to the scene the countless millions OF treasure
expended or destroyed, and make still another ex
nibit-the corruptons Of morals and the breaking
up of the foundations of society," and you have but
An imperfect item of the proof defining the grave
sofense The voice of truth declares to this class of
leaders, You are the guilty parties, you inrugura-
ed this hord scheme and lead or forced the masses
sof the people into it." The voice of justice pronoun
ces the sentence of death but this much abused
and hated party called radicals say to the prisoners
y wrong doors, live citizens but not office hol
4 iers of the Government. You may live and ride
upon the vessel but you shall not command it or
Z stand at its helm.
This leads US to the real bone Of contention and
cause of difference between the President and Con-
sress. The President has made too free of the
Pardoning Power. Treason-instead of being made
odios.s--has became honorn5ls-has acquired dgni
Z ty and respec liability which may we'll awaken the
fears of the true friends Of the Government Con-
ress as the representative of the body of the loyal
people, has determined that loyalty shall govern and
not be governed by disloyalty. To which I say ;,
amen
q But let Us repeat the 4uestiOn-Who are the
s members of the radical party? and what does the
term signify? 1t means pure, thorough, uncOm-
pounded, unmixed loyalty, and the test of loyal
y 50 are the members ofthe party. They are the IN
Squaliied friends of the Government. There moth
ing in the creed policy of the party to invite an
{ enemy of the Government; but can you say the
same Of the party called the conservative party ?
: No, but you may search in vain for who has
q b,l, ,b1
boast of his membership as a conservative. At the
same time it is true that many who are true and
loyal, are members Of the conservative party. In
s all times men have been liable 10 be deceived. To
such 1 would say study well your subject and occa-
sionally look to the ear-msrkg Of your compan-
ions.
am compelled to believe that the difference be-
tween the President and Congress is not as great
las the general estimate makes it. l believe
that the Presidents objects and aims right, but
2 that he is mistaken as to the means employed to
effect them; and that some of his friends and all
former enemies acting on those errors-some with
! good and others with bad motives-would, but for
1.-THE power Of the dominant party, inhict upon the
country an injury that would Re hard to remedy.
One more word as to the radicals denounced as
sthey are, hideous, unwashed devils, with but
limited exceptions they embrace The material that
conquered the rebellion. Ii was radicals who bore
our streaming banners on fields of victory and tri-
umph-it was radicals which wrenched the arms
from rebel hands and caused the armies Of Lee and
johnson to surrender; and that party, call it what
you will or may, having ruled the country in times
Of war will govern it, wisely too in times of peace
n. A. PATTERSON.