Daily union and American. [volume] (Nashville, Tenn.) 1865-1866, 1866-03-24
CARD FROM THE HON. CAVE
JOHNSON.

To THE CITIZENS OF ROBERTSON, MoNT-
| GoMERY AND STEWART COUNTIES Il have
been urged by many leading citizens to be-
come a candidate to represent you in the
| Senate. / have concluded to do So if it
meets your appreciation. did not expect
or wish ever again TO enter into public life.
| The partially of friends induces them to
believe that | may be able to render you
some service in the present unhappy condi-
ton of the affairs of the United States, as
well as our own State. While | do not my
self see any important advantage likely to
grow out of my selection, yet your generous
and liberal support for so long a period in
my professional and political career, would
not Justify me in declining any position you
might assign me in which the interests of
our common country are involved. Whether
| ! could render any service or not, it would
be my duty to yield to the wishes of my
friends and use my best efforts to promote
| their interests.
| have represented you for so long period
in the Congress of the United States, that
the principles which would control my con-
duct must be generally known, and super
cedes the necessity of my going into details
at this time further than to say that | am
not aware of any change in them which
would affect your interests. As your repre-
sentative, shall probably be called on to
act upon new and important questions
growing out of the late war, which l regard
as vital to the republic, and upon which the
freedom and liberties of this country in a
great degree depend. In the brief period
before the election, | can only state to you
the conclusions of my mind on some of the
most important of them.
The policy adopted by President johnson,
in his late message, and III his efforts to re-
store the Government to the principles upon
which it was founded by the greatest and
best of men, and which have been acted on
for almost century, giving to our citizens
a greater prosperity and more quiet and
happiness than ever enjoyed by any
9th people-to protect the States in
al the rights and privileges secured by the
Constitution, and to give that protection to
the persons and property of the citizens to
which they are entitled under it. demands
the neutrality-suspicious. of every patriot
As your representative, should use all hon.
orable means TO sustain and support him in
the conflict now going on with the unprinci-
pied Radicals having thecontrol of Congress
at the present time Should the President
fail in this great struggle with Congress, and
the Southern States be reduced TO territories
and provinces, governed by Congressional
satraps as ireland has been by England for
hundreds of years, the best interests of the
Northern as well as the Southern States will
be destroyed, our free institutions subverted,
and the patriots arm paralyzed throughout
the world. 1t will be the duty of the Lee
gislature to make provisions for the govern
ment and control of the freedmen emanci-
pated by the war. and turned loose upon so
ciety, and most of them necessarily paupers.
We should deal with them Justly and kind
ly, and protect their persons and property,
and hold them subject TO civil and criminal
law as applicable to the citizens of the States;
but under no circumstances, at this time,
extend TO them the elective franchise. They
are not qualified for the proper exercise of
that great privilege-its extension to them
would probably be followed by such corrup-
tions as would endanger the permanency of
our institutions.
Another important duty viii devolve up
on your representatives: that Of using all
fair and proper means TO calm and quiet the
angry feelings and party spirit that has
grown out of the war among the citizens of
our own State. AS the war has ended, we
should by our acts and counsels induce them,
as far as possible, to forget and forgive the
real or imaginary wrongs growing out Of the
Whispering in good faith the Cons;itu
tons Of the United States and the State of
Tennessee, and yielding cheerfully and quiz
city to the disastrous results of the war.
A liberal and just Legislature at Nash
vile, in that spirit of kindness which should
characterize christian people, would in a
great degree subdue the angry and embitter-
ed feelings existing among US, and give es-
sentiJl aid TO our patriotic President in the
great struggle which he is now making for
the preservation of the Constitution and the
Union
In this brief address, can only promise
you that my best exertions viii be given for
the restoration Of our State to ali the rights
and privileges TO which it was entitled un-
der the Constitution, and to the citizens the
peace and prosperity they enjoyed before
the war.
Respectfully, c. JoHSso
GAINESVILLE, March u, 1866.