Public ledger. [volume] (Memphis, Tenn.) 1865-1893, 1866-06-13
THREATENING STATE OF AFFAIRS.

Our readers have read enough, pei
haps, of Missouri politics to know tina
FRANK BLAIR, Federal General, ha
been canvassing that State for the Con
servatives, and has drawn upon himsel
and party the wrath and vengeance o
the Radicals At some of his appoint
ments attempts are said to have beer
made to mob him, and several men have
been killed in the excitement The Rad
zeal party are bent on carrying things al
their own way, and that way is dis
franchisement of the Conservatives.
The following article from the Bethany
MOI Tribune, may serve to indicate
the state of feeling among Radicals, and
their purpose:
1t is no longer matter of doubt that
there is to be fighting in Missouri the
coming summer or fall, or somebody
must back down
We are not of those who wish to create
any unnecessary excitement, but as things
are shaping themselves in this State
now, Union men are becoming conscious
of the fact that they will have TO use the
same resort to prevent bloody treason
overriding and darkening our prospects
of peace as they did when it made the
hell.begotten effort to tear down the Tenn
pie of Liberty, and engulph the Ameri-
can people in one universal ruin. Not
satisfied with the wickedness they have
accomplished, being yet despatched with
the gore of Union men, the rebels and
bushwhackers, more defiant now than
when a rebel army was at their back, are
. commencing their internal work anew,
and are swearing that they will vote at
the coming election, and that the laws
eof the State enacted by Union men shall
not be executed.
At recent meeting of the rebels of
Monroe county, FRANK BLAIR, the great
Mogul of the Copperheads of Missouri,
made speech, in which he used the fol-
lowing language:
"The decision of the United States
Supreme Court has been made and en-
tered on record, declaring the Missouri
test oath null and void. TON FLETCHER
efforts to enforce the oath and that Con-
stitution in the face of that decision are
no less reasonable than were GLAZE.
JAcKsoN's. The men yet live who de-
throned CLAIB JAcKsoN's State govern
ment and they can do the work again
If public opinion and the decision oil the
United States Supreme Court fail 10 de-
ter these Radicals, then there is rene
dy, remedy no less than that by which
our fathers gained their independence
from England.
If we have not had enough of revou
ton, we are certainly very hard to please,
In Tennessee, all but handful are CON
tent to allow the exasperations invoked
by the war to settle down to quiet Our
people do not talk of throwing off the
awful burdens that have been put upon
them, by resort TO violence We sub
nit to bear them until such time as they
can be thrown off without endangering
the public peace A few individuals
have DISTINGUISHED us, to secure to them
selves the control of the State now with
the vain hope that before the people shall
have the franchise restored to them, en-
igration from abroad will enable them to
assert a majority and thus perpetuate
theirp In the State of Missouri the
case is somewhat different In point Of
numbers the Radical party is respectable,
but not numbering, perhaps, halfthe Con-
servative strength. In that State, as in
Tennessee, the latter have been gener-
ally disfranchised. Enough, however,
claim the right to vote, to put the Radi-
cal party in deadly fear Of overthrow.
The Supreme Court having declared the
celebrated test oath TO be uneoDstitu-
tional, the issue would not be doubtful,
if the decision did not remain unan-
nounced in the pocket of the Judge APP
pointed to deliver it. Whatever aspect
the question may assume, 1t is certain
that the Radicals have no intention of
yielding to the Conservatives. They al
lege, or one Of their organs alleges, that
there will be fighting during the summer
and fall, unless somebody-meaning the
Conservatives-shall back down" We
shall not be surprised to hear of actual
hostilities resulting from this unfortunate
state of affairs There is nothing truer,
than that the American people cannot be
reduced to slavery by a minority; nor
win they permit minority 10 rule, ex-
cept under circumstances similar to those
that now suggest temporary submits
sion. An American citizen cannot for
felt to another the right Of self-govern-
ment. He may forfeit privilege he once
enjoyed Of assisting in the government
Of others. Certainly, if selfgovernment
be a natural right, taking it away from
one does not confer it upon another.
Being personal, it is inalienable, and
cannot be transmitted. Withholding,
therefore, from the people of Missouri,
or Tennessee, the right to govern them
selves, does not confer it upon others.
And so the matter in controversy be-
tween the Radicals and Conservatives is
rsdnced "a a single point