Daily union and American. [volume] (Nashville, Tenn.) 1865-1866, 1866-03-14
RADICAL STRATEGY.

proposition to disfranchise two-thirds or
four-ffths of the people of the State. They
dare not ask the people to endorse, as
they do, the exclusion of their legally
elected representatives in Congress. They
shrink from asking the people Of this State
to solicit the indefinite rule Of the Freed
mems Bureau, and the enlargement of its
powers, as provided for in the bill recently
vetoed by President JOHNSON. While Sc
cretly desiring and Iaboring to assist the
Radicals in Congress, under the lead of
STEVENS, SUMNER & Co., in preventing the
restoration of the government, they have
not the efirontery to demand that the people
shall do so. They tremble at the prospect
Of rupture with the President whom they
regard as " an obstacle to be removed" and
know too well the current of popular opin-
ion, to think of invoking it against the wise
and comprehensive policy of his admins
tration. They are conscious that the oil
garchial scheme Of government which they
have most at heart, and by which alone they
can retain Office and its emoluments, can
meet with no sympathy at the hands OF the
people. They are endeavoring to evade the
direct issue in the election ordered by the
Governor on the last Saturday of this month.
We notify and forewarn the friends Of
conservatism, that every artifce will be
used TO divert the minds of the people from
the real question, and that all diligence and
vigilance must be used to twart the artful
maneuvres as now in progress.
One Of the devices is to alarm the 'mer-
camille interest, and to awe them into indi-
rectly supporting the Radicals under the
fear that the Legislature may retain the two
per cent. tax and impose other disabilities,
or that provisional State Government, up
held by the military, will re-establish the
trade-permit system. This is intended for
the regions of Nashville and Memphis,
and for the purpose of injuring Messrs.
LEWIS, PosToN and WALKER, who are can
didates for reelection. Another is to per.
suade every man interested in private cor
porationmeasure that the disruption of the
Houseof Representatives has inflicted special
injury on him, and that there turn ofthe MEM
bers who refused to be a party TO the monstrous
iniquity of Acknowledgement, will finally de-
feat the bill. Another is to allege that the
action of the minority has prevented the
passage of relief laws in regard to the settle
ment of debts, and any possible modification
of the tax laws. Another is to raise clamor
in regard to the Penitentiary-the Lunatic
Asylum and other similar State institutions
and urge that the failure to pass appropria-
ton bills for their maintenance is all due to
the course pursued by the minority. Ano-
ther is to excite the railroad interest, and
make special plea that the suspension Of
the Legislature has entailed injury upon
il. Another is TO urge that capital and
immigration are deferred from coming to q
State in which civil discordof this character
prevails Another is to charge that the
course of the resigning members was mere
political movement, and that they would
recklessly pursued ii, even if it involved the
destruction of the commercial, internal i'm
provement, and financial interests ofthe Stats
in mass. The copestone Of this game of in
trigue is to endeavor to elect, instead ofthe mel
who fearlessly assumed the responsibility o
defeating the Acknowledgement bill, mer
who, before the people, will trim and tacl
and "palter in a double sense" upon tina
question, and endeavor 10 underrate its i'm
portance; but who, if by any hOc'ts pocus i
were possible to foist them into the House o
Representatives, would be found Votint
under the lead of FLETCHER, ARNELL 4 Co
We are careful thus to present the salien
side issues which are being cooked up by tn,
Radical managers that the people may hav'
an opportunity of detecting their sophistry
for certainly no Intelligent man, be he mer
chant or anything else, can be deludee b,
them. They are too transparent to deceive
any one who is not more than half willing 4
be misled, and, exclusive of the small Radi
cal faction, we are not aware that there ar
any Of this sort.
II is in truth the non-action OF the Stat
Legislature which has produced delay
and wrought injury to the interests for who's
welfare the Radicals seem now so sOlicitGuS
The majority have consumed the time O
the Legislature, and wasted the pub
| lie funds in the promotion of politica
schemes TO the neglect of vital matter
of individual and public concern. All o
these matters have been pending long enongl
to have been disposed of, but the maiorit,
have held them rs subordinate to thei
cherished obiec.s OF DISTINGUISHING the PEG
i pie and aggrandizing their own political ant
personal fortunes; and now thst the mis-
cl:ief they have done has produced its re
suits, they seek TO hold others responsible
and hoodwink the people into condemnin
the trne men who sought to prevent them.
We advise any voter who is approache
with one Of these insidious appeals to exam
inc the facts, and ascertain if the advocate
of the two per cent. merehaEts tax are no
in the main also the advocates 81 ale dis
franchising bill-if those most illiberal
internal improvements are not Of the sam
party-if those who have raised most fire.
queDt objections to bills for the incorpora
ton Of stock companies are not Of the sam
class-if those who have manifested tn
most sectional and parrow-minded views il
regard to State institutions are not those VIII
would condemn their fellow-aitizens to pc
litical serfdom. When thus inforIGsd, i
him ask himself if by vote which shA'
weaken the influence of such men as LEWIS
STEELE, soSTo~, WALKER and their nobl
associates, be can DO anything which can pos
sibly rebound to the good Of any interest; an
whether by so doing be would hot in this
far, arm with new power the yengetsi SR
proscriptive faction whose evil machinatior
have brought about the present disordere
state Of things.
We repeat, and we intend to continue
repeat till the day of the.election, that til
paramount object is to defeat the disfrar
chise bill. The enactment of such bil
would destroy republican liberty, and taste
upop The necks of this people the yoke {
most CALLING tyranny-the unrestraine'