Brownlow's Knoxville Whig. [volume] (Knoxville, Tenn.) 1866-1869, 1866-02-28
THE KNOXVILLE WING.
Knoxville, Tenn, February %, 1856.
LETTER FROM HON. D. c. HUMPHREYS
OF ALABAMA.
Congress Gaining Strength every day
the People Will Sustain II.
THE TEST OATH WILL NOT BE REPEALED.


Let all who cherish the expectation o
whipping out Congress read the following
letter from Hon. ID. c. Humphreys a dis
tinguished Conservative of Alabama:
WASHINGTON, Jan. 81, 1866.
To the Editor Of the Huntsville Advocate:
There is no more probability OF the mem
bers from Alabama, of either House OF
Senate. getting a seat, either now or ever
than there is of their getting into the Brit
ish Parliament. And tell you that the feel.
ing is grocing stronger every day against the
repeal Of the set prescribing the Oath. And
as to the Alabama militia being armed, you
may tell the truth, whether they fall out
with me or not, that there is no such thing
going to be done, unless the negro Is counted
aid taken as part Of the militia. There is
no use to mince this thing. The whole, en-
tire legislation of the Alabama body now
assembled at Montgomery, every word
every sentence, every paragraph, every
syllable, every idea, embodied, contained
or incorporated in any Of their foolish COM
pilations-they are not to be dignified by
the appellation of laws-making a discrimi-
nation against the negro as to civil rights,
inlmundieS and privileges, arc declared to be
imperative null and void-are declared to
be dead, the putrid remains Of the corpse
of slavery, and to be buried out of sight
by the agents and officers Of the Federal
United States Government. And tell our
De5pIe, also, that If they are EriHg IN erpectd-
ton, or IRISH, or DESIRE or hope of eUer getting
rid-aS they lrould cypress it-of Yankee or
Federal influence, or Of eUer again hGrtng it
IN their polrer physically or politically, to dis
CTimjndte By State or county or corporation
rules against the negro they are expecting UhGt
hey ,rW nerer realise. And as to any war
Of the races that might be feared to take
placer the Cotton States, there are not
white people enough to make any war.
And the respect which the negro has always
shown to submit to law, will be sure guar
antee against any war on his part against
acts of Congress.
Not only are the views Of the free
soil, anti-slavery, constitutional amendment
friends to be sustained by the great body of
the people North but when that anti-aris-
tocEatic feeling and principle, which has
always existed in the South, save on the
negro question, shall exhibit itself and in
its liberality shall embrace all races, then
riqht in the cotton States, will these views be
sustained too. And clustering against It
iCon't lciH. Why, what has been accom-
plished towards this end in the brief space
of eight months? There is another thing
about this matter-the men who are the
loudest in the praise of the effort to uphold
and establish the Confederacy, are being
made the instruments of accomplishing the
behests of the Government at Washington.
Sec how gracefully they yielded to the order
TO adopt the constitutional amendment abol-
ishing slavery. 1t was always foolish to
have opposed it. And you will see how
gracefully the State officers will yield to the
acts of Congress, throwing the protection
of the power of the General Government
around and about the freedmen. 1t is no
idle speculation as to whether these bills
now before the Congress, will pass or not,
for so sure as there is a test oath-or that
the constitutional amendment was proposed
by Congress, so sure will these bills pass.
In fact, they are more certain to pass fhan
was the amendment sure Of ratification.
For Congress is constitutionally bound to
pass laws securing the freedom Of every
body. And in the legal sense, as they iu-
dicially know that there is a race in the
Cotton or insurgent States from which the
Legislature of those States are Withholding
proper protection, and have already assum-
ed to pass laws-pretending to follow out
the policy Of the Administration, when the
Administration itself was and is in favor of
freedom and equality of rights before the
Notwithstanding most odiously against
that race. Congress is bound to take charge
Of the question and see to it that all people
of all races and color have fair start in
the Journey of life.
The practical operation OF the acts of
Congress will be to establish tribunals and
forums, under Federal officers, to hear and
determine every matter in which a freeman,
free negro or mulatto or person ever held in
slavery, and refugees, shall OF may be con-
cerned. And any person who undertakes
to execute State law, making any dis
elimination between white man and ne
groes, shall be fined in thousand dollars
and imprisoned twelve months one or both.
And the Legislature may sit there for
SIX months, and tax the people, and eat out
their substance, in endeavoring to evade OF
TO avoid the force and operation Of these
laws, and all that they do in that direction
wal be as dead letter, and only giving
fresh evidence Of a rebellious spirit.
Yours, ID. G. HUMPHREYS.