The Nashville daily union. [volume] (Nashville, Tenn.) 1862-1866, 1866-01-17
From The Right Way.
Letter from Tennessee.
STATE SENATE, NASHVILLE, TENN.,
December l., 1865.

to call them by no hGrsher name
which have produced these impress
sions yet the confidence you have man
Tested in me, and the friendly interest
you nave exhibited towards my native
State amid It's sore troubles, induce me
to believe you will lend no inattentiYe ]
ear to what | now propose to say.
In pailiation of much that IS vet
wrong and irregular among us, it occurs
to ne that consideration enough is not
given to what was our recent condition
For four long and weary years we were
in the thrOes of i~nternecine strife. So
ciety was broken up from its deep foun-
dations. Nearly every restraint moral
and legal was removed, and passion,
prejudice, and lawlessness held almost
universal control No words can sufi-
GENTLY describe the state of society
which resulted. There was not only
no protection for the rights of person
or property, but these were all inYaded
Man must necessarily be something
more than he is, had not sosiety become
very greatly demoralized under such
circumstances. To so great an extent
was this the case, that crime in every
degree, and in the most appalling shape,
was the everyday rule; and its absence
was the exception. Ii Is impossible for
| people living in yoE highly cultivated
and well-ordered society to appreciate
the reality Of the state of things thus
briefly described You can do so, for
you have been among them.
This was the state Of society when q
few months ago the cloud of war rolled
away from our horizon, and the sun OF
peace looked down upon US once again.
Since then a wonderful improvement
has taken place; but no one who thinks
could expect, in 50 short a time, q com.
plete restoration Of law and regularity. |
Passions must nave time TO cool, and
preiudices 10 pass away. Much of these
must, in the very nature of things, still
exist; and for their existence l have no
apology TO make. But what / wish to
say now is that individual outbreaks
against law and the peace of society
are very much exaggerated both as to
number and atrocity. The instructive
love of law SO Characteristic Of the
American people has indicated itself
in the almost universal return OF our
people to the Honest and peaceful
walks of life. Social alterations are
fast becoming r~econciled. An increas-
ing disposition Is manifesting itself to
ignore the extinct causes OF the past
differences, and to re-unite in hope and
mutual confidence for the future. The
movement of society in this respect Is
silent, but none the less happy and full
of promise. While the contest lasted,
you know how decided my position
was, and how bitter the opposition
which it evoked from those who were
on the other side. The contest over,
and the questions involved in il all set
tied, the social and kindly relations Of
former years have returned.
As Just intimated, the issues which
caused our late differences are all set
tied; and, the settlement agreed to,
there remains 10 cause for longer diff
ference about them. If there be any
difference, it can only be as 10 the ex-
tent 10 which the settlement goes.
And this can apply only to slavery.
The slave that was, now being free-a
free man-about which there is no
longer any question, the only remain
ing one is o. to what is implied in that
freedom. Here, ! am sorry to say,
there is a difference among US; and
that difference is the cause OF most of
our remaining troubles.
Some Of US think that nominal free
dom is of but little value unless the
r freeman has guaranteed 10 him the
rights of a freeman. The right Of suf-
frage may not be necessarily and i'm
mediAtely implied, but equality before
the law IS The object of all good gov
eminent is TO afford 70 all ;s subjects
protection of person and property. Ii
is a failure in as far as 1t does not give
this protection. lie must not only have
, a right to make contracts, and be pro-
tscted by law in thus doing, but he
must have the right to so into court
: and prove them, and have them en-
forced. He must also have the right TO
T defend himself against all charges Of a
criminal nature. These rights and pro
lection in them must, in a good govern
! ment, be extended 10 all alike, without
! respect 10 race or color. Here, as
5 said, is our difficulty We have a large
r portion of our population to whom they
E have always been denied and We are
/. now divided on the question of doing
: justice to this part Of u population.
, And what is very singular, the lines
that divided us on the Issues of our late
contest are not the ones which divide
us now. IL Is not too much TO say that,
strange as it may appear, q majority OF
the intelligent men who were not ca
, the side ofrebellion, and fought there,
I are , ow the advocates of extending 10
4 the freed negro that indispensable pro
lection Of law which admits him to tes-
tify as a witness in court while the
. most embittered opponents ofthis great
national measure of equity and Justice
f are in the ranks Of those known as 10y
alisis. I am glad TO say, however, that
intelligent men of both classes are fast
D coming into the support of the meas.
ure and on this subject injustice is
. sometimes done to Governor Brownlow.
Whatever may have been his opinions
e formerly, il is now certain that this
e measure of Justice has no more earnest
advocate than he de distinctly recon
mended it in his regular message, and
has once since made il the subject Of q
special message, recommending it TO
4 the Legislature Besides. he has pub
r lished an able address to the people of
East Tennessee in its advocacy.
: The bill making 1t the Law, it is true,
passed the Senate by only a majority Of
I one; Tut its passage wss lone the less
decisive. IL is true also, that It has
o been postponed in the House till the
10th Of January next grant you that
E it is 10 be regretted that this postpone.
{ ment was necessary TO avoid the dan
ger Of its rejection The friends Of the
measure base hopes Of carrying it when
il comes up for consideration Having
perhaps weAried you, ] only have TO say
IN conclusion, that, Notwithstanding
! the State sfisirs are neither IN their
present aspects, por IN their promises
FOR the future, all that could be de-
= sired, still the temper and spirit Of our
e people have much improved in the di-
e rection of national peace and unity.
p Agrv fwu1v Vnrr frianA