Tri-weekly union and American. [volume] (Nashville, Tenn.) 1866-186?, 1866-10-27

club, and felt in honor bound to protest pub
licly against its action. Governor WIN. B.
CAMPBELL, with other gentlemen, and my
self rendered a written paper TO the associa-
ton, protesting earnestly against the pro-
scriptiYe views Of that body. It may be
proper for me TO say that prepared that
paper, which was published, and ELECTED the
hearty appreciation Of the people-and also
that had the honor TO conduct the contro-.
yersy which followed
In the following July, a convention which
assembled in this city, followed in the same
| direction in favor of prescription of rebels,
| and in favor Of continuing arbitrary military
rule. Your lately elected Representative,
Judge JOHN g. BRIEN ably opposed those
measures in that Convention; and my own
| opposition, however much it fell short Of his
ability and eloquence, was not less bold,
earnest or liberal.
From this time forward the Radicals
adopted the policy Of barricading the way to
the ballot-box by oaths, which, though they
/ could legally amount to no more than an
oath of allegiance, were intended to be, in
( their language, repulsive to the feelings of
! Southern people. / differed with some of
my political associates in regard to these
oaths in this-that / advised all who had
taken, or were willing to take, the common
oath Of allegiance, to take the singular oath
| required, and vote Much was written by
myself and others in the newspapers, upon
| the subject, amounting 10 something like
controversy. Ny own views as expressed
/ at the time, may be inferred from the fol-
lowing short paragraph, at the conclusion of
a long article dated the 9th of February,
1864:
Citizens Of Tennessee. if these multifarious and
verbose oaths concocted for the purpose of de-
/ terrng the real people Of Tennessee from voting
at the elections, sou see your danger, and should
perceive the remedy. lake the oaths and VOTE
| Vote for reatloyal mentor Constitution-loving
| law hiding men. Take no counsel with your
fears. but speak with prudence, act with courage,
! and deal honestly by your country. 4 crisis is
! upon us. Be wide-- awake. They who SUM
l Der will awake in chains. Let no man live tor
/ himself alone, but for his country and for pos
| terity."
may remark that l was not myself
candidate for any office-and by "redl loyal
men" was meant those opposed to radicalism,
| as well as at least abjuring secession.
In the Presidential election which ensued
in the fall of 1864, l supported Gen. Nc
CLELLAN for President, and prepared and
presented to President LINCOLN, in person,
that protest of the Tennessee Electors, which
has now become a matter of history. Our
ClNlLCilS may DC IGulUuHu Ol the Split OF
that protest by the following short extract:
For these reasons and others. which for the
sake of brevity. we omit, we solemnly protest
against the interference of the Military Governor
with the freedom OF the elective franchise IN Ten
nessee. We deny has authority and yours 70 alter,
amend dnluL any ldIC Of Tennessee, We de-
mand that Tennessee be allowed to appoint her
Electors as expressly provided by the Federal
Constitution which you have sworn to support
protect and defend-in the manner in which the
Legislature thereof(hefore the war has prescribed
49,. arvH1. l.
as the principal under whose authority this order
has been issued that tbe same shall be revoked.
Many of our citizens 6ve complied in good faith
with the terms Of amnesty proposed in your proc
lamation aforesaid; and are therefore by reason
Of the full pardon granted them, fully entitled to
vote and exercise all other rights belonging to
loyal citizens. without let hindrance; and we
respectfully appeal to you as President of the
United States. to make good your promise of par
don to these citizens by the removal Of all other
and further hindrance to their exercise Of the
elective franchise"
Fellow-citizens, pardon me if l have
spoken so much of myself. Such has not |
been my habit. But candidate for office |
is properly on trial before the people andmay
plead his own cause. The young men who |
went South, fought for what they believed !
to be the rights of their people. But would |
have them as we'll as. others to know, that |
many Of us who remained on the other side |
the llneJ were neither 100 lnuOlcnI, nor /
timid, to struggle const lntly, in the way |
which Ue deemed best, for the preservation |
of the inheritance of freedom our fathers |
left us.
MERCHANTS TAX.
l have made this paper SO long that 1 |
have not room to elaborate this subject. My |
commercial friends understand my position. |
For fifteen years 1 have been opposing the |
unequal taxation which has now at last |
grown to such monstrous thing as to nearly |
ruin the material interests of our city. / |
have done what l could to bring about re-
duction of the burden by the present Legis-
lature, and shall still continue in any event /
10 do SO.
THE DAY OF ELECTION.
Remember, the day of election is Thurs
day, November 1st. Remind your neighbOrs
of it. l find many who do notknow the day
some who do act know who arethe candi-
dates, or that l have opposition-and few
who have not heard anything at all on the
snhiect. See that the polls are pnened in
every precinct and ward, that the Judges are
sUOrn under the provisions Of the Franchise ldtO
IN every caSe-and that the election be con-