Brownlow's Knoxville Whig. [volume] (Knoxville, Tenn.) 1866-1869, 1866-06-27

is certainly compliance Win the obligation IN the
Constitution to guarantee TO republican form OF
government.
Third. The nation had the right TO impose its par.
tcular government republican in FORM upon the
people, with or without their vote determining who
should, and who should not vote, forcing it upon
the rebelious portion thereof:
1t Is said the amendment and schedule were sub
mitted to only part of the people and was there.
fore partial and unfair
1t may well be questioned whether the national
authority was under any constitutional obligation
TO submit it to vote at all its business being To
place over US a republican form of government
choosing itself the means and the channel of trans
hitting it to 1t was submitted to a vote of the
loyal people. And why submit it to the disloyal
who were in arms and in the field fighting to destroy
the nation itself. But this, too was national act,
in. which strictly entitled to take no part
Again, it is said that the State government was
forced upon the people. Certainly, it was forced
upon the rebellious majority Of the State. So was
the authority of the United States forced upon them
and at the point of the bayone; and just so the
ton had right to force upon them a republican
form of government for nothing but force was rec
ognized by them.
Fourth. The present Legislature had delegated to
it the power to make franchise law part of the
constitution of the State, and it has done so.
The next cause of complaint, and that which is
now endangerng the peace of the State is that the
Legislature has passed and the Governor is trying
to enforce "An act to limit the elective franchise"
Serious and alarming as the question is, there are
Just two classes of persons who objected to it. viz
Rebels and those who want rebel votes. Loyal men
| are never heard to complain of it.
1t is said this law is unconstitutional. This is
impossible the law part of the constitution it.
| SELF
The Federal Government by its agent, Governor
| johnson through the convention and the ratiica-
ton of the people, conferred upon the first General
Assembly that should convene the power TO limit
the qualification of voters. The qualification of vo-
tiers is prescribed by the constitution. The conven-
ton proposed that the Legislature might amend the
constitution in this particular and the people rati-
| fed the proposition. Thus the power of mendment
was delegated to the Legislature, which became
while acting upon this subject, to all intents and
purposes, a constitutional convention. The power
of the convention to delegate this authority was le
gitimate and beyond question by being the chosen
| instrument of tie Federal Government, whose au-
| thority was supreme.
Fifth. The franchise law was proper and magnan-
imous as is clearly shown by the following passage
| of the address
Finally, it is said the law is harsh and wanting in
magnanimity. By law, the crime of the disfran-
chsed is treason, and the punishment death and con-
fscation of property. All this is waived and it is
said to be cruel to refuse them the privilege of yo-
| ting for few years Magnanimity requires that
they should go to the ballot-box and with bloody
| hands deposit their ballots and by force of numbers
seize the reins of the Government they have tried
to destroy-elevate their baffed leaders to power
renew their prosecutions of Union men, and at last
have the victory in the State. East Tennessee with
her thousand martyrs to remember, is again to come
under the rule of such men Harris, or Cheatham,
or Bate, or Plllow-a mere appendage to a rebel
State-a province to a rebel government! And vet
this will be the early result of the repeal or failure
of the % act to limit the elective franchise"
Sixth. 1t is the duty of the Federal Government
by its military arm, to aid the State officers in en-
forcing the franchise law
Having said this much by way of friendly e1pla-
nation, come to the principal object of this ad-
dress and that is that this important law is already
set at naught in many localities by the evasion of
those whose official duty it is to execute it. and to
announce that it will be enforced the day of cleo
tion as far the civil and military authorities can
enforce it. And all elections effected by illegal votes
will be annulled and if necessary, the officers elect
3D. will be arrested The civil and military author
tiles understand each other and will act in harmony
The commander of the military division of Tennes-
see will aid the civil authorities in all instances
where the powers of the latter inadequate. To
protect the ballot-box from fraudulent voting,
remove the county officers in onehalf of the State
when elected, judicial proceedings will be utterly
impracticabe, and the civil remedy wholly made
quate. The military will assist in this particular
With a sincere hope that the present cloud may
pass away, and that quiet and contentment may yet
come to our suffering people, remain, your servant
W. G. BRowNLow.
Knoxville July IL, 1865.
1t will readily be that this was a remarkable
State paper and in view of the present situation it
| is:one of great significance. The true Union men
of the State of Tennessee endorsed the address the
rebels and rebel sympathizers vehemently opposed
| it. 1t was introduced into the congressional can
vass.
Colonel Stokes found his competitor everywhere
denying that Brownlow spoke by the authority of
President johnson, and was making rapid inroads
into his ranks, when Andrew Johnson President of
| ture below quorum. Stokes demonstrated with
| the President, and pleaded with him not to nomi-
nate these boilers, it would be victory for the
rebels and their sympathizers The President NOM
mated them, notwithstanding Stokes had made more
speeches in defence of him and his policy than anv
man in the State. Stokes is with him to-day on his
policy as marked out by himself in his speeches and
procamations of 1S64-65, and he has truly stated
Johnsons reconstruction plan, and defended instead
of denouncing him in Tennessee, Connecticut West
| Virginia, Maryland and Massachusetts, In all his
speeches he has announced his intention to stand by
him so long as he continued faithfully to carry out
his policy of 1876; but Colonel Stokes has suf-
fered too much in the tent and the battlefield to
agree that Copperheads rebels and their sympathi-
zers shall hold the offices and rule the country
But Stokes district is not the only district in which
this bad spirit has been exhibited by Andrew John
son. There is his private secretarys district-the
renowned Judge Cooper, who, after voting for Nc
Clellan consistently prescribed Republicans-for
which Ramsey and Steele are nominated for assessor
and collector. The former is Copperhead, and vot-
ed for Mcclellan and Pendleton, in 1864, and the
latter one of the boilers from the Legislature
neither of whom served a day in the Union army
Yet in the secretarys own county of Bedford there
are old and young men who served during the war,
MANY of whom are disabled by wounds but we'll
qualified for civil positions. Their claims are ig-
nored, however, and rebel sympathizers are nomi-
mated TO fill the offices. Is this adhering to his pol
icy of preferring Union soldiers for official favors
or is it giving them to those who have rendered no
aid in the suppression of the rebellion or to those
who are bound to support my policy" of vetoes and
denunciations of the majority of Congress? No
wonder that Colonel Stokes, true patriot and SOL
der suspects the President of switching off the track
and going over to the enemy.
It is said there is little blot in Stokes record
and but one, and that is the Duncan letter, dated
May 10, 1861. Over and over again, every time
Stokes defended the Union cause and denounced the
rebels this letter has been republished Col Stokes
spoke for the Union up to to April %, 1861, when
the Tennessee Legislature was convened and from
that date to the middle of May, he Stokes, was as
the saying is ION the fence During this interval
he wrote the Duncan letter. 1t will be remembered
that the Union papers and leading men of Tennes-
see, with scarcely exception, then went over TO
secession. Col. Stokes on seeing the act passed on
the 7th of May for the State to secede Immediately
took the stump in opposition to secession and spoke
day and night up to the hour of election-the sth
of June, l861-and voted against the ordinance of
secession, meeting many able of the rebel school
on the stump, among whom were Judge Ridley,
Abraham Caruthers, Rev. j. B. McFerin and Col
Stanton. This work told, as the mountain boys
stood by him at the balct-box and afterwards on the