Brownlow's Knoxville Whig. [volume] (Knoxville, Tenn.) 1866-1869, 1867-07-10
THE KNOXVILLE WING
Knoxville, Tenn, July 10, 1867.
The Tennessee Election.
By BRowNLow & HAws

No good citizen should forget the vital
importance Of the pending election in Ten
nsssee, nor suffer himself 10 be diverted
from its significance by any distaste for
Governor BRowNLow's rhetoric, or by Cop
perhead and rebel SANDERS about the loyal
State militia. The question in Tennessee is
simply whether the State shall remain
under the control Of those of its people
who are unswervingly loyal to the Union
and the Government, or fall into the hands
Of those who are as hostile to the Union as
they ever were. In the remoter country
districts Of the State the rebel terrorism is
as great as it was during the war. If a
Union man informs q freedman Of his
rights he is in contast peril Of his life. Men
Of the late slaveholding class openly
threaten TO shoot any colored man who
votes the Radical ticket; and we understand
shat EMERSON ETHERID0E, the rebel and
Copperhead candidate for Governor, does
not hesitate to declare that slavery is not
abolished, and that any man deserves to be
shot who says that il is.
The Union men arc literally working in
this political campaign for home and prop
erty. Their opponents are called rebels be-
cause their spirit and conduct are precisely
what they were during the rebellion. They
apparently dominate public opinion as they
did then. To be suspected Of sympathy
with Yankees is to be avoided and insulted.
II man would trade he must hang a pic
ture Of LEE in mis- oountingroom The feel
ing is intense and bitter; and if the rebels
carry the State in the election of the 1st Of
August il viii be too hot for loyal men, and
there viii be vast emigration of them to
States where they car i've in peace. Ten
nessee will then be as democratic" as
Kentucky; and any intelligent man who
Knows what civil liberty is, may imagine
what its security would be in Union COM
posed Of such States. We can conceive Of
no misfortune so signal for this country
and for mankind ms that the Union should
fall into the power Of the Conservatism y
which has lately carried Kentucky by
twenty-six thousand majority, and which
now disputes Tennessee with its loyal citi-
Eens.
To avert this calamity the utmost dill
gence and the most prompt and generous
assistance are essential Money, speakers
documents, and the expression Of sympathy
are the need of Tennessee. The Union
men there are still the men at the front. 1t
Is not merely a political contest as with u.s.
it involves almost as much as an actual bat
tie. IF the loyal men win, the State re-
mains under the control of the party which
Is in sympathy with the conviction and the
purpose Of the country. If the loyal men
are defeated, it is a victory of the lingering
spirit Of rebellion, and blow under which
the State must stagger, and from which it
can but very, very slowly recover. Instead
Of throwing off It's cid prejudices and let
ting the dead past bury its dead, it will it
self be buried under the ruins of its own
folly. Instead Of adapting its resources OF
every kind to the new and quiekening for,
ces Of free labor it viii cherish hopeless
hostility of race and sullenly strive against
the plain tendency of civilization. There
Is no conceivable advantage to the State, &c
the country, to liberty, and to good gov.
eminent to be gained by the success of the
Conservatives in Tennessee; while upon
that of the Union men depend the prosper.
ity and progress of the State and its har.
mszious relation with the Union.-Hdrper'
Weekly.