Nashville union and dispatch. [volume] (Nashville, Tenn.) 1866-1868, 1867-05-26

lA1t ilIt NblAts il NAiAtlt 4 Ailini my lNNNl
have the least share. Now, under what
circumstances did this Legislature meet?
You all remember that the so-called Con-
vention which assembled in this city in
January, 1865, was made up to a great ex-
tent Of hanger5-on in tie Federal camp,
and they resolved themselves into a SOW
ereign convention and proposed an
amendment TO the constitution of the
State, which was adopted. 1t has been
done-it fs now irreyocable. But let
that pass. At the same time they pro-
ceeded TO select ticket Of more than one
hundred names to represent you. Now it
is a well known fact that many of these men
never received a vote in the counties they
claim to represent. All over West Ten
nessee / believe that hardly in single
instance did any man receive a single vote
in the county from which he hailed, and in
some instances they were not residents of
the county they claimed to represent But
waive all this. / mention il merely TO
show under what circumstances these men
met, and | want to show you the steps
they took in arriving at that point
OF political infamy when they resolved 10
wrest from you all your liberties Now
that committee selected the names of vari-
ous persons who lived in different parts Of
the State as candidates for the Legislature,
in the teeth Of precedent and your consti-
tuition as it stood before the war. But this
Legislature elected Conservative Speaker.
What changed the tone of that body?
They met before the close Of the war-ahd
INST here ] beg lease to realark. for fear /
should omit it, that there weFe soTae
-, 1,.s I
through all the changes of fortune, have
proved the intrepid friends of the
constitution and the right. But in few
weeks after they met an event happened
which seemed, on the instant, TO have
changed the tone and temper of that body.
That event was the surrender of Gen. Lees
army, and it was hailed everywhere, by
every good man, by every good soldier, by
every Christian throughout the world, as
the dawn of that day of peace and prosper
ity for which they had long and fervently
prayed. Why? Grant, as you know, had
borne down upon the Rebel front with hosts
as countless As the sands of the desert
while Sherman had swept like
a tornado from the mountains TO the sea.
What were the terms Of that surrender?
They were more honorable to Gen Grant
and Gen. Sherman than all the battles
they had ever waged Noices-"Thats
sOw Hardly had the last Rebel sa-
luted his torn and tattered flag, be
fore the wiinkled front of grim-vis-
aged war was smoothed, and those who
had met in the fierce strife of battle were
now commingled "a brothers and kindred
who had only been estranged. And what
did Grant and Sherman require? They
were "the observed of all observers :"
they completely filled the eye of the
nation. What did these great captains re-
quire of their conquered. kindred? Only
this: Obey the laws nothing more. But
what doyou, Stokes and Brownlow, require?
You demand that these men shall be your
spaniels and your slaves. But, sirs, what was
the response Of Lee and Johnston, for those
who for four years had followed the desperat
fortunes of their bloody tlag2 They said,
for themselves and for every soldier under
their command, it shall be done; and it
has been done as laws and orders were
never yet obeyed by the conquered
votaries Of a great rebellion. All
mankind approved this except the parasites
Of blood; the thieves and the traiiCker7 in
human flesh and gore. Applause.I Well,
-ira, this Legislature was IN session. Who
were most of them? Political Adventures
and pretenders, men who had been spewed
to the fore front by the earthquake throes
of rebellion. They saw that their yoGa
ton would soon be gone; it was the first
time that these men had ever tasted the
intoxicating drlught of power and they
reeled under it, "a BrOwnlOw will
when he hears Of this large
assemblage of people at the very
footstool Of his power. Loud ap-
pause. But, sire, they did not intend to
let go their held on the public offices of
the country, the Bank of Tennessee, the
railroads, the common school fund, the
legislative offices, seats in Congress and
seats on the judicial bench, where they
used to have judicial ermine, but where
now, in some instances, they have got ju-
| dicial vermine Laughter All these
were great considerations Besides, some
| of them recollected certain raids on private
property in East Tennessee, aud doubtless
| Governor Brownlow remembered that he
| had slipped into the Governors
chair early in the morning by some way
that no other Governor had travelled. His
merciful nature is suggestive of par
dons, and since the fall of Lucifer and
| loss of the school fund God only
knows who will need a pardon.
| Laughter Now | proceed to tell you
what they have been doing. The very first
thing they did, or among the first khings,
was to dismiss all the Rebel Office holders
who were in office before the war and had
| ioined the rebellion, and then all who had
| been elected under the Rebel State gov
ernment They confirmed all who had been
elected under Gov Johnson's proclamation
in 1864 They then required Gov Brownlow
to iill the judgeships of the State, and to
issue writs of election to till the offices
| within the gift Of the people. Now, before
! the war, when Judge died the Governor
| was notified of the fact and a successor ap-
| pointed until an election by the people.
J Brownlow filed these Offices himself What
/ Judges have you elected by the people
! Where are the liberties Of the people oI
! Tennessee to-day? Why, but the other
/ day your Supreme Court, gave a de-
| ci5ion that startled the profession
which was contrary to law anc
almost without reason. In few
dav, | believe, the Judges all resigned, anC
soon after were re-commissioned by his FIX
celleucy, at salary Of s., 500 per year
Every man in the State knows that publi,
lib erty is no where secure ifthe EXecutiv,
has perfect control over the Judges. lt i
not so in England There the Judiciary il
independent Of the Crown.
What else occurred When they me
they passed a franchise law, which was
little more liberal than they expected T.
make it. Under that law perhaps hal
the white people in the State coul,
have voted. An election came on 70
Congress. Well, sirs, there wa
not a Radical candidate. Not one had tn
unblu-hiug ehronterv 10 present himself
But pending that election, YOU know, tn
military were invoked, aud it turns on
that every man in whose behalf they wer
invoked haas proved TO be q Radical
But the result showed that the state va
[ eminently Conservative. They met, an
what was the result They called upo
| GOV Brownlow To instruct them about th
figures in regard TO this election, and the
they saw their own death warrant writ
ten upon the wall. In the following spTin
Rrownlow sappointees were swept from eN
istenCe. Conservative sherifis, clerks Iu'
tees were elected. The Legislature agai
met and di=franchised nearly all the peopl
of the State, for il is well known that fr0T
the beginning TO the end, their cruelty ha
kept pace with their fears, and their zeal
have been augmented 10y their own ba
conduct. They passed another franchis
law. eufranchi-lng about one-tenth OF a
peopIe el the Stale. lod beat them agail
Under no sort Of system OF terror COnl
/ vou keep the people from electIng Jndg