The home journal. (Winchester, Tenn.) 1858-188?, 1867-05-23

seek more 10 enlarge ana perPeluatc
their power, than they do to advance
the publ, welfare. Bitterness, malice,
noisy professions of loyalty, coupled
with spirit Of relentless oppression
and vindictiveness, are wantonly pro
truded before the public as the highest
perfection ofpatriotisn and statesman
ship,
BROWNLOw.
Brownlow, the wayward, the ilnpul-
sivc, the vacilating, TIE ntJleran', the
vindictive, the reckless adyocate in turn
of every extreme, cnfctbled by disease,
overhowing with excitement, and total
ly indifferent to the demands of justice,
and the constitutional restrictions
thrown around the EXecutive--of all
men the least fitted for the delicate and
responsible trust contidcd to his hands,
ls unfortunately Y commissioned as Gov
ernor to put this new government into
operation. The convention that inita.
ted the movements for reorganization,
and presented Gov. Brownlow as can
didate for Governor, took also the nee
cssary steps to insure his election
They prescribed most rigid test for
voters, carefully excluding from the
polls every trace Of disloyalty. None
but friends Of the Federal government
were allowed to vote; and at the cleo
ton thus holden under these restric-
tions, and in q state where the aggre-
gate vote for many years preceding av-
eraged over 10000, there were only
23,257 votes pollcd, of which 1929
were cast for Cow Brownlow. and 35
for five other gentlemen. Here, it. will
be seen, was an ample beginning for a
stable government. In the keeping and
fostering care of IN honest statesman
equal to the occasion, and animated by
a love of peace, and spirit ofconcilia-
ton, and controlled by desire to allay
the fierce passions evoked by the war,
it would soon have drawn around it the
support and affections of every class OF
our citizens. Almost every one had
been impoverished by the war, and the
insurgent portion Inundated by defeat
Further resistance to the authority of
the national government had been en-
tirely abandoned. No one entertained
the slightest idea of renewing tnc con
ilict. All the Rebels hoped For or cX-
pGcted was the protection oflaw. In u
word, government administered with
ordinary fairness, justice aud hmnani-
ty, would have commanded almost uni
versal support and secured irresistible
popular strength, and impcrishabc
fame to its authors and dpublic servants
| But this higher order Of craftsmanship
never found favor with Governor
BrownloW, from his inauguration to
the present time. Indeed, he is inca
pab!e OF understanding it. lie is bit
ter, malignant, and unforgiving him
self, and naturally supposcs every body
else to be controlled by similar pas
sions. Having never forgiven any one,
he did not expect to be forgiven. Events
the surgcs Of civil war--had thrown
him higher than he ever dreamed Of in
the palmy days Of peace. His clcya,
ton excited IN ayaricG and an ambition
which he had never felt before and be-
ing anxious to pcrpetuate his power,
and feeling conscious Of Il want Of mer-
it, he knew not how to do it otherwise
than by usurpation, prescription, and
violence. Hence the rccklcssness, OPP
preston, and vacillation that has
marked every step Of his adninistra-
ton.
THE FRANCHISE LAWS AND THEIR Oh.
The first measure deemed necessary
by him and his party friends, was the
adoption Of the law limiting the right of
franchise to the loyal white population
of the State. Under this act-which
in virtue of the power conferred by the
schedule to the amended constitution
Of the 22d of February, 1868, became u
part Of the cons titution Of the State
none could vote except loyal men. by
this act, the whole political power of
the State was vested in the loyal por-
ton Of the population. But it soon
became apparent that Brownlow could
not go safely before the loyal people
with any hope Of g. reelection. His
incompetcncy and reckless abuse of
power, had turned the tide of honest
loyalty against him. In all of his ap-
pointments (and here it may be remar-
ked, en- possant he claimed the right to
exercise almost unlimited powcr), he
sought alone for subserviency to his
own interest
If competent men received favor at
his hands, AS was the case in some in.
stances, the appointment was made by
mistake.
PArISE AND MURDER.
Instead of enforcing the execution OF
the law, he opcnl Y encouraged its vio-
lation; publicly advised, from the stump
and through his Knoxville Wig, the
robbing aud numbering of those who
, had taken sides or sympathized with
the South; and to insure the execution
of his liendish advice, he promised, both
before and after his election, that If any
of his followers should be convicted by
the courts OF the country for violence
inflicted on those who had been identi.
fed with the rebellion, and sentenced
to the Penitertiary, he, Governor oI
Tennessee, would meet them at the dc
potin Nashville with pardons and this
permit me to say, is one of the few
pledges which he has redeemed An,
in the then existing state. of society; a
a time when We were Just emergin,
from civil war, which had broken dow
all respect for law, and sown broadca.
the seeds of decentralization when pa,
sion and local hatreds and appetites fo
plunder, whetted. by indulgence an
encouraged by previous immunity frol