Public ledger. [volume] (Memphis, Tenn.) 1865-1893, 1867-02-01
MORE BLOOD.

A member of the Legislature of this
State. in a debate on the militia bill,
said that blood should flow till sub
mission be secured" IL we were dis
posed to debate with the monster who
made this declaration, we might ask ::
What do you mean by submission You
have disfranchised threefourths Of the
people of the State Have they not sub
mitted to that? You have taxed them
without their consent. Have they not
submitted to that ? You have driven
them from the jury box. Have they not
submitted to that2 You have placed
over them hungry horde who eat out
their substance and domineer over their
immemorial rights. Have they not sub
mitted to that2 You have treated them
as subjects, whom every loyal man might
Cypress. Have they not submitted to
that? You have by your policy out
lawed them from rights which are ac-
corded by Austria to Hungary, by Rus
STA to Poland, and by England to Ire
land. Have theySnot submitted TO that 7
In what then, have they not submitted to
your authority? Does it consist in not
supporting Brownlow and the balance?
In not joining him in denouncing the
President? In not accepting the brutal
Stevens as the object of all human idol
airy? In not bowling the chorus of
John Browns soul" etc. No doubt
of Backed by Congress, you imagine
that you can stihe not only the voice,
but the sentiment of the people-that you
can crush every free aspiration that they
may indulge. You resent their intelli-
gence, and tremble when you think OF
the possibility of their accession to civil
rights. You intend to reverse the order
of society by placing the Ignorant negro
at the top, but you fear for the success
of the experiment To secure it, you
propose to raise an army Of eight thous-
and men. You propose to tax the peo-
pie whom you distrust, outrage and
plumber, to support them-support them
in the work of their own subjugation.
You propose to levy npon them an annual
tax of one million dollars for that pur-
pose. And you tell them that blood
must flow unless further submission be
obtained.
Was there ever anything so monstrous
The Courts are to be put down, are they
not, if they decide against the legality OF
Brownlow's measures? VIII not these
negro troops march into the temples of
Justice and thrust the judges from the
bench, with bayonets? Win they not
surround the polls and force the election
at the point of the sword2 We tell the
people that the government at Nashville
is preparing for blood 1t is boldly an
nounced that it is to be shed If they
shall not submit still further to OPP
preston. If they shall not comply with
exactions the most degrading, they are
to be hunted down, and,it may be, bayo-
neted in their tracks by squads of negro
militia. We warn the Legislature that
it may proceed too far. We announce
to it our belief that the people will not
pay million per annum extra to secure
their own subjugation and murder: They
will not submit TO be domineered over
by an army of negroes. They have, for
the sake of peace, borne many grieyous
wrongs, but there must be a period to
oppression, and that viii come when hu-
man endurance can proceed no further.
On the brink of;the impending crisis, we
ask the Legislature to pause.