Brownlow's Knoxville Whig. [volume] (Knoxville, Tenn.) 1866-1869, 1867-08-21

i
the noble Lincoln despot" and "tyrant," appl
these epithets to Brownlow now How strange tia
soma Of those who defended Lincoln against thi
monstrous SANDER, should repeat it now when urge
againt him who has done for Tennessee what Lin
coin did for the nation-saved it from rebel an
Democratic misrule. During the entire admins
tration OF Gov. Brownlow not one rebel or con
servatiye has been unlawfully oppressed. Not on
has been deprived of liberty OF property. Not on
has lost civil right guaranteed to any citizen O
the United States. And Bownlow's adespotism,
If closely sifted, resolves itself into a prudent AM
Judlclous use of the pardOning power, in order Z
shield from unjust punishment some member Of th
national army, or some loyal citizen, who had beef
made the object of disloyal persecution and hate.
THE AUTHORS OF DISORDER.
There we're some disorders throughout the Stat
at different timeB during the last two years, and es
pecIally for a couple Of months preceding the cleo
ton. have carefully examined all OF these, and
with single exception, find that they were com
menced without provocation by Democratic malice
and that the Brownlow despotism has absolutel.
never ye. punished single rufian engaged in them
Ehe exception refer TO was the affair of Jaeksboro
Campbell county, where the Union refused T.
allow Mr.. Etheridge TO speak. This act nc one jus
titles and had any of the State Guards been pres
cnt, they would as they did OF previous occasion
have interferre6 10 protect Mr.. Etheridge, and
bic him 10 speak. But while one iustifes th
action, the following may be urged in excuse of th'
Campbell county people;
FEARFUL HISTORY.
With about 300 voters, this little mountain
county sent nearly 200 soldiers into the Union ar
my. While these were absent, fighting and suffer
ing under their countrys 1ag the rebel Gen. Hind
man sent detachment from Knoxville, under com.
mand of Vaughn, 10 lay waste the country. Find
ing only women, children and men over seventy il
IA
their work The country was ravaged from end tG
end Tive hundred houses were burned, and the
helpless women and children driven into the woods
to starve. At one house the rebels found the head
Of the family, an old and feeble man. Him they
shot on his own threshold, then closed the doors
upon the other members Of the family set the house
on fire. and listened 70 the horrid shreks of their
victims as they were roasting in the flames The
Union soldiers returned to their desoate homes and
to such of their families as rebel bullets fire and
starvation had spared, and standing round tho
ashes of their dwellings, and the unburied bones oil
their loved ones, they swore that no rebel speech
should ever henceforth be made in their county
And presume that except at the point of the bay
onet, there never will 1t was in pursuance of this
view that Mr. Etheridge was not permitted TO speak
at Jacksboro.
UNION MEETINGS AND DEMOCRATIC MoBs
Against this one case of Union violence, there
could be cited hundred of Democratic oatrage 81
~5.,-ass z ~-~t hut naay cite aS
an illustration Of the manner IN which the Brown
low Hdespotism" crushed out conservative lib
critics. that at the Capital of the State ITSELF under
the very eye Of the State Government, the Union
people did not dare, during the entire campaign, tc
hold their meetings in the open air for fear of ICON
servatiYe" violence, and the only two which they
did attempt 50 to hold were broken UP by Demo-
cratic mobsl Not one man engaged in these out
RACES was either arrested or punished. The truth
is, the Union people Of Tennessee, with the whole
machinery of the State Government in their hands
stepped almost to the verge of humiliation in Their
efforts not 10 excite resist the lawless and muir
derons propensities of their rebel enemies. o, ye
Union men Of the North, imposed upon by Demo
cratic faisehood and abuse you Will yet blush ful
shame that you ever permitted yourselves in con.
cert with the enemies of the country to whine abou;
" Brownlows depotism," and help to make more
bitter the cup which the rebel Democracy were con
hnuslly holding to the lips of your struggling
brethren in Tennessee!
THE LOYAL MILITIA
A series of falsehoods was circulated concerning
the doings of the loyal militia, which some few
Union people North were induced to believe /
was said that they composed great standing army
eight thousand strong, to Cypress and overawe th,
people; and that they had committed number o
wanton outrsges throughout the State. To the frs
part of the assertion, I have to reply that Their,
70 the second part, that every rebel paper has ad
mitted the good conduct of the troops, in its owl
particular section, while repeating the falsehood
concerning their doiDgs elsewhere and that ever
case Of alleged outrage by them, was investigates
by Gen. George III. Thomas, than whom no juste
man lives and either shown never TO have occurred
at all OF was by him commended and justified.
more triumphant refutaton of Democratic falsehoot
was, perhaps, never obtained.
prsFRA Nc14rsEMENyT
1t was alleged, and although again and again re-
futed believed by few UniOnists North, up 10 th
day Of election that from four-ffths TO nineteenth
of the white people Of Tennessee were disfranchse
by the State laws. The result of the registration
and election shows that fully onehalf of Che white
we're admitted 10 the ballot box, and that the dis
franchised classes really constitute but little NOR
than a fourth part of the whole voting population
of the State. The truth is nobody is disfranchise'
in Tennessee except such as ought TO be in sver,
StAte-I mean those who persevered IN their devil
sh warfare against their country until the last re
bellious hope was exhausted and their arms yer
literally wrested from their hands.
POSITION OF TIE ORIGINAL UNION MEN.
Again, il was sought to prejudice the Union PEG
pie North against the loyalists of Tennessee by tn
miserable fsehood that great portion of the orig
inal Union men of that State, disguised with th
administration Of Gov. Brownlow, had gone into
the Conservative ranks. In this there wRa neve
even pretense Of truth. From the very beginning
the State administration has been susta ned hy IN
entire body Of Tennesseeans who enlisted IN tn
Union army by the entire body Of those who orig
inally opposed the secession Of the State by tn
entire body Of those from Northern States VIII
were members OF the United States army, snd hav
since settled in Tennessee and By the entire bod,
Of those citizens who have emigrAted thither from
the North since the war closed A few dsrnagogue
Of whom Steele and Taylor are types, Joined tn
enemy, bribed by the mess of pottage held out 4
them by Andy johnson. a few copperheads. VIII
wore the uniform Of the Union army during th
war; have consented 70 sell their souls if they eve
had any, % che Etheridgeies in hopes OF obtainin
Office These Northern sneaks as Gov Brown
low appropriately STYLES them, have surpassed II
rebels themselves in their denuneiations Of The loya
State administration; but it is most gratifying
fact that in every case where they succeeded in ob
tanning nominations for Office, they were not onl'
Overwhelmingly bestsn at the election, but uni
Sorraly THn behind their own tickets, so much Wa
their rnesuness and treschery despised even by Ia
rebels Themselves. Ninety-eight out Of every hun
dred Union soldiers in Tennessee, whether of thos
who belonged originally 10 The State or not voted
on Thursday last for Brownlow. Every county
which voted against secession IN 1851 gives I'M
mense TAjorities Of the white vote fer Brownlow
lever has party held more closely to its integrity
vb ene MON party Of Tennessee and the meE
49,. t' ~. TOT the Union candidates on Thursday
g, . lss are the same men who battled agains
gallant soldiers into the Union VIZ pss II
through the war adored their oountrvs a. ss ~
sole emblem Of political salvation WI ~ = :.
with JOY unspeakable at every triumph Of t
arms who cast their votes 50 far as thew eonia Al
so. for Abraham Lincoln, in co who have ros5
their creed identical in al respects with that Of M
great Union party North and who, as certain 4
the year rolls round viii give the electoral vote
Tennessee FOR Union President in 1865.
SUCCESSIVE OBSERVATION-DISCLOSURES.
Another charge agsias, the Union party is tia
they hare redHced thesy cPpon ents 20 minority B
a series d successive acknowledgements Now thur
were bit twr flspflsa lars adopted those Of lse