The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1867-08-01

The Election In Tennessee.
The Tennessee election for State officers and
congressman takes place to-day. There is
great partisan activity and an undue move
ment of military and other armed force, In
GLIDING the United States troops, the Governors
radical militia army and the municipal police
of the several cities. Perhaps there is no more.
of this than is inevitable in the circumstances,
and in view of the fact that the State has yet
hardly reached the equanimity of peaceable
community. We give in another column the
names of candidates, the party platform and
other necessary information.
Tennessee has matured rapidly that political
fruit which the republican party, If 1t follow it's
present tendency, may eventually gather over
the whole country. For this reason the cleo
ton in Tennessee has an interest beyond the
limits of that State. 1t is well worthy the care
ful study of the whole American people; since in
observing the position of parties as marshalled
for that local struggle men may see in little
the operation Of the same causes, and may
trace the same series Of events that will pro-
badly produce the next great revolution in the
state of parties throughout the nation. There
they may see how the great party that is now
dominant, that gained the confidence of the
people in carrying the country through the
war, is abusing its strength and squandering
its resour ces, and, scorning to consider the
examples that all the history of party might
furnish, is forcing into union and vitality tue
elements destined to destroy its power.
Nothing is SO dangerous to party as forcing
to their ultimate logical limit points Of prin-
ciple on which men differ-the more
especially when this is done in an offensive
tyrannical, arrogant spirit Attempting to
drive men to the immediate acceptance of
doemas they are inclined to question, and hold
ing up the threat that unless they bolt SO much
ready made political doctrine they shall be
treated as enemies, is the greatest of blunders.
It at once puts every doubtful man on the other
side-it sends many over who are moved by a
human spirit of contradiction, and adds to
their number all those Independent spirits who
have freeman's hatred to dictation. This
operation Of party extravaganza was seen
clearly in the year before the war. Southern
orators and writers forced the mass OF our
people into position against the South by
people and the abolition faction. They de-
clared all republicans abolitionists, and by
their own course and declarations made them
such.
In Tennessee at present republication and
Brownlowism are held in the party as synony-
nous terms. They who will not believe in
Brownlow-who object to his outrageous char
acter-are abused as rebels or copperheads,
and classified as the enemies of the govern
ment Thus large proportion Of the decent
men Of the Stats-Union men at tha.-are
forced, out of regard to principle, and to give
effect to their opposition, to act with the So
called conservatives. Thy are forced to seem
hostile to the govasnment or to assent to Brown
lows supremacy and let his acts 60 without
protest Brownlow is 6nly The type of the
extreme party man, the extravagant, intolerant
radical. The course pursued by him and
his adherents is the same that republican
leaders are following elsewhere. They are
laying down as test fidelity to few narrow
ideas that they call party principles II
man does not come within their little limit he is
is not republican !" no mat
ter what his services to the country may have
been, the dominant party must leave him
alone. This is the spirit which opposes Grants |
nomination to the Presidency because he is not |
enough a party man. And this spirit must |
inevitably ruin the party it governs.
IF the radicals in Tennessee are successful |
under Brownlow's lead, this party arrogance
will grow worse II they are beaten, republi-
cans elsewhere will see the necessity of modi-
flying this tendency, and thus their defeat
would not be an unmixed evil.