Brownlow's Knoxville Whig. [volume] (Knoxville, Tenn.) 1866-1869, 1867-10-02
From the
The Crisis,


validity OF the public debt Of the United States.
Second. To prohibit the United States, or any
State, from assuming any debt or obligation incur
red IN aid OF insurrectoR rebellion against the
United States, or any claim for the loss or emsnci-
patton OF any slave bat all such debts obligations
/ and claims shall be held Illegal and Uoid
That is, that all debts incurred in suppressng re-
belion shall be faithfully paid whilst all debts in
CURED in aiding the rebellion shall never be assum
cd or paid, including all claims for the abolition of
! slavery.
| 1t would seem 70 any reasonable and loyal man.
hat these wise and salutsry provisions should meet
with universal appreciation by all the people of the
loyal State, who spent their blood and treasure in
suppressing this gigantic but causeless and wicked
| rebellion-yet strange TO say we find in Congress
IN the Senate and the House, every Democrat voted
against it, and all the Republicans voted for it, and
it was carried in the Senate by Jhrtythree 10 eleven
and in the House by one hundred and thirty-eight
to thirty-si1.
The President was opposed bitterly opposed-to
the whole of this fourteenth article as appears by
his querulOus message of the 22d of June, 1866
the subject Of an amendment TO the Constitution
| being entrusted to the two Houses of Congress
and the President having neither act nor part nor
| lot in it.
| President johnson was opposed to the amend
\ ment, and the Democrats agreeing with MIN, voted
! accordingly.
The Legislatures of twenty-three loyal States raj.
| fled the amendment the Democrats in those bodies
voting against it. Three States voted to reject it
Kentucky, Democratic Kentucky, which supplied
the rebels with men in preference TO the Union ar
my; Maryland, intensely Democratic and rebel; /;
and Delaware, theoretically rebel, and devoted to
! the pure Democratic doctrines of the Southland
we are told by the telegraph that the Democratic
Governor elect of California proclaims himself as
| against the constitutional amendment.
The ten insuuectionary States, in their pretended
Legislatures erected by the Presidential policy, un-
/ der the promptngs Of the President rejected the
amendment nearly unanimously. These acts have
met with the entire appreciation Of the Democratic
party
The first recontruction bill required the Legsla-
ture Of reconstructed State TO adopt the l4th ar
cle and this is expressly noticed in the Presidents
veto message This bill was passed in the Senate
by thirtyhve votes, all Republicans with the excep-
/ ton of Senator Johnson Of MARYLAND to seven all
Democrats, or acting with them, and in the House
! by l26 to 46. The President vetoed it, and the
House repassed the bill by 1873 TO 81 and in the Sen
ate it was repassed by SO to 10.
Congress met again on the 4.h of March, and
passed the supplementary reconstruction bill This
bill vetoed and TepGssed over the head of the
President by a votein the House Of la to 25, and
/ in the Senate by 40 TO T. The minorities being
Democrats approving heartily Of the Presidents
course.
The President, with the aid of the Attorney Gen
oral tsnd his dssuiiv al sueserviemt Caunet, with
the exception of that pure patriot Edwin NJ. Stan
ton fritted away the most stringent and clearest
provisions Of these most wise and salutary measures
receiving Tor his treachery the paudts OF the DEM
ocraiic party.
In July last the further supplementary recon-
strueton BILL made necessary by these fraudulent
constructions Of the Executive, was vetoed, and
passed over the veto by vote Of 80 to in the SEN
ate, and in the House by a vote Of 100 to p, the
Democrats all sustaining the President and endors-
ing his parricidal attempts TO deliver the country
over TO unrepentant rebels.
The leading adviser of Mr.. johnson in all these
attempts to defeat the popular viii, was and is She
b ! Hon Jeremiah S. Black the Attorney General of
Mr. Buchanan, who advised that gentleman that he
could net employ force TO put down rebellion, and
prevent dissolution Of the Union, and the friend
Of Cobb, Floyd, Thompson, and Jefferson Davis
| The same gentleman, representing the Demo
cratic party and the reputed author OF the recen
vetoes, has undoubtedly advised the removal o
Stanton Sheridan, and Sickles, and the two procla
matio1s intended 20 delay, and ultimately If posi-
I BILE 10 defeat reconstruction.
we have thus recalled the uniform Democratic
accommodating man whom the party ana
leading Democratic journal profess TO despise, bu
whom they make use Of to destroy those men anC
that party who preserved the Union in spite o
Southern rebels and Northern sympathizers.
The Democratic party and its leaders throughou
this State, from their primary meeting IN fhlladel
phia in the winter of 1861 TO the present moment
have ALWAYS sympathized with the Southern trai
tors In the State Legislature in their conventions
and in their candidates this feeling has been Away
conspicuous. In the State-house yard meeting, Il
; 1863, Vallandigham was held up as model Of pa
} tiotism-and he was fully endorsed by the Demo
cratic Gubern aterisl Convention in that year, 3
Harrisburg, Just before the battle at Gettysburg
! The proceedings of the famous Chicago Convention
in 1854, announcing the war against rebellion TO b
a total failure, and recommending cowardly peac
with jefferson Davis, were hailed by the Demo
cratic leaders and their followers in this State wit
open and exuberant joy.
The cardinal sin Of this once great party was op
: positon TO the war. Decaturs coast, Our country
right or wrong" was the Democratic war cry IN tn
! war of 1914 and in the Mexican war; but thel
/, prestige vanished when they became poor, niseI
d able peace party, in the hands of the Woods, th
y Sevmours the Vallandighams, and the Blacks, wh
I shrunk from the swords Of the Southern resel
Q ANY party in this country which opposes wa
9 mast sink. The Democratic party have committe
Il this unpaTdonsble sin.
It THOSE Democrats who still adhere to their part
must father the sins Of their trusted and blindly 70
= lowed leaders.
II Shall the constitutional amendment, and partlcJ
e larly the 4th section of It. become part oil tne lnL
;, damental law never TO be touched by the hosL
bands of Southern rebels or NoTthern sympathlzer
$ This can be answered only in one way-deieat u
&c Copperhead party and its candidates at the Octoo'
4 election. If YOU DO, Mr.. johnson IS checkmate'
and the public credit is kept involate and un'a
: nished.
n This can only be accomplished by voting for a
n the Republican candidate, and most Particular
for our candidate for Judge Of the Supreme Cour
II Judge Henry W. Williams the learned and accon
j. plishea iurst and truly loyal man.
N Upon the final ratification Of the 4th section
1 the amendment depends not only the final and
l. revocable settlement of the validity Of the publ
II debt but the whole national banking system, al
IS its national currency of three hundred millions
y dolars-forming, with the legal tender notes d
ey clared bv Judge SharswoOd to DO unconstituion'
os Il only money in the hands Of the people
" The question reaches both the capitalist with
bonds and bank stock, and the poor man with !
sd five dollar note Every man. therefore, is direct
be and vitality intert sted in the ratification OF Il
en- amendment and his only mode Of securing 1t is
his voting the whole Republican 'aeEet on the sth
u October next.