Clarksville weekly chronicle. [volume] (Clarksville, Tenn.) 1865-1867, 1867-05-31
REGISTRATION.


Ed. CHRoxIcLg: The registration hooks
were closed on last Saturday, by Mr.. Rob-
erts, the Commissioner for Montgomery
His advertisement propisss their pe-opsuipg
on the 18th of July. have thus far been
denied the happiness Of q meeting, since the
books closed, with the gentleman who deals
out the public liberties at bis own discretion.
| can only, therefore. say that rumor hath IL,
the books showed list Of some 400 regis
trations, of which 360 were blacks and forty
whites.
Having occasionally had the pleasure Of
witnessing the manner in which Mr.Roberts
dispenses the rights of freemen to applicants
] can cheerfully testify to his fidelity to the
behests of his master, Brownlow, He full
fills bis mission both in the letter and the
spirit of the new philosophy, which declares
the white man has no rights the black man,
is bound to respect" When poor devil Of
the former class humbly proffered bis petition
for certificate and presented his two vouch.
ers, the answer most generally TO all these
was aftsr this sort, "depart from me, never
knew you" When came that color which
is but "the Swallowed livery of the FURNISHED
sum-" the Commissioners features beamed
pleasantly upon both him and his vouchers,
and its certificate was invariably and speed
lily forthcoming Whenever, as was some-
times the case, this color made the air dark
around the Commissioner and set his solitary
whix face in bold relief, the work Of issuing
certificates was expedited by including FIVE or
six applications in one affidavit In other in
stances all such formali,,es as oaths or
vouchers for the loyal color, we're dispensed
With by virtue Of the discretion vested in Mr..
Brownlow's registration "henchman." ibid
you ever bear arms against the United
States or ibid you ever give aid or COM
fort to the rebellion +? 4" was sometimes asked
q sable Tom, Dick or Peter, but always apol-
ogetically for the implied suspicion of such
query. Lest Tom, Dick or Peter might have
dug on Rebel Notifications, &C., It was wisely
left to the "discretion" of the Register, Ell
ther, to take his word or prefer an oath
framed for his case, which exempted him
from disqualification, provided he did not
give aid and comfort "with the intent to aid
the rebellion" As this proviso lets in
great many Southern sympathzers, the COM
missioner's "dscretion" il safely exercised
by constituting che proviso in favor Of the
blacks, and against the whites. Captain
Federal soldier, who served
through the war, was refused as q voucher
for whte applicant because the Captain
the oath not to dsqualify men who
had committed overt acts, without the t'in-
Iention to aid the rebellion" in their COM
mission. Yet he cheerfully gives the benefit
of this construction of the Captains to COL
pred men, who worked on rebel trenches, etc.
Besides the devotion thus shown by the
Comm issioner to the effort now made to de.
grade his own race, he is admirably qualified
Tor the position to which Mr.. Brownlow has
appointed him, by surprising aptitude for
hat thorough personal acquaintance with
he colored man, in an hour, which is only
by ordinary men in q lifetime
md at the same time q no less astonishing
ignorance of men whose faces wore the same
Tue as his own, Lest some may doubt that
. man Of that present desplsed complexion,
White, could possess such amazing talents,
olemnly declare that our Commissioner has |
eatures, purely Caucasian in every respect.
Except they cannot blush. A VOTER.