Gold Hill daily news. [volume] (Gold Hill, N.T. [Nev.]) 1863-1882, 1867-08-06
THE TENNESSEE ELEcT1oN-IM-
PoRTANT FACTS IN coNNEC-
TIoN THEREwITH.

fairs political in Tennessee, was sur
prised, or, we can candidly say, partic-
ularly gratiied at the conduct of Ten
pessee election. Journalists who pro-
fess Uuionism and hurrah loudly over
tho result, are either very Ignorant or
dishonest. This we will demonstrate
readily and conclusively. As the Mas
sachusetts Republicans journal always
in favor of negro suffrago-has we'll M
repeatedly said: "yictories gained
through fraud or violence can be OF no
lasting benefit to the Union causei in the
South"
We will preface by saying, that ten
years ago-in fact. from the date Of Sc
c~ession back-Parson Brownlow was a
rabid pro-slavery man. We have heard
him make speeches in Philadelphia, de-
nouncing the "Abolitionists," which
for virulence, for blasphemous epithet,
were unparalleled and horribly shock
ing to every decent mind. He held or
professed to hold to tho "Divine sane
ton" Of slavery, and he cursed every
opponent Of that Internal system with
anathemas that surpassed, as we have
said, all precedent of ferocity and foul
ness.
In the early part Of last June, nearly
every daily paper in New York city and
Philadelphia, reported by correspond
ents from Tennessee, what would GER
tainly be the majority for Brownlow,
and how it would be obtained. The
Tribune, Times, Erening Post, Journal Of
Commerce and Herald, all by their own
agents and reporters, then declared that
the Governor of Tennessee would be re-
elected by 10000, and that Brownlow
himself, and his aids, placed his vote
over Etheridge at IS, 900.
Before we proceed to show how this
vote was ob~tained-by means Of which
Union men should not boast-ws will
draw the attention of our readers to
this fact: The supporters Of Etheridge,
Brownlow's opponent, were the original
advocates ofnegro suffrage in Tenues-
see; Brownlow and followers, at the
outset, being utterly hostile to it! But
on this, Brownlow Topped, and brought
to bear for securing the negro vote such
appliances as will hereafter be de-
scribed.
1t has been truly remarked that "there
is in Knoxville an old man, who, to all
appearance, a with literal truth say
Of Tennessee what Louis Quatorze used
to say of himself and France: The
State, tits I-L'stat e'e,t moi This old
man is W. G. Brownlow, Doctor of
| Divinity and Governor Of Tennessee"
And the same writer-a soldier and
officer all through the warm describ-
ing "The State" as he appeared in his
Office, on the 18th Of june last, says:
al must say be presented a rather sad
spectacle as he lay there, the old man,
cadaverous and p~aralytic, breathing
forth, like another Saul Of Tarsus,
th~reatspiugs and slaughters. l~nvolun-
tarily, by some secret sally Of associa-
ton, there came to my mind, as sat
beside him, the image Of Lincoln and
the thought of that divine sentiment OF
his Malice toward none, charity for
ALL and it seemed if ono should reverse
the maxim to charity for none, malice
toward ALL one would not have q bad
epitoms of Brownlow, as he shows him.
self these latter days.
And now to show the means which
Brownlow employed to carry the State.
We copy from a correspondence which
which we find in the New York Erening
Post, dated June 18th, at Knoxville:
Remembering B~rownlow's former
fierce war against abolitiouism and the
blacks, / was curious to learn what had
converted him to his present ardent
negrophilism; but / could not discover
that he had been moved by any very
lofty impulse. He was an enemy of
emancipation, and went dead against
the enfranchisement Of the negro; and
it was only after he began to realize
what might be done with the blacks as
a political power, that he became their
champion. He has certainly been very
successful in rallying them to his STAN
dard; for | found them working for
Browulow, praying for Brownlow, bent
on voting for Brownlow, and willing to
fight for Brownlow. made several
inquiries Of the Governor respecting
the cause of lthe sweeping measure he
has lately taken in setting aside the
registration of some eight or ten coun-
ties. This l did of course with the
view Of finding out something more
definite than the vague charge Of fraud
or irregularity,' on the mere statement
Of which he can, by a mere stroke of
the pen, obliterate the political identity
Of any district; but he seemed to have
no satisfactory explanation, at least
none that he cared to PROFOUND, though
he talked freely Of every other subject.
He left mo, however, in no doubt Of his
determination to carry the election at
all hazards determination which one
of Brownlow's champions and a Judge
o. 'one Of the Circuit Courts declared in
g very frank avowal. I'VE are bound
said he, zoe are bound to carry this cleo
ton If zoe do IL through blood
Under the franchise law of June, 1865,
the right of suffrage was principally
confined to persons who were publicly
known to entertain unconditional Uuion
sentiments from the outbreak Of the re-
bellion, or who were willing to take the
test oath prescribed by that act. Its
purpose was to place the guardianship
Of the State in the hands Of the loyal
people Of the State-a purpose which it
efectually secured. But this was not
enough. It was discovered by the re-
suit Of the local elections in 1866 that
the Brownlow Party could not safely 60
before the loyal people for reelection
that, in fact, they would be beaten by
an overwhelming majority. Then was
passed the second franchise law, (the
law Of May, 1867 which disqualified
from voting: First, those who bore
arms against the Government Of the