Nashville union and dispatch. [volume] (Nashville, Tenn.) 1866-1868, 1867-01-25
CHAPTER ON RENEGADES.

Historic Parallels and Modern Knstau-
ces-The ObediRh walkers Of Ten
nessee.
To THE EDITOR OF THE UNION AND
DISPATCH History does not more uni
formly establish any proposition than that
the most intolerant political prosecutors
are the renegades from the party they per-
secute. To 60 no further back in history
than to the reign Of James II, George JET
freys, the most infamous and detested, be-
cause the meanest the most cruel and I'M
just Judge that ever sat upon the bench, be-
gan his public life the most Jealous of
rOundheads. But when such ceased 10 be
the road to preiermeni, he changed his
livery, and became the Yindictive persecu-
tor of those who held his former protested
opinions, and the author Of more judicial
murders than any man, perhaps, who has
lived in modern times. Obediah Walker,
only a more contemplate character, be-
cause so much weaker one during the
same reign, was a changeling of the same
kind. Every revolution and great
political excitement since has had its
George Jefireys on a smaller scale, and its
Obediah Walkers on q larger one The
British officer who committed the
most destruction Of private property, and
waged more cruel and vindictive war than
any other upon the colonies during the
revolutionary struggle of our ancestors for
independence, was Benedict Arnold, the
TRAITOR Men who act on any side from
enlightened convictions Of right, and not
for the qualification of purely selfish ends
are always tolerant, and such do not leave
a cause for the only reason that rats desert
a sinking ship. Men of this character do
sometimes change their opinions, and
then Of course leave one side and Join
the other but do not desire TO cut the
Threats Of those who still hold the opinions
and maintain the cause they once did. Such
men never become yindictive persecutors
After Whist l have said, il is scarcely
necessary for me 10 state that the teachings
Of history are strikingly illustrated in the
State Of Tennessee at the present time
! Following an attempted revolution, and the
convulsive rage Of great civil war, a set
of men Is in possession Of the political
power in this State, who are pursuing a
most intolerant and vindictive prosecuting
policy. The most of these men are de-
serters from the ranks Of those whom they
persecute. Not one in ten can take the
test oath which they have prescribed for all
candidates for Office without committing
perjury. In the first months Of the late
so-called' Southern Confederacy. they
we're its jealous supporters in one way and
another When It's fortunes began 20 wane
they became zealously affected on the other
side, snd now swear, 10 get an Office, that
they never were what they once loudly
profesaed 20 be. They are ever full Of
wrath against those who held out little
while longer than they did, and if they
would not exactly, as did the infamous
Jeffreys burn, hang, quarter and imprison
for life all their former associates, they
would degrade aud disfrauChise them and
con6scs;e their property.
1t is true these men never did any fight
ing for the cause of their first love, nor did
many Of them ever do any for the side
they pretended 20 Join. Some Of them
ioined the armies OF the Conlederacv.
but when brave men marched IN the face Of
danger. they retreated 90 the rear, where
il was safe 10 depredate on private property,
and when il became safer 70 De this in blue
uniform than in gray, they donned the blue.
There were, Of course, some individual ex-
ceptions, sufficiently numerous only, how
ever, 20 show the rule 60 be as stated.
To illustrate still more fully. by indi-
vidual examples, take the Tennessee mem.
bers ofthe Torch and Turpentine Brigade
BrowIow. Stokes, Fletcher, Arneli, Mat.
nard and DR.. Mercer. Every one Of theisi
men arr on record as favoring in some WIZ
OF other The late Southern movement arll
yet judging from every utterance they noH
make, ons would suppose, they would dt-