The home journal. (Winchester, Tenn.) 1858-188?, 1867-12-05
Death before DishOnOr.

We have said, in q previous number
Of the Home Journal that the Conser-
vative party, in struggling for the ne.
gro vote in this State, acted most fool
ishly, to say the least of it. And we
confess our own error therein. 1t was
IN experiment, with us, in the face of
history which taught us the incapacity
of the negro for self-government, much
less the government Of y superior race.
In the face, too, of the fact that the
South had never violated the Constitu-
tion, and representing ten or twelve
millions Of people, had as much right,
If not more, to set up government of
her own rs the tire, MILL i)ns had who
threw the tea into the sea at Boston
and under tie lead of the great rebel,
George Washington, made . successful!
opposition to King Georges "taxatien
without Representations" The South
crn people were defeated by overwhcl-
ming numbers, and they surrendered
undera a promise that they should re-
turn to the benefits of that Constitution
Which such political demons and
scoundrels as Chase, Seward, Greely,
Phillips, Sumner, and such turncoat
thieves as Butler, had made u "ropc Of
sand" and "tinkling cymbal." But
after they surrendcred-aftcr they had
in good faith laid down all means Of
resistance, they were forced to see ev-
cry stipulation of the treaty of peace,
every promise made by Congress du
ring the war, and every dictate ofmag-
nanimity 10 fallen but no orable foe,
most cruelty and wantonly violated
A party was in power, bent upon rule
Or ruin. That party sought to elevate
the ignorant and stupid negro above
> the intelligent white man. a few base
men, calling themselves Southern men,
joined the Radicals in their infamous
work and have made for themselves a
history which postcrity will ever de
nounce. But the great majority Of the
Southern people have preserved their
honor. Here in Tennessee We nearly
lost our honor in an attempt to secure
the vote of the enfranchised freedman.
1t was an experiment forced upon us
by the outrage of the negro party in
giving to the negro the right to vote,
and DISTINGUISHING all men as disloyal
who would not go with it in its ex-
treme measures. Slavery had elevated
the negro race in the South to the
highest standard the negro can posi-
bly, be elevated to, and we, speaking
for the Home journal, will say that
there was faint thought that the ne
gro might be capable Of deciding for
his own interest. But we saw very
soon that these damnable Loyal
Leagues invcigled his shallow brain,
and made him suppliant tool of a
party to rob white men of the very lib
crty he was made to claim for himself
Our eyes have seen enough, and we
are opposed to the whites 50 degrading
themselves as to ever make al attempt
to educate natural inferiority into po-
litical equality. Let the militia be pla-
ced at the ballot box, let Brownlow is
sue as many orders as he pleases, let
military satraps oyerturn all civil law,
let black and tan Conventions be held
like the one in Montgomery, Ala, in
which scoundrels and negroes--the ve
~ filth and scum of society--are the
chosen instruments for making Con-
stitutions; let conhscation be preach
ed, and timid fools, for fear thereof,
cast their sulfrages for the instruments
of our torture; let the nation be taxed
to death in order to support negroes III
laziness, but for Gods sake, for the
sake of decency and in memory Of the
glorious braves who lost their lives III
battling against abolition fanaticism'
let the decent white people have moth
ing to do with such rasca'ity; The de,
cent white people of the North will
come to our relief and we expect to
live to see the day when the very brutcs
who arc obeying the orders ola kump
Congress that Andrew Johnson lacks
the courage to resist, will hide their
heads in shame.
At a large meeting of the leading
cigar manufacturers held Thursday
,eo,,;,,, Il wos resolved not to accede