Nashville union and dispatch. [volume] (Nashville, Tenn.) 1866-1868, 1867-05-21

the whole people of the State of treason.
They have deprived eighty thousand
white men of the right to vote-that right
which is the only defense of the liberties
both of blacks and whites. They have thus
made the people slaves, in violation of the
bill Of rights. Solomon said there is no
new thing under the sun. Had he lived in
our days, he would have said it was a new
thing for forty or fifty members of Legis-
lature 10 have seats, yet never have had
vste [Cheers.]
We ask that every man in the State,
white or black, shall be equally free. We
should examine the policy that proposes to
reduce those who have been free, to degrade
them by placing their former slaves over
to rule them. Is that right or wrong?
More respect is due to the humblest black
man in Shelby county than for the wretch
who proposes to use him to degrade and
oppress the great body of the people
The speaker glanced at the state of
affairs, wherein, instead of desired peace
and happiness and prosperity, ten States
have been stricken from the Federal gov
ernment-States older than the Union :;
States two hundred years old, in which the
rights Of all, black and white, have been
Frustrated before military law; States in
whose broad lands the rights Of all men
are at the disposal of the military. No
man, in defense of person or property, can
appeal TO the bill Of rights or the writ of
hdbeds corpus.
What more do you see when you come to
look al the material condition? General
bankruptcy. The debt of this country is
now six hundred million pounds sterling,
or three thousand million of dollars. Eng
land owed nine hundred and three million
pounds sterling, and is the manufacturing
and commercial mistress of the world but
in fifty years she has only reduced her debt
one hundred and three millions of pounds
sterling; Russia, two hundred and seventy
nine millions Austria, three hundred and
sixteen millions France four hundred mil
lions; Spain, one hundred aRd forty-fve
millions; and Turkey, just after the Cri-
mean war, tfty-one millions This coun-
try has now a larger debt than Holland
Russia, Austria, France, Spain and Turkey
together.
In addition to the enormous debt of six
hundred million pounds sterling, we owe
four hundred million dollars on bounty
bills and one hundred millions for internal
improvements Jul hOlIiIR lOT itN66luR
the Mississippi, and thus aiding the DESC
lated and impoverished South, and two or
three hundred millions for the support of
the army and navy, SIS, 273, 900 State debt,
and perhaps $3.50, 100000 municipal, rail-
road and county debts. This debt will have
to be paid, and the only way to pay it is to
foster material interests, encourage mate
rial prosperity, seek the general happiness,
and guarantee the equal rights of all men,
white and black, 80 that all may be stimu-
lated to develop the resources and build up
the country. The laboring man, who pro-
duces all must pay the debts.
The speaker gave a detailed view of the
process of organizing the present State gov
eminent and its power. The formation of
a convention to frame constitution. The
connecting of a general ticket to elect
Governor, one hundred and eighty mem
bers Of the Legislature, State Senators and
other officials. These were elected when
the war was not over. Some of them were
pretty fair men, but soon afterwards came
the surrender of the army of General Lee.
This brought a great change in the main
body of the Legislature. There was class
who said the war ended too soon. They
them TO steal GCheers They stole two
years while with the Confederate forces and
stole two years on the other side, and
thought the war ended too soon. General
Grant had come down upon the Rebel for
ces with overwhelming force, and Sherman
had swept from Lookout mountain to the
ocean with the force ola torrent. All good
and Christian men had wished and prayed
for the close of the war-the cessation
of bloodshed. Grant and Sherman
only said obey the laws, nothing
more. johnson and Lee pledged them
selves that the laws should be obeyed,
and the men they commanded have
gone TO their homes and have obeyed the
laws as no conquered people ever before
obeyed the laws imposed upon them. With
the returning beams of peace, the men who
had got political power saw foreshadowed
their Punishment TO obscurity. 1t was the
first time that they had tasted the intoxi-
eating cup Of power. How will they and
Brownlow feel when they hear of the tens
of thousands here to-day? Brownlow was
seated in the Governors chair. He has
from that day onward violated these con-
stitutional rights it was his duty to protect,
and broken these laws il was his sworn duty
TO execute. Cheers. have still coun-
seled all TO obey every law, however IN
Just; every order, however oppressive; TO
submit TO indignity, however vile; TO even
submit TO be struck by any Radical in the
State, except Brownlow or his henchmen,
Fletcher or Mercer. | won task you to
take any blow from them. Don't be guilty
of any breach of the peace. Cheers. You
can meet them with legal means only, and
with these the rights of the people can be
regained [Cheers. The men who held
power for the first time at the close of the
war, passed a franchise act, and under it
found that they would be defeated, and
they framed another, with the same result.
The speaker detailed at great length land
with startling power the effects of the Radi-
cal Legislators to perpetuate their power by
restricting the right of franchise the dis
regard of elections held under the franchise
when their party was defeated. In the
speakers county, in March, 1864, two Union
men were elected, and The Legislature con-
firmed all those elected under the Cover
nor's proclamation. They gave Governor
Brownlow power to issue writs of elections !;
to Gil all vacancies in offices of the State
and in the meantime to appoint persons to
all such places Temporarily. This was the
same as before the war. If, before the war,
Judge died here, his death was reported to
the Governor, who appointed a person
temporarily to the judgeship, and then Civ
ing sixty days notice issued writs for an
election to eli the vacancy. You have had
elections for Congressman and members of
the Legislature and other officers for two
years. How comes it that you have elected
no judges There was the law passed by
the Legislature commanding him to issue
writs Why has he not done so d? Your
liberties have been undermined; your rights
held at the will of judges appointed by
Brownlow to hold office during his will and
pleasure.
In appointing his judges he had made
some mistakes. He appointed some men
who knew something of the law, and some
men not rogues; but the system of appoint
ing all Judges, from the highest TO the low
est court, during his will and pleasure,
enables him to corrupt the judges and thus
rule the State. When his judges in the
Supreme Court give : decision that suits
him he accepts their resignation so that he
may recommission them at salaries of
$500 year. There is not Judge in the
State that the people had the least voice in
selecting.
The whole aim of Brownlowism was,
with few men, TO rule the State. If they
had been repentant Rebels, they would
have wanted all men TO come in but they
were renegades and apostates, who duped
Young men into the Rebel army and then
deserted them, and they kicked out all
those whom they thought likely to cor1e