Nashville union and dispatch. [volume] (Nashville, Tenn.) 1866-1868, 1867-05-26

SreSSlOnal district Here Is ms power 10
do it, Let him 60 to the penitentiary and
pardon out two horse thieves, citizens of Da7
wilson county. Let him register one horse
thief, and nobody else, for he hasthe power
TO do it, and on the morning of the election
you will have but one vote polled in this
Congressional district. You have but one
vote polled, and that vote elects a Senator
and Representative, and other civil officers.
Is not that a unanimous election? And
yet yOu have people here whose eyes
| are nearly as wide apart as pole cats, who
will stand up and justify these infamous
things. Applause. This is BrownlOwism,
aud l am opposing it from the Capitol of
the State, from the very footstool of his
power, and | will continue to oppose il
from this time till August next. Now,
If l have misrepresented a single fact
here, correct me, and will never
make the statement again, for | have no
disposition to propagate error. That is
the law, just precisely as | have given il
| to yon. There are your liberties in his
pocket, and you ask me then why am a
candidate for Governor, and WHY | seek
the votes of the people under these disad- |
yantages. | answer, that there is a point |
| in infamous oppression beyond which men |
will not go. Gov. BroWnlow. in, NV |
judgment, will go TO any length to accom- |
piish his purpose. But he is surrounded
by men who are insane, as have no doubt |
he has been for years. A voice "Thats |
good" Bnt do not propose to speak |
unkindly of him. He ia in morals and |
politics simply insane. and there is not a |
| Psychologist in Nashville, who has studied !
the character of men, who does not know
it. Now, tellow-Citizens, You are disfran- |
chlsed. For what? Bee2use yon gave aid |
and comfort to the rebellion? No. sirs |
no such thing. They do not disfranchise |
you because yOu are Rebels, but because
you have not got low enough down to vote
for them. Now, sirs, | assert that the |
brains and energy and muscle of Radical |
| ism in Tennessee, are the men who pot ND |
| the rebellion and abandoned il: men
who wrote letters, enrolled themselves as
volunteers in the Rebel army. and
threw the weight of their great character
into the rebellion. Many Of your Young
men took their advice, and went into the
Rebel army. Finally the Rebel money de-
preciated, and the Rebel mules and horses
got poor, and then they came home with all
| the pomp and paraphanalia of glorious war
Then their rebelliOus souls were subdued,
| and their hearts melted in loyalty to the old
| flag. Now, to-day, throughout this State,
am not conscious of single Rebel that is
upon the Conservative ticket--not one.
But, sirs, the very head and front of Radi-
calism in Tennessee, with rare exceptions.
is made up of apostate Rebels / do not
say penitent Rebels, because when man
| repents he is no longer malignant and the
men whom he misled he tries to save, to
"pluck them as brands from the burning"
| Every apOstatepn earth is cruel and vindic-
| tive to the very men he has deceived. These
men now go for lItchering those they led
| into the Rebel army. You know it is so.
| But what Rebel Is there on the COnserya-
| tive ticket in Tennessee? Give me his
name, and if there is one | will say
that he ought not to he there. But
| go ont into the first Congressional dis
| trict in this State. Here Butler is A can
| didate for Congress. lie is now a Circuit
| Judge, and why is he a Circuit Judge
Brownlow laid his pious hands upon his
head, and they have this sort Of a law.
| gentlemen, iapplsuse, that whoever
| Brownlow touches he quickcns with his
holy power. Laughter. Why, but
few days ago there was to be appointed
| Chancellor in my district, He ransacked
it over and he could not find Radical
lawyer that had sense enough to spell ex-
ecution or peri tdcids. Butfnally he found
a rebel lawyer and put him on the woolsack,
and now he can vote. Well, what of Senter?
| Gou know the character of this man. He
fed, am told, to Memphis with the Rebel
Legislature. Why, Just look at the gentle
| man they have put against me here. They
/ a lpea a 4aI I'll
the literary Radicals together they had
Radicals there from all parts of the Stale
they had grand meeting. They had one
intellectual giant there, who they believed
would hew his way through thousand
enemies with his broad Intellectual clay
more, distinguished gentleman, a man
familiar with all the war literature of the
age on both sides, applause a man who
had been in the Federal Congress, a man
| who tells you that there is not one in his
district that dare oppose him for Congress,
because he was such mighty host He is
a great orator, his voice is as musical as A
nghtingale's he has the memory of a
iurisconsult Before the war | tried to
stem the tide of disunion in West Tennes-
see and failed. The next thing | heard,
was that my old friend, VIM B. Stokes. was
in the field with his pen and his sword, and
to this day / cannot tell which was the
mightiest, his pen or his sword. He de-
termined that the rebellion should succeed.
and he wrote with his potential pen:
LIBERTY, May 10. 1861. Mr.. John Duncan.
| McMinnville, Tennessee: Dear Sir-I have inst
| learned from friend shat there is some gross
misrepresentsuons going the rounds in your
| section in regard TO my position in this trying
| crisis, and for the benefit Of yourself and Others
| write this:
| IhaVe been a jealous advocate of the Union
up to the time of Lincons call for 75 900 troops
that being in violation of law and for the subiu-
| CATION of the South, commend Governor Harris
| for his course, and for armIng the State and
for resisting Lincoln to the point Of the bayonet,
| and have enrolled my name As a volunteer 10
| resist his usurpaton. have, in Congress and
| out, opposed coerciOn-and all forced measures
| believing that IL was better to recognize the
| Independence of the Southern ConfeJerocv'
| than 10 attempt to cOeTce them back. | have
always opposed secession; but claim the revo-
| luton and the right to resist oppression OF the
Federal government, and to throw of their allie
| glance to the same when that oppression becomes
intolerable. That time has now come. / have
| been and am new for standing by the Border
Slave States; for they are to be The great suffer
ers during the conflict. / am opposed to
being tackled ON the Southern Confeder.
, acy at present, except "a military ieaRuej
| But when peace i5 restored. IT the two nations
cannot live iii peace let all the fifteen States
elect delegates, meet in Convention, frame the
constitution, and submit II to- tho people for
| their ratification.
The South onglit to he 4 unit dufing the war.
| by all means. 1 had announced myself A. a can
didate for reelection, bat on receiving Lin
, | coins proclamation for troops, abandoned the
| canvass at once, and am no candidate. / claim
| to have done my duty IN trying 10 heal our diff
| hculties and restore peace, That having failed
| | shall now march forward in the DISCHARGE Of
my duty in resisting Lincoln regardless of false
. | charges, or what not, By those who trying to
I | put me down. lime will show where we all
| stand and who has been faithful.
Hoping to hear from you soon,
/ remain yours truly,
: NM. B. STOKTs.
But do not blame Col. Stokes, fellow
citizens, for deserving the Rebel cause. Ii
he thought it wrong he ought TO have aban-
doned it, | tried to keep every one ont o
it, and there is not living man on earth
, that ever heard me utter 4 single sentiment
{ 10 favor OF rebellion. / was opposed to the
: war, but from the time Fort Sumter va,
/ fred upon you know how our young meT
went forth to battle Old Union men enc
i women had to give up their sons. Others
e under this excitement, went with the Rebe
s army Bot Col Stokes now stands before
tennessee audience, and demands the dis
franchlsement Of those Who under his aus
pices, attached themselves to the fortunes o
the rebellion. He now says, obey me- an,
;, the Loyal League. He condesCendingly
7. says you shall be protected in your liber
=. ties. Now, when get SO low that / entic
l. my young countrymen into a Rebel army
e only TO abandon them, and TO become thei
j. persecutors, / trust that my race vii
l. spurn me, and that our colored citizen