The Union flag. [volume] (Jonesborough, Tenn.) 1865-187?, 1867-09-27
Speech OF General Cooper, at the
Border States Convention.

The presiding officer then inter
oduced to audience Gen. Cooper of
Tenn as his own long tried friend and
neigbbOr, and one who had arisen
from the ranks to the position of GEN
eral in the Union army. Loud APP
plause -eEr.is. tg'fH I4a'.HEr'
General Cooper said that be was
lately from tho command Of what was
known in Tennessee Us "Brownlow'a 4
militia" The Rebels there did not
call them State militia, but only
Brownlow's militia, and be thought
the name was good enough There
was only about seventeen hundred Of
them, all told, black and'white, but he
could say, as was said during the war,
"the coIored troops did nobly." These
Rebels had talked of the negro IS an
inferior race, and that they could be
controlled, but in Tennessee the col.
ored mon conldn't be bribed and could
not be scared, but voted just as they
pleased. [Applause.1 The people Of
Maryland and Delaware need not be
afraid to trust them In Tennessee
the State Government had been reor-
ganzed after plan designated by
Andy Johnson, who after being the
originator of the scheme, concocted
plan TO break it up, and in the elections
that had been held to tillthe places of
the boilers from the Legislature they
had done justice to the eolored man,
and he had voted, and voted nobly
And they had trusted him on the bat
tle-feld they could trust him with the
ballot. Tennessee had given thirty
thousand Union majority for the
Union ticketin August last, aud had
elected almost the entire ticket. In
one part ofthe State, where the Rebels
were largely in the majority, about
$500 or 8 900 colored men had been
hindered from voting, because tho
Rebels had said to them, If You vote
we'll kill you," and colored mar.
didn't like to die any bettor than a
white man. When the next President
came to be elected, Tennessee would
give 10000 majority, with her leading
Rebels disfranchised, and her eoloFed
men enfranchised. In East Tenuessec, |
whore he came from they had 10 june |
1861, given 10000 majority against |
secession, and in August last after
the Union men in those parts had |
been shot, stabbed and hung by these |
miserable Rebels they had given the |
same Union majority, and with colored
votes, He was in favor Of the Union |
as they could get il, and not as il was |
when traitors wore on the floor Of Con. |
gress and portion of the United |
States were sold as chattels in the |
market. Applause, } He wanted
free speech, free press, and q free
country. These rebels talked about
free speech. What would have been
done with a man who stood on this
spot in April, 1881, snd lifted up his |
voice in favor Of the Union? He |
would have boen hung. If they now
had all the monOy that had been
spent in legislation for The beneGt of |
slavery a railroad could be built from
the Atlantic to the Pacific, and equip
ped, and . sehoolhonse could be built |
in every township in Tennessee. But
that money was now spent and gone.
That time was now played out when
aSouthern man could say, You're a
Yankee, you can't como here to poison
the minds Of my niggers."( Laughter.)
He WAS not now talking for the ben
eft Of Tennessee, because there they
had now passed Rubioon, but for
the benefit of Maryland and Della
ware, and he would tell them TO 20
home and work and give Tho color.
ed man the ballot. IL was not
enough 10 sit idly still and say
" Well, he ought 10 have t."
Tennessee had elected William @.
Brownlow as Governor, and ho would
tell them Why this was done. When
Andy Johnson and 3D. Cooper had
succeeded in inducing sixteen mem.
bers 10 bolt from the Legislature and |
keep IL without = quorum, Governor
Brownlow had issued wriss for new
elections IN the district Of each bolt
ing member, and 50 GlIed up quo
rum and passed constitutional amend