Brownlow's Knoxville Whig. [volume] (Knoxville, Tenn.) 1866-1869, 1868-04-08

the rights and duties OF citizenship. was the most
important feature The history and results Of the
bellion. Freedom from servitude was necessarily
conceded aud we do not know any Considerable
number Of Southern people who refuse to admit
thus much as accomplished fact. But when h
comes 70 voting and holding Office when one-third,
and in some States even majority Of the people
venture 70 exercise the natural and acquired rights
70 which they are entitled, there breaks out this
lOng-Elumbering demon OF dscord, and the press
teens with such abuse as nigh seek IN vain be-
vond The purlieus Of the fsh- market Men of great
learning Of great natural abilities, and Of the high
est social standing, are leaders IN the infamous work
not Smith, and Jones, and Brown bf The tack
woods weeklies, but Daniels, and Rhstt, and For
syth Of the great dailies, and others whose names
are not 81 hand but such the editors OF the No
bile Tribune the Wilmington Star, and papers of
that sort--the inumerabe Brick Pomeroys OF the
South, These men began by brutal abuse of
ringers" sneering at the idea Of their voting and
threatening them With penalties if they presumed
to exercise the right given them by the National
Government They famed the prejudice againt
Niger equality; they suddenly conceived an in
tense Tepugnance 10 "nigger associations although
the complexion Of some halfmllion of their fellow
citizens, who are now exercising the so-much de.
nounced privilege Of voting gives evidence past al
eontroversion that this "nigger association must
have been, at by-gone day, far less repualve than
the pureblooded palefaces would now have Us tninK
Theas editors urged summary measures 70 prevent
the colored men from votingi discharge rom en-
ployment was the hsading punishment 70 DC spot
ted and bounded from place 70 place by detectives,
whose business &c was 70 prevent the poor fellows
from getting work, another idea to starve them
into desperation drive them TO the absolute Beees
sity Of stealing food and then hang or shoot them
through the agency of vigilance committees, was
the GROWING act.
Despite these discouragements, nearly all the
niggers who were qualified registered ard voted
II requires considerable degree of courage to lead
forlorn hope it is serious business 10 take your
life in your hand and 60 out against almost certain
death; il needs equal courage TO assert grand po-
litical privilege In defiance Of a horde OF enemies
who are not only painting to lap your blood On the
instant but who go to the exquisiely cruel extreme
Of hunting down your weak and helpless family if
you dare 10 exercise your rights. Yet this is Just
what the leading Southern editors have done; il is
just what seven-eighths of all the white iFered con-
Lrollers Of the press have DONE Il is the old, old
story Of tar, feathers rails pistols and bowieknves,
only IN new form. Yet the negroes voted. Here,
in land Of law and orsr, where there is at least
decent regard for humaa rights, we cannot appre-
,iate The sacrifice made by those poor freedmen
They wade through sea of FIRE to vindicats their
title TO manhood, TO manifest their devotion 10 the
country that, after holding them for twenty years
n grinding bondage, had at last risen TO the first
principle of its governmental theory and made |
hem psrt and parcel Of the commonwealth His |
DRY cannot show q nobler picture -Four millions |
u hlLbefbo degraded and Drutallzed human crea- /
ures are, by the lightning stroke of an inspired pen
invested with the highest rights citizen can claim
ZACH man of them made in representative form /
quail 10 the President himself; and yet no violent /
assertion Of these newborn rights; no outbread Of
nisled ignorance; not the first instance in three
7ears Of even an attempt to usurp power place;
landing face 70 face their political equals with
he men who bought and sold and whipped and /
branded them these moral heroes-these conquer
DIS of themselves-hsve never taken the first re-
engeful STEP never thought of the grim enjoyment
IF revenge, but quietly and peacefully submitted to
prosecutions, and insults and outrages, to ISLANDERS
md prov0cations that, slaves, they could scarce
y have borne. When the historian of the coming \
century writes up The record of these six years. he
viii wonder alike at the nfamy Of the provoeations
,ven by the Southern press to the freedmen, and /
be noble forbesrance with which these heroic peo-
le met the assaults of their interruptions enemies
Ind there are thousands Of these silent and suffer-
ng men to-day sacrificing their all TO principle,
those skins are as driven snow in comparison with
be wicked hearts Of such white lords Of the press
S Jonn Forsyth of Mobile Albert Pike Of Mem
his r. Barnwell Rhett Of Charleston, and hum
reds Of the lesser lights who hold control over the
outhern newspRpers.-N York Tribune