Nashville union and dispatch. [volume] (Nashville, Tenn.) 1866-1868, 1868-08-05

OF Glsclalmlng that he was there for the
purpose of making speech. He said
that he, as one Of the signers of the memo
rial which had Just been read, was pro-
foundly thankful, as he knew those associ-
ated with him on the occasion we're, for the
polite and respectful reception which their
memorial had received at the hands of the
members of the House, and that he would
himself decline saying anything further in
support of it, being quite satisfied with the
manly and impressive explanation of the
character and purposes of the memorial
which Chancellor Schackleford had already
given.
Governor Foote being then vociferously
called 10 the clerks desk, from which
the Chancellor had spoken, assembled and
spoke in substance as follows:
GENTLEMEN: AdmOnished as have just been
from the Chair, that only Eve minutes can be
occupied by me, l shall tabor 10 be as concise as
possible. r. Eee.. -r.
Gentlemen Of the Legislature of Tennessee !;
You are now dealing with the most vital cOn4
Germs of a brave, high-minded, virtuOls and
intelligent people. Upon your action depend
their liberties, their honor, their rights Of pro-
perty, their present peace, and their future Sc
eurity. They are patient. law abiding. orderly,
Just, magnanimOus, grateful for kindness, CRATE
juries when once fairly atOned for, always pre-
pared to reciprOcate benefits with superior ben
GIFTS. Oh, treat them as they deserve to be
treated L viii not believe that ii is more than
merely possible for you TO treat them otherwise.
eannet believe that You will cOldiy refuse their
earnest prayer for freedom; that you will or
game a military force for their oppression,
when nothing Of the sort is needed and insult
lngly refuse 20 trust to their present solemn pro-
testatIons OF peacefulness and obedience TO law.
May God give you wisdom to act your parts be-
eOmingly and hOnOrably in this most rough and
perllOus eOnjuncture.
Mr.. Hamilton here rose and asked Of Gov
ernOr fO0te what guarantee of the public peace
ne was prepared TO give II the prayer Of the
memorial should be granted.
Coy. fOOte; l have but five minutes time,
but will endeayOr to respond satisfactorily.
Several members here exclaimed: AS many
minutes as you want"
Gov. Foote proceeded: Those who subscribed
the memorial were sincere in the declarations
made by them. They are honest men and pa
trlots' Ihey had declared themselves to be in
favor OF equal rights the sacred preservatiOnlOf
all vested interests the maintenance of the laws
of the land the uphOlding of peace and order :;
the rendition Of Justice TO all men. What could
they say more They were opposed to violence
and lawlessness, by WhomsOeyer committed
They were in favor Of restoring general amity
and brotherhood. They were opposed to all
tha5 could generate feelings of rancOIOus an
kindness IN the OOSoms of any portion of our
citizens to all that would be calculated to keep
alive JealOusies, perpetuate distrust, ALLEVIATE
parncular classes OF our citizens from other
classes, renew dissentlOn and strife or enkindle
| the flames of civil war. The memOrialists de-
sired peace, general good will, a magnani-
nous oblivion Of all in the past that would
| serve TO renOvate feelings of hostility; the
| hearty union of OuT people. and of cur whole
people, in all that was of a nature to promote
the common happiness and advance the general
welfare. They desired to see all present misun-
| derstandings. healed; all conflicting interests
recOnciled all past unkindnesses forgotten; in
short, they desired that we should be. in future.
| one people in interest, in rights in sentiment,
| bound together by indssOluble ties Of good fell
lOwship and true love of country. The memo
rlalsts respectfully and earnestly asked a resto-
ration of tho precious civic franchises Of which
they had been deprived. They did not demand
tins restoration with arms IN their hands, OF in
the spirit Of revolutionary violence, or in Ian
guage of menace and unkndneSs. They asked
this IN the genuine spirit of peace, as men in
heriting liberty from heroic ancestry ana re-
gardlng 1t as the most precious heritage which
they had derived from this venerated source.
They asked It as men overcome in a deplOrable
civil war, but IN which they were not conscious
of having done anything TO merit perpetual en-
slavcment. They asked this restoration, not
from some foreign pOtentate, not from sOmo
semI-barbarOus cOnquerOr; but from their own
iellOw-cItlzens; from natives of the same
beloved country from civilized and Christian
men; from men born 10 the same liberties with
themselves, and bound alike to appreciate their
possession and enjoyment, and profoundly to
sympathiZe with those who had boon, by the
rude chances of war. deprived of that possession
and enjoyment. Give us back our franchises
ard we will guarantee the quiet of our people !;
their orderly submission to the laws the sup
preston of all violence the reign of quiet con-
tentment and universal brotherhood and
prosperity. OH let us, | pray you, have
peace; lot us have social kindness; let us
have no more organizations, secret or
open. banded together for purposes Of in
justice, of violence and of blOodshed We
ask Of you, our own felloW-eitizens only what
all wise and magnanimOus cOuquerers have
granted alike in amF1eQt and mOdprn tipupg u
what wise and magnanimOus statesmanship
would itself Voluntarily hestOW, what 1t seems
to Us, no enlightened friend Of civil freedom,
such as our cOuntrymen have heretofore boosted
of possessing, could reasonably deny. We know
that there is no possibility of the work of re-eft
trdHchisement being Immediately contaminated !;
but we ask you to lose no mei in taking the nitia-
tory step. Adopt the wise and practical plan of
Judge Lea which We understand has been this
evening respectfully submitted by Gov. Brown
low 10 the State Senate. and which will in a few
moments be presented to you, and we shall be
content. That plan proposes to convert the
present Legislature into conventional body. by
| the votes of the sovereign people of the State
| next November, by which body that portion of
our citizens now in disfranehised condition,
may DO restored to their civil rights. This
scheme has been, in my Judgment, most judi
| ciOusly conceived, and if adopted, will az once
quiet public excitement, and be the beginning Of
glorious and lasting peace. The gentleman
who proposes It is aman OF strong and capaciOus
intellect, and has hOnOrably discharged the du-
ties of high judicial office under she present
government. The distinguished gentleman who
presents our memorial is the very Supreme
Court Judge who some time ago delivered the
judicial decision affirming the validity OF the
franchise law, the repeal of which henOw nobly
unites with us in demanding. Our memo
rial is subscribed by many of the most jealous
Republicans in the State. Oh, gentlemen,
earnestly boseech you, as a friend to peace, as
an uphOlder ofjustice, as q lover of my coun-
try's repose and happiness. seize at once the glo-
riOus opportunity of securing the happjness of
yn mai ~ FnVnfar ful
Mr. Hamilton: One word, Governor; you
have said in your memorial what you want US
to do. now want you to say whether we are
| not to have peace until your Acknowledgement
is removed? az
Gov. Foote Certainly; we are for peace, now,
peace hereafter, peace all the time, We are at
present in crippled and feeble state. We have
| no legal power in our hands We have no ar
mics at our command. But all that our forlOrn
and deplOrable condition will allow us to do 10
maintain the peace and save the law from vin-
| latiOn, we promise in the presence Of God and
! man, our country and the world, the passing
| generation and Of all p0sterity to do.
Mr.. Hamilton You have not answered my
| question, whether We to have peace before OF
| after the franchise is extended?
Gov. Foote: NoU NotVl lGreat applause
| / cannot regard the trOublous condition Of the
country as by any means or mt least in any con
siderable degree, attributable to party feeling
or the result of party concert. The peopIe il IL
true, are distressed and disquieted at their
present sufierings; but the disOrderly and VIC
tent movements eulhpiainOd OF are, am sure.
nearly all of them to be ascribed to other
causes.
Mr. Hamilton | would like to ask you
another question. How does il happen that
hinsty-nine out of one hundred Of the eutrages
complained ofare inflicted on Union men or on
a ''nigger2"
Gov. FOote do not know how this is pre-
cisely. | have not analysed the various cases
of alleged outrage. The latest one Of which
| have heard, is the one reported as occurring
in Shelby county a few days since when two al
legged horse thieves are sai i'll to hive been hung
by armed men in masks | certainly do not ap-
prove what is said 10 have been done on that oo-
casion. / never sanctioned the exercise Of what
is called Lynch law in my life. But have yet
to learn that the two supposed horse thieves re-
ierred 10 were Union men, and hung on account
Of thei. Union sentiments. will remark, fur
Their. that in the multiplied cases Of rape which
have recently called forth popular vengeance, |
am glad that even the Republican editors have
not undertaken to charge these viOlenees b.
party animOslty and that none of them have
INDICATED the acts Of outrage which prO-
voked the punishment inflicted.
MIR. Hacker / ask you, arc the people of
Tennessee doing you any iniustioe2
GOV. FoOte: | ansWer-the people Of Tennes-
see have never done me injustice. But deem
il, Notwithstanding, grossly unjust, illibersl and
unwIse for the party in power 20 disfranchise me
and eighty thousand other citizens on account
Of our connection with the late WIZ. have
never yet sanctioned tho punishment Of any
man for opinions sake and 70 deprive ma
jOrity Of the white citizens Of Tennessee perma-
nently OF the right Of suffrage, I hold not only
to DO unjust, but the grossest tyranny. Nor can
L believe that's those who now listen to me will
do this dreadful thing.