Nashville union and American. [volume] (Nashville, Tenn.) 1868-1875, 1868-10-31

the poor devils Of toll, as they are ae-
customed to be styled, can be hood
winked into voting to maintain that
party in power which invented this
system, just so long will they continue to
be poor devils.
TIE TYRANNY OF RADICAL RUFF.
The Lewisburg Independent gives US
vivid insight into the dospotism which
prevails in West Virginia. 1t is a repeti-
ton Of the execrable rule which prevails
in Tennessee and Missouri, and by which
the Radicals are enabled to retain control
Of those States. The Independent says !:
awe have been surprised more than
once at the want Of information abroad,
even in the adjoining States, concerning
West Virginia despotism.
at is fact of easy demonstration, that
even the Southern States, ruled as they
are by the sword, are more free to-day
than the always loyal State of West Vir-
ginia.
"In this State there are not less than
twenty-five thousand DISTINGUISHED citi-
zens. No, not citizens for the amended
Constitution Of the State declares that
they can never become citizens; although
they were born on her soil, have lived
here all their lives, and are heavily taxed
to support the municipal, State and ma.
tional governments. They are aliens or
their native soil, as far as the COnstitu.
ton can make them aliens.
'fIn this county alone. there are 140,
DISTINGUISHED men, comprising the wealth
intelligence, public spirit and moral worth
of Greenbrier.
''In this town, with a population o
200, there are only eight voters and
yet in this county. there is not one dis
loyal man, excepting the Radicals, wht
are all disloyal. In West Virginia there
are not less than $4,000 men who canno
hold any Office, sit on jury, or teach s
public school.
In West Virginia there are not les:
than $4,000 men who cannot obtain judg
ments upon old debts due them, or en-
force contracts.
'In West Virginia the taxes for county
and township purposes are eight times
heavier than before the war.
ain West Virginia we have five pait
officers for one before the war.
an West Virginia the salaries ofcOunty
officers are double, and some Of then
treble, Of what they were before the war
an West Virginia, especially in thu
border counties, the offices are. with few
exceptions, filled by the most ignoran
and vicious of the population.
ON West Virginia three men in eacf
county, known as the county board o
registration, are actually licensed, by ac
of the Legislature, to enter on record
that their fellow-citizens are -pdrurers
an West Virginia the county board.
of registration have entire control o
every office in the State. The Board o
Registration of Ohio county can unsea
Governor Foreman by merely scratchin!
his name from the list Of registered yo
tiers. The Board ofRegistration of Mon
roe county can unseat Judge Nat Harri
son in the same way. No man can holC
office unless he is voter. No man cal
be voter unless he is registered. N
man can register, or remain registered
without the consent of the county board
of registration. Scratch Boremans nam
or Harrison's name from the registry, ant
the sceptre Of power drops from thei
nerveless grasp.
"Did such a state Of things ever be
fore exist in any civilized community
Has as mean, contemplate, sneaklng
| cowardly, brutal deSpOtism as that Q
| West Virginia ever before rejOiccd tn
hearts OF devils, or called for the ayeng
ing bolts Of heaven
"MOuntaineers always free. :" Oh
what mockery Of noble sentiment
What a brazen-faced lie? There is n
freedom in these mountains, except tn
freedom Of ignorance and yillainy TO lOrC
it over intelligence and honesty"
The Constitution provides that tn
United States shall guarantee to ever!
State in the Union a republican form Q
government yet here in the very hear
Of this republic Isl desPotism as grinding
and intolerant as that Of Great Britain
against which our fathers rebelled Their
never has been a more despotic govern
ment in this country than that Of Yves
Virginia, and that State IS no worse thar
Tennessee and Missouri. The odiou
exclusions and heavy burdens imposed
upon the people of West Virginia, ar
substantially repeated in Tennessee anC
Missouri. In this State the franchise i:
grudgingly doled out to Democrats by
Legislators appointed by the Governor
and every sort of ingenuity is resorted Il
by these supple tools Of the Governor tC
avoid issuing certificates to men they
know will not vote the Radical ticket
and there are to day thousands upon
thousands of citizens justly entitled to
certificates under the franchise law who
have been fraudulently deprived OF then
by these Registrars. They do the dirty
work assigned them with less compunc-
tons than it was possible to conceive. II
is by such inEamies as these that
Brownlow is enabled to keep his
heel upon the necks OF this people. A
fair and honest administration o.
even the present franchise law would
place it in the power of the people
Ct Tennessee to hurl the usurpcrs from
the places they now disgrace. In the
three States Of West Virginia, Tennessee
and Missouri, about two hundred thou
sand Of the white citizens, the property
holders and the men Of intelligence, are
DISTINGUISHED, but are as heavily taxed as
If they were allowed voice in the selec-
ton Of the men who rule their States and
make their laws. Tennessee has, how
ever, taken step beyond West Virginia
and Missouri, and her Radical Legisla-
ture has enfranchised about fifty thou
sand ignorant negroes. This was done
simply to enable that party to retain their
hold upon the offices of the State. But
the tyranny Of Radicalrule is not so fully
demonstrated in either West Virginia or
Missouri as in Tennessee. Here we
have a Governor who has shown an utter
cnnInmnt Cnr Tie laws he has fol.nr IN