Clarksville chronicle. (Clarksville, Tenn.) 186?-1872, 1868-07-17
FLOR the Chronicla.1
CLARKsvILLE, Tenn, July Is.

CLARKsvILLE, TENN, July Is.
Editor of Chronicle Your uni
form kindness assures me that you
will publish this note:
1 have recently been annoyed and
u good deal panied by insinuations
dishonesty, that / have deserted my
old principles and gone into the Rad.
ical camp. 1t is due the people of
this county, and 1t Is certainly due
to myself that 1 make a brief state
ment, by way of setting all right
again. q,
The platform on which I consented
to be q candidate for the Legislature
last year, was this: Equal civil and
political rights for all men, toithout
regard to color or race" l and the
whole white population of the county
at my side, said to the black man
1--WE will not disturb you in your
rights; we pledge our words and hon
| or that we have no such intention
we only ask that the white man be
made your political equals" We
tried to convince him that our view
was correct, and then babe him vote
his choice without fear.
Wherever met Mr.. Wines, in pub
lie discussion, I made two PROPOSE
tions to him. First--if he would
publicly state that he was in favor OF
universal suffrage; or second, If he
would so state, that he was in favor
of the plan of suffrage as adopted by
the United States Congress in the
Reconstruction acts in either case,
l would withdraw from the canvass
and support him. The people APP
proved my course in this. The posi-
ton then assumed, was the result
of an honest conviction of what was
right. My opinion remains unchang-
ed. 1 thought then, and still think,
that all we needed was to permit the
white man to enjoy his ancient right
of suffrage and all would be WE'LL
This was all that seriously divided
my competitor and myself. For
anything else, / should not have op.
posed the Republican party. At all
times, claimed to be a Republican
of the strictest sect, and not cop
perhead, or Democrat.
Immediately after the election, the
Conservative press Of the State, with
the exception of the Nashville Ban
ner, changed front, and declared that
as the black man had gone for Brown.
low, it was the duty of the white mar
to go against the negro; disclosing
further, that when they obtained
power, they would disfranchise him
and throwing themselves into tn,
arms of the Democratic party. wa!
in hopes that reflection would bring
them back to our old platform, bu
in this / was mistaken. There /,
now no Conservative party.
AS viewed the condition of oul
State then, so now l view the nation
Let the negro remain as he is, anC
direct our batteries against the dis
reimbursement of the white man. Ii
all the Southern States now the ne
gro is a voter, and considerable por
ton of the whites are not. am Of
the opinion that there are but TIVE
modes of enfranchising the whites
First, by the revolutionary act Of tn
voters themselves, Influenced by til,
moral force of public opinion; sec
ond, by a revolution bloody and ter
rible. The former method I believ,
the better one for all.
The democratic platform declare
the reconstruction acts void. Thel
if they obtain power they will TAX
Gen. Blair's plan, and make the ar
my set aside the southern State gov
ernments, expel their senators ant
representatives from congress, and lie
! the white re-organize their govern
ments to suit themselves. This
conscientiously believe would be
dangerous proceeding, one fraugh
with unpleasant consequences. s.
believing, l cannot be expected t
support 1t.
l am most heartily opposed to pla
cling the black man above the whit
in political power; but such happen
to be the case in number of States
Now how can it best be remedied
, Organized opposition makes the mat
ter worse. So says the experience {
the past two or three years. Try
: better, at least an easier method. G
, back to the old conservative platform
of 1S67-"Equal rights for ALL" an
work with that party which come
nearest to 1t.
hope this will satisfy all who cor
= slider my position worth knowing.
II Very respectfully yours,
| nv A