Fayetteville observer. [volume] (Fayetteville, Tenn.) 1850-1966, 1868-12-24
Mr.. Fletcher. on Judge N.
A. Patterson and Car
2 pet Baggers.


pet Baggers.
Secretary Fletcher published a
card in she Nashville Banner rela-
tive to Judge N. A Patterson, who
sought to beat Fletcher for Secreta-
ry of State, because of his tendency
to liberal views and known epposi-
ton to carpet-baggers. In one
portion of a card previously pub
lished, Patterson gave Fletcher
lecture on the duties Of office-hold-
ing, to which the latter pointedly
replies as follows
Judge Patterson and myself
have each held an Office for seve-
raj years. His Office, when lawful
ly and honorably obtained, is one
of the most honorable and respon-
sible known to society. He sits
in Judgment npon, and disposes o.,
the lives, liberty and property, oi
his fellow men. The Legislature
did not see that / had dishonored
| the office they had conferred upon
me four years before. ] had not
heard that Judge Patterson had
shed any peculiar lustre upon his
great office, and his desire to ex-
change it for one of less dignity
would indicate that he is not salts
fed with the harvest of glory it
yields. AT any rate, when the
people Of the circhit in which he
holds his court shall have endorsed
his services as the Legislature have
mime, he will be in better posi-
ton to lecture ce-holders."
The Secretary thus pays his re-
spects to carpet baggers, ad
"The immigrant who comes a.
mongs US becomes one of US, and
an integral part of the community,
and should be treated as a brother
land friend. But it does not follow
THAT every wayfaring adventurer
who stops awhile in Memphis or
Nashville is an immigrant. THE
genuine immigrant is known by
bringing his family or his capital
with him, or, if he is laborer, by
| his inquiring for employment, and
by his kind and respectful deport
merit toward our people. The
spurious article may be known by
his inquiring after positions and
vacant offices as soon as he arrives
by his going into the colored
leagues and melting the colored
race to the hatred of the white
race ; by his violent and whole
sale denunciation of Tennesseeanc
as rebels and former shareholders
by promising negroes confscation
lands and mules in return foi
their votes. His family, if he has
one, either remain in the North OF
board at a hotel until he gets an
office or a job. IF he fails, be re-
turns North, breathing curses and
Iimprecations upon the people of
Tennessee, and giving al account
of our social condition calculated
to deter honest men from coming
among us. This class of men do
not add to the productive wealth
of the State nor improve our social
Fcondition on the contrary, they
corrupt our society, produce dis
cord, and sometimes subtract from
our wealth when they leave
They are as much detested by the
the genuine settler from the North,
as by the native Tennesseean. 1t
wds against this class in Nashville
that ] directed some remarks in a
public speech in September, 1867,
which they affected to construe in
to af1 attack upon Northern men
generally. To shield themselves
from the Indignation Of the COM
munity, they affected to consider
themselves representatives of the
Northen element, thereby raising
a false issue. The conduct of these
men has, to some extent, brought
discredit upon our adopted citizens
from the North, which no man re-
grets more than /. These men
have formed themselves into Office
seeking and jobbing rings in Nash
vile and Memphis, and if my
friend Judge Patterson aspires to
be their champion and leader, he
can have the honor.
=. Asking the public to pardon