The Evansville journal. [volume] (Evansville, Ind.) 1866-1870, 1868-01-08
Letter from Secretary etcher of
tennessee.


Editors Journal:
My attention has been called to
late number of your paper, in which
you use the following language:
We are glad to learn that the at
tempt of Mr.. Fletcher to organize an
opposition State Central Committee
in the Republican party proved
ridiculous failure. That he should
place himself at the head of move
ment to prescribe Northern men, was
not only ridiculous, but meanly I'M
grateful. We always gave him credit
for fidelity to the Union, and cheered
him when he sought protection in our
city as an exile from his home and
State. ist sti5
1 regret, extremely, that you have
been betrayed in this severe personal
attack upon me; because l am sure
you would not have done so if
you had been correctly Informed.
l regret it, too, because it
forces me to do what /. had
resolved not to do-iefend myself
| before the public Your statement is
founded upon the letters of one John
Lawrence. who has been permitted to
assail me in the Cincinnati Gazette for
near year, over the signature of
Justice" Lawrence is actuated by
mean. personal malice, and there is
not one syllable of truth In his state
ment, nor in yours. which is but of
his condensed. [ say this in no of
| fensive sense towards, you, for [ pre-
e. h.a JCtr L a
respectable paper would have respect
( able correspondents. This was, IN
this instance, a mistake.
/ This man Lawrence came to this
/ city, some two or three years since, as
an agent of the Freedmen's Bureau.
/ From constant and intimate associ-
alton with that class of negroes that
/ depended upon the Bureau for sup
I port, be became quite popular with
| them. After the disfranchisement of
most of the white race, Law
renee conceived the idea of or
/ ganizing the Bureau negroes" into
a political party with a view to his
election to Congress over the Hon.
/ John Trimble. Though he was a
! citizen Of Ohio, no action would have
! been taken against him for that rea-
son but for his constant efforts to Or
ganize a coiored party, and to array
the whites against the blacks in poll
ties. Every good man deprecated
the movement, but the blacks were
the most numerous, and Lawrence de
voted himself to that end. The most
/ serious consequences were likely to
en=ue. Bloodshed was imminent
Admonished by the scenes of Mem
phis and New Orleans, I felt bound
"a a public tficer, to call the attention
IF Gen. Howard to his conduct, which
| did in brief note. The General,
after expressing his scOrn and con-
tempt for the man, ordered an inves-
tigation, which was soon followed by
Lawrence resignation. Fgym that
time down he has attacked me in
every mean and cowardly form but
mostly in anonymous letters to the
Gazette. At one time | was pro
( voked to reply, but the Ga
zette failed to publish my
letter. Otherwise, | have never no
ticed him. Ihad no idea his effu-
sions would find lodgment at Evans
= vile, among people whom [ love as
kindred, and whose good opinion |
prize higher than almost any other,
Tor the reasons you indicate. La
Nashville, this man att cks can hurt
no one. In former times he assumed
to be preacher; failing in that pro-
fesslOn, he assumed to be a lawyer,
and now has an office, or part Of one,
in this city His only clients are the
vicious portion of the blacks Of both
sexes. Seldom, If ever. seen in good
society. his only usefulness is as a
: scavereer, relieving the bar of it. Of
nj | had nothing to do, directly or
Indirectly, with any attempt to organ
. ize an opposition central committee
IL the Republican party. No meet
ing was held or proposed for any such
, purpose. Committees were organized
last Sprinr, by the State Convention
7 for the Safe canvass. With that
canvass. By custom, their powers
terminated The meeting to which
you refer, as | understood, was to or
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