Clarksville chronicle. (Clarksville, Tenn.) 186?-1872, 1868-07-03
wn.so. dts,itoyeA ssrei, H. rsiiolt9ts tef

come and the usurpatiun issubdued the foi-
er se, rs",1ns M t Resome sr,iye anu ans The
State exists Gs before. IL has been conquer
I'd; II has been rescued. fthns not been sub
Iugated; IL has sbeen'dlscnthra'led. In times
like these words are things and should he
very carefully handled. IN accordance with
this theory has been the oonluct OF tho
and Governor Johnson. They do
not believe popular convention necessary
TO reorganize the community into n body
polite. They do not require rev laws To
authorize elections. They tecbgnize tho
force, piid are providing for the execution.
Justice, public and private, X ndtninistcrcd
In the Federal, state, and municipal tribu.
as the State rs delivered from the power OF
hostile troops tire ballot-box resumes its
sway;
And much more Of the same.
Who dare 10 challenge my witness?
Verify I" times change, and men with
thcm." If my honorable friend was
right then lie ,s rong now. If Mr..
Lincoln and Mr.. johnson, with
whom he SO well agreed, were right
in 1862, why IL II wrong in 1867
Who has ehafiged, Mr. johnson or
my friend? Let the record speak,
The honorable gentleman came here
In 1896 and again In fsGS as Repre-
sentative 0f Tenifessee; not as she
was, as shown by him In 1862, but as
she IL, with government founded
upon the overthrow VI his theory
then when, to quote his own express
ion, "Words were things, required to
be carefully handled"
No amount of special pleading ca1
reconcile; no sophlsti of the human
ffiind can dress his theory then and
now with the slightest semblance Of
of similarity.
Ifmy friend had biily adhered to
his theory then II might have de-
prived the people of Tennessee of his
learning ami experience now, yet he
would be consoled by the knowledge
that he was consistent with himself
and with Mr.. Lincoln, who died in
the faith of that theory, to say noth-
ing of Mr.. johnson, who yet clings to
II DIS the sheet anchor of constitutions
al right, and also with one Of the
captains of the war, [General Sher-
man., who In 1865 recognize, land add
opted 1t in his famous negotiations
with General Johnson, and, so doing,
manifested more real statesmanship
even than soldiership, great and de-
served as is his reputation.
If this had been carried out In good
faith, as so eloouently portrayed by
the gentleman. we would to-day l,e
in the endowment of n restored Union.
in truth and i'm fact. instead of wide,
spread discontent. dissatisfaction. and
poverty that exists in eleven states.
with the people pressed and bowed
down and overawed by a standing
army. MANY of whose Officers and
s,Ibalterns In violation of the C,onsti-
tuition and IN evarS principle of civil
liberty. are attetfjutinn TO All both
civil and military positIons. and MT
arbitrary appojutitent rf military
commanders are filling State and m,i-
nicipal Offices that under the law are
entirely elective. At the time this
despotic and anti-republjcan state
government of Tennessee first sought
Representation on this floor II is Ger.
tain that political and not legal a.
Constitutional considerations secure,i
the representation and an acknowls
edgement by the law making mower
of the nation. II tirie would hermit,
II would ouote from the dehntes
in this House to show the opinions of
such distinguished men as Governor
boutwell, and others To show the ont.
rage: but I pass on.
The so-ralIed I,epislaturs afyer-
wards. in Februnrv' nassed n hi,
strikius the wori white fron, the
franchise law. thus establishing ne.
gro suffrage In the State. About the
same time a law also passed contain.
ing this provisions
=,
otbea p eac,inns IN ai se u,s,ir,ct eopnty nd al
more than one year in the United states
and more niaf six months IN the state Of
t,ye ssa, nrrdd ,hg ,fh,ght OF te eiec
shall have previously declared Their iiiien:
tion TO become citizens Of the United states