Nashville union and American. [volume] (Nashville, Tenn.) 1868-1875, 1868-11-10
"LET US Rave PEACE n-wRAT
SAYS GOV. BRORNIOW

sembly reassemble next Monday. They
meet while yet the shouts of victory are
ringing through the land. They meet,
sustained by the moral support of an
overwhelming majority of their own con-
stituents, and by a majority in the Uni
ted States, which approaches a half mil
lion. Such vindication of their past
course is rarely given in Republican Gov
ernments. 1t seems to us the lesson is |
one Of straightforward adherence to the |
principles and policy so astonishingly |
endorsed by the loyalty, intelligence and |
patriotism Of the American people. |
Backward steps now, would be dishon-
orable, unmanly. We write thus, not
that we fear such steps are intended; but
because we know appeals will be made
TO the magnanimity of a great party,
flushed with extraordinary Success, to
deal literally with the vanquished. We
hope our Legislature will remember the
tabled viper which turned upon its ben
efactor and destroyed him. Georgia,
Alabama and Louisiana furnish striking
examples Of what magnanimity towards
those incapable Of approaching and right
ly using the magnanimity shown them
will result in. We trust our representa-
tives will not throw away the fruits of
the victory by foolish display of mag
nanimity towards those who do not de-
serve it, and who would abuse it to the
detriment and danger Of the State.
SENIOR EDITOR.
Perhaps the people of Tennessee will
not be surprised that Gov. Brownlow
should thus oppose the Legislature ia
king any step toward removing the cause
of such bad feeling in this State. We
are not surprised that he has thrown the
weight Of his influence against restoring
to the great body of the white men Of
this State the rights Of which they have
been unjustly deprived, and yet it is
wonderful that even he cannot rise above
the petty partisan, and illustrate the
close Of his administration by at least
one feature that would challenge the adj
miratiOn Of his political opponents. His
persecution of those who have opposed
him has been bitter and malignant, and
now when he fears that his party, flushed
with victory, may be sofrened in their as
| perity, he steps aside from the reserve
and dignity which should characterize the
position he occupies, TO appeal to his Radi-
cal brethren in the Legislature to turn
a deaf ear to the appeals that may be
"made to the magnanimity of 4 great
party, flushed with extraordinary success,
to deal literally with the vanquish ed"
The Governor fears that the Legislature
may be moved to do an act of simple
justice, and hence this indecent exhibit
ton on the part of the chief executive
officer Of the State. The reason for this
may as well be stated here. 1t is simply
because he knows that these DISTINGUISHED
citizens are opposed to him and his party,
that through their acknowledgements he
and his partisans would lose power and
influence, that he makes haste to urge the
Legislature not to take any step looking
to the restoration of their rights, and
thus to the bringing about of an EZRA
Of good feeling" among the citizens
OF the State. 1t is purely sell
fish. If these disfranchiscd citizens
belonged 10 the party which
placed Governor Brownlow in the posi-
ton he occupies, there would not be the
slightest difficulty to their enfranchiso
ment. They could get certificates to
vote any day that they might satisfy
Gov. Brownlow's Registrars that they
were Of the same political faith with
themselves and the Governor. This is
so notorious that it has been charged by
the Radicals in the Nashville and Mem
phis Congressional Districts that none
opposed to the cliques 10 which the Reg
istrars were members, could get certifi-
Gates. If they would vote for the can
didateS supported by the Registrars,
they coald get certificates. This is a
fair specimen Of the manner in which
the franchise law is administered in this
State. Thousands upon thousands Of
men who are Justly entitled to vote IN
der the franchise law have been refused
certificates by arbitrary Registrars, and
under the present administration Of the
laws in this State they have no redress,
for they regard it as useless to appeal to
the courts. VIII the Legislature obey
the tyrant who Yields his sceptre with
so much rigOr, or will they meet the
crisis in spirit that will bring about
peace and good feeling in this State?
viii they DO nothing to remedy the con
dition Of affairs which has grown worse
every year under the Brownlow admin
istration? VIII they cling to the error
until time works a relorma ion, for the
state Of affairs which this people have
endured must find a climax? Itmay re-
bound 10 the other extreme, and the
men who have SO rcmorselessly ostra,
cised the best men of the State, may
find themselves the subjects of as grind
ing and odious exclusion as they now
heap upon eighty thousand citizens OF
Tennessee. This may be avoided by
the timely action of those in authority
Let us have peace" said the triumph
ant candidate Of the Republicans for
President. But GOV. Brownlow meets
the Legislature with en- appeal that they
will do nothing to bring peace to Ten
1 uesScr.
The Legislature Will fad it much
safer to heed the advice of the fathers o.
the republic rather than yield to the
preinlircs of Gov. Browalow, and to this
end We invite their attention to the
position these great men occupied At the
close Of the revolutionary war. In let
ter from John Jay then at Passy
France, to Alexander Hamilton, in 1888
written in reference to measures for the
dislrauchiscmeut of Tories, then pending
at the instance Of unthinking and violent
persons before the people Of New York,
that great .iurist said
The American papers, for months,
contain aayiccS that do us harm ; violence
and associations against Tories pay an i'll
I rnruD1flnaut fn trpyrrDlE emf