Nashville union and dispatch. [volume] (Nashville, Tenn.) 1866-1868, 1868-03-20
A GUBERNATORIAL UKASE.

n UUbEhNAIUhlAh UhAOE.
A Bid for the Vice Presidency by
observation-disclosures Himself for Dis
obIiging Amy Loyal HEan-Abuses
Rebels - EHlOgizes NegrOes-Takes
the Part effhe Northern Runners,
and DORounces Secretary Fletcher
et Rls.-Is for Impeachment TO his.
qualify johnson, and Then for Grant
and BrOwnIow.
The following extracts are taken from
an address to the loyal people of Tennes-
see published in the Knoxville Wing of the
18th inst. over the signature of w. G..
Brownlow
In the conscientious discharge Of my
official trust, may have given ottense to
some Of our Radical friends in different
parts of the State. / have been urged to
ret aside certain elections and TO dismiss
certain officers whom Ihad previously com
missioned. From lack of the requisite au-
thority in the premises, have been COM
PEELED 20 decline doing so. / have also
been solicited in a number Of counties to
sci aside the registration, which, for similar
reasons, has been found impracticable. The
allusions are made to vindicate my own
action in the cases named, and to say that
such action, however unpleasant or ineon-
venient to certain parties at the time, can
not justify them in crisis like the present
in being lukewarm in the support of our
cause.
From several counties in Middle and
West Tennessee, / have received earnest
appeals TO send companies of the State
militia TO suppress the operations Of the
Ku-Klux bands-roving organizations Of
marauders and outlaws-to whose lawless
depredations some of the loyal citizens
have unhappily fallen victims. have
been unable TO afford them this relief, for
the reason that | have had no militia at
my command. The Legislature, with a
view to economy, repealed the military
law. Supposing they understood and fairly
represented the wishes Of their constituents,
have interposed no objection. | now
doubt the wisdom and propriety of the
action Of the General Assembly as to the
military.
Whatever injury may accrue, in conse-
quence, 10 loyal men in those counties,
am unwilling that the responsibility shall
rest upon me. Ii must lie upon others.
Since the above was written, a few days
ago, the Legislature has enacted a military
bill, the provisions of which show that
however we'll disposed the majority may
have been who voted for il, the trainers OF
originators of the bill certainly designed TO
defeat the purposes for which, on its face,
it shows it was intended. In my judgment,
these outbreaks and violence towards loyal
men are only a sample, on a small scale,
Of what would become general throughout
the State, should the Rebel party in any
event gain the political ascendency among
us.
From the number and character of the
letters poured in upon me from all parts
of the State, in regard to the appointment
of County Commissioners under the pro-
visions of the law TO indemnify loyal citi-
zens for losses sustained during the war, |
am satisfied that 10 many of the counties
dissatisfaction will prevail as TO the APP
pointments made. When those provisions
are considered, all will exonerate me from
blame in reference TO those appointments.
The law directs that the Representatives
from the several counties shall designate
the Commissioners to me, and that | shall
commission them. 1t will be seen, there
fore, that have no other agency in the
matter than simply to execute the orders
of the General Assembly. These state
ments are not made to impute blame, but
only to prevent misunderstanding.
l have not hitherto attempted TO repel
the malignant assaults made upon me, in
and out of the Legislature, by few pre-
tended Republicans of small calibre.
have kept my eye, rather, upon the more
cowardlv yet prominent individuals who
have instiqated these vile assaults, at a time
when they knew | was physically unable
TO reply 20 them with tongue or with pen.
| The time has now arrived, when, in my
Judgment, / should notice them. This |
propose to do by the pen rather than the
tongue. The loyal people of the State well
know that from the commencement OF the
late rebellion, have breasted the storm,
met every issue boldly and firmly and
shrunk from no responsibility devoIving
upon me. Itis equally well known TO some
that some Of those who have led off in
these gross assaults upon me are men who
have skuiked all danger, vacillating between
the contending armies, to avoid on the one
hand CONSUMPTION by the RebelsSand on
the Other to escape service in the Union
army in defense of the flag. Thus they
| have alternately claimed to be Confederates
| ard Union men. Some of them when
| pressed by the conscripting officers actu.
ally applied &c the Rebels authorities Coz
commissions to raise troops for the Rebe
service.
/ have seen, with profound regret, a dis
position among some Republicans to form
a party upon the platform that Tennessee
shall be ruled only by native Tennesseans
and that ours shall be "a white mans gov
eminent" ] cannot but regard al sucl
movements as alike inexpedient, unjust
and mischieVous / will enter into NJ
secionalizing conspiracy to prescribe
| Northern men. / will not consent, for one
that fraud and oppression shall be prac
ticed upon tine colored man. Nor will
now or hereafter, lend my humble inhu
ence to the support of any man for oflict
who may plant himself upon such plat
form. In a government like ours politica
parties only can and only ought 10 succeed
permanently, IA they are based on the grea
principles Of right and justice. Only
these can give Conference, stability and en-
durance 10 a party. The evils alluded t.
outrages all those principles. eanno
but warn my fellow.citizens against an er
ror so fragrant and injurious, 1t will no
bear the light of honest scrutiny. The col
ored man has vindicated his right to free
dom and 10 exercise the full franchises @
complete manhood aud citizenship, by hi
loyalty 10 the flag during the dark hour
of rebellion; by his manly heroic patriot
ism a. a soldier of the republic, and BY hi
, political utilization, both in Tennessee
and elsewhere-but especially in Ten
, nessee-with the loyal men Of the ma
!. lion. For Republicans in Tennessee, al
ter all this, to prescribe and depress hin
and TO limit his privileges would b
the most outrageous injustice. Negro ter
iimony, negro suffrage and negro elevatio
generally, are the results Of the Rebellion
J. brought 90 by the shareholders themselves
, The ghost Of slavery haunts these practi
a, cal Abolitionists - Southern Rebels -
/, every step in the successive stages of III
, negro's advancement to the rights of mar
: hood. Upon nothing are they more sens
!, tive than 10 see this African Mordecs
| IL. II