Public ledger. [volume] (Memphis, Tenn.) 1865-1893, 1869-01-07
A Northern Estimate Of the Sick Kan Of
Tennessee.

From the Utica IN. " Observer
Brownlow is sick, unable to sit up,
or even to raise himself off his bed but
he is still the life and soul of his party"
Such is a sentence in late letter from
Tennessee, meant to be encouraging; for
it goes on to remind Us that after the
fourth Of March next he ceases to be a
local Gtar in the politics of that State, and
becomes national luminary-that is,
disloyally speaking, he takes his bloody
talons off the throat of single sovereign
State, where they have been clasped for
three or four disastrous years, and trans
fers his fiendish ferocity and skillin 'gov-
eminent" TO the assistance Of body of
legislators who are seeking to throttle
whole family of States. If Brownlow's
life is spared, he will shine in his new
place as be has shone in the old. He
will, in the Senate, continue to be the
life and soul of his party, as he has been
in the more circumscfibed field Of Ten
nessee. The Senator from New York
and the Senator from Massachusetts,
who have wrestled with each other fall
or two for the leadership of party, must
prepare to see him whom courtesy COM
pels us to call "the gentleman from
Tennessee leap beyond them in the
race for that distinction; for he is more
vindictive and venomous Radical even
than they.
They are but green pupils yet in the
new school of government, Of which the
vicious old Governor is master, and they
must take back seats, and learn from him
what is to be the republicanism of the
future. He has learned how to keep con-
troll of State by DISTINGUISHING three
quarters of its population, disqualifying
the disfrsnchised from holding any Office
Of profit or trust, or even sitting as jurors,
and comforting those privilegss.upon the
remaining quarter-sn ignorant and de-
based class, who are exempt by law from
paying even so much as a poll-,sx. IN
der his benign dispensstion the disfran-
chised, who pay nearly all the taxes,
have not word in deciding what dispo-
sition shall be made Of the vast revenue
annually collected from them. They are
tethered down in this degrading condi-
ton by registration arrangement which
could have been invented by none but
tue must EeChteSs anu ouamcicbo ucopOI
Every county in the State has a Com
missioner Of Registration, an appointee
OF the Governor, who says who shall, and
who shall not vote, and from his decision
there is no appeal. If, by any chance,
one Of these pieces of property becomes
weskhearted through sympathy with
suffering, and permits too many Con-
sentative votes to be polled, be is de-
posed, the election declared void, new
registration ordered, and q msjority for
the Browulow favorite speedily brought
forth. There is no appeal to law, for three
quarters Of the Judges, Chancellors aud
District Attorneys are appointees and
abject tools Of the Governor, though by
the Constitution they are elective. This
state OF affairs will continue in Tennes-
see so long as the CHASTITY old wretch who
now lies on his sick bed continues TO be
the "life and soul Of his party. The
broadest humsnity almost prompts a
hope-in which We must not indulge.
however-that this genius may soon be
transferred to a wider sphere, where the
life and soul Of party Of choice spirits
ALL like the Governor-Eill brook no
rival Until then be never can be
refined up.