Nashville union and American. [volume] (Nashville, Tenn.) 1868-1875, 1869-08-07
CONGRATULATIONS ADDRESS.
Z -- > ~ - II q q
Our Victory, and How 10 shonid be
Used
10 lbe feopie Of Davidson County:

To the feopie Of Davidson County
NASHVILLE 4 Aug.i q, lS69.-We, the
Executive Committee in the recent elecs
ton, congratulate you .npon the eignal
triumph Of the great cause which was
| achieved al the ballot. box on Thursday. o
| The first Thursday of August, in Ten
nessee, in each alternate year, has ever
| been an important day in our annals.
But that which has Just passed had far
deeper illustration, from the momentous
issue at stake. The sun rose that day
| upon one hundred thousand white men 10
| the State who, for more than four years,
had groaned under the most grievoUs des.
potism. 1t set that evening in all its
brightness upon these same men, free, re,
generated and disenthralled.
This sublime result was wrought out not
by power-not by force, but by the calm
verdict of public opinion-by the ballot
by the re awakened sense ofjustice.
In this hour of victory, while we have 10
language adequate to express our joy, We
have no words Of vulgar exulLation TO
utter. Such an expression would but mar
the dignity of the 0ccasion.
The issue in the late election was en-
Observation-Disclosures was no other. The
result is in our favor by an overwhelming
majority.
And now, if we have been heretofore
prescribed, let us not prescribe again. II
we have been oppressed, our. revenge is
complete in the success of our cause. We
can afford to be magnanimous, moderate
and tolerant, and in fact We are bound TO
be so in conformity TO our professions.
Those who oppressed US are our fellow
citizens, large part of the population
and wealth of the State. We and they are
still to dwell together, for veal or woe,
and it will take the united exertions Of al
to redeem the State from the evils that OPP
press her.
Eve respectfully urge upon our friends
everywhere the exercise of the great vir-
tues of liberation and charity, and to for.
get, az early as possible, all the quarrel
and feuds of the past. Revenge is mortals
bat forgiveness will outlive him who per-
mits himself TO be controlled 10y il in this
hour of general joy. The anthem Of every |
man should be
Sound the loud tmbrel |
Ger Egypts dark sea.
Jehovah has triumphed,
His people are free!"
We should 80 act in the exercise of the |
power devolved upon us as TO make our |
late opponents feel not only safe but vel |
come. When We kill the fitted calf, bid 4
them to the feast. If we are true to our |
Professions, our State can now prosper in
all the departments of her industry, and all
classes, black and white, will soon n joice
with US in the great doctrine that taxation
and representation are and must be inseper-
able.
And while we have before US the oppor-
tunity to share in the administration of the
State government, we viii! have a chance
also 10 disprove the repeated charges of
to the national government. To
preserve both in all their purity and glory
is the duty, and ought to be the ambition
of all. 1t is our common country, with all
its glorious memories, and will be the
of our posterity for ages to come,
long after we are forgotten. Let our motto
be, Prosperity to both; peace on earth and
good will TO all men,"
We would do our feelings great wrong
did we close this address without express
ing our gratitude to Gov. Senter, the uni
versal suffrage standard bearer in the late
contest. He has borne himself CALAMITY
and deserves our profound thanks. He
has been the great instrument Of our
and we sincerely hope his
may be marked by the
same high and noble aspirations which
wrought the deliverance of our oppressed
people.
] L Manlove, Phinehas Garrett,
l. Weakley, George S Kinney,
George Burch, Thos j Halle,
+ A Mathes, II II Harrison,
Christian Kreig, George Z Purvrs,
Executive Committee, Davidson CO.