Nashville union and American. [volume] (Nashville, Tenn.) 1868-1875, 1869-01-22
justly denounced as treason to man.
kind" Another has said
'tTf fbora ha

1 hiHu. AuOInef mas S1lU
IF there be a crime
| VI deeper dye than all the guilty train
VI human vices It's ingratitude."
Justice demands that this crime be
brought home and fastened upon him.
Mr.. Fletcher was poor and in exile.
Mi. brownlow procured his recall and
accession to the Secretaryship. He came,
on borrowed funds from his exila IN the
position which has yielded him wealth
and honor. No sooner is he firm in his
seat than he attempts to strike down the
hand that had lifted him from obscuritv
to eminence and from utter penury to
opulence. He may talk of Independence
and of manliness he may urge that
gratitude did not require the sacrifice of
principle and right. But such a subter-
fuge will not avail him here. The pub
lie will fail to see, in the objections Mr..
Fletcher urges against the party, or the
Governor, anything so dark and perfdi-
Gus as the base, black ingratitude of him,
who, after all this, would pursue, and
strike at, his life>lOng friend and bene-
factor.
Mr.. Fleteher's ingratitude, however,
were it darker than it is, is no iustifca-
ton OF any vices in the Governors ads
ministration. IL is not presented for
that purpose His administration needs
no apology, requires no vindication. 1t
has received the proudest Of commenda-
tion-the endorsement of popular ma
jOrity Of loyal Tennesseans of filty-two
thousand-the endorsement of the State
Convention and of the Legislature, and
that, also, Of the late election, which
would have exceeded the majority of
1869 but for the murderOus violence aad
lawlessness Of those for whose enfran-
chisement the Secretary so beseechingly
pleads
At the risk Of seeming impairment, we
make bold TO put few questions TO the
Secretary. Did he, or did he not, write
a letter to certain distinguished Con-
gresham, doubling Gen. Grants fitness
for the Office to which he is elected2 Did
he in that, or any other letter or way.
propose to that, or any other gentleman,
to get up iOhite mans party and put
down the Niger and the carpet-5aqgers4
Did he publicly state, in Bradley county,
last fall that ne thought as much of
man who had lost limb in the Confed-
crate army as one who had lost limb in
the Federal army that both thought
they were doing right2 Did he 20 so far
as to say, at the same time and place,
that he felt more concern about the sows
and pigs than he did for the election of
Ulysses 5. Grant? Will he answer
whether he stated to Mr.. Bowel, the edis
tor of the JonesborO' Flag, that carpet
bdggers and Riggers could not run this
State much longer2 When these ques-
tons are disposed of there may be others
to ask. ~ M 81 ~
In the meantime, take the Seeretary's
own letter, and looking no further than
its plain language, what must be thought
of the consistency of one who could en-
ploy it and yet claim to be in and of the
party whereof he writes He assails the
political, financial, military and general
administration of the party, and espe-
clally Its course as to ex-rebels, in I'M
stinted manner, and yet claims to be of
1t and in sympathy with it, What
strange inconsistency The statements
and admissions of the Secretary compel
the conclusion that he would have the
State government in the hands of the
ERsbelsif he could; that this is the pur-
pOs4at which he is aiming He saws
''haff the people and twO-thirds of the
Taxpayers are publicly degraded by law"
that is, they are without the franchise,
which he argues they should have. He
ha1 l.. L
them, thousands ofthem would Join our
to-day" But these thousands" added to
our party would not, by his own shew-
ing, make our party that Of the majority.
Therefore he is pleading to have the
State turned over to Rebels, ex-Rebels,
he calls them, and he is uncomfortable"
because it is not done.
His course and his letter convict the
OF inconsistency, of infdelity
to party obligations, of gross faithless-
ness to friends, of utter insensibility to
the claims of gratitude, Of reckless dis
regard of truth, and Of false, sickly,
sentimental sympathy for rebels.
We have written this with no pleasure
but with great pain. Our only aim has
been truth and justice, let results be
what they may and fall where they may
If in this examination and exposure of |
the fallacies, not to say falsehoOds, of
this singular letter, we have seemed Sc.
we're, the apology is,
His Offsnse is rank,
Ii smells TO Heaven"
We warn Republicans against this
prOfessed friend, but really earnest ene-
my Of the Republican party.