Nashville union and American. [volume] (Nashville, Tenn.) 1868-1875, 1869-02-04
The Knoxville Wing on the
Defensive.
How Secretary Fletcher's Pee
cadlllOes Annoyed the
Governor.
An Unsettled QaestiOn as TO the
appointment or Attorney
General Hickey.
/" Duncan Letter" Stokes Ap-
pears on the Boards.
From the KnOxriIIc Wing. Feb. ?

view: One, that this quarrel upon G0Y
Brownlow and the Union Republican
party of Tennessee, was begun by Mr.
Fletcher, himself @
The Whig made no war upon him,
nor, so far as we know, did other Radi-
cal journals, with perhaps single ex-
ception, until he had arrayed himself
squarely, against the platform of the
Union Republican party of Tennessee,
and against the administration of Gov.
Brownlow The other thing we wish
clearly observed is, that Mr.. Fletcher
cannet hide his political tergiversations
and party faithlessness in the smoke and
dust of petty, personal matters in which
the public have no interest.
We intend to hold him to the naked
questions Of fact aud political ineonsis-
tency. Mr. Fletcher declines to be read
out of the party. He can not escape the
logical consequences of his own posi-
| tons. At the last State convention,
among other planks unanimously adopt
ed, may be found these: Endorsement
| Of Cor. BrOa0nlo10's administration,
especially as to employing the militia !;
disapproval Of enfranchising unrepentant
rebels; denunciation Of sectional pro-
scription, or anti-carpet- bagism.
1t is too obvious to admit OF moments
doubt, that Mr.. Fletcher has taken open
and positive ground against every one Of
these. Again, at the jubilee meeting,
last fall, in Nashville, all the speakers,
| from Judge Harrison to the last one,
I .1oI,,1ino- H. EIafnAar h,p,zoIf
who was then candidate for reelection,
took the same ground, on these points,
as the State platform. rs.
Moreover, the General Assembly has
before and since that jubilee meeting re-
asserted itself on the same questions.
So far as the State Union Republican
party is concerned, it is needless to read
Mr.. Fletcher out it He has done this
already, and done it most effctually. In
no other way than by simple retraction
| of his letter, to which we replied in the
Whig, of January 20, aud his previous
and subsequent utterances, to which also
| we have called attention, can he reinstate
himself We are constrained, by Mr.,
Fletcher's course in reviewing our reply,
as published in the Whig, of January 20,
to notice, somewhat in detail, the errors,
not to say falsehoods, into which he has
fallen.
FLETCHER's RETURN To TENNESSEE.
Mr.. FIetcher's showing OF his coming
10 Tennessee in 1865, and of his course
after arriving, is qnite wide of the facts.
| We have responsible authority for the fol
lowing: The first person who suggested
| to Gov. Brownlow to send for Mr..
Fletcher, was not Judge Rodgers, as Mr..
f. asserts. 1t was Hon. R. r. Butler
who strongly urged the measure. Judge
Rogers acquiesced in it, remarking, that
| Mr.. Fletcher had ability enough for the
position, if his inOrdinate vanity did not
lead him astray.
1t was, as stated, upon R. R. Buffers
suggestion and urgent solicitation that
Mr.. Fletcher was sent for, and it was
largely through Mr.. Buffers efforts with
| the members of the General Assembly
that he was elected Secretary Of State.
| The object of this detailed recital, is, to
show the incorrectness Of Mr.. FletcheFs
statement that Judge Rogers was more
his friend in the matter than Gov. Brown
low or Mr.. Butler, and also and especially
| to exhibit the characteristic ingratitude
| OF the man. 1t required much effort to
induce the Legislature to elect him. Both
Mr.. Butler and the Governor wrought
| for this Three arguments were used ::
Mr.. Fletcher had ability the Governor
| desired it f; Mr.. Fletcher's condition Of
destitutior-the result of the war-and
| his return from exile as an Indiana carpets
Dagger. knowing all this; for Mr.. Butler
| telegraphed him to come and assisted him
| with means after he came, and in cons
junction with the Governor procured his
election, Mr.. Fletcher requited Mr..
Butler by readily lending assistance to
Mr.. Powell to hunt out documents where
with to prevent Mr.. Butler from taking
his seat in Congress. His re9uital of the
Governor is already shown.
| By the Governors part in procuring
| Mr.. Flether's election he incurred the
displeasure of the defeated candidated for
the position, who charged-and truly
that, but for the Governors influence,
Fletcher could not have been elected.
4 FLETCHEhb QUAdhELS WITH The tUf
ERNoR's STAFF.
Mr.. Fletcher was hardly warm in his
seat, when he commenced a quarrel with
| one of the Governors staff-Col. Wilcox,
| of this city-and carried it so far, that,
| for the sake of peace, the Governor &C
cepted Col. Wllcox's resignation. An
| other member of the Governors staff was
Col Hufflebower, whom the Governor
| appointed in place Of Col. Wilcox, upon
the earnest recommendation Of Gen. Geo.
II. Thomas. In a few weeks, Mr..
| Fletcher fell out with this gentleman,
treating him so unpleasantly that again,
for the sake of peace, the Governor
yielded and Col. Huffilebowers resigns-
ton was accepted.
Col. H. II. Thomas, a member of the
Governors staff ard his private secre-
tary, received a full measure of Mr..
Fletcher's hostility, who even carried it
so far as to demand that the Governor
| should dismiss him. Feeling that this
thing had gone quite far enough, the Gov
ernor declined to dismiss Col. Thomas.
But the persistent and pugnacious Score
tary logged him in the Legislature un~
til Col. Thomas was legislated out of his
| office.
Another incident may be given ::
Fletcher instigated quarrel between
Col. Thomas and Capt. Heydt, Superin-
| tendent of Public Buildings, as to who
should receive the Governors mail,
Thomas or Fletcher. The matter was
referred to the Governor, who decided
that it should be delivered to Thomas.
Upon this, Fletcher had the executive
blanks carried from his office and thrown,
promiscuously, upon a sofa in the Gov
emo s room, and he informed the Gor'
ernor that he now considered himself re
lieved from further service in the Execu
tive department. In this, his intimatiOT
has been fully carried out.
In view Of all this, the public will judge
whether Mr.. Fletcher is truthful in the
statements that the Governor is under
greater obligations to the Secretary than
Mr.. Fletcher to him, and that he, Mr..
Fletcher has never been influenced by
personal animosity against the Governor.
For Mr.. Fletcher's hostility TO Col.
Thomas, several reasons may be con-
jectured.
Col. Thomas, as an executive officer,
was fully Mr.. Fletcher's equal. The
latter's inordinate vanity could rot brook
rival or an equal. Col. Thomas ren>
dered valuable assistance to the GOVs