The evening telegraph. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1864-1918, 1869-08-06
FRIDAY AUGUST 6, 1869.
THE ELECTTON IN TENNESSEE

TfE ELECIION IN IEhNHippEE'
rU,rg course of events in Tennessee during
the past few months has been such as to indi-
cate. with fair degree of certainty, that the
election which was held yesterday would re-
suit precisely as it did in the triumph of the
ticket known as the conservative one. The
sHherents of Senter. who claimed to be
familiar with the state of public sentiment
inst previous to the election, stoutly declared
that his majority would be greater than was
TINT of General Grant last November; but the
indications are that they have slightly miscal-
culated the chances; for even in the first flush
of victory the majority is estimated at only
TWENTY-FIVE thousand, or five thousand less
than the majority Of the President. In the
course of a few days this may he cut
down somewhat, but there is no pros
pect of whiting it down to less than nothing
Senter has fulfilled the taunt of the canvass,
and plucked the 'Bald Eagle" very bare in
deed. 1t was rumored within few days
past that Stokes, if defeated, would contest
the right of his successful competitor to the
chair of state basing his claim to an election
in defiance of the face of the returns on the
allegation that the new commissioners of
registration appointed by Senter as acting
Governor had openly and defantly repudiated
the laws regulating the franchise, and placed
on the voting lists the names of thousands of
the white men of the State who had not yet
been purged from the taint of disloyalty.
Such q supplemental contest between the
two gubernatorial rivals would be even more
protracted and bitter than the one which has
iust closed, and it is to be hoped that there
is no necessity for it, and no probability of
its occurrence. If Governor Senter abides
by his declarations made during the campaign,
if he fulfls strictly all the pledges he has
given the people, there is reason to believe
that the State will be as prosperous and pro-
eressive under his administration as it could
possibly have been under that of his com
petitor. In the address which he issued to
the people of Tennessee, he explained his
position and policyin the following unequivo-
cal language:-
81 stand fully and frankly upon the platform oJ
the National Republican party, as adopted at the
Chicago Convention in May. 1885, and as illustrated
by the administration of President Grant These
views and principles are as conceive, founded in
Justice and right They are similar to the doctrines
of the Declaration Of independence; they appeal to
the conscience of every honest and sincere Rcpubi-
can. BY them am willing TO stand or fall.
AS this is the platform on which stands the
great mass of the people of the country,
North and South, Governor Senter cannot be
other than acceptable to them, if he makes
any pretense to honesty. The Stokes faction
as a matter of course, and in strict accordance
with the customs of Tennessee, accuse him of
being deficient in both virtue and patriotism
of affiliating with unregenerated Rebels, Of
playing into the hands of the Southern Demo-
cracy, and, finally, of disregarding the fran
chse laws for the sake of continuing himself
in power. As Senter, in his turn, has accused
Stokes of every crime in the political calen-
dar, abuse is offset against abuse and time
alone will develop the truth or fasity of the
charges which have been brought against the
successful candidate.
IN addition to the succinct statement of his
principles, as quoted above, Governor Sente1
in his address dwelt at considerable length
upon the subjects of the extension of the
franchise. the ratification of the fifteenth
amendment and the establishment of an eff
cient and practical common school system
With regard to the franchise, he declared
himself in favor of so amending the Consti-
NuIlOu anu laws Oh Jlle OIate as TO extend Jl(
privilege of the ballot to the mass of the
adult population, basing it, to use his OWL
expressive words, upon the facts and condi
tons of the present instead of the past, ant
upon principles of imparJiality, equality ant
Justice. In other words, he tool
his stand upon the broad platform of uni
versal suffrage and universal amnesty-th,
only platform on which the country can ulti
mately stand, and the platform to which tn
whole country must ultimately come. Tn
disfranchisement Of Rebels was temporar
expedient only, made necessary by the exigen
cies of the period of transition which fo
lowed Immediately upon the heels of the wal
No reasonable man, and certainly n
man making pretensions to states
manship could expect or desir
permanent Acknowledgement The only poiI
on which the true and best friends of IL
Southern States can differ is the question {
time, whether it is best that the disabilities ,
the participants in the Rebellion should l
removed this year or next. Whatever di
ferences there may he on this point, Il
almost universal sentiment of the country
to the effect that the sooner univers
amnesty goes hand in hand with univers
suffrage, and the color of mans skin ceas
to be a token of his political affiliations, Il
better for the whole country in general al
for the Southern section of it i'll particular.
In his address Governor Senter strong