Nashville union and American. [volume] (Nashville, Tenn.) 1868-1875, 1869-10-09

AN ELOQUENT APPEAL FOR AMNESTY.
In the same issue Of that paper,
the proceedings of this meeting Of
the " TENNESSEE DEMOCRACY
this GRAND STATE CoNvEN-
TON OF THE ANTI-RADICAL Mass
Es" were heralded in an edi-
torial of a column in length. We
publish it in full. We hope our
readers will not DO deferred from
giving it a careful perusal because
of its length:
From the Nashville Banner. juno 10, 1868.
THE CONVENTION.
Tennessee, to her everlasting honor and
pride, has spoken for Andrew johnson.
The Democracy of the Conservative cen er
State of the border, in Convention, as
sembled, by the action of yesterday, has
added more strength TO The Democratic
voice has been heard in the land since the
Cali lOf NdtlOldl DClnOCIdLlC SOu lGlitlOl
Of all the States WAS Issued.
Although it ia well known, this Journal
had previously declared, upon frequent
occasions, that the wisest policy for this
Convention TO pursue was to abs ain from
an expression of preference for any of the
indicates prominent before the Democra 8
Of the country, it may not be improper to
state now, since the Convention has spoken
that we were impelled TO that course from
honest apprehensions that efforts might be
made to commit the Stale to an ex-
preston Of preference for some
other candidate than the dislin-
guished citizen Of our State, who has
30 nobly champiOned the cause of cons;i-
tuiional liberty, believing that that course
wonld have been more damaging ~ the
Democratic interests than if no expression
had been made at all. We could not, with
out the risk of endangering the harmony
Of the Convention, upon the eve of its as
sembling here, have advocated tho claims
of Andrew johnson, although we we're
with him heart and soul. We were will
ing TO forego all individual preferences
Notwithstanding our judgment would have
dictated the very course the Convention
has pursued as wisest and besl-rallier
than disturb the harmony Of the ConFei.a
ton, or risk the expression Of pref.imept
for another candidate, which could moi
have been otherwise than damaging 70 the
cause, upon. the success of which all We
hold dear upon earth, in common with oar
f,lIow citizens of Tennessee and the South
are depending.
The wisdom of the action of Tennessee
in this expression of preference for her
distinguished son, must be obvious TO every
one not blinded by partisan zeal or whose
interests Of party do not exceed h 9 patriot
i'm. Andrew Johnson has just come
triumphantly ont of the most desperate
struggle for constitutional liberty against
the combined hosts of a corrupt and un-
scrupulcus EtclionIhat was ever witnessed
upon earah--a struggle 10 which the odds
were feaffully against him, upon which not
only hi5 own fate bus ours, and the destiny
of this republic, were balanced. He wac
the sing!e-handed champion defending the |
door to the very Temple Of Liberty, with
the Spartan heroism that held ThermOpyl;e
against a mighty host. His sucCe sful |
of constitutional liberty had |
only, TO support it, the sympathy of the |
people in whose cause he |
battled, and the strength which cOnsci,n.
tious reclitude of principle could give 10
his patriotic heart. With one accls m
from one extreme of this broad land 10
the other, the true national heart throbhed
its grateful acknowledgement. ....
Even those incorruptible AMI honeat
Radical Senator's of the court which i'm
peached him, who sustained him in the
hour of trial, are embslmed in the grateful
memory Of all genuine American patriots,
North and South. If those men were not
80 lost to a sense of their high duty TO
Andrew johnson ia his defence of the
COZ stitution, how lily could Tennessee, his
own State, 80 cruelty oppressed by the
tyranny sgainst which he contended, how