Nashville union and American. [volume] (Nashville, Tenn.) 1868-1875, 1869-08-21
NEW SERIES. NO. 3O6
lAdvertisement.l
ADDRESS.
To MY Friends and Acquaintance
Generally, and to the People Of Red
ford and Rutherford Counties I'm

1 10 ny FRIENDS and AeQuafnfanee
Generally, and to the People of BED
ford and Rutherford Counties 81
Particular
Recently having been a candidate to repre-
sent Bedford and Rutherford counties jointly j
the Legislature, / desire now to return m
thanks TO my many friends. who gave me thei
support through evil as well as good report
Especially are those thanks due to friends 9th
party with whom 1 had cO-operated eve
since the s2rigin of the Radical party
commencing January, 1865, and fear
at the threshold, when they only met as
primary meeting, or advisory council. resolving
themselves into an authoritative body. styled 4
convention, and proceeded to change the con-
Ial6 down IN the constitution. to that arbitrary
ana revolutionary power, L eutersd my solemn
protest and left for home in disgust. l was one
OF the heroic band Of six who wrote against it,
spoke against it and voted against Il,
and had at all times waged an interminable
war against their policy of DISTINGUISHING the
clilz9ns OF Tennessee for partieipation in the
rebellion against the United States;
themselves retained in power BY adopting the
aDominable test oath, and to cap the climax
calling out military force in time of peace;
eonIerrlng upon the Governor despotic power
scarcely witnessed IN any age or country; hav-
ing the entire judiciary of the country in his
nands, with power to remove Registrars,
and set aside Registrations. thus held.
ing the entire liberties Of the people in his
nand; with all the train of evils attending such
a policy, having earnestly and zealously OPP
posed ali those denominations and in open day,
IN the face of all this opposition to Radical rule
i was falsely charged with having sold out" TO
tue Radical party. that had struggled against
for more than four long years. and at the time
when It was self-evident to any person that rad
ieallsm was dead. twice dead and plucked up
oy inc roots, and 1t being uncertain whether it
4nT0uf ~ orf 70 IS he
same Kind as the charge made against me BY
the radicais IN 1855, to-wit: That | had sold
out to the rebels"
1t is true that | received hundreds Of votes
nom the radical party. for which they will
please accept my thanks; but the charge that /
mad made pledges to any of them in violation
Of principles and measures Of policy
long entertained. and fearlessly ex-
brain that cOncOcted it or the tongue that ex-
pressed IT. Another charge against me was be-
case OF my weil-knOwn views and objections in
regard 70 the policy. prOprieties and unconsti-
t1uOnality oil calling convention, and that my
object was to prevent Rebels from having their
disabilities removed. which is equally false. Ii
Is because L did not nor do new believe that
conventions are the proper tribunals TO remove
such disabilities. l refer to my well-knOwn
course of opposition to the measure at the
time OF its passage and ever since. Again il is
said, that ad pandered to the Radical party
70 obtain their votes; didnO such thing. When
: - Seee@AA1 " bAO obo udfS HON dtl1lntu-
largely over three scsre years, he is not likely
70 abandon views long entertained, fearlessly
expressed on all occasions, in order TO receive
Inc vote OF any man, or votes of any party of
men, MY personal enemies may decry and mis-
me, but time, that great revealer OF
secrets will show that / stood as firm and as true
10 my principles as the everlasting rock of ages
Another charge against me wSs that l would
vote Tor the nfteenth amendment to the federal
That amendment Is ali eady yirtu
ally passed, and will be the law of the land be
fore December next No sensible man will for
4 moment question this, except il be for effect:
and after all, what Is SO Objectionable in this IF
tenth amendment 1t will certainly prevent
any Of the States or the United States from de-
priving any citizen of the United States of any
political right or privilege on account of race,
i is OF preylous eonditlon-eVen that Of being
g Just and the policy correct. No class
Will De more benefited by its adoption than
the rebels and the cOlOred population. Every
intelligent man knows that it has been legally
and constltutlonally submitted to the States,
except In one case, in which il makes it a con-
1IuOn with the the three States Virginia,
MISSISSIPPI and Texas. to adopt it before they
can De restored 70 their rights and privileges as
States In the Union However it is a rule that
Congress submits terms of peace TO the con-
quered, and l object to it because | believe it
Is non-republiean.
=, Again. It IS urged that l was a disorganizer.
How could TINS be, when had been an humble
yet faithful eo-worker with others in behalf Of
the conservative party ever since the origin of
when hundreds of those who OBJ
posed me stood with folded hands, declaring
they took no interest in politics-wiIIing to zee
everything go to destruction for the lack Of a
little faith. hope and courage; whilst was bat
tIlng with some others for the overthrow of rad
icalism,
Under these circumstances l thought had
every reason TO expect l would receive the sup
port OF my party, particularly a class of fellow
citizens called Rebels. for whose liberation no
man OF my means and influence had made
greater saerihees. Even three months ago |
was superseded as Collector of Internal Reyen-
ne, for no other reason than my alleged sympa-
thy with Rebels. Well known to many OF them
some few Of which. had the gratitude to remem-
Der me, whilst others had either forgotten or
overlooked it. / was well known to all the old
leading citizens of Rutherford county for near
forty years, and the leading citizens of Bedford
county fer twenty years. My course before the
war. during the war and since the war was no tot
that equivocal character that would leave them
IN dOubtand; why 1t was that the people of Bed
ford ounty dropped me and picked up an entire
stranger. Is to but few persons understood as
yet. The causes that lead to my defeat were OF
two kinds-direct and remote.
The direct cause Is pretty well understood:
the remote remains to be explained, and WheL
understood will astOnish many.
Another hobby horse was gotten up and rode
until his back was sore, viz: that Rutherford
coanty was entitled.t0 the sint Representative at
the time.:which had nothing in it, and when
stripped Of its sOphistry will clearly demon
In the first place Col Mullins was the Joint
Representative in 1865, and like all other mem
bers Of that bogus concern, held his position
under farce called an election.
In 1861, when there seemed to be a little more
of the semblance Of an election, the county OF
Rutherford asked the citizens of Bedford to CO.
operate with the citizens Of Rutherford in sup
port Oftheir candidate. brought forward by the
Conservatives of Rutherford. To this request
of the eltlIana 0f Radfnrd
including myself, cordially consented,
and heartily cO-operated. But he was beaten
by Col. Galbreath. the Radical candidate.
L had not learned that the Conservatives re-
garded those Radicals as their party reprosen-
tatives; so you will see at once this bugbeaF
falls TO the ground; that Rutherford was en-
titled to the candidate even by courtesy.
mention these facts. gentlemen, merely to set
myself right before the people,
Another charge, and perhaps as violently op
posed as any other measure proposed by me
that if | should be elected to the Legislature
aud it should decide to elect a United State.
Senator, / would feel bound TO give AndreW
johnson my support, for vasious reasons; first
(all things considere1) l thought il due to hin
from the people of Tennessee in consequence
of his firm and infexible devotion to cOnstitu
tiOnal law and liberty; in the second place,
consider il more to the interest Of Tennessee
and all the Southern States to have his service
than any other man known to me
Notwithstanding all this, / proclaimed pub
town of Shelbyville, was every way eompeten
and deserving. and was under obligations l.
bin for personal acts of kindness, and if Nh
johnson should not be a candidate l would Civ
my support to Mr.. Cooper.
There is another able and true man, thougi
last not least, that the people of Tennessee vii
not overlook when the day comes. His nam
is none other than the Hon. Emerson Etheridge
of West Tennessee, whom Hook UPON as havin
scarcely any superior in the land, and but fe1
e1Ials if any. have but little doubt his nam
| will not be overlooked. These opinions freely
| though candidly expressed, were used to IN
prejudice 20 a considerable extent. Fellow
citizens, l did not ask to be either conductor q
1 engineerin running the machinery Of Tennessee
| but simply TO act as brakeman. One more wor
1 of advice and have done for the present. Loo
| before you leap. Be careful how you take O
| the brakes by calling convention. Be c9refJ
| how you start the train on the down grade. wit
its valuable cargo. in which is contained all th
/ rights and privileges belonging to society
/ FellOw-citizens. / am yours. in the hope,
| possible, to preserve our government,
| JOSEPH RAMSEY,