Nashville union and American. [volume] (Nashville, Tenn.) 1868-1875, 1869-09-03
NEW SERIES. NO. 3l7

hearts OF the people tnat nave inspire
q few to resist earnestly the encroach
ments Of arbitrary power.
Andrew johnson is best fitted Of al
men in the North or in the South, +
be the champion not only of Tennessee
but Of the whole people in this battle
for return to the principles of fret
government; for he almost alone of the
prominent leaders of the people, ha,
shown himself thoroughly imbued will
these principles. He alone has cluns
with desperate earnestness to the doc
trines Of the past, resisting to the very
death, every encroachment on the right.
Of the people, and warning them Of
danger. His heroic struggle against the
foes Of the constitution, the consummste
ability aud address with which he met
them at every point, using every means
within bis power to preserve the liberties
OF the people, show his peculiar fitness
for the leadership. He rallied the
| friends Of constitutional liberty to the
support of these principles; he consol-
dated the friends Of freedom, and thos
roughly enunciated its doctrines; he not
only did this, he also exposed the abuses
and the corruption, and weakened the
mighty force Of the Radical party; he
thwarted, delayed and denounced their
arbitrary measures, thus enlarging the
circle Of their opponents in the North,
making defections from their ranks,
and creating a tide against them,
which, but for Grants military fame,
would have swept them from power.
Now, if the honest masses thoroughly
sympathize with the principles which
johnson has advocated, which be has
well understood and felt if he possesses
the ability to unite his friends in the
conflict if he has the power, and is
willing to WELD it to smite down an
enemy who already fears, because be has
felt the weight of his trenchant blows !;
if he has national fame and a national
influence; if he has already, SINGLE
handed and almost unsupported, cons
Quoted q mastery AMI heroic national
contest, so well that we can hardly con-
ceive how il could have been better done,
is he not the man in Tennessee best
fitted for this place? Under the pecu-
liar circumstances OF the situation, he
seems to US the only man who is fitted
for the place. His national reputation
give him vantage ground which no
other man would have. The foes Of the
constitution are even now trembling at
the prospect Of Andrew johnson ex>
posing in the Senate chamber, and before
the people, their rottenness and corrup>
ton, and charging to their teeth their
fragrant abuse Of trust. he alone has
been able to make them tremble and
quail in the prosecution Of their bad de-
signs, hence they denounce him with q
bitterness, and hate him with malig~
nancy, which only fear can inspire.
From the MeMinnviIle New Era, Sept. 2,
The subject OF who shall succeed Mr..
Fowler in the United States Senate has
been the cause of much remark and
speculation by our cotemporaries, and
has also excited considerable interest on
the part Of the people of the State.
Quite a number Of our citizens have
been brought forward in connection with
the position; and while our contemporaries
advocate the claims Of their own parti'
cular choice, they at the same time assail
those who have been brought forward by
other parties and for. whom they have
no particular liking. We have purposes
| ly RETAINED from urging our own choice
upon the minds Of our readers, for more
reasons than one; and one of which is
that we feel that as little personal feeling
| should be manifested for men at thi:
time as it is possible to get along
with. If We have q choice o
our own, it does not make it necessary
that we should aSsail the choice Of some
one else; and we regret to see that some
of our contemporaries cannot urge the
claims of their own man, without trump
ing up very fimsy reasons to damage the
| success ofsome one whom he fears rival.
We are willing to leave the matter
entirely in the hands of the Legislature,
| who come fresh from their constituency
and with desire to serve that constitN
uency as they understand their wants.
0fall Legislatures which have assembled
in the State since our recollection, we
believe the present to be the most I'M
selfish, and desiring above all things else
to represent their constituency truly. We
would have preferred that the election
of Senator had been proceeded with
without one word Of condemnation
from a single newspaper in the
State, but we have not our
choice, and as other localities have given
public expression as to their choice, we
shall exercise the same privilege for our
own county and senatorial district; and
give it as their wish that Andrew Johns
son shall be elected to the United States
Senate to succeed Mr.. Fowler. In this
expression we do not express our own
personal preference; indeed we have none
that we would urge against the known
wish OF the people whose will we endea'
! vor to reflect. We can and do waive ouI
own wish in Difference to that of the pea
pie. Why Mr.. johnson is not our choice
is unnecessary to mention-he is the
choice of our people, and we have nothing
to fear from the selection of their choice
Let him be Senator.
Il
We regret to observe that this ques
ton is being discussed with unnecessary
| warmth and rather incorporate zeal by
several OF our contemporaries in the Mid
| die and Western Divisions Of the State
There certainly can be no objection to
an earnest advocacy by any one, of his
special favOrite for the position of United
States Senator; at the same time, Will,
the people, in all sections of the State
are yet rejoicing in common over our re
cen: magnificent triumph, that any con
test in the victorious ranks should
be characterized by the acrimOn,
indicated by several articles whicI
have fallen under our eye with
in the past few days. What an,
one candidate can hope to gain by at
tempting to pluck laurels from the broT
| of an honorable rival, at this particula
iuncture, we are at loss to perceive
Or, to be little palmer, we cannot dis
Germ what advantage is to accrue to MI
Etheridge from the indiscreet and, i
in some cases, violent warfare his friend
have seen proper to wage against Nj
johnson. This is certainly no time 70
the Disagreement or denunciation Of on
own best Enthusiastically one lik
Andrew johnson, who for the last fou
years has so manfully breasted the It'd
Of fanatcism and battled, at terribl
odds, for our liberties under the consti
tuition.
Wehave heretofore expressed our pr
ference for Mr.. johnson. We have NJ
deemed it necessary or proper to urge h
claims in the spirit of partisan. W
have our reasons for our preference, b.
at the same time we have DO reasons 4
undertaking to depreciate or assail an
one who may aspire to the position
. 1 n,noa.i;on 20 b,u. ~ Al o1rE,n-,x -,