Nashville union and American. [volume] (Nashville, Tenn.) 1868-1875, 1869-01-22
A RADICAL QUARREL.
GOV. BrOWnlOW Airs Secretary
Fletcher.
The Wars OF the Roses.
A Slightly Personal" Re
JOinder.
From The Knoxville Wbie, Jan. 20

instant, A. j. Fletcher, Secretary c
State, has published letter denunciator
of the Republican party Of Tennessee il
general and of the administration Of Gov
Brownlow in particular. As he ha
courted ventilation, he shall have our co
operation in securing considerable Of il
The grayamen of his charge is that b.
could not, without doing violence to hi
convictions, approve much of the policl
of the present administration Of the Stat
government, especially Of the Executive
department." We quote the main por
lions of his letter.
Here follows the letter..
1t will be seen that Mr.. Fletcher's OBJ
jections may be thus enumerated
L. The Governor claims to "appoin
all the officers Of the State, both civil ant
military" for the full terms provided
by law for such offices. The Governor
simply submitted the warrant Of the con.
stitution itself for his action in the prem,
Uses. The implication that this sVds The
occasion and the beginning tf the rap
ture between the Governor and the Sec
rotary is false and misleading, as we pro.
pose TO show before this article is closed
2. The management of the non-pay-
ing railroads" Except in the case o.
two East Tennessee railroads, and the
reasons for these exceptions were fully
given in message to the Assembly, the
Governor has strictly tracked the law in
the management Of the non- paying roads
;. "The proposition to issue gold
bearing bonds" This was an inmates
rial incident Of the State administration
recommended by Judge Watson, the
Financial Agent of the State.
4. 1.-THE use Of militia instead of the
county police" The militia was not en-
ployed until it became perfectly evident
that in no other way could the peace Of
the State and the lives of its friends be
preserved. Nor was it then employed
until the law was PROSTATE, and many
acts of murder and violence had occur
red.
D. "The administration of the ma
chinery of the franchise law" 1t is quite
apparent that as to this law, md the
temper of the party towards ex-Rebels,
as the Secretary is pleased to term them,
he has more care for them than for the
unhappy victims of their brutality. The
blood of scores of CHASTITY, dead loyalists,
cries out against the misplaced sympathy
of the Secretary, who has arguments in
plenty for the reinstatement of murder
Gus outlaws, and only taunts of "soant of
cGlibre'' for those who have, thus far,
kept the control at the State government
from their bloody clutches.
6. Sundry "minor matters, not neeese
sary to mention" Why, then, hare they
been mentioned ? Does this Statement
of the Secretary cover the negro and
carpet>bag question Perhaps. We
shall see.
z. att" the party, as about to e:c-
PlOde for aoGRt of calibre." Will the
Secretary inform the public when, so far
as Tennessee is concerned, the party had
more cdlibTe than now? How did it
lose its cdlibref When ? Where :?
Is it because of his detection from it /?
We Judge Mr.. Fletcher could scarcely
have been reelected to his present office
had this letter first been published. Per-
haps he might. under the apprehension
that the party would otherwise lose the
caliGre that his seeming adhesion gave
it but upon no other hypothesis that we
can conjecture.
8. The Secretary claims still TO be Of
the party and in it. In every one Of the
above specifications Of dissent, save, per-
haps, the second and third, and in these
by implication, he has planted himself
in opposition to the platform Of
the party, as adopted unanimously at the
last State Convention. None but an en-
envy of the party could condemn its gen
eral policy as he has done. How very
respectful, CD modest, % dignifed. %
to charge a great party, like the Union
Republican party of Tennessee, which
has maintained itself in the van of the
National Union Republican party for four
years, with want Of caliGre ! A man
who could do this, member and its
friend? Mo-
8. The Secretary disclaims aspirations
for gubernatorial honors. Yes, if from
the Repubublican party. No, if from
the other. His letter is bold bid for
Etheridge's place.
10. The Secretary solemnly disclaims
that, in all this, and in his general course,
he has been influenced by personal feel
ings against Gov. Brownlow. We take
the opposite ground, and we fix the date
Of the rupture earlier, and for other
causes than those assigned by the Secre-
tary for his merely official and political
divergence from the Governor. 1t began
before the Governors assertion of right
to fill all the offices, and hence there
must have been another cause or causes.
We can, at least, guess at their charac>
ter.
The consent Of the Governor to be
for second term of Office was
distasteful to Mr.. Fletcher.
Here began the rupture. This interfered
with his hopes, disappointing
the Secretary's aspirations. This was
the real difficulty. And this occurred
several months before the date of the
message referred to.
Another fact is this: the Secretary re-
a certain man to the Gov
ernOr for Chancellor in the Nashville dis
trict, and then afterwards denied having
so recommended him. The Governor
proved the denial untrue. Not unlikely,
this event irritated the sore.
Then, also, the temerity Of the Gov
ernor and his friends in aspiring to the
United States Senate, thus overlooking
the caliber of the Secretary himself had,
perhaps, some influence in the same d.
rection. In addition, the Governor has
been fully endorsed and sustained by the
loyal people of Tennessee, and by their
representatives, all of which has, prOba
bly,, not increased the amiability of the
Secretary toward the Gov
ernor. Another fact, still, may be given,
as bearing upon this subject. During the
Governors absence from the State, in
September, 1866, Mr.. Fletcher commits
stoned brother>in-law of his as Atter~
neY General of the Columbia District,
who had been a bushwhacker and Texas
Ranger in the belarmy. Upon his re-
turn from the North, Gov. Brownlow re-
yoked the commission, whereat Mr.. F.
was greatly displeased. Now, after all
this, for Mr.. Fletcher to solemnly aver
that the differences between him and the
Governor were not Of personal char
acter is most marvellous assumption, in<
dicating heap Of CALDER in him who
makes it, and requiring more CALDER in
one who, knowing the facts, would, for
one moment, believe it.
There is one other slightly personal
remark due at this point TO utter it
may seem ungracious ; yet it will force
itself upon the minds of persons familiar