Nashville union and American. [volume] (Nashville, Tenn.) 1868-1875, 1869-10-15
THE SENATORIAL QUESTION.
Who Shall Succeed Mr.. Fowler
In the Senate?
Views of Correspondents.
Observation-Disclosures AND PACKER FOR JOHN

| most interesting and important contest that ha
| taken place in the State.
A few weeks ago most persons supposed /
1 would simply be a contest between Mr.. John
son and Mr.. Etheridge. the chances seeming Il
favor Mr.. Johnson. A few days before thu
meeting OF the Legislature. Mr.. Etheridge ar
rived in this city and commenced tht
canvass. His friends also went to work
and certainly many of them are entitled
| 70 credit tor yehemence in denunciation with q
libelal amount OF scientific profanity, while
| Mr., ktheridge himself, has staked the contest
| upon the superiority of his colloquial powers
| Mr.. johnson, it is understood, though in the
city, has spoken TO no one on the subject of his
| election, except when it was introduced. His
conduct and bearing are spoken of by all as
being most dignifed. His conversation when
| visited by his friends, is on general subjects.
avoiding as much as possible, any allusion TO
himselE and entirely avoiding any discussion Of
| Mr.. Etheridges merits or the merits of others
who are supposed TO be in his way. The COM
trast is so great-in the one there so much pro-
| pfiety, and IN the other so much improprieIy,
that this race seems 10 be about clio ed. But
as the fortunes of Mr.. Etheridge have waned.
| there has been no lack of friends ready 10 take
| his place and stand in his shoes. At present
| 1t would not be speaking with pro-
| priety to call it contest. 1t is simply OPP
position TO Mr.. Johnson, and thus Opposition
is somewhat strengthened by the ambition of
several highly respectable citizens who have
been hatteTed, not so much by their own friends
as the enemies of Mr.. johnson. and made to
hope that finally this opposition will concen-
trate. And, of course, each one of the highly
respectable gentlemen expects the opposition TO
concentrate on the best man. And hence it has
been united in the effort to beat Mr.. johnson,
each man calculating on the most favorable re-
suits In case the opposition succeeds. Strange
TO say, that this shreWd manOauvre is she work
OF one mana gentleman of our city, who writes
good letters, makes good flour. and lately took
stock in the convention 10 nominate Mayor, and
who suppOses the tWO~thirds rule IL still IN force.
For bitterness the war on Mr.. johnson has ad
no parallel IN Tennessee. One Of our leading
newspapers assumes that no honest man can be
for Mr.. johnson, while advocacy Of is claims
is denOmiDated 10y the retailers as the insane
policy The bItterest opposition to MIR. John
son comes from two classes who have strangely
united. One is that class of gentlemen who do
not sympathize with the Northern DemOcracy,
because it regards the war as settling the ques-
tiOns of slavery aad secession, and who in fact,
think If they can get these questions before the
people Of Tennessee again, they can do better
IN the discussion than they formerly did. The
other class IS simply the extreme Radical. 1t is
true that outside of these two classes there are
individual cases of opposition.
Some shoot of against johnson, supposing that
as the Legislature was made up mainly of old
Wings, he would have but little influence in
controlling the public printing, having RpprO-
priations for railroads made ETC., while another
man opposes him because he says while the war
was going on he put his daddy in the peniten-
tiary; another says johnson is responsible for
the collections mate here during the war 70
feed the wives and children Of absent Confeder-
ate soldiers and IN most cases the men who are
making this question are men who made the
loudest promises of help to the families of all
who fought for the South. Others oppose him
because he was a Democrat, and Gid not 90 with
the Democrats when the war came; while
others oppose him because the Democrats oil
the North are for him, and they say we should
not be dictated TO by such C0pperheads. Others
oppose him because the Radicals of tho North
will all be mad II We eject him, and tLeV will
not give US anything; that we need OK yect ne
more favOrs from the Radicals in Congress il
we eject johnson while others oppose him be.
he has mot formal IOlDh1 10 llama
cratic party and does not profess to belong to it.
SHOULD JOHNSON BE ELECTED TO THE SENATE
is one of the biggest questions ever decided
by the State Of Tennessee, and this is the tim e
for a calm consideration of it. There is no ar
gumeut in mere VituperatiOn. The friends of
Mr., johnson present him alone upon the grOuh d
of merit, and IN doing so, they do OF
say Mr.. johnson is without fault. Til ey
have tried to consider his case and the con d.
ton of the country calmly, and under eriStiRJ
cfs. they claim that = Jahu 'oa - the man
Under eristiRg facts, they claim this. The
facts are. that a great and powerful people
once happy and prosperous, with good form
of government, have been conYulsed by war
and oppressed by those who always come after
q war, until they are in great danger OF losing
all that their forefathers fought TO secure.
What are the evidences of this danger
/. A Supreme Court is gravely considering
the question whether. under our constitution,
a military court in time OF peace can try and
punish q citizen for crime, The mere fact ar
gravely considers this question is alarming.
2. The Congress of the United States has
abolished State governments, and now in time
of peace. by military organization is governing
| the people of three great States of this
/ Union; these three States are commanded TO
| ratity the fifteenth amendment, and told if they
never DO il they shall never be free: that they
/ will be treated as States far enough to allow
L them, under military direction, to ratify an
amendment to the constitution land which only
States can dO) which totally changes the charac.
II nf m in tai
i structure; but at the same time they are not 70
be States far enough to be represented in Con-
gress.
| Besides these and other kindred questions,
affecting directly the life of the nation the ques.
tons of the public credit and the peoples take.
/ are of such magnitude. that they too nigh
i apply be termed life and death questions.
The people are paying about $500 10000. 0 annu-
4 ally 20 carry on this government. First, a larif
4 for the benefit Of New England, raised by gu,
tics on imports, from Sl70.0JO.OJ0t TO Sl910OOO UC
! in gold; about $l40.0OO,000 OF this is taken Il
| pay the interest on the public debt; the balance
| is used in buying in 5-2Gs. This is done by sell
ing the gold below the market value because the
| New York bears ask il, and the proceeds
greenbacks-is-used in buying up 5-2O's pay.
ing 81 30 for every 81, 900 bond and that too II
positive violation Of the act of Congress, as ad
mitted by The tWe leading RADICALS o
Morton. This Boutwell, calls reducing
the debt. The financial policy of the govern
ment amounts to about this: that all the sur
Il "
belongs to New England. has been released fr0u
| taxes and contributes nOthing-nOt one cent I,
the support Of the government This money
/ 800 600 0OO-the government has borr We
| For this loan heavy gold interest is paid
| which is collected from the people. and beside
| the interest the government gives a bonus fo
the use Of the money equal to the taxes. TIL
| substance of the tran action is that the govern
ment is New Englands factor, and the people
| are the subjects.
Besides this enOrmity the " ole country i
under the control Of rings-railTOad Tings, bluI
| rings, gold rings ana whiskey Iings-many O
| which are formed at Washington.
The dangers 10 the government, and tn
wrongs which the people are suffering. deman
at Washington just such a man as We suppOs
Mr. johnson to be.
The first aad paramount consideration is hi
superior ability. Mr. Johnson has no equal II
the Senate, no equal in mind, and certainly n
| equal in vigOr, force and will.
| A citizen Of Tennessee who is now travelin
| in Europe and who has seen much Of the peOpl
in a letter to friend says, Mr.. Johnso
| throughout Europe isadmitted 10 be the create!
| living American statesman. This is the generl
| opinion throughout this country, 1t is not mel
laudatiUn to say these things Of Mr.. johnson
/ For 3 years he has been the coming mau, an
3 now be has better known reputation than an
| living mamie has a stronger hold upon III
p masses. take the whole country than an
fasT fs y'n sa. bsen devoted Sborous
to tho study of the constitution
! For four years of his life, solitary and alone
1 stood by It, amid the hercest attacks that FAM
o | ticism and thirst for power ever made upon tt
, peoples rights. Whether he acquitted himse
well is not new an open question. Outside Il
Radical party there isnot one single neTspap'
in the United States, but what Is e
topped from denying his great merit an
| superior skill in this the most unequal strUgg
r recorded on the page of history.
Aside from his great ability, Mr., johnson
| incOrruptible. THIS Is a great deal these TINE
4 | Among the ten thousand fierce assaults whlC
have been made upon him by the Radical part
no one has ever had the hardihOOd TO chars
. | that he had been corrupted with gold. Wnil
, | President he accepted no presents. This show
| a nice appreciation of even the spirit OF q
| constitution, and that be is a man Of dignI
r | and propriety in high position.
"a But in addition and mainly, MT. johnson h
/, | correct views as 10 the best mode OF saving 81
constitution and Of securing constitution
liberty. He docs not believe at this time II
N | best 10 put men in Congress who upon the idt
: | of Cancellation will be silent and passive as q
n | constitution sinks out Of sight under the man
= mutations of its despOilers. One main ground
;, | attack against Mr.. Johnson is, that his electi
would cause the whole Radical party to tn
The cold shoulder 10 Tennessee. that we cou
1 | get no help TO build our railroads and Op
!. oar mines, AID build custom houses. etc, @
Ifpeople want this sort of help or even comm
~ sympathy from Congress there is but one W
al 10 get it, and that is 10 overthrow the Radio
20 | PARTY. This, Mr.. johnson fully realizes, a
that the constitution can only De saved
taking It out of the hands Of its despoile
vi | What statesman in America believes that co
r sututional liberty can be preserved Withoq
changer Whs is so weak as not TO Know ID
" the line Of battle has actually been form
against the constitution, indeed, not TO kn'
that the fight is going on, and heavy assau
are constantly being made. Three States
now held rs prisoners, and still the battle rag
al Have Cancellation and timidity ever check
no such an attack as this-sn attack which
. but one aim, power1 Who will heed the sIgg
RS | ton to send passive and acceptable men to I
Senate And by acceptable they mean acce
on able to the despoilers. From the day Adam
NJ of the forbidden fruit such an attack as this '
never tOiled By the diplomacy of silence